Systems and methods for an electric steering system
AssigneeDana Italia S.R.L.
InventorsIdris Poonawala, Sudatta Karmarkar, Paresh Joshi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and systems are provided for a steer-by-wire system. In one example, a steer-by-wire system comprises an electric motor coupled to a steering axle via a bevel gear set, where a rotor of the electric motor is perpendicular to the steering axle, and the bevel gear set comprises a first bevel gear and a second bevel gear. The steer-by-wire system includes an overload protection arrangement, where the second bevel gear is normally coupled to a ball screw nut via a plurality of locking pins, the plurality of locking pins disengaging from the second bevel gear and allowing slipping of the ball screw nut in response to an external impact load acting on the ball screw nut exceeding a threshold.
Claims19
A steer-by-wire system comprising:
- an electric motor coupled to a steering axle via a bevel gear set, where a rotor of the electric motor is perpendicular to the steering axle, and the bevel gear set comprises a first bevel gear and a second bevel gear;
- and,
- an overload protection arrangement, where the second bevel gear is normally coupled to a ball screw nut via a plurality of locking pins, the plurality of locking pins disengaging from the second bevel gear and allowing slipping of the ball screw nut in response to an external impact load acting on the ball screw nut exceeding a threshold.
A method for a vehicle having a steer-by-wire system comprising an electric motor mounted perpendicular to a steering axle via a bevel gear set coupled to a ball screw arrangement, the method comprising:
- driving the bevel gear set and the ball screw arrangement with the electric motor to provide steer-by-wire operation and during the steer-by-wire operation,
- disconnecting the bevel gear set from the ball screw arrangement in response to an external impact load increasing above a threshold, wherein the bevel gear set comprises a first bevel gear mounted to the electric motor and a second bevel gear normally coupled to a ball screw nut of the ball screw arrangement with a plurality of locking pins, and wherein each locking pin of the plurality of locking pins engages a corresponding slot in the second bevel gear due to a corresponding spring acting upon each pin, and in response to the external impact load acting on the ball screw nut exceeding the threshold, each locking pin of the plurality of locking pins pushes against the corresponding spring thereby disengaging the second bevel gear from the ball screw nut.
A vehicle system comprising:
- an electric motor coupled to a steering axle via a bevel gear set, where a rotor of the electric motor is perpendicular to the steering axle, and the bevel gear set comprises a first bevel gear and a second bevel gear;
- and,
- an overload protection arrangement, where the second bevel gear is normally coupled to a ball screw nut via a plurality of locking pins, the plurality of locking pins disengaging from the second bevel gear and allowing slipping of the ball screw nut in response to an impact load acting on the ball screw nut exceeding a threshold, and where each locking pin of the plurality of locking pins engages a corresponding slot in the second bevel gear due to a corresponding spring acting upon each pin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.