Koyo Seiko Company, Ltd.

Hidekazu Sakakibara

Yoshiyuki Inoue

Yasushi Kadota

Hiroshi Kotani

Kazuo Ide

Kanichi Sumida

A universal joint including an intermediate joint member having a spherical portion as assembled and four ridges formed on the outer surface of the spherical portion and defining four guide furrows therebetween, and two shaft each having one end bifurcating into two arms. The two arms of one of the shafts are fitted in two of the guide furrows positioned symmetrically, and the two arms of the other shaft are fitted in the other two guide furrows positioned symmetrically. The entire joint member comprises two divided half segments arranged in combination axially of the member. Alternatively, the spherical portion comprises two divided half segments arranged in combination axially thereof, one of the spherical half segments being integrally formed with two of the ridges positioned symmetrically and extending to over the outer surface of the other spherical half segment, the other spherical half segment being integrally formed with the other two ridges positioned symmetrically and extending to over the outer surface of said one spherical half segment. In either of these arrangements, an elastic member is provided at the combined portion of the two segments inside the contour of the combined portion for biasing the segments at least circumferentially thereof out of register with each other.

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Osaka, Japan

Hidekazu Sakakibara