US3810399A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Steering gear assembly
Assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
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Filing: 1973-02-22
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Granted: 1974-05-14
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Expires: 1993-02-22
Abstract
Abstract A steering gear assembly of the type adapted for automobile application and including a housing, a worm shaft rotatably supported on the housing, a rack nut disposed in the worm shaft for bodily shiftable movement in response to rotation of the worm shaft, a plurality of straight rack teeth on the rack nut, a pitman shaft rotatably supported on the housing and having a sector portion with a plurality of straight gear teeth, the roots of which are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pitman shaft, and a torsion spring disposed between the rack nut and the housing, the torsion spring functioning to bias the rack nut toward a no-lash position wherein the rack teeth are disposed at an angle relative to the gear teeth so that the former wedgingly engage the latter to eliminate lash therebetween. The gear teeth generate a reaction force on the rack teeth during periods of force transfer therebetween which reaction force rotates the rack nut against the spring bias until the area of contact between the teeth is maximized.
Inventors
- 👤 F Schluckebier
- 👤 R Harkrader
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 21:28
CPC Classifications
B; B62; B62D; B62D5/00; B62D5/06; B62D5/20; B62D5/24; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T74/00; Y10T74/19; Y10T74/19623; Y10T74/19642; Y10T74/1967
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim
226 words
In a steering gear assembly of the type including a housing, a worm shaft disposed on said housing for rotation about a first axis of the latter, rack nut means disposed on said worm shaft for bodily shiftable movement along said first axis in response to rotation of said worm shaft and defining a plurality of straight rack teeth, and a sector member disposed on said housing for pivotal movement about a second axis of the latter having a plurality of straight gear teeth the roots of which extend parallel to said second axis, said gear teeth being adapted for meshing engagement on said rack teeth so that bodily shiftable movement of said rack nut means effects concurrent pivotal movement of said sector member, the improvement comprising, spring means associated with said rack teeth adapted for biasing said rack teeth toward a no-lash position wherein said rack teeth are angularly displaced relative to said gear teeth so that under conditions of zero force transfer between the former and the latter said rack teeth wedgingly engage said gear teeth thereby to eliminate lash therebetween, said gear teeth effecting angular movement of said rack teeth against the bias of said spring means during periods of force transfer between said rack teeth and said gear teeth to a position maximizing the contact area between the former and the latter.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
226 words
In a steering gear assembly of the type including a housing, a worm shaft disposed on said housing for rotation about a first axis of the latter, rack nut means disposed on said worm shaft for bodily shiftable movement along said first axis in response to rotation of said worm shaft and defining a plurality of straight rack teeth, and a sector member disposed on said housing for pivotal movement about a second axis of the latter having a plurality of straight gear teeth the roots of which extend parallel to said second axis, said gear teeth being adapted for meshing engagement on said rack teeth so that bodily shiftable movement of said rack nut means effects concurrent pivotal movement of said sector member, the improvement comprising, spring means associated with said rack teeth adapted for biasing said rack teeth toward a no-lash position wherein said rack teeth are angularly displaced relative to said gear teeth so that under conditions of zero force transfer between the former and the latter said rack teeth wedgingly engage said gear teeth thereby to eliminate lash therebetween, said gear teeth effecting angular movement of said rack teeth against the bias of said spring means during periods of force transfer between said rack teeth and said gear teeth to a position maximizing the contact area between the former and the latter.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
242 words
In a steering gear assembly of the type including a housing, a worm shaft disposed on said housing for rotation about a first axis of the latter, rack nut means disposed on said worm shaft for limited angular displacement aboUt said first axis and for bodily shiftable movement along said first axis in response to rotation of said worm shaft, means on said rack nut defining a plurality of straight rack teeth, and a sector member disposed in said housing for pivotal movement about a second axis of the latter having a plurality of straight gear teeth the roots of which extend parallel to said second axis, said gear teeth being adapted for meshing engagement on said rack teeth so that bodily shiftable movement of said rack nut means effects concurrent pivotal movement of said sector member, the improvement comprising, spring means disposed between said rack nut and said housing adapted for biasing said rack nut toward a no-lash position wherein said rack teeth are angularly disposed relative to said gear teeth so that under conditions of zero force transfer between said gear and said rack teeth the latter wedgingly engage the former thereby to eliminate lash therebetween, said gear teeth effecting angular displacement of said rack nut means against the bias of said spring means during periods of force transfer between said rack teeth and said gear teeth to a position maximizing the contact area between the former and the latter.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
242 words
In a steering gear assembly of the type including a housing, a worm shaft disposed on said housing for rotation about a first axis of the latter, rack nut means disposed on said worm shaft for limited angular displacement aboUt said first axis and for bodily shiftable movement along said first axis in response to rotation of said worm shaft, means on said rack nut defining a plurality of straight rack teeth, and a sector member disposed in said housing for pivotal movement about a second axis of the latter having a plurality of straight gear teeth the roots of which extend parallel to said second axis, said gear teeth being adapted for meshing engagement on said rack teeth so that bodily shiftable movement of said rack nut means effects concurrent pivotal movement of said sector member, the improvement comprising, spring means disposed between said rack nut and said housing adapted for biasing said rack nut toward a no-lash position wherein said rack teeth are angularly disposed relative to said gear teeth so that under conditions of zero force transfer between said gear and said rack teeth the latter wedgingly engage the former thereby to eliminate lash therebetween, said gear teeth effecting angular displacement of said rack nut means against the bias of said spring means during periods of force transfer between said rack teeth and said gear teeth to a position maximizing the contact area between the former and the latter.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
61 words
The improvement recited in claim 2 wherein said spring means is a coil torsion spring aligned on said first axis of said housing and anchored at one end on said housing and at the other end on said rack nut means, said coil torsion spring being compressible along said first axis for accommodating bodily shiftable movement of said rack nut means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-05-13 | 1977-11-12 | 1978-05-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-05-13 | 1981-11-12 | 1982-05-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-05-13 | 1985-11-12 | 1986-05-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |