Motor vehicle power steering gear

• US 5,655,621 A
• Filed: 06/30/1995
• Issued: 08/12/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Birsching, Joel Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Hurley, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US08/497,570
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 180/417, 180/421, 180/428, 91/375 A
• US Class Current: 180/428
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0835 characterised by means for actively influencing the deflection angle of the valve, e.g. depending on driving parameters
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 3/38 with a single intermediate member with trunnions or bearings arranged on two axes perpendicular to one another F16D3/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 3/42 with ring-shaped intermediate member provided with bearings or inwardly-directed trunnions

Abstract

A motor vehicle power steering gear including a housing, a spool shaft rotatably supported on the housing, a pinion head rotatably supported on the housing, a valve body rotatably supported on the spool shaft, and a universal joint between the valve body and the pinion head. The universal joint includes a ring-shaped spider, a first diametrically opposite pair of trunnions on the spider are slidable and rotatable in pair of sockets in the valve body, and a second diametrically opposite pair trunnions on the pinion head are slidable and rotatable in a pair of sockets in the spider. The trunnions and sockets permit relative translation between the valve body and pinion head in mutually perpendicular lateral directions in the plane of the spider and relative rotation about mutually perpendicular lateral centerlines in the plane of the ring to prevent binding between the valve body and the spool shaft. The trunnions and the sockets positively locate the valve body relative to the pinion head by preventing relative translation therebetween perpendicular to the plane of the spider, i.e., longitudinally, and transfer torque between the valve body and pinion head in lash-free fashion by preventing relative rotation therebetween about a longitudinal centerline perpendicular to the plane of the spider.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle power steering gear comprising:

a housing,

a pinion head rotatably supported on said housing,

a spool shaft rotatably supported on said housing,

a tubular valve body rotatably supported on said spool shaft,

a universal joint spider defining a flat plane,

means connecting said valve body to said spider means for relative translation parallel to a first lateral centerline in said flat plane of said spider means and for relative rotation about said first lateral centerline and preventing relative translation parallel to a longitudinal centerline perpendicular to said flat plane of said spider means and relative rotation about said longitudinal centerline, and

means connecting said pinion head to said spider means for relative translation parallel to a second lateral centerline in said flat plane of said spider means perpendicular to said first lateral centerline and for relative rotation about said second lateral centerline and preventing relative translation parallel to said longitudinal centerline and relative rotation about said longitudinal centerline.

2. A motor vehicle power steering gear comprising:

a housing,

a pinion head rotatably supported on said housing having a tubular end,

a spool shaft rotatably supported on said housing,

a tubular valve body rotatably supported on said spool shaft having a cylindrical skirt overlapping and radially outboard of said tubular end of said pinion head,

a cylindrical ring between said tubular end of said pinion head and said cylindrical skirt of said valve body defining a universal joint spider having a flat plane,

means connecting said valve body to said cylindrical ring for relative translation parallel to a first lateral centerline in said flat plane of said spider and for relative rotation about said first lateral centerline and preventing relative translation parallel to a longitudinal centerline perpendicular to said flat plane of said spider and relative rotation about said longitudinal centerline, and means connecting said pinion head to said cylindrical ring for relative translation parallel to a second lateral centerline in said flat plane of said spider perpendicular to said first lateral centerline and for relative rotation about said second lateral centerline and preventing relative translation parallel to said longitudinal centerline and relative rotation about said longitudinal centerline.

3. The motor vehicle power steering gear recited in claim 2 wherein said means connecting said valve body to said cylindrical ring and said means connecting said pinion head to said cylindrical ring comprises:

a first diametrically opposite pair of trunnions rigidly connected to said cylindrical ring and aligned on said first lateral centerline,

a first pair of sockets in said cylindrical skirt of said valve body each slidably and rotatably receiving a respective one of said first pair of trunnions,

a second diametrically opposite pair of trunnions rigidly connected to said tubular end of said pinion head and aligned on said second lateral centerline, and

a second pair of sockets in said cylindrical ring each slidably and rotatably receiving a respective one of said second pair of trunnions.

4. The motor vehicle power steering gear recited in claim 3 further comprising:

a torsion bar having a first end connected to said spool shaft and a second end connected to said pinion head operative to induce a centering force between said spool shaft and said pinion head in response to relative rotation therebetween, and

a variable effort means connected to said spool shaft and to said valve body at an end thereof opposite said cylindrical skirt selectively operable to induce a torque reaction between said spool shaft and said pinion head through said valve body and said cylindrical ring.

5. The motor vehicle power steering gear recited in claim 4 wherein said variable effort means comprises:

a permanent magnet ring rigidly connected said spool shaft,

a pole piece rigidly connected to said valve body at said end thereof opposite said cylindrical skirt, and

an exciting coil on said housing operative to induce an electromagnetic torque between said magnet ring and said pole piece when an electric current flows through said exciting coil.