Locking device for the steering system of motor vehicles
AssigneeRobert Bosch GmbH
InventorsTobias Klaiber, Ulrich Kappenstein, Werner Schoenamsgruber
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A locking device for use in motor-vehicle steering systems, the locking device having a blocking mechanism by which a pitman arm shaft can be locked, a steering wheel of the motor vehicle can be prevented from rotating and vehicle wheels of the motor vehicle can be prevented from being turned or steered. The blocking mechanism includes two end positions, one of which is unlocked and one of which is locked, and is electromechanically operable. An electromagnet causes concentric external gear teeth of the pitman arm shaft to mesh with internal gear teeth of an axially movable and radially non-rotatable locking ring so that the pitman arm shaft is not rotatable in the locked state.
Claims11
A locking device for a steering system of a motor vehicle, the locking device comprising:
- a first compression spring;
- a second compression spring;
- an electromagnet;
- a pitman arm shaft having concentric external gear teeth;
- a locking ring having internal gear teeth, the locking ring being assigned to the concentric external gear teeth, the locking ring being supportable to be movable by the electromagnet along an axis of the pitman arm shaft, and the internal gear teeth being meshable with the concentric external gear teeth so that the pitman arm shaft is not rotatable in a locked state;
- and
- a blocking mechanism for locking the pitman arm shaft, for preventing a steering wheel of the motor vehicle from rotating and for preventing vehicle wheels of the motor vehicle from being steered, the blocking mechanism being electromechanically displaceable between an unlocked end position and a locked end position;
- wherein forces free appliable to the locking ring by the first compression spring acting in a locking direction and by the second compression spring acting in an unlocking direction, a first spring force of the first compression spring being greater than a second spring force of the second compression spring, and being less than a lifting force of the electromagnet acting in the locking device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.