Steering system for vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a steering system for a vehicle, comprising an axle (1) and a steering lever (3). The steering lever is fixedly connected to a separate upper kingpin member (4), which member is rotatably mounted to the axle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of mechanical engineering and is generally applicable to vehicle steering systems in which one or more wheels are rotatably connected to a vehicle steering axle. Background Art

[0002] Conventional vehicles like cars usually have at least one steering axle with a steering system. The steering knuckle is connected to a body forming a wheel hub or a spindle for mounting a wheel. For example, the steering knuckle can be rotatably mounted to the steering axle by a kingpin, wherein the kingpin usually defines the axis of rotation of the steering knuckle.

[0003] This type of steering system is well known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,388,003 B1 describes a rotatable steering knuckle driven by a piston / cylinder.

[0004] US Pat. No. 6,293,022 B1 discloses a steering knuckle with a kingpin for a steering axle of a forklift, wherein the wheels are steered by cylinders and wherein a wheel angle sensor is provided for detecting the position of the kingpin.

[0005] US Pat. No. 7,740,253 B2 describes a vehicle steering axle assembly in which a steering knuckle is coupled to the axle by a male element which is integrally formed with the steering knuckle and is rotatably positioned in a female element of the axle. Utility Model Content

[0006] Considering the above background, an object of the present disclosure is to create a flexible solution for mounting a steering knuckle on an axle in a rotatable manner, wherein the solution should allow easy adaptation of the mounting to different steering axle assemblies.

[0007] Accordingly, the present disclosure relates to a steering system for a vehicle, wherein the steering system includes an axle and a steering column.

[0008] To accomplish the objectives of the present disclosure, a steering stem is fixedly connected to a separate upper kingpin member that is rotatably mounted relative to the axle.

[0009] The upper kingpin member may be rotatably mounted in the first opening of the axle about a first axis.

[0010] Typically, the steering system also includes a steering knuckle. Often, the steering knuckle is pivotally mounted on the axle. The steering rod may be fixedly connected or connectable to the steering knuckle. The steering rod and the steering knuckle may be rotatable around a first axis.

[0011] According to this solution, the steering rod and the upper kingpin member are different separate components that can be made of the same material or different materials, for example of the same steel or different steel alloys. The steering rod and the upper kingpin are placed together and connected to form a part of the steering system. In this way, for example in different modifications of the steering system, the same type of steering rod can be combined with different types of upper kingpin members to achieve different solutions suitable for different vehicles. It can also be provided that the same type of upper kingpin member is used together with different types of steering rods to implement different steering systems.

[0012] The upper kingpin member may protrude into a first opening in the axle. The first opening in the axle may form part of a swivel bearing for the upper kingpin member.

[0013] In this case, the upper kingpin member is configured to rotate in the first opening of the axle.For example, the upper kingpin member can carry a portion of the vehicle load transferred from the axle to the wheels.

[0014] To form the bearing, an additional friction ring may be arranged between the wall of the first opening in the axle and the upper kingpin member, in particular between the circumferential surface of the upper kingpin member.

[0015] The steering rod and the upper kingpin member can be made of different materials. For example, the upper kingpin member can include a hardened metal or can be at least partially composed of a hardened metal. In most cases, the upper kingpin member can be composed of a hardened or hardened alloy steel. For example, at least the outer cylindrical surface / circumferential surface of the upper kingpin member can be hardened.

[0016] The upper kingpin member may be fixedly connected to the steering stem by a press fit. Since the upper kingpin itself generally does not need to transmit large torques, a press fit may be sufficient to form a reliable mechanical connection between the steering stem and the upper kingpin member. One end of the upper kingpin member, such as a cylindrical end of the upper kingpin member, may be pressed into an opening formed in the steering stem. For example, the opening in the steering stem and / or the end of the upper kingpin member may have a slightly tapered shape to facilitate the press fit.

[0017] The first opening in the axle that receives the upper kingpin member may be a blind hole.

[0018] By this measure, when the upper kingpin member is installed in the first opening, a friction ring can usually be placed in the first opening. In addition, lubricant can be contained or stored in the first opening to reduce friction and wear.

[0019] The steering stem may be fixed to the hub of the steering knuckle by screws.

[0020] Obviously, the steering rod should be connected to the steering knuckle, thereby transmitting the motion and torque necessary for steering the wheel and transmitting static and dynamic forces.For this purpose, a connection between the steering knuckle and the steering rod by means of one or more screws, possibly more than ten screws, can be provided.

[0021] The first end of the upper kingpin member may be press-fitted into the opening of the steering rod. Additionally or alternatively, the second end of the upper kingpin member may protrude into the first opening of the axle. And an intermediate portion of the upper kingpin member between the first end and the second end may protrude through an opening formed in the steering knuckle. In this way, the upper kingpin member may transfer a proportion of the forces directly from the steering knuckle to the axle. On the other hand, it may be provided that the upper kingpin protrudes through the opening of the steering knuckle in the event of a recoil force, i.e. there may be a space between the material of the upper kingpin member and the steering knuckle, and the upper kingpin member may not come into contact with the walls of the opening formed in the steering knuckle.

[0022] In some embodiments, three or more screws connecting the steering rod and the steering knuckle can be distributed around the opening of the steering rod, and the upper kingpin member is pressed into the opening of the steering rod. In some embodiments, more than ten screws can be provided around the opening.

[0023] As mentioned above, the upper kingpin member and the first opening in the axle may form part of a friction bearing. For example, the bearing may then be configured to withstand dynamic and static forces generated not only during linear motion but also during cornering when a heavy vehicle is supported by its wheels. Alternatively, the friction bearing may be replaced by a needle bearing, since needle bearings are generally also configured to support heavy loads.

[0024] In some embodiments, the axle may have a second opening, in particular a blind hole, on the side of the axle opposite the first opening for receiving the upper kingpin member. A lower kingpin member connected to the steering knuckle may be received in this second opening, wherein the axis of symmetry of the lower kingpin member may be substantially identical to the first axis.

[0025] In this way, the upper and lower kingpin members may be rotatable about the same axis, and both may rotatably support the steering knuckle.

[0026] The lower kingpin member is typically required to bear a smaller portion of the load, and therefore is typically composed of a different material than the upper kingpin member, and the material may not be as hard as the upper kingpin member, and / or not hardened. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The present disclosure will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

[0028] Figure 1A cross-sectional view of a component of a steering system according to the present disclosure is shown on the left, and another cross-sectional view of the same structure is shown on the right, wherein the location of the cross section on the left is marked by line AA;

[0029] Figure 2 On the left side a cross-sectional view of a component of a steering system according to the prior art is shown, and on the right side another cross-sectional view of the same structure is shown, wherein the position of the cross section on the left side is marked by the line AA; and

[0030] Figure 3 Shown with Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of a portion of a steering system similar to the system shown.

[0031] In the figures, identical or functionally identical components may in most cases be denoted by the same reference symbols. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Figure 1 On the right side is shown a view of an axle 1 of a vehicle, wherein the axis of rotation of the wheel is perpendicular to the drawing plane. Line AA indicates the position of a cross section, which is shown on the left side of the same figure. On the left side, a steering knuckle 2 is shown with a hub 16 for a wheel (the wheel is not shown in the figure). A steering rod 3 on the upper side of the steering knuckle is connected to a steering element similar to a steering wheel (also not shown in the figure) by a chain of additional mechanical elements. Since the steering rod 3 is fixedly connected to the steering knuckle 2 by screws and both are rotatable about the first axis 6, the wheel can be steered by the steering rod 3. An upper kingpin member 4 having a generally cylindrical shape is fixed to the steering rod 3 by a press-fit connection. The upper end 4a of the upper kingpin member 4 is press-fitted into an opening 14 formed in the steering rod 3. The upper end 4a of the kingpin member 4 and / or the opening 14 can have a conical shape or a slightly conical shape for this purpose.

[0033] The upper kingpin member 4 has a middle portion 4c and a lower end portion 4b, the middle portion protruding through the opening 15 in the steering knuckle, and the lower end portion is positioned in the first opening 8 of the axle 1. In the first opening 8, a rotary friction bearing is formed by the upper kingpin member 4 and the wall of the first opening 8 of the axle. A friction ring 17 is positioned between the upper kingpin member and the wall of the first opening for reducing friction. Furthermore, lubricant can be provided in this area to further reduce friction and wear. The first opening 8 in the axle has a blind hole shape to ensure that lubricating oil can collect at the bottom of the opening.

[0034] The upper kingpin member 4 and the first opening 8 of the axle 1 define a first axis of rotation 6 and thus the rotational movement of the steering knuckle.

[0035] The upper kingpin member 4 may be made of a steel alloy, for example a steel comprising nickel / chromium. The steel alloy from which the upper kingpin member is formed may be at least partially hardened, at least at its lower end 4b.

[0036] The axle 1 has a second opening 9, which is located on the opposite side of the first opening 8, in the figure at the lower side of the axle. The lower kingpin member 5 is located in this second opening, forming another rotational bearing with the second opening. The lower kingpin member 5 is fixed to the steering knuckle 2 and protrudes through the opening 18 at the lower side of the steering knuckle. Due to the construction of the steering system, the static and dynamic loads on the rotational bearing on the lower side of the axle 1 are significantly smaller than the loads on the upper side of the axle, which act on the first kingpin member 4. Therefore, the material of the lower kingpin member 5 can be different from the material of which the upper kingpin member is made. For example, the lower kingpin member does not necessarily have to be hardened. The symmetry axis / rotation axis 7 of the lower kingpin member is aligned with the first axis 6.

[0037] exist Figure 2 In the figure, a construction according to the prior art is shown with an axle 1 and a steering rod 3a, which differs from the currently proposed steering system. The steering rod 3a according to the prior art has a kingpin element 19 which projects into the first opening 8 of the axle and forms a rotary bearing together with the wall of the first opening. However, the kingpin element 19 is formed integrally with the steering rod 3a.

[0038] Therefore, it is difficult for the kingpin member 19 to have different mechanical properties from the steering rod 3a, such as different material or different hardness.

[0039] Furthermore, if the axle of a different vehicle requires adjustment of the kingpin element 19, the entire steering rod must be redesigned and the tooling for its production adjusted.

[0040] Figure 3 Another steering system of the type currently proposed is shown, which is very similar to Figure 1 The system is shown in FIG. 1 , but in three dimensions. Figure 3 In the figure, it can be easily seen that several screws 11, 12, 13 are provided for fixing the steering rod 3 to the steering knuckle 2. In a special embodiment, screws 14 can be provided for connection. They are distributed around openings 14 and 15 in the steering rod 3 and the steering knuckle 2. In addition, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown in the example of FIG. 1 , in the case where the opening 14 in the steering rod is a blind hole, the upper kingpin member is pressed into the opening 14, and the central hole 4d is provided for additional connection between the upper kingpin member 4 and the steering rod. The hole 4d can also be used to provide lubricant for the rotary bearing in the first opening 8.

Claims

1. A steering system for a vehicle, characterized in that: The steering system comprises an axle (1) and a steering rod (3), wherein the steering rod is fixedly connected to a separate upper kingpin member (4) which is rotatably mounted to the axle.

2. The steering system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper kingpin member (4) is mounted in a first opening (8) of the axle (1) in a rotatable manner about a first axis (6).

3. The steering system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steering rod (3) is fixedly connected or connectable to the steering knuckle (2), and wherein the steering rod (3) and the steering knuckle are pivotable about a first axis (6).

4. The steering system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper kingpin member (4) protrudes into a first opening (8) in the axle (1), wherein the first opening in the axle forms part of a swivel bearing for the upper kingpin member.

5. The steering system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steering rod (3) and the upper kingpin member (4) are made of different materials, and wherein the upper kingpin member is at least partially made of hardened metal.

6. The steering system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper kingpin member (4) is fixedly connected to the steering rod (3) by press fitting.

7. The steering system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first opening (8) in the axle (1) that receives the upper kingpin member (4) is a blind hole.

8. The steering system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steering rod (3) is fixed to the hub (10) of the steering knuckle (2) by means of screws (11, 12, 13).

9. The steering system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first end (4a) of the upper kingpin member (4) is press-fitted into the opening (14) of the steering rod (3), wherein the second end (4b) of the upper kingpin member (4) protrudes into the first opening (8) of the axle (1), and wherein the upper kingpin member protrudes through the opening (15) of the steering knuckle (2) at a middle portion (4c) between the first end and the second end thereof.

10. The steering system according to claim 9, characterized in that: Three or more screws (11, 12, 13) connecting the steering rod (3) and the steering knuckle (2) are distributed around an opening (14) of the steering rod, and the upper kingpin member (4) is press-fitted into the opening of the steering rod.

11. The steering system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper kingpin member (4) and the first opening (8) in the axle (1) form part of a friction bearing.

12. The steering system according to claim 1, characterized in that: On the side of the axle (1) opposite to the first opening (8) for receiving the upper kingpin member (4), the axle (1) has a second opening (9) for receiving a lower kingpin member (5) connected to the steering knuckle (2), wherein the axis of symmetry (7) of the lower kingpin member is identical to the first axis (6).

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