Power Steering Worm Coupler With Damping and Misalignment Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor driven power steering systems face issues with high weight, cost, and structural complexity due to the use of metal couplers and multiple dogs, which also lead to potential deterioration, deformation, and increased noise and vibration.
Innovation Solution
A motor driven power steering system featuring a plastic coupler with integrated damping parts and a simplified assembly process, utilizing a coupler with a plastic tube design and a fixing part that integrates the worm shaft and bearing through caulking, along with spherical serrations for eccentricity compensation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metal couplers and multiple dogs are used to couple drive member and worm shaft member, then coupling strength and reliability are improved, but weight, cost, and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate coupling components (metal coupler and multiple dogs) into a single integrated coupler structure. The coupler includes a body portion and multiple dog portions that are formed as one piece, eliminating the need for separate metal coupler and multiple dog components while maintaining the coupling function between the drive member and worm shaft member.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated coupler serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both the coupler body and contains multiple dogs for engagement, provides damping through the damping portion, and enables power transmission. This multi-functional design replaces several separate components with a single universal component.
2Reliability
If metal couplers and multiple dogs are used to couple drive member and worm shaft member, then coupling strength and reliability are improved, but weight and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials by integrating a damping portion made of elastomeric material with the coupler body made of rigid material. This composite structure provides both the structural strength needed for reliable coupling and the damping properties for vibration absorption, while being lighter than traditional all-metal couplings with multiple separate components.
3Weight of moving object
If rubber coupler is used to couple drive member and worm shaft member, then weight and cost are reduced, but deterioration and deformation occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure where the coupler body is made of rigid material providing structural strength and durability, while the damping portion is made of elastomeric material providing flexibility and vibration absorption. This combination prevents the deterioration and deformation issues of pure rubber couplers while maintaining weight advantages.
Solution Approach 2:
The damping portion made of elastomeric material is integrated into the coupler structure to provide beforehand cushioning against shocks and vibrations. This protective element absorbs mechanical stresses before they can cause deterioration or deformation of the coupling components, enhancing durability.
4Reliability
If multiple dogs are used to couple drive member and worm shaft member, then coupling reliability is improved, but assembly complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple dog portions and the coupler body into a single integrated component formed as one piece. This merging eliminates the need for separate manufacturing and assembly of multiple dogs and the coupler body, significantly simplifying the assembly process while maintaining the reliable multi-point engagement provided by the multiple dogs.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves weight and cost reduction, simplifies assembly, suppresses noise and vibration, and enhances power transmission reliability through misalignment compensation and damping preload.
Implementation Method 1
a damping part that absorbs vibration from the drive part and provides preload to the fixing part and the drive part
Implementation Method 2
The deformation portion may include one or more grooves in the radial direction based on the rotation center of the damping part
Implementation Method 3
The second gear may include a spherical serration, and the fixing part may include a pivot bearing provided between the housing and the worm shaft
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a motor driven power steering system, including a drive part providing power, a worm shaft having a worm gear, a coupling part coupling the worm shaft and the drive part to transmit power of the drive part to the worm shaft, and a fixing part rotatably fixing the worm shaft to a housing.