Vehicle steering apparatus
A vehicle steering apparatus. The durability of a sensor rotor to heat and abrasion is improved. The flatness of the sensor rotor is prevented from being lowered during calking for coupling of the sensor rotor to a steering shaft so that steering torque of a driver can be more accurately detected. A fabrication process is simplified, and fabrication costs are reduced.
1. A vehicle steering apparatus comprising:
a first shaft to which one which one end of a torsion bar and a torque sensor are coupled;
a second shaft to which the other end of the torsion bar is coupled, the second shaft having a recess in an outer circumferential surface of one end portion thereof; and
a sensor rotor comprising an annular body coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the one end portion of the second shaft and having a stepped portion being provided on an inner circumferential surface of the annular body to be open in one axial direction, and blades protruding from outer circumferential portions of the annular body to face the torque sensor, wherein the annular body of the sensor rotor has one or more protrusions protruding from the stepped portion provided on the inner circumferential surface of the annular body.
2. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor rotor is press-fitted into and coupled to the second shaft.
3. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second shaft comprises a support protruding from an outer circumferential surface of the second shaft and supported on a side surface of the annular body facing in the other axial direction.
4. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein one of the protrusions protrudes from a side surface of the stepped portion of the annular body facing in the other axial direction to be supported on the outer circumferential surface of the second shaft.
5. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the one of the protrusions comprises an annular protrusion extending in a circumferential direction.
6. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the stepped portion is provided in a position corresponding to the recess.
7. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the stepped portion comprises a portion of the inner circumferential surface of the annular body and another portion of the inner circumferential surface of the annular body, an inner diameter of which is greater than that the portion of the inner circumferential surface of the annular body.
8. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein one of the protrusions protrudes from an inner circumferential surface of the stepped portion of the annular body to be fitted into the recess.
9. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the one of the protrusions is provided by calking the stepped portion.
10. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the recess extends to one distal end of the second shaft.
11. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the recess has a slope on which the one of the protrusions is supported.
12. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the recess has a stepped portion on which the one of the protrusions is seated.