A play take-up device comprising a push button that is movably mounted and translationally guided, along a thrust axis 5, in a housing, to exert a thrust force against a rack, said device further comprising a resilient shock-absorbing member that is positioned between the push button and the housing, in contact, respectively, against a first bearing surface belonging to the push button, which is angled in relation to the thrust axis, and is preferably frusto-conical, and a second bearing surface belonging to the housing, referred to which has, opposite the distribution surface and counter to the resilient shock-absorbing member, both a radially extending component and an axially extending component, such that the shock-absorbing member simultaneously returns the push button axially towards the rack and transversely towards the thrust axis.

A wear compensator assembly configured for exerting a predetermined biasing force on a rack and a pinion shaft of a steering gear assembly is disclosed. The wear compensator assembly includes a cam member having a seating surface and a biasing member seated against the seating surface of the cam member. The biasing member is configured to be compressed by a predetermined amount and to exert the predetermined biasing force.

A rack bush for supporting a rack shaft in a rack-and-pinion steering system so that the rack shaft slides in an axial direction thereof includes a teeth side support portion and a back side support portion. Rack teeth are formed in a first area of an outer circumferential surface of the rack shaft. The teeth side support portion contacts a second area of the outer circumferential surface to support the rack shaft from a teeth side where the rack teeth are formed. The second area lies adjacent to the first area in the axial direction. The back side support portion contacts a third area of the outer circumferential surface to support the rack shaft from a back side other than the teeth side. The third area is positioned out of the first area in a circumferential direction around an axis of the rack shaft.

A rack bush for supporting a rack shaft in a rack-and-pinion steering system so that the rack shaft slides in an axial direction thereof includes a teeth side support portion and a back side support portion. Rack teeth are formed in a first area of an outer circumferential surface of the rack shaft. The teeth side support portion contacts a second area of the outer circumferential surface to support the rack shaft from a teeth side where the rack teeth are formed. The second area lies adjacent to the first area in the axial direction. The back side support portion contacts a third area of the outer circumferential surface to support the rack shaft from a back side other than the teeth side. The third area is positioned out of the first area in a circumferential direction around an axis of the rack shaft.

A rack guide unit includes a closure member, a rack guide, and an urging unit. The closure member is secured to an external opening end of an accommodation portion of a housing. The rack guide is accommodated in the accommodation portion so as to be movable in an advancing/withdrawing direction and supports the rack shaft so that the rack shaft is slidable in an axial direction. The urging unit is arranged between the closure member and the rack guide. The urging unit includes a stack of a plurality of coned disc springs urging the rack guide toward the rack shaft and arranged in an identical orientation, and an auxiliary coned disc spring that serves as a holding member holding the stack.

An apparatus for pressing a rack against a pinion of a steering gear assembly includes a housing, a support yoke slidably guided in the housing along an axis, a bearing element that is fixed to the housing in an axial direction, a first elastic element providing an axial load acting upon the support yoke and the bearing element to urge the support yoke against the rack, a wear-compensating abutment member coacting with the bearing element such that a relative rotation about the axis generates an axial displacement of the abutment member relative to the bearing element, and a separate, second elastic element providing a load acting upon the abutment member in a circumferential direction to urge the abutment member against the support yoke.

A device for pressing a first transmission element onto a second transmission element engaging in the first transmission element for a rack-and-pinion steering system of a motor vehicle. A pressure piece that can be loaded in the direction of the first transmission element by at least one spring element is displaceably guided in a housing. The spring element is produced from at least one dilatant elastomer.

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.

In a steering system, a guide member faces the rack shaft on the opposite side of the rack shaft from the pinion shaft, and an opposed member faces the guide member at a first distance. The rack shaft is supported by the first rack bush so as to be slidable in the axial direction. The rack shaft is supported so as to be slidable in the axial direction X at a position closer to the guide member than the first rack bush is by the second rack bush disposed away from the inner surface. An elastic member that can be elastically deformed is disposed between the inner surface and the second rack bush. The second rack bush has an opposed portion disposed on the opposite side of the rack shaft from the pinion shaft and facing the inner surface at a second distance that is larger than the first distance.

In a steering system, a guide member faces the rack shaft on the opposite side of the rack shaft from the pinion shaft, and an opposed member faces the guide member at a first distance. The rack shaft is supported by the first rack bush so as to be slidable in the axial direction. The rack shaft is supported so as to be slidable in the axial direction X at a position closer to the guide member than the first rack bush is by the second rack bush disposed away from the inner surface. An elastic member that can be elastically deformed is disposed between the inner surface and the second rack bush. The second rack bush has an opposed portion disposed on the opposite side of the rack shaft from the pinion shaft and facing the inner surface at a second distance that is larger than the first distance.