Koyo Seiko Company, Ltd.

Jtekt Corporation

Nissan Motor Company Limited

Fuji Kiko Co., Ltd.

Fujikiko Kabushiki Kaisha

Koyo Machine Industries, Ltd.

Kenichi Aota

Shigetaka Kinme

Satoshi Kinoshita

Norio Hosomi

Junya Watanabe

Yoshiaki Takagi

Hidenobu Tanaka

Masayuki Nagaoka

Hiromitsu Tomiyama

Hiroyuki Muraosa

Akihisa Kawanabe

Tadakatsu Take

Yasunori Takeda

Tae Kamikawa

Shuuzou Hirakushi

Takayoshi Hashimoto

Tooru Fujii

Motohiro Morita

A steering system includes: a first tooth member provided with a first tooth row that includes a plurality of first teeth each of which has a tooth trace extending in a lateral direction and which are aligned along a tilt direction, the first tooth row being elastically deformable in the lateral direction, and a second tooth member including a second tooth row that includes a plurality of second teeth each of which has a tooth trace extending in the lateral direction and which are aligned along the tilt direction, the second tooth member facing the first tooth member in the lateral direction. The first tooth member is supported by an upper bracket such that the first tooth row is disposed away from the upper bracket in the lateral direction. The second tooth member is movable in the tilt direction along with a column jacket.

Steering system

A steering apparatus having a stationary bracket fixed to a vehicle body including a pair of first side plates; a receiving portion provided on the steering column for receiving one end of a conductive member; a pair of second side plates; a conductive cylindrical shaft secured between the pair of first side plates and inserted through the pair of the second side plates; and a plate-shaped conductive member interposed between the receiving portion and an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical shaft. The conductive member includes first and second bow springs that fit the cylindrical shaft resiliently. The first bow spring is interposed between the second bow spring and the receiving portion, a first contact portion of the second bow spring is pressed to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical shaft, and a second contact portion of the first bow spring is pressed to the receiving portion.

Steering apparatus

A shaft body has an engagement portion with a slip-off preventing groove, and a positioning recess extending from the engagement portion. A shaft joint having an engagement groove to be engaged with the engagement portion and a bore facing the engagement groove is provided with a flexible member which is provided on an outer side in a longitudinal direction of the engagement groove to be engaged with the positioning recess. When an insufficient amount of engagement prevents engagement in the correct position, the engagement portion contacts with the flexible member and prevents the shaft body from engaging with the shaft joint. When canceling the coupling for maintenance, etc., the engagement of the flexible member with the positioning recess is cancelled by deflecting the flexible member in a width direction of the engagement groove. Consequently, the shaft body can be easily pulled out in a longitudinal direction of the engagement groove.

Coupling structure of shaft body and shaft joint

A tilt steering assembly includes a support shaft extended along a tilt central axis. The support shaft is conductively assembled to a steering column and is unitarily rotated with the steering column during tilt adjustment. A resilient conductive member is interposed between a conductive end member provided at an end of the support shaft and a conductive fixed side plate including a support hole for supporting the support shaft. The steering column is grounded via the support shaft, the end member, the conductive member and the fixed side plate.

Tilt steering assembly

A steering assembly includes a steering column including a column housing for retaining a column tube, and a reinforcing member for reinforcing an end of the column tube. The column housing includes a positioning portion, and a fitting hole having an aperture at the positioning portion. The column tube includes an end fitted in the fitting hole. The reinforcing member includes a sleeve having a first and a second end, and a flange extended radially outwardly from the first end of the sleeve. The sleeve is fixed as fitted on an outer periphery of an end of the column tube and inserted in the fitting hole at the second end thereof. The flange is abutted on the positioning portion of the column housing, for axially and/or radially positioning the column tube.

Steering assembly

The coupling structure includes: a shaft bodyhaving an engagement portionwith a slip-off preventing groove; a shaft joint bodyhaving an engagement groovewith which the engagement portionis engaged and boresandfacing the engagement groove; a locking bodypress-fitted into the bore; and a plate bodyhaving regulating tonguesfor regulating movement of the shaft body, a supported portionextending from the regulating tonguesand supported between the locking bodyand the shaft joint body, and a projectionprojecting from the supported portion. The shaft joint bodyand/or the locking bodyhave a recessed portioninto which the projectionis fitted.

A first housing rotatably supports a steering shaft having an end portion coupled to a steering wheel. A second housing engages with the first housing via two impact energy absorbing rings separate from each other in the axial direction. The first housing and the second housing are relatively movable in the axial direction. One of the first housing and the second housing has first and second impact energy absorbing protrusions projected from positions between the impact energy absorbing rings separately in the axial direction so as to contact with the circumferential surface of the other of the first housing and the second housing. The impact energy absorbing protrusions therefore reduce the load applied to the impact energy absorbing rings in usual steering. Further, the impact energy absorbing rings reduce the load due to frictional resistance in impact energy absorption.

Engagement partsof the locking device for a steering shaft are formed on a side face of a driven gear of a reduction gear mechanism which is fastened to a steering shaft. Since a locking partis arranged near the reduction gear mechanism, elements related to a locking function can be removed from the key cylinder of the engine key, so that the key cylinder of the engine key can be downsized, or can be arranged in another position. Consequently, even in a state where a reduction gear mechanism, a steering assist motor and the like are arranged in the middle of the steering shaft, a longer stroke of the impact absorbing mechanism in comparison with conventional mechanisms can be ensured, utilizing a decrease in length of the downsized or reduced key cylinder in the axial direction of the steering shaft

Locking device for steering shaft and steering apparatus having the device

A ball spline joint interconnecting an inner shaft and an outer shaft in mutually loose-fitted relation as allowing the shafts to integrally rotate and relatively move from each other in an axial direction. Raceway grooves are respectively formed in the inner shaft and the outer shaft in face-to-face relation and are extended in the axial direction. A plurality of balls are interposed between the corresponding raceway grooves of the inner shaft and the outer shaft, forming an array along the axial direction. A resilient member biases an array-end ball in an angled direction relative to the axial direction.

Ball spline joint and intermediate shaft for use in a steering column assembly

A shaft-and-yoke coupling structure includes a presser plate which covers outer surface of a U-shaped shaft insertion portion of a yoke and which has claws bent toward an inner surface of each end portion of the shaft insertion portion. The claws press the shaft inserted into the shaft insertion portion, and this pressing by the claws prevents the shaft from being axially decentered. Also, the shaft is temporarily secured to the yoke with the claws, a work for bolting the shaft is facilitated. Thus, the shaft-and-yoke coupling structure is superior in workability and capable of correct assembling shaft and yoke.

Coupling structure between shaft and yoke

An expansion shaft includes a first and a second shaft section aligned on the same axis. The second shaft section is inserted in a fit hole of the first shaft section while both the shaft sections are interconnected via a spline or serration. A resilient member is provided which possesses a single snap ring of C-shape fitted on a thin shaft portion of the second shaft section. An arm is axially extended from the snap ring. The arm resiliently presses against an inner circumferential surface of the fit hole for preventing the shaft sections from radially vibrating relative to each other.

Expansion shaft

An elastic shaft joint includes: a tube shaft; a shaft coaxially inserted in the tube shaft so that a predetermined axial region of the shaft overlaps with a predetermined axial region of the tube shaft; and a damper inserted between the predetermined axial region of the shaft and the predetermined axial region of the tube shaft for damping vibration and providing an elastic play in a rotation direction. The damper includes: an inner tube fitted to an outside of the predetermined axial region of the shaft and having radially outwardly extending projections at a number of places in a circumferential direction of an outer circumferential surface thereof; an outer tube fitted to an inside of the predetermined axial region of the tube shaft so as to form a desired gap opposite to the inner tube, and having recesses engaging with the respective projections of the inner tube with a gap in the rotation direction; and an elastic body bonded to an inner surface of the recesses of the outer tube in a state of non-contact with at least the projections of the inner tube.

Elastic shaft joint

A power transmission shaft in a steering unit shortens in an axial direction when an impact load, over a specified impact load, is applied thereto, and thereby absorbs impact. The power transmission shaft includes a hollow shaft having a female serration on the inner circumference thereof. An insertion shaft has a male serration on the outer circumference thereof that engages with the female serration of the hollow shaft when inserted into the hollow shaft. The hollow shaft and the insertion shaft are connected with each other so that they can transmit power in the circumferential direction, yet they are displaceable in the axial direction . An inward depressed portion is formed on the hollow shaft to establish the impact absorption of the power transmission shaft. A concave portion, formed on the insertion shaft aids in the uniform formation of the depressed portion and thereby simplifies the assembly process.

Power transmission shaft in a steering unit and assembly method thereof

An elastic shaft coupling comprises a tubular housing having a first inner peripheral surface portion and a second inner peripheral surface portion, a shaft member extending into the tubular housing, an elastic member disposed between the tubular housing and the shaft member, and a displacement preventing portion for preventing excessive relative rotational displacement between the tubular housing and the shaft member. The shaft member has a terminal end disposed in the tubular housing, a first outer peripheral surface portion, and a second outer peripheral surface portion disposed at the terminal end. The elastic member is connected to the first inner peripheral surface portion of the tubular housing and the first outer peripheral surface portion of the shaft member. The displacement preventing portion is disposed between the second inner peripheral surface portion of the tubular housing and the second outer peripheral surface portion of the shaft member.

Growing community of inventors

Nara, Japan

Kenichi Aota