Drive shaft balancing

Abstract

A vehicular drive shaft assembly is balanced about an axis of rotation. The vehicular drive shaft assembly includes a drive shaft tube having a first end and a second end, with a first tube yoke including a first radially outer wall fixedly mounted to the first end of the drive shaft tube. A first balance pendulum is located radially inward of the first outer wall and rotationally fixable relative to the first tube yoke, and a second balance pendulum is located radially inward of the first outer wall and is also rotationally fixable relative to the first tube yoke. The balance pendulums can be rotated before being locked in place in order to account for imbalances in the drive shaft assembly. A second tube yoke fixedly mounted to the second end of the drive shaft tube may also include balance pendulums, similar to the first, in order to provide additional drive shaft assembly balancing capabilities.

1 - 18 . (Cancelled).  
   
   
       19 . A yoke and balance weight assembly comprising: 
 a yoke; and    a balance pendulum including a base that is supported on said yoke and a balance weight that is supported on said base.    
   
   
       20 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 19  wherein said yoke is a tube yoke including a radially outer wall and a pair of lugs.  
   
   
       21 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 19  wherein said balance pendulum includes a base that is supported on said yoke, an arm that extends from said base, and a balance weight that is supported on said arm.  
   
   
       22 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 19  wherein said base includes a threaded portion that engages a threaded bore formed in said yoke.  
   
   
       23 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 19  wherein said yoke defines an axis of rotation, and wherein said base is supported on said yoke co-axially relative to said axis of rotation.  
   
   
       24 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 19  wherein said base has a structure that indicates the orientation of the balance weight relative to the yoke.  
   
   
       25 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 24  wherein said structure is a slot formed in said base.  
   
   
       26 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 19  wherein said base has a structure to adjust the orientation of the balance weight relative to the yoke.  
   
   
       27 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 26  wherein said structure is a slot formed in said base.  
   
   
       28 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 19  wherein said balance pendulum is selectively movable relative to said yoke.  
   
   
       29 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 19  further including a structure for retaining said balance pendulum in a predetermined position relative to said yoke.  
   
   
       30 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 19  wherein said balance pendulum is a first balance pendulum including a first base that is supported on said yoke and a first balance weight that is supported on said first base, and further including a second balance pendulum including a second base that is supported on said yoke and a second balance weight that is supported on said second base.  
   
   
       31 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 30  wherein said first balance pendulum includes a first base that is supported on said first yoke, a first arm that extends from said first base, and a first balance weight that is supported on said first arm, and wherein said second balance pendulum includes a second base that is supported on said second yoke, a second arm that extends from said second base, and a second balance weight that is supported on said second arm.  
   
   
       32 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 30  wherein said first base includes a threaded portion that engages a threaded bore formed in said yoke.  
   
   
       33 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 32  wherein said second base includes a threaded portion that engages a threaded bore formed in said first base.  
   
   
       34 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 30  wherein said yoke defines an axis of rotation, and wherein said first base is supported on said yoke co-axially relative to said axis of rotation.  
   
   
       35 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 34  wherein said yoke defines an axis of rotation, and wherein said second base is supported on said yoke co-axially relative to said axis of rotation.  
   
   
       36 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 30  wherein said first base has a structure that indicates the orientation of the balance weight relative to the yoke.  
   
   
       37 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 36  wherein said second base has a structure that indicates the orientation of the balance weight relative to the yoke.  
   
   
       38 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 30  wherein said first base has a structure to adjust the orientation of the balance weight relative to the yoke.  
   
   
       39 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 38  wherein said second base has a structure to adjust the orientation of the balance weight relative to the yoke.  
   
   
       40 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 30  wherein said first and second balance pendulums are selectively movable relative to said yoke.  
   
   
       41 . The yoke and balance weight assembly defined in  claim 30  further including structures for respectively retaining said first and second balance pendulums in predetermined positions relative to said yoke.