A road feel feedback assembly and a steer-by-wire system for motor vehicles

Abstract

This utility model relates to a road feedback assembly and a steer-by-wire system for motor vehicles. The road feedback assembly, used in the steer-by-wire system, includes: a steering wheel; a steering column, the steering wheel being fixedly connected to the front end of the steering column; and a feedback actuator connected to the steering column to provide road feedback to the steering wheel. The feedback actuator includes a transmission device and a road feedback power unit. The transmission device is positioned near the front end of the steering column, and the road feedback power unit is positioned at the rear end of the steering column. The road feedback assembly and the steer-by-wire system having this road feedback assembly can reduce the strength requirements of the steering column while avoiding interference between the road feedback assembly and the steering actuation assembly, thereby optimizing the design of the road feedback assembly and improving the installation of the steer-by-wire system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of motor vehicles, specifically to a steer-by-wire system for motor vehicles, and more specifically to a road feel feedback assembly for a steer-by-wire system for motor vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] The content in this section only provides background information related to this utility model and may not constitute prior art.

[0003] In motor vehicles equipped with a steer-by-wire system, the steering wheel and steering wheels are connected via electrical signals, replacing the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and steering wheels in a conventional non-steer-by-wire system. In a steer-by-wire system, because there is no longer a mechanical connection between the steering wheel and steering wheels, the steering wheels no longer provide direct feedback from the road surface to the steering wheel. A steer-by-wire system includes a handwheel actuator for providing road feel feedback, a roadwheel actuator for steering the steering wheels, and a steer-by-wire controller. In a steer-by-wire system, the rotation of the steering wheel and steering shaft is detected by electronic sensors in the handwheel actuator and converted into electronic steering commands, which are sent to the roadwheel actuator to activate the steering motor, causing the steering wheels to turn at a corresponding steering angle. In one design of a steer-by-wire system, the feedback actuator of the road feel feedback assembly is integrated, with the actuator positioned either at the front (e.g., near the steering wheel) or rear (e.g., behind the end of the steering column) of the steering column. However, this integrated design presents limitations for the steer-by-wire system. If the actuator is integrated at the front of the steering column, it increases the load-bearing and rigidity requirements of the steering column, potentially limiting the design or increasing the cost of the steer-by-wire system. On the other hand, if the actuator is integrated at the rear of the steering column, it may interfere with the rack and pinion steering mechanism of the steering actuation assembly during installation.

[0004] Therefore, the design of the road feel feedback assembly of the steer-by-wire system needs to be improved to overcome the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to solve at least one of the aforementioned technical problems. One objective of this invention is to improve the arrangement of the road feedback assembly in a steer-by-wire system and optimize the design of the road feedback assembly.

[0006] One aspect of this invention provides a road feel feedback assembly for a steer-by-wire system and includes: a steering wheel; a steering column, the steering wheel being fixedly connected to the front end of the steering column; and a feedback actuator connected to the steering column to provide road feel feedback to the steering wheel. The feedback actuator includes a transmission device and a road feel power unit. The transmission device is positioned near the front end of the steering column, and the road feel power unit is positioned at the rear end of the steering column.

[0007] The road feel power unit includes a road feel motor and a road feel electronic control unit for controlling the road feel motor. The steering column includes a main steering column and a secondary steering column. The front end of the main steering column is fixedly connected to the steering wheel, and the secondary steering column is the output shaft of the road feel motor, which is connected to the main steering column via a transmission device.

[0008] In one embodiment, the transmission device is a pulley reduction device, and includes a driving pulley and a driven pulley. The driving pulley is mounted on the front end of the output shaft, which is close to the steering wheel. The driven pulley is mounted on the main steering column, and the rear end of the output shaft constitutes the rear end of the steering column.

[0009] In one implementation, the main steering column and the output shaft are parallel to each other and offset from each other.

[0010] In one implementation, the output shaft is tilted relative to the main steering column.

[0011] The feedback actuator also includes a mechanical end-stop device configured to limit the range of steering wheel rotation. The mechanical end-stop device is mounted near either the front or rear end of the steering column.

[0012] In one embodiment, the feedback actuator also includes a steering sensor mounted on the steering column and configured to detect steering input from the steering wheel.

[0013] Another aspect of this invention is to provide a steer-by-wire system for motor vehicles, the steer-by-wire system including a road feel feedback assembly according to this invention.

[0014] The steer-by-wire system further includes: a steering actuation assembly adapted to be connected to the steering wheels of a motor vehicle; and a steer-by-wire controller configured to: communicate with a road feel feedback assembly to receive steering input from the steering wheel and generate steering commands, and send motion feedback of the steering wheels to a feedback actuator to activate the road feel motor of the feedback actuator to provide road feel feedback to the steering wheel; and communicate with the steering actuation assembly to send the generated steering commands to the steering actuation assembly to drive the steering wheels to rotate, and receive motion feedback of the steering wheels.

[0015] In one implementation, at least one of the road feel control unit of the road feel power unit and the steering control unit of the steering actuation assembly is integrated into the online steering controller.

[0016] The road feedback assembly and the steer-by-wire system with the road feedback assembly of this utility model can reduce the strength requirements of the steering column while avoiding interference between the road feedback assembly and the steering actuation assembly, thereby optimizing the design of the road feedback assembly and improving the installation of the steer-by-wire system. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The following description, by way of example only, refers to the accompanying drawings and describes embodiments of the road feedback assembly of the present invention and a steer-by-wire system having the road feedback assembly. In the drawings, the same features or components are indicated by the same reference numerals, and the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Furthermore, in the drawings:

[0018] Figure 1 A block diagram of a steer-by-wire system for a motor vehicle according to the present invention is shown;

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic perspective view of the steer-by-wire system according to the present invention is shown;

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the road feel feedback assembly of the steer-by-wire system according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown; and

[0021] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the arrangement of the road feel feedback assembly of the steer-by-wire system according to the second embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The following description is exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present invention or its applications and uses. It should be understood that in all the drawings, similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar parts and features. The various drawings only schematically illustrate the concept and principles of embodiments of the present invention and do not necessarily show the specific dimensions and proportions of the various embodiments of the present invention. Certain parts of certain drawings may be exaggerated to illustrate relevant details or structures of embodiments of the present invention.

[0023] In the description of the various embodiments of this utility model, the directional terms related to "up", "down", "left", "right", "front" and "back" are used to describe the orientation of up, down, left, right, front and back in the view.

[0024] Figure 1 A block diagram of a steer-by-wire system 1 for a motor vehicle according to the present invention is shown. Figure 2A schematic perspective view of a steer-by-wire system 1 according to the present invention is shown. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the steer-by-wire system 1 includes a road feel feedback assembly 10, a steering actuation assembly 20, and a steer-by-wire controller 30.

[0025] The road feedback assembly 10 includes a steering wheel 11, a steering column 12, and a feedback actuator 13. In the following description, the terms "front end" and "rear end" refer to the position of the component relative to the steering wheel 11, with the end closer to the steering wheel 11 being the "front end" and the end further away from the steering wheel 11 being the "rear end." The steering wheel 11 is a steering input device that receives steering input from the driver, and is fixedly connected to the front end of the steering column 12. The feedback actuator 13 is connected to the steering column 12 and configured to provide road feedback from the road surface to the steering wheel 11, thereby providing road feel to the driver. The feedback actuator 13 includes a rotation sensor 14, a road feel power unit 15, a transmission 16, and a mechanical end limit device 17. The rotation sensor 14 is mounted on the steering column 12 and is used to detect steering input from the steering wheel 11. For example, the rotation sensor 14 can be a rotation angle sensor used to detect the rotation angle of the steering column 12 fixedly connected to the steering wheel 11, or it can be a torque sensor used to detect the rotational torque on the steering column 12 fixedly connected to the steering wheel 11.

[0026] The road feel power unit 15 is configured to rotate the steering column 12 based on detected information (e.g., wheel shimmy due to uneven road surface, angular displacement of the steering tie rod, rotation angle or rotational torque detected by the rotation sensor 14, etc.) to provide road feel feedback from the road surface to the steering wheel 11, thereby providing road feel to the driver. The road feel power unit 15 includes a road feel motor and a road feel electronic control unit. The steering column 12 includes a main steering column and a secondary steering column. The front end of the main steering column is fixedly connected to the steering wheel 11 to receive steering input from the driver, and the secondary steering column is connected to the main steering column via a transmission 16. The secondary steering column is the output shaft of the road feel motor of the road feel power unit 15.

[0027] The transmission 16 is configured to transmit the driving force of the road feel power unit 15 through the steering column 12 to the steering wheel 11, thereby generating torque on the steering wheel 11 to provide road feel feedback. The transmission 16 is configured as a reduction gear. The mechanical end limit device 17 is configured to limit the range of rotation of the steering wheel 11.

[0028] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the steering actuation assembly 20 includes a steering motor 21, a steering electronic control unit 22, a steering gear 23, steering tie rods 24, and a steering sensor 25. The steering motor 21 is configured to be controlled by the steering electronic control unit 22 to drive the steering gear 23, thereby rotating the steering wheels 50 of the motor vehicle. The steering electronic control unit 22 is configured to receive steering commands and activate the steering motor 21 according to the steering commands. The steering gear 23 is connected to the output shaft of the steering motor 21. Steering tie rods 24 are connected to both ends of the steering gear 23, and the other ends of the steering tie rods 24 are respectively connected to the corresponding steering wheels. The steering sensor 25 is used to detect the displacement of the steering tie rods 24 (e.g., detect the angular displacement of the steering tie rods 24), thereby detecting the movement of the steering wheels 50 connected to the steering tie rods 24.

[0029] The steer-by-wire controller 30 is configured to receive detection signals from various sensors (e.g., rotational angle or rotational torque from rotation sensor 14, angular displacement from steering sensor 25, lateral acceleration from lateral acceleration sensor (not shown), vehicle speed from vehicle speed sensor (not shown), etc.) and accordingly control the road feel power unit 15 of the road feel feedback assembly 10 and the steering motor 21 of the steering actuation assembly 20, thereby controlling the rotation of the steering wheels 50 according to the driver's steering input and sending the motion feedback of the steering wheels 50 to the feedback actuator 13 to provide road feel feedback to the steering wheel 11, thus enabling the driver to obtain road feel. In one example, the road feel electronic control unit and / or steering electronic control unit 22 of the feedback actuator 13 may be integrated into the steer-by-wire controller 30.

[0030] In the road feedback assembly 10, the heavier components of the feedback actuator 13 are mounted at the rear end of the steering column 12, while other components of the feedback actuator 13 are partially or entirely mounted near the steering wheel 11, near the front end of the steering column 12. This arrangement avoids interference between the components of the feedback actuator 13 and the components of the steering actuation assembly 20 during installation and reduces the overall rigidity requirements of the steering column 12 (especially the main steering column). In the feedback actuator 13, the road feel power unit 15, being a heavier component, is mounted at the rear end of the steering column 12. This reduces the load on the main steering column 12, which is fixedly connected to the steering wheel 11, thereby reducing the rigidity requirements of the main steering column and improving the driver's operation of the steering wheel 11 and the main steering column. The transmission device 16, typically with a large outer profile, is mounted near the front end of the steering column 12, thus avoiding interference with the components of the steering actuation assembly 20 located at the rear end of the steering column 12.

[0031] like Figure 2As shown, the steer-by-wire controller 30 of the steer-by-wire system 1 is mounted on the housing 19 of the road feel feedback assembly 10 and is communicatively connected to the feedback actuator 13 of the road feel feedback assembly 10 (e.g., via a wiring harness not shown). It receives steering input from the steering wheel 11 and generates steering commands, and sends motion feedback of the steering wheels 50 to the feedback actuator 13, specifically to the road feel control unit of the road feel power group 15 of the feedback actuator 13, to correspondingly activate the road feel motor of the road feel power group 15 to provide road feel feedback to the steering wheel 11, thereby providing the driver with road feel. Furthermore, the steer-by-wire controller 30 is communicatively connected to the steering actuation assembly 20 via the wiring harness 40, and sends the generated steering command to the steering control unit 22 to activate the steering motor 21, causing the steering wheels 50 to rotate. The steering gear 23 of the steering actuation assembly 20 is a rack and pinion steering gear, including a gear 231 and a rack 232. Gear 231 is connected to the output shaft of steering motor 21 and meshes with rack 232. Steering tie rods 24 are connected to both ends of rack 232, and the other end of each tie rod 24 is connected to the corresponding steering wheel 50. Figure 2 The diagram only schematically shows the steering wheel 50 located on one side of the steering gear 23. Driven by the steering motor 21, the gear 231 meshes with the rack 232 and rotates relative to the rack 232, causing the rack 232 to move and drive the corresponding steering tie rod 24 to move accordingly, thereby rotating the steering wheel 50 to perform steering operation according to the driver's steering input.

[0032] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the road feel feedback assembly 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 3 As shown, the road feel power unit 15 of the road feel feedback assembly 10 includes a road feel motor 151 and a road feel control unit 152. The road feel power unit 15 is mounted at the rear end of the steering column 12, located within the housing 19 of the road feel feedback assembly 10 or via a bracket 191 (in... Figure 2 (As shown in the figure) Housing 19 attached to the road feel feedback assembly 10.

[0033] The steering column 12 includes a main steering column 121 and a secondary steering column. The front end of the main steering column 121 is fixedly connected to the steering wheel 11. The secondary steering column is the output shaft 153 of the road feel motor 151, which is connected to the main steering column 121 via a transmission device 16. The transmission device 16 is configured as a reduction gear and is mounted near the front end of the steering column 12. Figure 3 In the example shown, the transmission device 16 is a pulley reduction device, including a driving pulley 161, a driven pulley 162, and a belt 163 connecting the driving pulley 161 and the driven pulley 162 for transmission. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. In other examples according to the present invention, the transmission device 16 may not use belt drive, but other transmission methods.

[0034] In the road feel feedback assembly 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the transmission device 16 is mounted close to the steering wheel 11, near the front end of the steering column 12. Specifically, the smaller diameter drive wheel 161 is mounted at the front end of the output shaft 153, while the larger diameter driven wheel 162 is mounted on the main steering column 121, for example, it can be mounted at the rear end of the main steering column 121. The road feel power unit 15 is mounted at the rear end of the steering column 12. Specifically, the road feel power unit 15 is mounted at the rear end of the output shaft 153. Figure 3 The lower end of the output shaft 153 forms the rear end of the steering column 12. Thus, by mounting the heavier road feel power unit 15 at the rear end of the steering column 12 and mounting other components near the front end of the steering column 12, the rigidity requirement on the main steering column 121 of the steering column 12 can be reduced, and interference between the feedback actuator 13 and the steering actuation assembly 20 (e.g., the steering gear 23 of the steering actuation assembly 20) located at the rear end of the steering column 12 can be prevented, thereby optimizing the arrangement of the road feel feedback assembly 10.

[0035] In the road feel feedback assembly 10, the mechanical end limit device 17 can be installed close to the rear end of the steering column 12, such as... Figure 3 As shown in the figure. For example, the mechanical end-stop device 17 can be integrated into the end bearing (not shown) of the road feel motor 151. Alternatively, the mechanical end-stop device 17 can also be mounted near the front end of the steering column 12 and close to the steering wheel 11. For example, the mechanical end-stop device 17 can be mounted on the output shaft 153, which serves as a secondary steering column, and near the bearing 18 at the front end of the output shaft 153, such as... Figure 3 As shown in the dashed box. For example, the mechanical end limit device 17 can be installed on the main steering column 121.

[0036] exist Figure 3 In the road feedback assembly 10 of the first embodiment of the present invention shown, the secondary steering column of the steering column 12 (i.e., the output shaft 153 of the road feel motor 151) is configured to be offset at an acute angle relative to the main steering column 121, thereby reducing the overall size of the road feedback assembly 10. For example, the size of the road feedback assembly 10 in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the main steering column 121 can be reduced. The output shaft 153 allows for a certain degree of extension and retraction between the steering wheel 11 and the main steering column 121 and the road feel motor 151, thereby absorbing collision energy and improving driving safety and comfort.

[0037] Figure 4A schematic diagram of the arrangement of the road feedback assembly 10A according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown. The road feedback assembly 10A according to the second embodiment of the present invention has a design similar to that of the road feedback assembly 10 according to the aforementioned first embodiment, the only difference being the arrangement of the output shaft 153A of the road feel motor 151 relative to the main steering column 121. In the drawings, identical or corresponding components are indicated by the same reference numerals, and related descriptions are omitted to avoid redundancy. Hereinafter, only the differences between the road feedback assembly 10A and the road feedback assembly 10 will be described.

[0038] like Figure 4 As shown, the main steering column 121 and the auxiliary steering column (i.e., the output shaft 153A of the road feel motor 151) of the steering column 12A are arranged parallel to each other and offset from each other. The road feel feedback assembly 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention can still achieve similar beneficial effects as described above, reducing the rigidity requirement of the main steering column 121 of the steering column 12A and preventing interference between the feedback actuator 13 and the steering actuation assembly 20 (e.g., the steering gear 23 of the steering actuation assembly 20) located at the rear end of the steering column 12A, thereby optimizing the arrangement of the road feel feedback assembly 10A. Furthermore, the output shaft 153A allows for a certain degree of extension and retraction between the steering wheel 11 and the main steering column 121 and the road feel motor 151, thereby absorbing collision energy and improving driving safety and comfort.

[0039] The preferred embodiment of the road feedback assembly and the steer-by-wire system incorporating the road feedback assembly according to the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. The road feedback assembly and steer-by-wire system according to the present invention can reduce the strength requirements of the main steering column while avoiding interference between the road feedback assembly and the steering actuation assembly, thereby optimizing the design of the road feedback assembly and improving the installation of the steer-by-wire system.

[0040] In the embodiments shown above, the transmission device 16 of the road feel feedback assembly employs a belt pulley reduction device, and the main steering column 121 and the auxiliary steering column (output shaft of the road feel motor 151) of the steering columns 12 and 12A are offset from each other, resulting in the steering columns 12 and 12A having a non-linear shaft design. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In other examples according to the present invention, the transmission device 16 of the road feel feedback assembly may also employ other transmission methods, and the main steering column 121 of the steering column may be aligned axially with the output shaft of the road feel motor 151, thereby making the steering column have a linear shaft design.

[0041] In the embodiments described above, the steer-by-wire system 1's steer-by-wire controller 30 communicates with the road feel control unit 152 of the road feel feedback assembly 10 and the steering control unit 22 of the steering actuation assembly 20 to perform corresponding controls. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. In other examples according to the present invention, at least one of the road feel control unit 152 and the steering control unit 22 may be integrated into the steer-by-wire controller 30.

[0042] The preferred embodiment of the road feel feedback assembly and the steer-by-wire system having the road feel feedback assembly have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described and shown above. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art without departing from its spirit and scope. All such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, all components described herein can be replaced by other technically equivalent components.

Claims

1. A road feel feedback assembly, the road feel feedback assembly being used in a steer-by-wire system and comprising: steering wheel; Steering column, the steering wheel is fixedly connected to the front end of the steering column; as well as A feedback actuator, connected to the steering column, provides road feel feedback to the steering wheel. The feedback actuator includes a transmission and a road feel power unit. The characteristic feature is that the transmission device is arranged close to the front end of the steering column, and the road feel power unit is arranged at the rear end of the steering column.

2. The road feel feedback assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The road-sensing power unit includes a road-sensing motor and a road-sensing electronic control unit for controlling the road-sensing motor; as well as The steering column includes a main steering column and a secondary steering column. The front end of the main steering column is fixedly connected to the steering wheel. The secondary steering column is the output shaft of the road feel motor, and the output shaft is connected to the main steering column via the transmission device.

3. The road feel feedback assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, The transmission device is a pulley reduction device, and includes a driving pulley and a driven pulley. The driving pulley is mounted on the front end of the output shaft, and the front end of the output shaft is close to the steering wheel. The driven pulley is mounted on the main steering column, and the rear end of the output shaft constitutes the rear end of the steering column.

4. The road feel feedback assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, The main steering column is parallel to the output shaft and offset from it.

5. The road feel feedback assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, The output shaft is tilted relative to the main steering column.

6. The road feel feedback assembly according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The feedback actuator further includes a mechanical end-stop device configured to limit the range of rotation of the steering wheel; and The mechanical terminal limiting device is installed near the front end of the steering column or near the rear end of the steering column.

7. The road feel feedback assembly according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The feedback actuator also includes a steering sensor mounted on the steering column and configured to detect steering input from the steering wheel.

8. A steer-by-wire system for motor vehicles, characterized in that... Includes the road feel feedback assembly according to any one of claims 1-7.

9. The steer-by-wire system for motor vehicles according to claim 8, characterized in that, The steer-by-wire system also includes: A steering actuation assembly adapted to be connected to the steering wheels of the motor vehicle; and A steer-by-wire controller is configured to: communicate with the road feel feedback assembly to receive steering input from the steering wheel and generate steering commands, and to send motion feedback of the steering wheels to the feedback actuator to activate the road feel motor of the feedback actuator to provide road feel feedback to the steering wheel; and communicate with the steering actuation assembly to send the generated steering commands to the steering actuation assembly to drive the steering wheels to rotate, and to receive motion feedback of the steering wheels.

10. The steer-by-wire system for motor vehicles according to claim 9, characterized in that, At least one of the road feel control unit of the road feel power group and the steering control unit of the steering actuation assembly is integrated in the steer-by-wire controller.

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