Steering engine servo unit air tightness detection device and detection method

Abstract

The invention discloses air tightness detection equipment for a servo unit of a steering engine. The air tightness detection equipment comprises a feeding mechanism, a pressing plate, a base, a one-way valve, a positioning piece and a sealing plug, the one-way valve and the sealing plug are fixed to the lower portion of the pressing plate. The feeding mechanism is used for driving the pressing plate to move up and down; the positioning piece is used for fixing the steering engine servo unit on the base; the sealing plug is used for sealing a power supply and a communication interface of the steering engine servo unit during air tightness detection; and the one-way valve is connected with a ventilation valve of the steering engine servo unit and an external air source during air tightness detection. The detection equipment is used for detecting the air tightness of the servo control unit of the steering engine, the test efficiency and the test precision are improved, and a direction is pointed out for product problem analysis and design verification.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automotive steering technology, specifically to a steering servo unit airtightness testing device and testing method. Background Technology

[0002] The function of a car's steering system is to control the car's direction of travel according to the driver's intentions. The steering system is crucial to driving safety; therefore, all components of the steering system are called safety components, and the car's steering performance must be strictly controlled.

[0003] With technological advancements, automotive steering systems have undergone a significant transformation from purely mechanical to electronically controlled. Currently, most automotive steering systems utilize EPS (Electronic Power Steering) systems, controlled by an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) at the servo unit level. High-end power steering systems often incorporate a vent valve (breathable but waterproof) in the ECU for heat dissipation and to balance internal air pressure when driving on roads with varying altitudes, preventing damage to the ECU's circuit board components.

[0004] Since the steering gear is mounted on the vehicle chassis, it is highly susceptible to immersion when driving through flooded areas. Previously, the State Administration for Market Regulation has published recall cases on its website involving several automakers due to potential power steering failure caused by defects in the steering gear ECU's sealing. Therefore, the sealing performance between the ECU and the servo unit must be strictly controlled. Sealing performance testing must be conducted in the early stages of product development to meet the requirements for vehicle use.

[0005] In existing technologies, testing for steering system leaks typically involves sealing the steering gear housing, inflating it, and observing any leaks. However, because sealed bearings are often used below the servo motor connection, gas cannot flow from the housing to the servo unit, making it impossible to assess the sealing performance of the servo unit ECU and motor interface. Therefore, how to test the sealing performance of the servo unit ECU and motor interface to ensure product safety and meet user needs is a current technical challenge. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a steering gear servo unit air tightness testing device, including a feeding mechanism, a pressure plate, a base, a one-way valve, a positioning component, and a sealing plug;

[0007] The one-way valve and the sealing plug are fixed to the lower part of the pressure plate; the feeding mechanism is used to drive the pressure plate to move up and down.

[0008] The positioning element is used to fix the steering gear servo unit on the base;

[0009] The sealing plug seals the power supply and communication interface of the steering gear servo unit during airtightness testing;

[0010] The one-way valve is connected to the vent valve of the steering gear servo unit and an external air source during air tightness testing.

[0011] Preferably, the feeding mechanism includes a handle, a screw, a sliding bearing, a connecting rod, a guide rod, and a vertical plate; the upper end of the screw is connected to the handle, and the lower end of the screw is connected to the pressure plate, and the screw is rotated by the handle to drive the pressure plate to move up and down; the vertical plate is used to support the screw; the sliding bearing is fixed to the pressure plate, and the pressure plate is guided by the connecting rod and the guide rod.

[0012] Preferably, there are multiple sealing plugs, the shapes of which are respectively matched to the shapes of the corresponding power supply and communication interfaces.

[0013] Preferably, the countersunk portion of the one-way valve is connected to the vent valve of the steering gear servo unit, and the bottom of the countersunk portion has a sealing ring.

[0014] Preferably, the air inlet of the one-way valve is connected to an external air source through an air pipe, and the top of the air inlet has a flat groove that is inserted into the pressure plate.

[0015] The present invention also provides a method for testing the airtightness of a steering gear servo unit, which uses the aforementioned airtightness testing equipment to perform a vacuum holding test on the steering gear servo unit; the one-way valve is connected to an external vacuum booster to evacuate the steering gear servo unit, observe the vacuum holding capability of the steering gear servo unit, and determine whether there is any leakage in the seals of the steering gear servo unit.

[0016] The present invention also provides a method for testing the air tightness of a steering gear servo unit, which uses the aforementioned air tightness testing equipment to test the air tightness of the steering gear servo unit; after the one-way valve is connected to an external air source, a pressure parameter is set, and the instrument automatically detects the air pressure change and determines the sealing performance of the servo unit.

[0017] The present invention also provides a method for testing the air tightness of a steering gear servo unit. The aforementioned air tightness testing equipment is used to perform a water immersion and air inflation test on the steering gear servo unit. An external air source is connected through a one-way valve. The external air source inflation pressure is greater than a preset pressure value. The servo unit and connecting device are submerged in water. The presence or absence of air bubbles is observed to determine whether there is any air leakage in the servo unit.

[0018] The advantages of this invention are: simple operation, high efficiency, accuracy, and practicality in testing. The testing equipment and method of this invention are used for airtightness testing of steering gear servo control units, improving testing efficiency and accuracy, and providing direction for product problem analysis and design verification. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments:

[0020] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the steering gear servo unit structure;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the airtightness testing equipment for the steering gear servo unit in Example 1;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the airtightness testing equipment for the steering gear servo unit in Example 1;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the one-way valve structure in Example 1. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can fully understand other advantages and technical effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be applied based on different viewpoints, with various modifications or changes made without departing from the overall design concept of the invention. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other. The following exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the specific embodiments set forth herein. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure of the present invention thorough and complete, and to fully convey the technical solutions of these exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art.

[0025] Example 1

[0026] like Figure 1 The diagram shows the structure of the steering servo unit, which includes a motor 73, an ECU (electronic control unit) 72, a vent valve 71, multiple power supplies, and a CAN communication interface 74. The vent valve 71 is used for ECU cooling and air pressure balancing.

[0027] like Figures 2 to 3 As shown, this embodiment provides a steering gear servo unit air tightness testing device, including a feeding mechanism, a pressure plate 10, a base 8, a one-way valve 6, a positioning component 12, and a sealing plug 11;

[0028] The feeding mechanism includes a handle 1, a screw 2, a sliding bearing 3, a connecting rod 4, a guide rod 5, and a vertical plate 9. The upper end of the screw 2 is connected to the handle 1, and the lower end of the screw 2 is connected to the pressure plate 10. The screw 2 is rotated by the handle 1, which drives the pressure plate 10 to move up and down. The vertical plate 9 is used to support the screw 2. The sliding bearing 3 is fixed to the pressure plate 10 and guides the pressure plate 10 through the connecting rod 4 and the guide rod 5.

[0029] The one-way valve 6 and the sealing plug 11 are fixed to the lower part of the pressure plate 10; the pressure plate 10 is driven to move up and down by the handle 1 and the screw 2 of the feeding mechanism.

[0030] The positioning element 12 is used to fix the steering gear servo unit 7 on the base 8;

[0031] The sealing plug 11 seals the power supply and communication interface 74 of the steering gear servo unit during airtightness testing;

[0032] The one-way valve 6 is connected to the vent valve 71 of the steering gear servo unit and an external air source during air tightness testing. The specific structure of the one-way valve 6 can be seen in [the diagram / illustration]. Figure 4 As shown, inlet 61 is connected to an external air source, and outlet 62 is connected to a breather valve 71.

[0033] There are multiple sealing plugs 11, the shapes of which are matched to the shapes of the corresponding power supply and communication interfaces.

[0034] The countersunk portion of the one-way valve 6 is connected to the vent valve 71 of the steering gear servo unit, and the bottom of the countersunk portion has a sealing ring. The air inlet of the one-way valve 6 is connected to an external air source through an air pipe, and the top of the air inlet has a flat groove that inserts into the pressure plate 10, making it easy to disassemble and replace.

[0035] Example 2

[0036] Because the ECU housing and the motor housing are bonded together with pressure-fitting adhesive, the application process of the sealant must be strictly controlled to prevent leakage, and its sealing performance must be included in routine inspections. Since the ECU is the control mechanism for electric power steering, leakage or failure in this area will cause the steering gear to lose power steering, which is directly related to the lives of the driver and passengers. To enable sealing performance testing of the servo unit ECU and motor interface, this embodiment provides several methods for testing the airtightness of the steering gear servo unit.

[0037] One airtightness testing method involves using the airtightness testing equipment described in Example 1 to perform a vacuum holding test on the steering servo unit; the one-way valve is connected to an external vacuum booster to evacuate the steering servo unit, observe the vacuum holding capability of the steering servo unit, and determine whether there is any leakage in the seals of the steering servo unit.

[0038] Another method for air tightness testing is to use the air tightness testing equipment described in Example 1 to test the air tightness of the steering gear servo unit; after the one-way valve is connected to an external air source, pressure parameters (such as leakage rate and test time) are set, and the instrument automatically detects the air pressure change and determines the sealing performance of the servo unit.

[0039] Another method for airtightness testing involves using the airtightness testing equipment described in Example 1 to perform a water immersion and inflation test on the steering gear servo unit. An external air source is connected via a one-way valve, with the external air source inflation pressure exceeding a preset pressure value. The servo unit and connecting devices are submerged in water, and any air bubbles are observed to determine if there is any air leakage in the servo unit. The preset pressure value is 0.5 bar.

[0040] The present invention has been described in detail above through specific embodiments and examples, but these are not intended to limit the invention. Many modifications and improvements can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principles of the invention, and these should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for testing the airtightness of a steering gear servo unit, characterized in that, The feeding mechanism, the pressing plate, the base, the one-way valve, the positioning member and the sealing plug are included. The one-way valve and the sealing plug are fixed at the lower part of the pressing plate. The feeding mechanism is used to drive the pressing plate to move up and down. The positioning member is used to fix the servo unit of the steering gear on the base. The sealing plug seals the power supply and the communication interface of the servo unit of the steering gear during the air tightness detection.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The one-way valve connects the air permeable valve of the servo unit of the steering gear and the external air source during the air tightness detection. The feeding mechanism includes the handle, the screw rod, the sliding bearing, the connecting rod, the guide rod and the vertical plate.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The upper end of the screw rod is connected with the handle, and the lower end of the screw rod is connected with the pressing plate.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The vertical plate is used to support the screw rod.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein The sliding bearing is fixed with the pressing plate.

6. A method of detecting the air tightness of a steering servo unit, characterized by, The sealing plug has multiple shapes which are matched with the shapes of the corresponding power supply and communication interface.

7. A method of detecting the air tightness of a steering servo unit, characterized by, The sunken part of the one-way valve is connected with the air permeable valve of the servo unit of the steering gear.

8. A method of detecting the air tightness of a steering servo unit, characterized by, The sunken bottom has a sealing ring.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein The inflation port of the one-way valve is connected with the external air source through the air pipe. The top of the inflation port is inserted into the pressing plate through the flat slot. The air tightness detection equipment of claim 1 is used to test the vacuum holding of the servo unit of the steering gear. The one-way valve is connected with the vacuum booster to observe the vacuum holding ability of the servo unit of the steering gear and determine whether the sealing member of the servo unit of the steering gear has leakage. The air tightness detection equipment of claim 1 is used to test the air tightness of the servo unit of the steering gear. The pressure parameter is set after the one-way valve is connected with the external air source. The air pressure change is detected automatically by the instrument to determine the sealing performance of the servo unit. The air tightness detection equipment of claim 1 is used to test the immersion and inflation of the servo unit of the steering gear. The external air source is connected with the one-way valve. The preset pressure value is 0.5 bar.

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