Mitsuba Corporation

Hideki Furuuchi

Susumu Aoki

Hideaki Abe

Akihito Miyamoto

A power steering system to reduce the moment of inertia of the torque limiter and to accurately determine pressing force by a forcing member is provided. The torque limiter has a substantially-cylindrical limiter cover combined with and rotatable together with one of the output and input shafts; a limiter plate which is contained in the limiter cover and is combined with and rotatable together with the other of the output and input shafts; and a forcing member for forcing the limiter plate toward the limiter cover. The limiter cover has projecting portions formed in a circumferential line of the limiter cover by a cylindrical portion of the limiter cover that is deformed toward the inside, a disk-shaped plate is disposed between the projecting portions and the forcing member, and the forcing member, and the forcing member is supported by the projecting portions.

Torque limiter having cover with internal projecting portions to support forcing member of limiter plate

A power steering system to reduce the moment of inertia of the torque limiter and to accurately determine pressing force by a forcing member is provided. The torque limiter of the system has a basic structure in which a substantially-cylindrical rotating member which is rotatable together with one of the output shaft and the input shaft; and a rotated member which is rotatable together with the other of the output shaft and the input shaft, and which is forced toward the rotating member side by a forcing member supported by the rotating member. Typically, the rotating member is a substantially-cylindrical limiter cover with a bottom, and the rotated member is a limiter plate contained in the limiter cover. The forcing member may be supported by a concave portion formed in an inner-peripheral area of the limiter cover, or may be supported by a projecting portion which is formed by deforming the cylindrical portion of the limiter cover toward the inside. In the above basic structure, the rotated member may separately comprise a cylindrical portion, on the inner-peripheral surface of which plural splines are formed in parallel with its axial direction, these splines being engaged with the splines formed in the outer-peripheral surface of the other of the output shaft and the input shaft; and a flange portion, which is forced toward the rotating member side, by which the flange portion functions as a friction clutch. In this structure, efficiency of forming the limiter plate can be improved.

Power steering system

Deformation absorbing grooves 16a are recessedly provided on the inner surfaces of both side walls 15a of a main body 15 of a brush holder made of resin in the sliding direction of a brush 44, and brush holding surface portions 16b holding both end edge portions of the outer surfaces of the brush are formed at edge portions of the grooves 16a on the inner surfaces of the side walls 15a. A pair of first reinforcing ribs 16c are projectingly provided at closing end sides of cutaway portions 18 and 19 on the outer surfaces of the both side walls 15a in the sliding direction of the brush, a pair of second reinforcing ribs 16d are projectingly provided at both top sides of the outer surface of a top side wall 15d for closing an end surface across the tops of the both side walls in the sliding direction of the brush, and an end portion 46a on the reaction side of a torsion spring 46 is engaged with an engageable portion 21A projectingly provided on the first reinforcing rib 16c.

Growing community of inventors

Isesaki, Japan

Hideki Furuuchi