Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation

Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Eduardo R Mondragon-Parra

Jon N Miller

Brian J Kleinfeld

Steven Mark Thomas

Jeffrey P Courville

James M Petrowski

Keith A Kozlowski

Kenta Nakajima

William Paul Skvarla

Jorge Flores-Garay

Jun Jim Lu

Jeff P Courville

Jenny C Ho

Keith Allen Kozlowski

Damin J Siler

A constant velocity joint includes an inner race having a main body defining a central opening. The constant velocity joint also includes a shaft member extending through the central opening, wherein the shaft member is staked to the inner race to axially retain the shaft member to the inner race.

Constant velocity joint with staking features

A motor vehicle shaft assembly has a shaft extending along a longitudinal axis between opposite ends, with the shaft having a male spline adjacent at least one of the opposite ends, and a housing having a through bore extending about the longitudinal axis, with the through bore having a female spline configured for meshed engagement with the male spline to prevent relative torsional movement between the shaft and the housing. At least one of the male and female splines includes a tapered spline extending in oblique relation to the longitudinal axis.

Tapered minor diameter spline to increase strength and fatigue life

A constant velocity joint assembly includes an outer joint member defining a first longitudinal axis and including a closed end, an open end, a first set of outer tracks extending at least partially between the closed end and the open end, and a second set of outer tracks extending at least partially between the closed end and the open end. The assembly also includes an inner joint member defining a second longitudinal axis coaxial with the first longitudinal axis and including a first set of inner tracks and a second set of inner tracks, the inner joint including an attachment feature to receive a driveshaft. A path followed by the center of a ball in the first set of tracks is constrained by an outer race track path and an inner race track path, the outer race track path being a piecewise continuous function.

Constant velocity joint with asymmetric opposed tracks

A shaft assembly for transmitting a torque in a driveline system. The shaft assembly comprises an outer shaft member that extends along an axis and includes an interior surface defining a bore and a plurality of outer grooves at least partially delimiting the bore. An inner shaft member extends along the axis and includes an outer surface defining at least one of a plurality of inner pockets or a plurality of inner grooves aligned with the outer grooves. At least one rolling element is located between the outer grooves and the inner pockets or the outer grooves and the inner grooves. At least one of the outer surface of the inner shaft or the inner surface of the outer shaft is configured to axially retain the at least one rolling element and the shaft assembly does not include a ball retaining cage.

Ballspline shaft with no ball retainer

A torque transmitting shaft includes a first member and a second member. The first member extends along an axis and has an inner surface extending between a first end and a second end. The inner surface defines a plurality of first engagement elements disposed proximate the first end. The second member extends along the second axis and has a first end portion and an intermediate portion extending from the first end portion. An end of the intermediate portion is fixedly attached to the second end. The first end portion has a first spline portion and each member of the first spline portion is received within corresponding engagement elements of the plurality of first engagement elements.

Torque transmitting shaft

A boot for a shaft assembly joint and method of construction thereof are provided. The boot has a flexible hollow wall extending about a central axis between a first end and a second end. The first end has a skirt portion configured for snug engagement with an outer surface of a housing of the constant velocity joint and the second end has a neck portion configured for snug engagement with an outer surface of a shaft extending away from the constant velocity joint. At least one of the skirt portion and the neck portion has interior surface formed of a first material having a first coefficient of friction and an exterior surface formed of a second material having a second coefficient of friction, the first coefficient of friction being greater than the second coefficient of friction.

Co-molded CVJ boot skirt for anti-slip performance

A constant velocity joint is provided with at least a pair of tracks whose geometry is defined based on ball path that follows a parametric equation and the parametric function is in the form of a polynomial displacement function of a fourth order or larger.

High angle constant velocity joint

A tripot housing includes a housing body that extends between a first housing end and a second housing end along a longitudinal central axis. The housing body defines a guide channel that extends from the first housing end toward the second housing end. The guide channel has a first wall, a second wall, and a third wall that extends between the first wall and the second wall. An elliptical contact surface area transitions the first wall with the third wall and the second wall with the third wall, with the elliptical contact surface areas being configured for engagement with an outer roller of a roller assembly to inhibit a locking condition.

Tripot housing with hybrid-elliptical tracks

A constant velocity joint includes a trunnion extending radially outwardly about a trunnion axis. The joint also includes a ball surrounding the trunnion and rotatable relative thereto about a plurality of needle rollers. The joint further includes a retainer that is a single, unitary structure coupled to the trunnion and positioned to limit movement of the ball and the needle rollers in a direction parallel to the trunnion axis.

Needle retainer for constant velocity joint and method of determining trunnion shape

A universal or constant velocity joint includes a first rotatable shaft member that extends along a longitudinal axis, a bearing member, and a joining member. The first rotatable shaft member has a free end that defines a shaft face spline. The bearing member includes a bearing hub having a first end, a second end, and a longitudinally extending hub bore. The first end has a hub face spline. The joining member fixes the bearing member to the shaft with the hub face spline and shaft face spline engaged in interlocking engagement.

Universal joint or constant velocity joint torque transmission interface

A torque transmitting shaft includes a first member and a second member. The first member extends along an axis and has an inner surface extending between a first end and a second end. The inner surface defines a plurality of first engagement elements disposed proximate the first end. The second member extends along the second axis and has a first end portion and an intermediate portion extending from the first end portion. The first end portion has a first spline portion and each member of the first spline portion is received within corresponding engagement elements of the plurality of first engagement elements.

A tripot constant velocity joint includes a housing defining a guide channel. A spider member is received within the housing and includes a trunnion having a functional outer surface with a convex profile defined by a first principal radius of curvature and a second principal radius of curvature different from the first principal radius of curvature. A first inner surface of a first ball member engages the functional outer surface of the trunnion. A first outer surface of the first ball member is provided with a non-symmetric piecewise continuous profile that engages the first sidewall.

Tripot constant velocity joint

A torque transmitting shaft includes a first member and a second member. The first member has an inner surface that defines a plurality of engagement elements. The second member has a first end portion, a second end portion, and an intermediate portion. The first end portion of the second member defines a splined portion. Each member of the splined portion is received within corresponding engagement elements of the plurality of engagement elements. Each member of the splined portion includes a first protrusion that engages the inner surface of the first member.

Tunable torque transmitting shaft

A tripot universal joint includes a first rotatable shaft member having a longitudinal axis and three longitudinal guide channels, each having two opposing concave side surfaces and a back surface. The joint also includes a rotatable second shaft member having a longitudinal axis and comprising a spider having three radially extending trunnions equally, each of the trunnions having a convex outer surface disposed within an associated longitudinal guide channel. The joint further includes three rotatable ball assemblies, each disposed on a convex outer surface of a trunnion, each ball assembly having an outer ball with a convex outer surface that is disposed within the concave side surfaces of the longitudinal guide channel with which it is associated for moveable engagement within the channel and an inner ball with an inner surface that is rotatably disposed on the convex surface of the trunnion with a detachably reattachable coupling.

Growing community of inventors

Saginaw, MI, United States of America

Eduardo R Mondragon-Parra