Constant velocity universal joint with reduced cage supporting faces

Claim 1

A constant velocity universal joint design as a fixed joint comprising: an outer joint part having an open end and an inner face; a plurality of first undercut-free meridional ball tracks disposed within said outer joint part; a ball hub having an outer face; a second plurality of undercut-free meridional ball tracks disposed within said ball hub; a ball received in each of said first ball tracks and said second ball tracks for transmitting torque between said ball hub and said outer joint part, said first ball tracks and second ball tracks having corresponding open ends; ball cage means for holding said balls in a common plane, said ball cage means having an inner and outer part-spherical face and defining a central through aperture in which the ball hub is received; a joint base affixed to said outer joint part at the open end of said first tracks, said joint base having an internally positioned first undercut-free guiding face forming a contact region relative to a partial region of the outer part spherical face of the cage means; a first free space recess defined by the inner face of the outer joint part and the outer face of said cage means, said first recess free space positioned adjacent to said contact region of said joint base and extending the length of said outer joint part; and wherein the center lines of the ball second tracks are each undercut-free in the same axial direction axially towards the open end of said outer joint part and away from said joint base, and wherein said first undercut free guiding face is undercut-free in the opposite direction towards said joint base; a second undercut-free guiding face externally positioned on said ball hub forming a contact region relative to a partial region of said inner part spherical face of said cage means; and a second free space recess defined by the outer face of said ball hub and the inner part spherical face of said cage means, said second recess positioned adjacent the contact region, of said ball hub and reaching from the end face of the ball hub adjacent said joint base axially beyond the common plane of said balls.