Emergency steering system for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10480625-B2
Application number	US-201715686346-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2017
Priority date	Jun 12, 2016
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

An emergency steering system for a vehicle, may include a planetary gear mounted in an inlet space of a gear box for a steering apparatus so that the planetary gear is ordinarily operated at a gear ratio of 1:1 and has an increased gear ratio in the event of failure of a main steering device; and a gear ratio increasing device mounted to an upper plate portion of the gear box to increase the gear ratio of the planetary gear.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An emergency steering system for a vehicle, comprising:
a planetary gear apparatus mounted in an inlet space of a gear box for a steering apparatus wherein the planetary gear apparatus is operated at a gear ratio of 1:1 in a condition of normal operation and has an increased gear ratio in an event of failure of a main steering device; and
a gear ratio increasing device mounted to an upper plate portion of the gear box to increase the gear ratio of the planetary gear apparatus,
wherein the planetary goy apparatus includes:
a small sun gear connected to a steering wheel;
a plurality of first pinions engaged with the small sun gear;
a large sun gear coaxially disposed behind the small sun gear;
a plurality of second pinions engaged with the respective first pinions and the large sun gear;
a ring gear inscribed and engaged with the second pinions; and
a carrier connected to rotation centers of the first and second pinions while being restrainedly connected to the large sun gear, the carrier being mounted to the upper plate portion of the gear box, and
wherein the large sun gear is separated from the carrier by operation of the gear ratio increasing device in the event of failure of the main steering device.

2. The emergency steering system of claim 1 , wherein the carrier includes first shafts inserted through the centers of the respective first pinions and through a body of the large sun gear, second shafts inserted through the centers of the respective second pinions, connection links, each of which has a first end portion connected to an associated one of the first shafts by a hinge and a second end portion connected to an associated one of the second shafts by a hinge, and a stationary link interconnecting the connection links.

3. The emergency steering system of claim 2 , wherein the gear ratio increasing device includes:
a controller configured to detect the event of failure of the main steering device; and
an actuator mounted to the upper plate portion of the gear box wherein the large sun gear of the planetary gear apparatus is pushed and separated from the first shafts of the carrier in response to a command signal of the controller.

4. The emergency steering system of claim 1 , wherein the large sun gear is maintained in a state in which the large sun gear is engaged with the second pinions even though the large sun gear is separated from the carrier.

5. The emergency steering system of claim 1 , wherein the gear ratio increasing device includes:
a controller configured to detect the event of failure of the main steering device; and
an actuator mounted to the upper plate portion of the gear box wherein the large sun gear of the planetary gear apparatus is pushed and separated from first shafts of the carrier in response to a command signal of the controller.

6. The emergency steering system of claim 5 , wherein a pusher is mounted to a piston of the actuator to be maintained in a state in which the pusher is distanced from a front surface of the large sun gear in the condition of normal operation and to push the large sun gear by moving forward together with the piston in the event of failure of the main steering device.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Lee Chi Woo

Classifications

• F16H2200/2007

  with two sets of orbital gears · CPC title

• F16H57/082

  Planet carriers · CPC title

• B62D5/30

  Safety devices, e.g. alternate emergency power supply or transmission means to ensure steering upon failure of the primary steering means · CPC title

• F16H2001/327

  with the orbital gear having internal gear teeth · CPC title

• B62D5/008

  Changing the transfer ratio between the steering wheel and the steering gear by variable supply of energy, e.g. by using a superposition gear · CPC title