US 6,981,800 B2
Wheel drive unit
Eishi Shibuya, Fujisawa (Japan)
Assigned to NSK Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)
Appl. No. 10/474,228
PCT Filed Apr. 01, 2002, PCT No. PCT/JP02/03263
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Feb. 18, 2004,
PCT Pub. No. WO02/081232, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 17, 2002.
Claims priority of application No. 2001-106001 (JP), filed on Apr. 04, 2001; and application No. 2001-151361 (JP), filed on May 21, 2001.
Prior Publication US 2004/0131295 A1, Jul. 08, 2004
Int. Cl. F16C 32/00 (2006.01); B60B 27/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 384—544 3 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A wheel drive unit to be installed in an automobile together with a constant-velocity joint provided on a wheel side, and a constant-velocity joint provided on a differential side comprising a housing and a tripod,
the wheel drive unit comprising:
an outer race to be supported by an automobile suspension,
a hub having an axially outside end to which an a wheel is fixed and an axially inside end on which a crimped section is formed,
an inner race fixed on the hub by way of the crimped section,
a spline shaft section attached to the constant-velocity joint on the wheel side,
the hub having a center hole formed therein in the axial direction such that at least part of the center hole functions as a spline hole, and that the center hole is fitted to the spline shaft, and
a retaining ring to prevent the spline shaft from coming out of the center hole, and
the spline shaft having an end surface at an axially outside end thereof while the center hole having an opening at an axially inside end thereof, such that the distance between the end surface at the axially outside end of the spline shaft and the opening at the axially inside end of the center hole is larger than the amount of axially inward sliding of the constant-velocity joint on the wheel side due to displacement of the housing of the constant-velocity joint on the differential side and the tripod when installed in the automobile.