Steering structure, steering assembly and vehicle

Abstract

The invention provides a steering structure, a steering assembly and a vehicle, the steering structure comprises a steering intermediate shaft, a steering transmission shaft, a steering gear, a steering rack and a driving piece, the upper end of the steering transmission shaft is movably connected with the lower end of the steering intermediate shaft through a first universal joint, and the steering gear is coaxially and fixedly arranged on the steering transmission shaft; a fine tooth section and a thick tooth section are arranged on the front side or the rear side of the steering rack, the driving end of the driving part is in transmission connection with the steering transmission shaft, and the driving part is used for driving the steering transmission shaft to drive the steering gear to swing to be meshed with the fine tooth section or the thick tooth section. Therefore, when the vehicle runs at a high speed, the steering gear can be switched to be meshed with the fine tooth section, so that the steering precision is higher when the vehicle steers at a small angle in the high-speed running state, and when the vehicle runs at a low speed, the steering gear can be switched to be meshed with the thick tooth section, so that the steering precision is higher. Therefore, the vehicle is more labor-saving during large-angle steering in a low-speed driving state.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of vehicle steering, and particularly relates to a steering structure, a steering assembly and a vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] The steering transmission ratio of a conventional steering system (whether hydraulic power assistance or electric power assistance) is fixed, which leads to an inherent contradiction: at low speed, it is desired that the steering wheel has a small rotation angle and the wheels have a large rotation angle, so that parking and turning are more flexible and labor-saving; at high speed, it is desired that the steering wheel has a large rotation angle and the wheels have a small rotation angle, so that the vehicle is accurately pointed, and fine adjustment of the steering wheel does not cause the vehicle body to shake violently, thereby improving high-speed stability and safety. Existing high-end solutions (such as steer-by-wire or complex planetary gear structures) can achieve stepless change of the steering ratio, but are high in cost, complex in structure and high in reliability requirement, and are difficult to popularize to mainstream family vehicles.

[0003] Although document No. CN203601358U discloses a steering structure in which the gear teeth of the rack are densely arranged in the middle and sparsely arranged at both ends, so that the vehicle is more labor-saving when making a large-angle turn, the gear will be jerky at the junction of the sparse gear teeth, and this is directly manifested as a jam in the direction. SUMMARY

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, one of the purposes of the present application is to provide a steering structure which is simple in structure and has two different steering ratios to meet the needs of different steering ratios at high and low speeds.

[0005] To achieve the above purposes, the technical scheme of the present application is as follows: a steering structure, comprising a steering intermediate shaft, a steering transmission shaft, a steering gear, a steering rack and a driving member, the steering rack is horizontally arranged along the left-right direction, the steering transmission shaft is vertically arranged, the upper end of the steering transmission shaft is movably connected to the lower end of the steering intermediate shaft through a first universal joint, the steering gear is coaxially fixed on the steering transmission shaft, the front side or the rear side of the steering rack is provided with densely arranged fine teeth segments and sparsely arranged coarse teeth segments which are spaced apart along the left-right direction, the driving end of the driving member is in transmission connection with the steering transmission shaft, and the driving member is used to drive the steering transmission shaft to move the steering gear to mesh with the fine teeth segments or the coarse teeth segments.

[0006] The beneficial effects of the above technical scheme of the present application are as follows: in this way, the steering gear can be switched to mesh with the fine teeth segments when the vehicle is running at high speed, so that the steering precision is higher when the vehicle is steering at a small angle at high speed, and the steering gear can be switched to mesh with the coarse teeth segments when the vehicle is running at low speed, so that the vehicle is more labor-saving when making a large-angle turn at low speed.

[0007] On the basis of the above technical solutions, the application can be further improved as follows: Further, the driving end of the driving member is provided with a slip ring sleeved on the steering transmission shaft, and the slip ring can slide axially and rotate relative to the steering transmission shaft.

[0008] The above further technical solutions have the beneficial effect that the slip ring can rotate relative to the steering transmission shaft and slide axially, and also rotate relative to the driving end of the driving member, thereby providing a movement allowance between the steering transmission shaft and the driving end of the driving member to ensure that the steering transmission shaft can be driven by the driving member to swing forward and backward and left and right.

[0009] Further, the driving member further comprises a first linear driving member and a second linear driving member, the first linear driving member is horizontally arranged in the left-right direction, the second linear driving member is horizontally arranged in the front-back direction, the second linear driving member is installed at the driving end of the first linear driving member, the driving end of the second linear driving member constitutes the driving end of the driving member, and the second linear driving member is used to drive the steering transmission shaft to move forward and backward to engage or disengage the steering gear with the steering rack, and the first linear driving member is used to drive the second linear driving member to move the steering transmission shaft in the left-right direction to approach the fine tooth section or the coarse tooth section when the steering gear and the steering rack are disengaged.

[0010] The above further technical solutions have the beneficial effect that the steering transmission shaft is swung left and right to correspond to the fine tooth section or the coarse tooth section under the drive of the first linear driving member, and the steering transmission shaft is swung forward and backward to correspond to the disengagement or engagement position of the steering rack under the drive of the second linear driving member.

[0011] Further, a gear housing is coaxially installed on the steering transmission shaft, and the steering gear is located in the gear housing, and the gear housing is provided with movable holes on both left and right sides, and the steering rack passes through the two movable holes.

[0012] The above further technical solutions have the beneficial effect that the gear housing can cover the engagement position of the steering gear and the steering rack, and the movable holes are used for the steering rack to pass through, and also provide a movement allowance for the gear housing to move relative to the steering rack with the steering transmission shaft.

[0013] Furthermore, it also includes a guide shaft and a sliding sleeve. The guide shaft is horizontally arranged in the left-right direction in front of or behind the gear housing. The sliding sleeve is slidably sleeved on the guide shaft and is movably connected to the gear housing. The guide shaft has two positioning male parts spaced apart in the left-right direction. The sliding sleeve is provided with a positioning female part. The driving member drives the steering transmission shaft to move the gear housing in the left-right direction until the positioning female part cooperates with any one of the positioning male parts to position the steering transmission shaft.

[0014] The beneficial effect of the above-mentioned further technical solution is that the steering drive shaft has two shift positions, namely the left position and the right position. When the steering drive shaft moves to the left position or the right position, the positioning female part cooperates with the corresponding positioning male part to position the gear housing left and right, so as to avoid the steering drive shaft shaking and affecting the stability of the meshing between the steering gear and the steering rack.

[0015] Furthermore, the sliding sleeve is provided with a sliding hole that runs through the left and right sides and cooperates with the guide shaft. The guide shaft passes through the sliding hole, and the positioning female part is disposed on the hole wall of the sliding hole. The positioning male part is a positioning groove, and the positioning female part is an elastic positioning bead, or the positioning male part is an elastic positioning bead, and the positioning female part is a positioning groove.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the above-mentioned further technical solution are: its structure is simple and improves the stability of the gear housing at the two moving positions, while the sliding sleeve and guide shaft can be easily released from positioning at the two moving positions under the drive of the driving component.

[0017] Furthermore, the sliding sleeve includes a sleeve rod and a rod body, both horizontally arranged in the front-back direction. A groove is recessed at the end of the sleeve rod near the gear housing. The end of the rod body away from the gear housing slides into the groove. The rod body can extend, retract, and rotate relative to the sleeve rod. The end of the rod body near the gear housing is slidably connected to the gear housing in a vertical direction. The sliding hole is provided at the end of the sleeve rod away from the gear housing.

[0018] The beneficial effect of the above-mentioned further technical solution is that it enables the sliding sleeve to have a telescopic allowance, a rotational allowance, and a vertical movement allowance relative to the gear housing, so that the gear housing can move synchronously with the steering drive shaft.

[0019] Furthermore, the sliding sleeve also includes a spring, and the rod body has a first enlarged portion at one end located inside the sleeve rod. The sleeve rod has an inward flange at the groove opening of the sliding groove. The spring is sleeved on the rod body and located inside the sliding groove, and the two ends of the spring abut against the first enlarged portion and the inward flange, respectively.

[0020] The beneficial effect of the above-mentioned further technical solution is that the sliding sleeve can always apply a force to the gear housing that tends to move towards the guide shaft, so that the steering gear always tends to mesh with the steering rack.

[0021] The second objective of this invention is to provide a steering assembly with a simple structure that can meet the needs of vehicles for different steering ratios at high and low speeds.

[0022] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows: a steering assembly, comprising the steering structure as described above.

[0023] The beneficial effects of the above-mentioned technical solution of the present invention are as follows: the steering assembly has two different steering ratios to meet the needs of small-angle high-precision steering at high speed and large-angle effort-saving steering at low speed respectively.

[0024] The second objective of this invention is to provide a vehicle with a simple structure and capable of handling different steering ratios at high and low speeds.

[0025] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows: a vehicle, including the steering assembly as described above.

[0026] The beneficial effects of the above-mentioned technical solution of the present invention are that the vehicle can meet the steering needs under different driving conditions, with high steering accuracy at high speeds and high steering comfort at low speeds. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is an elevation view of the steering structure described in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 2 This is an overall schematic diagram of the driving component and the slip ring in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the steering drive shaft in its left and right limit states as described in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 4 This is an elevation view of the steering structure described in Embodiment 2 of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the steering structure described in Embodiment 2 of the present invention along the axial direction of the steering drive shaft; Figure 6 This is an elevation view of the steering structure described in Embodiment 3 of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a side view of the steering structure described in Embodiment 3 of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the sliding sleeve and the guide shaft described in Embodiment 3 of the present invention; Figure 9This is a partial cross-sectional view of the sliding sleeve and the guide shaft in the engagement state described in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0028] In the diagram: 1. Steering intermediate shaft; 11. First universal joint; 12. Second universal joint; 13. Mounting base; 2. Steering drive shaft; 21. Slip ring; 3. Steering gear; 4. Steering rack; 41. Fine tooth segment; 42. Coarse tooth segment; 5. Drive component; 51. First linear drive component; 511. Slide block; 512. Slider; 513. Telescopic drive component; 52. Second linear drive component; 6. Gear housing; 61. Movable hole; 62. Sliding hole; 7. Guide shaft; 71. Positioning male part; 8. Sliding sleeve; 81. Sleeve rod; 811. Positioning female part; 812. Sliding hole; 813. Sliding groove; 814. Inner flange; 82. Rod body; 821. First enlarged part; 822. Second enlarged part; 83. Spring. Detailed Implementation

[0029] To facilitate understanding of this application, a more complete description will be provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate embodiments of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure of this application will be thorough and complete.

[0030] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application.

[0031] It is understood that spatial relation terms such as “below,” “under,” “below,” “below,” “above,” “above,” etc., can be used here to describe the relationship between one element or feature shown in the figure and other elements or features. It should be understood that, in addition to the orientation shown in the figure, spatial relation terms also include different orientations of the device in use and operation. For example, if the device in the figure is flipped, the element or feature described as “below,” “below,” or “below” will be oriented “above” the other element or feature. Therefore, the exemplary terms “below” and “under” can include both upper and lower orientations. Furthermore, the device may also include other orientations (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or other orientations), and the spatial descriptive terms used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0032] It should be noted that when one element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or connected to the other element through an intermediary element. In the following embodiments, "connection" should be understood as "electrical connection," "communication connection," etc., if the connected circuits, modules, units, etc., have the transmission of electrical signals or data between them.

[0033] When used herein, the singular forms of “a,” “an,” and “the” may also include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” or “having,” etc., specify the presence of the stated feature, whole, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof, but do not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0034] Example 1 like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a steering structure, including a steering intermediate shaft 1, a steering transmission shaft 2, a steering gear 3, a steering rack 4, and a drive member 5. The steering rack 4 is horizontally arranged in the left-right direction, and the steering transmission shaft 2 is vertically arranged. The upper end of the steering transmission shaft 2 is movably connected to the lower end of the steering intermediate shaft 1 through a first universal joint 11. The steering gear 3 is coaxially fixedly arranged on the steering transmission shaft 2. The front or rear side of the steering rack 4 is provided with fine tooth segments 41 and coarse tooth segments 42 distributed at intervals in the left-right direction. The driving end of the drive member 5 is connected to the steering transmission shaft 2 for transmission. The drive member 5 is used to drive the steering transmission shaft 2 to rotate the steering gear 3 to mesh with the fine tooth segments 41 or coarse tooth segments 42. This allows the steering gear 3 to switch to mesh with the fine-tooth segment 41 when the vehicle is traveling at high speed, resulting in higher steering accuracy when turning at small angles at high speeds. When traveling at low speeds, the steering gear 3 can switch to mesh with the coarse-tooth segment 42, making it easier to turn at large angles at low speeds.

[0035] In this embodiment, whether the steering gear 3 meshes with the fine tooth segment 41 or the coarse tooth segment 42, as long as the steering intermediate shaft 1 is rotated, the steering gear 3 will drive the steering rack 4 to slide to the left or right to drive the steering wheels of the vehicle to steer.

[0036] In this embodiment, the steering gear 3 is located at the lower end of the steering drive shaft 2.

[0037] like Figure 1As shown, in this embodiment, the drive end of the drive member 5 is rotatably provided with a slip ring 21 sleeved on the steering drive shaft 2. The slip ring 21 can slide axially and rotate relative to the steering drive shaft 2. This allows the slip ring 21 to rotate and slide axially relative to the steering drive shaft 2, and also to rotate relative to the drive end of the drive member 5, thereby providing a margin of movement between the steering drive shaft 2 and the drive end of the drive member 5, ensuring that the steering drive shaft 2 can swing back and forth and left and right under the drive of the drive member 5.

[0038] Specifically, in this embodiment, the driving component 5 can be a two-dimensional driving component, whose driving end can move in the horizontal plane.

[0039] like Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the driving component 5 further includes a first linear driving component 51 and a second linear driving component 52. The first linear driving component 51 is horizontally arranged in the left-right direction, and the second linear driving component 52 is horizontally arranged in the front-back direction. The second linear driving component 52 is installed at the driving end of the first linear driving component 51, and the driving end of the second linear driving component 52 constitutes the driving end of the driving component 5. At this time, the slip ring 21 is rotatably arranged at the driving end of the second linear driving component 52. The second linear driving component 52 is used to drive the steering transmission shaft 2 to swing back and forth until the steering gear 3 meshes or disengages with the steering rack 4. When the steering gear 3 disengages from the steering rack 4, the first linear driving component 51 is used to drive the second linear driving component 52 to move the steering transmission shaft 2 in the left-right direction until the steering gear 3 is close to the fine tooth segment 41 or the coarse tooth segment 42. This causes the steering drive shaft 2 to swing left and right under the drive of the first linear drive member 51 to correspond to the fine tooth segment 41 or the coarse tooth segment 42, while the steering drive shaft 2 swings back and forth under the drive of the second linear drive member 52 to the corresponding position of the steering rack 4 for engagement or disengagement.

[0040] In this embodiment, the first linear drive 51 can be a linear lead screw drive, and the second linear drive 52 can be a telescopic electric cylinder or an electromagnetic push rod.

[0041] Of course, such as Figure 2As shown, in this embodiment, the first linear drive 51 may further include a slide block 511, a slider 512, and a telescopic drive 513. The slide block 511 is horizontally arranged in the left-right direction, the slider 512 is slidably mounted on the slide block 511 in the left-right direction, and the telescopic drive 513 is mounted on the slide block 511 in the left-right direction. The telescopic end of the telescopic drive 513 is connected to the slider 512 in a transmission connection (the telescopic drive 513 drives the slider 512 to move in the left-right direction on the slide block 511). The slider 512 constitutes the drive end of the first linear drive 51. The second linear drive 52 is arranged in the front-back direction and mounted on the slider 512. In this embodiment, the telescopic drive 513 may be a telescopic electric cylinder or an electromagnetic push rod.

[0042] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the slip ring 21 is slidably sleeved on the steering drive shaft 2. The slip ring 21 can rotate relative to the steering drive shaft 2. This is to allow the steering drive shaft 2 to rotate synchronously with the steering intermediate shaft 1, and also to allow the slip ring 21 to slide axially relative to the steering drive shaft 2. At the same time, the slip ring 21 can also rotate relative to the driving end of the second linear drive member 52 to provide the steering drive shaft 2 with a swing margin for left and right swinging relative to the drive member 5.

[0043] like Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the fine tooth segment 41 and the coarse tooth segment 42 have the same length. In this embodiment, the steering drive shaft 2 has two states when rotating left and right: the left limit state and the right limit state. When the vehicle steering wheel returns to center (at which point the steering rack 4 returns to its centered position), when the steering drive shaft 2 is in the left limit state or the right limit state, the steering gear 3 is located at the exact center position along the length direction of the fine tooth segment 41 or the coarse tooth segment 42, respectively. This ensures that the steering gear 3, whether meshing with the fine tooth segment 41 or the coarse tooth segment 42, has the same left and right steering angle travel. In this embodiment, the tilt angle of the steering drive shaft 2 is the same in the left limit state and the right limit state, only the tilt direction is opposite.

[0044] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, since the steering gear 3 is in an inclined state relative to the steering rack 4 in both the left and right limit states, the tooth grooves on the steering gear 3 or the steering rack 4 in this embodiment are helical tooth grooves, so that the steering gear 3 can mesh with the steering rack 4 in both the left and right limit states.

[0045] Preferred, such as Figure 3As shown, the fine tooth segment 41 or the coarse tooth segment 42 are both helical tooth grooves, and the upper end of the tooth groove is inclined toward the first universal joint 11 (that is, the inclination direction of the helical tooth groove at the fine tooth segment 41 is different from that of the helical tooth groove at the coarse tooth segment 42, and they are distributed in a figure-eight shape). The tooth groove on the steering gear 3 is a straight tooth groove (that is, the groove opening direction is consistent with the axial direction of the steering gear 3). When the steering gear 3 is in the left limit state or the right limit state, the inclination angle of the steering gear 3 is consistent with the inclination angle of the helical tooth groove on the fine tooth segment 41 or the coarse tooth segment 42, respectively. At this time, the steering gear 3 can better mesh with the fine tooth segment 41 or the coarse tooth segment 42.

[0046] The steering structure described in this embodiment can be associated with the vehicle speed. A switching threshold can be set for the vehicle speed. When the vehicle speed exceeds or equals the switching threshold, the steering structure switches the steering gear 3 to mesh with the fine tooth segment 41 of the steering rack 4 (at which time the steering accuracy at small angles is high). When the vehicle speed is lower than the switching threshold, the steering structure switches the steering gear 3 to mesh with the coarse tooth segment 42 of the steering rack 4 (at which time the steering at large angles is more effortless). The switching threshold can be set to any value between 20-50 km / h, depending on the vehicle model design (e.g., it can be set to 20 km / h, 25 km / h, 30 km / h, 35 km / h, 40 km / h, 45 km / h or 50 km / h).

[0047] in, Figure 1 and Figure 3 The dashed line M represents the boundary between the fine tooth segment 41 and the coarse tooth segment 42, while Figure 3 When the steering gear 3 is in the wheel return-to-center state, the first universal joint 11 and the dashed line M are in the same vertical plane.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the upper end of the steering intermediate shaft 1 is provided with a second universal joint 12, which is used to connect with the lower end of the steering column (the upper end of the steering column is equipped with a steering wheel, and the structure of the steering column and steering wheel is prior art, which will not be described in detail here). In this embodiment, the steering intermediate shaft 1 needs to be rotatably connected to the vehicle body. Although the steering drive shaft 2 will move under the action of the drive component 5, the position of the steering intermediate shaft 1 is relatively fixed. Therefore, in this embodiment, a mounting seat 13 can be rotatably fitted in the middle part corresponding to the length direction of the steering intermediate shaft 1, and the mounting seat 13 is fixedly connected to the vehicle body.

[0049] In this embodiment, the steering drive shaft 2 moves in the left and right directions by swinging to the left limit state or to the right limit state by using the first universal joint 11 as the fulcrum.

[0050] Example 2 Same as Example 1, except that, as Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the steering structure provided in this embodiment also includes a gear housing 6, which is coaxially rotatably mounted on the steering drive shaft 2. The steering gear 3 is located inside the gear housing 6. Movable holes 61 are provided on both the left and right sides of the gear housing 6, through which the steering rack 4 passes. This allows the gear housing 6 to protect the meshing point between the steering gear 3 and the steering rack 4, while the movable holes 61 provide both passage for the steering rack 4 and allowance for the gear housing 6 to move relative to the steering rack 4 as it moves with the steering drive shaft 2.

[0051] like Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the gear housing 6 is cylindrical and hollow inside. The steering drive shaft 2 coaxially passes through the upper end of the gear housing 6, and the lower end of the steering drive shaft 2 is coaxially rotatably connected to the lower inner end of the gear housing 6.

[0052] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the movable hole 61 is a vertically arranged strip-shaped hole (preferably an oval hole). This is because when the steering drive shaft 2 swings left and right, the gear housing 6 has vertical movement relative to the steering rack 4 (and the movable hole 61 just provides the movable margin for the gear housing 6). In addition, when the drive member 5 drives the steering drive shaft 2 to switch the steering gear 3 from the meshing state to the clutch state, or from the clutch state to the meshing state, the gear housing 6 will also move slightly back and forth relative to the steering rack 4. Therefore, the width of the movable hole 61 also needs to provide the gear housing 6 with the movable margin for the back and forth movement relative to the steering rack 4.

[0053] Example 3 Same as Example 2, except that, as Figures 6-8As shown, the steering structure provided in this embodiment further includes a guide shaft 7 and a sliding sleeve 8. The guide shaft 7 is horizontally arranged in the left-right direction in front of or behind the gear housing 6. The sliding sleeve 8 is slidably sleeved on the guide shaft 7 and is movably connected to the gear housing 6. The guide shaft 7 has two positioning male parts 71 spaced apart in the left-right direction, and the sliding sleeve 8 is provided with a positioning female part 811. The driving member 5 drives the steering transmission shaft 2 to move the gear housing 6 in the left-right direction until the positioning female part 811 engages with any one of the positioning male parts 71 to position the steering transmission shaft 2. This gives the steering transmission shaft 2 two shift positions, namely the left position and the right position (i.e., the left limit state and the right limit state). When the steering transmission shaft 2 moves to the left position or the right position, the positioning female part 811 engages with the corresponding positioning male part 71 to position the gear housing 6 left and right, preventing the steering transmission shaft 2 from shaking and affecting the stability of the meshing between the steering gear 3 and the steering rack 4.

[0054] like Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, in this embodiment, the sliding sleeve 8 is provided with a sliding hole 812 that extends through the left and right sides and cooperates with the guide shaft 7. The guide shaft 7 passes through the sliding hole 812. The positioning female part 811 is provided on the hole wall of the sliding hole 812. The positioning male part 71 is a positioning groove, and the positioning female part 811 is an elastic positioning bead (such as...). Figure 8 (as shown), or the positioning male part 71 is an elastic positioning bead, and the positioning female part 811 is a positioning groove (as shown). Figure 9 (As shown). Its structure is simple and improves the stability of the gear housing 6 at the two moving positions. At the same time, the sliding sleeve 8 and the guide shaft 7 can be easily released from their positions under the drive of the drive component 5.

[0055] Preferred, such as Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, in this embodiment, the sliding hole 812 is a spline hole, and the guide shaft 7 is a spline shaft that mates with the sliding hole 812. Alternatively, the sliding hole 812 may be a non-circular hole. The cross-section of the guide shaft 7 matches the shape of the sliding hole 812 (e.g., the sliding hole 812 may be elliptical, and the outer edge of the cross-section of the guide shaft 7 may also be elliptical). The guide shaft 7 passes through the sliding hole 812 so that the sliding sleeve 8 can slide axially on the guide shaft 7, but the two do not rotate relative to each other.

[0056] like Figure 8As shown, in this embodiment, the sliding sleeve 8 includes a sleeve rod 81 and a rod body 82, both horizontally arranged in the front-to-back direction. A groove 813 is recessed at the end of the sleeve rod 81 near the gear housing 6. The end of the rod body 82 away from the gear housing 6 slides into the groove 813. The rod body 82 can extend, retract, and rotate relative to the sleeve rod 81. The end of the rod body 82 near the gear housing 6 is vertically slidably connected to the gear housing 6. A sliding hole 812 is provided at the end of the sleeve rod 81 away from the gear housing 6. This allows the sliding sleeve 8 to have extension / retraction allowance, rotation allowance, and vertical movement allowance relative to the gear housing 6, enabling the gear housing 6 to move synchronously with the steering drive shaft 2.

[0057] like Figure 8 As shown, in this embodiment, the rod 82 located inside the sleeve rod 81 has a first enlarged part 821 at one end, and the sleeve rod 81 has an inward flange 814 at the groove opening of the sliding groove 813, which can prevent the rod 82 from sliding relative to the sleeve rod 81 to the point that the two become loose.

[0058] Further preferred, such as Figure 8 As shown, the sliding sleeve 8 also includes a spring 83, which is sleeved on the rod 82 and located between the first enlarged portion 821 and the inner flange 814. The elastic force of the spring 83 drives the rod 82 to tend to retract into the sleeve, so that the sliding sleeve 8 can always apply a force to the gear housing 6 under the action of the spring 83, tending to move towards the guide shaft 7, thereby making the steering gear 3 always tend to mesh with the steering rack 4. Similarly, when the driving member 5 drives the steering gear 3 to mesh with the steering rack 4, the sliding sleeve 8 will drive the steering gear 3 to mesh with the steering rack 4 with better stability (while the driving member 5 needs to overcome the elastic force of the spring 83 when driving the steering gear 3 to disengage from the steering rack 4).

[0059] In this embodiment, the gear housing 6 and the sliding sleeve 8 are slidably connected as follows: like Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, a strip-shaped sliding hole 62 (which can be an oblong hole) is provided axially on the gear housing 6 near the sliding sleeve 8. One end of the rod 82 located outside the sliding groove 813 can pass through the sliding hole 62 into the gear housing 6. The end of the rod 82 located inside the gear housing 6 is provided with a second enlarged portion 822. The second enlarged portion 822 is used to prevent the corresponding end of the rod 82 from coming out of the sliding hole (since the elastic force of the spring 83 drives the rod 82 to tend to retract into the sliding groove 813, the second enlarged portion 822 is always sliding against the inner wall of the gear housing 6). This can prevent the end of the rod 82 away from the sleeve 81 from exiting the gear housing 6. During the movement of the steering drive shaft 2 in the left and right direction, the rod 82 can generate vertical displacement relative to the gear housing 6 along the sliding hole 62.

[0060] Specifically, the second enlarged portion 822 can be spherical or frustum-shaped (its narrow end can be integrally formed with the rod body 82), but it is not limited to these.

[0061] In this embodiment, there are many ways in which the rod 82 and the gear housing 6 are slidably connected along the axial direction, which will not be described in detail here.

[0062] Example 4 This embodiment provides a steering assembly, including the steering structure described in Embodiment 3. The steering assembly has two different steering ratios to meet the needs of high-precision small-angle steering at high speeds and low-efficiency large-angle steering at low speeds, respectively.

[0063] Example 5 This embodiment provides a vehicle including the steering assembly as described in Embodiment 4, such that the vehicle can meet the steering needs under different driving conditions, with high steering accuracy at high speeds and high steering comfort at low speeds.

[0064] The vehicle described in this embodiment can be a commercial vehicle or a passenger vehicle.

[0065] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A steering structure, comprising a steering intermediate shaft (1), a steering drive shaft (2), a steering gear (3), and a steering rack (4), wherein the steering rack (4) is horizontally arranged in the left-right direction, the steering drive shaft (2) is vertically arranged, the upper end of the steering drive shaft (2) is movably connected to the lower end of the steering intermediate shaft (1) via a first universal joint (11), and the steering gear (3) is coaxially fixedly arranged on the steering drive shaft (2), characterized in that, It also includes a drive unit (5), and the front or rear side of the steering rack (4) is provided with fine tooth segments (41) and coarse tooth segments (42) distributed at intervals in the left and right direction. The drive end of the drive unit (5) is connected to the steering transmission shaft (2) for transmission. The drive unit (5) is used to drive the steering transmission shaft (2) to drive the steering gear (3) to move to mesh with the fine tooth segments (41) or coarse tooth segments (42).

2. The steering structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive end of the drive member (5) is provided with a slip ring (21) sleeved on the steering drive shaft (2). The slip ring (21) can slide and rotate relative to the steering drive shaft (2) axially.

3. The steering structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The drive unit (5) includes a first linear drive unit (51) and a second linear drive unit (52). The first linear drive unit (51) is horizontally arranged in the left-right direction, and the second linear drive unit (52) is horizontally arranged in the front-back direction. The second linear drive unit (52) is installed on the drive end of the first linear drive unit (51). The drive end of the second linear drive unit (52) constitutes the drive end of the drive unit (5). The second linear drive unit (52) is used to drive the steering transmission shaft (2) to move back and forth until the steering gear (3) meshes or disengages with the steering rack (4). The first linear drive unit (51) is used to drive the second linear drive unit (52) to move the steering transmission shaft (2) to the steering gear (3) near the fine tooth segment (41) or coarse tooth segment (42) when the steering gear (3) disengages from the steering rack (4).

4. The steering structure according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, It also includes a gear housing (6), which is coaxially mounted on the steering drive shaft (2), and the steering gear (3) is located inside the gear housing (6). Movable holes (61) are provided on both the left and right sides of the gear housing (6), and the steering rack (4) passes through the two movable holes (61).

5. The steering structure according to claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes a guide shaft (7) and a sliding sleeve (8). The guide shaft (7) is horizontally arranged in the left-right direction in front of or behind the gear housing (6). The sliding sleeve (8) is slidably sleeved on the guide shaft (7). The sliding sleeve (8) is movably connected to the gear housing (6). The guide shaft (7) has two positioning male parts (71) spaced apart in the left-right direction. The sliding sleeve (8) is provided with a positioning female part (811). The driving member (5) drives the steering transmission shaft (2) to move the gear housing (6) in the left-right direction to the positioning female part (811) to cooperate with any one of the positioning male parts (71) to position the steering transmission shaft (2).

6. The steering structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, The sliding sleeve (8) is provided with a sliding hole (812) that runs through the left and right sides and cooperates with the guide shaft (7). The guide shaft (7) passes through the sliding hole (812). The positioning female part (811) is provided on the hole wall of the sliding hole (812). The positioning male part (71) is a positioning groove, and the positioning female part (811) is an elastic positioning bead, or the positioning male part (71) is an elastic positioning bead, and the positioning female part (811) is a positioning groove.

7. The steering structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, The sliding sleeve (8) includes a sleeve rod (81) and a rod body (82) both arranged horizontally in the front-back direction. The end of the sleeve rod (81) near the gear housing (6) is recessed with a sliding groove (813). The end of the rod body (82) away from the gear housing (6) slides into the sliding groove (813). The rod body (82) can extend, retract and rotate relative to the sleeve rod (81). The end of the rod body (82) near the gear housing (6) is slidably connected to the gear housing (6) in the vertical direction. The sliding hole (812) is provided at the end of the sleeve rod (81) away from the gear housing (6).

8. The steering structure according to claim 7, characterized in that, The sliding sleeve (8) also includes a spring (83). The rod (82) is provided with a first enlarged part (821) at one end inside the sleeve rod (81). The sleeve rod (81) has an inner flange (814) at the opening of the groove (813). The spring (83) is sleeved on the rod (82) and located inside the groove (813). The two ends of the spring (83) abut against the first enlarged part (821) and the inner flange (814) respectively.

9. A steering assembly, characterized in that, Including the steering structure as described in any one of claims 1-8.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that, Includes the steering assembly as described in claim 9.

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