A rack ball nut assembly for a vehicle steering gear has a ball nut, a ball return tube, and a tube retention clip. The ball nut has first and second recesses and the ball return tube has first and second tube portions. There is a snap fit between the first and second tube portions. The tube retention clip has first and second retention tabs. The first tab is engaged in the first recess and the second tab is engaged in the second recess. The ball return tube is secured between the ball nut and the tube retention clip.

A steering control device includes: an absolute steering angle detecting unit configured to detect an absolute steering angle; and a current command value calculating unit configured to calculate a current command value corresponding to a target value of the motor torque output from the motor. The current command value calculating unit is configured to perform partial release control for decreasing a correction value of the current command value due to execution of the end contact relaxation control when a vehicle is tried to be turned at the time of execution of the end contact relaxation control. The current command value calculating unit is configured to stop the partial release control when the current command value which is calculated at the time of execution of the partial release control is a value which is not affected by decreasing the correction value based on execution of the partial release control.

The invention provides a grease composition for lubricating resins which contains a base oil, a diurea compound represented by formula (I) as a thickener: R.sup.1—NHCONH —R.sup.2—NHCONH—R.sup.3 (I) (wherein R.sup.2 represents a bivalent aromatic hydrocarbon group having 6 to 15 carbon atoms, and R.sup.1 and R.sup.3 each independently represent a straight-chain or branched alkyl group having 8 to 22 carbon atoms), and a chained hydrocarbon polymer having a weight-average molecular weight of 20,000 to 300,000.

A permanent-magnet three-phase duplex motor is provided with two systems, namely a system that includes a first three-phase winding and a first inverter circuit, and a system that includes a second three-phase winding and a second inverter circuit, and a controlling apparatus is configured such that when one system fails, the controlling apparatus stops operation of the inverter circuit of the failed system, and controls operation of the inverter circuit of the normal system to increase the driving current that is supplied from the inverter circuit of the normal system, and the first three-phase winding and the second three-phase winding are configured such that magnetic fields that act on the permanent magnets in a demagnetizing direction when the increased driving current is supplied from the inverter circuit of the normal system are equal to magnetic fields that normally act on the permanent magnets in the demagnetizing direction.

A steer-by-wire assembly for a steering system in a vehicle is disclosed. The assembly includes a first shaft rotatable in response to a steering input, a second shaft adapted to rotate in response to rotation of the first shaft, a first gear (with a sensed element) that rotates in response to rotation of the first shaft, a second gear (with a sensed element) that rotates in response to rotation of the second shaft, a first sensing element adapted to sense the element carried by the first gear and provide an output associated with an angular position of the first gear, and a second sensing element adapted to sense the element carried by the second gear and provide an output associated with an angular position of the second gear. When the second shaft rotates relative to the first shaft, the outputs provide position and torque data associated with the steering input.

An apparatus for use in turning steerable vehicle wheels includes a rotatable output shaft. A first rotational input assembly is provided for transmitting a steering command from a steering control member to the output shaft. A power transmitting mechanism is configured to transmit the rotational force from the input assembly to the output shaft. The power transmitting mechanism includes a plurality of sector gears. A ball screw has longitudinally separated first and second ball screw ends. A ball nut has a plurality of rack gears. Rotational force from the input assembly turns the ball screw, and the ball nut reciprocates within the housing responsive to rotation of the ball screw to move each of the plurality of rack gears in a longitudinal direction. Longitudinal motion of the rack gear teeth responsively drives the sector gear teeth to transmit the steering command to the output shaft.

Technical solutions are described for a motor control system, such as one used in a steering system, the motor control system including multiple controllers. In an example, the motor control system includes a first arbitration module associated with a first controller, and a second arbitration module associated with a second controller. The first arbitration module generates a first arbitrated input signal based on a first input signal directed to the first controller, and a second input signal directed to the second controller. The second arbitration module generates a second arbitrated input signal based on the first input signal and the second input signal. The first controller generates a first control output using the first arbitrated input signal, and the second controller generates a second control output using the second arbitrated input signal.

An electric actuator for a steering system is adapted to control an angle of steered wheels on a vehicle to adjust a direction of travel of the vehicle. The electric actuator includes a housing assembly, an electric motor, and an actuation unit. The housing assembly is arranged around the electric motor and the electric motor is coupled with the actuation unit and configured to cause an actuator rod of the actuation unit to move relative to the housing assembly.

A vehicle power steering assembly has a pinion housing comprised of first, second, and third housings. The first housing is a drawn tube formed from a first material. The second housing is a casting formed from a second material. The third housing is a stamping formed from a third material. The second housing is press fit into the first housing. The third housing is press fit and welded to the first housing. The second material has a lesser unit weight than each of the first and third materials. The first, second, and third housings together form the pinion housing.

Embodiments are described for prognostication of real time operating system (RTOS) health. An example computer-implemented method includes monitoring, for a task from a plurality of tasks being executed by the RTOS, an execution time, an inter-arrival time, and a blocking time. The method further includes computing an RTOS state of health value based on the execution time, the inter-arrival time, and the blocking time of each task from the plurality of tasks. The method further includes, in response to the RTOS state of health value being less than a predetermined threshold, initiating performance of an error handling.