Jtekt Corporation

Koyo Seiko Company, Ltd.

Akihiko Shiina

Hideo Matsubara

Mitsuharu Minami

Masahiko Sakamaki

Tetsuya Murakami

Hirokazu Arai

Yoshiaki Hamasaki

Masanori Kobayashi

Takeo Iino

Masashi Kuze

Hiroshi Ueno

Masayoshi Sakuda

Tomonari Yamakawa

Takanori Kurokawa

Ryouichi Kubo

Yasuhiro Saitou

Hidetaka Otsuki

Yoshio Ito

Tatsuo Otsuka

Tetsuya Ozaki

Yasuaki Tsuji

Sunao Tsuchimochi

Yasuhiro Tomagou

Takayuki Todaka

Noritake Okawa

Masaki Nakaoka

Kazuhiro Watanabe

Shiro Nakano

Osamu Sano

Motoyasu Yamamori

Kosuke Yamanaka

Toshiaki Oya

Keisuke Izutani

Katsutoshi Nishimura

Yasuhiro Kamatani

Yoshimi Kotake

Takashi Ohata

Hiroaki Sougumo

Masashi Uota

Hiroyuki Shigemura

Ryouichi Tokioka

Katsuyuki Oguchi

Masayoshi Ashitaka

Ken-ichiroh Aoto

Yoshio Itou

Shoji Shibamura

Kouji Nakayama

Masuyoshi Uchida

Seiji Fujioka

Hiroaki Shinto

Hiroji Ueda

A steering system includes: a steering shaft to which a steering member is coupled; a worm wheel attached to the steering shaft so as to be rotatable integrally with the steering shaft; a housing that houses the worm wheel; an output shaft that is coaxial with the steering shaft and rotatable relative to the steering shaft and coupled to a steering operation mechanism; and a clutch mechanism that enables and disables transmission of power between the steering shaft and the output shaft. The clutch mechanism is housed and disposed in an internal space in the housing. A solenoid in the clutch mechanism is disposed on the opposite side of the worm wheel in an axial direction from a mechanical portion of the clutch mechanism.

Steering system

A steering system includes a two-way clutch, a worm wheel that is rotatable together with an input shaft, and a coil that generates a drive force for the two-way clutch to couple/decouple the input shaft and an output shaft to/from each other. The worm wheel has a center circular plate portion fixed to the input shaft, a radial ring portion that projects forward from a peripheral edge of the center circular plate portion, and a toothed portion that projects outward in the radial direction from the radial ring portion. The two-way clutch is disposed in a space surrounded by the center circular plate portion and the radial ring portion and formed on the front side with respect to the center circular plate portion. The coil surrounds an outer peripheral surface of the radial ring portion.

Steering device

A steering system includes: a steering shaft to which a steering member is coupled; a worm wheel attached to the steering shaft so as to be rotatable integrally with the steering shaft; a housing that houses the worm wheel; an output shaft that is coaxial with the steering shaft and rotatable relative to the steering shaft and coupled to a steering operation mechanism; and a clutch mechanism that enables and disables transmission of power between the steering shaft and the output shaft. The clutch mechanism is housed and disposed in an internal space in the housing.

A hydraulic power steering system includes: a hydraulic cylinder in which an interior is partitioned into first and second hydraulic chambers by a piston on a steered shaft; a variable displacement electric pump that supplies hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic cylinder; a selector valve selectively set in a mode in which the hydraulic fluid is supplied to the first hydraulic chamber and drained from the second hydraulic chamber or in a mode in which the hydraulic fluid is supplied to the second hydraulic chamber and drained from the first hydraulic chamber; a detector that detects torque, steering angle, and/or vehicle speed; and a controller.

Hydraulic power steering system

A hydraulic power steering system includes a rotation angle sensor that detects a rotation angle of a shaft. A rotary valve includes a valve element that rotates together with the shaft of an electric motor and a housing that has an internal space connected to oil passages. A control unit reflects an output from the rotation angle sensor on control of the electric motor.

A hydraulic power steering apparatus assists in steering of a vehicle with a hydraulic cylinder. The hydraulic power steering apparatus includes a flow control valve, a steering torque sensor, a steering angle sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, and an ECU. The flow control valve changes the supply/drainage amount of hydraulic fluid for the hydraulic cylinder. The ECU sets a supply/drainage mode for supplying/draining the hydraulic fluid with respect to the hydraulic cylinder based on detection results from the aforementioned sensors and controls the flow control valve in accordance with the supply/drainage mode of the hydraulic fluid.

Hydraulic power steering apparatus

A transmission ratio variable mechanism includes an input member and an output member arranged to rotate around a first axis, an intermediate member arranged to connect the input member and the output member so as to be differentially rotatable, and a motor arranged to drive the intermediate member. The motor includes a cylindrical rotor arranged to rotate around the first axis. An inner periphery of the rotor is arranged to support the intermediate member and arranged to rotatably support the input member and the output member via bearings, respectively.

Transmission ratio variable mechanism and vehicle steering apparatus including the same

A transmission ratio variable mechanism is provided with: an input member and an output member capable of rotation about a first axis; an inner race for differentially rotatably coupling to each member; an outer race for rotatably supporting the inner race via a rolling element; and a transmission ratio variable mechanism-use electric motor for rotation-driving the outer race. A second axis which is a center line of the inner race and the outer race is inclined to the first axis. A first concave-convex engaging section for engaging one side end surface of the inner race and a power transmission surface of the input member corresponding to the one end surface are arranged. There is provided a second concave-convex engaging section for engaging the other end surface of the inner race and a power transmission surface of the output member.

Transmission ratio variable mechanism and motor vehicle steering system including the same

A motor vehicle steering system includes a transmission ratio variable mechanism capable of changing a transmission ratio, and a steering-assist-force imparting mechanism. The transmission ratio variable mechanism is provided with an input member and an output member capable of rotation about a first axis, a first bearing ring for differentially rotatably coupling to each of the input and output member, a second bearing ring for rotatably supporting the first bearing ring via a rolling element, and an electric motor for rotation-driving the second bearing ring. A second axis that is a center line of the first bearing ring and the second bearing ring is inclined relative to the first axis.

Motor vehicle steering system

An electric power steering device provided with two belleville springs for suppressing the axial movement of a worm rotated by a steering-assisting electric motor and having shaft portions at its both end portions, and limiting members for limiting the deflection amounts of the two belleville springs. The limiting members are respectively disposed at portions along the outer circumferences of the shaft portions at both end portions of the worm, the respective inner circumferential portions of the two belleville springs are formed into flat portions, the outer circumferential portions thereof are respectively formed into tapered portions having a taper shape, and the limiting members are made contact with the flat portions, thereby limiting the deflection amounts of the tapered portions. Hence, the limiting members can be provided without increasing the size of the worm serving as a small gear.

Electric power steering device

A worm wheel includes an annular metallic core portion and a resin rim portion which is fitted on an outer circumference of the core portion. The rim portion includes an annular main body portion which covers the outer circumference of the core portion and in which a toothed portion is formed on an outer circumference thereof and a pair of annular flanges which are made to extend from the main body portion in a radially inward direction X to thereby cover, respectively, outer edge portions of first and second sides of the core portion. The first annular flangeengages with a recess formed in the corresponding side of the core portion. A bottom portion of the recess includes an undercut portion in relation to a radially outward direction.

Worm wheel and electric power steering system

A planetary gear apparatus whose gears are all constituted by continuous shifted gears. A backlash between the input sun gear and each of the input side planetary gears is adjusted by pressing a second carrier plate supporting each integrated pair of the input side planetary gears and the output side planetary gears and moving it in the axial length direction by a ball bearing by a screwing operation of an adjusting nut. A backlash between the output sun gear and each of the output side planetary gears is also adjusted by pressing the output sun gear and moving it in the axial length direction by the ball bearing by the screwing operation of the adjusting nut. Accordingly, the backlash of all meshing portions can be adjusted during or after completion of the assemblage.

Planetary gear apparatus and steering apparatus with planetary gear apparatus

A gearing radius of a worm wheel is set corresponding to a neighborhood region of a steering neutral position, in such a way as to be relatively large. Thus, backlash is made to be relatively small. This prevents noises from being produced when an automobile travels straight on a bad road. Conversely, the backlash is set corresponding to most of regions of steering angles, which are within the remaining region thereof, in such a manner as to be relatively large. Thus, increase in resistance torque is suppressed. This is realized by a simple configuration in which a bias portion is provided in a part of the profile of teeth. In a case where power is transmitted from an electric motor by a worm shaft and a worm wheel during a steering operation, noises are hard to be produced even when the automobile travels on a bad road.

Electric power steering apparatus

In a hydraulic power steering apparatus, when the relative rotation between input and output shafts which are connected by a torsion bar is converted into the relative rotation between an outer valve element and an inner valve element, the ratio of the relative rotation angle of the latter to the relative rotation angle of the former is varied in accordance with an operating condition of a vehicle. The hydraulic pressure to generate steering assist force is controlled in accordance with the relative rotation angles between both valve elements. The outer valve element is capable of relative coaxial rotation to the input and output shafts, and the inner valve element is formed integrally with the input shaft. A swinging member is supported by first, second and third supporting parts which respectively rotate together with the input shaft, the output shaft or the outer valve element. One of the first, second and third supporting parts is displaced in the axial direction by a certain distance in accordance with the operating condition of the vehicle.

An electric power steering system is provided, which comprises a steering assist electric motor, and a reduction gear mechanism for reducing a rotation speed of a rotatable shaft of the electric motor. The reduction gear mechanism comprises a worm shaft driven by the rotatable shaft, and a worm wheel driven by the warm shaft. The electric power steering system further comprises a joint for coupling the rotatable shaft to the worm shaft for transmission of a driving force. Longitudinally biasing means is provided in association with the joint for longitudinally biasing the worm shaft.

Electric power steering system

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Kashihara, Japan

Akihiko Shiina