Steering system for use in turning steerable vehicle wheels
AssigneeZF Friedrichshafen AG
InventorRyan Noerenberg
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A steering system for use in turning steerable vehicle wheels includes a gear in a housing and rotatable relative to the housing via an electric motor. A planetary gear stage is in the housing and has a sun gear, a planetary gear meshed with the sun gear, and a carrier connected to the planetary gear. Rotation of the gear urges the sun gear to rotate about an axis. Rotation of the sun gear urges the planetary gear to rotate relative to the housing and orbit the sun gear. The carrier is urged to rotate about the axis in response to the planetary gear rotating relative to the housing and orbiting the sun gear. A bearing has a first race on the gear and a second race on the carrier. The gear and the carrier are rotatably supported in the housing on one another via the bearing.
Claims20
A steering system for use in turning steerable vehicle wheels, the steering system comprising:
- a housing;
- an electric motor;
- a gear in the housing and rotatable relative to the housing via the electric motor;
- a planetary gear stage in the housing, the planetary gear stage having a sun gear, a planetary gear meshed with the sun gear, and a carrier connected to the planetary gear, rotation of the gear urging the sun gear to rotate about an axis, rotation of the sun gear urging the planetary gear to rotate relative to the housing and orbit the sun gear, the carrier being urged to rotate about the axis in response to the planetary gear rotating relative to the housing and orbiting the sun gear;
- and
- a bearing having a first race on the gear and a second race on the carrier, the gear and the carrier being rotatably supported in the housing on one another via the bearing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.