Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Jidosha Kiki Co., Ltd.

Tetsuya Koike

Yasuyoshi Emori

Isamu Morita

Ikuo Nomura

Katsuyoshi Arai

Hiromi Inagaki

Masaki Izawa

Toshihiko Suenaga

Yukimitsu Minamibata

Kazuo Matsuura

Masaru Yorita

A vehicle speed responsive power steering apparatus enables a pressure which acts upon a power cylinder to be variably controlled in accordance with a vehicle speed or the like, thus allowing an assisting force to be controlled in a variable manner. A control valve CV selectively connects a pump P and a tank T to left and right chambers CL, CR of a power cylinder. The control valve comprises a first and a second fluid pressure bridge circuit 10, 20. The first fluid pressure bridge circuit includes a left and a right path 12, 13, in which a first and a second pair of variable throttles 1R, 1L and 2L, 2R are disposed which are opened or closed in response to a steering operation. The left and the right chamber of the cylinder are connected to the respective paths at the junctions between the variable throttles. A pair of paths 21, 22 branch from a supply path 11 extending from the pump, and a second fluid pressure bridge circuit is defined between the paths 21, 22, in parallel relationship with the first fluid pressure bridge circuit. The second fluid pressure bridge circuit includes variable throttles 3L, 3R, 4R, 4L which are opened and closed in response to a steering operation, and a vehicle speed responsive variable throttle valve 6 which is controlled to be opened or closed in accordance with a vehicle speed.

Power steering apparatus

A power steering apparatus includes a main hydraulic path, a reactive oil pressure supply path, and a hydraulic reaction mechanism. The main hydraulic path supplies an oil pressure from a pump to a flow path switching valve connected to a power cylinder. The reactive oil pressure supply path branches from a portion of the main hydraulic path. The hydraulic reaction mechanism introduces part of the oil pressure, caused to diverge by the reactive oil pressure supply path, into a hydraulic reaction chamber for generating a steering reaction through a hydraulic reaction control valve mechanism controlled in accordance with the traveling conditions of a vehicle. A restriction smaller in diameter than the main hydraulic path is arranged between a branch portion branching from the main hydraulic path and the hydraulic reaction control valve mechanism, midway along the reactive oil pressure supply path.

Power steering apparatus having hydraulic reaction mechanism

A fluid-filled bushing comprises an outer tube, an inner tube disposed coaxially in the outer tube, a plurality of resilient members disposed between the outer and inner tubes and defining a fluid chamber therebetween, and a closure member disposed in the fluid chamber and having a base fitted in the outer tube and a support disposed around the inner tube and supporting the inner tube swingably and axially slidably, the closure member dividing the fluid chamber into a plurality of fluid chambers. The closure member has a valve mechanism for varying the rate of fluid communication between the divided fluid chambers. The resilient members include two substantially annular resilient partitions positioned coaxially and axially symmetrically with respect to the closure member positioned between the resilient partitions.

Fluid-filled bushing

A vibration isolator supports a vibrating body vibrating in a wide frequency range while isolating produced vibrations in the entire frequency range. The vibration isolator includes a first attachment member adapted to be connected to the vibrating body, a second attachment member adapted to be connected to the structural body, and an elastically deformable resilient member fixed to and interconnecting the first and second attachment members, the resilient member being elastically deformable in response to relative movement of the first attachment member with respect to the second attachment member. The vibration isolator has a first chamber defined at least partly by the resilient member and having a volume variable dependent on elastic deformation of the resilient member, and a second chamber communicating with the first chamber through a communication structure and having a volume variable dependent on variation of the volume of the first chamber, the first and second chambers being filled with a liquid. The communication structure includes a passage having an internal volume large enough to allow substantial resonance of a flow of the liquid in the passage to be induced by vibrations of the vibrating body based on both the mass of the liquid flowing in the passage and the difference between pressures in the first and second chambers.

Vibration isolator

A vibration isolator for mounting a vibrating body on a structural body includes a first attachment member adapted to be connected to the vibrating body, a second attachment member adapted to be connected to the structural body, and an elastically deformable resilient member fixed to and interconnecting the first and second attachment members, the resilient member being elastically deformable in response to relative movement of the first attachment member with respect to the second attachment member. The vibration isolator has a first chamber defined at least partly by the resilient member and having a volume variable dependent on elastic deformation of the resilient member, and a second chamber operatively communicating with the first chamber through an operative communication structure and having a volume variable dependent on variation of the volume of the first chamber, the first and second chambers being filled with a liquid. The operative communication structure includes a flexible film dividing the first and second chambers from each other and an arrangement for limiting movement of the flexible film.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Tetsuya Koike