Anti-rotation sleeve for steering actuator
AssigneeSchaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
InventorsTrenton Dean, Sang Hoon Han, Alaa Makke
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vehicle steering system is provided that includes an actuator driving a threaded nut, a threaded spindle configured to move linearly within a housing via rotation of the threaded nut, and an anti-rotation sleeve fixed to the housing. The anti-rotation sleeve has a plurality of balls that rollably engage a plurality of grooves on the threaded spindle, and a plurality of spherical ball pockets that rollably receive the plurality of balls. One or more of the plurality of spherical ball pockets is formed by a pair of spherical ball pocket portions.
Claims20
A vehicle steering system, comprising:
- an actuator driving a threaded nut;
- a threaded spindle disposed in a housing, the threaded spindle configured to move linearly along a first axis within the housing via rotation of the threaded nut;
- a sleeve fixed to the housing, the sleeve configured to prevent rotation of the threaded spindle about the first axis, the sleeve comprising:
- a through-bore through which the threaded spindle extends;
- a first plurality of balls configured to rollably engage a plurality of axial grooves disposed on the threaded spindle;
- a first plurality of spherical ball pockets, each of the first plurality of spherical ball pockets rollably receiving one of the first plurality of balls;
- and
- at least one of the first plurality of spherical ball pockets formed by a first pair of spherical ball pocket portions.
A vehicle steering system, comprising:
- an actuator driving a threaded nut;
- a threaded spindle disposed in a housing, the threaded spindle configured to move linearly along a first axis within the housing via rotation of the threaded nut;
- a sleeve fixed to the housing, the sleeve configured to prevent rotation of the threaded spindle about the first axis, the sleeve comprising:
- a through-bore through which the threaded spindle extends;
- a plurality of snap-fit sleeve segments forming a first plurality of ball pockets;
- and
- a first plurality of balls configured to rollably engage a plurality of axial grooves disposed on the threaded spindle, and each one of the first plurality of balls disposed within a corresponding one of the first plurality of ball pockets.
A vehicle steering system, comprising:
- an actuator driving a threaded nut;
- a threaded spindle disposed in a housing, the threaded spindle configured to move linearly along a first axis within the housing via rotation of the threaded nut;
- a sleeve fixed to the housing, the sleeve configured to prevent rotation of the threaded spindle about the first axis, the sleeve comprising:
- a plurality of separate sleeve segments forming a plurality of ball pockets, the plurality of separate sleeve segments having:
- a first separate sleeve segment having a first plurality of axial protrusions;
- and
- a second separate sleeve segment having a second plurality of axial protrusions that complementarily engage the first plurality of axial protrusions so as to form the plurality of ball pockets;
- and
- a plurality of balls rollably disposed within the plurality of ball pockets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.