Steering wheel assembly for vehicle and vehicle

Abstract

The utility model provides a steering wheel assembly for a vehicle and the vehicle. The steering wheel assembly for the vehicle is used for being installed on a tubular column of the vehicle, and the tubular column is fixed to a vehicle body and used for supporting the steering wheel assembly. The steering wheel assembly includes a rim and a motor. The rim is rotatably arranged relative to the tubular column and used for being operated manually to achieve vehicle steering. The motor comprises an inner stator and an outer rotor, and the outer rotor rotatably sleeves the radial outer side of the inner stator. The inner stator is directly or indirectly fixed to the tubular column, and the outer rotor is directly or indirectly fixed to the rim, so that the motor drives the rim to rotate. The steering wheel assembly is lower in vibration noise, more stable in position and more sensitive in road feeling response.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of vehicle, in particular to a steering wheel assembly for vehicle and vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] Steer-by-wire system is a new type of vehicle steering system, which cancels the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the steering wheel, and is completely driven by electric power to steer the wheels. In the steer-by-wire system, the column is integrated with a motor, which provides torque to the steering wheel. The motor output is transmitted through a worm and gear mechanism to simulate the damping feeling of rotating the steering wheel and to provide road feeling feedback.

[0003] However, the existing steer-by-wire system often has problems such as large vibration noise, unstable steering wheel position, and delayed road feeling response, which brings bad driving experience to the driver. SUMMARY

[0004] The utility model aims to provide a steering wheel assembly for vehicle and vehicle which overcomes the above problems or at least partially solves the above problems.

[0005] The utility model aims to make the vibration noise of the steering wheel assembly smaller, the position more stable, and the road feeling response more sensitive.

[0006] Another purpose of the utility model is to make the steering wheel assembly lighter and have smaller rotational inertia, so that the cantilever effect of the column is smaller.

[0007] On the one hand, the utility model provides a steering wheel assembly for vehicle, which is used for installing on the column of the vehicle to support the steering wheel assembly, and the steering wheel assembly comprises:

[0008] A rim is arranged rotatably relative to the column and is used for being operated by hand to realize vehicle steering; and

[0009] A motor comprises an inner stator and an outer rotor, the outer rotor is rotatably sleeved on the radial outer side of the inner stator; and

[0010] The inner stator is directly or indirectly fixed to the column, and the outer rotor is directly or indirectly fixed to the rim, so that the motor drives the rim to rotate.

[0011] Optionally, a bearing is arranged between the inner stator and the outer rotor to realize the rotational connection between the outer rotor and the inner stator.

[0012] Optionally, the size relationship between the inner stator, the outer rotor and the bearing is interference fit, so as to be connected in a hot sleeve manner.

[0013] Optionally, the steering wheel assembly further comprises:

[0014] a disc seat fixed to one end of the column; and

[0015] the inner stator is fixed to the disc seat.

[0016] Optionally, the disc seat is box-shaped for accommodating the motor and the airbag.

[0017] Optionally, the outer rotor is cylindrical, comprising a cylindrical portion with magnetic steel and sleeved on the radial outer side of the inner stator, and an end cap portion covering one end of the cylindrical portion away from the column; and

[0018] the outer rotor is located in the center of the rim and is fixed to the rim by spokes.

[0019] Optionally, the outer rotor is axially offset from the rim; or

[0020] the outer rotor is located on the radial inner side of the rim.

[0021] Optionally, the disc seat is disc-shaped, and the inner stator is sleeved on the outer circumferential surface of the disc seat; and

[0022] the outer rotor abuts against the axial end surface of the rim or the inner circumferential surface of the rim.

[0023] Optionally, the inner stator is directly connected to one end of the column; and

[0024] the outer rotor is located in the central position on the radial inner side of the rim and is fixed to the rim by spokes.

[0025] In another aspect, the utility model further provides a vehicle, comprising:

[0026] a column fixed to a vehicle body; and

[0027] the steering wheel assembly as any one of the above is installed on the column.

[0028] The utility model discloses a steering wheel assembly for vehicle adopts outer rotor motor, makes outer rotor direct or indirectly fixed in the wheel rim, can directly drive the wheel rim rotation, does not need rotor shaft, worm gear mechanism etc. Intermediate transmission link, makes transmission efficiency higher, noise is smaller, service life is longer, cost is lower. Also make the overall weight of steering wheel assembly lighter, thereby make the column load smaller, cantilever effect is smaller, make the position of steering wheel assembly more stable, reduce vibration and noise, thereby improve the sensitivity of road feeling response, improve the driving experience of driver. And, compared with the inner rotor motor that traditional steering wheel usually uses, the outer diameter of the rotor (outer rotor) of outer rotor motor is larger, under the premise of motor size is equivalent, can provide greater electromagnetic torque (electromagnetic torque = electromagnetic force * rotor radius), improve the sensitivity of road feeling response of steering wheel assembly.

[0029] Further, in the utility model discloses a steering wheel assembly for vehicle, the rotating part (including outer rotor and wheel rim) and fixed part (including inner stator) of steering wheel assembly are only connected through a bearing, simple structure, lighter weight. In addition, the size relationship between inner stator, outer rotor and bearing is interference fit, so as to be connected in the hot jacket mode, without using fastener such as screw, so that the structure of steering wheel assembly is further simplified, and the weight is further reduced.

[0030] Further, the utility model discloses a steering wheel assembly for vehicle further includes the disc seat of box, disc seat is fixed to the column, is used to accommodate inner stator and air bag, provides support and heat dissipation path for motor. And, since air bag is accommodated in disc seat by disc seat, and does not rotate with the rotation of wheel rim, so that the rotating part weight of steering wheel assembly is further reduced, thereby the rotational inertia of rotating part is smaller, reduces response delay, so that the road feeling response of wheel rim is more sensitive.

[0031] Further, the utility model discloses a steering wheel assembly for vehicle, makes disc seat be discoid, and inner stator is fixed to the outer circumferential surface of disc seat, and makes outer rotor adhere to the axial end face of wheel rim or the inner circumferential surface of wheel rim, this makes the whole steering wheel assembly more light and thin, and the gravity center is closer to the one end of column for being fixed to the car body, thereby reducing the cantilever effect of column, and the position of steering wheel assembly is more stable, and vibration and noise are smaller, thereby improving the sensitivity of road feeling response, and improving the driving experience of driver.

[0032] The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present utility model will become more apparent from the following detailed description of some embodiments thereof, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0033] Some specific embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar components or parts. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawings:

[0034] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a steering wheel assembly according to one embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 2 is Figure 1 is an exploded schematic view of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

[0036] Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a steering wheel assembly according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a steering wheel assembly according to yet another embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 5 is a schematic view of a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The steering wheel assembly for a vehicle and the vehicle according to embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 5

[0040] In the description of the present embodiments, the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are merely used for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and thus cannot be understood as indicating or implying that the devices or elements indicated must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be construed as limiting the present application.

[0041] The terms "first", "second", and the like are merely used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second", and the like can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features, i.e., one or more of the features.

[0042] ​In the description of the utility model, the meaning of "multiple" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically limited. When a certain feature "includes or contains" a certain or certain features it covers, unless otherwise specifically described, this indicates that other features are not excluded and can further include other features.

[0043] Unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connection", "fixing", "coupling" and other terms should be broadly understood, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or it can be integrated; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship of two elements, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art should be able to understand the specific meaning of the above-mentioned terms in the utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0044] In addition, in the description of the embodiment, the first feature "above" or "below" the second feature can include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them.

[0045] That is, in the description of the embodiment, the first feature "above", "above" and "above" the second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or only indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature "below", "below" or "below" the second feature can be directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or only indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is less than that of the second feature.

[0046] Unless otherwise limited, all terms (including technical terms and scientific terms) used in the description of the utility model embodiment have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present application belongs.

[0047] The utility model embodiment provides a steering wheel assembly 10 for vehicle.

[0048] Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view of the steering wheel assembly 10 according to an embodiment of the utility model; Figure 2 is Figure 1 is an exploded schematic view of the structure shown.

[0049] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in the utility model embodiment, the steering wheel assembly 10 is used for being mounted on the pipe column 20 of vehicle. The pipe column 20 is columnar, is fixed to the vehicle body, and is used for supporting the steering wheel assembly 10. For example, the lower end of the pipe column 20 is fixed to the vehicle body, and the upper end is mounted with the steering wheel assembly 10.

[0050] The steering wheel assembly 10 according to the embodiments of the present application can generally include a rim 200 and a motor 300.

[0051] The rim 200 is rotatably arranged relative to the column 20. Note that the rim 200 is rotatable relative to the column 20, and it is not limited that the rim 200 is directly mounted to the column 20. The rim 200 is used for being operated by a human hand to realize vehicle steering. Specifically, the rim 200 can be a regular circle, or can be a square or other shape closed ring, or can be a ring with an opening, or can be other various shapes, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the shape of the rim 200.

[0052] The motor 300 includes an inner stator 310 and an outer rotor 320. The outer rotor 320 is rotatably sleeved on the radially outer side of the inner stator 310. The inner stator 310 is directly or indirectly fixed to the column 20. Here, directly fixed means that the inner stator 310 is directly connected to the column 20. Indirectly fixed means that the inner stator 310 is fixed to one or more intermediate components, and the intermediate components are fixed to the column 20. The outer rotor 320 is directly or indirectly fixed to the rim 200, so that the motor 300 drives the rim 200 to rotate.

[0053] The steering wheel assembly 10 according to the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a steer-by-wire system (SBW). Specifically, when a driver drives a vehicle, the driver holds the rim 200 to drive the rim 200 to rotate, sends a steering request to a control unit of the steer-by-wire system, and the control unit controls an execution motor of the steer-by-wire system to drive a steering column to act, so that the steering column pushes a steering drag link to laterally pull a vehicle wheel, and realizes steering of the vehicle wheel. In addition, when the driver operates the steering wheel assembly 10, the motor 300 applies a torque to the rim 200, applies a resistance to the rim 200, provides a damping feeling to the human hand, and provides a road feeling feedback.

[0054] The inventor finds that the main reasons for the problems of the existing steer-by-wire system, such as large vibration noise, unstable steering wheel position, and delayed road feel response, lie in the use of the inner rotor motor and the intermediate transmission mechanism and the too large weight of the steering wheel. The inner rotor motor is connected with the worm and gear mechanism through the rotor shaft to transmit power to the steering wheel. The worm and gear mechanism has large operation noise and is close to the driver, so it is more easily perceived. The worm and gear mechanism is a precision machine, and the manufacturing dispersion cannot be avoided, which makes it difficult to accurately control the tooth gap, and causes tooth collision during transmission. Since the outer layer material of the worm is plastic, the gap will inevitably become larger due to wear in the later stage of the service life, which causes the risk of NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) of the whole vehicle. The transmission loss of the worm and gear mechanism leads to a low efficiency of the steering system. The whole steering wheel is too heavy, has large rotational inertia, and has slow torque response and insensitive road feel response. The torque transmitted by the worm needs to be transmitted through a long transmission rod penetrating through the whole column, and the long transmission rod is connected to the steering wheel above, which leads to low transmission efficiency and delayed road feel response. Moreover, the transmission rod further increases the cost and weight.

[0055] To solve the above problems, the steering wheel assembly 10 of the embodiment of the present application adopts an outer rotor motor, so that the outer rotor 320 is directly or indirectly fixed to the rim 200 and can directly drive the rim 200 to rotate, without the intermediate transmission links such as the rotor shaft and the worm and gear mechanism, so that the transmission efficiency is higher, the noise is smaller, the service life is longer, and the cost is lower. At the same time, the overall weight of the steering wheel assembly 10 is also lighter, so that the load on the column 20 is smaller and the cantilever effect is smaller (the two ends of the column 20 are a fixed end and a free end respectively, the fixed end is fixed to the vehicle body, and the free end is provided with the steering wheel assembly 10, the free end bears the pressure of the steering wheel assembly 10, so that the column 20 is bent and deformed downward to form a cantilever effect), so that the position of the steering wheel assembly 10 is more stable, the vibration and noise are reduced, the sensitivity of the road feel response is improved, and the driving experience is improved. Moreover, compared with the inner rotor motor commonly used in the traditional steering wheel, the outer rotor motor has a larger outer diameter of the rotor (the outer rotor 320), and under the premise of the same motor size, can provide a larger electromagnetic torque (electromagnetic torque = electromagnetic force x rotor radius), so as to improve the sensitivity of the road feel response of the steering wheel assembly 10.

[0056] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 1 A bearing 500 is arranged between the inner stator 310 and the outer rotor 320 to realize the rotational connection between the outer rotor 320 and the inner stator 310 and make the rotation of the outer rotor 320 more smooth. Specifically, the bearing 500 can be various forms such as a rolling bearing and a sliding bearing, and the specific form is not limited. In this way, the rotational part (including the outer rotor 320 and the rim 200) and the fixed part (including the inner stator 310) of the steering wheel assembly 10 are only connected through one bearing 500, so the structure is simple and the weight is lighter.

[0057] Furthermore, the dimensional relationships between the inner stator 310, the outer rotor 320, and the bearing 500 can all be interference fits to facilitate a heat-fit connection. Specifically, when the bearing 500 is installed on the inner stator 310, the bearing 500 can be heated. Due to thermal expansion and contraction, the inner ring diameter of the bearing 500 increases, allowing the inner stator 310 to insert into the inner ring of the bearing 500. After the bearing 500 cools, the inner ring diameter decreases, thus tightly securing it to the inner stator 310. This embodiment uses a heat-fit method to fix the bearing 500 between the inner stator 310 and the outer rotor 320, achieving axial and radial positioning constraints between the inner stator 310 and the outer rotor 320. This eliminates the need for fasteners such as screws, further simplifying the structure of the steering wheel assembly 10, reducing its weight, and making the connection between the three components more stable.

[0058] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the steering wheel assembly 10 also includes a wheel base 100. The wheel base 100 is fixed to one end of the column 20. The inner stator 310 is fixed to the wheel base 100. In this embodiment, the wheel base 100 serves as an intermediate component between the inner stator 310 and the column 20, providing better support and a better heat dissipation path for the motor 300. In one embodiment, the wheel base 100 is connected to the column 20 by screws. In another embodiment, the wheel base 100 and the column 20 are integrally formed, eliminating the need for a connecting structure.

[0059] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the steering wheel base 100 can be box-shaped to house the motor 300 and the airbag 400. For example, the airbag 400 can be located on the side of the outer peripheral surface of the motor 300, or even on the lower side. Since the airbag 400 is housed in the steering wheel base 100 and does not rotate with the wheel rim 200, the weight of the rotating part of the steering wheel assembly 10 is further reduced, resulting in a smaller moment of inertia of the rotating part, reduced response hysteresis, and more sensitive road feel response of the wheel rim 200.

[0060] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the outer rotor 320 can be cylindrical, comprising a cylindrical body 321 and an end cap 322. That is, one axial side of the outer rotor 320 is open. The cylindrical body 321 has magnets and is fitted radially outside the inner stator 310, while the end cap 322 covers the end of the cylindrical body 321 away from the tube column 20. The outer rotor 320 is located at the center of the rim 200 and is fixed to the rim 200 by spokes (not shown). The spokes and rim 200 can be connected by fasteners or are an integrally formed part. The end cap 322 can be connected to the spokes by screws. In this embodiment, the rotor, spokes, and rim 200 are rotating parts with small moments of inertia and sensitive response.

[0061] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, the outer rotor 320 and the wheel rim 200 can be offset in the axial direction (x-direction) of the wheel rim 200. That is, the x-axis coordinates of the outer rotor 320 and the wheel rim 200 are different. For example, the wheel rim 200 can be positioned further away from the column 20 than the outer rotor 320, so as to be closer to the driver, so that physical buttons or touch screens or other control components can be placed in the radially inner space of the wheel rim 200.

[0062] In some other embodiments not shown in the figure, the outer rotor 320 may be located radially inside the rim 200 to make the outer rotor 320 and the rim 200 more compact in the axial direction, making the steering wheel assembly 10 more flattened overall, thus occupying less space, and also making the center of gravity of the steering wheel assembly 20 closer to the fixed end of the column 20, thereby reducing the load on the column 20 and the cantilever effect.

[0063] Figure 3 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a steering wheel assembly 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] like Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment of the present invention, the disc base 100 is disc-shaped, and the inner stator 310 is fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the disc base 100. This makes the motor 300 and the disc base 100 more compact in the axial direction, occupying less space and becoming more flattened. The outer rotor 320 abuts against the axial end face of the wheel rim 200. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the outer rotor 320 can be placed against the axial end face of the rim 200 and close to the periphery of the rim 200. Alternatively, the outer rotor 320 can be placed against the inner circumferential surface of the rim 200 (not shown). This makes the rim 200, motor 300, and disc base 100 lie on the same plane, resulting in a flatter design.

[0065] like Figure 3 As shown, the end face of the disc holder 100 can be brought into contact with the end face of the tube column 20, and the two can be fixed with screws. Alternatively, a hole can be made in the center of the disc holder 100 to fit around the outer periphery of the tube column 20.

[0066] Figure 4 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a steering wheel assembly 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] like Figure 4As shown, in the embodiment of the present application, the inner stator 310 is directly connected to one end of the column 20. Specifically, the end surface of the inner stator 310 can be fixed to the column 20 by screws. Alternatively, the inner stator 310 can also be provided with a central hole to be sleeved on the outer periphery of the column 20. The outer rotor 320 is located at the central position of the radial inner side of the rim 200, and is fixed to the rim 200 by spokes. The present embodiment omits the disc seat 100, and the motor 300 is located at the radial inner side of the rim 200, so that the whole steering wheel assembly 10 is more flattened.

[0068] Figure 5 is a schematic view of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0069] In another aspect, the present application provides a vehicle. As shown in Figure 5 The vehicle comprises a column 20 and a steering wheel assembly 10 as described in any of the above embodiments. The column 20 is fixed to the body of the vehicle, and the steering wheel assembly 10 is mounted on the column 20.

[0070] At this point, those skilled in the art should recognize that although the present application has been fully illustrated and described herein, many other variants or modifications in accordance with the principles of the present application can be directly determined or deduced from the disclosure of the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of the present application should be understood and recognized as covering all these other variants or modifications.

Claims

1. A steering wheel assembly for a vehicle for mounting on a column of the vehicle, the column being fixed to a vehicle body for supporting the steering wheel assembly, characterized in that The steering wheel assembly comprises: a wheel rim, rotatably arranged relative to the column, for being operated by a hand to realize steering of a vehicle; and an electric motor comprising an inner stator and an outer rotor, the outer rotor being rotatably sleeved on a radially outer side of the inner stator; and the inner stator being directly or indirectly fixed to the column, and the outer rotor being directly or indirectly fixed to the wheel rim, so that the electric motor drives the wheel rim to rotate.

2. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein a bearing is arranged between the inner stator and the outer rotor to realize rotational connection of the outer rotor and the inner stator.

3. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 2, wherein a size relationship between the inner stator, the outer rotor and the bearing is an interference fit, so as to be connected in a shrink fit manner.

4. The steering wheel assembly of claim 1, wherein Further comprising: a disc seat fixed to one end of the column; and the inner stator being fixed to the disc seat.

5. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 4, wherein the disc seat is box-shaped, for accommodating the electric motor and an airbag.

6. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 4, wherein the outer rotor is cylindrical, comprising a cylindrical portion and an end cover portion, the cylindrical portion having a magnetic steel and being sleeved on a radially outer side of the inner stator, and the end cover portion covering one end of the cylindrical portion away from the column; and the outer rotor is located in a center of the wheel rim and is fixed to the wheel rim by spokes.

7. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 6, wherein the outer rotor and the wheel rim are arranged in an axial direction of the wheel rim; or the outer rotor is located on a radially inner side of the wheel rim.

8. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 4, wherein the disc seat is disc-shaped, and the inner stator is sleeved on an outer circumferential surface of the disc seat; and the outer rotor abuts against an axial end surface of the wheel rim or an inner circumferential surface of the wheel rim.

9. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the inner stator is directly connected to one end of the column; and the outer rotor is located in a central position on a radially inner side of the wheel rim and is fixed to the wheel rim by spokes.

10. A vehicle characterized by comprising: a column fixed to a vehicle body; and the steering wheel assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9, being mounted on the column.

Images