CN218839565U - Steering column assembly, steer-by-wire system and vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a steering column assembly, a steer-by-wire system and a vehicle. The steering tube assembly is used for a steer-by-wire system and comprises a steering column, an actuating mechanism, a controller and a limiting mechanism, wherein the steering column is coaxially connected with a steering wheel, an output shaft of the actuating mechanism is used for being in transmission connection with the steering column to output torque to the steering column, the controller is used for being electrically connected with the actuating mechanism and a steering device of a vehicle respectively, the limiting mechanism is used for limiting the rotating angle of the output shaft, and the steering column, the actuating mechanism, the controller and the limiting mechanism are coaxially arranged. Therefore, the torque transmission is more direct, a speed reducing mechanism such as a worm gear and a worm can be omitted, and the steering column assembly is more compact in structure, smaller in size and easier to arrange in a compact space. In addition, due to the arrangement of the limiting mechanism, the rotation angles of the steering column and the steering wheel can be limited, and the steering wheel can rotate in a preset circumferential rotation range.

Description

Steering column assembly, steer-by-wire system and vehicle

Technical Field

The disclosure relates to the technical field of vehicle steering, in particular to a steering column assembly, a steer-by-wire system and a vehicle.

Background

The steering column is typically provided with a speed reduction mechanism to enable power to be transmitted between the drive motor and the steering wheel. The reduction mechanism employed in the related art, for example, a worm gear reduction mechanism, is disadvantageous for use in a vehicle having a compact arrangement space because the worm gear is arranged non-coaxially with the output shaft of the drive motor, resulting in a large size of the transmission mechanism.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

To overcome the problems in the related art, the present disclosure provides a steering column assembly, a steer-by-wire system, and a vehicle.

According to a first aspect of the disclosed embodiments, a steering column assembly is provided, which is used for a steer-by-wire system, and comprises a steering column, an actuating mechanism, a controller and a limiting mechanism, wherein the steering column is coaxially connected with a steering wheel, an output shaft of the actuating mechanism is used for being in transmission connection with the steering column so as to output torque to the steering column, the controller is used for being electrically connected with the actuating mechanism and a steering gear of a vehicle respectively, and the limiting mechanism is used for limiting a rotation angle of the output shaft, wherein the steering column, the actuating mechanism, the controller and the limiting mechanism are coaxially arranged.

Optionally, the steering column, the controller, the actuating mechanism and the limiting mechanism are sequentially and continuously arranged along the axial direction of the steering column; or the steering column, the limiting mechanism, the actuating mechanism and the controller are sequentially and continuously arranged along the axial direction of the steering column.

Optionally, the steering column assembly further includes a sensor, the controller includes a controller housing and a controller body disposed in the controller housing, the sensor is disposed in the controller housing or the limiting mechanism and electrically connected to the controller body, and the sensor is configured to detect a rotation angle and/or a torque of the steering column.

Optionally, the steering column comprises a column rotating shaft and a column sleeve arranged outside the column rotating shaft through a bearing sleeve, one end of the column rotating shaft extends into the controller shell and is in transmission connection with a part of the output shaft extending into the controller shell, and the sensor is located in the controller shell and is used for detecting the rotating angle and/or the torque of the column rotating shaft.

Optionally, the steering column assembly further includes a torsion bar having a first end and a second end opposite to each other, a first insertion hole extending along the axial direction of the torsion bar is formed in an end surface of the column rotating shaft facing the output shaft, a second insertion hole extending along the axial direction of the torsion bar is formed in an end surface of the output shaft facing the column rotating shaft, the first end of the torsion bar is inserted into the first insertion hole so that the torsion bar can rotate together with the column rotating shaft, and the second end of the torsion bar is inserted into the second insertion hole so that the torsion bar can rotate together with the output shaft.

Optionally, a first through hole communicated with the first insertion hole is formed in a side surface of the column rotating shaft, a second through hole is formed in a side surface of the torsion bar, the steering tube assembly further includes a lock pin, the lock pin penetrates through the second through hole, and two ends of the lock pin are located in the first through hole.

Optionally, the second end of the torsion bar is provided with a spline extending along the axial direction of the torsion bar, and the inner wall of the second jack is provided with a key groove matched with the spline.

Optionally, the central axis of the first insertion hole coincides with the central axis of the tubular column rotating shaft, and the central axis of the second insertion hole coincides with the central axis of the output shaft.

Optionally, the actuating mechanism includes a motor stator and a motor rotor rotatably sleeved inside the motor stator, and the motor rotor is in transmission connection with the steering column through the output shaft.

Optionally, the limiting mechanism includes a rotating shaft, at least one follower and a fixing member, a first protrusion is disposed on an outer surface of the rotating shaft, the follower includes a sleeve rotatably sleeved on an outer side of the rotating shaft, a second protrusion disposed on an inner surface of the sleeve, and a third protrusion disposed on an outer surface of the sleeve, a fourth protrusion is disposed on the fixing member, and the rotating shaft is connected with the output shaft or integrally formed, so that the rotating shaft can be linked with the output shaft; the fixed part is used for being connected with a shell of the actuating mechanism; the first protrusion is used for forming a stop with the second protrusion so as to push the second protrusion to drive the follower to rotate, and the fourth protrusion is used for stopping the third protrusion so as to limit the rotation of the follower.

According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a steer-by-wire system is provided, where the steer-by-wire system includes a steering wheel, the steering column assembly and a steering gear, a steering column of the steering column assembly is connected to the steering wheel, the steering gear is used for driving a steering wheel to steer, and the steering gear is in communication connection with the steering column assembly.

According to a third aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle including the steer-by-wire system described above.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the disclosure can have the following beneficial effects: compared with the technical scheme that a worm and gear speed reducing mechanism is arranged between the steering column and the actuating mechanism to transmit torque and the worm gear and the output shaft of the driving motor are arranged non-coaxially in the related art. In the steering column provided by the disclosure, the steering column, the actuating mechanism, the controller and the limiting mechanism are coaxially arranged, and the output shaft of the actuating mechanism is connected with the steering column, so that the torque transmission is more direct, and speed reducing mechanisms such as worm gears and worms can be omitted, so that the steering column assembly is more compact in structure, smaller in size and easier to arrange in a compact space.

In addition, the limiting mechanism is arranged for limiting the output shaft of the actuating mechanism, so that the rotating angles of the steering column and the steering wheel can be limited, and the steering wheel can rotate in a preset circumferential rotating range.

Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the detailed description which follows.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the disclosure without limiting the disclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a steering column assembly according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional schematic view of a steering column assembly shown in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional schematic view of another perspective of a steering column assembly in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a steering column assembly showing the column shaft and torsion bar in an assembled state in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a steering column assembly showing a lock pin and torsion bar in an assembled state in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a spacing mechanism of a steering column assembly according to an exemplary embodiment, wherein the end cap is not shown;

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a steering column assembly according to another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional schematic view of a steering column assembly in accordance with another exemplary embodiment;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a steer-by-wire system according to an exemplary embodiment.

Description of the reference numerals

100-a steering column assembly; 10-a steering column; 11-a tubular column rotating shaft; 111-a first receptacle; 112-a first via; 12-a tubular string casing; 20-an actuating mechanism; 21-an output shaft; 211-a second receptacle; 22-a motor stator; 23-a motor rotor; 24-a motor housing; 30-a controller; 31-a controller housing; 32-a controller plug-in; 40-a limiting mechanism; 41-rotating shaft; 411-a first protrusion; 42-a follower; 421-a sleeve; 422-a second bump; 423-third projection; 43-a fixing member; 431-a fourth projection; 44-end cap; 45-shock pad; 50-a sensor; 60-torsion bar; 61-a second via; 62-spline; 70-a locking pin; 81-a first bearing; 82-a second bearing; 83-a third bearing; 84-a fourth bearing; 85-a fifth bearing; 91-a first snap ring; 92-a second snap ring; 93-a third snap ring; 94-a fourth snap ring; 95-fifth snap ring; 96-sixth snap ring; 200-a steering wheel; 300-a diverter; 400-steering wheel.

Detailed Description

The following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present disclosure is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the present disclosure, are given by way of illustration and explanation only, not limitation.

In the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the use of directional terms such as "upper, lower, left, and right" is defined according to the directions indicated in the corresponding drawings, and "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer of the contours of the corresponding parts themselves. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like, as used herein, are intended to distinguish one element from another, and not necessarily to distinguish between order and importance.

It should be noted that all actions of acquiring signals, information or data in the present application are performed under the condition of obtaining authorization given by the owner of the corresponding device under the premise of complying with the corresponding data protection regulation policy of the country of the location.

The steer-by-wire system of a vehicle comprises a steering column assembly 100 located in a cab and a steering gear 300 located on a chassis, wherein the steering column assembly 100 and the steering gear 300 (shown by a dotted line in fig. 9) are not connected by a mechanical or hydraulic structure, but are connected by communication. With such a design, it is difficult for the driver to reliably obtain the driving condition, such as the steering force of the steering wheel, and to perform an appropriate operation in accordance with the driving condition, because the mechanical feedback cannot be directly received. Thus, in a steer-by-wire system, an actuating mechanism is typically provided which is capable of transmitting the driving conditions to the steering wheel via a transmission, i.e. in a "simulated" manner so that the driver gets a realistic driving experience like a conventional mechanical connection. However, the transmission system (such as the worm gear reduction mechanism mentioned above) in the related art generally has a problem that the size is large and the space layout is not favorable.

Furthermore, because of the communication link, rather than a mechanical transmission, it is possible that the steering wheel may not be rotated at the desired angle.

In view of this, as shown in fig. 1 to 8, according to an aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a steering column assembly 100 is provided, the steering column assembly 100 is used for a steer-by-wire system, and includes a steering column 10, an actuating mechanism 20, a controller 30 and a limiting mechanism 40. The steering column 10 is adapted to be coaxially coupled with the steering wheel 200 to transmit steering of the steering wheel 200 or to transmit torque to the steering wheel 200. The output shaft 21 of the actuating mechanism 20 is adapted to be drivingly connected to the steering column 10 to output torque to the steering column 10. The controller 30 is configured to be electrically connected to the actuator 20 and the steering gear 300 of the vehicle, respectively, to output an angle of the steering wheel 200 to the steering gear 300 to control steering of the steered wheels 400 by the steering gear 300, and to feedback-output a torque of steering of the steered wheels 400 to the steering wheel 200. The limit mechanism 40 is used to limit the rotation angle of the output shaft 21. Wherein the steering column 10, the actuating mechanism 20, the controller 30, and the limiting mechanism 40 are coaxially arranged.

Compared with the technical scheme that a worm gear speed reducing mechanism is arranged between the steering column 10 and the actuating mechanism 20 to transmit torque and the worm gear is arranged non-coaxially with the output shaft 21 of the driving motor in the related art. In the steering column 10 provided by the present disclosure, the steering column 10, the actuating mechanism 20, the controller 30 and the limiting mechanism 40 are coaxially arranged, and the output shaft 21 of the actuating mechanism 20 is connected to the steering column 10, so that the torque transmission is more direct, and a speed reducing mechanism such as a worm gear and a worm can be omitted, so that the steering column assembly 100 has a more compact structure, a smaller size, and is easier to arrange in a compact space, for example, to be more easily adapted to a vehicle with a more compact arrangement space.

In addition, since the limit mechanism 40 is provided to limit the output shaft 21 of the actuator 20, the rotation angle of the steering column 10 and the steering wheel 200 can be limited, so that the steering wheel 200 can rotate within a predetermined circumferential rotation range.

It is understood that the output torque of the actuator mechanism 20 with the same torque is reduced due to the omission of the speed reducing mechanism, and therefore, in order to satisfy the output torque of the actuator mechanism 20, a motor with a larger output power can be selected to obtain a larger output torque.

The present disclosure does not limit the specific arrangement order among the steering column 10, the controller 30, the actuator 20, and the limiting mechanism 40. For example, referring to fig. 1 to 3, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the steering column 10, the controller 30, the actuating mechanism 20, and the limiting mechanism 40 are sequentially arranged in the axial direction of the steering column 10. Referring to fig. 7 and 8, in another embodiment of the present disclosure, the steering column 10, the limiting mechanism 40, the actuating mechanism 20, and the controller 30 are sequentially arranged in the axial direction of the steering column 10, that is, the embodiment shown in fig. 7 reverses the order of the controller 30 and the limiting mechanism 40 as compared to the embodiment shown in fig. 1.

Referring to fig. 3 and 8, the steering column assembly 100 may further include a sensor 50, the controller 30 includes a controller housing 31 and a controller body (not shown) disposed in the controller housing 31, the sensor 50 is disposed inside the controller housing 31 (as shown in fig. 3) or inside the limiting mechanism 40 (as shown in fig. 8) and is electrically connected to the controller 30 body, and the sensor 50 is used for detecting the rotation angle and/or the torque of the steering column 10. That is, the sensor 50 may be a sensor for detecting an angle alone, may be a sensor for detecting a torque alone, and may include an angle detection module and a torque detection module at the same time, which is not limited in the present disclosure. Wherein the sensor 50 may be communicatively coupled to the steering gear 300 shown in fig. 9,

the sensor 50 is disposed in the controller housing 31 and the limiting mechanism 40, which is equivalent to integrating the sensor 50 in the controller 30 or the limiting mechanism 40, and the design is such that the controller 30 and the controller 30 or the limiting mechanism 40 can share a housing, so that no housing is required to be disposed for the sensor 50, which is beneficial to simplifying the structure. Moreover, referring to fig. 2 and 3, in the embodiment in which the sensor 50 is disposed inside the controller case 31, it is also advantageous to omit or shorten the electrical connection wires between the sensor 50 and the controller body.

Here, it is understood that the controller body may be a control module of the controller 30, for example, an integrated circuit module. In addition, fig. 3 and 8 only schematically show the position of the sensor 50, the sensor 50 may include a movable portion disposed on the column rotating shaft 11 of the steering column 10 and a fixed portion disposed in the controller housing 31 or the limiting mechanism 40, and the structures and operating principles of the angle sensor and the torque sensor are well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described herein.

As shown in fig. 4, the controller 30 may also include a controller connector 32, which may include connection terminals or the like for mating with the controller 30.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, 7 and 8, the steering column 10 includes a column rotating shaft 11 and a column casing 12 that is sleeved outside the column rotating shaft 11 through a bearing (e.g., two first bearings 81 of fig. 1 that are ball bearings). Also, in the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 3, one end of the column rotating shaft 11 extends into the controller housing 31 and is in transmission connection with the portion of the output shaft 21 of the actuating mechanism 20 extending into the controller housing 31, and the sensor 50 is located in the controller housing 31 and is used for detecting the rotation angle and/or the torque of the column rotating shaft 11. The pipe column casing 12 can be fixedly connected with components such as a combination switch of a vehicle.

In the present disclosure, the column shaft 11 and the portion of the output shaft 21 extending into the controller housing 31 may be connected in any suitable manner. As shown in fig. 2 to 5, 7 and 8, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the steering column assembly 100 may further include a torsion bar 60, the torsion bar 60 having a first end and a second end opposite to each other, an end surface of the column shaft 11 facing the output shaft 21 is provided with a first insertion hole 111 extending in an axial direction thereof, an end surface of the output shaft 21 facing the column shaft 11 is provided with a second insertion hole 211 extending in the axial direction thereof, the first end of the torsion bar 60 is inserted into the first insertion hole 111 so that the torsion bar 60 can rotate together with the column shaft 11, and the second end of the torsion bar 60 is inserted into the second insertion hole 211 so that the torsion bar 60 can rotate together with the output shaft 21. By the design, the tubular column rotating shaft 11 and the output shaft 21 can be in transmission connection, so that the tubular column rotating shaft and the output shaft can rotate together, and meanwhile, the structure is simpler.

In order to achieve reliable insertion of the first end of the torsion bar 60 and the column shaft 11, optionally, as shown in fig. 4 and 5, a side surface of the column shaft 11 is provided with a first through hole 112 communicating with the first insertion hole 111, a side surface of the torsion bar 60 is provided with a second through hole 61, the steering tube assembly further includes a lock pin 70, the lock pin 70 is inserted into the second through hole 61, and both ends of the lock pin 70 are located in the first through hole 112, so as to achieve reliable insertion of the torsion bar 60 and the column shaft 11, so that the column shaft 11 and the torsion bar 60 can rotate simultaneously.

In order to achieve reliable insertion of the second end of the torsion bar 60 and the output shaft 21, optionally, as shown in fig. 3 to 5, the second end of the torsion bar 60 is provided with a spline 62 extending along the axial direction thereof, and the inner wall of the second insertion hole 211 is provided with a key groove matching with the spline 62, so as to achieve reliable insertion of the torsion bar 60 and the column rotation shaft 11, so that the output shaft 21 and the torsion bar 60 can rotate simultaneously.

In the above embodiment, the first end and the second end of the torsion bar 60 are connected to the column shaft 11 and the output shaft 21, respectively, by different connection methods. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments of the present disclosure, the first end and the second end of the torsion bar 60 may be connected to the column shaft 11 and the output shaft 21 respectively in the same connection manner, for example, the first end and the second end may be connected by a pin hole structure similar to the first end or by a spline 62 structure similar to the second end, or the first end and the second end may be connected in a transmission manner by a surface-matching structure similar to a square hole and a direction column, so as to realize the linkage between the column shaft 11 and the output shaft 21.

In order to facilitate the machining of the first insertion hole 111 and the second insertion hole 211 and to ensure the reliability of the transmission, optionally, referring to fig. 2 and 3, the central axis of the first insertion hole 111 coincides with the central axis of the column rotating shaft 11, and the central axis of the second insertion hole 211 coincides with the central axis of the output shaft 21.

The specific structure of the actuating mechanism 20 is not limited in the present disclosure, and optionally, as shown in fig. 3, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the actuating mechanism 20 may include a motor stator 22 and a motor rotor 23 rotatably sleeved inside the motor stator 22, and the motor rotor 23 is in transmission connection with the steering column 10 through the output shaft 21, such as the column rotating shaft 11 of the steering column 10. In this way, after the motor stator 22 is powered on, a rotating magnetic field is generated in the coil of the motor stator 22, an induced current is generated in the motor rotor 23, and the motor rotor 23 is driven to rotate by the electromagnetic torque of the alternating magnetic field generated by the motor stator 22. It should be understood that any other form of motor, such as stepper motors and servo motors, etc., can be used in the present disclosure for actuation purposes.

Optionally, referring to fig. 2 and 3, the actuating mechanism 20 further includes a motor housing 24 disposed outside the motor stator 22, and the motor stator 22 is fixedly connected to the inside of the motor housing 24.

Likewise, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific structure of the spacing mechanism 40. Alternatively, as shown in fig. 6, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the limiting mechanism 40 may include a rotating shaft 41, at least one follower 42, and a fixing element 43, where a first protrusion 411 is disposed on an outer surface of the rotating shaft 41, the follower 42 includes a sleeve 421 rotatably sleeved outside the rotating shaft 41, a second protrusion 422 disposed on an inner surface of the sleeve 421, and a third protrusion 423 disposed on an outer surface of the sleeve 421, a fourth protrusion 431 is disposed on the fixing element 43, the rotating shaft 41 is connected to or integrally formed with the output shaft 21, so that the rotating shaft 41 can be linked with the output shaft 21, the fixing element 43 is configured to be connected to a housing of the actuating mechanism 20, the first protrusion 411 is configured to form a stop with the second protrusion 422, so as to push the second protrusion 422 to drive the follower 42 to rotate, and the fourth protrusion 431 is configured to stop the third protrusion 423, so as to limit the rotation of the follower 42.

In the embodiment, the rotating shaft 41, the follower 42 and the fixing piece 43 realize the limit in the circumferential direction, the circumferential dimension is small, the limit angle can be larger than 360 degrees, the structure is simple, the arrangement is compact, and particularly, the rotating limit structure scheme with compact axial dimension is provided. Moreover, if the range of the limiting angle is further increased, the effect of increasing the follower 42 can be achieved, and only the radial dimension is increased, and the axial dimension is kept unchanged.

In operation, when the rotation shaft 41 rotates along with the output shaft 21 and the column rotation shaft 11, for example, clockwise in fig. 6, after the rotation shaft 41 rotates to a predetermined position, the first protrusion 411 and the second protrusion 422 on the follower 42 adjacent to the rotation shaft 41 form a stop, and when the rotation shaft 41 continues to rotate, the follower 42 is driven to rotate together in the same direction. When the rotating shaft 41 rotates until the third protrusion 423 on the outermost follower 42 rotates to stop with the fourth protrusion 431 on the fixing member 43, the rotating shaft 41 cannot rotate clockwise, and the fixing member 43 achieves a positive limit on the rotating shaft 41, and the positions of the rotating shaft 41 and the follower 42 are in the position shown in fig. 6. When the reverse limit is performed, for example, the rotating shaft 41 rotates counterclockwise from the position of fig. 6, after the rotating shaft 41 rotates to the predetermined position, the first protrusion 411 and the second protrusion 422 on the follower 42 adjacent to the rotating shaft 41 form a stop, so that the follower 42 is driven to rotate in the same direction, when the rotating shaft 41 rotates to the position where the third protrusion 423 on the follower 42 located at the outermost position stops the fourth protrusion 431 on the fixing member 43, the rotating shaft 41 cannot rotate in the reverse direction, and the fixing member 43 now performs the reverse limit on the rotating shaft 41.

In the present disclosure, the number of followers 42 may be designed according to the steering angle requirement of the designed steering wheel 200, for example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 6, the number of followers 42 is two. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the number of followers 42 may be one or any other number other than two.

As shown in fig. 6, the limiting mechanism 40 may further include a plurality of shock absorbing pads 45, the shock absorbing pads 45 may be made of soft materials such as rubber, and have shock absorbing and noise reducing effects, and the shock absorbing pads may be respectively sleeved on the first protrusion 411 and the third protrusion 423.

To further make the steering column assembly 100 more compact. Alternatively, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the securing member 43 may be integrally formed with the housing of the actuating mechanism 20. In other words, in the embodiment shown in fig. 2 and 3, the motor housing 24 and the fixing member 43 are formed integrally.

Optionally, in the embodiment shown in fig. 2 and 3, the limiting mechanism 40 further includes a sealing end cap 44, and the sealing end cap 44 may be connected to the fixing member 43, for example, fixedly connected to the motor housing 24. The fixed connection of the end cap 44 may alternatively be a threaded connection, a snap, a screw, etc., and the disclosure is not limited thereto.

Alternatively, in the embodiment shown in fig. 7 and 8, the end cap 44 may be connected to the fixing member 43, for example, fixedly connected to the motor housing 24, and the end cap 44 may be integrally formed with the column sleeve 12 of the steering column 10.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, in the present disclosure, the steering column assembly 100 may further include a second bearing 82, a third bearing 83, a fourth bearing 84, a fifth bearing 85, a first snap ring 91, a second snap ring 92, a third snap ring 93, a fourth snap ring 94, a fifth snap ring 95, and a sixth snap ring 96.

The controller housing 31 is rotatably connected to the column shaft 11 through a second bearing 82, the output shaft 21 is rotatably connected to the column shaft 11 through a third bearing 83, and the output shaft 21 is rotatably connected to the motor housing 24 through a fourth bearing 84 and a fifth bearing 85.

The first snap ring 91 fixes the inner race of the second bearing 82 to the column shaft 11, and the second snap ring 92 fixes the outer race of the second bearing 82 to the controller case 31. Third and fourth snap rings 93 and 94 fix the inner races of the fourth and fifth bearings 84 and 85, respectively, to the output shaft 21. A fifth snap ring 95 and a sixth snap ring 96 secure the outer race of the fourth bearing 84 and the fifth bearing 85, respectively, to the motor housing 24.

As shown in fig. 9, according to a second aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure, a steer-by-wire system is provided, which includes a steering wheel 200, a steering column assembly 100 and a steering gear 300. The steering column assembly 100 is the steering column assembly 100 of any one of the above embodiments, and has all the advantages thereof. The steering column 10 of the steering column assembly 100 is connected to a steering wheel 200. A steering gear 300 is provided on the chassis to steer the steerable wheel 400 through the axle. The steering system of the present disclosure is a steer-by-wire system, i.e., a communicative connection between the steering gear 300 and the steering column assembly 100. The controller 30 is connected to the steering gear 300 and the actuating mechanism 20 of the steering column assembly 100, respectively, for feedback outputting the torque for steering the steered wheels 400 to the steering wheel 200.

According to a third aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle including the steer-by-wire system described above, and having all the advantages thereof, which will not be described herein again.

The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, however, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific details of the above embodiments, and various simple modifications may be made to the technical solution of the present disclosure within the technical idea of the present disclosure, and these simple modifications all belong to the protection scope of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that, in the foregoing embodiments, various features described in the above embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner, and in order to avoid unnecessary repetition, various combinations that are possible in the present disclosure are not described again.

In addition, any combination of various embodiments of the present disclosure may be made, and the same should be considered as the disclosure of the present disclosure, as long as it does not depart from the spirit of the present disclosure.

Claims (12)

1. A steering column assembly for a steer-by-wire system, comprising:

the steering column is used for being coaxially connected with the steering wheel;

an actuating mechanism, wherein an output shaft of the actuating mechanism is used for being in transmission connection with the steering column so as to output torque to the steering column;

a controller for electrical connection with the actuating mechanism and a steering gear of the vehicle, respectively; and

the limiting mechanism is used for limiting the rotating angle of the output shaft;

wherein the steering column, the actuating mechanism, the controller and the limiting mechanism are coaxially arranged.

2. The steering column assembly of claim 1, wherein the steering column, the controller, the actuating mechanism, and the limiting mechanism are arranged in series in an axial direction of the steering column; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

the steering column, the limiting mechanism, the actuating mechanism and the controller are sequentially and continuously arranged along the axial direction of the steering column.

3. The steering column assembly of claim 2, further comprising a sensor;

the controller comprises a controller shell and a controller body arranged in the controller shell, and the sensor is arranged in the controller shell or the limiting mechanism and is electrically connected with the controller body;

the sensor is used for detecting the rotation angle and/or the torque of the steering column.

4. The steering column assembly of claim 3, wherein the steering column comprises a column shaft and a column sleeve disposed outside the column shaft via a bearing;

one end of the pipe column rotating shaft extends into the controller shell and is in transmission connection with the part, extending into the controller shell, of the output shaft, and the sensor is located in the controller shell and used for detecting the rotating angle and/or the torque of the pipe column rotating shaft.

5. The steering column assembly of claim 4, further comprising a torsion bar having first and second opposite ends;

the end surface of the tubular column rotating shaft facing the output shaft is provided with a first jack extending along the axial direction of the tubular column rotating shaft;

a second jack extending along the axial direction of the output shaft is arranged on the end surface of the output shaft facing the tubular column rotating shaft;

the first end of the torsion bar is inserted into the first jack, so that the torsion bar can rotate together with the tubular column rotating shaft;

the second end of the torsion bar is inserted into the second insertion hole so that the torsion bar can rotate together with the output shaft.

6. The steering column assembly according to claim 5, wherein a side surface of the column shaft is provided with a first through hole communicating with the first insertion hole, and a side surface of the torsion bar is provided with a second through hole;

the steering column assembly further comprises a lock pin, the lock pin penetrates through the second through hole, and two ends of the lock pin are located in the first through hole.

7. A steering column assembly according to claim 5 in which the second end of the torsion bar is provided with splines extending axially of the second end and the inner wall of the second socket is provided with keyways for engaging the splines.

8. The steering column assembly of claim 5, wherein the central axis of the first receptacle coincides with the central axis of the column shaft, and the central axis of the second receptacle coincides with the central axis of the output shaft.

9. The steering column assembly of any of claims 2-8, wherein the actuating mechanism comprises a motor stator and a motor rotor rotatably disposed within the motor stator, and the motor rotor is drivingly coupled to the steering column via the output shaft.

10. A steering column assembly according to any of claims 1 to 8 in which the spacing mechanism comprises a rotatable shaft, at least one follower and a mount;

a first bulge is arranged on the outer surface of the rotating shaft;

the follower comprises a sleeve, a second bulge and a third bulge, wherein the sleeve is rotatably sleeved on the outer side of the rotating shaft, the second bulge is arranged on the inner surface of the sleeve, and the third bulge is arranged on the outer surface of the sleeve;

a fourth bulge is arranged on the fixed piece;

the rotating shaft is connected with the output shaft or integrally formed so that the rotating shaft can be linked with the output shaft;

the fixed part is used for being connected with a shell of the actuating mechanism;

the first protrusion is used for forming a stop with the second protrusion so as to push the second protrusion to drive the follower to rotate, and the fourth protrusion is used for stopping the third protrusion so as to limit the rotation of the follower.

11. A steer-by-wire system, comprising:

a steering wheel;

a steering column assembly according to any of claims 1 to 10 in which the steering column is connected to a steering wheel; and

and the steering gear is used for driving the steering wheel to steer, and is in communication connection with the steering column assembly.

12. A vehicle characterized by comprising the steer-by-wire system according to claim 11.

Images