Intermediate shaft, steering mechanism and vehicle

Abstract

The invention provides an intermediate shaft, a steering mechanism and a vehicle, the intermediate shaft comprises a first shaft, a second shaft and a rolling piece, the second shaft is telescopically arranged on the outer side of the first shaft in a sleeving mode, and the rolling piece is arranged in a limiting cavity defined by the first shaft and the second shaft in a rolling mode and makes contact with the first shaft and the second shaft; the first shaft can be prevented from rotating relative to the second shaft; the section shape of the outer surface of the first shaft is matched with the section shape of the inner cavity of the second shaft, and the first shaft and the second shaft are polygonal or special-shaped so as to realize safety redundancy; thus, compared with an intermediate shaft of a spline structure, torque transmission between the first shaft and the second shaft is achieved through the rolling piece, the torque transmission effect is better, the controllability of a vehicle can be guaranteed, in addition, when the rolling piece is lost or damaged, interference occurs between the outer contour face of the first shaft and the inner contour face of the inner cavity of the second shaft, and the service life of the vehicle is prolonged. Therefore, the safety coefficient of the vehicle can be improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of vehicles, in particular to an intermediate shaft, a steering mechanism and a vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] The intermediate shaft is one of the main moving parts in the steering system of a vehicle, and the existing intermediate shafts mainly include an intermediate shaft matched through splines and a steel ball type intermediate shaft. However, the above two kinds of intermediate shafts do not have a safety redundancy function, and the safety factor is relatively low. SUMMARY

[0003] Therefore, the present application aims to provide an intermediate shaft with a safety redundancy structure, which can effectively improve the safety factor. Meanwhile, the present application also provides a steering mechanism comprising the intermediate shaft and a vehicle comprising the intermediate shaft or the steering mechanism.

[0004] In order to achieve the above purpose, the present application provides the following technical scheme:

[0005] An intermediate shaft, comprising:

[0006] a first shaft;

[0007] a second shaft movably sleeved outside the first shaft;

[0008] a rolling member arranged in a limiting cavity formed by the first shaft and the second shaft and in contact with the first shaft and the second shaft, and capable of blocking rotation of the first shaft relative to the second shaft;

[0009] wherein the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft and the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the second shaft are matched and are polygonal or special-shaped to realize safety redundancy.

[0010] Preferably, the outer surface of the first shaft is provided with a first sliding groove in the axial direction, the inner cavity of the second shaft is provided with a second sliding groove corresponding to the position of the first sliding groove, and the first sliding groove and the second sliding groove form the limiting cavity.

[0011] Preferably, the first sliding groove is provided with a plurality of groups, each group of the first sliding groove includes at least one first sliding groove, and the plurality of groups of first sliding grooves are uniformly arranged around the circumferential direction of the first shaft.

[0012] The second sliding groove is arranged one-to-one with the first sliding groove.

[0013] Preferably, it further comprises a retainer slidably arranged between the first shaft and the second shaft, comprising a plurality of limiting portions distributed in the axial direction.

[0014] A plurality of rolling elements are provided along the axial direction, and the plurality of limiting portions are used to limit the axial spacing between adjacent rolling elements.

[0015] Preferably, the retaining frame is sleeved on the first shaft, and a cross-sectional shape of the retaining frame matches a cross-sectional shape of an outer surface of the first shaft and a cross-sectional shape of an inner cavity of the second shaft.

[0016] Preferably, the first shaft is a hollow shaft.

[0017] Preferably, the first sliding groove is a groove formed by the inward concave side wall of the first shaft, and the second sliding groove is a groove formed by the outward convex side wall of the second shaft.

[0018] Preferably, the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the first shaft is consistent with the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft;

[0019] The cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the second shaft is consistent with the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the second shaft.

[0020] A steering mechanism comprises the above-mentioned intermediate shaft.

[0021] A vehicle comprises the above-mentioned intermediate shaft or steering mechanism.

[0022] It can be seen from the above technical solution that the intermediate shaft provided by the present invention has a steel ball anti-twisting structure. During the process of transmitting torque, the rolling elements between the first shaft and the second shaft will prevent relative rotation between the first shaft and the second shaft. Compared with the intermediate shaft with a spline structure, it has higher rigidity and thus higher torque transmission efficiency; in addition, the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft matches the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the second shaft, and is polygonal or irregular in shape to achieve safety redundancy. In this way, when the rolling element is lost or damaged, interference will occur between the outer contour surface of the first shaft and the inner contour surface of the inner cavity of the second shaft, thereby preventing the first shaft from rotating relative to the second shaft, so as to ensure torque transmission between the first shaft and the second shaft, thereby improving the safety factor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 Shown is a schematic structural diagram of an intermediate shaft provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 Shown Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the middle axis along the AA direction;

[0025] Figure 3 Shown is a schematic structural diagram of a second shaft provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 Shown Figure 3 An end view of the second shaft in FIG.

[0027] Figure 5 FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a first shaft provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 Shown Figure 5 An end view of the first shaft in FIG.

[0029] Figure 7 FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a retainer provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 8 Shown Figure 7 End view of the cage in FIG.

[0031] exist Figures 1-8 middle:

[0032] 1-first shaft, 2-second shaft, 3-cage, 4-rolling element;

[0033] 11- first chute;

[0034] 21- second chute;

[0035] 31-limiting portion, 32-main body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] First of all, it should be noted that the steering system in the present invention is applicable to the field of vehicle technology. While ensuring the torque transmission efficiency during vehicle steering, it also has a safety redundancy design, thereby effectively improving the safety factor of the vehicle.

[0038] like Figures 1-8As shown, the intermediate shaft provided by the present application comprises a first shaft 1, a second shaft 2 and a rolling member 4, wherein the second shaft 2 is movably sleeved outside the first shaft 1, that is, the second shaft 2 has an axially extending inner cavity, the first shaft 1 can extend into the inner cavity of the second shaft 2 and move along the extending direction of the inner cavity relative to the second shaft 2. The rolling member 4 is arranged in the limiting cavity surrounded by the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2 and is in contact with the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2, so that the rolling member 4 can block the rotation of the first shaft 1 relative to the second shaft 2 and change the sliding friction between the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2 into rolling friction, thereby reducing the resistance of the first shaft 1 moving along the axial direction relative to the second shaft 2. In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft 1 and the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2 are matched and are polygonal or special-shaped (the special-shaped refers to a polygonal structure composed of curved sides), so as to realize safety redundancy.

[0039] During the transmission of torque, the rolling member 4 between the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2 can prevent the relative rotation between the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2, compared with the intermediate shaft with spline structure, the intermediate shaft has higher rigidity and higher torque transmission efficiency; in addition, when the rolling member 4 is lost or damaged, the outer profile surface of the first shaft 1 and the inner profile surface of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2 will interfere with each other, thereby blocking the rotation of the first shaft 1 relative to the second shaft 2, so as to ensure the torque transmission between the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2, thereby improving the safety factor.

[0040] Alternatively, in some embodiments, the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft 1 and the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2 are both polygonal, for example, triangular, quadrangular or pentagonal. In specific implementation, the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft 1 and the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2 can be adaptively designed according to the size of the torque required to be transmitted by the intermediate shaft. In an exemplary embodiment, when the intermediate shaft needs to transmit larger torque, the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft 1 and the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2 are designed as triangular, so as to avoid that when the rolling member 4 is lost or damaged, the outer profile surface of the first shaft 1 and the inner profile surface of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2 cannot support the transmission of larger torque, thereby ensuring the effectiveness of the safety redundancy design.

[0041] In other embodiments, the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft 1 and the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2 are both special-shaped, for example, clover-shaped and the like. As in the last embodiment, in specific implementation, the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft 1 and the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2 can be adaptively designed according to the requirements, but it should be ensured that when the rolling member 4 is lost or damaged, the part of the outer profile surface of the first shaft 1 and the inner profile surface of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2 that interferes with each other should be able to ensure the normal transmission of torque, so as to meet the requirements of safety redundancy design.

[0042] In addition, as mentioned above, the rolling member 4 is arranged in the limiting cavity to prevent the first shaft 1 from rotating relative to the second shaft 2. It should be noted that the rolling member 4 and the limiting cavity can be arranged in the following manners.

[0043] Manner one

[0044] The limiting cavity is the gap between the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2, the rolling member 4 is a cylinder arranged in the gap, the side surface of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2 (i.e. the surface of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2 parallel to the axis of the second shaft 2) can at least contact the edges of the two end surfaces of the cylinder, and the cylinder can roll in the axial direction in the gap, i.e. the axis direction of the cylinder is parallel to the radial cross section of the second shaft 2 or the first shaft 1. In this way, the rolling surface of the cylinder (i.e. the side surface of the cylinder) can effectively prevent the first shaft 1 from rotating relative to the second shaft 2, thereby achieving torque transmission.

[0045] Manner two

[0046] Different from the above-mentioned manner one, the limiting groove is arranged on the outer surface of the first shaft 1 or the side surface of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2, and when the limiting groove is arranged on the outer surface of the first shaft 1, the limiting cavity is surrounded by the limiting groove and the side surface of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2, and when the limiting groove is arranged on the side surface of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2, the limiting cavity is surrounded by the limiting groove and the outer surface of the first shaft 1. Compared with the manner one, the rolling member 4 is arranged in the limiting cavity to reduce the distance between the limiting surface of the first shaft 1 and the limiting surface of the second shaft 2 (the limiting surface of the first shaft 1 refers to the area of the outer surface of the first shaft 1 for preventing the second shaft 2 from rotating relative to the first shaft 1 when the rolling member 4 is lost or damaged; the limiting surface of the second shaft 2 refers to the area of the side surface of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2 for preventing the first shaft 1 from rotating relative to the second shaft 2 when the rolling member 4 is lost or damaged. For example, when the limiting groove is arranged on the outer surface of the first shaft 1, the limiting surface of the first shaft 1 can be the area of the outer surface of the first shaft 1 except the limiting groove, and the limiting surface of the second shaft 2 is the area opposite to the limiting surface of the first shaft 1 in the assembled state), thereby reducing the distance between the limiting surface of the first shaft 1 and the limiting surface of the second shaft 2, and the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2 can produce smaller relative rotation when the rolling member 4 is lost or damaged, thereby improving the controllability of the vehicle. In addition, the limiting groove can limit the rolling member 4 in the radial direction, thereby reducing the failure rate of the intermediate shaft. Of course, to ensure that the rolling member 4 can prevent the first shaft 1 from rotating relative to the second shaft 2, the rolling member 4 in this manner also needs to be a cylinder, and the axis direction of the cylinder needs to be parallel to the radial cross section of the second shaft 2 or the first shaft 1.

[0047] Manner three

[0048] Different from the above-mentioned mode one and mode two, the mode three is provided with the first sliding groove 11 on the surface of the first shaft 1 along the axial direction, the second sliding groove 21 is provided on the inner cavity of the second shaft 2 corresponding to the position of the first sliding groove 11, and the limiting cavity is surrounded by the first sliding groove 11 and the second sliding groove 21; compared with the above-mentioned two implementation modes, the implementation mode not only can reduce the distance between the limiting surface of the first shaft 1 and the limiting surface of the second shaft 2 (the reason is the same as that of mode two, which will not be repeated here), but also can set the rotating member as a steel ball, so that the resistance of the first shaft 1 relative to the second shaft 2 along the axial direction can be further reduced, and the controllability of the vehicle steering system is improved, and the failure rate of the intermediate shaft is further reduced.

[0049] Further, on the basis of the first sliding groove 11 and the second sliding groove 21, in order to improve the effect of torque transmission, in some preferred embodiments, a plurality of groups of first sliding grooves 11 are provided, each group of first sliding grooves 11 includes at least one first sliding groove 11, and the plurality of groups of first sliding grooves 11 are arranged uniformly around the circumference of the first shaft 1, and correspondingly, the arrangement position and the number of the second sliding grooves 21 are adaptively modified according to the first sliding grooves, and it should be ensured that the second sliding grooves 21 are arranged one by one with the first sliding grooves 11; in this way, by arranging a plurality of groups of first sliding grooves 11 around the circumference of the first shaft 1, the contact area of the rolling member 4 with the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2 can be effectively improved, and the torque transmission capacity can be improved; in addition, the uniform arrangement of the plurality of groups of first sliding grooves 11 can reduce the vibration of the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2 during the torque transmission process, and the stability of the torque transmission can be improved.

[0050] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft 1 is triangular, that is, the first shaft 1 is a triangular prism, and a group of first sliding grooves 11 is arranged at the middle position of each side of the triangular prism-shaped first shaft 1, and each group of first sliding grooves 11 includes a first sliding groove 11; correspondingly, as shown in Figure 3 , the second sliding groove 21 is arranged on the side of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2 corresponding to the position of the first sliding groove 11, and the second sliding groove 21 is arranged one by one with the first sliding groove 11, and in the torque transmission process, the rolling member 4 abuts against the side wall of the first sliding groove 11 and the second sliding groove 21, thereby preventing the relative rotation between the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2.

[0051] It should be noted that in the present embodiment, each group of first sliding grooves 11 is provided with only one first sliding groove 11, but in specific implementation, the number of first sliding grooves 11 in each group of first sliding grooves 11 can be adaptively adjusted as needed, for example, each group of first sliding grooves 11 can include two or three first sliding grooves 11.

[0052] It should be noted that the above embodiment is only an example of the first shaft 1 outer surface cross-sectional shape as a triangle to exemplarily illustrate the setting mode of the first chute 11, but the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto, for example, the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft 1 can also be a quadrilateral, a pentagon or a special shape as described above.

[0053] In addition, as shown in Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 7 , in some preferred embodiments, a retainer 3 is further provided between the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2, specifically, the retainer 3 is slidably arranged between the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2, and includes a plurality of limiting portions 31 distributed in the axial direction; a plurality of rolling members 4 are arranged in the axial direction, and the plurality of limiting portions 31 are used to limit the axial spacing of adjacent rolling members 4. In this way, not only can the assembly difficulty of the intermediate shaft be effectively reduced, but also the setting position of the rolling member 4 is restricted by the retainer 3 during use, so that interference between adjacent rolling members 4 can be avoided, thereby effectively reducing the failure rate of the intermediate shaft and ensuring the normal operation of the intermediate shaft.

[0054] Further, as shown in Figure 2 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 , the retainer 3 is sleeved on the first shaft 1, and the cross-sectional shape of the retainer 3 matches the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft 1 and the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2. For example, when the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft 1 and the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2 are triangular, the cross-sectional shape of the retainer 3 is also triangular, so that on the basis of arranging the retainer 3, the outer contour surface of the first shaft 1 and the inner contour surface of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2 can still block the relative rotation between the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2, thereby ensuring the effectiveness of the safety redundancy design.

[0055] Further, as shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8 , the limiting portion 31 of the retainer 3 is provided in a cylindrical structure and is connected with the main body 32 of the retainer 3 to improve the structural strength of the retainer 3. It should be noted that the limiting portion 31 can be welded on the main body 32 or integrally formed with the main body 32, and the present application does not make specific limitation thereon.

[0056] In some preferred embodiments, as shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the first shaft 1 is provided as a hollow shaft, so that the weight of the intermediate shaft can be effectively reduced, thereby being more conducive to the lightweight design of the vehicle.

[0057] Further, on the basis of setting the first sliding groove 11 and the second sliding groove 21, the first sliding groove 11 and the second sliding groove 21 can be respectively formed by grooving the corresponding positions of the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2, but the above-mentioned forming mode needs to ensure that the wall thicknesses of the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2 are sufficient, that is, the wall thickness of the first shaft 1 must be greater than the groove depth of the first sliding groove 11, and the wall thickness of the second shaft 2 must be greater than the groove depth of the second sliding groove 21, thereby affecting the lightweight design of the vehicle. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the first sliding groove 11 is a groove formed by concave in the side wall of the first shaft 1, and the second sliding groove 21 is a groove formed by convex out of the side wall of the second shaft 2. In this way, the influence of the first sliding groove 11 and the second sliding groove 21 on the weight of the intermediate shaft can be effectively avoided, so that the side wall of the first shaft 1 and the side wall of the second shaft 2 can be set to the thinnest wall thickness allowed by the strength, thereby reducing the weight of the intermediate shaft.

[0058] Further, on the basis of the first shaft 1 being a hollow shaft, that is, the first shaft 1 having an inner cavity, the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the first shaft 1 is consistent with the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft 1; and the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the second shaft 2 is consistent with the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2. In this way, the weight of the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2 can be reduced as much as possible on the premise that the first shaft 1 and the second shaft 2 meet the strength requirement, thereby being conducive to the lightweight design of the vehicle. Of course, on the premise that the above-mentioned factors do not need to be considered to affect the weight of the intermediate shaft, the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the first shaft 1 can be different from the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft 1, for example: the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the first shaft 1 is circular, while the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft 1 is triangular; similarly, the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the second shaft 2 can also be different from the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the second shaft 2.

[0059] The application also provides a steering mechanism comprising the intermediate shaft described above. It should be noted that since the steering mechanism comprises the intermediate shaft described above, the steering mechanism has the beneficial effects brought by the intermediate shaft, which are described in detail above and will not be repeated here.

[0060] In addition, the application also provides a vehicle comprising the intermediate shaft or the steering mechanism described above. It should be noted that since the vehicle comprises the intermediate shaft or the steering mechanism described above, the vehicle has the beneficial effects brought by the intermediate shaft or the steering mechanism, which are described in detail above and will not be repeated here.

[0061] The basic principles of the application are described above in combination with specific embodiments, but it should be noted that the advantages, advantages, effects and the like mentioned in the application are only examples and are not limiting, and these advantages, advantages, effects and the like cannot be considered as the must-have of each embodiment of the application. In addition, the above-mentioned specific details are only for the purpose of example and for the purpose of understanding, and are not limited to the application which must be implemented by using the above-mentioned specific details.

[0062] It is also necessary to point out that in the devices, apparatuses and methods of the present application, the various components or steps can be split and / or recombined. These splits and / or re-combinations are to be considered as equivalent solutions of the present application.

[0063] The above description of disclosed aspects is intended to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the application. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein can be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of the application. Thus, the present application is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0064] It should be understood that the adjectives "first", "second", "third", "fourth", "fifth" and "sixth" used in the embodiments of the present application are only used for more clearly describing the technical solutions, and cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present application.

[0065] The above description has been presented for the purpose of illustration and description. Furthermore, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of the application to the forms disclosed herein. Although several example aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate a variety of modifications, alternatives, permutations, additions, and sub-combinations, which fall within the scope of the application.

Claims

1. An intermediate shaft, characterized in that: include: First axis; a second shaft, movably sleeved on the outer side of the first shaft; a rolling element, which is disposed in a rolling manner in a limiting cavity formed by the first shaft and the second shaft, contacts the first shaft and the second shaft, and can prevent the first shaft from rotating relative to the second shaft; The cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft matches the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the second shaft and is polygonal or irregular in shape to achieve safety redundancy.

2. The intermediate shaft according to claim 1, characterized in that A first sliding groove is provided on the outer surface of the first shaft along the axial direction, and a second sliding groove is provided in the inner cavity of the second shaft at a position corresponding to the first sliding groove. The first sliding groove and the second sliding groove form the limiting cavity.

3. The intermediate shaft according to claim 2, characterized in that There are multiple groups of the first sliding grooves, each group of the first sliding grooves includes at least one first sliding groove, and the multiple groups of the first sliding grooves are evenly arranged around the circumference of the first axis; The second chute is arranged one-to-one with the first chute.

4. The intermediate shaft according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The invention also includes a retaining frame, which is slidably disposed between the first shaft and the second shaft and includes a plurality of limiting portions distributed along the axial direction; A plurality of rolling elements are provided along the axial direction, and the plurality of limiting portions are used to limit the axial spacing between adjacent rolling elements.

5. The intermediate shaft according to claim 4, characterized in that The retainer is sleeved on the first shaft, and a cross-sectional shape of the retainer matches a cross-sectional shape of an outer surface of the first shaft and a cross-sectional shape of an inner cavity of the second shaft.

6. The intermediate shaft according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The first shaft is a hollow shaft.

7. The intermediate shaft according to claim 6, characterized in that The first sliding groove is a groove formed by the inward concave side wall of the first shaft, and the second sliding groove is a groove formed by the outward convex side wall of the second shaft.

8. The intermediate shaft according to claim 7, characterized in that The cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the first shaft is consistent with the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the first shaft; The cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the second shaft is consistent with the cross-sectional shape of the inner cavity of the second shaft.

9. A steering mechanism, characterized in that: The intermediate shaft comprises the intermediate shaft according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that: It comprises the intermediate shaft according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or the steering mechanism according to claim 9.

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