Joint arrangement

Abstract

A joint arrangement includes comprising a joint, a nut and an adapter unit. The joint has an inner hub, an outer hub, balls and a cage with recesses for the balls. The inner hub has a recess with an inner toothing for receiving a first shaft. A cavity of the joint arrangement located around the balls is closed on two end sides by a respective sealing device. The adapter unit includes a first adapter portion and a second adapter portion which cooperate to transmit torque across the joint arrangement to or from a second shaft.

Claims

1. A joint arrangement, comprising: a joint having an inner hub, an outer hub, balls, a cage with recesses for the balls and a housing which surrounds the outer hub; a nut, and an adapter unit, wherein the inner hub includes a recess with an inner toothing for receiving a first shaft, the balls and cage are located in a cavity within the housing, the cavity is closed at each of two end sides by a respective sealing device, the adapter unit has a first adapter component and a second adapter component, the first adapter component is of annular configuration and has a recess with a first inner diameter, the second adapter component is of annular configuration and has a first inner recess with the first inner diameter and a second inner recess with a second inner diameter smaller than the first inner diameter, the first inner diameter is at least as large as a largest outer diameter of the nut, the first adapter component and the second adapter component are configured to cooperate to transmit a torque, the first adapter component and the second adapter component each have corresponding serrations on respective end sides facing one another, the nut is configured to fix the inner hub to the first shaft, the inner hub is configured to transfer torque to across the balls to the outer hub, the first adapter component is rotationally fixed to rotate with the outer hub, and the second adapter component is rotationally fixed to rotated with the first adapter component and to receive a second shaft such that torque is transferable across the joint arrangement between the first shaft and the second shaft.

2. The joint arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second adapter component has a flange portion protruding radially outwards.

3. The joint arrangement as claimed in claim 1, comprising: a first sealing device is formed by a first sealing bellows between to an outer side of the inner hub and the housing, a second sealing device is formed by a sheet-metal part and a second sealing bellows, a first portion of the sheet-metal part is located between the inner hub and the nut, a second portion of the sheet-metal part adjacent to the first portion of the sheet-metal part is configured such that the second portion radially surrounds the nut, and the second sealing bellows is arranged between the second portion of the sheet-metal part and an inner side of the adapter unit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a section through a first refinement in accordance with an embodiment of the joint arrangement of the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 shows a section through a second refinement in accordance with an embodiment of the joint arrangement of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 3 shows a section through a third refinement in accordance with an embodiment of the joint arrangement of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 4 shows a section through a fourth refinement in accordance with an embodiment of the joint arrangement of the present invention.

(5) FIG. 5 shows a section through a fifth refinement in accordance with an embodiment of the joint arrangement of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(6) FIG. 1 shows a first refinement of the joint arrangement 1 which permits connection of the joint 10 to a first shaft 100 and a second shaft 200. For this purpose, the joint arrangement 1 has the joint 10, the nut 20 and an adapter unit 30.

(7) The joint 10 consists of an inner hub 11, an outer hub 12 and balls 13 for transmitting torque between the inner hub 11 and the outer hub 12. The balls 13 are arranged in the recesses 15 of a cage 14.

(8) The balls 13 are furthermore located in a cavity 2 of the joint arrangement 1 by joint grease (not illustrated here). The cavity 2 here is closed on the two end sides 3, 4 by a respective sealing device 5, 6.

(9) The inner hub 11 has a recess 16 with an inner toothing 17, into which the first shaft 100 with a corresponding outer toothing is introduced. The inner hub 11 is pressed via the nut 20 in the direction of a region of the first shaft 100 having a larger outer diameter than the region with the outer toothing and is therefore fixed axially along the longitudinal axis of the joint arrangement 1.

(10) The sealing device 5 on the end side 3 in the direction of the first shaft 100 is formed here by a sealing bellows 50. The sealing bellows 50 is connected here on one side to an outer side 18 of the inner hub 11 and on another side to a housing 7.

(11) The housing 7 surrounds the outer hub 12 of the joint 10 and is furthermore connected to the adapter unit 30—in particular to the outer side 33 of a first adapter component 31. The housing 7 therefore also serves for transmitting torque. The housing 7 is additionally also surrounded in the region of the outer hub 12 by a surrounding unit extending in the direction of the first shaft 100, wherein the one end region of the sealing bellows 50 is fixed in particular between the surrounding unit and the outer side of the housing 7.

(12) The second sealing device 6 on the second end side 4 of the cavity 2 is formed by a sheet-metal part 60 and a further sealing bellows 61. The sheet-metal part 60 has a portion 63 which is fixed between the inner hub 11 and the nut 20. A further portion 64 of the sheet-metal part 60 protrudes radially outward and surrounds the nut 20. The further sealing bellows 61 is connected to that portion of the sheet-metal part 60 which surrounds the nut 20 and to an inner side of the adapter unit 30. An end of the cavity 2 is therefore provided by the sheet-metal part 60 and the further sealing bellows 61.

(13) The adapter unit 30 consists of a first adapter component 31 and a second adapter component 32. This division of the adapter unit 30 into two components 31, 32 with different outer diameters firstly permits the transition to a smaller outer diameter of the second shaft 200 and secondly access to the nut 20 during the installation such that the nut 20 can be tightened.

(14) The first adapter component 31 and the second adapter component 32 each have an end-side serration 38 for transmitting the torque.

(15) The first adapter component 31 is annular and has an inner recess 34 with a first inner diameter. The first inner diameter here is at least identical to a largest outer diameter of the nut 20.

(16) The second adapter component 32 has a first inner recess 35 with the first inner diameter, which therefore seamlessly adjoins the recess 34 of the first adapter component 31. Furthermore, the second adapter component 32 has a second inner recess 36 with the second smaller inner diameter.

(17) The second adapter component 32 has a flange portion 37 which protrudes radially outward and up to which the second shaft 200 is guided.

(18) The second shaft 200 here has an inner toothing which is configured to match the outer toothing of the second adapter component 32. It can furthermore be seen that the flange-like end sides of the two adapter components 31, 32 are fixed to each other by screws.

(19) Overall, the torque flows via the first shaft 100, through the joint 10 (i.e. from the inner hub 11 via the balls 13 to the outer hub 12), into the housing 7, into the first adapter component 31, into the second adapter component 32 and finally into the second shaft 200. The same applies to the reverse travel of a torque.

(20) In the refinement of the joint arrangement 1 of FIG. 2, the second sealing device 6 is formed by a cover 62. The first sealing device in the direction of the end side 3 here—in the drawing on the left—furthermore consists of the sealing bellows 50.

(21) The cover 62 is of cup-shaped configuration, and the base of the cup faces the joint 10. The outer diameter of the cover 62 and the inner diameter of the recess 34 are adjusted to each other in such a manner that the cover 62 can be introduced into the first adapter component 31 and closes the latter. The cavity 2 is therefore also closed in this direction. The joint 10 and the first adapter component 31 therefore form a type of unit into which, for example, the joint grease can be introduced. The connection to the second shaft 200 subsequently takes place separately via the second adapter component 32 and the fixing thereof to the first adapter component 31.

(22) It can furthermore be seen that the first shaft 100 protrudes axially along the longitudinal axis over the inner hub 11, and that the nut 20 strikes axially against the inner hub 11. The housing 7 surrounds the outer hub of the joint 10 and is connected to the first adapter component 31.

(23) In the joint arrangement 1 of FIG. 3, the second sealing device 6 is likewise formed by a cover 62 which here—as in the refinement of FIG. 2—is at least located in the first adapter component 31.

(24) The refinement of FIG. 3 has a shorter axial overall length for the same joint 10 since the nut 20 partially disappears in the recess 16 of the inner hub 11.

(25) The first shaft 100 has a first region 101 with a first outer diameter and an end-side second region 102 with a second smaller outer diameter. An outer toothing 17 sits on the first region 101 and an outer thread on the second region 102. The first shaft 100 and the inner hub 11 for transmitting torque can therefore be connected to each other and can be braced axially against each other via the nut 20.

(26) The nut 20 has a first nut portion 20′ and a second nut portion 20″, wherein the first nut portion 20′ has a larger outer diameter than the second nut portion 20″ and, for example, a polygonal border for the rotation. Furthermore, the axial length of the second region 102 of the first shaft 100 is substantially identical to an axial length of the second nut portion 20″. The nut 20 is therefore rotated toward the first shaft 100 and the first nut portion 20′ butts here against the end side of the inner hub 11.

(27) In the configuration of FIG. 4, the nut 20 is introduced more deeply into the inner hub 11 and therefore disappears therein.

(28) For this purpose, the recess 16 of the inner hub 11 has, in the direction of its end side, a first nut-receiving portion 16′ and a second nut-receiving portion 16″. The second nut-receiving portion 16″ then lies behind the first nut-receiving portion 16′ starting from the end side and has a smaller inner diameter.

(29) The dimensions of the first nut-receiving portion 16′ and of the second nut-receiving portion 16″ are adjusted here to the dimensions of the two nut portions 20′, 20″ such that the nut 20 can be introduced with the portion having the smaller outer diameter in front into the recess 16 of the inner hub 11. The axial overall length of the arrangement is therefore shortened.

(30) Furthermore, the cover 62 is likewise of cup-like configuration here and, in its base—preferably centrally—has a lowered portion. The lowered portion resides here in the inner recess of a stop region 34′ of the first adapter component 31. The stop region 34′ here is a type of constriction of the inner region 34 of the annular first adapter component 31. If the cover 62 is therefore inserted into the first adapter component 31 in the direction of the joint 10, the cover butts against the stop region 34′ and the lowered portion closes the interior of the stop region 34′.

(31) In the refinement of the joint arrangement 1 of FIG. 5, the nut 20 with the first nut portion 20′ butts against the end side of the inner hub 11. In the region of the second sealing device 6, an O ring can also be seen between the cover 62 and the stop region 34′.

(32) The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.