Damper device and steering device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9975574-B2
Application number	US-201615331735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2016
Priority date	Oct 22, 2015
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

In the damper device, when the large diameter portion does not apply an impact force on the flange portion, the elastic body is disposed in one of the housing and the cylindrical portion with a gap and when the large diameter portion applies the impact force on the flange portion, the elastic body is compressed by the restricting surface and the flange portion in an axial direction to be deformed into a state that the elastic body is brought into contact with all of the housing, the restricting surface, the cylindrical portion and the flange portion to be filled in the gap. The impact receiving member is restricted from a movement relative to the housing by the deformed elastic body when the end portion of the cylindrical portion is advanced into the relief portion and the impact receiving member keeps a non-contact state with the housing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A damper device comprising;
a shaft having a shaft portion and a large diameter portion;
a housing formed in a cylindrical shape and through which the shaft is inserted, the shaft being movable in an axial direction relative to the housing, the housing being provided with a restricting surface facing toward an end surface side of the large diameter portion; and
an impact absorbing member inserted on the shaft portion and disposed between the end surface of the large diameter portion and the restricting surface in an axial direction, wherein the impact absorbing member includes;
an impact receiving member including a cylindrical portion facing to an inner peripheral surface of the housing and a flange portion extending from the cylindrical portion outwardly in a radial direction and facing to the restricting surface and being contactable with the large diameter portion; and
an elastic body provided in a space formed by the inner peripheral surface of the housing, the restricting surface, an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and the flange portion and formed by a rubber material or a synthetic resin material having a rubber-like elasticity, and wherein,

the housing includes a relief portion defined by an area provided continuously inwardly in a radial direction from the restricting surface, wherein an end portion of the cylindrical portion can be more advanced towards an opposite side to the large diameter portion than the restricting surface along in an axial direction;
when the large diameter portion does not apply an impact force on the flange portion and the elastic body is in a non-deformed state, the elastic body is disposed having a gap relative to at least one of the inner peripheral surface of the housing and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and the end portion of the cylindrical portion of the impact receiving member is disposed away from the restricting surface in the axial direction and toward the large diameter portion by a predetermined distance; and
when the large diameter portion applies the impact force on the flange portion, the elastic body is compressed by the restricting surface and the flange portion in an axial direction to be deformed into a state that the elastic body is brought into contact with all of the inner peripheral surface of the housing, the restricting surface, the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and the flange portion to be filled in the gap, and the impact receiving member is restricted from the relative movement relative to the housing by the deformed elastic body when the end portion of the cylindrical portion is advanced into the relief portion and the impact receiving member keeps a non-contact state with the housing.

2. The damper device according to claim 1 , wherein,
when the impact force is applied on the flange portion from the large diameter portion and under the state before the end portion of the cylindrical portion enters into the relief portion, the elastic body is deformed into a state that the elastic body is brought into contact with all of the inner peripheral surface of the housing, the restricting surface, the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and the flange portion to be filled in the gap; and wherein
the impact receiving member is restricted from the relative movement relative to the housing by the deformed elastic body.

3. The damper device according to claim 1 , wherein,
the relief portion has an inner peripheral surface which inner diameter is larger than an outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and a bottom surface facing to an end surface of the cylindrical portion.

4. A steering device provided with the damper device defined in claim 1 , wherein,
the steering device includes;
a rack shaft as the shaft, which is connected to steered wheels via tie rods at both ends thereof and is reciprocally movable in an axial direction to turn the steered wheels, and large diameter portions provided at both ends of the rack shaft as the large diameter portion, to which the tie rods are pivotally connected; and
a housing for accommodating the rack shaft as the housing.

Assignees

• Jtekt Corp
• Nok Corp
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ohashi Tatsuya
• Hanada Yuki
• Nitano Masahide

Classifications

• F16F1/3732

  having an annular or the like shape, e.g. grommet-type resilient mountings · CPC title

• B62D5/0448

  Ball nuts · CPC title

• B62D7/228 Primary

  acting between the steering gear and the road wheels, e.g. on tie-rod · CPC title

• B62D3/12 Primary

  of rack-and-pinion type · CPC title

• B62D7/163

  substantially in axial direction, e.g. between rack bar and tie-rod · CPC title