Rotary limiting device of steer-by-wire column capable of bearing high torque

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of steering systems, in particular to a rotation limiting device of a steer-by-wire column capable of bearing high torque. The utility model discloses a rotation limiting device capable of bearing high torque for a steer-by-wire column. The rotation limiting device is characterized in that a locking mechanism is coupled below a corner mechanism; the rotating inner ring, the rotating middle ring, the rotating outer ring, the rotating upper ring and the rotating lower ring are sequentially and mutually nested and connected to a worm wheel shaft of the wire steering wheel from top to bottom; the bottom of the worm wheel shaft is coupled with an inner cam, the outer side of the inner cam is sleeved with the upper portion of an outer cam, and the lower portion of the outer cam is sleeved with a nut. A reset spring is sleeved on the outer cam between the upper part of the outer cam and the nut; a servo shell is arranged on the outer side of the turning mechanism and the outer side of the locking mechanism. Compared with the prior art, the steer-by-wire column only needs to provide the rotating torque for simulating road feeling, so that the steer-by-wire column adopts an annular design which is smaller in space and more compact in structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of steering systems, in particular to a rotation limiting device of a wire-controlled steering column capable of bearing high torque. Background Art

[0002] As intelligent driving technology matures, the application of fully automatic driving technology is just around the corner. At that time, the steering operation of the car will be completely realized by the on-board computer, so the steering wheel will not be needed when it is not driven manually, but there are still situations where human intervention is needed. Therefore, the emergence of a wire-controlled steering column that can be retracted as a whole is bound to be a trend. This can not only provide steering operation functions, but also be stored when not needed, providing more spacious space for the driver's seat.

[0003] The wire-controlled steering column is a subsystem of the automobile wire-controlled steering system. Its main functions include simulating the power feedback of the road feel, providing mechanical rotation hard limit, realizing crumple energy absorption, adjusting the steering wheel position, connecting the vehicle beam, connecting the guard combination switch, etc. The current power-assisted method of the non-wire-controlled steering column is usually to use a motor to drive the reduction mechanism to achieve the effect of reducing torque, and the reduction mechanism uses a worm gear reduction mechanism. In addition, the current wire-controlled steering column has a mechanical hard link from the steering wheel to the tire because of the existence of an intermediate shaft, and relies on the axial limit on the steering gear to control the rotation limit of the steering wheel. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, the utility model provides a rotation limit device for a wire-controlled steering column that can withstand high torque. The functional goal of rotating at an angle greater than 360° is achieved by using annular rings nested with each other, and the locking mechanism can withstand an input torque of more than 150N*m from the steering wheel at the end.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, a rotation limit device for a wire-controlled steering column that can withstand high torque is designed, including a turning angle mechanism and a locking mechanism, characterized in that: the locking mechanism is connected to the lower shaft of the turning angle mechanism; the turning angle mechanism includes a rotating inner ring, a rotating middle ring, a rotating outer ring, a rotating upper ring, and a rotating lower ring, and the rotating inner ring, the rotating middle ring, the rotating outer ring, the rotating upper ring, and the rotating lower ring are nested in sequence from top to bottom and connected on the worm shaft of the wire steering wheel; the locking mechanism includes an inner cam, an outer cam, a reset spring, and a nut, the bottom shaft of the worm shaft is connected to the inner cam, the upper part of the outer cam is sleeved on the outer side of the inner cam, and the lower part of the outer cam is sleeved on the nut; the outer cam between the upper part of the outer cam and the nut is sleeved with a reset spring; a servo housing is provided on the outer side of the turning angle mechanism and the locking mechanism.

[0006] The rotating inner ring is a stepped sleeve structure, and the bottom diameter of the rotating inner ring is smaller than the upper diameter of the rotating inner ring; the lower outer side of the rotating inner ring is connected to the inner ring limiting boss, and the inner side of the rotating inner ring is provided with a waist-shaped groove structure connected to the turbine shaft of the steering wheel.

[0007] The rotating middle ring is a stepped sleeve structure, the upper diameter of the rotating middle ring is smaller than the lower diameter of the rotating middle ring; the upper side of the lower part of the rotating middle ring is connected to the middle ring limiting boss.

[0008] The rotating outer ring is a circular ring structure, which is located on the rotating outer ring and connected to the outer ring limiting boss.

[0009] The rotating upper circle is a stepped sleeve structure, and the upper diameter of the rotating upper circle is larger than the lower diameter of the rotating upper circle; the lower side of the upper part of the rotating upper circle is connected to the upper circle limiting boss, and the upper circle limiting boss is an inverted "convex" shape structure.

[0010] The rotating lower circle is a circular ring structure, and a lower circle limiting groove is arranged on the outer side of the rotating lower circle, and the lower circle limiting groove is a trapezoidal structure.

[0011] The top of the outer cam is connected with a sound insulation gasket.

[0012] The top of the outer cam is provided with two triangular bosses and a plurality of arc-shaped grooves, and the triangular bosses of the outer cam are embedded in the lower circle limiting grooves of the rotating lower circle.

[0013] The outer edge of the inner cam and the outer edge of the upper part of the outer cam are respectively provided with four limiting bosses.

[0014] The sound insulation gasket is an annular structure, and a plurality of sound insulation gasket bosses are evenly distributed at the bottom of the sound insulation gasket, and the sound insulation gasket bosses are embedded in the arc-shaped groove at the top of the outer cam.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the utility model provides a rotation limit device for a wire-controlled steering column that can withstand high torque. Since the wire-controlled steering column only needs to provide a rotation torque that simulates the road feel, a ring design with a smaller space and a more compact structure is adopted; and since the wire-controlled column has no intermediate shaft connection, a rotation angle limit device needs to be added to the wire-controlled column to be synchronized with the steering gear.

[0016] The functional goal of rotating an angle greater than 360° is achieved by nesting annular rings. The angle of this turning device is easy to adjust, and the total rotation angle can be adjusted by setting the boss width of each turning circle. At the same time, when the turning circle angle runs to the very end, a locking mechanism will be triggered. This locking mechanism is used to withstand the rotational torque at the end of the steering wheel, and can withstand a maximum rotational torque of 120N*m.

[0017] Since the turning mechanism in the present design does not need to bear the terminal torque transmitted from the steering wheel, plastic parts can be used, and the knocking and impact sound between the rings during operation will be greatly improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall layout of the wire control steering system.

[0019] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the upper actuator assembly of the steer-by-wire system.

[0020] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the arrangement of the wire-controlled hard limiter in the upper pipe string.

[0021] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the utility model.

[0022] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the parts structure of the corner mechanism.

[0023] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the assembly and driving relationship between the rotating inner ring and the worm gear shaft in the corner mechanism.

[0024] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the coordination and driving relationship between the rotating inner circle and the rotating middle circle in the corner mechanism.

[0025] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the coordination and driving relationship between the rotating middle ring and the rotating outer ring in the corner mechanism.

[0026] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the coordination and driving relationship between the rotating outer ring and the rotating upper ring in the corner mechanism.

[0027] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the coordination and driving relationship between the rotating upper circle and the rotating lower circle in the corner mechanism.

[0028] Fig.11 Schematic diagram of the parts structure of the locking mechanism.

[0029] Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the external cam and the sound insulation gasket in the locking mechanism.

[0030] Fig.13 This is the state diagram before the end locking.

[0031] Fig.14 This is the state diagram after end locking.

[0032] Fig.15 It is a transverse cross-sectional view after end locking.

[0033] Fig.16This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view before the end locking.

[0034] Fig.17 It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view after end locking. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The utility model is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown in the figure, it is a schematic diagram of the overall layout of the wire-controlled steering system, including a steering shaft 1, a wire-controlled steering column 2, a road-feel simulation control unit 3 (including a controller and a motor), a connecting harness 4, a speed reduction mechanism 5, a steering gear 6, a steering gear motor 7, a steering gear power control unit 8, and a tie rod 9. The steering wheel is connected to the input shaft of the steering shaft 1 through a spline. When the driver applies torque (hereinafter referred to as hand force) to turn the steering wheel, the steering shaft 1 will be driven to rotate. The input shaft in the steering shaft 1 is connected to the wire-controlled steering column 2 through a spline. The road-feel simulation control unit 3 transmits the angle signal to the steering gear power control unit 8 through the connecting harness 4, and the wire-controlled steering column 2 is only connected to the steering gear 6 through the connecting harness 4. The steering gear power control unit 8 drives the steering gear motor 7 to provide power to push the rack to move left and right according to the road load, and then the tie rod 9 drives the tire to rotate to achieve steering. At the same time, the steering power control unit 8 will feed back the road feel simulation control unit 3 according to the road resistance, calculate the matching hand feel torque according to the built-in software algorithm, and drive the motor in the road feel simulation control unit 3 to provide resistance torque, which is fed back to the steering wheel after deceleration and torque increase by the deceleration mechanism 5, so that the entire wire-controlled steering column 2 can provide the driver with virtual road feedback.

[0037] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, the upper actuator assembly of the wire-controlled steering system includes an upper column assembly 10, a steering column 11, and a rotation limit device 12. The steering column 11 in the upper column assembly 10 rotates with the steering wheel, and cooperates with the external spline of the input shaft of the road feeling simulation control unit 3 through the spline matching form. The input shaft of the road feeling simulation control unit 3 drives the angle mechanism in the rotation limit device 12 to rotate, and can rotate to a maximum of ±540° to the left and right and stop, contacting the mechanical hard limit to achieve rotation limit. Among them, the rotation limit device 12 of the road feeling simulation control unit 3 and the steering column 11 in the upper column assembly 10 are fastened by screw connection.

[0038] like Figure 4 As shown, the rotation limiting device 12 includes a rotation mechanism 13 and a locking mechanism 14. The locking mechanism 14 is axially connected to the lower part of the rotation mechanism 13. A servo housing 16 is provided outside the rotation mechanism 13 and the locking mechanism 14.

[0039] like Figure 5As shown, the turning mechanism 13 includes a rotating inner ring 13-1, a rotating middle ring 13-3, a rotating outer ring 13-5, a rotating upper ring 13-7, and a rotating lower ring 13-9. The rotating inner ring 13-1, the rotating middle ring 13-3, the rotating outer ring 13-5, the rotating upper ring 13-7, and the rotating lower ring 13-9 are nested in sequence from top to bottom and connected to the worm gear shaft 15 of the online steering wheel.

[0040] The rotating inner ring 13-1 is a stepped sleeve structure, and the bottom diameter of the rotating inner ring 13-1 is smaller than the upper diameter of the rotating inner ring 13-1; the lower outer side of the rotating inner ring 13-1 is connected to the inner ring limiting boss 13-1, and the inner side of the rotating inner ring 13-1 is provided with a waist-shaped groove structure axially connected to the turbine shaft 15 of the steering wheel.

[0041] The rotating middle circle 13-3 is a stepped sleeve structure, and the upper diameter of the rotating middle circle 13-3 is smaller than the lower diameter of the rotating middle circle 13-3; the upper side of the lower part of the rotating middle circle 13-3 is connected to the middle circle limiting boss 13-4.

[0042] The rotating outer ring 13 - 5 is a circular ring structure, and is connected to the outer ring limiting boss 13 - 6 on the rotating outer ring 13 - 5 .

[0043] The rotating upper circle 13-7 is a stepped sleeve structure, and the upper diameter of the rotating upper circle 13-7 is larger than the lower diameter of the rotating upper circle 13-7; the lower side of the upper part of the rotating upper circle 13-7 is connected to the upper circle limiting boss 13-8, and the upper circle limiting boss 13-8 is an inverted "convex" shape structure.

[0044] The rotating lower circle 13-9 is a circular ring structure, and a lower circle limiting groove 13-10 is provided on the outer side of the rotating lower circle 13-9, and the lower circle limiting groove 13-10 is a trapezoidal structure.

[0045] The rotation principle of the corner mechanism 13:

[0046] like Figure 6 As shown, when the steering wheel drives the worm shaft 15 to rotate, the worm shaft 15 will drive the rotating inner ring 13-1 to rotate through the waist-shaped groove structure.

[0047] like Figure 7 As shown, when the rotating inner ring 13-1 rotates until the boss surface of the inner ring limiting boss 13-1 contacts the rotating middle ring 13-3, the rotating inner ring 13-1 will drive the rotating middle ring 13-3 to rotate through the inner ring limiting boss 13-1.

[0048] like Figure 8 As shown, when the rotating middle ring 13-3 rotates until the boss surface of the middle ring limiting boss 13-4 contacts the rotating outer ring 13-5, the rotating middle ring 13-3 will drive the rotating outer ring 13-5 to rotate through the middle ring limiting boss 13-4.

[0049] like Fig. 9 As shown, when the rotating outer ring 13-5 rotates until the boss surface of the outer ring limiting boss 13-6 contacts the rotating upper ring 13-7, the rotating outer ring 13-5 will drive the rotating upper ring 13-7 to rotate through the outer ring limiting boss 13-6.

[0050] like Fig.10 As shown, when the rotating upper circle 13-7 rotates until the boss surface of the upper circle limiting boss 13-8 contacts the rotating lower circle 13-9, the rotating upper circle 13-7 will drive the rotating lower circle 13-9 to rotate through the upper circle limiting boss 13-8 until the end of the corner mechanism 13.

[0051] like Fig.11 , Fig.12 As shown, the locking mechanism 14 includes an inner cam 14-1, an outer cam 14-2, a return spring 14-3, and a nut 14-4. The bottom axis of the worm shaft 15 is connected to the inner cam 14-1, the upper part of the outer cam 14-2 is sleeved on the outer side of the inner cam 14-1, and the lower part of the outer cam 14-2 is sleeved with a nut 14-4; the return spring 14-3 is sleeved on the outer cam 14-2 located between the upper part of the outer cam 14-2 and the nut 14-4.

[0052] The top of the outer cam 14-2 is connected to the sound insulation gasket 14-5; two triangular bosses 14-8 and a plurality of arc-shaped grooves 14-7 are provided on the top of the outer cam 14-2, and the triangular boss 14-8 of the outer cam 14-2 is embedded in the lower circle limiting groove 13-10 of the rotating lower circle 13-8; four bosses are provided on the upper outer edge of the outer cam 14-2; the sound insulation gasket 14-5 is an annular structure, and a plurality of sound insulation gasket bosses 14-6 are evenly distributed at the bottom of the sound insulation gasket 14-5, and the sound insulation gasket bosses 14-6 are embedded in the arc-shaped grooves 14-7 at the top of the outer cam 14-2.

[0053] A reinforcing rib groove is provided at the lower end of the servo housing 16 for the outer cam 14 - 2 to slide up and down in the groove for axial movement.

[0054] The inner cam 14-1 is connected to the worm gear shaft 15 on the inner side and keeps permanent synchronous rotation with the worm gear shaft 15. There are 4 limit bosses on the outer side for locking the limit function with the outer cam 14-2.

[0055] The function of the sound insulation gasket 14-5 is to prevent the outer cam 14-2 from directly colliding with the servo housing 16 during the resetting process when the steering wheel is reversed after the end lock, thereby generating knocking noise between metals, so a plastic part is needed to separate them.

[0056] Working principle of this utility model:

[0057] like Fig.13 As shown, when the turning mechanism 13 turns to the end, the rotating lower circle 13-9 will be in close contact with the outer cam 14-2 in the form of a sloped downward pressure surface.

[0058] like Fig.14 As shown, when the steering wheel continues to rotate from the end of the turning mechanism 13, the rotating lower circle 13-9 will press the outer cam 14-2 down through the inclined surface, and the rotating lower circle 13-9 continues to rotate, and the outer cam 14-2 continues to descend until the rotating lower circle 13-9 rotates 20°, and the corresponding descending height of the outer cam 14-2 is 7.5mm.

[0059] like Fig.15 As shown, when the outer cam 14-2 is axially translated and pressed down, it just collides with the inner cam 14-1 through the four boss surfaces to achieve the locking function. The design of the four bosses will greatly improve the strength.

[0060] like Fig.16 As shown, before the outer cam 14-2 is pressed down, the outer cam 14-2 and the inner cam 14-1 are staggered in the axial direction and do not interfere with each other.

[0061] like Fig.17 As shown, once the outer cam 14-2 is pressed down, an overlap will be generated to achieve locking. When the steering wheel is reversed or the hand is released, the return spring 14-3 will quickly push the outer cam 14-2 axially upward to return to Fig.16 status.

Claims

1. A rotation limit device for a wire-controlled steering column capable of withstanding high torque, comprising a turning angle mechanism and a locking mechanism, characterized in that: The lower part of the corner mechanism (13) is axially connected to a locking mechanism (14); The corner mechanism (13) comprises a rotating inner ring (13-1), a rotating middle ring (13-3), a rotating outer ring (13-5), a rotating upper ring (13-7), and a rotating lower ring (13-9); the rotating inner ring (13-1), the rotating middle ring (13-3), the rotating outer ring (13-5), the rotating upper ring (13-7), and the rotating lower ring (13-9) are mutually nested from top to bottom and connected to the worm gear shaft (15) of the online steering wheel; The locking mechanism (14) comprises an inner cam (14-1), an outer cam (14-2), a return spring (14-3), and a nut (14-4); the bottom of the worm gear shaft (15) is axially connected to the inner cam (14-1); the upper part of the outer cam (14-2) is sleeved on the outer side of the inner cam (14-1); the lower part of the outer cam (14-2) is sleeved on the nut (14-4); the return spring (14-3) is sleeved on the outer cam (14-2) between the upper part of the outer cam (14-2) and the nut (14-4); and a servo housing (16) is provided on the outer sides of the corner mechanism (13) and the locking mechanism (14).

2. A rotation limit device for a wire-controlled steering column capable of withstanding high torque according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating inner ring (13-1) is a stepped sleeve structure, and the bottom diameter of the rotating inner ring (13-1) is smaller than the upper diameter of the rotating inner ring (13-1); the inner ring limiting boss (13-2) is connected to the lower outer side of the rotating inner ring (13-1), and a waist groove structure connected to the worm gear shaft (15) of the steering wheel is provided on the inner side of the rotating inner ring (13-1).

3. The rotation limit device of a wire-controlled steering column capable of withstanding high torque according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating middle ring (13-3) is a stepped sleeve structure, the upper diameter of the rotating middle ring (13-3) is smaller than the lower diameter of the rotating middle ring (13-3); the upper side of the lower part of the rotating middle ring (13-3) is connected to the middle ring limiting boss (13-4).

4. A rotation limit device for a wire-controlled steering column capable of withstanding high torque according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating outer ring (13-5) is a circular ring structure and is located on the rotating outer ring (13-5) and connected to the outer ring limiting boss (13-6).

5. A rotation limit device for a wire-controlled steering column capable of withstanding high torque according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating upper circle (13-7) is a stepped sleeve structure, and the upper diameter of the rotating upper circle (13-7) is larger than the lower diameter of the rotating upper circle (13-7); the lower side of the upper part of the rotating upper circle (13-7) is connected to the upper circle limiting boss (13-8), and the upper circle limiting boss (13-8) is an inverted "convex" shaped structure.

6. A rotation limit device for a wire-controlled steering column capable of withstanding high torque according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating lower circle (13-9) is a circular ring structure, and a lower circle limiting groove (13-10) is arranged on the outer side of the rotating lower circle (13-9), and the lower circle limiting groove (13-10) is a trapezoidal structure.

7. A rotation limit device for a wire-controlled steering column capable of withstanding high torque according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the outer cam (14-2) is connected to a sound insulation gasket (14-5).

8. A rotation limit device for a wire-controlled steering column capable of withstanding high torque according to claim 1 or 7, characterized in that: The top of the outer cam (14-2) is provided with two triangular bosses (14-8) and a plurality of arc-shaped grooves (14-7), and the triangular boss (14-8) of the outer cam (14-2) is embedded in the lower circle limiting groove (13-10) of the rotating lower circle (13-9).

9. The rotation limit device of a wire-controlled steering column capable of withstanding high torque according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer edge of the inner cam (14-1) and the upper outer edge of the outer cam (14-2) are respectively provided with four limiting bosses.

10. A rotation limit device for a wire-controlled steering column capable of withstanding high torque according to claim 7, characterized in that: The sound insulation gasket (14-5) is an annular structure, and a plurality of sound insulation gasket bosses (14-6) are evenly distributed at the bottom of the sound insulation gasket (14-5). The sound insulation gasket bosses (14-6) are embedded in the arc-shaped groove (14-7) at the top of the outer cam (14-2).

Images