Steering Pinion Shaft Assembly for Clip Support and Rust Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional steering devices face challenges in reducing vehicle weight while maintaining sufficient support strength for the positioning clip and preventing rust in the pinion shaft, especially when the torsion bar is shortened, leading to insufficient support and potential rust due to water ingress.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle steering device with a pinion shaft featuring a tubular member and a torsion bar where the torsion bar's upper end is axially further away from the joint, and a positioning clip with an inserted portion that seals the gap between the inserted portion and the tubular member, ensuring enhanced support strength and preventing rust, along with an assembling method that aligns the rotational phase of the positioning clip using a mark on the tubular member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the torsion bar is shortened to reduce vehicle body weight, then weight reduction is achieved, but the support strength at the upper portion of the positioning clip becomes insufficient and the pinion shaft becomes susceptible to rust
Solution Approach 1:
The pinion shaft is segmented into two separate components: a tubular member (housing) and the torsion bar (inserted portion). This segmentation allows the torsion bar to be shortened for weight reduction while the tubular member maintains the structural support function and provides rust prevention through its closed structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The torsion bar is nested inside the tubular member, with the torsion bar's upper end positioned within the tubular member's hollow portion. This nesting arrangement allows the shorter torsion bar to be supported by the tubular member structure, maintaining positioning clip support strength while enabling weight reduction through torsion bar shortening.
2Weight of moving object
If the torsion bar is shortened, then vehicle body weight is reduced, but water can enter through the opening at the upper end of the pinion shaft causing rust
Solution Approach 1:
Separating the pinion shaft into tubular member and torsion bar components allows the tubular member to function as a protective housing that seals against water ingress, while the torsion bar can be optimized for weight reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The tubular member acts as an intermediary protective structure between the external environment (water) and the torsion bar, preventing water from reaching the torsion bar and causing rust, while still allowing the torsion bar to be shortened.
3Ease of manufacture
If the pinion shaft has an opening at the upper end to accommodate the positioning clip, then the positioning clip can be installed, but water can enter through the opening causing rust
Solution Approach 1:
The inserted portion of the positioning clip is nested within the tubular member's hollow portion, allowing the positioning clip to be installed and supported while the tubular member's closed structure prevents water ingress.
Solution Approach 2:
The tubular member serves as an intermediary structure that provides both installation access for the positioning clip and rust prevention, eliminating the need for an open structure that would allow water entry.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle steering device includes a positioning clip configured to align a pinion shaft with a joint portion of a steering shaft, wherein the pinion shaft includes a torsion bar and a tubular member having the torsion bar inserted thereinto, an upper end of the torsion bar is axially further away from the joint portion than an upper end of the tubular member, the positioning clip includes an inserted portion to be inserted into the tubular member, and a gap between the inserted portion and the tubular member is sealed.