Steering-by-wire steering column

Abstract

A steer-by-wire steering column includes a single column jacket extending in a longitudinal direction. The steering column also includes a single steering shaft extending in a longitudinal direction and at least partially housed within the single column jacket. The steering column also includes a steer-by-wire electric actuator disposed at least partially within the single column jacket and around the single steering shaft to provide resistance to the single steering shaft.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 525,067, filed on July 5, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to vehicle steering systems, and more particularly, to steer-by-wire steering columns (steer-by-wire columns). Background Art

[0004] Vehicles (such as automobiles, trucks, sport utility vehicles, crossovers, minivans, ships, aircraft, all-terrain vehicles, recreational vehicles or other suitable vehicles) typically include a steering system having a steering column. For many years, the steering column has included one or more jacket housings that house a steering shaft assembly that is physically connected to a rack or other device that steers the road wheel. Advances in electrical technology have led to the development of a continuous physical connection between the steering input device and the road wheel. One such steering system is known as a steer-by-wire steering system. Another electrical system is known as electric power steering (EPS), which provides power, for example, at the column or rack.

[0005] Existing steering systems, whether steer-by-wire or otherwise, include manual tilt and axial control, requiring two or more housings and two or more steering shafts (e.g., upper and lower housings and shafts). As with any system, it is generally advantageous to reduce the number of components and complexity of the system.

[0006] In addition to the number of components required for existing steering columns of steer-by-wire type systems, the hand wheel actuator that provides resistance, feedback and assistance to the steering shaft is often assembled to the steering column at an angle or even perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the steering column, thereby requiring additional space and complicating the overall packaging effort. Summary of the invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a steer-by-wire steering column includes a single column jacket extending in a longitudinal direction. The steering column also includes a single steering shaft extending in the longitudinal direction and at least partially accommodated in the single column jacket. The steering column also includes a steer-by-wire electric actuator, which is at least partially disposed in the single column jacket and surrounds the single steering shaft to provide resistance to the single steering shaft.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a steer-by-wire steering column includes a single column jacket extending in a longitudinal direction, wherein the single column jacket defines a first pair of slots for receiving an adjustment column of a manual adjustment assembly passing through the first pair of slots, wherein a first position of the adjustment column within the first pair of slots defines a fully axially inward position of the single column jacket and a single steering shaft, and a second position of the adjustment column within the first pair of slots defines a fully axially outward position of the single column jacket and the single steering shaft. The steering column also includes a single steering shaft extending in a longitudinal direction and at least partially housed within the single column jacket. The steering column also includes a steer-by-wire electric actuator, which is at least partially disposed within the single column jacket and surrounds the single steering shaft to provide resistance to the single steering shaft. The steer-by-wire electric actuator includes a rotor structure, which is operatively coupled to a radially outer surface of the single steering shaft. The electric actuator also includes a motor stator, which at least partially surrounds the rotor structure. The steering column also includes a housing end structure operatively coupled to an open end of a single column jacket, wherein the housing end structure defines a second pair of slots for receiving at least one component extending from a vehicle structure, the single column jacket and the housing end structure move relative to the vehicle structure, wherein a first position of the at least one component within the second pair of slots defines a fully axially inward position of the single column jacket and the single steering shaft, and a second position of the at least one component within the second pair of slots defines a fully axially outward position of the single column jacket and the single steering shaft.

[0009] These and other aspects of the present disclosure are disclosed in the following detailed description of the embodiments, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The present disclosure may be best understood through the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be emphasized that, in accordance with common practice, the various features of the drawings are not drawn to scale. Instead, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily enlarged or reduced for clarity of display.

[0011] Figure 1 A vehicle steering system is schematically shown;

[0012] Figure 2 is a first perspective view of a steering column for a steer-by-wire system;

[0013] Figure 3 is a second perspective view of a steering column for a steer-by-wire system;

[0014] Figure 4 is a side view of a steer-by-wire steering column in a fully axially outward position;

[0015] Figure 5 is a side view of a steer-by-wire steering column in a fully axially inward position;

[0016] Figure 6 is a side view of a steer-by-wire steering column;

[0017] Figure 7 is a side view of an energy absorbing strip assembly of a steering column of a steer-by-wire system;

[0018] Figure 8 is a perspective view of an energy absorbing strip assembly; and

[0019] Fig. 9 is a partially transparent perspective view of an energy absorbing strip assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following discussion is directed to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments disclosed herein should not be interpreted or otherwise used to limit the scope of the present disclosure, including the claims. In addition, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the following description has a wide range of applications, and the discussion of any embodiment is only meant to illustrate the embodiment, and is not intended to imply that the scope of the present disclosure, including the claims, is limited to the embodiment.

[0021] Embodiments disclosed herein may benefit various types of steering systems in vehicles, such as automobiles, trucks, sport utility vehicles, crossovers, minivans, boats, aircraft, all-terrain vehicles, recreational vehicles, or other suitable vehicles. In particular, the embodiments relate to a steer-by-wire steering column with manual adjustment capability, wherein the steering column advantageously reduces multiple steering column components when compared to conventional steering columns, which typically require two or more jackets and two or more steering shaft components.

[0022] Reference Figure 1 , a steering column assembly is generally indicated by the reference numeral 10. The steering column assembly includes a steering wheel 12, wherein a driver can provide steering input by turning the steering wheel 12. The steering column assembly 10 is a steering system of the steer-by-wire type. Therefore, the steering column assembly 10 does not include a continuous mechanical connection between the steering wheel 12 and the output gear and rack 14, which would result in physical adjustment of the road wheel 16 for steering maneuvers. Even in existing steer-by-wire systems, multiple steering shafts and / or multiple steering column jackets are required to operatively connect the steering wheel 12 to another component, such as an actuator, etc. However, the embodiments disclosed herein reduce the number of major components required for the steering column assembly 10.

[0023] Now refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3, a steer-by-wire steering column assembly 10 is shown in greater detail. The steer-by-wire steering column assembly 10 is manually adjustable and includes a single steering column jacket 20 that at least partially houses a single steering shaft 22. To this end, it should be understood that the entire steering column jacket assembly is limited to a single jacket 20 and that the single jacket 20 houses at least a portion of the single steering shaft 22 described above. Therefore, the entire steering shaft assembly is limited to a single steering shaft 22, rather than a plurality of sections assembled together (which form a steering shaft assembly). The single steering shaft 22 has an end 24 that extends out of the single jacket 20 in a generally rearward direction of the vehicle. The end 24 that extends out of the single jacket 20 is configured to have a steering input device, such as a steering wheel, operatively coupled thereto.

[0024] The steer-by-wire steering column assembly 10 also includes a manual adjustment assembly 30 that provides a user with the ability to manually adjust the axial and / or rake position of the steer-by-wire steering column assembly 10. The term "axial" movement refers to movement of a single sheath 20 in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis A of the steer-by-wire steering column assembly 10. The term "rake" movement refers to movement of a single sheath 20 in a generally up-and-down direction relative to the longitudinal axis A of the steer-by-wire steering column assembly 10. The manual adjustment assembly 30 includes an adjustment rod 32. When the adjustment rod 32 is rotated, one or more cams 34 and / or other components move to an unlocked position, and one or more cams 34 and / or other components move to an unlocked position, thereby allowing all or a portion of the steer-by-wire steering column assembly 10 to be manually adjusted.

[0025] The single sheath 20 defines a pair of slots 40 extending generally in the longitudinal direction of the steering column assembly 10 of the steer-by-wire system. The pair of slots 40 may be defined within a pair of tracks 42 extending from a body 44 of the single sheath 20, as shown. The pair of slots 40 allow an adjustment post 46 to extend through each slot 40 and connect to components of the manual adjustment assembly 30. During axial movement of the single sheath 20, the adjustment post 46 is moved within the slot 40, in a fully axial "out" position ( Figure 4 ) and the fully axial “in” position ( Figure 5 ). The fully axially outward position corresponds to the rearmost position in the vehicle direction (e.g., the position closest to the operator). The fully axially inward position corresponds to the frontmost position in the vehicle direction (e.g., the position farthest from the operator).

[0026] Now refer to Figure 6 , and continue to refer to Figures 2 to 5The steering column assembly 10 for steer-by-wire further includes a housing end structure 50 that is operatively coupled to the single jacket 20. The housing end structure 50 is attached to the open end 52 of the single jacket 20 so as to close the single jacket 20 and provide a location for mounting a lower bearing 54. In some embodiments, the lower bearing 54 is pressed into the housing end structure 50. The single steering shaft 22 is held by the lower bearing 54 and the upper bearing 56. In the perspective view shown, the lower bearing 54 is on the left side of the single steering shaft 22, while the upper bearing 56 is on the right side of the single steering shaft 22. Holding the single steering shaft 22 by two bearings provides a stable structure for creating a rigid steering column design assembly.

[0027] The housing end structure 50 defines a pair of slots 58. For example, the pair of slots 58 allow for operative coupling between the housing end structure 50 and a vehicle structure 60, such as a mounting bracket. A component extending from the vehicle structure 60 extends through each slot 58. Just as the adjustment column 46 is within the slot 40 of the single jacket 20, during axial movement of the steer-by-wire steering column assembly 10, components of the vehicle structure 60 are positioned within the slot 58 of the housing end structure 50 in a fully axially outward position ( Figure 4 ) and the fully axial inward position ( Figure 5 As shown, the fully axially inward position leaves space between the elements (e.g., components and adjustment posts) disposed within the slots 40, 58 and the respective ends of the slots 70, 72, as shown in Figure 5 4. In other words, the fully axially outward position of the adjustment post 46 is positioned at, or proximate to, the first end of the first pair of slots 48, while the fully axially inward position of the adjustment post 46 is positioned spaced from the second end of the first pair of slots 48. Similarly, the fully axially outward position of at least one component within the second pair of slots 58 is positioned at, or proximate to the first end of the second pair of slots 50, while the fully axially inward position of the at least one component is positioned spaced from the second end of the second pair of slots 50. This provides room for the steer-by-wire steering column assembly 10, and in particular the single jacket 20 and coupled components, to experience a range of crash strokes. The crash stroke range allows for energy absorption in an impact event.

[0028] Figure 680 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the inner cavity 80 of the single sheath 20. One or more magnets forming the rotor structure assembly 82 are mounted to the radial outer surface of the single steering shaft 22. The copper windings of the motor stator 84 are mounted to the inner wall 86 of the single sheath 20 and do not rotate. The motor stator 84 at least partially surrounds the rotor structure assembly 82. The magnets of the rotor structure assembly 82 rotate with the single steering shaft 22. The entire electric device of the wire control steering (e.g., the motor plus additional components) can be referred to as an "emulator". The simulator resists turning the single steering shaft 22 to provide steering feedback to the driver and assists the steering input to adjust the force required by the driver. The simulator is mounted in such a way that the simulator directly surrounds the single steering shaft 22 to eliminate the need for a gearbox by utilizing a direct drive system. The assembly also includes: one or more rotational position sensors 90 for detecting the angular rotational position of the single steering shaft 22; and one or more travel stop limiters 92 for defining the rotational travel limit of the movement of the single steering shaft 22. Note that during operation, the motor stator 84 and the single jacket 20 remain rotationally stationary (rotationally fixed) relative to the single steering shaft 22 .

[0029] Figures 7 to 9 An energy absorbing assembly 100 of a steer-by-wire steering column assembly 10 is shown. The energy absorbing assembly 100 includes an energy absorbing strip 102 coupled to an outer surface of a single column jacket 20 and having a plurality of teeth 104. The energy absorbing assembly 100 also includes a pivotable member 106 having one or more teeth capable of engaging with the teeth 104 of the energy absorbing strip 102 so that the energy absorbing assembly 100 can be moved between an engaged state and a disengaged state by selectively moving at least one tooth of the pivotable member 106 into and out of engagement (disengagement) with the plurality of teeth 104 of the energy absorbing strip 102. The pivotable member 106 pivots in response to movement of the manual adjustment lever 32. During axial and / or tilt adjustment of the steer-by-wire steering column assembly 10, the energy absorbing assembly 100 is in the disengaged state, but when the manual adjustment assembly 30 is locked, the energy absorbing assembly 100 is engaged and ready for energy absorption.

[0030] The energy absorbing assembly 100 includes a biasing member 108, such as a spring, connected to the adjustment post 46 of the manual adjustment assembly 30. The biasing member 108 is also connected to the pivotable member 106 of the energy absorbing assembly 100. The biasing member 108 presses the pivotable member 106 toward the engaged state so that the teeth of the pivotable member engage with the teeth 104 of the energy absorbing strip 102. However, the adjustment post 46 overcomes the biasing force of the biasing member 108 by rotation of the adjustment lever 32 and pivots the pivotable member 106 to the disengaged state.

[0031] The embodiments disclosed herein provide a steer-by-wire steering column assembly 10 that has a simple design in terms of the number of parts and integrates the actuator and actuator housing with the steering column. This allows the entire system to be able to translate axially together in a compact package during its adjustment while still allowing for energy absorption capabilities.

[0032] Although the present invention has been described in detail only in conjunction with a limited number of embodiments, it is readily understood that the present invention is not limited to these disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, the present invention may be modified to incorporate any number of modifications, changes, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not previously described, but these modifications, changes, substitutions or equivalent arrangements are consistent with the spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, although various embodiments of the present invention have been described, it should be understood that aspects of the present invention may include only some of the described embodiments. In addition, any feature, element, component or advantage of any one embodiment may be applied to any other embodiment. Therefore, the present invention should not be considered to be limited by the foregoing description.

Claims

1. A steering column for steer-by-wire, comprising: a single column jacket extending in a longitudinal direction; a single steering shaft extending in said longitudinal direction and at least partially housed within said single column jacket; as well as A steer-by-wire electric actuator is at least partially disposed within the single column shroud and around the single steering shaft to provide resistance to the single steering shaft.

2. The steer-by-wire steering column of claim 1, wherein the single column jacket defines a first pair of slots for receiving an adjustment column of a manual adjustment assembly therethrough.

3. The steering column of the steer-by-wire system according to claim 2 further includes a shell end structure, which is operatively connected to the open end of the single column cover, wherein the shell end structure defines a second pair of grooves for receiving at least one component extending from the vehicle structure, and the single column cover and the shell end structure move relative to the vehicle structure.

4. The steer-by-wire steering column of claim 3 , wherein a first position of the adjustment column within the first pair of grooves defines a fully axially inward position of the single column cover and the single steering shaft, and a second position of the adjustment column within the first pair of grooves defines a fully axially outward position of the single column cover and the single steering shaft.

5. The steer-by-wire steering column of claim 4, wherein the first position of the adjustment column is positioned at a first end of the first pair of slots, and the second position of the adjustment column is positioned to be spaced apart from a second end of the first pair of slots.

6. A steer-by-wire steering column as described in claim 3, wherein the at least one component in a first position within the second pair of grooves defines a fully axially inward position of the single column cover and the single steering shaft, and the at least one component in a second position within the second pair of grooves defines a fully axially outward position of the single column cover and the single steering shaft.

7. The steer-by-wire steering column of claim 6, wherein the first position of the at least one component is positioned at a first end of the second pair of slots, and the second position of the at least one component is positioned to be spaced apart from a second end of the second pair of slots.

8. The steer-by-wire steering column of claim 1 , further comprising an energy absorbing assembly, wherein the energy absorbing assembly comprises: an energy absorbing strip coupled to an outer surface of the single post jacket, the energy absorbing strip having a plurality of teeth on a surface thereof; as well as A pivotable member has at least one tooth, the pivotable member being pivotable to selectively move the at least one tooth of the pivotable member into and out of engagement with the plurality of teeth of the energy absorbing strip.

9. The steer-by-wire steering column of claim 8, wherein the pivotable member of the energy absorbing assembly pivots in response to movement of a manual adjustment lever. 10 . The steer-by-wire steering column of claim 1 , further comprising a rotational position sensor disposed within the single column jacket to detect an angular rotational position of the single steering shaft.

11. The steer-by-wire steering column of claim 1 , further comprising at least one travel stop limiter disposed within the single column jacket to define a rotation limit of the single steering shaft in at least one rotational direction.

12. The steer-by-wire steering column of claim 1, wherein the steer-by-wire electric actuator comprises: a rotor structure operatively coupled to the radially outer surface of the single steering shaft; as well as A motor stator at least partially surrounds the rotor structure.

13. A steering column for steer-by-wire, comprising: a single column jacket extending in a longitudinal direction, wherein the single column jacket defines a first pair of slots for receiving an adjustment column of a manual adjustment assembly passing through the first pair of slots, wherein a first position of the adjustment column within the first pair of slots defines a fully axially inward position of the single column jacket and the single steering shaft, and a second position of the adjustment column within the first pair of slots defines a fully axially outward position of the single column jacket and the single steering shaft; a single steering shaft extending in said longitudinal direction and at least partially housed within said single column jacket; a steer-by-wire electric actuator disposed at least partially within the single column jacket and surrounding the single steering shaft to provide resistance to the single steering shaft, wherein the steer-by-wire electric actuator comprises: a rotor structure operatively coupled to the radially outer surface of the single steering shaft; and a motor stator at least partially surrounding the rotor structure; and a housing end structure operatively coupled to the open end of the single column jacket, wherein the housing end structure defines a second pair of slots for receiving at least one component extending from a vehicle structure, the single column jacket and the housing end structure moving relative to the vehicle structure, wherein a first position of the at least one component within the second pair of slots defines a fully axially inward position of the single column jacket and the single steering shaft, and a second position of the at least one component within the second pair of slots defines a fully axially outward position of the single column jacket and the single steering shaft.

14. The steer-by-wire steering column of claim 13, wherein the first position of the adjustment column is positioned at a first end of the first pair of slots, and the second position of the adjustment column is positioned to be spaced apart from a second end of the first pair of slots.

15. The steer-by-wire steering column of claim 13, wherein the first position of the at least one component is positioned at a first end of the second pair of slots, and the second position of the at least one component is positioned to be spaced from a second end of the second pair of slots.

16. The steer-by-wire steering column of claim 13, further comprising an energy absorbing assembly, wherein the energy absorbing assembly comprises: an energy absorbing strip coupled to an outer surface of the single post jacket, the energy absorbing strip having a plurality of teeth on a surface thereof; as well as A pivotable member having at least one tooth, the pivotable member being pivotable to selectively move the at least one tooth of the pivotable member into and out of engagement with the plurality of teeth of the energy absorbing strip.

17. The steer-by-wire steering column of claim 16, wherein the pivotable member of the energy absorbing assembly pivots in response to movement of the manual adjustment lever.

18. The steer-by-wire steering column of claim 13, further comprising a rotational position sensor disposed within the single column jacket to detect an angular rotational position of the single steering shaft.

19. The steer-by-wire steering column of claim 13, further comprising at least one travel stop limiter disposed within the single column jacket to define a rotation limit of the single steering shaft in at least one rotational direction.

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