Koyo Seiko Company, Ltd.

Hiroshi Kotani

Yoshiyuki Inoue

Yasushi Kadota

Kazuo Ide

Kanichi Sumida

Hidekazu Sakakibara

Susumu Serizawa

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.

Universal joint

A universal joint including a ball joint member of synthetic resin having four ridges formed on the outer surface of a ball portion and four guide furrows formed between the ridges when the joint member is in an assembled state, and two metal yokes each having two bifurcated arms at one end, the two arms of one of the yokes being fitted in two symmetrically positioned guide furrows of the ball joint member, the two arms of the other yoke being fitted in the other two symmetrically positioned guide furrows of the ball joint member. The ball joint member is divided into a half segment toward one of the yokes and a half segment toward the other yoke, a spring member being provided in a cavity formed in the opposed faces of the half segments for biasing the half segments away from each other, an electrically conductive member being held between the two half segments and projecting into the guide furrows in pressing contact with the arms of the two yokes.

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Osaka, Japan

Hiroshi Kotani