JP4400369B2 - Pinion-assisted electric power steering system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention generates auxiliary steering torque from an electric motor in accordance with the steering torque applied to the steering wheel, decelerates it by the worm reducer, transmits it to the output shaft of the steering mechanism, and meshes with the pinion of the output shaft. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pinion-assisted electric power steering apparatus in which wheels are steered through a rack, and to a pinion-assisted electric power steering apparatus that is reduced in size and improved in assemblability.

  As a conventional example of an electric power steering apparatus, as shown in Patent Document 1, a reduction gear composed of a worm and a worm wheel is generally arranged on the upper side of a rack shaft in a vehicle-mounted state. .

  FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional pinion-assisted electric power steering device. The electric power steering device 51 is a pinion assist type electric power steering device. A cored bar 78 of a worm wheel 77 that meshes with a worm 79 of a worm reducer 76 is press-fitted into the upper end portion of the output shaft 52. The upper end surface of the metal core 78 is in contact with the step portion 55 of the output shaft 52, and restricts the metal core 78 from moving upward with respect to the output shaft 52. The worm 79 is connected to an output shaft of a steering assist electric motor (not shown).

  The output shaft 52 is pivotally supported by the lower gear box 69 by a four-point contact ball bearing 65 immediately below the worm wheel 77. A caulking ring 56 that is fitted into the groove 57 of the output shaft 52 and that is caulked sandwiches the inner ring of the ball bearing 65 with the lower end surface of the boss portion 80 of the core metal 78. Further, the outer ring of the ball bearing 65 is press-fitted into a bearing hole 73 formed directly in the lower gear box 69, and is pressed in the axial direction by a ring nut 67 screwed into the female screw 74 of the bearing hole 45. It is fixed to the gear box 69.

  The lower end portion of the output shaft 52 is supported by the lower gear box 69 only in the radial direction by a needle bearing 66. Thus, since the output shaft 52 is supported in the thrust direction and the radial direction by the ball bearing 65, the support reference of the output shaft 52 with respect to the lower gear box 69 is a ball that supports the upper end portion of the output shaft 52. A bearing 65 is provided.

  An upper gear box 72 is fixed to the upper end surface of the lower gear box 69 by bolts (not shown). An input shaft 82 is rotatably supported on the upper gear box 72 by a ball bearing 83. The input shaft 82 is connected to the steering wheel via a steering shaft (not shown). The torsion bar 85 whose upper end is connected to the input shaft 82 by a pin 84 is pivotally supported by the bush 86 at the lower end, and is press-fitted to the upper end of the output shaft 52 below the bush 86.

  A torque sensor 87 that detects torque acting on the torsion bar 85 includes a sensor shaft portion 88, detection coils 90 and 91, and a cylindrical member 92. The sensor shaft portion 88 is formed at the lower end of the input shaft 82, and the detection coils 90 and 91 are disposed in a yoke 89 press-fitted inside the upper gear box 72. The cylindrical member 92 is disposed between the sensor shaft portion 88 and the detection coils 90 and 91.

  The cylindrical member 92 is fixed to the upper end of the output shaft 52, and a plurality of ridges extending in the axial direction on the sensor shaft portion 88 are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. In the cylindrical member 92, a plurality of rectangular windows are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction at positions facing the detection coils 90 and 91.

  When the input shaft 82 is rotated by operating the steering wheel, the rotational force is transmitted to the output shaft 52 via the torsion bar 85. At this time, the torsion bar 63 connecting the input shaft 82 and the output shaft 52 is twisted due to the resistance on the steering wheel side, and relative rotation is caused between the protrusion on the surface of the sensor shaft portion 88 and the window of the cylindrical member 92. Arise. With this relative rotation, the magnetic flux generated in the sensor shaft portion 88 increases and decreases, and the increase and decrease of the magnetic flux is detected by the detection coils 90 and 91 as a change in inductance. From this detection result, torque acting on the torsion bar 85 is detected, and the electric motor is driven to rotate the worm 79 with a required steering assist force. The rotation of the worm 79 is transmitted to the rack 54 via the worm wheel 77, the output shaft 52, and the pinion 53, and the direction of the steering wheel is changed via a tie rod (not shown) connected to the rack 54.

  The rack guide 93 always presses the roller 96 against the back surface of the rack 54 with an adjust cover 97. The roller 96 is rotatably supported on a shaft 94 by a needle bearing 95. The adjust cover 97 presses the roller 96 against the back surface of the rack 54 via a disc spring. As a result, the backlash at the meshing portion between the pinion 53 and the rack 54 is eliminated, and the rack 54 moves smoothly.

  Since the electric power steering device 51 has a ball bearing 65 that serves as a support reference for the output shaft 52 immediately below the worm wheel 77, the worm wheel 77, the worm 79, The amount by which the meshing position is shifted in the axial direction of the output shaft 52 is small. Therefore, a normal meshing state is always maintained, and no noise is generated at the meshing portion and tooth surface wear does not occur.

  Further, a bearing hole 75 into which the outer ring of the lower needle bearing 66 is press-fitted and a bearing hole 73 into which the outer ring of the upper ball bearing 65 is press-fitted are formed in the same lower gear box 69, and the bearing hole 73 side. Since boring through the boring tool is possible, the working time is short and the concentricity between the bearing holes is improved. Therefore, the vibration of the worm wheel 77 is small, and noise at the meshing portion and wear on the tooth surface can be suppressed.

  Further, since the bearing hole 73 into which the outer ring of the upper ball bearing 65 is press-fitted is directly formed in the lower gear box 69, processing errors of the bearing holes are not accumulated, and the concentricity between the bearing holes is improved. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the worm wheel shake to a small extent.

  The ring nut 67 is tightened by the following method. A plurality of engaging recesses (grooves or holes) 68 are formed on the same circumference on the upper end surface of the ring nut 67, and the core metal 78 of the worm wheel 77 is engaged on the same circumference as the engaging recesses 68. A plurality of tool insertion holes 81 are formed at the same angular position as the joint recess 68.

If a bifurcated tightening tool is inserted into the engaging recess 68 through the tool insertion hole 81 and the tightening tool is turned, the ring nut 67 rotates and the outer ring of the ball bearing 65 can be tightened. In synchronization with the tightening operation of the ring nut 67, the metal core 78 having the tool insertion hole 81 and the worm wheel 77 are rotated by the tightening tool. Therefore, the output shaft 52 and the pinion 53 to which the worm wheel 77 is fixed rotate, and as a result, the rack 54 that meshes with the pinion 53 moves.
Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-073398

  By the way, the structure which arrange | positions a worm reduction gear under a rack may be used from the restrictions on the layout of a mounting vehicle.

  However, when the worm speed reducer is arranged on the lower side of the rack, the worm wheel is structured to be fitted below the pinion of the output shaft, so that the gear box is on the opposite side to the conventional example (FIG. 7). From below, the output shaft must be inserted into the gearbox.

  At this time, the torque sensor portion (sensor sleeve) and the upper bearing portion provided on the output shaft have an outer diameter larger than that of the pinion. As a result, there is a problem that assembly is not possible with the rack inserted into the gear box.

  In the case of the conventional example (FIG. 7), the output shaft is inserted from the upper side of the gear box, and at this time, the tip end portion of the output shaft passing through the side of the rack (the portion ahead of the pinion) is Since the outer diameter is smaller than the pinion, there is no interference with the rack.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and even when the worm reduction gear is arranged on the lower side of the rack, the output shaft (pinion) is attached to the rack at the time of assembly. An object of the present invention is to provide a pinion-assisted electric power steering device that can be assembled relatively easily without interference.

In order to achieve the above object, a pinion-assisted electric power steering apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention generates auxiliary steering torque from an electric motor in accordance with steering torque applied to a steering wheel, and performs worm deceleration. In the pinion assist type electric power steering device that is decelerated by the machine and transmitted to the output shaft of the steering mechanism, and the wheel is steered through the rack meshed with the pinion of the output shaft.
The worm speed reducer is disposed on the lower side of the rack;
A clearance groove for the output shaft is provided on the inner diameter surface of the gear box on the opposite side of the rack.

The pinion assist type electric power steering apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention generates auxiliary steering torque from the electric motor in accordance with the steering torque applied to the steering wheel, and decelerates it by the worm speed reducer. In the pinion assist type electric power steering device that transmits to the output shaft and steers the wheel via the rack meshed with the pinion of the output shaft,
The worm speed reducer is disposed on the lower side of the rack;
An end portion of the gear portion of the rack is provided with a missing tooth portion.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a pinion assist type electric power steering apparatus generates an auxiliary steering torque from an electric motor in accordance with a steering torque applied to a steering wheel, and decelerates the worm reduction gear to reduce the steering mechanism. In the pinion assist type electric power steering device that transmits to the output shaft and steers the wheel via the rack meshed with the pinion of the output shaft,
The worm speed reducer is disposed on the lower side of the rack;
A clearance groove of the output shaft is provided on the opposite side of the inner diameter surface of the gear box to the rack, and
An end portion of the gear portion of the rack is provided with a missing tooth portion.

  According to the present invention, the clearance groove of the output shaft is provided on the opposite side of the inner diameter surface of the gear box to the rack, and / or the tooth missing portion is provided at the end of the gear portion of the rack. Therefore, even when the worm reduction gear is arranged on the lower side of the rack, the output shaft (pinion) can be assembled relatively easily without interfering with the rack at the time of assembly.

  Hereinafter, a pinion-assisted electric power steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, a completed assembly of the pinion-assisted electric power steering apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 1, and then an assembly process of the pinion-assisted electric power steering apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. To do.

(Complete assembly of pinion-assist type electric power steering device)
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pinion-assisted electric power steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, the worm speed reducer 10 is disposed below the rack 21. That is, the lower gear box 1, the upper gear box 2, and the sensor box 3 are arranged from the vehicle lower side (vehicle front side) to the upper side (vehicle rear side).

  In the lower gear box 1, the lower part of the output shaft 4 is rotatably supported by the lower bearing 5, and a lock nut 6 is screwed to the tip of the output shaft 4, and the end Covered with a cover 7.

  A worm reduction gear 10 is housed in the lower gear box 1, and a core metal 11 a of a worm wheel 11 is press-fitted and fitted to the output shaft 4. The worm wheel 11 has resin gear teeth 11b. A worm 12 is meshed with the worm wheel 11, and the worm 12 is driven by an electric motor (not shown).

  A bush 13 and an oil seal 14 for the output shaft 4 are provided below the upper gear box 2. A rack 21 is engaged with the pinion 20 of the output shaft 4.

  The rack guide 22 always presses the roller 23 against the back surface of the rack 21 with an adjust cover 24. The roller 23 is rotatably supported on a shaft 25 by a needle bearing 26.

  The adjust cover 24 presses the roller 23 against the back surface of the rack 21 via a disc spring. As a result, the backlash of the meshing portion between the pinion 20 and the rack 21 is eliminated, and the rack 21 moves smoothly.

  Further, the upper part of the output shaft 4 is rotatably supported by the upper bearing 27 on the upper part of the upper gear box 2.

  An input shaft 30 is rotatably supported in the sensor box 3 via a bearing 31.

  The input shaft 30 is connected to the steering wheel via a steering shaft (not shown). The torsion bar 33 whose upper end is connected to the input shaft 30 by a pin 32 is connected to the upper end portion of the output shaft 4 by press fitting.

  A torque sensor 34 that detects torque acting on the torsion bar 33 includes a sensor shaft portion 35, detection coils 36 and 37, and a cylindrical member 38. The sensor shaft portion 35 is formed at the lower end of the input shaft 30, and detection coils 36 and 37 are arranged on a yoke 39 press-fitted inside the sensor box 3. The cylindrical member 38 is disposed between the sensor shaft portion 35 and the detection coils 36 and 37.

  The cylindrical member 38 is fixed to the output shaft 4, and a plurality of ridges extending in the axial direction on the sensor shaft portion 35 are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. In the cylindrical member 38, a plurality of rectangular windows are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction at positions facing the detection coils 36 and 37.

  When the input shaft 30 is rotated by operating the steering wheel, the rotational force is transmitted to the output shaft 4 via the torsion bar 33.

  At this time, the torsion bar 33 that connects the input shaft 30 and the output shaft 4 is twisted due to the resistance on the steering wheel side, and relative rotation occurs between the protrusion on the surface of the sensor shaft portion 35 and the window of the cylindrical member 38. .

  With this relative rotation, the magnetic flux generated in the sensor shaft portion 35 increases and decreases, and the increase and decrease of the magnetic flux is detected by the detection coils 36 and 37 as a change in inductance.

  From this detection result, the torque acting on the torsion bar 33 is detected, and the electric motor is driven to rotate the worm 12 with a required steering assist force. The rotation of the worm 12 is transmitted to the rack 21 via the worm wheel 11, the output shaft 4, and the pinion 20, and changes the direction of the steering wheel via a tie rod (not shown) connected to the rack 21.

  In the present embodiment, the clearance groove 40 of the output shaft 4 is provided on the opposite side of the rack 21 on the inner diameter surface of the upper gear box 2 and / or the end portion of the gear tooth portion 21 a of the rack 21. Is provided with a missing tooth portion 21b (see FIG. 3B).

  Thus, as will be described later, even when the worm speed reducer 10 is arranged on the lower side of the rack 21, the output shaft 4 (pinion 20) does not interfere with the rack 21 during the assembly, and the comparison is made. Can be assembled easily.

(Assembly process of pinion-assisted electric power steering device)
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a first assembly process of the pinion-assisted electric power steering device.

  Fig.3 (a) is a schematic diagram which shows the 2nd assembly process of a pinion assist type electric power steering apparatus, (b) is sectional drawing along the bb line of (a).

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a third assembly process of the pinion-assisted electric power steering device.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a fourth assembly process of the pinion-assisted electric power steering device.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a fifth assembly process of the pinion-assisted electric power steering device.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, the clearance groove 40 of the output shaft 4 is provided on the opposite side of the rack 21 on the inner diameter surface of the upper gear box 2 and / or the gear teeth of the rack 21. A missing tooth portion 21b is provided at the end of the portion 21a (see FIG. 3B).

  In the first assembly step of FIG. 2, the input / output shafts 4 and 30 are inserted from the lower side of the upper gear box 2.

  At this time, the pinion 20 of the output shaft 4 is inserted so as to approach the clearance groove 40 so as not to interfere with the rack 21.

  3A and 3B show a state where the maximum diameter portion of the output shaft 4 is passing (in a range passing through the rack 21).

  In FIG. 3 (b), X is a line indicating the center of the escape groove 40, Y is a line indicating the center of the output shaft 4 after assembly, and at the time of assembly, only the distance dimension Z between the two The output shaft 4 is inserted so as to approach the clearance groove 40 so as not to interfere with the rack 21.

  In the illustrated example, the escape groove 40 has a substantially arc shape. However, the escape groove 40 may be any shape as long as the maximum diameter portion of the output shaft 4 can be escaped.

  In the present embodiment, firstly, since the clearance groove 40 of the output shaft 4 is provided on the opposite side of the rack 21 on the inner diameter surface of the upper gear box 2, the clearance groove 40 side is provided at the time of assembly. Since the output shaft 4 can be inserted while being shifted, the output shaft 4 (pinion 20) can be assembled without interfering with the rack 21 even when the rack 21 is already assembled in the upper gear box 2.

  Secondly, when the output shaft 4 is inserted into the upper gear box 2, as shown in FIG. 3B, the output shaft 4 is connected to the missing tooth portion 21 b of the end portion of the gear tooth portion 21 a of the rack 21. By matching the position of the maximum diameter portion, the interference dimension between the rack 21 and the output shaft 4 can be reduced.

  For this reason, the size of the escape groove 40 described above is reduced, and as a result, the upper gear box 2 can be reduced in size.

  Further, depending on the interference between the rack 21 and the output shaft 4, the output shaft 4 can be assembled to the upper gear box 2 without providing the escape groove 40.

  In the third assembly step of FIG. 4, the output shaft 4 is displaced to the center position after assembly.

  In the fourth assembly step of FIG. 5, the upper bearing 27 and the lower gear box 1 are attached.

  In the fifth assembly step of FIG. 6, the lower bearing 5, the lock nut 6, the end cover 7 and the like are attached.

  Thereby, the assembly is completed. In the present embodiment, as described above, the clearance groove 40 of the output shaft 4 is provided on the opposite side of the rack 21 on the inner diameter surface of the upper gear box 2 and / or the gear tooth portion 21 a of the rack 21. A tooth missing portion 21b is provided at the end of the. Thereby, even when the worm speed reducer 10 is arranged on the lower side of the rack 21, the output shaft 4 (pinion 20) can be assembled relatively easily without interfering with the rack 21 during assembly. Can do.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A various deformation | transformation is possible.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pinion-assisted electric power steering device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the 1st assembly process of a pinion assist type electric power steering device. (A) is a schematic diagram which shows the 2nd assembly process of a pinion assist type electric power steering device, (b) is sectional drawing along the bb line of (a). It is a schematic diagram which shows the 3rd assembly process of a pinion assist type electric power steering device. It is a schematic diagram which shows the 4th assembly process of a pinion assist type electric power steering device. It is a schematic diagram which shows the 5th assembly process of a pinion assist type electric power steering device. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the pinion assist type electric power steering device according to the conventional example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lower gear box 2 Upper gear box 3 Sensor box 4 Output shaft 5 Lower bearing 6 Lock nut 7 End cover 10 Worm speed reducer 11 Worm wheel 11a Core metal 11b Gear tooth 12 Worm 13 Bush 14 Oil seal 20 Pinion 21 Rack 21a Gear tooth portion 21b Missing tooth portion 22 Rack guide 23 Roller 24 Adjust cover 25 Shaft 26 Needle bearing 27 Upper bearing 30 Input shaft 31 Bearing 32 Pin 33 Torsion bar 34 Torque sensor 35 Sensor shaft portion 36, 37 Detection coil 38 Cylindrical member 39 Yoke 40 Escape Groove 51 Electric Power Steering Device 52 Output Shaft 53 Pinion 54 Rack 55 Step 56 Caulking 57 Groove 65 Ball Bearing 66 Needle Bearing 67 Ring Nut 68 Joint recess 69 Lower gear box 72 Upper gear box 73 Bearing hole 74 Female screw 75 Bearing hole 76 Worm speed reducer 77 Worm wheel 78 Core metal 79 Worm 80 Boss part 81 Tool insertion hole 82 Input shaft 83 Ball bearing 84 Pin 85 Torsion bar 86 Bush 87 Torque sensor 88 Sensor shaft part 89 Yoke 90, 91 Detection coil 92 Cylindrical member 93 Rack guide 94 Shaft 95 Needle bearing 96 Roller 97 Adjust cover

Claims (3)

Auxiliary steering torque is generated from the electric motor according to the steering torque applied to the steering wheel, decelerated by the worm reducer, transmitted to the output shaft of the steering mechanism, and via the rack meshed with the pinion of the output shaft. In the pinion assist type electric power steering device that steers the wheel,
The worm speed reducer is disposed on the lower side of the rack;
A pinion-assisted electric power steering apparatus, wherein a clearance groove for the output shaft is provided on the opposite side of the inner diameter surface of the gear box to the rack. Auxiliary steering torque is generated from the electric motor according to the steering torque applied to the steering wheel, decelerated by the worm reducer, transmitted to the output shaft of the steering mechanism, and via the rack meshed with the pinion of the output shaft. In the pinion assist type electric power steering device that steers the wheel,
The worm speed reducer is disposed on the lower side of the rack;
A pinion-assist type electric power steering apparatus, wherein an end portion of a gear portion of the rack is provided with a toothless portion. Auxiliary steering torque is generated from the electric motor according to the steering torque applied to the steering wheel, decelerated by the worm reducer, transmitted to the output shaft of the steering mechanism, and via the rack meshed with the pinion of the output shaft. In the pinion assist type electric power steering device that steers the wheel,
The worm speed reducer is disposed on the lower side of the rack;
A clearance groove of the output shaft is provided on the opposite side of the inner diameter surface of the gear box to the rack, and
A pinion-assist type electric power steering apparatus, wherein an end portion of a gear portion of the rack is provided with a toothless portion.

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