Daimler Chrysler Ag

Andreas Kollmann

Guenter Woerner

Rolf Schroeder

Juergen Henkel

Stefan Weniger

G&uuml;nter W&ouml;rner

Peter Muenich

Rolf Schr&ouml;der

Wolfgang Niechoj

Dietmar Rill

Birgit Neuwirth

J&uuml;rgen Henkel

Olaf Rindfleisch

Thomas Keller

Peter M&uuml;nich

Tripod joints have a joint outer part and a joint inner part which are in driving connection to each other with cylindrical rolling bodies being connected in between and axial displacement and pivotability being ensured. The longitudinal axes of adjacent rolling bodies are arranged at an acute angle to one another. This may result in an improved mechanical behavior of the tripod joint particularly during pivoting. The tripod joints may be suitable for the displaceable and pivotable driving connection of two shaft ends, in particular in conjunction with drive trains or side shafts of motor vehicles.

Tripod joint

A drive train of a motor vehicle includes a power divider, a side shaft, a constant-velocity joint, an intermediate shaft, and a bearing unit. The intermediate shaft has first and second ends. The first end of the intermediate shaft is rotatably connected to the power divider and is mounted in the power divider with a first bearing, and the second end is located opposite the power divider and is connected to the side shaft via the constant-velocity joint. The bearing unit provides further mounting for the intermediate shaft between the first bearing and the constant-velocity joint. The bearing unit has a play oriented radially with respect to the intermediate shaft, and is able to exert a force oriented radially to the intermediate shaft on the intermediate shaft only after the play has been overcome.

Drive train of a motor vehicle and method of making a bearing unit

In an arrangement of a running roller on a coupling journal of a coupling half of a moveable shaft coupling, a radial rolling bearing, the inner ring of which is connected to the coupling journal by a ball joint, is inserted into the running roller. In order to maintain an additional degree of freedom for the relative movements of the coupling journal in relation to the complementary coupling half in the directions perpendicular to the central axis of the latter, either the running face of the running roller is configured cylindrically or the rolling bearing is configured as a loose bearing.

Arrangement of a running roller on a coupling journal of a moveable shaft coupling

Growing community of inventors

Waldachtal, Germany

Andreas Kollmann