Composite bearing assembly, steering system and vehicle

Abstract

The utility model relates to a bearing structure and discloses a composite bearing assembly, a steering system and a vehicle, the composite bearing assembly comprises a bearing, an elastic element and a support shell, the elastic element comprises an inner ring and an outer ring, the bearing is configured to press the inner ring in the support shell in an abutting mode, and the outer ring is arranged outside the support shell in a sleeving mode. According to the composite bearing assembly, pre-pressure can be arranged between the worm gear and the worm, a gap between the worm gear and the worm is compensated, and the problem of abnormal sound is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a bearing structure, in particular to a composite bearing assembly, and further relates to a steering system and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Electric power steering is a steering system that provides auxiliary torque through an electric motor. According to the different reduction mechanisms and the types of power assistance, it can be divided into column-assisted, pinion-assisted and rack-assisted electric steering.

[0003] At present, due to cost considerations, most power-assisted steering gears use gear-type power assistance, among which the most widely used is the deceleration structure with worm gear transmission. In the actual production, manufacturing and use process, whether it is the errors of various parts in the manufacturing process, such as the processing tolerance of the housing, the tolerance of the worm gear, the tolerance of the worm gear and the errors existing in the assembly, or the wear of various parts due to the mutual movement between various parts after long-term use of the vehicle, especially for the worm gear structure as a structure for transmitting large torque, the matching clearance between the worm gear and the worm gear increases. In this case, abnormal noise is easily generated between the worm gear and the worm gear. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of the utility model is to provide a composite bearing assembly, which can set a pre-pressure between the worm gear and the worm gear, compensate for the gap between the worm gear and the worm gear, and solve the problem of abnormal noise. The second purpose of the utility model is to provide a steering system, and the third purpose of the utility model is to provide a vehicle.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the first aspect of the utility model provides a composite bearing assembly, including a bearing, an elastic element and a bracket shell, the elastic element including an inner ring and an outer ring, the bearing is configured to press the inner ring into the bracket shell, and the outer ring is sleeved outside the bracket shell.

[0006] In some embodiments, the inner ring and the outer ring are connected by a plurality of connecting ribs.

[0007] In some embodiments, the number of the connecting ribs is two, and the angle between the center of the two connecting ribs and the center line of the elastic element is less than 180°.

[0008] In some embodiments, the bracket shell includes a supporting base plate and a plurality of supporting side plates, each of the supporting side plates is arranged on the supporting base plate around the edge of the supporting base plate, and an installation groove for the connecting rib to pass through is formed between each of the supporting side plates.

[0009] In some embodiments, a bending structure for pressing against the outer ring of the bearing is provided at one end of the supporting side plate away from the supporting bottom plate.

[0010] In some embodiments, a pressure-bearing boss for axially supporting the elastic element is provided on the outer ring of the bearing.

[0011] In some embodiments, a positioning block is provided on the surface of the outer ring facing the bearing, and the positioning block is used to position the composite bearing assembly on the worm gear structure.

[0012] In some embodiments, the bearing is a four-point contact bearing.

[0013] The second aspect of the utility model provides a steering system, which is provided with the above-mentioned composite bearing assembly, including a housing and a worm wheel and a worm engaged with each other accommodated in the housing, the composite bearing assembly is sleeved on the first end of the worm through the bearing, and the outer ring is connected to the housing to apply pre-pressure between the worm wheel and the worm through the relative rotation between the inner ring and the outer ring.

[0014] In some embodiments, the outer ring is locked to the housing by fasteners.

[0015] In some embodiments, the second end of the worm is sleeved with a support mechanism assembly.

[0016] In some embodiments, a coupling is connected to the first end of the worm, and the coupling is located outside the composite bearing assembly.

[0017] A third aspect of the utility model provides a vehicle provided with the above-mentioned steering system.

[0018] Through the above technical scheme, after the composite bearing assembly of the present application is installed on the worm gear structure of the steering system, a certain pre-pressure can be applied between the worm gear and the inner ring and the outer ring of the elastic element can be rotated to a certain extent to compensate for the fitting clearance between the worm gear and the worm gear, thereby solving the problem of abnormal collision and noise generated during the operation of the worm gear and the worm gear to a certain extent.

[0019] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the subsequent specific implementation section. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0021] Figure 1 It is an exploded schematic diagram of a composite bearing assembly in a specific embodiment of the utility model;

[0022] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a composite bearing assembly in a specific embodiment of the utility model;

[0023] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of a bearing in a specific embodiment of the utility model;

[0024] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of an elastic element in a specific embodiment of the utility model;

[0025] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of a bracket housing in a specific embodiment of the utility model;

[0026] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the matching installation structure of the composite bearing assembly in a specific embodiment of the utility model.

[0027] Description of Reference Numerals

[0028] 1 bearing 2 elastic element

[0029] 21 inner circle 22 outer circle

[0030] 23 connection rib 24 installation gap

[0031] 25 positioning block 3 bracket housing

[0032] 31 supporting bottom plate 32 supporting side plate

[0033] 33 mounting groove 41 housing

[0034] 42 worm wheel 43 worm

[0035] 44 fastener 45 support mechanism assembly

[0036] 46 coupling DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The following is a further detailed description of the implementation of the utility model in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and examples. The detailed description of the following examples and the accompanying drawings are used to exemplarily illustrate the principles of the utility model, but cannot be used to limit the scope of the utility model. The utility model can be implemented in many different forms, not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.

[0038] The utility model provides these embodiments to make the utility model thorough and complete, and to fully express the scope of the utility model to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of the parts and steps, the composition of the materials, the numerical expressions and the numerical values ​​described in these embodiments should be interpreted as merely exemplary, rather than as limiting.

[0039] It should be noted that, in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the orientation or positional relationship indicated is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present invention. When the absolute position of the object being described changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0040] In addition, the words "first", "second" and similar words used in the present invention do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different parts. The words "include" or "comprise" and similar words mean that the elements before the word include the elements listed after the word, and do not exclude the possibility of including other elements.

[0041] It should also be noted that in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances. When a specific device is described as being located between a first device and a second device, there may or may not be an intermediate device between the specific device and the first device or the second device.

[0042] All terms used in the present invention have the same meanings as those understood by ordinary technicians in the field to which the present invention belongs, unless otherwise specifically defined. It should also be understood that terms defined in general dictionaries should be interpreted as having meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or extremely formal sense, unless explicitly defined herein.

[0043] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0044] like Figures 1 to 5As shown, an embodiment of the utility model provides a composite bearing assembly, including a bearing 1, an elastic element 2 and a bracket shell 3, the elastic element 2 includes an inner ring 21 and an outer ring 22, the bearing 1 is configured to press the inner ring 21 into the bracket shell 3, and the outer ring 22 is sleeved outside the bracket shell 3.

[0045] Furthermore, the inner ring 21 and the outer ring 22 are connected via a plurality of connecting ribs 23 .

[0046] In order to better understand the technical solution of the utility model, Figure 6 As shown, the composite bearing assembly of the utility model can be assembled and installed on the worm gear structure in the reduction structure of the steering system. Specifically, the composite bearing assembly of the utility model is sleeved on the first end of the worm 43, and the outer ring 22 is fixedly connected to the housing 41. Since a plurality of connecting ribs 23 are provided between the inner ring 21 and the outer ring 22, when the composite bearing assembly of the utility model is assembled and installed on the worm gear structure in the reduction structure of the steering system, the inner ring 21 can be rotated by a certain angle relative to the outer ring 22, and a certain elastic deformation is preset, so as to set a pre-pressure between the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43, compensate for the error gap between the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43 or the wear gap caused by the wear of the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43 after long-term work, so as to avoid abnormal noise. To a certain extent, it can make up for the impact abnormal noise that may be caused by the rebound of the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43 due to instantaneous impact when passing through the bumpy road section, and ensure driving comfort, reliability and driving safety.

[0047] In some embodiments, Figure 4As shown, the number of connecting ribs 23 can be two, and the angle between the centers of the two connecting ribs 23 and the center line of the elastic element 2 is less than 180°. The center of the connecting rib 23 refers to the geometric center of the connecting rib 23. Similarly, the center of the elastic element 2 also refers to the geometric center of the elastic element 2, which specifically coincides with the center of the circle (center) of the inner ring 21, that is, the angle between the centers of the two connecting ribs 23 and the center line of the inner ring 21 is less than 180°. In this way, the inner ring 21 and the outer ring 22 can be allowed to rotate relative to each other at a certain angle, so that the axial bearing pressure applied to one side of the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43 can be improved, the anti-bending moment performance of the bearing 1 can be released, and the axial force and bending moment received can be converted to the elastic element 2. By utilizing the stiffness of the elastic element 2, based on the force decomposition, a pre-pressure along the axial direction of the worm 43 can be generated to compensate for the meshing clearance caused by the early running-in, meshing process wear, processing and manufacturing tolerances between the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43, and to a certain extent solve the collision noise during the operation of the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43 and the continuous noise generated during high-frequency rotation. Among them, the elastic element 2 can be an elastic gasket, which is prepared by a stamping process, and is used to bear the axial force generated by the meshing transmission of the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43 and the bending moment generated around the axial direction of the worm 43, so that the composite bearing assembly of the utility model has a good anti-bending moment capacity when bearing loads.

[0048] In some embodiments, the bearing 1 is a four-point contact bearing, which is an angular contact ball bearing capable of bearing bidirectional axial loads and is well known to those skilled in the art, and will not be described in detail.

[0049] In some embodiments, Figure 3 As shown, a pressure-bearing boss 11 is provided on the outer ring of the bearing 1 as a non-standard bearing kit to ensure the normal rotation of the worm 43. Correspondingly, as shown in Figure 4 As shown, the elastic element 2 includes an inner ring 21, an outer ring 22 and connecting ribs 23. The inner ring 21 and the outer ring 22 are connected by two connecting ribs 23. The inner ring 21 can be a circular ring structure, which can be sleeved on the outer ring of the bearing 1 and can just match with the pressure-bearing boss 11 on the outer ring of the bearing 1. Since the bearing 1 is installed in the bracket housing 3, the inner ring 21 can be pressed into the bracket housing 3, that is, axial support is achieved for the elastic element 2.

[0050] In some embodiments, Figure 5As shown, the bracket housing 3 includes a supporting bottom plate 31 and a plurality of supporting side plates 32, each supporting side plate 32 surrounds the edge of the supporting bottom plate 31 and is arranged on the supporting bottom plate 31, and mounting grooves 33 are formed between each supporting side plate 32, and the number of mounting grooves 33 corresponds to the number of connecting ribs 23. When the elastic element 2 is mounted on the bracket housing 3, the connecting ribs 23 fall into the corresponding mounting grooves 33, that is, the connecting ribs 23 pass through the corresponding mounting grooves 33. The supporting bottom plate 31 can be an annular structure, and the bearing 1 can press the inner ring 21 of the elastic element 2 against the inner edge of the supporting bottom plate 31. An installation gap 24 is formed between the inner ring 21 and the outer ring 22, so that the supporting side plate 32 can pass through the installation gap 24, so that the inner ring 21 falls into the bracket housing 3, and the outer ring 22 can be sleeved on the outer side of the supporting side plate 32, and a positioning block 25 is provided on the surface of the outer ring 22 facing the bearing 1, so as to accurately position the composite bearing assembly of the present invention in the worm gear structure in the reduction structure of the steering system.

[0051] Furthermore, the bearing 1 and the elastic element 2 may be locked by using a riveting process or other processes. Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown, a bending structure is provided at one end of the supporting side plate 32 away from the supporting bottom plate 31 , and the bending structure can be pressed against the outer ring of the bearing 1 by using a riveting process, thereby locking the bearing 1 and the elastic element 2 .

[0052] In order to better understand the technical concept of the present invention, a relatively comprehensive description is given below in combination with the technical features.

[0053] like Figures 1 to 5As shown, the preferred embodiment of the utility model provides a composite bearing assembly, including a bearing 1, an elastic element 2 and a bracket housing 3, the elastic element 2 includes an inner ring 21 and an outer ring 22, the inner ring 21 and the outer ring 22 are connected by two connecting ribs 23, and the gap between the inner ring 21 and the outer ring 22 is divided into two installation gaps 24, the angle between the center of the two connecting ribs 23 and the center line of the inner ring 21 is less than 180°, and a positioning block 25 is arranged on the surface of the outer ring 22 facing the bearing 1. The bracket housing 3 includes a supporting bottom plate 31 and a plurality of supporting side plates 32, each supporting side plate 32 surrounds the edge of the supporting bottom plate 31 and is arranged on the supporting bottom plate 31, and a mounting groove 33 is formed between each supporting side plate 32, the number of the mounting grooves 33 corresponds to the number of the connecting ribs 23, when the elastic element 2 is installed on the bracket housing 3, the connecting rib 23 falls into the corresponding mounting groove 33, that is, the connecting rib 23 passes through the corresponding mounting groove 33. The supporting side plate 32 passes through the installation gap 24, so that the inner ring 21 falls into the bracket shell 3, and the outer ring 22 can be sleeved on the outer side of the supporting side plate 32. The supporting side plate 32 is provided with a bending structure at one end away from the supporting bottom plate 31. By using the riveting process, the bending structure can be pressed against the outer ring of the bearing 1, thereby locking the bearing 1 and the elastic element 2.

[0054] Based on the above composite bearing assembly, an embodiment of the utility model further provides a steering system, which is provided with the composite bearing assembly in each of the above embodiments.

[0055] In some embodiments, Figure 6 As shown, the steering system includes a housing 41, a worm wheel 42 and a worm 43, the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43 are accommodated in the housing 41, and the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43 are meshed with each other, the composite bearing assembly is sleeved on the first end of the worm 43 through the bearing 1, and the outer ring 22 of the elastic element 2 is connected to the housing 41. In order to compensate for the meshing clearance caused by the early running-in, wear during the meshing process, and processing and manufacturing tolerances between the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43, when installing the composite bearing assembly, a certain degree of relative rotation can be formed between the inner ring 21 and the outer ring 22, so that pre-pressure can be applied between the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43, which can solve the collision noise during the operation of the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43 and the continuous noise caused by high-frequency rotation to a certain extent.

[0056] In some embodiments, the outer ring 22 is locked on the housing 41 by a fastener 44. The fastener 44 may be a bearing fixing nut. When installing the composite bearing assembly, the positioning block 25 may be aligned with the positioning hole on the housing 41 to facilitate accurate circumferential positioning. Figure 6 As shown, a threaded hole is provided on the elastic element 2 at a position opposite to the positioning block 25 , so that a fastener 44 can be screwed into the threaded hole to lock the outer ring 22 on the housing 41 .

[0057] In some embodiments, Figure 6 As shown, the second end of the worm 43 is sleeved with a support mechanism assembly 45. The support mechanism assembly 45 can be a bearing structure, which is sleeved on the second end of the worm 43 to support the worm 43. It should be noted that the first end and the second end of the worm 43 are relative concepts. Figure 6 In the embodiment, the first end of the worm 43 refers to the right end of the worm 43 , and the second end of the worm 43 refers to the left end of the worm 43 .

[0058] In some embodiments, Figure 6 As shown, a first end of the worm 43 is connected to a coupling 46, and the coupling 46 is located outside the composite bearing assembly.

[0059] Based on the above technical scheme, the composite bearing assembly of the utility model includes a bearing 1, an elastic element 2 and a bracket housing 3. The bearing 1 can be a four-point contact bearing, and the bracket housing 3 closely mounts the elastic element 2 on the bearing 1. When the composite bearing assembly of the utility model is mounted on the worm 43 of the steering system, and a certain angle of rotation occurs between the inner ring 21 and the outer ring 22, a pre-pressure can be set between the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43. Therefore, the composite bearing assembly of the utility model can improve the excessive axial bearing pressure applied to the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43 on one side, release the bending moment resistance performance of the bearing 1, convert the axial force and bending moment to the elastic element 2, and use the stiffness of the elastic element 2 to apply pre-pressure to the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43, compensate for the meshing clearance caused by the early running-in, meshing process wear, processing and manufacturing tolerances of the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43, and solve the collision noise and continuous noise caused by high-frequency rotation of the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43 to a certain extent. The structure is simple and the design is reasonable. After assembly, the gap between the worm wheel 42 and the worm 43 can be adjusted.

[0060] At present, most of the worm gears in the steering gear reduction structure on the market do not have a compensation mechanism between them, and usually use the matching center distance to adjust the meshing clearance between the worm gears. This method is not only cumbersome to install, but also complicated in controlling the meshing clearance between the worm gears. In addition, the tolerances between the various components are difficult to control, resulting in an increase in the overall manufacturing cost. However, the composite bearing assembly of the utility model has a simple structure, low cost, small space occupation, good process feasibility, good noise reduction performance, can reduce manufacturing and processing costs, is easy to replace, and has excellent interchangeability.

[0061] In addition, the utility model also provides a vehicle provided with the steering system described in any one of the above embodiments.

[0062] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Within the technical concept of the present invention, the technical solution of the present invention can be subjected to a variety of simple modifications, including the combination of various specific technical features in any suitable manner. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present invention will not further describe various possible combinations. However, these simple modifications and combinations should also be regarded as the contents disclosed by the present invention and belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A composite bearing assembly, characterized in that: The invention comprises a bearing (1), an elastic element (2) and a bracket shell (3); the elastic element (2) comprises an inner ring (21) and an outer ring (22); the bearing (1) is configured such that the inner ring (21) is pressed against the inside of the bracket shell (3); and the outer ring (22) is sleeved outside the bracket shell (3).

2. The composite bearing assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner ring (21) and the outer ring (22) are connected via a plurality of connecting ribs (23).

3. The composite bearing assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The number of the connecting ribs (23) is two, and the angle between the centers of the two connecting ribs (23) and the center line of the elastic element (2) is less than 180°.

4. The composite bearing assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bracket shell (3) comprises a supporting base plate (31) and a plurality of supporting side plates (32), each of the supporting side plates (32) being arranged on the supporting base plate (31) around the edge of the supporting base plate (31), and a mounting groove (33) for the connecting rib (23) to pass through is formed between each of the supporting side plates (32).

5. The composite bearing assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: One end of the supporting side plate (32) away from the supporting bottom plate (31) is provided with a bending structure for pressing against the outer ring of the bearing (1).

6. The composite bearing assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer ring of the bearing (1) is provided with a pressure-bearing boss (11) for axially supporting the elastic element (2).

7. The composite bearing assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: A positioning block (25) is provided on the surface of the outer ring (22) facing the bearing (1), and the positioning block (25) is used to position the composite bearing assembly on the worm gear structure.

8. The composite bearing assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The bearing (1) is a four-point contact bearing.

9. A steering system, characterized in that: A composite bearing assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is provided, comprising a housing (41) and a worm wheel (42) and a worm (43) housed in the housing (41) and engaged with each other, wherein the composite bearing assembly is sleeved on a first end of the worm (43) via the bearing (1), and the outer ring (22) is connected to the housing (41) so as to apply a preload between the worm wheel (42) and the worm (43) through relative rotation between the inner ring (21) and the outer ring (22).

10. The steering system according to claim 9, characterized in that: The outer ring (22) is locked on the housing (41) via a fastener (44).

11. The steering system according to claim 9, characterized in that: The second end of the worm (43) is sleeved with a support mechanism assembly (45).

12. The steering system according to claim 9, characterized in that: A first end of the worm (43) is connected to a coupling (46), and the coupling (46) is located outside the composite bearing assembly.

13. A vehicle, characterized in that: A steering system according to any one of claims 9 to 12 is provided.

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