Nissan Motor Company Limited

Takuya Narasaki

Noriki Kubokawa

Masaki Shibuya

Shogo Miyasaka

Tetsuya Osonoi

Yukinobu Matsushita

A steering wheel is coupled to a steering gear via a steering shaft, an intermediate shaft, a clutch input shaft and a clutch output shaft. When viewed in a vehicle transverse direction, a tilt angle &#x3b1; of the clutch input shaft relative to the horizontal plane is set to be smaller than a tilt angle &#x3b2; of the intermediate shaft relative to the horizontal plane. A steering column is supported by a vehicle body via a tilt pivot for adjusting a tilt position. Even when the steering column is located at any tilt position, the relationship of &#x3b1;&#x3c;&#x3b2; is set to be maintained when viewed in the vehicle transverse direction. The center position of a universal joint between the steering shaft and the intermediate shaft is misaligned with the center position of the tilt pivot when viewed in the vehicle transverse direction.

Steering apparatus

A vehicle steering control apparatus and vehicle steering control method make it possible to suppress a steering state of a steering operation element from being different from the driver's intention, in starting the driving source. A backup clutch, which is switchable between a release state where a torque transmission path is mechanically decoupled and an engagement state where the torque transmission path is mechanically coupled, is set to the engagement state in starting the engine. When the steering torque detected after the engine starts becomes equal to or lower than a clutch release start torque, the backup clutch in the engagement state is switched to the release state.

Growing community of inventors

Atsugi, Japan

Takuya Narasaki