Floating bearing for a steering gear

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9488219-B2
Application number	US-201314381782-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2013
Priority date	Apr 12, 2012
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

A floating bearing for a steering gear, having an inner ring for receiving a pinion shaft of the steering gear and having an outer ring which surrounds the inner ring and which serves for the mounting of the floating bearing in a housing of the steering gear, wherein the outer ring and the inner ring form an annular gap between them and wherein the outer ring and the inner ring are connected to one another by means of at least one flexible connecting part such that said outer ring and inner ring are movable relative to one another in at least one radial direction, is characterized in that the outer ring and/or the inner ring form, within the connecting part, at least one projection which projects into the annular gap such that the spacing between the outer ring and inner ring is smaller in the region of the projection than in the remaining section of the annular gap.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A floating bearing for a steering gear, having an inner ring for receiving a pinion shaft of the steering gear and having an outer ring, which surrounds the inner ring, for the mounting of the floating bearing in a housing of the steering gear,
wherein the outer ring and the inner ring form an annular gap between them,
wherein the outer ring and the inner ring are connected to one another by way of at least one connecting part, distinct from the inner ring and the outer ring, so as to be movable relative to one another in at least one radial direction,
wherein the outer ring and/or the inner ring form, embedded within the connecting part, at least one projection distinct from the connecting part which projects into the annular gap such that the spacing between outer ring and inner ring is smaller in the region of the projection than in the remaining section of the annular gap; and
wherein the connecting part comprises a flexible material which surrounds the at least one projection and the inner ring and outer ring in a region of said at least one projection.

2. The floating bearing according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one projection has a curved surface profile.

3. The floating bearing as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the inner ring and the outer ring each form one of said at least one projection, said projections being situated radially opposite one another.

4. The floating bearing as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the inner ring and the outer ring make contact in the region of the projection.

5. The floating bearing as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a layer of a flexible material is provided between the inner ring and the outer ring in the region of the projection.

6. The floating bearing as claimed in claim 5 , wherein a smallest spacing between the inner ring and outer ring, and thus a smallest thickness of the layer of flexible material, is at most 0.5 mm.

7. The floating bearing as claimed in claim 5 , wherein a smallest spacing between the inner ring and outer ring, and thus a smallest thickness of the layer of flexible material, is at most 0.3 mm.

8. The floating bearing as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said connecting part is a sleeve.

9. A steering gear having a gearwheel, having a pinion that meshes with said gearwheel, and having a pinion shaft that comprises the pinion, wherein the pinion shaft is mounted, on one side of the pinion, in a fixed hearing which forms for the pinion shaft a pivot axis lying perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the pinion shaft, and wherein the pinion shaft is mounted, on the other side of the pinion, in a floating hearing, wherein the floating bearing is designed as claimed in claim 1 .

10. The steering gear as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the inner ring and/or the outer ring have/has a positioning projection which, for the positioning of the floating bearing in a housing of the steering gear, engages into a depression of the housing.

11. The steering gear as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the positioning projection extends in an axial direction of the inner ring and/or of the outer ring.

12. A floating hearing for a steering gear, comprising:
an inner ring for receiving a pinion shaft of the steering gear, the inner ring extending 360 degrees;
an outer ring, which surrounds the inner ring, for mounting the floating hearing in a housing of the steering gear, the outer ring extending 360 degrees;
a flexible connecting part distinct from the inner ring and outer ring and extending radially to overlay a first section of the inner ring and a first section of the outer ring, thereby connecting the inner ring and the outer ring at the flexible connecting part and allowing the inner ring and the outer ring to be movable relative to one another away from the first section of the inner ring and the first section of the outer ring; and
an annular gap between the inner ring and the outer ring; and
wherein at least one of the first section of inner ring and the first section of the outer ring comprises a projection, embedded within the flexible connecting part, which projects radially into the annular gap such that the spacing between outer ring and inner ring is smaller at the projection than at portions of the annular gap away from the first section of the inner ring and the first section of the outer ring; and
wherein the flexible connecting part surrounds said projection, said inner ring, and said outer ring, in a region of said projection.

13. The floating bearing as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the inner ring, on its inner side, and/or the outer ring, on its outer side, form(s) a depression in which the flexible material is arranged.

14. The floating bearing as claimed in claim 12 , wherein said flexible connecting part is a sleeve.

15. A floating bearing for a steering gear, comprising:
an inner ring for receiving a pinion shaft of the steering gear, the inner ring extending 360 degrees;
an outer ring separate from the inner ring and which surrounds the inner ring, the outer ring for mounting the floating bearing in a housing of the steering gear and extending 360 degrees;
a flexible connecting part distinct from the inner ring and outer ring and extending radially to overlay a first section of the inner ring and a first section of the outer ring; and
an annular gap between the inner ring and the outer ring; and
wherein at the first section of the inner ring a first convex projection is formed bulging toward the outer ring underlying the flexible connecting part;
wherein at the first section of the outer ring a second convex projection is formed bulging toward the inner ring underlying the flexible connecting part;
wherein the first convex projection and the second convex projection are separate and are configured to facilitate either one or both of a rolling motion and a sliding motion between the inner ring and the outer ring by having the first convex portion and the second convex portion extending into contact with each other; and
wherein the flexible connecting part is configured to hold the inner ring and outer ring together at said first convex projection and second convex projection.

16. The floating hearing as claimed in claim 15 , wherein a depression is formed at a radially-outward side of the first section of the outer ring, and wherein the flexible connecting part occupies said depression.

17. The floating bearing as claimed in claim 15 , wherein a depression is formed at a radially inward side of the first section of the inner ring, and wherein the flexible connecting part occupies said depression.

Assignees

• Zf Lenksysteme Gmbh
• Bosch Gmbh Robert Automotive Steering

Inventors

• Fuechsel Dennis
• Hafermalz Jens

Classifications

• F16H55/24

  Special devices for taking up backlash · CPC title

• F16H2057/127

  using springs · CPC title

• F16H57/039

  Gearboxes for accommodating worm gears · CPC title

• Y10T74/1967

  Rack and pinion · CPC title

• F16H2057/0222

  Lateral adjustment · CPC title