JPH0428307Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial field of application] The invention relates to an automobile steering device.
In particular, the present invention relates to a device for improving the restoring force of a steering wheel.

[Prior Art] A steering device for an automobile is configured to transmit steering force from a steering wheel to a knuckle arm via a link mechanism as turning force or sliding force using a pinion, a worm gear, etc., and thereby steer the wheels.

In recent years, comfortable steering and ride comfort have been ensured by providing means to prevent so-called flutter and stains, such as resonance in the suspension and steering systems, and vibrations in the steering wheel and body. As a means to prevent such flutter and stains, a vibration damping weight is installed on the tie rod via an elastic member (Utility Model Application No. 169263/1983), a steering damper is installed along the steering rack, One example is one in which vibrations transmitted through the rack are absorbed by a steering damper (Utility Model Application No. 57-97764).

[Problems to be Solved by the Present Invention] In conventional steering devices, the frictional force within the gearbox is relatively large, making it difficult for the steering wheel to return, making it impossible to operate the steering wheel smoothly. This tendency is particularly noticeable in steering devices equipped with power steering.

In addition, in the case of a device equipped with means for preventing flutter and stains as described above, it is even more difficult to return the steering wheel, and in particular, the steering device according to Utility Model Application Publication No. 57-97764 is equipped with only one steering damper. Therefore, there was a problem that the left and right balance of the steering wheel restoring force was poor, which further worsened the steering operation.

The present invention was devised in view of the problems of the prior art described above, and its purpose is to prevent flutter and smearing, ensure an accurate steering feel, and improve the return performance of the steering wheel. An object of the present invention is to provide a steering device.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The steering device according to the present invention includes a steering force transmitting member connected between left and right knuckle arms and extending in the vehicle width direction and transmitting steering wheel steering force to the knuckle arms, and a steering force transmitting member connected to the vehicle body. and a gas cylinder part that is fixed and extends parallel to the steering force transmission member and applies a force in the opposite movement direction to the steering force transmission member, and the gas cylinder part is extendable and retractable and projects from both ends of the cylinder, respectively. , has a pair of cylinder rods extending parallel to the steering force transmitting member, and the steering force transmitting member is provided with a protruding rod engaging portion that can be engaged with the tip end of the cylinder rod, so that the steering force is transmitted when the steering wheel is turned. The present invention is characterized in that the movement of the member causes the rod engaging portion to push one of the cylinder rods into the rod, thereby applying a force in the opposite direction of movement to the steering force transmitting portion.

[Operation] According to the present invention, the steering force transmission member moves by steering the steering wheel, and the wheels are steered via the knuckle arm. However, as the steering force transmission member moves, the cylinder rod of the gas cylinder section is pushed into the cylinder. , the gas in the cylinder is compressed and a force in the opposite direction of movement acts on the steering force transmission member through the cylinder rod. This counter-movement direction force has a magnitude proportional to the amount of movement of the steering force transmitting member, that is, the amount of steering of the steering wheel.

[Example] Next, an example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway plan view illustrating a steering device according to the present invention. In this figure, reference numeral 2 denotes a rack bar extending in the width direction of the vehicle, and is arranged so as to mesh with a ponyon 3 that rotates when the steering wheel is turned. Rack bar 2
is covered with a housing 4, and has a structure in which a power cylinder 10 is connected to the side opposite to the side that meshes with the pinion 3. Both ends of the rack bar 2 are connected to a tie rod 8 via a ball joint 6, and the tie rod 8 is connected to a knuckle arm 7.
(only the left wheel side is shown). and,
As the steering wheel is turned, the pinion shaft 3 rotates, and as a result, the rack bar 2 begins to move.
The power cylinder 1 is controlled by a switching valve (not shown).
0 operates, the rack bar 2 moves smoothly by the assist force of the power cylinder 10, and the wheels are thereby steered.

A T-shaped suspension member 16 having a protrusion 16A extending toward the rear of the vehicle is installed in the housing 4 in a horizontal state, and the suspension member 16 is fixed to the vehicle body by a flange 14. It's getting old. A pair of gas cylinders 20 and 22 are arranged in series in the suspension member 16, with the longitudinal center of the rack bar 2 in between. The gas cylinders 20 and 22 include a piston 20 that is slidable inside the cylinders 20 and 22.
Cylinder rods 21 and 2 connected to A and 22A
3 protrudes and extends parallel to the rack bar 2,
Tips 21A, 23 of cylinder rods 21, 23
A is in contact with a protrusion 6A extending from the ball joint portion 6 in the horizontal direction and toward the rear of the vehicle.

Air and other gases are sealed inside the gas cylinders 20 and 22, and when the rods 21 and 23 are pushed into the cylinders 20 and 22, the cylinders 2
The gas pressure inside rods 21, 23 increases.
A force is applied in the direction of protrusion. As the rack bar 2 moves, the joint portion 6 also moves together with the rack bar 2, thereby pushing the cylinder rods 21 and 23 into the cylinders 20 and 22, and this reaction force is applied to the steering force via the cylinder rods 21 and 23. A counter-movement force acts on the rack bar 2, which is a transmission member, and this becomes a handle restoring force.

Note that the protruding portion 6A of the ball joint portion 6 is formed with a convex portion 6B for engaging the cylinder rod tip portions 21A, 23A.
3, the biasing force from the gas cylinders 20 and 22 is applied to the rack bar 2 via the ball joint 6.
It is now possible to reliably communicate information to

Next, the operation of this steering device will be explained.

FIG. 1 shows a steering link mechanism in which the knuckle arm 7 is arranged at the rear of the knuckle arm, in which the knuckle arm 7 protrudes from the spindle shaft S toward the rear of the vehicle (downward in FIG. 1). First, when the handle is turned to the right, the pinion 3 rotates in the direction of arrow A, thereby causing the rack bar 2 to slide in the direction of arrow B. When the rack bar 2 begins to slide, the power cylinder 10 is actuated by a control valve (not shown), and assist force of the power cylinder 10 is generated.
The wheels slide smoothly and the wheels are steered to the right via the tie rod 8 and the knuckle arm 7, and the steering force becomes light. Also, at this time, the left and right joint parts 6 move together with the rack bar 2, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. The gas cylinder 22 is pushed by the right side protrusion 6A of the joint part.
pushed inside. At this time, the gas pressure within the gas cylinder 22 increases, which acts on the rack bar 2 via the cylinder rod 23 and the ball joint 6.

Furthermore, when the handle is turned to the left, the rack bar 2 moves in the opposite direction to the direction of arrow B, and the cylinder rod 21 is pushed into the gas cylinder 20, increasing the gas pressure inside the gas cylinder 20, which causes the ball joint to move. A counter-moving force acts on the rack bar 2 through the tip portion 6.

In this way, the force in the opposite direction of movement due to the gas pressure in the gas cylinders 20, 22 acting on the rack bar 2 is transmitted to the driver as a steering feeling, giving an appropriate steering feeling. Furthermore, since the force in the opposite direction of movement of the rack bar 2 increases in proportion to the steering angle (steering amount), it also serves to prevent sudden steering, especially at high speeds. The anti-movement force acting on the rack bar 2 is also a steering wheel restoring force that tries to return the steering wheel to its neutral state, so it has the effect of improving the return of the steering wheel and making the turning operation of the steering wheel smooth. Furthermore, since the gas cylinders 20 and 22 also function as dampers that absorb various vibrations transmitted to the rack bar 2, they are effective in preventing flutter and stains.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the steering device according to the present invention.

In the first embodiment, two gas cylinders 20 and 22 are used as the gas cylinder section for applying a force in the counter-movement direction to the rack bar 2, but in this embodiment, only one gas cylinder 30 is used. It is configured.

Pistons 32 and 34 are housed in the gas cylinder 30 and are opposed to each other with a sealed gas in between, and cylinder rods 31 and 33 are connected to the pistons 32 and 34, respectively, and protrude from both ends in the axial direction. The cylinder rod tips 31A, 33A are in a state of engagement with the protrusion 6A of the joint portion 6, respectively. When the handle is not steered (neutral state), the pistons 32 and 34 are located at both ends of the gas cylinder 30 in the axial direction. There is a d between each
A gap of 1, d2 is formed. For this reason, even when the steering wheel is not turned in the neutral state, as shown in FIG. 3, an anti-movement direction force Fo acts on the rack bar 2, which is particularly effective in preventing sudden steering during high-speed driving.

Further, a gas cylinder mounting bolt 40 is provided protruding from the suspension member 16, and by aligning the elongated hole portion 41 of a bracket 42 integrally attached to the gas cylinder 30 with this bolt 40, and tightening the nut, the gas cylinder is fixed. The cylinder 30 is fixed to the suspension member 16, but since the scale 42A is attached to the bracket 42, the suspension member 1 of the gas cylinder 30 is fixed.
6 is very easy to install. Furthermore, the cylinder mounting position relative to the neutral position of the handle can be adjusted very easily by adjusting the position based on the scale 42A and the bolt 40 position.

Since the other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

In addition, in the first and second embodiments, in the rack and pinion type steering device, the power cylinder 1
Although the rack bar 2 has been described as an example of a steering device equipped with a steering force transmission member, the present invention can also be applied to Hartenberger type, symmetrical link type, and center arm type steering devices. It can be used as a force transmission member, and can also be applied to a manual steering mechanism.

[Effects of the invention] As is clear from the above explanation, according to the invention, the steering feeling when steering is improved, the steering wheel returns well, stability is obtained during high-speed driving, and the flatness is reduced. It can also prevent stains.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the steering reaction force generated by the gas cylinder portion and the steering angle. 2...Rack bar, 3...Pinion, 6...Joint part, 6A...Protrusion part, 10...Power cylinder, 16...Suspension member, 20,
22, 30... Gas cylinder, 21, 23, 3
1, 33...Cylinder rod, 20A, 22A,
32, 34...piston.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] 1. A steering force transmitting member that is connected between left and right knuckle arms and extends in the vehicle width direction and transmits steering wheel steering force to the knuckle arms, and a steering force transmitting member that is fixed to the vehicle body and extends in the vehicle width direction. a pair of gas cylinder portions extending in parallel and applying a force in a counter-movement direction to the steering force transmission member, the gas cylinder portion being extendable and retractable, protruding from both ends of the cylinder and extending parallel to the steering force transmission member; The steering force transmitting member is provided with a protruding rod engaging portion that can be engaged with the tip end of the cylinder rod, and when the steering force transmitting member is moved when the steering wheel is steered, the rod engaging portion is engaged with the steering force transmitting member. 1. A steering device characterized in that the steering device is configured such that a counter-movement direction force is applied to a steering force transmitting member by pushing the cylinder rod into the cylinder. 2. The steering device according to claim 1, wherein the gas cylinder section is constituted by two gas cylinders arranged in series. 3. The steering device according to claim 1, wherein the gas cylinder portion is constituted by one cylinder having cylinder rods protruding from both ends in the axial direction. 4. A bolt is provided protruding from one side of the gas cylinder portion and the gas cylinder mounting portion of the vehicle body, and a long hole with a scale extending in the direction of extension of the gas cylinder is provided on the other side, thereby controlling the steering force. The steering device according to claim 3, wherein the cylinder mounting position with respect to the longitudinal direction of the transmission member is adjustable.