A rack guide for a rack and pinion steering device, a rack and pinion steering device, and a manufacturing method for a rack guide for a rack and pinion steering device have a simple configuration with a close contact property being kept between a rack guide and a rack guide base member to ensure quietness. A rack guide for a rack and pinion steering device includes: a casing; a pinion to be slidably supported by the casing; a rack bar having a rack tooth meshed with the pinion; a rack guide including an abutment portion to which the rack bar is to be slidably abutted and a recessed portion, which is continued to the abutment portion, to be spaced from the rack bar; a rack guide base member for receiving the rack guide; and an urging unit to urge the rack guide against the rack bar through the rack guide base member.

A rack-and-pinion steering gear for a motor vehicle allows adjustment of an inclination angle between the rack and pinion at the point of contact therebetween to reduce noise. A yoke is spring-biased against the rack to urge rack into engagement with the pinion. The yoke is supported in a bushing which can be adjusted within and relative to a housing such that the yoke moves in a plane parallel to a longitudinal axis of the rack and to a longitudinal axis of the pinion shaft. The yoke engages the rack to permit steering-type movement of the rack relative to the yoke along the rack longitudinal axis, but movement of the yoke parallel to the pinion shaft longitudinal axis forces the portion of the rack contacting the yoke to move along with the yoke, thereby adjusting the inclination angle between the rack and the pinion.

In a steering device (PS1) according to the present embodiment, a preload applying mechanism (6) provides a rotation torque to one side in a rotation direction of a ball nut (4) by a reaction force generated by elastic abutment of a plunger (61) on a tooth tip of a first sector tooth (321) of a sector gear (32). Therefore, in the steering device (PS1), unlike conventional steering device, there is no need to provide a pressed portion to be pressed by the plunger (61) separately from the sector gear (32). Increase in size of a sector shaft (3) due to formation of the pressed portion can therefore be suppressed.

A ratio of the distance by which a rack shaft moves in a first direction relative to the angle by which a pinion shaft rotates in a circumferential direction is defined as a stroke ratio. The stroke ratio is larger when the pinion meshes with one of a third rack and a fifth rack than when the pinion meshes with a first rack. The stroke ratio changes while the pinion moves on one of a second rack and a fourth rack. A clearance defined between a rack guide and a guide plug is smaller when the pinion meshes with one of the third rack and the fifth rack than when the pinion meshes with the first rack. The clearance defined between the rack guide and the guide plug changes while the pinion moves on one of the second rack and the fourth rack.

A rack guide for a rack and pinion steering device, a rack and pinion steering device and a manufacturing method for a rack guide for a rack and pinion steering device, has a simple configuration with a close contact property being kept between a rack guide and a rack guide base member to ensure quietness. A rack guide for a rack and pinion steering device includes: a casing; a pinion to be slidably supported by said casing; a rack bar having a rack tooth meshed with said pinion; a rack guide including an abutment portion to which said rack bar is to be slidably abutted and a recessed portion, which is continued to said abutment portion, to be spaced from said rack bar; a rack guide base member for receiving said rack guide; and urging means for urging said rack guide against said rack bar through said rack guide base member.

A steering system includes a rack shaft, a tubular rack housing, and a tubular rack bushing. The rack bushing is interposed between the outer surface of the rack shaft and the inner surface of the rack housing. The rack bushing supports the rack shaft such that the rack shaft is slidable in the axial direction. The rack housing includes an annular groove on its inner surface. The rack bushing includes a collar. a through slit. and first non-through slits. The collar protrudes radially outward from substantially the entire circumference of the rack bushing. The collar is fitted into the annular groove. The through slit passes through the rack bushing in the axial direction. Each first non-through slit extends in the axial direction such that the first non-through slit passes through a portion of the rack bushing whose axial position corresponds to the axial position of the collar.

A carrier transmission device comprises a slide rail, a rack and a pair of gears. The slide rail extends along a transmission direction of a carrier to be transmitted and is adapted to slidingly guide the carrier. The rack extends along the transmission direction and is connectable to, or integrally formed on, the carrier. The pair of gears are spaced by a predetermined distance in the transmission direction and are adapted to engage with the rack and drive the carrier to move in the transmission direction on the slide rail.

A carrier transmission device comprises a slide rail, a rack and a pair of gears. The slide rail extends along a transmission direction of a carrier to be transmitted and is adapted to slidingly guide the carrier. The rack extends along the transmission direction and is connectable to, or integrally formed on, the carrier. The pair of gears are spaced by a predetermined distance in the transmission direction and are adapted to engage with the rack and drive the carrier to move in the transmission direction on the slide rail.

A rack guide is movably housed in a housing hole of a housing. A plug is screwed to an outer opening end portion of the housing hole. An urging member is interposed between the rack guide and the plug. External threads on the outer peripheral surface of the plug are screwed to internal threads at the outer opening end portion of the housing hole. The root portion of the external threads includes an interference portion that interferes with a crest portion of the internal threads.

The present disclosure provides a rack bar supporting device of a steering apparatus for a vehicle. The rack bar supporting device includes: a support yoke to support a rack bar; a first cam member configured to have a front surface supporting the support yoke toward the rack bar and to have a rear surface provided with a first cam surface inclined in a circumferential direction thereof; a second cam member configured to have a front surface provided with a second cam surface inclined in a circumferential direction thereof to correspond to the first cam surface, to have a rear surface to which one end of a torsion spring is supported and coupled; a yoke plug; and an elastic pin.