Vehicle steering device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11104372-B2
Application number	US-201716609661-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2017
Priority date	Jun 29, 2017
Publication date	Aug 31, 2021
Grant date	Aug 31, 2021

Abstract

A vehicle steering device includes a turning shaft movable in a vehicle widthwise direction, a housing that retains therein the turning shaft, a stopper provided at a shaft end of the turning shaft exposed from the housing, and a collision buffer member, which is provided at the housing, and which restricts a movable range of the stopper in the vehicle widthwise direction. The collision buffer member has an elastic region that absorbs an abutment load by a normal steering operation input from the stopper, and a plastic region that absorbs a shock load input from the stopper and greater than the abutment load by the normal steering operation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle steering device comprising:
a turning shaft that is movable in a vehicle widthwise direction;
a housing that retains therein the turning shaft;
a stopper provided at a shaft end of the turning shaft, which is exposed from the housing;
a collision buffer member which is provided at the housing, which restricts a movable range of the stopper in the vehicle widthwise direction, and which has an elastic region and a plastic region in a compressive stress-distortion amount curve diagram that represents characteristics of a distortion amount relative to a compressive stress; and
an elastic member, which surrounds an outer circumference of the collision buffer member and which is provided on the housing,
wherein a tip surface of the elastic member faces the stopper in the vehicle widthwise direction;
wherein an annular plate formed of a metal is fastened to the tip surface of the elastic member; and
wherein a tip surface of the collision buffer member protrudes toward the stopper beyond the tip surface of the elastic member in a range where the collision buffer member and the elastic member are compressed and deformed simultaneously when the collision buffer member plastically deforms.

2. The vehicle steering device according to claim 1 , wherein the collision buffer member is a cylindrical member in which the turning shaft is inserted so as to be movable in the vehicle widthwise direction.

Assignees

• Showa Corp

Inventors

• Terada Norifumi

Classifications

• B62D3/12 Primary

  of rack-and-pinion type · CPC title

• B62D3/126 Primary

  characterised by the rack · CPC title

• F16F7/126

  against the action of shear pins; one member having protuberances, e.g. dimples, ball bearings which cause the other member to deform · CPC title

• B62D5/001

  Mechanical components or aspects of steer-by-wire systems, not otherwise provided for in this maingroup · CPC title

• B62D1/19

  incorporating energy-absorbing arrangements, e.g. by being yieldable or collapsible (shock absorbers using plastic deformation of members in general F16F7/12) · CPC title