Face spline molding device, face spline molding method, outer joint member, and constant velocity universal joint

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9630237-B2
Application number	US-201214124838-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 23, 2012
Priority date	Jun 17, 2011
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

An outer joint member for a constant velocity universal joint is formed by a face spline forming apparatus and a face spline forming method. The face spline forming apparatus includes a punch member having a tooth portion for forming a face spline, a pedestal having an end-surface receiving surface for receiving an opening end surface of a cup section, and a shaft member having an inner-surface receiving surface for receiving a bottom-wall inner surface of the cup section. The opening end surface and the bottom-wall inner surface are brought into a simultaneous pressure receiving state. In this state, the punch member performs a rocking motion to form the face spline in a bottom-wall back surface due to plastic deformation caused by the tooth portion of the punch member.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A face spline forming apparatus for forming a face spline in a bottom-wall back surface of an outer joint member of a constant velocity universal joint, the face spline forming apparatus comprising:
a punch member having a tooth portion for forming the face spline, and having an axial center inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to an axial center of the outer joint member;
a pedestal having an end-surface receiving surface for receiving an opening end surface of a cup section of the outer joint member;
a shaft member having an inner-surface receiving surface for receiving a bottom-wall inner surface of the cup section of the outer joint member;
a movement mechanism for shifting the pedestal and the shaft member relative to each other in an axial direction thereof; and
control means for controlling the movement mechanism so that a pressure is simultaneously receivable by the opening end surface of the cup section and the bottom-wall inner surface of the cup section,
wherein the end-surface receiving surface of the pedestal receives a portion of the opening end surface of the cup section of the outer joint member that is furthest away from the bottom-wall back surface in the axial direction,
wherein the bottom-wall inner surface of the cup section of the outer joint member comprises an inner-surface tapered portion,
wherein the inner-surface receiving surface of the shaft member comprises a receiving-surface tapered portion that receives the inner-surface tapered portion,
wherein one of the end-surface receiving surface of the pedestal receiving the opening end surface of the cup section and the inner-surface receiving surface of the shaft member receiving the bottom-wall inner surface of the cup section occurs first, and the other of the end-surface receiving surface of the pedestal receiving the opening end surface of the cup section and the inner-surface receiving surface of the shaft member receiving the bottom-wall inner surface of the cup section subsequently occurs to attain a simultaneous pressure receiving state of the opening end surface of the cup section and the bottom-wall inner surface of the cup section, and
wherein, at the time of receiving the pressure simultaneously, the punch member is configured to perform a rocking motion through rotation of the punch member about the axial center of the outer joint member, to thereby form the face spline in the bottom-wall back surface due to plastic deformation caused by the tooth portion of the punch member.

2. A face spline forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the pedestal and the shaft member are configured to shift relative to each other in the axial direction through movement of the shaft member in the axial direction.

3. A face spline forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the movement mechanism comprises a screw structure.

4. A face spline forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the movement mechanism comprises a servomechanism using a servomotor.

5. A face spline forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the movement mechanism comprises a screw structure.

6. A face spline forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the movement mechanism comprises a servomechanism using a servomotor.

Assignees

• Kimura Takahiro
• Matsunaga Hiroshi
• Ntn Toyo Bearing Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kimura Takahiro
• Matsunaga Hiroshi

Classifications

• F16D3/223

  the rolling members being guided in grooves in both coupling parts · CPC title

• B21J9/025

  with rolling or wobbling dies · CPC title

• B60B27/0005

  with ball bearings · CPC title

• B21H5/00

  Making gear wheels {, racks, spline shafts or worms} · CPC title

• F16D2250/0023

  Shaping by pressure · CPC title