JP2005240922A - Elastic coupling - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an elastic coupling, for preventing fatigue breakage of a spring member, transmitting torsional torque from a drive shaft to a driven shaft well, and saving labor of assembly of a collar, in an elastic coupling of a type in which the spring member is buried to transmit the torsional torque through the spring member. <P>SOLUTION: In the elastic coupling 10, coil springs (spring members) 20A, 20B are buried between a first fastening hole 16 and a second fastening hole 18 with a state where clearances S are formed between the springs. Tubular collars 22 are integrally vulcanized and bonded to the first and second fastening holes 16, 18 with a buried state, and surfaces opposed to axial ends of coil springs 20A, 20B of the collars 22 form recessed faces 32A, 32B, 34A, 34B. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an elastic coupling for elastically connecting a drive shaft and a driven shaft and transmitting torque of the drive shaft to the driven shaft, and more particularly to a steering wheel (steering wheel) side shaft and a steering in an automobile steering device. The present invention relates to an elastic coupling suitable for application to what is called a steering coupling that elastically connects a gear side shaft.

In an automobile steering device, a shaft on the handle side (drive shaft) and a shaft on the steering gear side (driven shaft) are connected by an elastic coupling called a steering coupling, and when the handle is rotated, Torque is transmitted to the driven shaft through the elastic coupling.
This elastic coupling absorbs the relative displacement in the torsional direction and the axial direction between the drive shaft and the driven shaft based on the elastic deformation of the rubber elastic body, and prevents vibration transmission from the wheel side to the handle side. Has the function of

FIG. 5A shows what is conventionally used as this kind of elastic coupling.
In FIG. 5, reference numeral 200 denotes an elastic coupling, 202 denotes a disk-shaped rubber elastic body, and 204 denotes a center hole.

The elastic coupling 200 is provided with a pair of first fastening holes 206 and a pair of second fastening holes 208 that penetrate the rubber elastic body 202 in the thickness direction around the central axis.
Here, the first fastening holes 206 and the second fastening holes 208 are alternately arranged around the central axis.

  210A and 210B are reinforcement cords in which organic fiber reinforcement yarns such as polyester yarns are wound 20 to 50 in a loop shape, respectively, straddling the first fastening hole 206 and the second fastening hole 208 adjacent to each other and the first fastening. The hole 206 and the second fastening hole 208 are embedded in the rubber elastic body 202 so as to surround the outer peripheral portion.

FIG. 5B shows a state in which the driving shaft and the driven shaft are elastically connected by the elastic coupling 200.
Reference numeral 212 denotes a drive shaft, and a pair of first fastening shaft portions 214 are provided on the drive shaft 212 side. The first fastening shaft portions 214 are formed in a cylindrical metal collar in the pair of first fastening holes 206. It is fastened in the inserted state via 207.

  Here, the collar 207 is separate from the elastic coupling 200, and the collar 207 is fitted into the first fastening hole 206, and the first fastening shaft portion 214 is inserted into the insertion hole inside the collar 207. Then, the first fastening shaft portion 214 and the first fastening hole 206 are fastened.

Reference numeral 216 denotes a driven shaft, and a pair of second fastening shaft portions 217 are also provided on the driven shaft 216 side, and the pair of second fastening shaft portions 217 is a pair of second fastening holes of the elastic coupling 200. 208 is fastened in an inserted state.
The second fastening shaft portion 217 is also fastened to the second fastening hole 208 via the same collar 207 as described above.

  That is, the drive shaft 212 and the driven shaft 216 are fastened to the elastic coupling 200 in mutually different fastening holes, and the drive shaft 212 and the driven shaft 216 are elastically coupled via the elastic coupling 200.

In this connection structure, when the drive shaft 212 rotates by rotating the handle, the torque is transmitted to the driven shaft 216 via the elastic coupling 200, and the driven shaft 216 follows the drive shaft 212 and rotates. To do.
Further, when the driven shaft 216 is relatively displaced in the rotational (twisting) direction and the axial direction with respect to the drive shaft 212 during vehicle travel, the displacement is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the rubber elastic body 202 in the elastic coupling 200, Vibration is isolated between the driven shaft 216 and the drive shaft 212.

The reinforcing cords 210A and 210B embedded in the rubber elastic body 202 are in a tension state when torque is transmitted, and torque is transmitted from the drive shaft 212 to the driven shaft 216 with the tension.
Specifically, the reinforcement cord 210B is pulled when the drive shaft 212 rotates clockwise in FIG. 5A, and the reinforcement cord 210A is pulled when the drive shaft 212 rotates counterclockwise, which is the opposite direction.
Then, torque is satisfactorily transmitted from the drive shaft 212 to the driven shaft 216 based on the tension of the reinforcement cords 210A and 210B.

FIG. 6 shows a method for manufacturing the elastic coupling 200.
In the drawing, reference numerals 202-1 and 202-2 denote disc-shaped unvulcanized rubber plates that form an upper half and a lower half of the rubber elastic body 202, respectively. An unvulcanized rubber plate 202-2 to be formed is set on a vulcanizing mold, and reinforcing cords 210A and 210B wound in a loop shape 20 to 50 are set thereon.

  Then, the other unvulcanized rubber plate 202-1 constituting the upper half of the rubber elastic body 202 is placed so as to sandwich the reinforcing cords 210A and 210B, and the vulcanizing mold is clamped in this state, The vulcanized rubber plates 202-1 and 202-2 are vulcanized and the elastic coupling 200 is integrally vulcanized and molded with the reinforcing cords 210A and 210B embedded therein.

In the elastic coupling 200 in which the reinforcing cords 210A and 210B are embedded, it is desirable to make the spring characteristics soft in order to absorb the vibration in the axial direction and the vibration in the rotational direction, that is, the torsional direction.
On the other hand, the elastic coupling 200 requires a certain degree of spring rigidity in the torsional direction in order to transmit torque from the drive shaft 212 to the driven shaft 216.
Therefore, it is necessary for the elastic coupling 200 to tune the spring characteristics in the torsional direction to appropriate spring characteristics from the viewpoint of good torque transmission and good vibration absorption.

However, in the case of the elastic coupling 200 in which the reinforcing cords 210A and 210B are embedded, there is a problem that the spring characteristics in the torsional direction greatly vary due to the reinforcing cords 210A and 210B.
The reason is as follows.

When the reinforcing cords 210A and 210B are wound in a loop when the elastic coupling 200 is manufactured, it is inevitable that the winding method will vary, and the set reinforcing cords 210A and 210B are unvulcanized. As shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 6, the reinforcing cords 210 </ b> A and 210 </ b> B in a state of being set at a certain height when sandwiched between the rubber plates 202-1 and 202-2 are applied with molding pressure, The pressure causes collapse, and the method of collapse is not uniform.
That is, the reinforcing cords 210A and 210B wound in a loop shape are likely to be uneven for each product.

  In addition, the reinforcing cords 210A and 210B shrink due to heat during vulcanization, and the degree of shrinkage is not uniform due to variations in winding method or the like. As a result, the reinforcing cords 210A and 210B In the elastic coupling 200 that transmits torque with the tension of the spring, there is a problem that the spring characteristics in the torsion direction tend to vary greatly.

An elastic coupling for the purpose of solving this problem is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below.
FIG. 7 shows an example.
The elastic coupling 200 is formed by winding a metal wire 218 made of spring steel on the outer periphery of the rubber elastic body 202 so that each of the pair of first fastening holes 206 and the pair of second fastening holes 208 makes a round. In addition, spring portions 220 are respectively provided in the linear portions between the first fastening holes 206 and the second fastening holes 208, and the four spring portions 220 are connected to the fastening holes 206 and 208 around the surrounding portions 222. They are in contact with each other.

That is, the example shown in FIG. 7 uses a metal wire 218 having a spring part 220 and a rotating part 222 instead of the conventional reinforcing cords 210A and 210B shown in FIG.
By doing so, it is possible to suppress variations in spring characteristics in the torsional direction of the elastic coupling 200 due to the reinforcing cords 210A and 210B, and it is possible to simplify the manufacturing process and reduce the product cost. .

  However, when the inventors conducted a repeated endurance test in the axial direction and the torsional direction of the elastic coupling 200 shown in FIG. 7, in the case of the elastic coupling 200 shown in FIG. 2 Problem that the metal wire 218 is likely to break at the portion around the fastening hole 208, more specifically, the portion where the metal wire 218 is transferred from the spring portion 220 to the non-spring portion (boundary portion between the spring portion 220 and the non-spring portion). It has been found that there is a problem in that it is easy to generate and insufficient in terms of durability.

  In the case of this elastic coupling 200, when the elastic coupling 200 undergoes torsional deformation during torque transmission, one adjacent spring part 220 undergoes compressive elastic deformation, while the other spring part 220 undergoes tensile elastic deformation. On the side subjected to tensile elastic deformation, it is found that there is a problem that stress concentration occurs in the metal wire 218 at the boundary between the spring portion 220 and the non-spring portion, and the metal wire 218 is likely to break due to the stress concentration. It was.

  In order to solve this problem, the present inventor approaches each of the portions between the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole adjacent to each other when the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole approach each other. A spring member that is elastically deformed in a compression direction between the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole, a first fastening shaft portion in which the spring member is inserted into the first fastening hole, and a second fastening portion that is inserted into the second fastening hole. Inventing an elastic coupling that is embedded in a rubber elastic body in such a manner that the axial end is separated from the first fastening shaft portion and the second fastening shaft portion without connecting the shaft portion. (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-360896: unpublished).

FIG. 8 shows an example.
The collar 207 in the figure is configured separately from the elastic coupling 200, and this separate collar 207 is press-fitted into each of the first fastening hole 206 and the second fastening hole 208 formed in the rubber elastic body 202. It is installed by.
The first fastening shaft portion 214 or the second fastening shaft portion 217 is inserted through the insertion hole 209 inside the collar 207.

In the rubber elastic body 202, a total of four coil springs 224A and 224B formed by winding a metal wire (spring steel) in a coil shape are embedded.
Here, the coil springs 224 </ b> A and 224 </ b> B are arranged in directions in which the respective axis lines connect the first fastening hole 206 and the second fastening hole 208.
The coil springs 224A and 224B are embedded in the rubber elastic body 202 with their axial ends separated from the first fastening hole 206 and the second fastening hole 208, that is, in a state where a predetermined gap is formed. .

In the case of the elastic coupling 200 shown in FIG. 8, when the torque is transmitted to the driven shaft as the drive shaft rotates, the torque is transmitted along with the elastic deformation in the compression direction of the coil springs 224A and 224B.
For example, in FIG. 8, when the drive shaft rotates clockwise, the coil spring 224A elastically deforms in the compression direction, and conversely when the drive shaft rotates counterclockwise, the other coil spring 224B elastically deforms in the compression direction. Torque transmission.

  At that time, since each of the coil springs 224A and 224B is not connected to the first fastening shaft portion and the second fastening shaft portion, even when the drive shaft rotates in either the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction, Even if some tensile force is applied to the coil springs 224A and 224B, an excessive tensile force is not applied.

  Similarly, when the drive shaft and the driven shaft are relatively displaced in the axial direction, no particular tensile force acts on the coil springs 224A and 224B, and a large stress is concentrated on specific portions of the coil springs 224A and 224B. There is nothing to do.

  Therefore, according to this elastic coupling 200, the coil springs 224A and 224B as the reinforcing members around the first fastening hole 206 and the second fastening hole 208 do not break down due to stress concentration, and the durability thereof is good. Can be made.

The elastic coupling 200 does not use a reinforcing cord as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, but uses coil springs 224A and 224B instead. Therefore, the elastic coupling 200 is easily manufactured. be able to.
Specifically, the coil springs 224A and 224B are set as inserts in the vulcanization mold, and in this state, the rubber elastic body 202 can be molded using an injection molding technique, thereby producing the elastic coupling 200. It becomes easy and the product cost can be reduced.

However, in the subsequent research, in the case of the elastic coupling 200 having the configuration shown in FIG. 8, the coil springs 224A and 224B, that is, between the axial ends of the spring members and the first fastening holes 206 and the second fastening holes 208 are used. Therefore, when a rotational force, that is, a torsional torque F is input to the elastic coupling 200 in a direction indicated by an arrow in the figure, the torsional torque does not necessarily act sufficiently on the spring member (the torsional torque is applied to the spring). Therefore, it has been found that there is a problem that the spring stiffness in the torsional direction as intended cannot always be ensured.
Thus, if the torsional torque does not surely act on the spring member, problems such as poor steering stability are brought about.

In addition, in the elastic coupling 200 shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the collar 207 is separate from the elastic coupling 200 and can be assembled to the elastic coupling 200 later. There has also been a problem that requires work for the integration of.
This problem is also one of the problems to be solved by the present invention.

JP 2003-56592 A

  With this background, the present invention embeds a spring member between the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole in such a manner that its axial end is divided with respect to the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole. To improve the elastic coupling, torsional torque from the drive shaft can be transmitted well to the driven shaft, and to provide an elastic coupling that does not require the work of assembling the collar when assembling the elastic coupling It was made as a purpose.

  Thus, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of first fastening holes and a plurality of second fastening holes penetrating the rubber elastic body around the central axis of the rubber elastic body having a disk shape are provided. The two fastening holes are alternately arranged, and the first fastening shaft part on the drive shaft side is inserted into the first fastening hole, and the second fastening shaft part on the driven shaft side is inserted into the second fastening hole, respectively. In the elastic coupling that is fastened to the state and elastically connects the drive shaft and the driven shaft and transmits the torque of the drive shaft to the driven shaft, the first fastening hole and the first A spring member that is elastically deformed in the compression direction between the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole that approach each other when the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole approach each other; Before the spring member is inserted into the first fastening shaft, the first fastening shaft portion inserted into the first fastening hole, and the second fastening hole. An axial end is embedded in the rubber elastic body without being connected to the second fastening shaft portion, and is separated from the first fastening shaft portion and the second fastening shaft portion, and further the first fastening hole. , A rigid cylindrical collar having an insertion hole for the first fastening shaft portion and the second fastening shaft portion on the inside is integrally vulcanized and bonded in an embedded state, and the collar Is characterized in that the surface facing the axial end of the spring member is a flat surface or a concave surface recessed on the side away from the axial end.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the spring member is formed of a metal wire made of spring steel.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the spring member is a coil spring.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the collar includes a cylindrical metal collar body and a resin material fixed to the outer peripheral side thereof, and the resin material The flat surface or concave surface is formed on the surface.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the elastic coupling elastically connects a steering wheel side shaft and a steering gear side shaft of a steering apparatus for an automobile. And

Effects and effects of the invention

  As described above, according to the present invention, the spring member is embedded between the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole in such a manner that the axial end thereof is divided from the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole. In the elastic coupling, a rigid cylindrical collar is integrally vulcanized and bonded to the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole in an embedded state, and the surface of the collar facing the axial end of the spring member is formed. It is a flat surface or a concave surface that is recessed toward the side away from the axial end.

In addition to retaining the advantages of the elastic coupling shown in FIG. 8 as it is, the elastic coupling of the present invention embeds the torsional torque applied from the drive shaft between the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole. It is possible to exert a favorable effect on a certain spring member. That is, the torsional torque applied from the drive shaft can be favorably received by the spring member.
As a result, the torsional torque can be satisfactorily transmitted from the drive shaft to the driven shaft.
Therefore, according to the present invention, the spring stiffness in the torsional direction can be imparted to the elastic coupling.

  In the present invention, the collar interposed between the first fastening shaft portion on the drive shaft side and the first fastening hole in the elastic coupling, and the second fastening shaft portion on the driven shaft side and the second fastening hole in the elastic coupling are provided. Another characteristic feature is that it is vulcanized and bonded to the elastic coupling in an integrated state in advance, and in this way, it is possible to save time and effort to incorporate a collar after the elastic coupling. As a result, there is also an advantage that the assembling property between the elastic coupling and the drive shaft or the driven shaft is good.

Here, the spring member can be composed of a metal wire made of spring steel.
The spring member made of the metal wire may be a coil spring.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the collar includes a cylindrical metal collar body and a resin material fixed to the outer periphery thereof, and the resin material is formed with the flat surface or the concave surface. is there.
According to the fourth aspect, since the resin material having good vulcanization adhesion to rubber is provided on the outer peripheral side of the cylindrical metal color body, the collar is integrally vulcanized and bonded to the elastic coupling. This can be done well when doing.

  Further, forming the flat surface or the concave surface on the metal member brings about an increase in cost and the processing becomes complicated. However, in claim 4, a cylindrical metal member is used as the color body. Since the resin material is fixed to the outer peripheral side and a flat surface or a concave surface is formed on the resin material, there is an advantage that such a flat surface or a concave surface can be easily formed. is there.

  The present invention is preferably applied to an elastic coupling that elastically connects a steering wheel side shaft and a steering gear side shaft in an automobile steering device.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
In FIGS. 1 and 2, 10 is an elastic coupling (steering coupling) used in a steering device of an automobile, and 12 is a rubber elastic body having a disk shape.

  The elastic coupling 10 is formed with a central hole 14 penetrating the rubber elastic body 12 in the thickness direction at the center thereof, and a pair of holes penetrating in the thickness direction on the same circumference around the central axis. The first fastening holes 16 and the pair of second fastening holes 18 are provided alternately.

A total of four coil springs 20A and 20B formed by winding a metal wire (spring steel) in a coil shape are embedded in the rubber elastic body 12, as shown in FIGS.
Here, each of the coil springs 20A and 20B is arranged in a direction in which the respective axis lines connect the first fastening hole 16 and the second fastening hole 18, and the first fastening hole 16 and the second fastening hole 18 are close to each other. Sometimes they are elastically deformed in the compression direction between them.
The coil springs 20A and 20B are embedded in the rubber elastic body 12 with their axial ends separated from the first fastening hole 16 and the second fastening hole 18, that is, in a state where a predetermined gap S is formed. Yes.

In this elastic coupling 10, the pair of first fastening holes 16 are for fastening with the first fastening shaft portion on the drive shaft side, and the pair of second fastening holes 18 are the second fastening shaft portions on the driven shaft side. It is for fastening with. This is the same as the elastic coupling shown in FIG.
That is, the coil springs 20 </ b> A and 20 </ b> B are provided in a form in which the axial ends are separated from the first fastening shaft portion and the second fastening shaft portion.

In the elastic coupling 10 of the present embodiment, a rigid cylindrical collar 22 is integrally vulcanized and bonded to each of the first fastening hole 16 and the second fastening hole 18 in advance in an embedded state.
Specifically, in the elastic coupling 10 of the present embodiment, a rubber material is injected into a molding cavity by injection molding in a state where the collar 22 and the coil springs 20A and 20B are set on a vulcanizing mold, and this is injected for a predetermined time. The entire elastic coupling 10 having the collar 22 is integrally vulcanized and molded by vulcanization.

As shown in FIG. 2, each collar 22 includes a cylindrical metal collar body 26 having an insertion hole 24 for inserting the first fastening shaft portion and the second fastening shaft portion on the inner side, and an outer peripheral side thereof. And a resin material 28 fixed to the substrate.
Here, the resin material 28 has a cylindrical shape whose cross-sectional outer shape is a square shape (square shape).
In the present embodiment, since the resin material 28 is fixed to the outer peripheral side of the metallic collar body 26 as described above, the collar 22 and the rubber elastic body 12 can be well vulcanized and bonded.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the resin material 28 has flat surfaces 30A, 30B that are perpendicular to the axial lines of the coil springs 20A, 20B at the surfaces facing the axial ends of the coil springs 20A, 20B. Yes.

In the elastic coupling 10 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the torsional torque in the rotational direction from the drive shaft acts on the collar 22 integrated in the first fastening hole 16 in the embedded state. Since the surface of the collar 22 facing the coil spring 20A is a flat surface 30A, the torsional torque applied to the collar 22 is satisfactorily input to the coil spring 20A.
That is, the torsional torque applied to the collar 22 is satisfactorily received by the coil spring 20A or 20B.

  The torsional torque is further transmitted from the coil spring 20A or 20B to another pair of collars 22 integrated in the second fastening hole 18 through the flat surface 30A or 30B. It is done.

That is, in the elastic coupling 10 of this embodiment, in addition to retaining the advantages of the elastic coupling shown in FIG. 8, the torsional torque in the rotational direction from the drive shaft can be transmitted to the driven shaft satisfactorily. It becomes like this.
As a result, the spring stiffness in the torsional direction as intended can be imparted to the elastic coupling 10, and good steering stability can be ensured.

In the case of the elastic coupling 10 of the present embodiment, an excessive tensile force does not act on the coil springs 20A and 20B during transmission of torsional torque, and a large stress acts intensively on specific portions of the coil springs 20A and 20B. There is nothing.
Therefore, the problem that the coil springs 20A and 20B break due to stress concentration does not occur, and the durability can be improved.

  Moreover, since each coil spring 20A, 20B has the axial direction end parted with respect to the 1st fastening hole 16 and the 2nd fastening hole 18, the elastic coupling 10 has a favorable softness | flexibility in an axial direction, Axial vibration can be well insulated between the driven shaft and the drive shaft. Moreover, it has good durability even when the driven shaft and the drive shaft are repeatedly relatively displaced in the axial direction.

  The elastic coupling 10 of this embodiment does not use a reinforcing cord as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 but uses coil springs 20A and 20B instead. Therefore, the elastic coupling 10 Combined with the fact that injection molding can be adopted as the molding method, the elastic coupling 10 can be easily manufactured, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Further, in the elastic coupling 10 of the present embodiment, the collar 22 is previously vulcanized and bonded integrally to the elastic coupling 10 in an embedded state, so that the trouble of separately installing the collar 22 into the elastic coupling 10 is eliminated. It can be omitted.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the collar 22 is configured by providing the resin material 28 having a good vulcanization adhesiveness to rubber on the outer peripheral side of the collar body 26. Therefore, the collar 22 is integrally vulcanized and bonded to the elastic coupling 10. This can be done well when doing.
Further, since the flat surfaces 30A and 30B are formed on the resin material 28, the collar 22 can be easily provided with such flat surfaces 30A and 30B.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention.
First, in the embodiment of FIG. 4 (A), the surface of the collar 22 facing the axial ends of the coil springs 20A and 20B is recessed in a substantially triangular shape that is recessed toward the side away from the axial ends of the coil springs 20A and 20B. In this example, the surfaces are 32A and 32B.

In the case of this embodiment, the rotational restraint force with respect to the axial ends of the coil springs 20A and 20B becomes stronger, and the torsional torque from the first fastening shaft portion side of the drive shaft can be more satisfactorily applied to the coil springs 20A and 20B. Can act against.
Further, the torsional torque transmitted through the coil springs 20A and 20B can be satisfactorily received by the collar 22 integrated in the second fastening hole 18 in detail, on the driven shaft side.

  FIG. 4B shows still another embodiment. In this embodiment, the resin material 28 in the collar 22 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a circular cross section, and is opposed to the axial ends of the coil springs 20A and 20B. This is an example in which the surfaces are substantially rectangular groove-shaped surfaces, that is, substantially rectangular concave surfaces 34A and 34B that are recessed toward the side away from the axial ends of the coil springs 20A and 20B.

  In this embodiment, in particular, by partially inserting the axial ends of the coil springs 20A and 20B into the concave surfaces 34A and 34B, the restraining force in the rotational direction with respect to the axial ends of the coil springs 20A and 20B becomes stronger. Therefore, there is an advantage that the torsional torque can be exchanged between the collar 22 and the coil springs 20A and 20B with higher efficiency.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, these are merely examples, and the present invention can configure the concave surface formed on the resin material 28 in various shapes other than the above examples. The present invention can be configured in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention, such as various other forms than the coil springs 20A and 20B can be used as the spring member.

It is a figure which shows the elastic coupling of one Embodiment of this invention. (A): It is a plane sectional view of the elastic coupling of the embodiment. (B): It is BB sectional drawing of (A). It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the elastic coupling of the embodiment. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the conventional elastic coupling. It is a figure which shows the manufacturing method of the elastic coupling of FIG. It is a figure which shows the conventional elastic coupling different from FIG. 5, FIG. It is a comparative example figure which shows an example of the elastic coupling which concerns on the prior application which the present inventors devised.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Elastic coupling 12 Rubber elastic body 16 1st fastening hole 18 2nd fastening hole 20A, 20B Coil spring 22 Collar 24 Insertion hole 26 Color main body 28 Resin material 30A, 30B Flat surface 32A, 32B, 34A, 34B Concave surface

Claims (5)

A plurality of first fastening holes and second fastening holes penetrating the rubber elastic body around the central axis of the rubber elastic body having a disk shape, and the first fastening holes and the second fastening holes are alternately positioned. And the first fastening shaft portion on the drive shaft side is fastened to the first fastening hole, and the second fastening shaft portion on the driven shaft side is fastened to the second fastening hole. An elastic coupling that elastically couples the shaft and transmits the torque of the drive shaft to the driven shaft;
Between each of the portions between the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole that are adjacent to each other, between the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole that approach each other when the first fastening hole and the second fastening hole approach each other. A spring member that is elastically deformed in the compression direction connects the first fastening shaft portion inserted through the first fastening hole to the second fastening shaft portion inserted through the second fastening hole. Without being embedded in the rubber elastic body in a form in which the axial end is divided from the first fastening shaft portion and the second fastening shaft portion,
Further, a rigid cylindrical collar having insertion holes for the first and second fastening shafts on the inside is integrally vulcanized and bonded to the first and second fastening holes in an embedded state. The elastic coupling is characterized in that a surface of the spring member facing the axial end is a flat surface or a concave surface recessed toward the side away from the axial end.   2. The elastic coupling according to claim 1, wherein the spring member is made of a metal wire made of spring steel.   The elastic coupling according to claim 2, wherein the spring member is a coil spring.   The collar according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the collar includes a cylindrical metal collar body and a resin material fixed to an outer peripheral side thereof, and the resin material has the flat surface or the concave shape. An elastic coupling characterized in that a surface is formed.   5. The elastic coupling according to claim 1, wherein the elastic coupling elastically connects a steering wheel side shaft and a steering gear side shaft of an automobile steering device.

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