VARIABLE SPRING RATE MECHANISM

• Main Authors: AOYAMA TOSHIHIKO, OKADA YUICHI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 27.06.1995
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: BLASTING; BRAKES; CLUTCHES; COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; HEATING; LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; MOTOR VEHICLES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; TRAILERS; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS; VEHICLES IN GENERAL; WEAPONS

PURPOSE:To satisfy the relations, which are opposite to each other, such as the relation between low steering force and high rigidity feeling in the case where arrangement structure of a coil spring is devised to change the axial length of the coil spring in a variable spring rate mechanism, in which the relation between the torsion angle and the torsion torque of a coil spring is variable. CONSTITUTION:In the case where this variable spring rate mechanism is applied for a power steering device, this variable spring rate mechanism 41 is provided between an input shaft 12 and a pinion 13 in series of a rotary valve unit 11, and provided with an output member 42, which is integrated with the pinion 13, in the lower end side thereof. A gap member 43, of which upper part is connected to a valve body 34, is fastened to the upper end of the peripheral side of the output member 42 by a bolt, and an input member 44, which is integrated with the input shaft 12, is fitted to the upper end side of the mechanism 41 so that it can be rotated relatively with the gap member 43. A coil spring 48 is interposed between an upper and a lower retainers 45, 46, and a piston 55 integrated with the output member 42 is formed in the lower retainer 46, and the piston 55 is pushed up by the oil pressure supplied to a port 18.