Jtekt Corporation

Nissan Motor Company Limited

Tadakatsu Take

Kenichi Aota

Shigetaka Kinme

Norio Hosomi

Ryouichi Suzuki

Junya Takekawa

Shuta Togashi

An electric power steering apparatus includes a steering column that is swung around a tilting spindle during tilt adjustment, a fixing bracket that supports the steering column through the tilting spindle, and an electric motor that is supported by the steering column and used as a steering auxiliary. The fixing bracket includes a pair of side plates facing each other with the steering shaft therebetween in a vehicle width direction and a connection member through which the pair of side plates are connected together. Either one of the pair of side plates is provided with a first restraining portion that restrains the steering column from rotating in a first rotation direction around the tilting spindle. The remaining one of the pair of side plates is provided with a second restraining portion that restrains the steering column from rotating in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction.

Electric power 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

Growing community of inventors

Ebina, Japan

Tadakatsu Take