Shaft coupling

Claim 2

In a vehicle steering system including a manually rotatably steering shaft and a steering gear means having an input shaft, a resilient torsionally damped coupling connecting said steering shaft and said input shaft comprising, a first collar member, means rigidly attaching said first collar member to said steering shaft, a second collar member, means rigidly attaching said second collar member to said input shaft, a resilient annular connecting member, means attaching said connecting member to said first and said second collar members, said connecting member being operable to transmit power between said steering and said input shafts and elastically angularly deformable in response to the application of torque to one of said steering and said input shafts to permit relative angular movement therebetween, a retaining member, means connecting said retaining member to said first collar member for unitary rotation therewith and for axial bodily movement relative thereto, means defining a surface element on one of said second collar member and said retaining member, a spherical rolling element, means mounting said rolling element between said second collar member and said retaining member for rolling movement across said surface element in response to relative angular movement between said steering and said input shafts, one of said surface elements and said rolling element being relatively hard and the other being elastically deformable in response to substantial compressive engagement between said surface element and said rolling element, said elastic deformation generating uniform resistance to rolling movement of said rolling element across said surface element, means operative to effect substantial compressive engagement between said surface element and said rolling element so that said rolling resistance generated thereby effects torsional damping of said coupling by retarding relative angular movement between said steering shaft and said input shaft, and lost motion means between said first collar member and said second collar member operative after a predetermined amount of relative angular movement between said steering shaft and said input shaft to directly couple said first and said second collar members together for unitary rotation independently of said resilient connecting member and said rolling and said surface elements.

Claim 3

A shaft coupling as recited in claim 1 wherein said lost motion means includes abutment means, means rigidly supporting said abutment means on one of said first and said second collar members, a projecting member, and means rigidly supporting said projecting member on the other of said first and said second collar members for engagement on said abutment means after a predetermined amount of relative angular movement between said steering and said input shafts.

Claim 4

In a vehicle steering system including a manually rotatable steering shaft and a steering gear means having an input shaft, a resilient torsionally damped coupling connecting said steering shaft and said input shaft comprising, a first collar member, means rigidly attaching said first collar member to said steering shaft, a second collar member having a plurality of arcuate slots therein, means rigidly attaching said second collar member to said input shaft, a resilient annular connecting member, means attaching said connecting member to said first and said second collar members, said connecting member being operable to transmit power between said steering and said input shafts and elastically angularly deformable in response to the application of torque to one of said steering and said input shafts to permit relative angular movement therebetween, an annular retaining member having a pluralIty of clearance apertures therein, said retaining member being disposed about said input shaft behind said second collar member, means on opposing surfaces of said retaining member and said second collar member defining relatively hard surface elements, a plurality of bolts, means rigidly supporting each of said bolts on said first collar member for projection through respective ones of said arcuate slots in said second collar member and said clearance apertures in said retaining member, said bolts thereby supporting said retaining member on said first collar for angular movement as a unit therewith and for axial bodily movement relative thereto and to said second collar member, a plurality of spherical rolling elements disposed between said opposing surfaces of said retaining member and said second collar member for rolling movement across each of said surface elements in response to relative angular movement between said steering and said input shafts, each of said rolling elements being elastically deformable in response to compression thereof between said retaining member and said second collar member and said elastic deformation generating uniform resistance to rolling movement of said rolling elements across said surface elements, and fastener means threadedly received on respective ones of said bolts behind said retaining member and operative to effect substantial compression of said rolling elements between said retaining member and said second collar member so that the rolling resistance generated thereby damps said coupling by retarding relative angular movement between said steering and said input shafts, said bolts being engageable on the edges of respective ones of said arcuate slots after a predetermined amount of relative angular movement between said steering and said input shafts to thereby directly couple said first and said second collar members for unitary rotation independently of said resilient connecting member and said rolling and said surface elements.

Claim 5

In a vehicle steering system including a manually rotatable steering shaft and a steering gear means having an input shaft, a resilient torsionally damped coupling connecting said steering shaft and said input shaft comprising, a first collar member, means rigidly attaching said first collar member to said steering shaft, a second collar member having a plurality of arcuate slots therein, means rigidly attaching said second collar member to said input shaft, a resilient annular connecting member, means attaching said connecting member to said first and said second collar members, said connecting member being operable to transmit power between said steering and said input shafts and elastically angularly deformable in response to the application of torque to one of said steering and said input shafts to permit relative angular movement therebetween, an annular retaining member having a pluralIty of clearance apertures therein, said retaining member being disposed about said input shaft behind said second collar member, means on opposing surfaces of said retaining member and said second collar member defining relatively hard surface elements, a plurality of bolts, means rigidly supporting each of said bolts on said first collar member for projection through respective ones of said arcuate slots in said second collar member and said clearance apertures in said retaining member, said bolts thereby supporting said retaining member on said first collar for angular movement as a unit therewith and for axial bodily movement relative thereto and to said second collar member, a plurality of spherical rolling elements disposed between said opposing surfaces of said retaining member and said second collar member for rolling movement across each of said surface elements in response to relative angular movement between said steering and said input shafts, each of said rolling elements being elastically deformable in response to compression thereof between said retaining member and said second collar member and said elastic deformation generating uniform resistance to rolling movement of said rolling elements across said surface elements, and fastener means threadedly received on respective ones of said bolts behind said retaining member and operative to effect substantial compression of said rolling elements between said retaining member and said second collar member so that the rolling resistance generated thereby damps said coupling by retarding relative angular movement between said steering and said input shafts, said bolts being engageable on the edges of respective ones of said arcuate slots after a predetermined amount of relative angular movement between said steering and said input shafts to thereby directly couple said first and said second collar members for unitary rotation independently of said resilient connecting member and said rolling and said surface elements.