Steering gear and pressing block thereof

Abstract

The steering gear and the pressing block thereof comprise a body, the body is provided with a first abutting end used for abutting against a rack and a second abutting end used for abutting against a pressing block plug, an air hole is formed in the body, and the air hole penetrates through the first abutting end and the second abutting end. A pressing block, a pressing block plug and a spring between the pressing block and the pressing block plug in the steering gear are used for adjusting a gap between a gear shaft and a rack, an air hole is formed in the pressing block, when the air tightness in the steering gear is detected, air in a whole sealing cavity is pumped to a negative pressure state through the air hole, and pressure changes in all processes are detected through equipment; therefore, air leakage in the steering gear shell can be judged, and additional punching on the shell can be avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of automobile steering, in particular to a steering gear and a pressing block thereof. Background Art

[0002] The automotive rack electric steering system (REPS) assists the driver in steering operations through electric power assistance. Compared with the traditional hydraulic power assistance system, this system has many advantages, including reducing engine load, improving fuel economy, improving road feel, extending service life, and requiring less space. This mechanism changes the position of the screw rotation limit, enhances the torsion limit strength, and enhances the safety factor. As an important component of the automobile, the air tightness test of the REPS steering gear is also an indispensable and important test. The air tightness test mainly refers to the test of the sealing performance of automobile parts to ensure that there will be no gas leakage or penetration, which will affect the performance and reliability of the automobile. The quality of the air tightness will be directly related to the overall performance and safety of the vehicle.

[0003] At present, we mainly use the negative pressure air tightness test method to test the REPS steering gear before leaving the factory. The conventional practice is to open an air extraction hole on the steering gear housing in advance, then place the test piece on the tooling of the testing instrument, open the plug on the air extraction hole, and use the instrument to evacuate the sealed cavity of the tested product to the target negative pressure value (the steering gear gear sealing part should withstand a pressure of -(50±5) kPa (vacuum degree)), and detect the pressure changes at each stage of the air extraction process to determine whether the product is leaking. However, the steering gear housing is easily squeezed and deformed by the tool when the hole is opened, and the overall aesthetics of the steering gear housing is affected. Summary of the invention

[0004] In response to the above technical problems, the present invention proposes a steering gear and a pressing block thereof. An air hole is provided on the pressing block. When the internal air tightness of the steering gear needs to be tested, the air in the entire sealed cavity is evacuated to a negative pressure state through the air hole, avoiding additional holes in the shell.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: a pressure block for a steering gear, comprising a main body, the main body having a first abutting end for abutting against a rack and a second abutting end for abutting against a pressure block plug, an air hole being provided inside the main body, the air hole passing through the first abutting end and the second abutting end.

[0006] Optionally, the first abutment end includes an arc segment and straight segments located on both sides of the arc segment, the second abutment end is provided with a first groove for accommodating a spring, the air inlet of the air hole is provided at the straight segment, the air outlet of the air hole is provided at the bottom of the first groove, and the air inlet and air outlet of the air hole are both deviated from the axial direction of the main body.

[0007] The present invention also discloses a steering gear, comprising a gear shaft, a rack, a pressure block plug, a spring and the pressure block for the steering gear mentioned above, one side of the rack is meshed with the gear shaft, the other side of the rack abuts against the first abutting end, one end of the spring abuts against the second abutting end, and the other end of the spring abuts against the pressure block plug.

[0008] Optionally, the second abutting end is provided with a first groove, and the pressure block plug is provided with a second groove, and the first groove and the second groove are correspondingly arranged to form a cavity for accommodating the spring.

[0009] Optionally, the pressure block plug is provided with a through hole communicating with the second groove, and a sealing plug is installed in the through hole.

[0010] Optionally, a diameter of the through hole is smaller than a diameter of the second groove.

[0011] Optionally, it further includes a shell, the shell is provided with a first channel and a second channel connected to the first channel, the body and the pressure block plug are installed in the first channel, and the gear shaft is installed in the second channel.

[0012] Optionally, the body is slidably matched with the first channel, and the pressure block plug is threadably matched with the inner peripheral wall of the first channel.

[0013] Optionally, an O-ring is provided between the outer peripheral wall of the main body and the inner peripheral wall of the first channel, and the outer peripheral wall of the main body is provided with an annular groove matching with the O-ring.

[0014] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the pressure block, the pressure block plug and the spring between the pressure block and the pressure block plug in the steering gear are used to adjust the gap between the gear shaft and the rack. An air hole is provided on the pressure block. When detecting the air tightness inside the steering gear, the air in the entire sealed cavity is evacuated to a negative pressure state through the air hole. The pressure changes in each process are detected by the equipment to determine whether there is air leakage inside the steering gear housing, thereby avoiding additional drilling of holes in the housing. The arc segment of the first abutting end abuts against the rack, and the straight segment of the first abutting end is located between the rack and the housing. The air inlet of the air hole is provided in the straight segment, thereby avoiding the air inlet of the air hole from being blocked. At the same time, it also avoids the air hole from affecting the gap adjustment between the gear shaft and the rack. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a pressure block for a steering gear provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a steering device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] The marks in the drawings are: 1. main body; 11. first abutment end; 111. arc segment; 112. straight segment; 12. second abutment end; 121. first groove; 13. air hole; 14. annular groove; 2. gear shaft; 3. rack; 4. pressure block plug; 41. second groove; 42. through hole; 5. spring; 6. housing; 7. O-ring; 8. nut. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0018] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment discloses a pressure block for a steering gear, including a body 1, wherein the body 1 has a first abutting end 11 for abutting against a rack 3 and a second abutting end 12 for abutting against a pressure block plug 4, and an air hole 13 is provided inside the body 1, and the air hole 13 runs through the first abutting end 11 and the second abutting end 12. The pressure block, the pressure block plug 4 and the spring 5 between the pressure block and the pressure block plug 4 in the steering gear are used to adjust the gap between the gear shaft 2 and the rack 3. The pressure block is provided with an air hole 13. When detecting the air tightness inside the steering gear, the entire sealed cavity is evacuated to a negative pressure state through the air hole 13, and the pressure changes in each process are detected by the equipment to determine whether there is leakage inside the steering gear housing 6, thereby avoiding additional holes in the housing 6.

[0019] like Figure 1 As shown, the first abutting end 11 includes an arc segment 111 and straight segments 112 located on both sides of the arc segment 111, and the second abutting end 12 is provided with a first groove 121 for accommodating the spring 5, the air inlet of the air hole 13 is arranged at the straight segment 112, and the air outlet of the air hole 13 is arranged at the bottom of the first groove 121, and the air inlet and the air outlet are both deviated from the axial direction of the pressing block body. The arc segment 111 of the first abutting end 11 abuts against the rack 3, and the straight segment 112 of the first abutting end 11 is located between the rack 3 and the housing 6, and the air inlet of the air hole 13 is arranged at the straight segment 112, so as to avoid the air inlet of the air hole 13 being blocked. At the same time, it also avoids the air hole 13 from affecting the clearance adjustment between the gear shaft 2 and the rack 3.

[0020] like Figure 2As shown, the present invention also provides a steering gear, including a gear shaft 2, a rack 3, a pressure block plug 4, a spring 5 and a pressure block for the steering gear, one side of the rack 3 is meshed with the gear shaft 2, the other side of the rack 3 is mutually abutted with the first abutting end 11, one end of the spring 5 is abutted against the second abutting end 12, and the other end of the spring 5 is abutted against the pressure block plug 4. The second abutting end 12 is provided with a first groove 121, and the pressure block plug 4 is provided with a second groove 41, and the first groove 121 and the second groove 41 are correspondingly arranged to form a cavity for accommodating the spring 5. The pressure block plug 4 is provided with a through hole 42 connected to the second groove 41, and a sealing plug is installed in the through hole 42. When air tightness detection is required, the sealing plug is opened, and air is evacuated from the inside of the steering gear housing 6 through the air hole 13. The diameter of the through hole 42 is smaller than the diameter of the second groove 41.

[0021] like Figure 2 As shown, it also includes a shell 6, the shell 6 is provided with a first channel and a second channel connected to the first channel, the body 1 and the pressure block plug 4 are installed in the first channel, and the gear shaft 2 is installed in the second channel. The body 1 is slidably matched with the first channel, and the pressure block plug 4 is matched with the inner wall of the first channel through a thread. The first channel is provided with an internal thread, the pressure block plug 4 is provided with an external thread matched with the internal thread, and a nut 8 is also provided on the top of the pressure block plug 4, which plays the role of pressing the pressure block plug 4. The pressure block plug 4 is tightly connected to the shell 6, and the body 1 is pressed by adjusting the spring 5, so as to adjust the meshing clearance between the gear shaft 2 and the rack 3. An O-ring 7 is provided between the outer peripheral wall of the body 1 and the inner peripheral wall of the first channel, and an annular groove 14 matched with the O-ring 7 is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the body 1. The number of O-rings can be multiple to avoid abnormal noise caused by metal collision between the two.

[0022] It is understandable that the specific embodiments described above are only used to explain the relevant inventions, rather than to limit the inventions. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts related to the invention are shown in the drawings. Multiple technical solutions in the same embodiment, as well as multiple technical solutions in different embodiments, can be arranged and combined to form new technical solutions without contradictions or conflicts. All equivalent structural transformations made using the contents of the specification and drawings of the present invention, directly or indirectly used in other related technical fields, are similarly included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pressure block for a steering gear, characterized in that: The utility model comprises a body, wherein the body has a first abutting end for abutting against a rack and a second abutting end for abutting against a pressure block plug, and an air hole is arranged inside the body, and the air hole runs through the first abutting end and the second abutting end.

2. The pressure block for a steering gear according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first abutting end includes an arc segment and straight segments located on both sides of the arc segment, the second abutting end is provided with a first groove for accommodating a spring, the air inlet of the air hole is provided at the straight segment, the air outlet of the air hole is provided at the bottom of the first groove, and the air inlet and air outlet of the air hole are both deviated from the axial direction of the main body.

3. A steering gear, characterized in that: It comprises a gear shaft, a rack, a pressure block plug, a spring and the pressure block for the steering gear as claimed in claim 1 or 2, one side of the rack is meshed with the gear shaft, the other side of the rack abuts against the first abutting end, one end of the spring abuts against the second abutting end, and the other end of the spring abuts against the pressure block plug.

4. The steering gear according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second abutting end is provided with a first groove, and the pressure block plug is provided with a second groove. The first groove and the second groove are correspondingly arranged to form a cavity for accommodating the spring.

5. The steering gear according to claim 4, characterized in that: The pressing block plug is provided with a through hole communicating with the second groove, and a sealing plug is installed in the through hole.

6. The steering gear according to claim 5, characterized in that: A diameter of the through hole is smaller than a diameter of the second groove.

7. The steering gear according to claim 3, characterized in that: It also includes a shell, the shell is provided with a first channel and a second channel connected to the first channel, the body and the pressure block plug are installed in the first channel, and the gear shaft is installed in the second channel.

8. The steering gear according to claim 7, characterized in that: The body is slidably matched with the first channel, and the pressing block plug is threadably matched with the inner peripheral wall of the first channel.

9. The steering gear according to claim 7, characterized in that: An O-ring is arranged between the outer peripheral wall of the body and the inner peripheral wall of the first channel, and an annular groove matching with the O-ring is arranged on the outer peripheral wall of the body.

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