Elastic Support Module for Vehicle Steering Rack Bar Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rack-and-pinion type steering apparatuses experience noise due to increased clearance when the support yoke wears out or is subjected to road surface impacts, leading to a compromised steering experience.
Innovation Solution
An elastic support module with a hollow housing, collars, spacers, annular elastic members, a ball support member, and an annular plate support member is integrated into the rack bar supporting device to maintain contact between the support yoke and the rack bar, reducing friction and noise through elastic deformation and load distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional support yoke is used without elastic members, then the structure is simple and manufacturing is easy, but clearance increases when the support yoke wears out or is subjected to road surface impacts, causing noise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces elastic members that can dynamically change their physical state (deformation) in response to load variations. These elastic members absorb impacts and maintain contact pressure between the support yoke and rack bar, preventing clearance formation and noise generation while the vehicle operates, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic members are pre-installed between the support yoke and rack bar to provide beforehand cushioning against impacts and wear. This preliminary cushioning mechanism ensures that when road surface impacts occur or wear develops, the elastic members absorb the shocks and maintain proper contact, preventing noise before it occurs
2Object-affected harmful factors
If elastic members are added to maintain contact between support yoke and rack bar, then noise is prevented and steering feeling is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic members are nested within the existing support yoke structure, specifically positioned in the recess formed by the support yoke and rack bar. This nesting approach allows the elastic members to be integrated into the existing design without requiring separate mounting spaces or complex external structures, thus reducing the impact of added complexity while maintaining noise prevention benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic members act as intermediaries between the support yoke and rack bar, transferring and absorbing forces while maintaining contact. This intermediary function allows the system to handle impacts and wear without direct metal-to-metal contact, reducing noise while the elastic members serve as a buffer zone that simplifies the overall force management in the system
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The elastic support module effectively prevents noise generation by maintaining contact between the support yoke and the rack bar, ensuring a pleasant steering experience even when the vehicle's durability is compromised or subjected to road impacts.
Implementation Method 1
at least two elastic members which are interposed between the first and second spacers, and each of which is formed in an annular shape to have inner and outer circumferences, each surface extending between the inner and outer circumferences being inclined in relation to the central axis of the elastic members
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an elastic support module and a rack bar supporting device for a vehicle steering apparatus, which includes the elastic support module. By the present invention, it is possible to prevent a noise from being produced due to the increase of a clearance caused when a vehicle loses the driving durability thereof to a certain degree and hence a support yoke of the vehicle is worn, or due to an impact reversely input from a road surface, and hence to provide a pleasant steering feeling for a driver when steering the vehicle.