Nsk Corporation

Hiromichi Komori

Kiyoshi Sadakata

Seiichi Moriyama

Hiroshi Sekine

Kazumi Hirata

Takanobu Sasaki

Masaharu Igarashi

Tsuyoshi Itou

Yoshiro Udo

An intermediate shaft is provided which connects a steering shaft and a steering gear mechanism together via a universal joint, a shoulder bolt is provided which fastens one of yokes of the universal joint and a shaft portion of the intermediate shaft and on which a small diameter portion and a large diameter portion which are adapted to be brought into engagement with an outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion are formed sequentially from a distal end portion side, and the intermediate shaft has a bolt engagement recess portion which is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion in such a manner as to extend in a direction which intersects an axial direction and which is adapted to be brought into engagement with the large diameter portion of the shoulder bolt and a dislocation preventive projecting portion which is formed on an outer circumferential surface of an end portion thereof, whereby a temporary fastening is implemented by bringing the small diameter portion of the shoulder bolt into engagement with an outer circumferential surface which lies adjacent to the bolt engagement recess portion, and a final fastening is implemented by bringing the large diameter portion of the shoulder bolt into engagement with the bolt engagement recess portion.

Steering apparatus, manufacturing method of steering apparatus and manufacturing method of shaft

An elastic shaft joint is constituted of a joint member, a shaft member being fitted in a shaft of the joint member, and an elastic bush having a cylindrical inner sleeve fitted and fixed on the joint member, a cylindrical elastic member fixed on an outside surface of the inner sleeve, and a cylindrical outer sleeve fixed on an outside surface of the elastic member, for elastic torque transmission between the joint member and the shaft member, wherein the outer sleeve is fixed on the shaft member.

Elastic shaft joint

An elastic shaft coupling and a manufacturing method of an element of the coupling, which realize reduction of the manufacturing cost while maintaining a sufficient strength of the coupling. The elastic shaft coupling has a coupling element which is formed by interposing between a joint member and a hollow shaft member an elastic member for flexing and deforming upon a relative rotation therebetween and forming stopper portions for restricting the relative rotation within a predetermined amount respectively on the joint member and the hollow shaft member. The stopper portion on the hollow shaft member side is formed by plastically processing the end portion of the material of the hollow shaft member into a flange shape.

Elastic shaft coupling and method of manufacturing coupling element

A temporary connecting device for connecting a steering shaft of a vehicle to a universal joint of a steering mechanism. The device comprises a yoke of a universal joint, a shaft to be connected to the yoke, a bolt and a nut for fixing the shaft to the yoke and a clip for temporarily retaining the shaft in the yoke. The clip is composed of a thin plate member having a support portion fixed to one of the tabs of the yoke and a latching portion positioned in the U-shaped groove in a normal state, the latching portion comprising a cam slant portion which is brought into contact with the shaft when the shaft is inserted into a U-shaped groove from an open side thereof in order to connect the shaft to the yoke so as to retract the latching portion from the U-shaped groove by the elastic deformation thereof to allow the shaft to move into the U-shaped groove, and a latching surface portion to be returned into the U-shaped groove after the shaft is inserted into the U-shaped groove so as to temporarily retain the shaft at a predetermined position.

Temporary connection device for universal joint

A retractor including emergency locking mechanism including a ratchet plate mounted on a winding shaft onto and from which a webbing is wound and unwound, an inertia member which is turned in response to the rotation of the shaft, a latch member which is turned together with the shaft in a webbing pull-out direction so as to engage a pawl with the ratchet plate to lock the shaft to prevent it from being rotated in such a direction as to allow the webbing to be pulled out of the retractor, and a locking mechanism for coupling the latch member to the shaft when the turning of the inertia member lags behind that of the shaft; and a clamping mechanism for pinching the webbing between a swingable clamping engagement member and the inner surface of the base of the retractor so as to prevent the webbing from being pulled out of the retractor, wherein a control mechanism for either swinging the clamping engagement member in a webbing pinch direction so as to put the engagement member in a first position for preventing the webbing from being pulled out of the retractor, or putting the engagement member in a second position for allowing the webbing to be pulled out of the retractor includes a control plate turnable about the same axis as the ratchet plate and supporting the pawl in a swingable member, and a lever for putting the engagement member in the first or second position in response to the turning of the control plate.

Growing community of inventors

Gunma-ken, Japan

Hiromichi Komori