Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Yasuki Ikari

Mitsuharu Morishita

Shinichi Kohge

Tetsushi Watanabe

Tadayuki Hara

A power steering apparatus for an automobile or other vehicle has a motor which rotates a steering shaft through an electromagnetic clutch and a worm gear reduction gear. When the clutch is engaged, the rotation of the motor causes the rotation of the steering shaft. When the clutch is disengaged, the steering shaft is not connected to either the reduction gear or the motor and can therefore be rotated manually with the same force as for a manual steering apparatus. The reduction gear and the electromagnetic clutch are coaxially disposed around the steering shaft.

Power steering apparatus

A power steering apparatus for an automobile or other vehicle has a steering shaft constituted by an input section and an output section connected by a torsion bar. A mechanism for detecting when a driver is imparting torque to the steering wheel of the vehicle is constituted by a potentiometer having a resistive element and a wiper arm, one of which is mounted on the output section and the other of which is mounted on the torsion bar so that the wiper arm will rotate with respect to the resistive element and the resistance of the potentiometer will change when the torsion bar is rotated with respect to the output section. The potentiometer is electrically connected to a preamplifier mounted on the steering shaft, and the preamplifier is electrically connected to slip rings through which its output can be supplied to a stationary control unit. The electrical output of the potentiometer is independent of the speed of rotation of the steering wheel.

Growing community of inventors

Hiroshima, Japan

Yasuki Ikari