SELF ALIGNING COUPLING FOR MIXING SYSTEM

• US 20110188928A1
• Filed: 02/01/2010
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Life Technologies Corporation (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Hyclone Laboratories, Inc. (Danaher Corporation)
• Inventors: West, Derik R., Jones, Nephi D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,506,198 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 403/291
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 11/00 Connecting or disconnecting metal parts or objects by metal-working techniques not otherwise provided for connecting sheet metal or metal tubes, rods or profiles B21D39/00; riveting B21J; soldering, unsoldering, welding B23K; hand tools for connecting wire or strip B25B25/00; connecting metal parts by adhesives F16B11/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 7/00 Connections of rods or tubes, e.g. of non-circular section, mutually, including resilient connections F16B11/008, F16B17/00 take precedence; umbrella frames A45B25/02; welding or soldering of connections B23K; vehicle connections in general B60D; railway couplings B61G; bicycle frames B62K; couplings for transmitting rotation F16D; couplings for tubes conveying fluids F16L
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2001/102 the torque is transmitted via polygon shaped connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/10 Selectively engageable hub to shaft connection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/1616 Position or guide means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/54 Flexible member is joint component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/7035 Specific angle or shape of rib, key, groove, or shoulder

Abstract

A shaft coupling assembly includes a hub bounding an opening. The interior surface of the hub includes an annular coupling surface and a receiving surface, the receiving surface sloping away from opening. An alignment rib projects from the receiving surface into the opening. An elongated shaft includes a driver that is configured to be received within the opening of the hub. The driver has an exterior surface that includes an annular engaging surface, a guide surface, and a guide rib radially, outwardly projecting from the guide surface. The guide rib is configured such that when the driver is being inserted within the opening with the guide rib being aligned with the alignment rib, the guide rib contacts the alignment rib so that the guide rib must be offset from the alignment rib before the driver can be fully received within the opening.

Claims

1. A shaft coupling assembly comprising:

a structural member having an interior surface bounding an opening that has an inlet, the interior surface of the structural member comprising an annular coupling surface encircling a portion of the opening and a receiving surface disposed between the annular coupling surface and the inlet of the opening, the receiving surface sloping away from opening, an alignment rib radially, inwardly projecting from the receiving surface into the opening; and

an elongated shaft having a central longitudinal axis that extends between a proximal end and an opposing distal end, the shaft comprising a driver that is configured to be received within the opening of the structural member, the driver having an exterior surface along the length thereof, the exterior surface comprising annular engaging surface encircling the longitudinal axis of the shaft and a guide rib disposed distal of the engaging surface, the guide rib being configured such that when the driver is being inserted within the opening with the guide rib being aligned with the alignment rib, the guide rib contacts the alignment rib so that the guide rib must be offset from the alignment rib before the driver can be fully received within the opening.

2. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the annular coupling surface and the annular engaging surface have complementary interlocking configurations so that when the annular engaging surface is received within the portion of the opening bounded by the annular coupling surface, rotation of the shaft about the longitudinal axis facilitates concurrent rotation of the structural member.

3. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the guide rib has opposing sides edges that extend in a substantially V-shaped configuration.

4. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the alignment rib has opposing sides edges that extend in a substantially V-shaped configuration.

5. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the structural member further comprises a plurality of spaced apart receiving surfaces each sloping away from the opening and an alignment rib radially, inwardly projecting each receiving surface.

6. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of spaced apart alignment ribs radially, inwardly projecting from the receiving surface into the opening.

7. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the shaft further comprising a plurality of spaced apart guide ribs.

8. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the opening comprises a blind socket formed on the structural member or a passage extending through the structural member.

9. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the structural member comprises a hub on which the opening is formed.

10. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the structural member comprises a rotational assembly or an impeller on which the opening is formed.

11. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 1, further comprising a flexible tube coupled with the structural member so that the shaft is received within the tube when the driver is received within the opening of the structural member.

12. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the driver is located at a distal terminus of the shaft or at a location between the opposing ends of the shaft.

13. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 1, further comprising an annular guide surface disposed distal of the engaging surface and encircling the longitudinal axis of the shaft, the guide rib radially, outwardly projecting form the guide surface.

14. A shaft coupling assembly comprises:

structural member having an interior surface bounding a opening and an inlet to the opening, the interior surface of the structural member comprising;

an annular coupling surface that encircles the opening, the annular coupling surface having a substantially polygonal transverse cross section that comprises a plurality of spaced apart coupling corner surfaces and a coupling side surface extending between each adjacent pair of coupling corner surfaces;

an receiving surface disposed between the annular coupling surface and the inlet of the opening; and

an alignment rib projecting from the receiving surface into the opening, the alignment rib being longitudinally aligned with one of the coupling side surfaces; and

an elongated shaft having a central longitudinal axis that extends between a proximal end and an opposing distal end, the shaft comprising a driver that is configured to be received within the opening of the structural member, the driver having an exterior surface along the length thereof, the exterior surface of the driver comprising;

an annular engaging surface encircling the longitudinal axis of the shaft, the engaging surface being configured to be received within the portion of the opening bounded by the coupling surface so that when the shaft is rotated the engaging surface engages the coupling surface to facilitate rotation of the structural member; and

an guide surface disposed distal of the engaging surface; and

a guide rib outwardly projecting from the guide surface, at least one of the guide rib or the alignment rib having opposing side edges that extend in a substantially V-shaped configuration.

15. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

the annular engaging surface having a substantially polygonal transverse cross section comprised of a plurality of engaging corner surfaces and an engaging side surface extending between each adjacent pair of engaging corner surfaces; and

the guide rib outwardly projecting from the guide surface so that the guide rib is in longitudinal alignment with one of the engaging corner surfaces.

16. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 14, wherein the portion of the shaft bounded by the engaging surface has a transverse cross section area that is complementary to the transverse cross section area of the opening bounded by the coupling surface.

17. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 14, wherein the transverse cross section area of the opening bounded by the coupling surface is substantially rectangular.

18. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 14, wherein at least a portion of the receiving surface on which the alignment rib is disposed slopes away from the opening.

19. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

the annular coupling surface comprising a plurality of substantially planar coupling side surfaces; and

a plurality of alignment ribs projecting from the receiving surface into the opening, each alignment rib being longitudinally aligned with a separate coupling side surface.

20. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 14, wherein the opening of the structural member has a central longitudinal axis, the first alignment rib being positioned so that for a plane disposed along the central longitudinal axis of the opening, the plane intersects with the alignment rib and extends along the length of a coupling side surface.

21. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 14, further comprising a plurality of spaced apart guide ribs projecting from the exterior side surface of the guide surface.

22. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 14, wherein the guide surface has a substantially circular transverse cross sectional area.

23. The shaft coupling assembly as recited in claim 14, further comprising a flexible tube coupled with the structural member, the shaft being received within the tube when the driver is received within the opening of the structural member.

24. A method for coupling a drive shaft, the method comprising:

advancing a driver formed at a drive shaft into an opening formed on a structural member so that a wedge shaped guide rib formed on the driver contacts an alignment rib projecting from the structural member into the opening;

rotating the draft shaft relative to the structural member as the alignment rib travels along a side edge of the wedged shaped guide rib; and

advancing the driver further into the opening so that the driver engages with the structural member so that rotation of the driver facilitates rotation of the structural member.

25. A shaft coupling assembly comprising:

a structural member having an interior surface bounding an opening that has an inlet, the interior surface of the structural member comprising an annular inside surface, a first engagement rib radially, inwardly projecting from the inside surface into the opening; and

an elongated shaft having a central longitudinal axis that extends between a proximal end and an opposing distal end, the shaft comprising a driver that is configured to be received within the opening of the structural member, the driver having an exterior surface along the length thereof, the exterior surface comprising annular guide surface encircling the longitudinal axis of the shaft and a second engagement rib outwardly projecting from the guide surface, the second engagement rib comprising a substantially linear body that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft and a substantially V-shaped nose, the second engagement rib being configured such that when the driver is inserted within the opening of the structural member, rotation of the drive shaft causes the second engagement rib to engage first engagement rib and rotate the structural member.