THYSSENKRUPP PRESTA AG

A rotary sensor for a steering system of a motor vehicle comprises a ring gear which is rotatably mounted in a housing about an axis (A), having an internal toothing, and a coupling element designed for connection to a steering shaft that can be rotated about its longitudinal axis (L), wherein the housing has an axial end wall, an axial inner wall, and a coaxially running circumferential wall, wherein the ring gear is arranged axially between the end wall and the inner wall and is circumferentially enclosed by the circumferential wall with respect to the axis (A), and wherein at least one measuring wheel, which has a magnetic element, is rotatably mounted in the housing and meshes with its external toothing in the internal toothing of the ring gear, and wherein measuring elements cooperating with the magnetic elements of the measuring wheel are mounted in the housing. In order to improve operational safety and to enable a more compact design, the end wall and the inner wall may be formed continuously closed over an interior enclosed by the internal toothing.

A vehicle includes an electrically adjustable steering column for the vehicle, the electrically adjustable steering column comprising a rocker arm, a shield sleeve and a steering shaft. The rocker arm comprises a rocker arm inner surface which defines a rocker arm inner hole. The shield sleeve is configured to be slidably received in the rocker arm inner hole, and comprises a shield sleeve outer surface. The steering shaft is rotatably received in the shield sleeve and projects from one end of the shield sleeve. The rocker arm inner surface comprises a rocker arm sliding surface, the shield sleeve outer surface comprises a shield sleeve sliding surface, the rocker arm sliding surface is in sliding contact with the shield sleeve sliding surface, and at least one of the rocker arm sliding surface and the shield sleeve sliding surface comprises a recess. Degradation in the performance of the electrically adjustable steering column can be prevented or delayed without adding other components, thus extending the service life of the electrically adjustable steering column.

An electric motor for a steering system of a motor vehicle has a stator and a rotor mounted in the stator so as to be rotatable about a rotor axis. In such a motor, the number of stator teeth is 12 or a multiple of 12, the number of poles is 8 or a multiple of 8, the ratio of the magnet thickness to the magnet width is between 0.2 and 0.3, the ratio of the stator gap width to the stator tooth width is between 0.3 and 0.4, the ratio of the stator inner diameter to the stator outer diameter is between 0.45 and 0.55, the ratio of the stator inner diameter to the air gap width is between 45 and 55, the ratio of the magnet angle to the pole angle is between 0.85 and 0.95, the ratio of the magnet outer radius to the rotor diameter is between 0.2 and 0.3, and the ratio of the stator yoke thickness to the stator tooth width is between 0.65 and 0.75.

The present disclosure relates to a steering column for a motor vehicle, comprising a steering shaft which is mounted so as to be rotatable about its longitudinal axis (L) relative to a carrying unit, a rotation limiter having an end stop for limiting the rotation of the steering shaft, and a rotary sensor coupled to the steering shaft by means of a torque-locked connection. In order to permit a greater operational reliability, the invention proposes that the rotation limiter has a threshold torque and, if said threshold torque is exceeded, the rotation of the steering shaft beyond the end stop is permitted, wherein the threshold torque is less than a maximum transmission torque of the connection between the steering shaft and rotary sensor.

A steering actuator for a steering system of a motor vehicle comprises an actuator rod which is linearly movable translationally axially in its longitudinal direction relative to a sliding bush and which has a measuring portion which is displaceably mounted in an opening in the sliding bush, further comprising a drive device, wherein the measuring portion and the sliding bush have a sensor apparatus which is designed to detect at least one actuator parameter. In order to allow a lower level of expenditure on design and manufacture and improved flexibility in terms of application, the invention proposes that a sliding sleeve, which extends in the longitudinal direction over the measuring portion, is fitted on the actuator rod.

A steering column for a motor vehicle comprises an inner casing of an actuating unit, said inner casing being received so as to be telescopically adjustable in the longitudinal direction axially with respect to a longitudinal axis in a passage of an outer casing, there being fixed to the outer casing at least one sliding element on which the inner casing is slidingly mounted. In order to allow improved support and sliding function, the sliding element is designed in the form of a tube segment elongated in the longitudinal direction.

A method for operating a steering system motor in a motor vehicle comprises influencing, by the steering system motor, a steering behavior of a steering handle by means of a motor mode or a generator mode, wherein the steering system motor comprises a first and a second winding group, wherein the first winding group and the second winding group are activated separately from each other, the first via a first circuit arrangement with an assigned first control unit, and the second via a second circuit arrangement with an assigned second control unit, wherein the first circuit arrangement is connected to a first DC voltage source, and the second circuit arrangement is connected to a second DC voltage source. For a torque which is to be provided by the steering system motor and requires a generator mode of the steering system motor, a torque redistribution between the first and the second winding group takes place, the first winding group being activated differently from the second winding group, and a greater negative current flow being permitted with respect to the first winding group than with respect to the second winding group. A steering system having a steering system motor can be operated according to this method and a motor vehicle can have such a steering system.

A method to control a steering system or a sub-system of a road vehicle including a controller to operate in a normal mode with full steering functionality and no quality problems and at least two degraded operation modes with degraded operation of the steering system, the controller including an evaluator including an allocation between degradation levels of the steering system or the sub-system and operation modes, and the method includes determining an overall degradation level for the steering system or the sub-system by collecting single individual degradation levels of the steering system or the sub-system in the evaluator and determining an overall degradation level as a level with a highest degradation of the single individual degradation levels which in a corresponding operation mode provides enough performance of the steering system for an expected maximum power request.

A method for detecting a pinch situation during the electromechanical adjustment of a steering column in a motor vehicle by means of at least one electric motor, comprises, during an adjustment operation, for the at least one electric motor sensing a current signal and evaluating a gradient of the current signal, wherein, during the evaluation of the gradient of the current signal, a check is made as to whether the gradient of the current signal lies within predefined limits, wherein a pinch situation is detected when the gradient of the current signal lies within the predefined limits. An adjustable steering column for a motor vehicle comprises a supporting unit by which an actuator is adjustably held, and an adjustment device which is designed to adjust the actuator relative to the supporting unit, wherein the adjustment device, to adjust the actuator, comprises at least one electric motor and a control unit is assigned to the steering column. The steering column is designed to carry out a method as above.

An adjustment drive for a steering column for a motor vehicle comprises a threaded spindle which extends axially in the direction of a spindle axis and engages in a spindle nut, and a drive unit by which the threaded spindle and the spindle nut are driveable in rotation relative to one another, wherein the drive unit has a gear mechanism comprising a worm screw which is driveable in rotation about a worm axis standing transversely to the spindle axis, and a worm thread of the worm screw engages in the toothing of a gearwheel coaxially connected to the threaded spindle or the spindle nut, wherein a thread tooth of the worm thread engages in a tooth gap between two adjacent teeth of the toothing of the gear wheel, wherein a blocking device is provided which can be brought into a blocking position for fixing the threaded spindle relative to the spindle nut, and wherein the gearwheel and the worm screw are displaceable relative to one another in the direction of the spindle axis, and the toothing and the worm thread are configured to convert a relative axial displacement into a reduction of the gear play between gearwheel and worm screw.