MOTOR AND WORM CONNECTION DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC POWER STEERING SYSTEM

Abstract

An apparatus for connecting an electric machine and a worm for an electric power steering system, including an electric machine, an electric machine shaft connected to the electric machine, and a worm. An end of the electric machine shaft is provided with a first mounting flange, and an end of the worm is provided with a second mounting flange. The apparatus includes at least one disk between the first mounting flange of the electric machine shaft and the second mounting flange of the worm. The apparatus for connecting an electric machine and a worm for an electric power steering system provided in the present invention is structurally simple, and at the same time transfers electric machine torque with high efficiency, and can effectively compensate for radial deviation and axial deviation between the electric machine shaft and a worm shaft.

Claims

1.-11. (canceled)

12. An apparatus for connecting an electric machine and a worm for an electric power steering system, comprising: an electric machine, an electric machine shaft connected to the electric machine, the electric machine shaft including an end, a first mounting flange disposed on the end of the electric machine shaft, a worm operatively connected to the electric machine shaft, the worm including an end, a second mounting flange disposed on the end of the worm, and a disk disposed between the first mounting flange and the second mounting flange.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 including only one disk between the first mounting flange and the second mounting flange.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the disk includes a first through-hole and a second through-hole, a first bolt disposed through the first mounting flange and the first through-hole, connecting the disk to the electric machine shaft, and a second bolt disposed through the second mounting flange and the second through-hole, connecting the disk to the worm.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the first through-hole is at least three in number and the second through-hole is at least three in number.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a hollow tubular rubber component disposed in each of the through-holes.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 including two disks between the first mounting flange and the second mounting flange.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein a first one of the two disks is disposed adjacent to the electric machine shaft and provided with a first through-hole, and a first bolt disposed through the first mounting flange and the first through-hole, connecting the first disk to the electric machine shaft, and a second one of the two disks is disposed adjacent to the worm and provided with a second through-hole, and a second bolt disposed through the second mounting flange and the second through-hole, connecting the second disk to the worm.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the two disks are connected together using a third bolt.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the first through-hole is at least three in number and the second through-hole is at least three in number.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising a hollow tubular rubber component disposed in each of the through-holes.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the disk is one of circular, triangular, square, polygonal, and circular with a central hole.

23. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the disk is about 0.5 mm-5 mm thick.

24. An electric power steering system including the apparatus of claim 1.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING

[0016] Demonstrative embodiments of the present invention are explained in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing. Here,

[0017] FIG. 1 shows an exploded schematic view of an apparatus for connecting an electric machine and a worm for an EPS system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

PARTICULAR EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Demonstrative embodiments of the present invention are explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing. For the sake of clarity and conciseness, actual embodiments are not limited to the technical features described herein. It must be explained that in the process of improving or altering any actual embodiment, in order to achieve a specific objective, the improvement or alteration process might be very complex and time-consuming, but is this is still a conventional technical measure to persons skilled in the art who know the benefits of the present invention. These embodiments are implemented taking the technical solution of the present invention as a precondition, and the detailed manner and process of implementation have been given; however, the scope of protection of the present invention includes but is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0019] FIG. 1 is an exploded schematic view of an apparatus for connecting an electric machine and a worm for an EPS system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus for connecting an electric machine and a worm as shown in FIG. 1 comprises an electric machine 1 and a worm 3. The electric machine 1 comprises an electric machine shaft 2, which is axially coupled to the worm 3 and used for driving the worm 3 to rotate. An end, facing the worm 3, of the electric machine shaft 2 is provided with a mounting flange 5; an end, facing the electric machine 1, of the worm 3 is provided with a mounting flange 6. As shown in FIG. 1, one or more disks (or disk springs) 4 is/are provided between the mounting flange 5 and the mounting flange 6. According to one embodiment of the present invention, one disk 4 is provided between the mounting flange 5 and the mounting flange 6, as shown in FIG. 1. The disk 4 is provided with multiple through-holes 7, 9, wherein first through-holes 7 correspond to through-holes in the mounting flange 5, and second through-holes 9 correspond to through-holes in the mounting flange 6. First bolts 8 at the side on which the electric machine 2 is located can pass sequentially through the mounting flange 5 and the first through-holes 7 in the disk 4, connecting the disk 4 to the electric machine 2 by means of bolt nuts for example. Moreover, second bolts 8 at the side on which the worm 3 is located can pass sequentially through the mounting flange 6 and the second through-holes 9 in the disk 4, connecting the disk 4 to the worm 3 by means of bolt nuts for example. The worm 3 is thereby axially connected to the electric machine shaft 2 of the electric machine 1 by means of the disk 4. Here, since the worm 3 and the electric machine 1 are each independently connected to the disk 4, radial deviation and axial deviation between the electric machine shaft and a worm shaft can be compensated for effectively by making use of the elasticity of the disk 4, eliminating a gap between components, and thereby avoiding abnormal noises or wear resulting from abnormal meshing between components.

[0020] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first through-holes 7 of the disk 4 are at least 3 in number, preferably 3; and the second through-holes 9 of the disk 4 are at least 3 in number, preferably 3. Furthermore, the multiple through-holes of the disk 4 may have no screw-threads, so that the disk is connected in a locked manner to the corresponding mounting flange by means of bolt nuts. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the material of the disk 4 may be stainless steel. In addition, as would readily occur to those skilled in the art, the shape of the disk 4 is optimized so as to adapt to different rigidities in radial and axial directions. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the disk 4 may be circular, triangular, square, polygonal, or circular with a central hole. The thickness of the disk 4 is for example in the range of 0.5 mm-5 mm.

[0021] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the disk between the worm 3 and the electric machine 1 may be not just one; the number thereof may be suitably chosen such that the required compensation amount and rigidity can be ensured. In the case of multiple disks (not shown in FIG. 1), a first disk adjacent to the side on which the electric machine shaft 2 is located may still be connected to the electric machine shaft 2 by means of the first bolt 8, and a second disk adjacent to the side on which the worm 3 is located may still be connected to the worm 3 by means of the second bolt 8. Here, adjacent disks among the multiple disks are connected to each other by a bolt. Such a specially designed manner of connection enables radial deviation and axial deviation between the electric machine shaft and the worm shaft to be compensated for effectively, thereby avoiding for example abnormal noises or wear resulting from abnormal meshing between components.

[0022] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, rubber components may be provided in the multiple through-holes of the disk 4; the rubber components may have a hollow tubular form, and are used to reduce wear and provide radial elastic compensation.

[0023] Here, for the sake of simplicity, other components of a worm/worm-gear mechanism are not shown in FIG. 1; the structure and arrangement of other components are known to those skilled in the art, for example a worm gear meshed with the worm and a housing structure outside the worm/worm-gear mechanism.

[0024] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, also proposed is an EPS system using the apparatus for connecting an electric machine and a worm as shown in FIG. 1. Since the core components and structure thereof have already been described in detail above, they are not described again here.

[0025] Although the present invention has been described in detail based on preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should know that the scope of protection claimed in the present invention is not limited to these preferred embodiments. Various changes and amendments could be made to embodiments by those skilled in the art, based on an understanding of the present invention, without departing from the spirit and substance of the present invention, and thus fall within the scope of protection defined by the claims attached to the present invention.