The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 23, 1999
Filed:
Apr. 20, 1998
Mitsuba Corporation, Cunma, JP;
Abstract
An electric power steering unit comprises a rack-shaft 2 to be coupled to the guiding wheels of a vehicle, a housing A for slidably containing the rack-shaft 2 and holding therein a coupling section 6 for causing the teeth of the rack-shaft 2 to engage those of a pinion arranged on the steering column 5 linked to the steering handle of the vehicle and an electric motor 1 coaxially arranged around the rack-shaft 2, which the rotary force is transmitted to the rack-shaft 2 by way of a ball screw mechanism 3 as the steering assisting power. A nut section 19 of the ball-screw mechanism 3 is rotatably supported by a housing B separately formed from the housing A, in a state of supporting the armature shaft 11 of the electric motor 1. The rack-shaft 2 is axially movable and supported by two points of support, one at the coupling section and the other at the nut section supported by the housing B. Thus, the rack-shaft is not supported by three points such as the conventional power steering unit but supported by two points, the precision requirements for the components are eased and hence the manufacturing cost thereof is reduced.