A steering device includes a rack shaft, a pair of tie rods, a rack housing portion, a pinion gear at one end of the rack housing portion, a first supporting portion to support the one end of the rack housing portion, and a second supporting portion to support the other end of the rack housing portion. The second supporting portion is movable in an axial direction of the rack housing portion from a proper position where the second supporting portion fixes the rack housing portion by being mounted on the vehicle body to an escaping position on the side of the pinion gear. The escaping position is a position where a distance from a tip of the tie rod on the other end of the rack housing portion to the second supporting portion is equal to or longer than twice the length of the tie rod.

A rack bush of a steering device for a vehicle may include: a bush body part installed in a rack housing of the steering device for a vehicle so as to cover a rack bar, and configured to guide the rack bar to move in an axial direction; a first uneven part formed in an uneven shape on an outer circumferential surface of the bush body part, and configured to bring the bush body part and the rack housing into line contact with each other; and a position fixing part formed at one end of the bush body part, and configured to prevent the bush body part from moving in the axial direction.

A rack housing (9) is provided with: a cylindrical main body (19) for movably accommodating a rack bar (8); and a stroke limiting section (25) annularly protruding from the cylindrical main body (19) toward a first end (9a). The inner peripheral surface (25b) of the stroke limiting section (25) is located offset radially outward from a support surface (19a), i.e. the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical main body (19). The inner peripheral surface (25b) and the support surface (19a) are connected to each other by a sloped section (26) which is sloped circular conically. The sloped section (26) is provided at a position overlapping the cylindrical main body (19) when viewed radially. The sloped section (26) is sloped so that the inner diameter of the cylindrical main body (19) of the rack housing (9) increases toward a first contact section (25a).

An electric motor is controlled so as to suppress movement of a steering mechanism in response to a reverse input from a road surface during travel on rough roads, for example, a gravel road or an unpaved road.

A power-assist assembly comprising a housing including a drive axle portion extending between a pair of extension sleeve connection ends spaced along a first axis and an input gear portion extending along a second axis transverse to the first axis. A gear assist housing is connected to the input gear portion. A boot assembly connected to at least one of the extension sleeve connection ends. The boot assembly includes an extension sleeve connected to the extension sleeve connection end, a boot sleeve connected to the extension sleeve and spaced from the extension sleeve connection end of the housing by at least a portion of a length of the extension sleeve, and a boot retaining ring connected to the boot sleeve opposite the extension tube.

A method is proposed for operating a steering system of a motor vehicle, in particular an electromechanically supported steering system. First, at least one first virtual magnet and one second virtual magnet are provided in the steering system of the motor vehicle. A virtual magnetic force exerted on each other by the multiple virtual magnets is determined. A setpoint force that is to be applied to a lower part of the steering system is estimated and an auxiliary force with which a servo motor of the steering system acts on the lower part of the steering system is determined from the specified virtual magnetic force and the estimated setpoint force.

A rack steering system and a motor vehicle having such a rack steering system. The inventive rack steering system comprises a steering gear housing, a toothed rack, which extends through the steering gear housing, an electric motor, which is coupled to the toothed rack on a thread side of the steering gear housing via a ball screw to provide an axial force to the toothed rack, and two track rod links arranged at axial ends of the toothed rack. The steering gear housing is designed in one piece such that a drive insert opening is formed on the thread side of the steering gear housing for arrangement of the electric motor and a direct stop face for a track rod link or a support face for the arrangement and axial support of a separate stop element for a track rod link is also formed on this thread side.

Carbon steel for a rack bar contains 0.50 to 0.55% by weight of carbon (C), 0.15 to 0.35% by weight of silicon (Si), 0.75 to 0.95% by weight of manganese (Mn), 0.025% by weight or less of phosphorus (P), 0.025% by weight or less of sulfur (S), 0.65 to 0.85% by weight of chrome (Cr), 0.20% by weight or less of molybdenum (Mo), 0.001 to 0.02% by weight of aluminum (Al), 5 to 50 ppm of boron (B), and iron (Fe) as a remainder and unavoidable impurities. A method for manufacturing the rack bar includes quenching, tempering, and drawing the carbon steel and warm forging the drawn carbon steel.

Described herein are steer-by-wire systems and methods of operating these systems in vehicles. A steer-by-wire system comprises a steering wheel assembly, comprising a steering wheel, sensors, and a torque generator. The system comprises a rack assembly, comprising a steering rack, sensors, and a rack actuator. The steering wheel assembly and the rack assembly are communicatively coupled by a steer-by-wire system controller, without having any direct mechanical links between the assemblies. In some examples, the controller instructs the rack assembly to control the steering rack position based on the steering input, such as changes in the steering wheel position. A steering map is used to determine the desired steering rack position based on the current steering wheel position. In some examples, a steering map is selected from a steering map set based on, e.g., the vehicle speed, vehicle direction, driver preference, and the like.

A vehicle steering apparatus includes a shaft member, a moving portion, a support member, and a stop portion. The moving portion includes a first abutting surface that faces the stop portion in a circumferential direction of the shaft member. The first abutting surface is inclined with respect to an axial direction of the shaft member to face a shaft support portion side when the moving portion is viewed in a radial direction of the shaft member. The stop portion includes a first abutted surface that abuts the first abutting surface.