Rack Housing Mount Layout for Steering Assembly Insertability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing steering devices face poor workability during mounting on a vehicle body due to the large width of mount bracket portions, which can prevent the device from being inserted through openings in the vehicle body frame, limiting its mountability.
Innovation Solution
The steering device features a second supporting portion with first and second vehicle body mounting portions that project outwardly and are arranged to shift in the axial direction, allowing them to be inserted through openings without overlapping, thereby reducing the device's width and improving mountability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a pair of mount bracket portions are provided at positions symmetrical with respect to a center axis of the rack tube, then the steering device can be supported stably on the vehicle body, but the width of the mount bracket portions becomes large, making it difficult to insert through openings in the vehicle body frame
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by shifting the first and second vehicle body mounting portions in the axial direction so they do not overlap. This asymmetric arrangement reduces the width of the second supporting portion while maintaining stable support, allowing the steering device to be inserted through openings in the vehicle body frame.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent resolves the contradiction by changing the arrangement dimension of the mounting portions from a radial/symmetrical layout to an axial/longitudinal layout. By shifting mounting portions along the axial direction rather than arranging them symmetrically across the center axis, the width is reduced while maintaining support stability through distributed axial positioning.
2Ease of manufacture
If the rack tube is passed through an opening provided in a vehicle body frame, then the steering device can be mounted on the vehicle body, but the mount bracket portions cannot be inserted into the opening depending on the size of the opening
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric axial shifting of mounting portions reduces the overall width of the second supporting portion, enabling insertion through standard-sized openings in vehicle body frames while maintaining stable mounting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the spatial parameters of the mounting portions by shifting them in the axial direction. This parameter change reduces the width dimension while maintaining the functional requirements for stable support and adaptability to different vehicle body openings.
Data Source
AI summary
A steering device includes a rack housing portion housing a rack shaft, a pinion gear provided on one end side of the rack housing portion, a first supporting portion provided on the rack housing portion to support the one end side of the rack housing portion, and a second supporting portion provided on the rack housing portion to support the other end side of the rack housing portion. The second supporting portion includes a first vehicle body mounting portion and a second vehicle body mounting portion provided to project outwardly of the rack housing portion, the first and second vehicle body mounting portions being mounted on a vehicle body. The first and second vehicle body mounting portions are arranged to be shifted in an axial direction of the rack housing portion so as not to overlap in the axial direction.