Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Shinya Morinaga

Yasuaki Kurokawa

Takeshi Marutani

Makoto Toyoda

A vehicle rear wheel steering apparatus includes: a housing supported by the rear wheels via first and second connection members; an electric motor supported by the housing; a speed reduction mechanism connected to an output shaft of the electric motor, and reducing the speed of an output of the electric motor; and a linear motion mechanism including a nut member connected to the speed reduction mechanism, and a rod screwed to the nut member and connected to at least one of the first and second connection members, and converting rotational motion of the nut member into linear motion of the rod, wherein the speed reduction mechanism includes a planetary gear mechanism, and the speed of an output of the electric motor is reduced and the reduced output is transmitted to the linear motion mechanism.

Vehicle rear wheel steering apparatus

A steering apparatus is provided for reducing its size by reducing a load applied to a driving unit, and configuring an electrically operated tilt mechanism which is small in size and easily mounted on a vehicle. A driving unit adjusting a relative position of a steering column to a fixing bracket, and a biasing member (e.g., tension coil spring) having one end supported on the fixing bracket, and holding the steering column at a predetermined neutral position when the driving unit is not actuated, are provided, so that the driving unit adjusts the steering column to be placed at a tilt position with a desired tilt angle relative to the fixing bracket.

Steering apparatus for a vehicle

A steering apparatus is capable of configuring an electrically operated tilt mechanism, which is interchangeable with a manually operated tilt mechanism, and which is small in size and easily mounted on a vehicle. A tilt bracket holding a steering column and supported on the fixing bracket to be relatively movable thereto, and a tilt shaft extending in a lateral direction of the vehicle body and supported on the fixing bracket to be relatively movable thereto in an axial direction of the steering column are provided. By way of a driving unit, the tilt bracket is rotated about the tilt shaft axis to adjust a relative position of the tilt shaft to the fixing bracket. Furthermore, a tilt slider is disposed between an elongated hole on the fixing bracket and the tilt shaft, and a biasing member biasing the tilt slider in the axial direction of the tilt shaft.

A steering apparatus for a vehicle includes a main housing formed in a box form provided with a pair of side walls extending in an axial direction of the main housing with an opening between the pair of side walls, and provided with opening portions at opposing ends in the axial direction. The steering apparatus also includes a movable column member formed in a tubular form accommodated in the main housing through one of the opening portions at the opposing ends of the main housing in the axial direction. The steering apparatus further includes a resilient member, which is a plate spring, formed in one piece configured to fix to the main housing at the pair of fixing portions in a state where the pair of thrust portions, via thrust members, are thrusting the movable column member.

Steering apparatus for vehicle

A steering apparatus for a vehicle, includes: a steering column; a single electric motor being selectively connected to a telescopic mechanism or a tilt mechanism; a steering wheel; a drive mechanism transmitting an output torque of the electric motor to a telescopic threaded shaft and a tilt threaded shaft; and a connecting-disconnecting mechanism having a first clutch mechanism connecting and disconnecting the drive mechanism to and from the tilt threaded shaft and a second clutch mechanism connecting and disconnecting the drive mechanism to and from the telescopic threaded shaft, the connecting-disconnecting mechanism bringing one of the first clutch mechanism and the second clutch mechanism in a connected state to the drive mechanism and bringing the other of the first clutch mechanism and the second clutch mechanism in a disconnected state from the drive mechanism, wherein the drive mechanism and the connecting-disconnecting mechanism constitute a single power connecting-disconnecting unit.

A steering apparatus for a vehicle provided with a steering wheel includes a main housing, a movable column member, a fixing bracket fixing the main housing to a vehicle body, a link mechanism, and a drive mechanism connected to the link mechanism, wherein the drive mechanism includes a motor, a threaded shaft, and a nut member moving in an axial direction of the threaded shaft, the nut member includes a female threaded portion threadedly engaged with the threaded shaft and a pivot shaft portion including a rotational axis orthogonal to an axis of the female threaded portion and including two flat surface portions being parallel to the rotational axis and facing each other while leaving a predetermined distance therebetween, and the link mechanism includes a bearing portion including a bearing hole and a cut-out portion including two flat surfaces configured to be parallel to the two flat surface portions.

A steering apparatus for a vehicle provided with a steering wheel includes a main housing, a movable column member, a fixing bracket fixing the main housing to the vehicle body, a link mechanism and a drive mechanism connected to the link mechanism, wherein the drive mechanism includes a motor, a threaded shaft rotated by the motor, and a nut member moving in an axial direction of the threaded shaft and threadedly engaged with the threaded shaft, the nut member includes a female threaded portion including two flat surface portions facing each other and parallel to the threaded shaft, the nut member includes a pivot shaft portion including a rotational axis orthogonal to an axis of the female threaded portion, the link mechanism includes a bearing portion rotatably supporting the pivot shaft portion, a spring member arranged between the bearing portion and at least one of the two flat surface portions.

Growing community of inventors

Chiryu, Japan

Shinya Morinaga