Steering device and vehicle including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016167698-A1
Application number	US-201414908786-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 15, 2014
Priority date	Jul 31, 2013
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A steering device including tie rods connected to right and left wheels, and configured to steer the wheels, and rack bars connected to the respective tie rods, and, is capable of simultaneously steering the right and left wheels to the right or left of the vehicle, by moving the rack bars to the right or left. A rack bar moving arrangement is provided which is capable of moving the rack bars in opposite directions by the same distance, and rack teeth are arranged along the opposite directions. The rack bar moving arrangement includes a synchronizing gear in mesh with the rack bars, and configured to convert the movement of one of the rack bars in one of the opposite directions to the movement of the other rack bars in the other opposite directions, thereby steering the wheels in opposite directions.

First claim

1 . A steering device comprising:
tie rods connected, respectively, to right and left wheels which are constituted by a pair of front wheels of a vehicle or a pair of rear wheels of the vehicle, and configured to steer the respective right and left wheels; and a pair of rack bars connected to the respective tie rods, wherein the steering device is capable of simultaneously steering the right and left wheels in one of right and left directions of the vehicle with respect to a direction in which the vehicle travels in a straight line, by moving, together with each other, the pair of rack bars in one of the right and left directions, and wherein a rack bar moving arrangement is provided which is capable of moving the pair of rack bars in opposite directions to each other by a same distance, and rack teeth are arranged along said opposite directions.

2 . The steering device of claim 1 , wherein the rack bar moving arrangement includes a synchronizing gear in mesh with the pair of rack bars, and configured to convert a movement of one of the rack bars in one of the opposite directions to a movement of the other of the rack bars in the other of the opposite directions.

3 . The steering device of claim 2 , wherein each of the rack bars includes a synchronizing rack gear which is in mesh with the synchronizing gear, and a steering rack gear configured such that a driving force for moving a corresponding one of the rack bars in one of the opposite directions.

4 . The steering device of claim 3 , wherein the synchronizing rack gear and the steering rack gear of each of the rack bars are separate members integrally fixed to each other.

5 . The steering device of claim 2 , wherein the rack bar moving arrangement includes a first pinion gear and a second pinion gear which are mounted directly, or indirectly through another member, to a steering shaft,
wherein the first pinion gear is in mesh with said one of the rack bars, and the second pinion gear is in mesh with the other of the rack bars, and wherein the rack bar moving arrangement is movable to a position where a rotation of the steering shaft is transmitted only to said one of the rack bars through the first pinion gear.

6 . The steering device of claim 2 , wherein the rack bar moving arrangement include a first pinion gear and a second pinion gear which are mounted directly, or indirectly through another member, to an actuator configured to be actuated when a steering of the vehicle is operated,
wherein the first pinion gear is in mesh with said one of the rack bars, and the second pinion gear is in mesh with the other of the rack bars, and wherein the rack bar moving arrangement is movable to a position where a movement of the actuator is transmitted only to said one of the rack bars through the first pinion gear.

7 . The steering device of claim 5 , wherein a coupling mechanism is provided between the first pinion gear and the second pinion gear, and configured such that the first pinion gear and the second pinion gear can be selectively coupled to and uncoupled from each other through the coupling mechanism.

8 . The steering device of claim 7 , wherein the right and left wheels are steerable about axes of respective kingpins supported by a frame, and wherein the coupling mechanism is configured to be capable of moving, together with each other, the rack bars in one of the right and left directions of the vehicle, with the rack bars coupled to each other through the first and second pinion gears by means of the coupling mechanism, thereby simultaneously steering the right and left wheels in a same direction about the axes of the respective kingpins.

9 . The steering device of claim 7 , wherein the right and left wheels are steerable about axes of respective kingpins supported by a frame, and wherein the coupling mechanism is configured to be capable of moving the rack bars in the respective opposite directions, with the first and second pinion gears uncoupled from each other by the coupling mechanism, thereby steering the right and left wheels in opposite directions to each other about the axes of the respective kingpins.

10 . A vehicle wherein the steering device of claim 1 is used at least either for front right and front left wheels of the vehicle or to rear right and rear left wheels of the vehicle.

11 . The vehicle of claim 10 , wherein an in-wheel motor is mounted to at least one of the right and left wheels to which the steering device is connected, wherein the right and left wheels are steerable about axes of respective kingpins supported by a frame, and wherein the vehicle is configured such that the rack bars are moved in the respective opposite directions, whereby the right and left wheels are steered about the axes of the respective kingpins.

12 . The steering device of claim 3 , wherein the rack bar moving arrangement includes a first pinion gear and a second pinion gear which are mounted directly, or indirectly through another member, to a steering shaft,
wherein the first pinion gear is in mesh with said one of the rack bars, and the second pinion gear is in mesh with the other of the rack bars, and wherein the rack bar moving arrangement is movable to a position where a rotation of the steering shaft is transmitted only to said one of the rack bars through the first pinion gear.

13 . The steering device of claim 4 , wherein the rack bar moving arrangement includes a first pinion gear and a second pinion gear which are mounted directly, or indirectly through another member, to a steering shaft,
wherein the first pinion gear is in mesh with said one of the rack bars, and the second pinion gear is in mesh with the other of the rack bars, and wherein the rack bar moving arrangement is movable to a position where a rotation of the steering shaft is transmitted only to said one of the rack bars through the first pinion gear.

14 . The steering device of claim 3 , wherein the rack bar moving arrangement include a first pinion gear and a second pinion gear which are mounted directly, or indirectly through another member, to an actuator configured to be actuated when a steering of the vehicle is operated,
wherein the first pinion gear is in mesh with said one of the rack bars, and the second pinion gear is in mesh with the other of the rack bars, and wherein the rack bar moving arrangement is movable to a position where a movement of the actuator is transmitted only to said one of the rack bars through the first pinion gear.

15 . The steering device of claim 4 , wherein the rack bar moving arrangement include a first pinion gear and a second pinion gear which are mounted directly, or indirectly through another member, to an actuator configured to be actuated when a steering of the vehicle is operated,
wherein the first pinion gear is in mesh with said one of the rack bars, and the second pinion gear is in mesh with the other of the rack bars, and wherein the rack bar moving arrangement is movable to a position where a movement of the actuator is transmitted only to said one of the rack bars through the first pinion gear.

16 . The steering device of claim 6 , wherein a coupling mechanism is provided between the first pinion gear and the second pinion gear, and configured such that the first pinion gear and the second pinion gear can be selectively coupled to and uncoupled from each other through the coupling mechanism.

Assignees

• Ntn Toyo Bearing Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ooba Hirokazu
• Ishikawa Tomomi
• IGI Taisuke
• Yamaguchi Yuya

Classifications

• B62D7/18

  Steering knuckles; King pins · CPC title

• B62D3/126 Primary

  characterised by the rack · CPC title

• B62D7/14

  the pivotal axes being situated in more than one plane transverse to the longitudinal centre line of the vehicle, e.g. all-wheel steering · CPC title

• B60K7/0007

  the motor being electric · CPC title

• B60K2007/0038

  the motor moving together with the wheel axle · CPC title