IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,345,395
Granted Patent B2
US 11,345,395 · App. 16/642,909 · Granted May 31, 2022

Steering device

Inventors: Junpei Okutani (Fujisawa, JP); Haruyuki Hosoya (Yokohama, JP); Kousuke Kawakami (Yokohama, JP)
Assignee: Isuzu Motors Limited
B62D5/0403B62D1/189B62D5/0415B62D5/22
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,345,395
App. No.
16/642,909
Granted
May 31, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A steering device ( 1 ) installed in a vehicle is equipped with: a steering wheel ( 10 ); a steering shaft ( 20 ) having a first shaft part ( 21 ), one end of which is directly connected to the steering wheel ( 10 ), and a second shaft part ( 22 ) connected to the first shaft part ( 21 ) on the other end side thereof; a coaxial motor ( 50 ) which applies a rotational force to the first shaft part ( 21 ), and has a motor housing ( 51 ) which supports the steering shaft ( 20 ) and surrounds the periphery of the first shaft part ( 21 ); and a motor securing unit ( 70 ) which, in order to determine the support position of the steering wheel ( 10 ), secures the motor housing ( 51 ) and a support bracket ( 60 ) secured inside the vehicle compartment.

Claims (24)

1. A steering device to be mounted on a vehicle, the steering device comprising:

a steering wheel disposed in a vehicle cabin;

a steering shaft including a first shaft portion directly connected at one end to the steering wheel, and a second shaft portion to be connected to an other-end side of the first shaft portion;

a coaxial motor including a motor housing that surrounds a periphery of the first shaft portion to support the steering shaft, the coaxial motor causing rotational power to act on the first shaft portion; and

a motor fixing part that fixes the motor housing and a support bracket fixed in the vehicle cabin, so as to determine a position at which the steering wheel is supported,

wherein the vehicle is a cab-over vehicle having a tiltable vehicle cabin,

wherein the second shaft portion has an upper shaft and a lower shaft that are fitted and connected to each other along the axial direction, and the second shaft portion is configured to be expandable in the axial direction by shortening a fitting region between the upper shaft and the lower shaft during cab tilting of the vehicle,

wherein the motor fixing part fixes the motor housing and the support bracket at a lower side of the motor housing, the lower side being lower than a middle position in an upper-lower direction of the motor housing, and

wherein the steering wheel and the motor housing are disposed adjacent to each other such that a lower surface of the steering wheel and an upper surface of the motor housing directly face each other without any interposition of a column switch or a key mechanism.

2. The steering device according to claim 1 , wherein

the motor fixing part enables adjustment of a relative position between the motor housing and the support bracket.

3. The steering device according to claim 2 , wherein

the motor fixing part includes a fastening bolt that connects the motor housing to the support bracket, and

the adjustment of the relative position between the motor housing and the support bracket is enabled by changing a fastening position of the fastening bolt in a long bolt hole formed in the support bracket or the motor housing.

4. The steering device according to claim 2 , wherein

the motor fixing part enables the adjustment of the relative position between the motor housing and the support bracket in an axial direction or an inclination direction of the steering shaft.

5. The steering device according to claim 1 , wherein

the support bracket is disposed to hold the motor housing from both left and right sides in a cross vehicle direction.

6. The steering device according to claim 1 , wherein

the support bracket extends along an axial direction of the steering shaft in a front region in the vehicle cabin, the support bracket being fixed, at a lower-end side and at an upper-end side, to the vehicle cabin.

7. The steering device according to claim 1 , wherein

a steering gearbox is provided outside the vehicle cabin,

the steering gearbox includes a hydraulic power assist mechanism, and

the steering gearbox allows a steered wheel to be steered according to a rotational motion of the steering shaft.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 30, 2020
From: OKUTANI, JUNPEI; HOSOYA, HARUYUKI; KAWAKAMI, KOUSUKE
To: ISUZU MOTORS LIMITED
Reel/Frame 052532/0342 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2017-165757 · Aug 30, 2017 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200346683A1 · Nov 5, 2020