DEVICE FOR PRESSING A RACK AGAINST A PINION, STEERING DEVICE HAVING SUCH A DEVICE, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SUCH A DEVICE AND/OR STEERING DEVICE
20250027554 ยท 2025-01-23
Inventors
- Heinz-Dieter Heitzer (Heinsberg, DE)
- Frank Jaehde (Koln, DE)
- Matthias Kaussen (Bochum, DE)
- Eduard Span (Koeln, DE)
- Dominik Streeck (Solingen, DE)
- Christian Wutzler (Kaarst, DE)
- Roger Hooke (Birmingham, GB)
- Angelo Piantoni (Brescia (BS), IT)
- Luca Tabaglio (Concesio, IT)
- Pradeepkumar Thandapani (Marcheno (BS, IN)
- Jacopo Cabassi (Castegnato (BS), IT)
- Alessio Lo Coco (Veston (BS), IT)
Cpc classification
F16H2019/046
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
B62D3/123
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
International classification
Abstract
The disclosure relates to a device for pressing a rack against a pinion, having a thrust piece, having a bearing element, and having a preloading element which acts in the axial direction of a central longitudinal axis of the device, and having a readjustment installation for compensating wear, and having an axial play installation for defining a maximum play of the thrust piece in the axial direction to the central longitudinal axis, the axial play installation being disposed between the readjustment installation and the bearing element, and the axial play installation having an elastic spring element which acts in the axial direction to the central longitudinal axis.
Claims
1. A device for pressing a rack against a pinion, having a thrust piece, having a bearing element, and having a preloading element which acts in the axial direction of a central longitudinal axis of the device, the thrust piece of the preloading element disposed between the bearing element and the thrust piece being impinged with a preloading force acting in the axial direction to the central longitudinal axis and directed away from the bearing element, and having a readjustment installation for compensating wear, the readjustment installation being disposed between the thrust piece and the bearing element, and having an axial play installation for defining a minimum play of the thrust piece in the axial direction to the central longitudinal axis, the axial play installation being disposed between the readjustment installation and the bearing element, and the axial play installation having an elastic spring element which acts in the axial direction to the central longitudinal axis, wherein the spring element is mounted in a depression, the depression being configured in a side of the bearing element that faces the readjustment installation.
2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spring element extends from the depression up to a defined maximum projecting measurement and in the axial direction of the central longitudinal axis exerts directly or indirectly a compressive force on the readjustment installation, the projecting measurement defining a or the minimum play of the readjustment installation and/or of the thrust piece in the axial direction of the central longitudinal axis.
3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the maximum projecting measurement is less than 150 m, a or the minimum play of the readjustment installation and/or of the thrust piece in the axial direction of the central longitudinal axis of less than 150 m being determined by the spring element.
4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the depression is configured as a groove, a central axis of the depression coinciding with the central longitudinal axis of the device.
5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elastic spring element is configured as an O-ring or as an annular spring washer.
6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the axial play installation has a play delimitation element, the play delimitation element being disposed between the elastic spring element and the readjustment installation, a maximum projecting measurement by which the spring element extends from the depression.
7. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein at least one outer peripheral portion of the play delimitation element, which is radial in relation to the central longitudinal axis, is disposed in a retaining groove of the bearing element, wherein two radial peripheral portions of the play delimitation element, which face away from one another being disposed in the retaining groove of the bearing element, a maximum projecting measurement by which the spring element extends from the depression in particular being defined by virtue of the interaction between the retaining groove and the play delimitation element.
8. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the bearing element has an annular wall portion for receiving the readjustment installation, the retaining groove being configured in an internal side and in the radial extension of that side of the bearing element that faces the readjustment installation, the internal side of the annular wall portion having at least one introduction groove which for introducing the peripheral portion of the play delimitation element is aligned parallel to the central longitudinal axis.
9. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the play delimitation element is configured as an annular washer.
10. A steering device for a vehicle, and having a rack which is mounted so as to be displaceable in the direction of a longitudinal axis of the rack, and having a pinion, the rack engaging in the pinion, and having a device as claimed in claim 1, the rack being pressed against the pinion, and the thrust piece being disposed so as to be displaceable within a housing and in the axial direction of the central longitudinal axis, the bearing element being fixed to the housing.
11. A method for producing a device as claimed in claim 1, in which the thrust piece and the preloading element as individual components are first inserted into a housing interior of a housing, and an assembly module, composed of an assembling element, the bearing element, the axial play installation and the readjustment installation, is subsequently fixed in the housing, the spring element in an assembled state being received completely within the depression configured in the bearing element.
12. A device for pressing a rack against a pinion, the device including: a thrust piece, a bearing element, and a preloading element which acts in the axial direction of a central longitudinal axis of the device, the thrust piece of the preloading element disposed between the bearing element and the thrust piece being impinged with a preloading force acting in the axial direction to the central longitudinal axis and directed away from the bearing element and having a readjustment installation for compensating wear, the readjustment installation being disposed between the thrust piece and the bearing element and having an axial play installation for defining a minimum play of the thrust piece in the axial direction to the central longitudinal axis, the axial play installation being disposed between the readjustment installation and the bearing element, and the axial play installation having an elastic spring element that acts in the axial direction to the central longitudinal axis, wherein the spring element is mounted in a depression.
13. The device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the spring element extends from the depression up to a defined maximum projecting measurement and in the axial direction of the central longitudinal axis exerts directly or indirectly a compressive force on the readjustment installation.
14. The device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the depression is configured as a groove, a central axis of the depression coinciding with the central longitudinal axis of the device.
15. The device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the elastic spring element is configured as an O-ring or as an annular spring washer.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0029] The disclosure will be explained in more detail hereunder by the figures. Identical reference signs here relate to the same, similar or functionally equivalent components or elements. In the figures:
[0030]
[0031]
[0032]
[0033]
[0034]
[0035]
[0036]
[0037]
[0038]
[0039]
[0040]
[0041]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0042]
[0043] The steering device 1 has a housing 6. The housing 6 can be configured as a dedicated housing, or be configured as an integral component part of a gearbox housing of a steering gear for the steering device 1. The housing 6 forms a housing interior 7. The device 2, and thus also the thrust piece 5, are disposed within the housing 6, or in the housing interior 7, respectively. The thrust piece 5 here is guided so as to be displaceable in the axial direction of a central longitudinal axis 8 of the housing interior 7. The central longitudinal axis 8 here simultaneously represents the central longitudinal axis 8 of the device 2. The housing interior 7 in this exemplary arrangement is of a hollow-cylindrical configuration. The thrust piece 5 rests on an internal side of the housing interior 7 so as to be able to slide thereon. Accordingly, the thrust piece 5 has a cylindrical external face 9 which corresponds to the internal side of the housing interior 7. In this exemplary arrangement, an encircling groove 10 is configured in the external face 9 of the thrust piece 5. A seal 11 is disposed in the groove 10. The seal 11 in this exemplary arrangement is implemented as an O-ring.
[0044] In this exemplary arrangement, a friction element 12 is disposed between the thrust piece 5 and the rack 3. For steering wheels which are not illustrated in more detail here, the rack 3 during operation can be displaced in the longitudinal direction of the rack 3 by the pinion 4. In the process, the rack 3 slides along the friction element 12 and by the thrust piece 5 is simultaneously pressed against the pinion 4. The friction element 12 is thereby held on the thrust piece 5. The friction element 12 in this exemplary arrangement has a cross section in the shape of a portion of a circular arc, which enables partial encompassing or resting on the rack 3. The friction element 12 is disposed in a recess 13 of the thrust piece 5, which is configured in a corresponding manner. For low friction sliding of the rack 3 on the friction element 12, the latter in this exemplary arrangement is formed from a PTFE plastics material.
[0045] The device 2 furthermore has a bearing element 14. The bearing element 14 in this exemplary arrangement is configured as a cover, or as a lid, or as a closure, respectively. The housing interior 7 is closed by the bearing element 14. In detail, an opening of the housing 6, or of the housing interior 7, that faces away from the pinion 4 is closed by the bearing element 14. The bearing element 14 is fixed in the axial direction to the central longitudinal axis 8 on the housing 6.
[0046] The device 2 moreover has a preloading element 15 which acts in the axial direction to the central longitudinal axis 8. In this exemplary arrangement, the thrust piece 5 has an annular groove 16 in which the preloading element 15 is disposed and from the annular groove extends in the direction of the bearing element 14. In this way, the preloading element 15 in the assembled state illustrated here is disposed between the thrust piece 5 and the bearing element 14. The preloading element 15 in this exemplary arrangement is configured as a compression spring or coil spring. The thrust piece 5 here by the preloading element 15 is impinged with a preloading force in the axial direction to the central longitudinal axis 8 and directed away from the bearing element 14. In this way, the preloading element 15 is supported directly on the thrust piece 5, on the one hand, and directly on the bearing element 14, on the other hand.
[0047] The device 2 furthermore has a readjustment installation 17 for compensating wear. The readjustment installation 17 here is disposed between the thrust piece 5 and the bearing element 14. The readjustment installation 17 has two disks 18, 19 which are rotatable relative to one another. Furthermore, the readjustment installation 17 has a torsion spring 20. The torsion spring 20 is disposed between the two disks 18, 19, the two disks 18, 19 being able to be rotated relative to one another by the torsion spring 20. In the event of wear, the two disks 18, 19 by the torsion spring are rotated relative to one another as a result of which a height of the readjustment installation 17 in the axial direction of the central longitudinal axis 8 increases. Wear which occurs in the course of the operation can thus be compensated automatically or in a self-acting manner by the readjustment installation 17. Reverse rotation of the two disks 18, 19 is prevented of a self-locking mechanism which is of a suitable configuration and acts between the two disks 18, 19.
[0048] The device 2 has an axial play installation 21 for defining a minimum play of the thrust piece 5 in terms of a movement in the axial direction to the central longitudinal axis 8. The axial play installation 21 is disposed between the readjustment installation 17 and the bearing element 14. The axial play installation 21 here has an elastic spring element 22 which acts in the axial direction to the central longitudinal axis 8. The spring element 22 in this exemplary arrangement is configured as an O-ring. The spring element 22 is disposed or mounted in a depression 23. The depression 23 is configured in a side of the bearing element 14 that faces the readjustment installation 17. The axial play installation 21 in this exemplary arrangement moreover has a play delimitation element 24. The play delimitation element 24 is disposed between the elastic spring element 22 and the readjustment installation 17 and outside the depression 23.
[0049] In the operating state of the device 2, illustrated here, a through opening 25 of the bearing element 14 is closed by a closure element 26.
[0050]
[0051] In another exemplary arrangement for the closure element 26, an assembling element 27 is additionally illustrated here. As will yet be explained in more detail hereunder, the assembling element 27 is required for assembling the device 2 in the housing 6 according to
[0052]
[0053] An external thread 28 is configured on an external circumference of the bearing element 14. The bearing element 14, for fixing to the housing 6 according to
[0054] Furthermore, in this exemplary arrangement the bearing element 14 on the external circumference thereof has an annular groove 29 for receiving a sealing element in the form of an O-ring. In this exemplary arrangement, an external diameter of the bearing element 14 in the region of the external thread 28 is configured so as to be larger than in the region of the annular groove 29.
[0055] The bearing element 14 has an annular wall portion 30. In this exemplary arrangement, the external diameter of the annular wall portion 30 is configured so as to be smaller than the external diameter in the region of the external thread 28.
[0056] According to
[0057] As will be better seen hereunder, the internal side of the annular wall portion 30 in this exemplary arrangement has two mutually opposite introduction grooves 34, 35 which are aligned parallel to the central longitudinal axis 8.
[0058]
[0059]
[0060] In this exemplary arrangement, the play delimitation element 24 has two recesses 38, 39 for interacting with an introduction tool not illustrated in more detail here. The two recesses 38, 39 in this exemplary arrangement are implemented as two slots which are disposed so as to face away from one another on the external circumference of the annular play delimitation element 24. In this example, the recesses 38, 39 are disposed at an angle of 90 in relation to the peripheral portions 36, 37.
[0061]
[0062] The play delimitation element 24 by the introduction tool 40 is pressed in the direction of the bearing element 14 until the play delimitation element 24 rests on the side 32 of the bearing element 14 according to
[0063]
[0064] The height 33 of the retaining groove 31 in relation to the material thickness of the peripheral portions 36, 37, or of the play delimitation element 24, respectively, here is configured in such a manner that this results in a mobility of the play delimitation element 24 in the longitudinal direction of the central longitudinal axis 8 so that a minimum play for the thrust piece 5 according to
[0065]
[0066]
[0067] Shown according to
[0068] The assembling element 27 on a first end has the head piece 42, and on an end, which faces away from the first end or from the head piece 42, has a plurality of retaining portions 43, in this exemplary arrangement three retaining portions 43. The retaining portions 43 are configured as web-type protrusions and are disposed so as to be uniformly distributed on the circumference of the assembling element 27. In other words, the retaining portions project outward in the radial direction to a longitudinal axis of the assembling element 27.
[0069] The assembling element 27 furthermore has a first positioning mark 44. In this exemplary arrangement, the head piece 42 has the first positioning mark 44. In this exemplary arrangement, the first positioning mark 44 is configured in an end side of the head piece 42. The bearing element 14 has a second positioning mark 45. The second positioning mark 45 in this exemplary arrangement is disposed on a side that faces away from the side 32 according to
[0070] For introducing the assembling element 27 through the through opening 25 and through the axial play installation 21, which cannot be seen in more detail here, and the readjustment installation 17, the assembling element 27 according to
[0071] According to
[0072] While introducing the assembling element 27 in the context of
[0073] Thereafter, the assembling element 27 is rotated according to the arrow 47 according to
[0074] As a result, the retaining portions 43 according to
[0075] For assembling the device 2 in the housing 6 according to
[0076]
[0077] As opposed to the device 2 according to
[0078]
[0079] The bearing element 14 of the device 47 in this exemplary arrangement has a depression 23 which is configured as a hollow-cylindrical depression 23. The spring element 22, which here is configured as an annular spring washer, is disposed in the hollow-cylindrical depression 23. The spring element 22, configured as an annular spring washer, here is supported on a base area of the depression 23 and on the readjustment installation 17, or presently the disk 19, respectively.
[0080] The assembly module composed of the assembling element 48, the bearing element 14, the axial play installation 21 and the readjustment installation 17, is formed by the assembling element 48.
[0081]
[0082]
[0083]