Motor vehicle power steering gear

Abstract

A motor vehicle power steering gear including a housing, a spool shaft rotatably supported on the housing, a pinion head rotatably supported on the housing, a valve body rotatably supported on the spool shaft, and a universal joint between the valve body and the pinion head. The universal joint includes a ring-shaped spider, a first diametrically opposite pair of trunnions on the spider are slidable and rotatable in pair of sockets in the valve body, and a second diametrically opposite pair trunnions on the pinion head are slidable and rotatable in a pair of sockets in the spider. The trunnions and sockets permit relative translation between the valve body and pinion head in mutually perpendicular lateral directions in the plane of the spider and relative rotation about mutually perpendicular lateral centerlines in the plane of the ring to prevent binding between the valve body and the spool shaft. The trunnions and the sockets positively locate the valve body relative to the pinion head by preventing relative translation therebetween perpendicular to the plane of the spider, i.e., longitudinally, and transfer torque between the valve body and pinion head in lash-free fashion by preventing relative rotation therebetween about a longitudinal centerline perpendicular to the plane of the spider.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.