Patent ID: 7866436

Claim:
A steering apparatus for a motor vehicle, comprising: an input shaft interconnected to a steering member; an output shaft interconnected to steerable wheels; a differential mechanism for setting a transmission ratio from the input shaft to the output shaft by coaxially interconnecting the input shaft and the output shaft, the differential mechanism including a planet transmission mechanism, that has: a first sun element interconnected to the input shaft; a second sun element interconnected to the output shaft; a planet element engaged with both the first sun element and the second sun element so as to permit rotation transmission therebetween; and a carrier member for holding the planet element so as to permit rotation of the planet element and so as to permit revolution of the planet element around the first sun element and the second sun element; a torque controlling motor interconnected to the input shaft; and a transmission-ratio varying motor, interconnected to the differential mechanism, for driving the differential mechanism, and rotating and driving the carrier member; wherein at least one portion of the torque controlling motor and/or at least one portion of the transmission-ratio varying motor overlap one portion of the differential mechanism with respect to a direction along an axis of the input shaft, the torque controlling motor is arranged coaxially with the input shaft, the transmission-ratio varying motor is arranged coaxially with the differential mechanism; and an annular groove is defined on an inside of an outer cylinder portion of a rotor of the torque controlling motor, and a first end wall axially supporting one end of the planet element and one portion of the planet element are accommodated in the annular groove.