Steering apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9302698-B2
Application number	US-201414551630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 24, 2014
Priority date	Mar 26, 2014
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

A steering apparatus includes a rack shaft moving in a vehicle width direction for steering steered wheels, a rack end in a moving side, which is provided in the rack shaft and integrally moving with the rack shaft, a housing body in a fixed side, which does not move in the vehicle width direction and controls the movement of the rack shaft by collision from the rack end to the housing body and a shock absorbing member provided between the rack end and the housing body to absorb a shock from the rack end to the housing body, in which the shock absorbing member includes a low-spring rate portion and a high-spring rate portion having a higher spring rate than that of the low-spring rate portion in the vehicle width direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A steering apparatus comprising:
a steered shaft moving in a vehicle width direction for steering vehicle wheels;
a first stopper in a moving side, which is provided in the steered shaft and integrally moving with the steered shaft;
a second stopper in a fixed side, which does not move in the vehicle width direction and controls the movement of the steered shaft by collision from the first stopper to the second stopper; and
a shock absorbing member provided between the first stopper and the second stopper to absorb a shock from the first stopper to the second stopper,
wherein the shock absorbing member includes a low-spring rate portion and a high-spring rate portion having a higher spring rate than the low-spring rate portion in the vehicle width direction, and
the low-spring rate portion and the high-spring rate portion are configured to contact the first stopper.

2. The steering apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the low-spring rate portion and the high-spring rate portion are made of the same material, and
a first pressure receiving area of the low-spring rate portion receiving the shock from the first stopper to the second stopper is smaller than a second pressure receiving area of the high-spring rate portion receiving the shock therefrom.

3. The steering apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the low-spring rate portion is made of a low-elasticity material having a low elasticity, and
the high-spring rate portion is made of a high-elasticity material having a higher elasticity than the low-elasticity material.

4. The steering apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the low-spring rate portion protrudes beyond the high-spring rate portion in a direction toward the first stopper in such a manner that the low-spring rate portion contacts the first stopper before the high-spring rate contacts the first stopper.

5. The steering apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the low-spring rate portion includes multiple protrusions each of which has a truncated cone shape, and
the protrusions are arranged at equal intervals in a circumferential direction.

6. The steering apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the high-spring rate portion is wider in a radial direction than the low-spring rate portion.

7. The steering apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one groove is formed between the low-spring rate portion and the high-spring rate portion in a radial direction.

Assignees

• Showa Corp

Inventors

• Enomoto Satoshi

Classifications

• F16F1/376

  having projections, studs, serrations or the like on at least one surface ({F16F1/3835} , F16F1/387 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16F1/44

  loaded mainly in compression · CPC title

• B62D3/126 Primary

  characterised by the rack · CPC title

• B62D5/22

  for rack-and-pinion type · CPC title

• B62D3/12 Primary

  of rack-and-pinion type · CPC title