Steering system and cross joint
AssigneeJtekt Corporation
InventorTakeshi Koyama
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a steering system that includes: an intermediate shaft on a steering wheel side; a pinion shaft on a steered wheel side; and a cross joint by which the intermediate shaft and the pinion shaft are rotatably connected to each other on a plane intersecting with each of the shafts, and that steers steered wheels by transmitting steering torque of a steering wheel from the intermediate shaft to the pinion shaft, a weakened portion is formed in a joint spider of the cross joint. The weakened portion can be identified in advance as a portion that breaks first. This makes it possible to realize a failure mode in which a vehicle is able to run by itself for a certain period of time after a failure.
Claims11
A steering system that includes:
- a first torque transmission member on a steering wheel side;
- a second torque transmission member on a steered wheel side;
- and
- a cross joint by which the first torque transmission member and the second torque transmission member are rotatably connected to each other on a plane intersecting with each of the torque transmission members, and that steers steered wheels by transmitting steering torque of a steering wheel from the first torque transmission member to the second torque transmission member, wherein:
- a joint spider of the cross joint comprises paired upstream-side shaft portions and paired downstream-side shaft portions, and
- a weakened portion is formed in only one of the paired upstream-side shaft portions and/or in only one of the paired downstream-side shaft portions of the joint spider of the cross joint.
A cross joint by which a first torque transmission member on a steering wheel side and a second torque transmission member on a steered wheel side are rotatably connected to each other on a plane intersecting with each of the torque transmission members, wherein:
- a joint spider of the cross joint comprises paired upstream-side shaft portions and paired downstream-side shaft portions, and
- a weakened portion is formed in only one of the paired upstream-side shaft portions and/or in only one of the paired downstream-side shaft portions of the join spider of the cross joint.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.