Actuating Drive Spindle Pivoting Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing actuating drives for motor vehicles, such as those used for adjusting motor vehicle seats, typically allow only for compensation along a single axis, limiting the precision and range of adjustment movements, as they do not accommodate pivoting movements about axes orthogonal to the spindle axis.
Innovation Solution
The actuating drive design includes a transmission gear with a rotational axis and a bearing part that can pivot about two or three orthogonal axes, allowing for compensating movements by forming a unit with two bearing shells and a cylinder bore, enabling the spindle to move within a defined three-dimensional area that decreases in cross-sectional size with distance from the axis intersection, allowing for ±15° and ±3° angular ranges respectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a simple pivoting movement of the spindle relative to the transmission or electric motor about an axis parallel to the drive shaft axis is implemented, then the structure is simple, but the compensation capability is limited to a single axis
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing part is designed with a three-dimensional configuration that allows pivoting about two or three orthogonal axes instead of a single axis. The cylinder bore with its specific geometric configuration (largest cross-sectional area at the intersection with the rotational axis, decreasing with distance) enables the bearing part to pivot about a first axis (cylinder axis) and a second axis (orthogonal to cylinder axis), transforming a one-degree-of-freedom system into a multi-degree-of-freedom system for comprehensive compensation of adjustment path deviations
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing part is designed to be dynamically pivotable within the cylinder bore, allowing real-time adaptation to different angular positions during operation. The bearing shells accommodate rotational movement about the cylinder axis, while the geometric configuration allows additional pivoting about an orthogonal axis, enabling the system to dynamically compensate for varying adjustment paths rather than being constrained to a fixed single-axis configuration
2Adaptability or versatility
If the bearing part is confined by a three-dimensional area with decreasing cross-sectional size with distance from the axis intersection, then multi-axis pivoting is enabled, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The three-dimensional area confining the bearing part employs curved surfaces, specifically a cylindrical bore with a defined geometric configuration. The cylinder bore provides a smooth, continuous surface that guides the bearing part's pivoting motion while the specific configuration (with largest cross-sectional area at the axis intersection and decreasing dimensions with distance) is achieved through standard cylindrical machining operations, balancing geometric precision requirements with manufacturability
3Adaptability or versatility
If the transmission gear and bearing part form a movable unit within the cylinder bore, then comprehensive compensation movements are achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission gear and bearing part are merged into a single integrated unit that moves together within the cylinder bore. This combination allows the transmission gear to pivot along with the bearing part about both the first axis (cylinder axis) and second axis (orthogonal to cylinder axis), achieving comprehensive compensation movements without requiring separate mounting structures or additional components. The merged design simplifies the overall assembly while enabling multi-axis compensation
Data Source
AI summary
Actuating drive having: a transmission including a housing, a transmission gear engaging a driveshaft, a bearing, and a spindle rotatable about a rotational axis and extending through an inner thread of the transmission gear and outlets of the housing. The housing has a cylindrical bore receiving the bearing and defining a cylinder axis. The bearing is delimited by a three-dimensional area, the largest cross-sectional area of which is circular and, when viewed in the direction of the cylinder axis, perpendicular to the cylinder axis in the intersection of the cylinder axis and the rotational axis. The cross-sectional area decreases with increasing distance from the intersection in both directions of the cylinder axis. The bearing has two bearing shells, each having a bearing opening centered relative to the rotational axis, which the spindle passes through, and in which the transmission gear is rotatably mounted.