Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation

Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Delphi Technologies, Inc.

Terry E Burkhard

Douglas M Schneider

Michael E Partyka

Gregory D Brzezinski

David E Moore

Michael A Dykema

Michael Patrick Anspaugh

Scott A Stinebring

Robert D Maida

Sergio R Molinar

Kurt J Hilbrandt

William J Knight

Christopher L Walsh

Richard E Woycik

Harold J Nelson

Daniel P Cook

Chase A Szostak

Kyle R Mazure

Dale E Confer

Gregory P Collier

A flex coupling assembly for coupling a first shaft to a second shaft of a shaft assembly. The flex coupling assembly decouples axial and torsional stiffness from bending stiffness of the shaft assembly, thereby dampening the transmission of noise and vibration between the first and second shafts. The flex coupling assembly includes an inner housing subassembly and an outer housing subassembly. The inner housing subassembly includes an inner housing and a resilient flex coupling disposed in an outer housing cavity of an outer housing of the outer housing subassembly. A retention member is fixed to an outer housing to retain the inner housing subassembly in the outer housing cavity. The inner and outer housing subassemblies can rotate and translate relative to a common axis, while the inner and the outer housings restrict bending between the inner and outer housing subassemblies, thereby restricting bending between the first and second shafts.

Compact heat resistant flex coupling assembly with restrictive bending

A steering shaft assembly includes a male shaft having a plurality of teeth extending radially outwardly from a portion of the male shaft. The steering shaft assembly also includes a female shaft receiving a portion of the male shaft and fixed to the male shaft in a rotational direction, the male shaft axially moveable relative to the female shaft, the female shaft having an end portion and a body portion, wherein the end portion of the female shaft has an end wall thickness that is less than a body wall thickness of the body portion, the end portion curved radially inwardly to define a hard stop position during axial movement of the male shaft. An end of the plurality of teeth of the male shaft contact the curved end portion of the female shaft at the hard stop position.

Intermediate shaft axial retention device

An intermediate shaft assembly and method of assembly thereof. The intermediate shaft assembly includes a first shaft extending between a first end and a second end. The first shaft has a tubular wall portion with an inner surface bounding a hollow bore extending into said first end. The inner surface has a plurality of female splines and the tubular wall portion has at least one through opening. A second shaft extends between a coupling end and a connection end. The connection end has an outer surface sized for a clearance fit within the hollow bore. The outer surface has a plurality of male splines configured for an interdigitated fit with the female splines. The interdigitated fit establishes a clearance gap between the male splines and the female spines. A polymeric material at least partially fills the clearance gap and extends into the at least one through opening.

Plastic injected rigid splined shaft connection

A method of manufacturing a steering shaft assembly includes heating an inner shaft and heating an outer shaft. The method also includes applying a plastic coating to at least a portion of the inner shaft. The method further includes cooling the plastic coating and pressing the outer shaft and the inner shaft together.

Method of manufacturing a steering shaft assembly

A steering shaft assembly is disclosed with an outer shaft operatively connected to a one of a steered member or a steering control. The outer shaft has an open end and a receiving chamber associated with the open end. The steering shaft assembly also includes an inner shaft operatively connected to another of the steered member or the steering control. The inner shaft has an engaging portion axially slideably received in the outer shaft receiving chamber. The inner shaft engaging portion also includes a polymer coating disposed on an outer surface of the inner shaft engaging portion. The coating has an outer surface that slideably engages with a surface of the outer shaft receiving chamber, and which has comprises projections and recesses along the coating outer surface.

Steering shaft assembly

A steering column assembly includes a jacket assembly, a mounting bracket, and a first telescope guide. The jacket assembly defines a first guide slot. The mounting bracket is disposed on the jacket assembly and has a first portion disposed opposite a second portion and a third portion extending between the first portion and the second portion. The first portion has a first rail received within the first guide slot. The first telescope guide is disposed between the first guide slot and the first rail.

Steering column assembly

The invention provides an apparatus including a steering column jacket defining an interior. The invention also provides a bushing disposed in the interior of the steering column jacket. The bushing includes a radially outwardly facing bearing surface and a first channel. The first channel is radially adjacent to the bearing surface. The first channel is accessible from the interior of the steering column jacket. The invention also provides injected filler material disposed in the first channel between the bushing and the steering column jacket. The filler material supports the bearing surface against radial movement relative to the steering column jacket.

Method of supporting a bushing against radial movement relative to a steering column jacket with a filler material

A motor vehicle steering column including a first mast jacket element mounted on a body of the vehicle, a second mast jacket element telescoped into a cylindrical passage in the first element, and a split bushing between the first and second elements. The bushing has a lip on an outside surface thereof which seats against the passage in the first mast jacket element to define a closed circumferential chamber around the bushing interrupted by the split in the latter. A plastic shim is molded in place in the closed circumferential chamber by injecting liquid plastic under pressure through a port in the first mast jacket element. Liquid plastic fills the closed circumferential chamber and clamps an inside surface of the bushing against an outer surface of the second mast jacket element to eliminate lash. Shrinkage of the plastic in the closed circumferential chamber reduces the contact pressure between the bushing and the second mast jacket element to minimize frictional drag.

Motor vehicle steering column

An intermediate steering shaft for a motor vehicle steering system including a tabular outer shaft, a tubular center shaft slidably telescoped in the outer shaft, and a solid inner shaft slidably telescoped in the center shaft and all coupled for unitary rotation by respective pairs of flat sides on each. Each of the flat sides of the tubular center shaft is interrupted by a pair of outward facing shallow grooves always concealed in the overlap between the tubular outer and center shafts. One of the flat sides in the tubular center shaft is further interrupted by an exposed shallow groove located near a distal end of the outer shaft in an extended or normal position of the tubular center shaft. A plastic end fitting is in situ injection molded on the tubular outer shaft and includes a pair of thin, flat slide bearings in the concealed shallow grooves, a plurality of shear pins in the inlet and discharge passages, and a collar around the distal end of the outer shaft and an adjacent portion of the center shaft. If the shear pins are fractured inadvertently, a lip of the collar engages an edge of the exposed shallow groove to obstruct telescoping of the tubular center shaft into the tubular outer shaft.

Intermediate steering shaft

A variable length shaft assembly suitable for motor vehicle steering systems including a tubular outer shaft of non-circular cross section and a solid inner shaft of corresponding non-circular cross section telescoped inside of the outer shaft. A U-shaped metal spring is disposed over the solid shaft adjacent an outboard end of the tubular shaft with opposite legs of the spring in sliding engagement on corresponding flat sides of the solid shaft. A monolithic plastic sleeve is in situ molded on the tubular shaft and includes an integral lip closely surrounding the solid shaft. The integral lip captures the relative angular positions of the shafts about a longitudinal centerline of the assembly, i.e. delashes the shafts, defines a slide bearing between the shafts, and rigidly encases the spring. The surfaces of the legs of the spring which bear against the solid shaft are exposed after the sleeve is in situ molded and define wear plates on the integral plastic lip which protect the lip against abrasion.

Variable length shaft assembly

A variable length shaft assembly including a first shaft having a tubular polygonal end, a second shaft having a correspondingly polygonal solid end telescopically disposed in the polygonal tubular end, an arched spring in a spring chamber in the solid polygonal end having a planar body portion bearing in sliding engagement on a planar wall of the polygonal tubular end and biasing the polygonal solid and tubular ends in opposite directions to a substantially zero clearance relationship in which linear clearances are reduced to substantially zero, and a monolithic plastic block injection molded in situ in the spring chamber behind the flat body portion. After the in situ injection molded plastic solidifies, the monolith plastic block captures the substantially zero clearance relationship between the polygonal solid and tubular ends and encases the arched spring such that the flat body portion thereof defines a reinforced wear plate on the block in sliding engagement on the planar wall of the tubular polygonal end.

A motor vehicle rack and pinion steering gear having torsional damping by friction between an annular plastic damper ring on a housing of the steering gear and a journal surface on a pinion shaft of the steering gear. The damper ring has an outer wall press fitted in a pinion shaft bore of the housing to nonrotatably mount the ring on the housing and a plurality of flexible inner fingers resiliently bearing against the journal surface. An annular metal spring is disposed on the damper ring and includes a plurality of integral legs bearing against the flexible inner fingers of the damper ring to press the fingers against the journal surface.

Growing community of inventors

Bay City, MI, United States of America

Terry E Burkhard