Apparatus for pressing a rack onto a pinion, and steering system for a motor vehicle with an apparatus of this type

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11814111-B2
Application number	US-202217868142-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2022
Priority date	Jul 26, 2021
Publication date	Nov 14, 2023
Grant date	Nov 14, 2023

Abstract

The disclosure relates to an apparatus for pressing a rack onto a pinion, with a pressure piece. The pressure piece being arranged within a housing and to be displaceable in an axial direction of a center longitudinal axis. A bearing element is fixed on the housing in the axial direction with respect to the center longitudinal axis. A prestressing element acts in the axial direction. The pressure piece is loaded by the prestressing element which is arranged between the pressure piece and the bearing element with a prestressing force in the axial direction with respect to the center longitudinal axis and directed away from the bearing element. An adjusting ring which is arranged between the bearing element and the pressure piece. At least two inclined faces of the adjusting ring and an adjusting section bear against one another. In order to be able to reduce the production outlay and/or realize a more compact overall design, a force application disk is arranged between the adjusting ring and the adjusting section.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for pressing a rack onto a pinion, comprising a pressure piece wherein the pressure piece is arranged within a housing and is displaceable in an axial direction of a center longitudinal axis, a bearing element which is fixable on the housing in the axial direction with respect to the center longitudinal axis, a prestressing element which acts in the axial direction, wherein the pressure piece is loaded by the prestressing element which is arranged between the pressure piece and the bearing element with a prestressing force in the axial direction with respect to the center longitudinal axis and directed away from the bearing element, and an adjusting ring which is arranged between the bearing element and the pressure piece, at least two inclined faces of the adjusting ring and an adjusting section of the bearing element bearing against one another, wherein a force application disk is arranged between the adjusting ring and the adjusting section.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the force application disk bears partially against the adjusting ring and partially against the adjusting section.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein at least two wedge faces of the force application disk and the adjusting section bear against one another, and at least two axial faces of the force application disk and the adjusting ring bear against one another.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the prestressing element is supported with a first end directly on the force application disk, and wherein the prestressing element is supported with a second end which faces away from the first end directly on the pressure piece, and wherein the prestressing element is configured as a spring.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the prestressing element is supported with a first end directly on the force application disk.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the prestressing element is supported with a second end which faces away from the first end directly on the pressure piece, and wherein the prestressing element is configured as a spring.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the adjusting ring and the force application disk are rotatable about the center longitudinal axis to realize an adjusting function, and the adjusting ring and the force application disk are rotatable in the same rotational direction in order to realize the adjusting function.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the adjusting ring and the force application disk is rotatable about the center longitudinal axis.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the adjusting ring and the force application disk are rotatable about the center longitudinal axis in the same rotational direction to realize the adjusting function, and the adjusting ring and the force application disk are rotatable jointly in the same rotational direction to realize the adjusting function.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the adjusting ring is displaceable in the axial direction of the center longitudinal axis to realize an adjusting function.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the force application disk can be displaced in the axial direction of the center longitudinal axis to realize the adjusting function, and the adjusting ring and the force application disk is displaceable in two axial directions which face away from one another.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one first radial face of the force application disk bears against the adjusting ring in a starting state.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , wherein at least one second radial face is arranged so as to face away from the first radial face and bears against the adjusting section in an end state, a maximum adjusting travel being predetermined in the axial direction of the center longitudinal axis by means of the starting state and an end state, and the first radial face being spaced apart from the adjusting ring and the second radial face being spaced apart from the adjusting section in an intermediate state between the starting state and the end state.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the adjusting ring bears with a side which faces away from the adjusting section against the pressure piece, and, wherein, the adjusting ring and the pressure piece are loaded by the force application disk with a force in a direction away from the bearing element.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the force application disk has a plurality of radial projections for interacting with the adjusting ring and the adjusting section, and, wherein, the projections in each case have a wedge face, an axial face, a first radial face and/or a second radial face.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the force application disk is held for mounting purposes by a releasable positively locking connection in a starting state on the adjusting ring, and, the force application disk is supported in the axial direction of the center longitudinal axis during the mounting by a counterholder tool on a side which faces away from the prestressing element.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the adjusting section is fixed in the axial direction with respect to the center longitudinal axis, and the adjusting section has a plurality of wedge sections, wherein each wedge section has an inclined face and a wedge face, and, wherein, the adjusting section is configured as a constituent part of the bearing element.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the force application disk has a plurality of radial projections for interacting with the adjusting ring and the adjusting section of the bearing element, and, wherein, the projections have a wedge face, an axial face, a first radial face and/or a second radial face.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the force application disk is held for mounting purposes by a releasable positively locking connection in a starting state on the adjusting ring, and, the force application disk is supported in the axial direction of the center longitudinal axis during the mounting by a counterholder tool on a side which faces away from the prestressing element.

20. A steering system for a motor vehicle, with a rack which is mounted displaceably in a longitudinal direction of the rack, and with a pinion, the rack engaging into the pinion, and with the apparatus as claimed in claim 1 .

Assignees

• Zf Automotive Germany Gmbh

Inventors

• Lingemann Markus

Classifications

• B62D3/123 Primary

  characterised by pressure yokes · CPC title

• F16H19/04

  comprising a rack · CPC title

• F16H2019/046

  Facilitating the engagement or stopping of racks · CPC title

• F16H55/283

  using pressure yokes · CPC title