Nsk Corporation

Shigeoki Kayama

Hideo Ouchi

Yasumasa Mizukoshi

A drive-wheel axle unit which prevents the mutual contact portion between a caulk portion () of a hub () and an outer-end face () of a housing portion () of a drive shaft member () from being exhausted, thereby preventing the occurrence of shaky motion, strange sounds and vibrations for a long period of time. A flat surface () is formed in the end face of the caulk portion (), and is contacted over a large area with the outer end face (), which makes it possible to reduce the contact surface pressure in the mutual contact portion between the flat surface () and outer end face ().

Axle unit for driving wheel

A combination of a constant-velocity joint and an axle unit for wheel-drive which comprises an outer race having an outer-ring raceway and being not rotatable even during use, a hub having an installation flange for supporting the wheel near the outside end, a first spline section and an inner-ring raceway near the inside end facing the outer-ring raceway, a drive member having a second spline section facing the first spline section, and a housing section forming an outer ring of the constant velocity joint, a plurality of rolling bodies between the outer-ring raceway and inner-ring raceway, the hub being engaged with the drive member by way of a spline connection with a pitch circle, and a coupling member adapted to freely deform elastically in the radial direction and located between and engaged with the first engagement section and the second engagement section so as to position the hub and drive member in the axial direction, wherein the clearance width in the circumferential direction on the pitch circle is controlled within the range of 0.001 mm to 0.10 mm.

Drive unit for wheel and assembly method for the same

A wheel-drive apparatus for an automobile is provided to have an outer race fixedly connected to a suspension, a wheel-support hub having a first spline hole, an inner race fixedly fitted onto the hub, rolling members rotatable between the outer ring raceways of the outer race and the inner ring raceways of the hub and inner race, a drive shaft member having an outside end to be a spline shaft for engagement with the first spline hole and an inside end formed to be an outer ring for a constant velocity joint. A stop ring is engaged with the spline shaft and the hub to prevent the spline shaft from coming away from the spline hole. An inner ring for the constant velocity joint has a second spline hole, and balls are provided between the outside engaging groove of the outer ring and the inside engaging groove of the inner ring. A drive shaft has a male spline portion with a groove bottom in spline-engagement with the second spline hole, while the spline shaft has a base end the minimum outer diameter D of which is larger than the diameter D of the groove bottom of the male spline portion.

Apparatus for driving wheel of automobile

Constant velocity joint and rolling bearing unit for wheel

A combination of a rolling-bearing unit for wheels and a constant velocity joint, the rolling-bearing unit comprising a stationary outer ring assembly with a fist installation flange for suspension and outer-ring raceways, and a rotatable inner ring assembly with a second installation flange for supporting a vehicle wheel and inner-ring raceways, and a housing portion serving as the outer ring of the constant velocity joint, rolling members between the outer-ring raceways and inner-ring raceways, and the constant velocity joint comprising an inner ring attached to the end of the drive shaft, inner and outer engagement grooves having an arc-shaped cross section perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the outer and inner peripheral surfaces of the housing portion such that the outer engagement grooves face the inner engagement grooves, respectively, a cage formed with longer and shorter pockets in the positions in alignment with the inner and outer engagement grooves, and eight balls held inside the pockets to rotate freely along the inner and outer engagement grooves.

Growing community of inventors

Fujisawa, Japan

Shigeoki Kayama