Intermediate steering shaft for a motor vehicle, and method for operating an intermediate steering shaft for a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10538264-B2
Application number	US-201615550914-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2016
Priority date	Feb 16, 2015
Publication date	Jan 21, 2020
Grant date	Jan 21, 2020

Abstract

An intermediate steering shaft for a motor vehicle includes an outer hollow shaft, an inner hollow shaft that is arranged at least partially in the outer hollow shaft, and a profile shaft that is arranged in the outer hollow shaft and connects the outer hollow shaft and the inner hollow shaft to one another. The intermediate steering shaft also includes a plurality of guide arrangements that guide the profile shaft in the outer hollow shaft for displacing the profile shaft and the inner hollow shaft. An elastic element is arranged between a respective guide rail and a receiving section of the profile shaft. The elastic element is configured to provide play compensation for the respective guide arrangement and to transmit a torque that acts from the outer hollow shaft on the guide arrangement to the profile shaft.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An intermediate steering shaft for a motor vehicle, comprising:
an outer hollow shaft;
an inner hollow shaft arranged at least partially in the outer hollow shaft;
a profiled shaft that is arranged in the outer hollow shaft and connects the outer hollow shaft and the inner hollow shaft to one another, the inner hollow shaft connected to the profiled shaft; and
a plurality of guide arrangements that guide the profiled shaft in the outer hollow shaft and serve for the displacement of the profiled shaft and of the inner hollow shaft-in an axial direction of the outer hollow shaft,
wherein the plurality of guide arrangements has in each case (i) one section of substantially concave form on an inner circumference of the outer hollow shaft, (ii) one guide rail of substantially concave form arranged on a receiving section of the profiled shaft, and (iii) at least one ball arranged between the section and the guide rail,
wherein an elastic element is arranged between the respective guide rail and the receiving section of the profiled shaft, the elastic element configured to provide play compensation of the guide arrangement and to transmit a torque exerted on the guide arrangement by the outer hollow shaft to the profiled shaft, and
wherein the elastic element is formed by a rubber strip that is configured to be installed, by vulcanization, between the respective guide rail and the respective receiving section of the profiled shaft.

2. The intermediate steering shaft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the respective elastic element is configured to be compressed in a thickness direction when a torque is applied and configured to be placed under shear load in a width direction in the case of play compensation of the guide arrangement.

3. The intermediate steering shaft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the profiled shaft has a first section with a first diameter, at which said profiled shaft is, at a respective receiving section of the profiled shaft, connected rotationally conjointly by the guide arrangement to an inner circumference of the outer hollow shaft,
the profiled shaft has a second section with a second diameter, at which said profiled shaft is connected rotationally conjointly to an inner circumference of the inner hollow shaft, and
the second diameter is smaller than the first diameter.

4. The intermediate steering shaft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the outer hollow shaft, in the region of the sections of substantially concave form on its inner circumference, has in each case one section of substantially concave form on its outer circumference, and
a bulge of the sections formed in each case on the inner circumference of the outer hollow shaft substantially corresponds to a bulge of the sections formed in each case on the outer circumference of the outer hollow shaft.

5. The intermediate steering shaft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a wall thickness of the outer hollow shaft is formed so as to be greater in the region of the sections of substantially concave form on its inner circumference and in the region of the sections formed on the outer circumference of the outer hollow shaft than in a remaining circumferential region of the outer hollow shaft.

6. The intermediate steering shaft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the respective guide rail is of substantially concave form on a side facing toward the outer hollow shaft and has a toothing on a side facing toward the profiled shaft, which toothing engages with a toothing of the receiving section.

7. The intermediate steering shaft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of balls are separated from one another in each case by spacers, and wherein the spacers have a cylindrical shape with inner surfaces of concave form.

8. The intermediate steering shaft as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the profiled shaft has a substantially eccentric cylindrical cross section, and wherein the profiled shaft has a clearance fit in a first section of the inner hollow shaft and has an interference fit in a second section of the inner hollow shaft.

9. A method for operating an intermediate steering shaft for a motor vehicle, the intermediate steering shaft including an outer hollow shaft, an inner hollow shaft arranged at least partially in the outer hollow shaft, a profiled shaft that is arranged in the outer hollow shaft and connects the outer hollow shaft and the inner hollow shaft to one another, and a plurality of guide arrangements that include in each case one section of substantially concave form on an inner circumference of the outer hollow shaft, in each case one guide rail of substantially concave form arranged on a receiving section of the profiled shaft, and in each case at least one ball arranged between the section and the guide rail, the method comprising:
guiding the profiled shaft in the outer hollow shaft with the plurality of guide arrangements for the displacement of the profiled shaft and of the inner hollow shaft, which is connected to the profiled shaft, in an axial direction of the outer hollow shaft; and
compensating play and transmitting a torque exerted on the guide arrangement by the outer hollow shaft to the profiled shaft by way of an elastic element provided between the respective guide rail and the receiving section of the profiled shaft,
wherein the elastic element is formed by a rubber strip that is installed, by vulcanization, between the respective guide rail and the respective receiving section of the profiled shaft.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the respective elastic element is compressed in a thickness direction when a torque is applied and is placed under shear load in a width direction in the case of play compensation of the guide arrangement.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert Automotive Steering
• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Abonyi Oliver

Classifications

• F16C29/123

  using elastic means · CPC title

• B62D1/20 Primary

  Connecting steering column to steering gear · CPC title

• F16C2326/24

  Steering systems, e.g. steering rods or columns · CPC title

• F16C29/04 Primary

  Ball or roller bearings · CPC title

• F16C3/035

  with built-in bearings · CPC title