SHAFT-HUB CONNECTION WITH A SPLINE TOOTHING

Abstract

A shaft-hub connection includes a shaft and a hub which engage with one another for conjoint rotation about an axis of rotation via a first toothing and a second toothing. The first toothing has a first toothing region and a second toothing region, wherein the first toothing region and the second toothing region are, as viewed in the circumferential direction (u), arranged offset by a dimension (d) in such a way that the first toothing region engages with the second toothing via front tooth flanks as viewed in the circumferential direction (u), and the second toothing region engages with the second toothing via rear tooth flanks as viewed in the circumferential direction (u).

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. A shaft-hub, comprising: a shaft; and a hub, the shaft and the hub engage one another for conjoint rotation about an axis of rotation through a first toothing and a second toothing, to form the shaft-hub, the first toothing has a first toothing region and a second toothing region, the first toothing region and the second toothing region are arranged offset by a dimension (d), as viewed in a circumferential direction (u) of the shaft-hub, so that the first toothing region of the first toothing engages through front tooth flanks with the second toothing, as viewed in the circumferential direction (u), and the second toothing region of the first toothing engages through rear tooth flanks with the second toothing, as viewed in the circumferential direction (u).

13. The shaft-hub according to claim 12, wherein the dimension (d) by which the first and second toothing regions of the first toothing are arranged offset relative to one another in the circumferential direction (u) is according to:
5 m<d<0.5 m, where m is the module of the first toothing (16).

14. The shaft-hub according to claim 12, wherein, when viewed in the axial direction (a), the first toothing has an axial length (L) and the first toothing region has an axial length (L1), wherein, with reference to the axial length (L) of the first toothing, the following applies to the axial length (L1) of the first toothing region:
axial length (L1)/axial length (L)>0.5

15. The shaft-hub according to claim 12, wherein the first and second toothing regions are interconnected by a third toothing region.

16. The shaft-hub according to claim 15, wherein when viewed in the axial direction (a), the third toothing region has an axial length (L3), to which the following applies with respect to the axial length (L) of the first toothing:
0.05axial length (L3)/axial length (L)0.33.

17. The shaft-hub according to claim 12, wherein the first and second toothing regions are separated from each other by an undercut.

18. The shaft-hub according to claim 17, wherein when viewed in the axial direction (a), the undercut has an axial length (L4) to which the following applies with respect to the axial length (L) of the first toothing (16):
axial length (L4)/axial length (L)0.33.

19. The shaft-hub according to claim 17, wherein the teeth of the second toothing region have a threading tip.

20. The shaft-hub according to claim 12 wherein, the shaft has the first toothing and the hub has the second toothing, the first toothing is formed as an external toothing of the shaft and the second toothing is formed as an internal toothing of the hub, or the first toothing is formed as an internal toothing of the shaft and the second toothing is formed as an external toothing of the hub.

21. The shaft-hub according to claim 12 wherein, the hub has the first toothing and the shaft has the second toothing, the first toothing is formed as an external toothing of the hub and the second toothing is formed as an internal toothing of the shaft, or the first toothing is formed as an internal toothing of the hub and the second toothing is formed as an external toothing of the shaft.

22. A motor vehicle, comprising an axle journal of a drive shaft that is connected for conjoint rotation to a wheel hub of a wheel of the motor vehicle through a shaft-hub as engaged, the shaft-hub includes, a shaft; and a hub, the shaft and the hub engage one another for conjoint rotation about an axis of rotation through a first toothing and a second toothing, to form the shaft-hub, the first toothing has a first toothing region and a second toothing region, the first toothing region and the second toothing region are arranged offset by a dimension (d), as viewed in a circumferential direction (u) of the shaft-hub, so that the first toothing region of the first toothing engages through front tooth flanks with the second toothing, as viewed in the circumferential direction (u), and the second toothing region of the first toothing engages through rear tooth flanks with the second toothing, as viewed in the circumferential direction (u).

23. The motor vehicle according to claim 22, wherein the dimension (d) by which the first and second toothing regions of the first toothing are arranged offset relative to one another in the circumferential direction (u) is according to:
5 m<d<0.5 m, where m is the module of the first toothing (16).

24. The motor vehicle according to claim 22, wherein, when viewed in the axial direction (a), the first toothing has an axial length (L) and the first toothing region has an axial length (L1), wherein, with reference to the axial length (L) of the first toothing, the following applies to the axial length (L1) of the first toothing region:
axial length (L1)/axial length (L)>0.5

25. The motor vehicle according to claim 22, wherein the first and second toothing regions are interconnected by a third toothing region.

26. The motor vehicle according to claim 25, wherein when viewed in the axial direction (a), the third toothing region has an axial length (L3), to which the following applies with respect to the axial length (L) of the first toothing:
0.05axial length (L3)/axial length (L)0.33.

27. The motor vehicle according to claim 22, wherein the first and second toothing regions are separated from each other by an undercut.

28. The motor vehicle according to claim 27, wherein when viewed in the axial direction (a), the undercut has an axial length (L4) to which the following applies with respect to the axial length (L) of the first toothing (16):
axial length (L4)/axial length (L)0.33.

29. The motor vehicle according to claim 27, wherein the teeth of the second toothing region have a threading tip.

30. The motor vehicle according to claim 22 wherein, the shaft has the first toothing and the hub has the second toothing, the first toothing is formed as an external toothing of the shaft and the second toothing is formed as an internal toothing of the hub, or the first toothing is formed as an internal toothing of the shaft and the second toothing is formed as an external toothing of the hub.

31. The motor vehicle according to claim 22 wherein, the hub has the first toothing and the shaft has the second toothing, the first toothing is formed as an external toothing of the hub and the second toothing is formed as an internal toothing of the shaft, or the first toothing is formed as an internal toothing of the hub and the second toothing is formed as an external toothing of the shaft.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0040] These and other aspects and advantages will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the examples, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing of which:

[0041] FIG. 1 is a view of an example first embodiment of a shaft of the shaft-hub connection according to an example;

[0042] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the axle journal of the shaft of FIG. 1;

[0043] FIG. 3 is a view of the axle journal of FIG. 2, taken at an angle from the front;

[0044] FIG. 4 is a view of an example second embodiment of a shaft of the shaft-hub connection according to an example, and

[0045] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the axle journal of the shaft of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION

[0046] FIGS. 1 to 3 are views of an example first embodiment of a shaft 12 of a shaft-hub connection according to an example.

[0047] In a known manner, the shaft 12 comprises an axle journal 14 which has first toothing 16 formed as circumferential external toothing.

[0048] Accordingly, the hub itselfwhich is not shown here for reasons of clarityhas second toothing in the form of circumferential inner toothing. The teeth of the second toothing, which is designed as internal toothing, are aligned in a rectilinear manner, extending parallel to the axis of rotation 18.

[0049] The first toothing 16, i.e. the external toothing of the shaft 12, and the second toothing, i.e. the internal toothing of the hub, are formed in such a way that, after inserting the axle journal 14 into the hub, the first toothing 16 is in meshing engagement with the second toothing, so that shaft 12 and hub are connected to each other for conjoint rotation about the axis 18 of rotation.

[0050] Sinceas already explainedthe first toothing 16 may be an external toothing of the shaft 12 or of the axle journal 14 of the shaft 12, and the second toothing may be an internal toothing of the hub, and thus the axle journal 14 is to be axially inserted or pushed into the hub for joining, after joining the shaft 12 and hub in the axial overlap region of the shaft and hub, i.e. in the tooth engagement region, the axle journal 14 of the shaft 12 will be arranged radially on the inside and the hub will be arranged radially on the outside, as viewed in the radial direction r.

[0051] As can further be seen from FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the first toothing 16 of the axle journal 14, which is formed as external toothing, in particular has two toothing regions with teethformed corresponding to the second toothing (internal toothing of the hub)that extend rectilinearly and parallel to the axis 18 of rotation, namely a front toothing region, as viewed in axial direction a, hereinafter also referred to as first toothing region 16-1, and a rear toothing region, as viewed in axial direction a, hereinafter also referred to as second toothing region 16-2. In FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2, L, L1 and L2 denote the axial lengths of the toothing 16 and the toothing regions 16-1, 16-2, respectively. More specifically, viewed in the axial direction a, the first toothing 16 has the axial length L; correspondingly, the first toothing region 16-1 has the axial length L1 and the toothing region 16-2 has the axial length L2.

[0052] As can be further seen from FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the first toothing region 16-1 has a length L1 that is greater than the length L2 of the second toothing region 16-2.

[0053] In addition, the teeth of the first toothing region 16-1, which extend in a rectilinear manner and parallel to the axis 18 of rotation, and the teeth of the second toothing region 16-2, which extend in a rectilinear manner and parallel to the axis 18 of rotation, are arranged offset in the circumferential direction u by a dimension d, cf. FIG. 3.

[0054] In this case, the dimension d is selected in such a way that, after inserting the shaft 12 or the axle journal 14 into the hub, the teeth of the first toothing region 16-1 will be in engagement with the second toothing, i.e. the internal toothing of the hub, via their front tooth flanks as viewed in the circumferential direction u, and the teeth of the second toothing region 16-2 will be in engagement with the second toothing, i.e. the internal toothing of the hub, via their rear tooth flanks as viewed in the circumferential direction u.

[0055] The selective tooth flank engagement, namely engagement of the teeth of the first toothing region 16-1 via the front tooth flanks, as viewed in the circumferential direction u, and engagement of the teeth of the rear toothing region 16-2 via the rear tooth flanks, as viewed in the circumferential direction u, cause the first and second toothing to be braced in the circumferential direction u, and as a result, there is zero backlash.

[0056] The absence of backlash in turn has the effect that there cannot be any relative movement between shaft 12 and hub, so that the occurrence of noises resulting from undesirable relative movements between shaft 12 and hub, such as starting cracking or ping noise, is successfully prevented.

[0057] Moreover, as shown in particular in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in order to avoid jamming during the joining process of shaft 12 and hub, the first and second toothing regions 16-1, 16-2 of the first toothing 16 are connected to each other via a third toothing region 16-3, which serves as a guide and is arranged between the first and second toothing regions 16-1, 16-2, as viewed in the axial direction a. The axial length of the third toothing region 16-3 is designated L3, cf. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

[0058] Since the axial length L1 of the first toothing region 16-1 is already greater than the axial length L2 of the second toothing region 16-1, the toothing regions to be joined first during assembly, namely the first toothing region 16-1 and the adjoining third toothing region 16-3, together are correspondingly greater than the axial length L2 of the second toothing region 16-2. This thus advantageously allows simplified threading by hand during assembly over the relatively large region L1+L3, so that joining by mechanical aids, for example by tightening a central screw, only has to be carried out in the area of the subsequent smaller region L2.

[0059] Since the third toothing region 16-3, which only serves as a guide, does not contribute to the contact area ratio of the first toothing 16, it should be designed as short as possible. As regards the total length L of the first toothing, the total length L may, for example, be in such a way that

0.05axial length L3/axial length L0.33.

[0060] An example second embodiment of the shaft 12 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The shaft 12 according to the example second embodiment corresponds essentially to the shaft 12 according to the example first embodiment as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and already described above. Therefore, to avoid repetition, reference is made to what has been stated above.

[0061] The shaft 12 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 differs from the shaft 12 according to the example first embodiment in that the toothing regions 16-1 and 16-2, which are offset by the dimension d as viewed in the circumferential direction u, are separated from each other by an undercut 20. The axial length of the undercut is designated L4, cf. FIG. 5.

[0062] Since the undercut does not contribute to the contact ratio of the first toothing, the undercut 20 should again be as small as possible.

[0063] In an example, the axial length L4 of the undercut 20 is dimensioned in such a way that the following applies with respect to the axial length L of the first toothing 16:

axial length L4/axial length L0.33.

[0064] The advantage of this example second embodiment may be thatdue to the omission of the third toothing regionit may be possible to manufacture the product in a less complex and thus more cost-effective manner as compared to the first embodiment.

[0065] In order to enable a jamming-free joining process of shaft 12 and hub also in the undercut design, the teeth of the second toothing region 16-2 are for example provided with a threading tip.

[0066] A description has been provided with particular reference to examples, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the claims, which may include the phrase at least one of A, B and C as an alternative expression that refers to one or more of A, B or C, contrary to the holding in Superguide v. DIRECTV, 358 F3d 870, 69 USPQ2d 1865 (Fed. Cir. 2004).