Rack-and-pinion steering system for a motor vehicle having a worm gear set

US11034380B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-11034380-B2
Application numberUS-201716344451-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateNov 8, 2017
Priority dateNov 9, 2016
Publication dateJun 15, 2021
Grant dateJun 15, 2021

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  1. Title

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  2. Abstract

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  3. Assignees and inventors

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  4. Key dates

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  5. First independent claim

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  6. CPC / IPC classifications

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  7. Citations and related patents

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Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

A rack and pinion steering system for a motor vehicle may include a pinion shaft that is connected to a steering shaft and has a steering pinion that is engaged with a rack mounted in a steering gear housing such that the rack can be displaced along a longitudinal axis for pivoting steerable wheels. The steering shaft, the pinion shaft with the steering pinion, and the step-down gear mechanism may be received in the steering gear housing. The rack and pinion steering system may further include an electric motor that drives the pinion shaft via a step-down gear mechanism. The step-down gear mechanism may be arranged at an end of the pinion shaft that is remote from the steering shaft.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

What is claimed is: 1. A rack and pinion steering system for a motor vehicle comprising: a pinion shaft that is connected to a steering shaft and includes a steering pinion engaged with a rack mounted in a steering gear housing such that the rack is displaceable along a longitudinal axis for pivoting steerable wheels; and an electric motor that drives the pinion shaft via a step-down gear mechanism, wherein the steering shaft, the pinion shaft with the steering pinion, and the step-down gear mechanism are received in the steering gear housing, wherein the step-down gear mechanism is disposed at a first end of the pinion shaft that is remote from the steering shaft, wherein the step-down gear mechanism is a worm gear mechanism, wherein a worm gear of the worm gear mechanism surrounds the pinion shaft concentrically and is connected fixedly to the pinion shaft so as to rotate with the pinion shaft, wherein the pinion shaft is mounted rotatably in a bearing in the steering gear housing between the steering pinion and the worm gear, wherein the pinion shaft has a tapered portion between the steering pinion and the bearing, with a diameter of the tapered portion being smaller than that of the steering pinion and a bearing seat of the bearing. 2. The rack and pinion steering system of claim 1 wherein the step-down gear mechanism is disposed on the pinion shaft below the steering pinion. 3. The rack and pinion steering system of claim 1 wherein the electric motor is disposed on an underside of a steering gear. 4. The rack and pinion steering system of claim 1 wherein a second end of the pinion shaft that is proximate to the steering shaft is connected to a torsion bar that connects the pinion shaft to an input shaft, the torsion bar being part of a torque sensor that determines steering torque applied at a steering wheel and is required for actuating the electric motor, wherein the step-down gear mechanism and the electric motor are disposed on an opposite side of the rack with respect to the torque sensor. 5. The rack and pinion steering system of claim 1 wherein the pinion shaft is mounted rotatably in a bearing in the steering gear housing between the steering pinion and the first end of the pinion shaft. 6. The rack and pinion steering system of claim 1 wherein the electric motor is an electric servomotor that drives a worm shaft of the worm gear mechanism. 7. The rack and pinion steering system of claim 1 wherein the tapered portion adjoins the steering pinion directly on the pinion shaft.

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • Electric motor acting on the steering column · CPC title

  • B62D5/0421Primary

    Electric motor acting on or near steering gear · CPC title

  • Worm gears · CPC title

  • characterised by constructional features, e.g. common housing for motor and gear box · CPC title

  • of rack-and-pinion type · CPC title

Patent family

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Frequently asked questions

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What does patent US11034380B2 cover?
A rack and pinion steering system for a motor vehicle may include a pinion shaft that is connected to a steering shaft and has a steering pinion that is engaged with a rack mounted in a steering gear housing such that the rack can be displaced along a longitudinal axis for pivoting steerable wheels. The steering shaft, the pinion shaft with the steering pinion, and the step-down gear mechanism …
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Thyssenkrupp Presta Ag, Thyssenkrupp Ag
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification B62D5/0421. Mapped technology areas include Operations & Transport.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Jun 15 2021 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 4 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).