A steering system for a vehicle

Abstract: The steering system for use in an automotive vehicle includes a pinion gear (38) operatively connected to a steering wheel (14), an elongate rack member (32) meshingly engaging the steering pinion gear (38) and operative to move reciprocally in response to rotation of the steering wheel (14), a rack housing (28) reciprocally supporting the rack member (32)and a tie rod (24,26) connected to the road wheel (20,22) of the vehicle. The system further includes a lever means (46), such as an articulated link, pivotally mounted to the rack housing (28) and directly drivingly engageable with the tie rod (24,26) to effect reciprocal movement thereof in response to reciprocal movement of the rack member. In another embodiment, a spur gear is interposed between gear teeth disposed on the rack member and on the tie rod so that reciprocal movement of the rack member rotates the pinion gear resulting in simultaneous reciprocal movement of the tie rod.

Description: The present invention relates generally to an automotive steering system having a steering gear assembly connected to tie rods associated with the road wheels of the vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to an automotive steering system wherein the tie rods of the system are generally offset from the rack member of the steering gear. With the advent of front wheel drive vehicles, smaller vehicles and various engine designs, the amount of space in the front end of an automotive vehicle is limited. It is becoming increasingly difficult to design vehicle bodies and engine compartments so that one vehicle component does not interfere with the placement and/or operation of another component. For example, the preferred location of a tie rod connected to a steerable wheel is approximately in the centre of the lower "A" arm of the vehicle body to give the tie rod optimal room to move during jounce and rebound movement of the wheel. In this way, jarring impact of the tie rod against the vehicle frame can be avoided. However, it is often difficult to achieve this design due to the location of other vehicle components such as the starter, transmission and the like. Given the ever crowding conditions present in the front end of vehicles today, it is becoming increasingly difficult to place the steering gear assembly in the vehicle to achieve the above goal. One solution to this problem is proposed in U.S. Patent No. 4,887,683. The '683 patent utilises a "bridge member" fastened below the rack member which moves reciprocally as the rack reciprocates in response to turning of the vehicle steering wheel. One end of each tie rod is connected to the bridge member so that as the bridge member reciprocates, the wheels turn. Although not disclosed as a solution to the above problem, the '683 system could be utilised to design the steering gear around other vehicle components located within the front end of the vehicle. DE-A-3,434,637 discloses a steering system for a vehicle which comprises a pinion gear operatively connected to a steering wheel, an elongated rack member meshingly engaging said pinion gear and reciprocally movable in response to rotation of said steering wheel, a rack housing for supporting said rack member and a tie rod operatively associated with said rack member and a road wheel of a vehicle. GB-A-2,001,409 discloses a gear assembly which includes two parallel racks bars which are longitudinally displaceable relative to a housing and have respective racks engaging the teeth of an idler gear wheel disposed to extend laterally between the rack bars. The gear wheel is mounted for rotation about an eccentric axis which axis is movable laterally relative to the housing as the gear wheel rotates while such gear wheel maintains engagement with the rack bars to effect longitudinal displacement of one rack bar as a result of longitudinal displacement of the other rack bar. FR-A-2 591 986 describes a steering system for use in a vehicle, comprising a pinion gear operatively connected to a steering wheel through a linkage, an elongate rack member in meshing engagement with said pinion gear and operative to reciprocate in response to rotation of said steering wheel, a rack housing for supporting said rack member for reciprocal movement therein, a tie rod operatively associated with a road wheel of said vehicle, and a pivoted link connecting the rack member to said tie rod to effect reciprocal movement of the tie rod in response to reciprocal movement of said rack member. In this steering system according to the preamble of claim 1, a complex linkage is used to connect the pivoted link to the rack member. In particular, the link is pivoted on body of the vehicle and its end remote from the tie rod is connected to a bar that is mounted on the vehicle body for sliding movement parallel to the rack member. A still further linkage is used to connect the bar to the rack member. The present invention is concerned with the problem of placing the steering gear in the vehicle in a location to maximise the available space for the tie rod by providing a steering system wherein the tie rods are offset from the steering gear. According to the invention, there is provided a steering system for use in a vehicle, comprising a pinion gear operatively connected to a steering wheel through a linkage, an elongate rack member in meshing engagement with said pinion gear and operative to reciprocate in response to rotation of said steering wheel, a rack housing for supporting said rack member for reciprocal movement therein, a tie rod operatively associated with a road wheel of said vehicle, and a pivoted link connecting the rack member to said tie rod to effect reciprocal movement of the tie rod in response to reciprocal movement of said rack member, characterised in that the pivoted link is pivotably connected to said rack housing, said rack member and said tie rod. The invention differs from FR-A-2 591 986 in that the pivoted link is directly pivoted both to the rack housing and to the rack member. Therefore, the link may be assembled in the vehicle as part of the steering rack and requires to further fixings on the vehicle body. Apart from such ease of assembly, the system of the invention also uses fewer components in the linkage between the rack member and the tie rod and this makes for reduced cost and easier maintenance. For example, the bearing supporting the slidable bar in FR-A- 2 591 986 is itself prone to wear and if it should permit transverse movement of the bar then it would introduce unacceptable free play into the steering system. The pivoted link in the present invention may be pivotably connected to the rack member at a point disposed between the rack housing and the tie rod. Alternatively, the link may be pivotably connected to the rack housing at a point disposed between the rack member and the tie rod. The link in the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a Y-shaped member having at least one bushing disposed between the arms of the Y-shaped member. The member includes at least three apertures for receiving fastening devices therethrough and about which the linkage pivots. At least one of these apertures is slotted to prevent binding of the link during operation. The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Figure 1 is a plan view of an automotive vehicle employing a steering system of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the front end of the vehicle of Figure 1. Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the steering gear assembly of Figure 2 structured in accord with the principles of the present invention. Figure 4 is a side elevational view of a portion of the steering gear of Figure 3. Figure 5 is a front elevational view of Figure 4 taken along line 5-5, and Figure 6 is a side elevational view of a portion of a second embodiment of a steering gear structured in accord with the principles of the present invention. Referring now to the drawings, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a vehicle 10 includes a steering system 12 having a steering wheel 14 and a steering column assembly 16. The steering system 12 further includes a steering gear 18 connected to the steerable road wheels 20, 22 by a pair of tie rods 24, 26. The steering gear assembly 18 is of a known type and includes a rack housing 28 connected to the vehicle frame or body 30. The vehicle 10 has longitudinal central axis as shown by line 2 in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 3, an elongated rack member 32 is located in the rack housing 28 and reciprocates therein in a direction generally perpendicular to longitudinal central axis of the vehicle. The rack member 32 includes a plurality of rack gear teeth 34 which meshingly engage a steering pinion gear 38. The steering pinion gear 38 is housed in pinion housing 36 and is connected to the steering wheel 14 through a connecting link. The pinion gear 38 meshingly engages the rack teeth 34 formed upon rack member 32. Upon relative rotation of the steering wheel 14 and the pinion gear 38, the rack member 32 reciprocates axially within the rack housing 28. For ease and clarity of description, the present invention will being described solely with reference to one side of the steering gear assembly. It is to be understood that the present invention may also be employed on both ends of the rack member 32 of steering gear 18. At an axial end 40 of steering gear assembly 18, the rack housing 28 includes an extension 47 having a projecting arm member 46 extending therefrom. Arm member 46 may be formed integrally with extension 47 during the fabrication of rack housing 28 and extension 47 or may secured thereto by any of a number of joining processes, such as welding or brasing. An end 42 of the rack member 32 extends through an aperture disposed at an axial end of rack housing extension 47. The axial end 42 of the rack member 32 is connected to the tie rod 24 by a lever means, such as shown by an articulated link 44 in Figures 3-5. Articulated link 44 pivotally interconnects the end 42 of rack member 32 to the tie rod 24 at three pivot points 48, 50, 52. The link 44 is pivotally connected to tie rod 24 at pivot point 52 and pivotally connected to the arm member 46 of extension 47 at pivot point 48. In the embodiment shown in Figures 3-5, the link 44 is pivotally connected to rack 32 at a point 50 on link 44 disposed between the pivot connection 48 and the pivot connection 52. In this manner, reciprocal movement of rack 32 causes link 44 to pivot, resulting in simultaneous reciprocal movement of tie rod 24 and movement of the steerable road wheels 20, 22. As can be seen in Figure 4, this embodiment is preferred when it becomes necessary to place the steering pinion gear 38 on top of the rack member 32 to allow the wheels 20, 22 to be turned in the same direction as the steering wheel. Furthermore, the amount of longitudinal movement of tie rod 24 depends on the relative lengths of the link 44 between pivot points 48 and 50 and pivot points 50 and 52. If the length between points 48 and 50 is equal to the length between points 50 and 52, the amount of longitudinal movement of tie rod 24 will be double the amount of longitudinal movement of rack member 32. For example, one inch of travel travel of rack member 32 results in two inches of travel of tie rod 24. As will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, mechanical adjustment of the lengths of the link 44 between the pivots points and the location of the pivot points determines the magnitude of movement of the tie rod relative to the rack member. Varying the lengths of link 44 between the pivot points allows flexibility in placing the steering gear in different locations within the vehicle to design around other vehicle components. As shown in Figure 5, the link 44 comprises a Y-shaped member pivotally connecting the rack member 32 to tie rod clevis 68 at points 48, 50 and 52. Interposed between the arms 55 and 56 of the Y-shaped link 44 are an upper bushing 58 and an intermediate bushing 60. Fastening devices (not shown) pass through apertures 62, 65 to secure the link 44 to the rack housing and clevis 68. A third aperture 64 is a slotted aperture at pivot point 50 for receiving a tab 66 disposed on the end of rack member 42. The tab slides axially within slotted aperture 64 to prevent binding of the assembly during reciprocal movements of the rack member 32 and tie rod 24. The tie rod 24 is connected to the articulated link at pivot point 52 by means of clevis 68. A fastening device, such as a threaded rod fastener (not shown) passes through each side of the clevis 68 and through aperture 65 to pivotally fasten tie rod 24 to articulated link 44. It should readily be apparent to one skilled in the art that tie rod may be fastened to link 44 in various other known methods. For example, tie rod 24 may be interposed between a pair of separate, individual side plates and secured therein by means of a threaded rod fastener. In this manner, the longitudinal movement of the tie rod 24 is generally parallel to but offset from the longitudinal movement of the rack member 32. In this way, should it be necessary for the tie rod to be offset from the steering gear due to structural components of the vehicle frame or the design locations of other vehicle components, such as a transmission, it will be possible to steer the road wheels by having the tie rods be offset from the steering gear assembly. As a result, a single steering gear assembly may be used in a variety of vehicle configurations with the tie rod being offset from the steering gear rack member by an articulated link of varying configurations. Figure 6 shows an alternative embodiment of a lever means of the present invention, structured similarly to that shown in Figures 3-5 and for use with a steering gear 18 as described above. In Figure 6, the steering pinion is disposed on the opposite side of the rack member as that shown in Figure 4. As before, link 144 pivotally interconnects the tie rod to the rack member so that reciprocal movement of the rack member results in the simultaneous reciprocal movement of the tie rod. To insure that road wheels 20, 22 turn in the same direction as the rotation of the steering wheel of the vehicle, it is necessary to pivotally connect the end 42 of the rack member at pivot point 148 of link 144. Link 144 pivotally connects the tie rod at point 152, arm member 46 of rack housing extension 47 at point 150 and rack member 42 at point 148. The construction of link 144 is generally similar to that described above in Figure 5 for link 44 so a detailed description of link 144 is not necessary. However, the amount of longitudinal movement of the tie rod depends on the relative lengths of the link 144 between pivot points 148 and 150 and pivot points 150 and 152. If the length between points 148 and 150 is equal to the length between points 150 and 152, the amount of longitudinal movement of the tie rod will be equal to the amount of longitudinal movement of the rack member. For example, one inch of travel of the rack member results in one inch of travel of the tie rod. Again, mechanical adjustment of the lengths of the link 44 between the pivots points and the location of the pivot points determines the magnitude of movement of the tie rod relative to the rack member. In light of the foregoing, it should be apparent that many variations are possible within the scope of the claims. For example, the present invention may be used on a steering gear used to steer the rear wheels of a vehicle.

Claims: A steering system for use in a vehicle, comprising a pinion gear (38) operatively connected to a steering wheel (14) through a linkage, an elongate rack member (32) in meshing engagement with said pinion gear (38) and operative to reciprocate in response to rotation of said steering wheel (14), a rack housing (28) for supporting said rack member for reciprocal movement therein, a tie rod (24,26) operatively associated with a road wheel (2O,22) of said vehicle, and a pivoted link (44) connecting the rack member (32) to said tie rod (24,26) to effect reciprocal movement of the tie rod (24,26) in response to reciprocal movement of said rack member (32), characterised in that the pivoted link (44) is pivotably connected to said rack housing (28), said rack member (32) and said tie rod (24,26). A steering system according to Claim 1, wherein said link (44) is pivotably connected to said rack member (32) at a point disposed between said rack housing (28) and said tie rod (24,26). A steering system according to Claim 1, wherein said link (44) is pivotably connected to said rack housing (28) at a point disposed between said rack member (32) and said tie rod (24,26). A steering system according to Claim 1, wherein said link (44) comprises a member that is bifurcated at one end and includes at least three apertures (62,64,65) therein, each of said at least three apertures defining a pivotal connection point of said link (44) to said rack housing (28), said rack member (32) and said tie rod (24,26). A steering system according to Claim 4, wherein at least one of said at least three apertures (62,64,65) is formed as an elongate slot.

Inventors: HOLKA THOMAS C, HOLKA, THOMAS C.
Applicants: FORD FRANCE, FORD MOTOR CO, FORD WERKE AG, FORD FRANCE S. A., FORD MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED, FORD-WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B62D3
IPC codes: B62D3