Patent ID: 6435050
Filing Date: 2002-08-20
Classification: B62D,F16C,F16H,Y10T

Abstract:
In a rack and pinion steering gear includinga steering gear housing, a rack bar traversing the steering gear housing having a plurality of flat rack gear teeth thereon and an elongated convex seat behind the flat rack gear teeth, a pinion gear supported on the steering gear housing for rotation about a pinion shaft axis of the steering gear housing having a plurality of helical pinion gear teeth thereon facing the flat rack gear teeth on the rack bar, a rack bearing supported on the steering gear housing on the opposite side of the rack bar from pinion gear for linear translation perpendicular to a longitudinal centerline of the rack bar and including a concave seat facing the elongated convex seat on the rack bar, a rack bearing spring between the steering gear housing and the rack bearing thrusting the concave seat on the rack bearing against the convex seat on the rack bar thereby to thrust together the pinion gear teeth and the rack gear teeth so that the rack bearing and the pinion gear cooperate in constituting a first omnidirectional slide bearing supporting the rack bar on the steering gear housing for linear translation in the direction of the longitudinal centerline of the rack bar concurrent with rotation of the pinion gear, and a bushing around the rack bar supported on the steering gear housing remote from the pinion gear and the rack bearing constituting a second omnidirectional slide bearing supporting the rack bar on the steering gear housing for linear translation in the direction of the longitudinal centerline of the rack bar, the improvement comprising: an outboard unidirectional slide bearing means on the steering gear housing on the opposite side of the first omnidirectional slide bearing from the second omnidirectional slide bearing operable to support the rack bar on the steering gear housing for linear translation in the direction of the longitudinal centerline of the rack bar and to thrust the rack bar parallel to the thrust direction of the rack bearing spring thereby to supplement the thrust of the rack bearing spring.