The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 20, 2001
Filed:
Sep. 04, 1998
Hartmut Albers, Stuttgart, DE;
Karl-Heinz Ilzhoefer, Kirchheim, DE;
DaimlerChrysler AG, Stuttgart, DE;
Abstract
A universal joint with flanges located at the ends of two shafts connected by the joint includes three driving tabs projecting axially from the respective flanges. Each of the total of six driving tabs being located opposite a gap located uniformly on the circumference of a common partial circle. These tabs are connected with one another by means of a hexagonal axially elastically deformable joint ring provided with sockets at the corner points. The joint ring in turn is formed in a multipartite fashion by a ring of several driving loops that are endless, oval, and each wrapped around two adjacent sockets, said loops preferably being made of endless-fiber-reinforced plastic. In order to be able to allow higher bending angles of the universal joint without a significant increase in the stress on the parts, the driving loops in their supporting cross sections according to the invention have an axially flexible rectangular cross-sectional shape resembling a leaf spring, with the longer cross section side, with a side ratio preferably of at least 1:4, being located in an axially perpendicular plane of the universal joint. In the sockets, at least in the areas wrapped by the driving loops. Position-stabilizing circumferential grooves are provided that correspond to the cross-sectional shape of the driving loops. In the circumferential area not wrapped by the driving loops, the side flanks of the position-stabilizing circumferential grooves of the sockets are either expanded or cut away.