HELICAL GEAR TRANSMISSION FOR AN ELECTROMECHANICAL SERVO STEERING WITH AN ASYMMETRICALLY PRETENSIONED FIXED BEARING

Abstract

A helical gear transmission for an electromechanical power-assisted steering mechanism includes a shaft which meshes with a helical gear. The shaft is disposed in a housing and at the first end of said shaft in a drive-side bearing assembly is mounted to rotate about a rotation axis, and at the second end of said shaft in a drive-distal bearing assembly is mounted in the housing. The drive-side bearing assembly has a fixed bearing, and the fixed bearing is enclosed by two bearing shells. On each end side of the fixed bearing one spring element is disposed between the fixed bearing and the respective bearing shell. The spring elements asymmetrically pre-load the fixed bearing such that a pivot axis about which the shaft is pivotable in the direction of the helical gear is disposed in the region of the toothing plane of the shaft and the helical gear.

Claims

1.-14. (canceled)

15. A helical gear transmission for an electromechanical power-assisted steering mechanism, comprising: a transmission housing, a helical gear, a shaft disposed in the transmission housing and meshed with the helical gear, the shaft including a first end mounted in a drive-side bearing assembly so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis, and a second end in a drive-distal bearing assembly, wherein the drive-side bearing assembly has a fixed bearing enclosed by two bearing shells, and a pair of spring elements, each of the pair of spring elements disposed between the fixed bearing and a respective one of the two bearing shells, wherein the spring elements asymmetrically pre-load the fixed bearing in such a manner that a pivot axis about which the shaft is pivotable in the direction of the helical gear is disposed in the region of the toothing plane of the shaft and the helical gear.

16. The helical gear transmission of claim 15 wherein each of the bearing shells have one seat having at least one projecting step configured for one of the pair of spring elements, wherein the steps of the two bearing shells define the pivot axis.

17. The helical gear transmission of claim 15 wherein the at least one step in terms of the internal circumference of the bearing shells in the circumferential direction extends in each case across an angular range between 60° and 180°.

18. The helical gear transmission of claim 15 wherein the steps of the two bearing shells in the circumferential direction are identically oriented and mutually opposite.

19. The helical gear transmission of claim 18 wherein the steps of the two bearing shells in the circumferential direction lie in the region of the helical gear.

20. The helical gear transmission of claim 15 wherein the spring elements are annular and have an external diameter which corresponds approximately to the external diameter of the fixed bearing.

21. The helical gear transmission of claim 15 wherein the fixed bearing is a roller bearing.

22. The helical gear transmission of claim 15 wherein the spring elements are corrugated springs.

23. The helical gear transmission of claim 15 wherein the bearing shells on an external circumferential side thereof each have at least one protrusion configured to provide an anti-rotation safeguard that engages in communicating recesses of the transmission housing.

24. The helical gear transmission of claim 15 wherein the drive-distal bearing assembly has a pre-loading installation configured to permit adjustability of the position of the shaft relative to the helical gear.

25. The helical gear transmission of claim 15 wherein the helical gear is a worm gear and the shaft is a worm shaft.

26. The helical gear transmission of claim 15 wherein the bearing shells are made from plastics material.

27. An electromechanical power-assisted steering mechanism, comprising: an electric motor having a motor shaft, and a helical gear transmission a transmission housing, comprising: a helical gear, a shaft disposed in the transmission housing and meshed with the helical gear, the shaft including a first end mounted in a drive-side bearing assembly so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis, and a second end in a drive-distal bearing assembly, wherein the drive-side bearing assembly has a fixed bearing enclosed by two bearing shells, and a pair of spring elements, each of the pair of spring elements disposed between the fixed bearing and a respective one of the two bearing shells, wherein the spring elements asymmetrically pre-load the fixed bearing in such a manner that a pivot axis about which the shaft is pivotable in the direction of the helical gear is disposed in the region of the toothing plane of the shaft and the helical gear, and wherein the motor shaft drives the shaft of the helical gear transmission.

28. The electromechanical power-assisted steering mechanism of claim 27 wherein the helical gear is disposed so as to be rotationally fixed on a steering shaft of a motor vehicle.

Description

[0025] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described hereunder by means of the drawings. Identical components, or components of equivalent function, have the same reference signs. In the drawings:

[0026] FIG. 1: shows a spatial illustration of a worm gear transmission of an electro I have attached the invoice for your information mechanical steering mechanism;

[0027] FIG. 2: shows a detailed illustration of the transmission of FIG. 1 reduced to an electric motor and to a worm shaft which is engaged with a worm gear;

[0028] FIG. 3: shows a spatial illustration of the assembled bearing assembly;

[0029] FIG. 4: shows an exploded drawing of the bearing assembly of the worm shaft according to the invention;

[0030] FIG. 4a: shows an enlarged view of the internal side of the bearing shell from FIG. 4;

[0031] FIG. 5: shows a spatial view of a bearing shell of the bearing assembly according to the invention; and

[0032] FIG. 6: shows a longitudinal section through the worm shaft having the bearing assembly according to the invention.

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a power-assisted steering mechanism 1 which is attached to a steering shaft 6 which is mounted so as to be rotatable about the longitudinal axis L thereof, i.e. the steering shaft axis. The steering shaft 6 in a rear steering shaft part 61 is rotationally fixed but adjustable in the direction of the longitudinal axis L, as is indicated by the double arrow, so as to adjust a steering wheel (not illustrated here) which is attached to a fastening portion 62 in the longitudinal direction.

[0034] The power-assisted steering mechanism has a transmission housing 7 which is omitted in the exploded illustration of FIG. 2. A worm gear 5 which is connected so as to be rotationally fixed to the steering shaft 6 is mounted so as to be rotatable about the longitudinal axis L in the transmission housing 7. A worm shaft 4 meshes with the worm gear 5 so as to form a worm transmission.

[0035] An electric motor or a servomotor 3 drives the worm shaft 4 by way of a motor shaft which by way of a coupling 30, composed of two coupling parts, is coupled so as to be rotationally fixed to the worm shaft. The worm shaft 4 by way of the worm 40 thereof engages with a worm gear 5 which is connected so as to be rotationally fixed to a pinion, or so as to be rotationally fixed to the lower steering shaft 6, as is illustrated here. The worm shaft 4 is driven when the electric motor 3 is in operation, and the worm gear 5 correspondingly rotates so as to provide assistance for rotating the lower steering shaft 6.

[0036] FIG. 2 shows the worm shaft 4 having a drive-side bearing assembly 8 and a drive-distal bearing assembly 9, and the worm gear 5 which meshes with the worm shaft 4, in a perspective illustration, wherein the components of the transmission housing have been dispensed with.

[0037] The worm shaft 4 meshes with the worm gear 5 by way of the worm toothing 40. The worm gear 5 in turn is connected so as to be rotationally fixed to the steering shaft 6 which runs between a steering wheel (not illustrated) and the actual steering gear mechanism of the motor vehicle.

[0038] The mentioned construction elements are mounted in a common transmission housing (not illustrated).

[0039] The worm shaft 4 herein is mounted in the transmission housing 7 by means of the drive-side bearing assembly 8 and the drive-distal bearing assembly 9. The drive-distal bearing assembly 9 has a roller bearing which is configured as a fixed bearing 11. The position of the worm shaft 4 in relation to the worm gear 5 is adjustable by means of a pre-loading installation 10 in the region of the drive-distal bearing assembly 9. The drive-side bearing assembly 8 has the fixed bearing 11 which by way of a corresponding pre-load in the housing 7 permits pivoting movements about a pivot axis and slight axial movements in relation to the transmission housing.

[0040] The drive-side bearing assembly 8 and the functioning principle thereof is illustrated in detail in FIGS. 3 to 6. As is illustrated in FIG. 6, the fixed bearing 11 has a roller bearing 12 having an inner race 13, rolling members 80, and an outer race 14. The rolling members 80 run in grooves between the inner race 13 and the outer race 14. The outer race 14 is configured in a rotationally symmetrical manner. The inner race 13 has an internal cylindrical casing face for a tight fit on the worm shaft.

[0041] The two end sides 15 of the roller bearing 12 lie in each case against a spring element 16, in particular a corrugated spring illustrated here, said corrugated spring ensuring tilting or pivoting of the roller bearing 12. The end sides are flat or planar, meaning that said end sides do not have any elevations, chamfers, or recesses. The corrugated spring 16 herein has an external diameter which corresponds substantially to the external diameter of the outer race 14 of the roller bearing 12. The internal diameter of the corrugated spring 16 can be chosen such that the corrugated spring 16 covers at least part of the inner race 13 of the rolling member 12. The corrugated springs 16 herein are disposed such that the centres of said corrugated springs 16 lie approximately on a rotation axis 100 of the roller bearing 12. The two corrugated springs 16 are preferably of identical configuration. The roller bearing 12 and the two corrugated springs 16 are enclosed by two bearing shells 17 which are shaped so as to be substantially circular-cylindrical and in the non-stressed state surround the fixed bearing in a concentric manner. The bearing shells 17 on the internal side have in each case one seat 18 for a corrugated spring 16. The seat 18 on the internal side is formed by a region having a smaller internal diameter. The seat 18 has a protrusion 19a, 19b in the form of a step 19, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. The step 19 protrudes in the direction of the rotation axis 100 and in the radial direction of the rotation axis extends across the entire width of the seat 18. The step 19 along the internal circumference of the bearing shell 17 occupies only part of said internal circumference, preferably a defined angular range a of between 60° and 180° in terms of the internal circumference of the bearing shell 17, as is illustrated in FIG. 5. The seat 18 having the step 19 thus forms an asymmetrical bearing face for the corrugated spring 16 in the bearing shell 17. In order to ensure that the steps 19 are identically oriented and in the installed state of the bearing in the transmission housing are mutually opposite, each bearing shell 17 on the external side has a protrusion 20. The protrusion 20 in the circumferential direction preferably lies opposite the step 19. The transmission housing has a corresponding cutout for the protrusions of the bearing shells. It is thus ensured that the bearing shells, or the drive-side bearing assembly, respectively, can be installed only in one direction.

[0042] When assembling the drive-side bearing assembly, the corrugated springs are in each case positioned in the corresponding bearing shells in the region of the step. The tensioning force is at the maximum in this region. On account of the asymmetrical pre-load of the corrugated spring 16, the pivoting point of the drive-side bearing assembly 8 can be moved out of the centre of the bearing into the toothing plane S of the worm shaft 4 and the worm gear 5, as is illustrated in FIG. 6. The worm shaft 4 and the worm gear 5 engage in the toothing plane. A reaction moment arising on account of the toothing forces in the bearing assembly can thus be prevented. Furthermore, asymmetrical tooth separation forces in the different rotating directions of the worm gear can be eliminated, on account of which any asymmetrical friction of the toothing of the worm gear transmission is also suppressed. The pivot axis S in the region of engagement between the worm shaft 4 and the worm gear 5 preferably runs parallel to the rotation axis 100 so that no torque M in the pivot axis results on account thereof.

[0043] The depth of the bearing shell 17 in the region of the steps 19, or the height of the step 19, predefines the necessary clearance and pre-load for the corrugated spring. The bearing shells 17 are shaped in the manner of pots, as is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 to 6, and in the base have a bore for the passage of the shaft 4, wherein the seat 18 and the projecting step 19 against which the spring element 16 lies are configured on the base. The bearing shells have a bearing shell depth. The bearing shell depth defines a spacing d1, d2 of the bearing shell 17 between the base 18 of the bearing shell and the external circumferential face of the bearing shell. The bearing shell depth is subdivided by the step 19 in the region of the protrusions 19a, 19b into a first bearing shell depth d1 and a second bearing shell depth d2. The first bearing shell depth d1 herein is configured so as to be smaller than the second bearing shell depth d2. The step 19 by way of the protrusions 19a, 19b thereof thus represents a transition from the first bearing shell depth d1 to the second bearing shell depth d2. The region having the first bearing shell depth d1 preferably occupies ⅔ of the base circumferential face, or ⅔ of the internal side of the bearing shell 17 in the region of the smaller internal diameter, respectively, while the region having the second bearing shell depth d2 preferably occupies ⅓ of the base circumferential face of the bearing shell 17. The second region having the larger width is preferably disposed in the circumferential direction of the helical gear 5.

[0044] The step 19 by means of the protrusions 19a, 19b represents a transition from a first region having a first bearing shell depth d1 to a second region having a second bearing shell depth d2, as is illustrated in FIG. 4a. The spacing of the bearing shells 17 between the seat 18 and the external circumferential face of the bearing shell 19 is to be understood to be the bearing shell depth in the region of the step. The first depth d1 herein is configured so as to be smaller than the second depth d2. The second region having the larger depth d2 is preferably disposed in the circumferential direction of the worm gear 5.

[0045] The bearing shells are preferably formed from plastics material, in particular by injection-molding.