Steering unit for an electric vehicle
AssigneeUmbra Cuscinetti S.P.A.
InventorsFederico Perni, Luciano Pizzoni, Lucio Lopparelli
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A steering unit of an electric vehicle is equipped with an electric motor having a tubular output shaft, through which a steering rod is assembled connected to the same output shaft by means of a recirculating ball screw-nut screw coupling so as to control the steering of a pair of wheels of the vehicle; the screw-nut screw coupling being defined by a train of balls engaged in a recirculating track made up of a first section made between the output shaft and the steering rod, of a second section made through the steering rod, and of two third sections connecting the first and the second section with one another.
Claims9
Steering unit for an electric vehicle, the steering unit comprising an electric motor (4) having a tubular output shaft (9) assembled so as to rotate around its own particular longitudinal axis (8);
- and a steering rod (13) assembled through said output shaft (9) and connected to the same output shaft (9) by means of a recirculating ball screw-nut screw coupling (12) in order to move along said axis (8) and control the steering of a pair of wheels (2) of the vehicle;
- the screw-nut screw coupling (12) comprising at least one closed ring recirculating track (16) and a train of balls (15) engaged in the same recirculating track (16), the recirculating track (16) comprising, in turn, a first section (17) defined between the output shaft (9) and the steering rod (13), a second section (18) extending between the ends of the first section (17), and two third sections (19) connecting the first and the second section (17, 18) with one another;
- and being characterized in that the second section (18) extends through the steering rod (13) and is disposed according to an angle (a) other than 90° with respect to a reference plane (P) basically at a right angle to said axis (8).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.