NL1025487C2 - Actuator for use in the automotive sector. - Google Patents

Description

Actuator for use in the automotive sector

The present invention relates to an actuator for use in the automotive sector, and comprises an actuator rod intended to make a linear movement.

5 In a motor vehicle, such as a personal car for example, many functions must be controlled from the driver's position. Traditionally, these controls were transferred to the position where the actual operation is to be performed, by mechanical means such as rods and wire, or in part also by hydraulic means. There is a clear tendency in the automotive industry to replace such mechanical or hydraulic transfer means with electrical wiring, called "drive by wire".

If the signals to operate the brakes are transferred from the driver's position to the brakes by electrical wiring, this is called "brake by wire." "Clutch by wire" when the signals to operate the clutch are transmitted from the position of the driver to the coupling by electrical wiring and "steer by wire" when the signals to control the wheels of the vehicle are transmitted from the position of the driver to the wheels by electrical wiring.

For example, in the case of "steer by wire", the driver has a steering wheel or a slide or other means for controlling the angle of the vehicle wheels. Traditionally this steering wheel is connected, for example, by means of a system of rods and connections to a steering housing, where the rotational movement of the rod is converted into a linear movement of a rod to which the steering arms are connected, which are in fact the angle of the vehicle wheels. , and thereby change the direction in which the vehicle is moving. In the case of "steer by wire", the state of the control means is converted into an electrical signal, which in turn is fed "by wire" to an actuator. This actuator, in turn, controls the steering of the vehicle wheels. of the "by wire" systems are, for example, weight saving and freedom of design to position the different systems 1025487 I - 2 -

I.1 I n neren and with that also the saving of space # which in itself I can lead to again saving of weight.

For this and other "by-wire" systems, but also for non-by-wire systems, for example, the actuator for a control device in a control system with a mechanical

In connection with the steering wheel # there is a need for ac-I

I tuators of a simple and compact design that is nevertheless a big I

I show too stiffness. It is also for such actuators I

I desirable to function without producing a lot of noise. I

Preferably, such actuators are relatively simple

I and therefore economical to manufacture on large I

I scale. I

It is an object of the present invention to provide an I

To provide an actuator for use in the automotive sector

I 15 which combines a compact design with great rigidity. I

It is another object of the present invention

I to provide an actuator for automotive applications

I sector that is relatively quiet during operation. I

It is yet another object of the present invention

I to provide an actuator for use in the vehicle

I tomobile sector that is relatively simple and therefore economical

It is possible to manufacture electrically in large-scale production. I

To this end, the invention provides an actuator for I

Application in the automotive sector according to one or more of the I

25 appended claims. Other advantages of the invention I

I will become clear from the description that follows. I

In a first aspect of the invention, the actu comprises

I an actuator rod suitable for linear movement

I, and is characterized in that the actuator has a diverter

The setter comprises a converter for converting the rotational movement into a line

I nary motion # and that the converter drives the actuator tongs I

I and can be connected to a swivel on I during use

I driven shaft of an engine. Such an actuator uses I

I rotary movement as input, and the easiest way to move

I went on a reasonable scale to obtain from an electric I

I signal is rotational movement. I

Gears are rigid and compact mechanical parts

I and therefore stiffness and compactness are increased when the I

I actuator converter is provided with a stationary frame, I

40 comprising radially inward-pointing teeth, and a gear wheel

I 1025457 u * - 3 - cooperating with these teeth, this gear being movable along these teeth and connected to the actuator rod. Such a composition is also known to be capable of being manufactured in such a way that the composition emits very little sound.

When the teeth and the gear wheel make a transfer ratio so that at least a predetermined point of the gear wheel makes a linear movement during the movement of the gear wheel, the actuator rod can be directly connected to that point, causing the desired linear movement to take place. very simple and compact manner.

In an actuator where the gear and the teeth each form a business pitch circle and the gear and the teeth are dimensioned such that the operating pitch of the gear has a diameter equal to half the diameter of the operating pitch of the teeth and that the at least one predetermined point is positioned on a line that passes through the gear wheel operating circle and is perpendicular to the plane of this gear wheel operating circle, the actuator can be essentially formed with standard parts and with use with standard methods, and can therefore be manufactured in an economically efficient manner.

A compact assembly in the form of a unit 25 can be achieved with an actuator in which said motor is connected to said frame and said rotatably driven shaft is connected to the gear.

A simple and strong actuator is obtained when the shaft is perpendicular to the operating pitch circle of the teeth in the stationary frame and the center of the shaft passes through a center of this operating pitch circle and that the shaft is connected to the center of the gear.

A very rigid arrangement is obtained when the gearwheel is provided with a recess, so that the gearwheel remains substantially symmetrical with respect to a plane parallel to the operating circle of the gearwheel, in which recess a first connection for connecting the gear on the actuator rod is housed, so that the actuator rod is movably positioned in the 1025487

t. I

- 4 - I

sparing. In this arrangement, the bending moments that are at I

can enter the plane of the gear greatly reduced. I

A somewhat more economically advantageous composition I

but can still be obtained with great stiffness when I

5 instead of a relatively wide gear with an I

recess, a second gear is provided that cooperates I

with the teeth parallel to the first gear on the te

opposite side of the actuator rod, and in which the first I

th coupling couples both gears to the actuator rod. I

10 in this composition, the stiffness can be increased when I

a second coupling connects both gears together. I

The bending moments that can occur in the plane of I

the gears can be further reduced when the I

gear on the non-driven side at the center becomes I

15 connected to a third coupling, said third coupling

is supported in the stationary frame, and this one

the support is aligned with the rotary shaft. I

When this third link is supported in the I

stationary frame through a sus, it is possible to I

20 auxiliary systems on this axis. I

It is also possible to provide the actuator rod I

of teeth for cooperation with a gear. This provides I

also a possibility to confirm an auxiliary system that sa-I

one works with the teeth of the actuator rod. I

In cases where, for example, a mainly lig

nary ratio between an angular displacement of the rotating I

movement and the linear movement of the linear movement I

takes place, the actuator may be provided with a first test

control, including appropriate sensors, that control linear movement I

30 to a range of movement around a center point. I

It may also be desirable in specific application I

about the speed of either the linear motion and / or the rotational I

control movement. Because the mechanical design of the I

The actuator determines a relationship between the rotational movement and the I

35 linear movement, it is sufficient to use either the linear motion

control the rotation movement. Because the current I

In accordance with the invention, the rotational movement is usually as I

has food, it is most natural, but not required, to I

control the rotational movement or the rotational speed, and also I

40 a control provided with the appropriate sensors. I

10254 87 c - 5 -

It should be noted that although the actuator according to the invention has been described so far with rotational movement as the driving movement and therefore the input, the actuator according to the invention is not limited to an input to the rotational movement. The actuator according to the invention can be used just as well as an actuator with well-chosen initial conditions, the linear movement being the driving movement and therefore the input.

The actuator according to the invention will now be further explained using preferred embodiments which will be described with reference to the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an actuator according to the invention, Figure 2 is a front view of the actuator of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is partly a perspective view of another embodiment of an actuator according to the invention, and Figure 4 is a perspective view of a mechanical reserve in yet another embodiment of the actuator according to the invention.

In all figures the actuator is generally indicated by numeral 1 and an actuator rod is indicated by numeral 2. The actuator 1 comprises a converter for converting a rotational movement into a linear movement and the converter drives the actuator rod 2 and can be connected during use to a rotatably driven shaft 14 of a motor 4. Motor 4 can be designed with or without a gear reduction. A part of the rotatably driven shaft 14 is shown in figure 3. in figure 1 opening 3 is shown through which the shaft 14 extends. The axis of rotation of the shaft 14 is also shown in Figure 1 with a dotted line.

The transducer of the actuator 1 has a stationary frame 5, which is provided with radially inward-pointing teeth 6, and a gearwheel 7 cooperating with these teeth, said gearwheel 7 being movable along these teeth 6 and connected to the actuator rod 2 .

1025487

- 6 - I

The gear 7 and the teeth 6 each form a bearing

drive stitch circle with centers B and A respectively (see I

figure 2). I

The teeth 6 and the gearwheel 7 have a transmission I

5 ratio, so that at least one predetermined point of the I

gear wheel 7 makes a linear movement during said operation

weighting of the gear. In the embodiment of the invention

The gear shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are the gear 7 and I

the tame so dimensioned that the business stitch circle of I

10 the gearwheel 7 has a diameter that is equal to half I

of the diameter of the operating pitch circle of the tombs 6. I

The at least one predetermined point is positioned on I

the gear circle of the gear 7. I

In Figure 2, the center point of a first link is I

15 is indicated by C. The axis of the first coupling 8 goes I

by C and also by the at least one predetermined point of I

the gear 7 which makes a linear movement and perpendicular I

appears on the operating pitch of gear 7. Therefore, I

the first coupling 8 has a linear movement and drives current

20 torch rod 2 to make a linear movement. I

As can be seen from figure 1, motor 4 is mounted I

on frame 5. The axis of rotation of the rotatable driven shaft 14 I

is shown with a dotted line. The axis is connected to the I

gear through a second clutch 9. The second clutch 9 I

25 has an opening 3 in which the shaft 14 is received. I

In this first embodiment of the invention. I

the shaft 14 is perpendicular to the operating circle of the tooth I

den 6 in the stationary frame 5. The center of the axis 14 I

passes through the center point A of this company stitch circle. The axis I

14 is coupled to the center B of the gear wheel by means of I

of stool 9. I

The actuator in this embodiment of the invention I

convert rotating motion into linear motion. Depending on I

the application and the required performance can be determined i

35 with a full rotation or with only a part of I

the twist. In another, a second embodiment of the I

In accordance with the invention, shown in Figure 3, gear 7 is illustrated

is provided with a recess, so that the gear 7 is essentially I

remains symmetrical with respect to a plane parallel to the I

40 operation of gear circle of gear 7, in which recess first I

10254.87 I

The coupling 8 is housed so that the actuator torque 2 is movably placed in the recess. Gear 7, and also teeth 6, have a sufficiently large width, so that this can comprise a recess of dimensions between the side surfaces so that the first coupling 8 can be accommodated in this recess. This means that the actuator rod 2 moves in the center plane of gear 7. In this second embodiment, it is not possible to make a complete turn because the part of gear 7 that covers the full width of gear 7 will reach actuator rod 2 . It is therefore limited to cases where the rotational movement is limited. up to a part of the turn, but this embodiment provides a very rigid actuator, because bending moments in the plane of the gear are considerably reduced in this arrangement.

A cheaper, third embodiment, which only partially yields some of the extra stiffness of the previous embodiment, will now be described. The actuator 1 comprises a second gear 7, which co-acts with teeth 6, parallel to the first gear 7 on the opposite side of the actuator rod 2, and in which first coupling 8 couples both gear wheels 7 to the actuator rod 2. Although some of the rigidity provided by the wide sprocket 7 of the second embodiment here, this embodiment still has an increased stiffness relative to the first embodiment described, but the costs are reduced in comparison with the second embodiment.

In yet another, a fourth embodiment, an increase in the stiffness can be obtained compared to the third embodiment with two gears, as described above. In this case, the second clutch 9 connects both gear wheels 7.

In a fifth embodiment, gear (7) on the non-driven side is connected in center (B) to a third clutch 10, the third clutch 10 being supported in frame 5, this support being aligned with the pivot base: driven shaft 14, as can be seen from figure 3. This extra support again increases the stiffness and can be used in all previous embodiments.

1025487 ·

I

I - 8 -

The actuator according to the invention can be used

I in a steering system, for example a "steer by wire" system. I

In such a case, the control rods can be connected I

I on the actuator rod, essentially at any position that fits I

I 5 is found. With such an application it is possible to I

I requires the vehicle to be equipped with, or capable of being connected to, I

I to a mechanical backup system. That is, when there is I

I is not a voltage, or when no voltage is available, I

I as can happen in a repair shop during repairs

I 10 tion or in the factory during assembly, it would still be I

I must be able to drive the vehicle. For that reason I

I, the vehicle can be equipped with, or connected to, I

I to a mechanical backup system. A schematic example I

I of such a mechanical reserve system is given in FIG

Figure 4, and is generally designated there by numeral 13. I

I When the mechanical reserve system is present in the feed I

Such a vehicle, even during normal operation, is such a reserve

I system connected by means of an electromagnetic ver

I bond, which engages in the absence of electricity

I power. Such a mechanical reserve system 13 I

For example, I may be connected to the shaft 14 at an end I

I that is opposite coupling 9, or in the case of the fifth I

I embodiment described above, where coupling 10 I

I is supported in frame 5 by means of shaft 11, an I

Such a mechanical backup system 13 can also be connected

I with this axis 11. In all cases it is possible to change the current I

I provide torsion tongs with teeth 12 on which one mechanically returns

I service system can be connected by means of a dental I

I wheel, as shown in Figure 4. I

Although the actuator 1 is described here as, for example, I

I image used in a 'steer by wire' application, it is also I

I capable of turning the actuator into a traditional steering system I

I to use. In that case the rotational movement is not changed

I proceeds by motor 4, but by a manually driven shaft, I

I 35 in that case the positions mentioned above can be I

I to connect the mechanical reserve system are used I

I to connect a motor to support steering

Inen, ie power steering. I

I If it is desirable for a specific application to I

I 40 to have a substantially linear relationship between the angular relationship

I 10254 87____ • * - 9 - placement / speed and the linear movement / speed, the movement (stroke) can be limited to an area of movement around a center point. The closer the movement is limited to that point, the more linear the relationship is. Depending on the requirements of this linearity, it is possible with the actuator in this embodiment of the invention to adjust the stroke limitation accordingly. To set, adjust and hold such a limit, the actuator may be provided with suitable control mechanisms as are known to a person skilled in the art and therefore not described further here.

It is noted that the same actuator can be used to convert linear motion into rotating motion. The only limitation to this is that the correct starting position 15 must be chosen.

It should also be noted that the actuator according to the invention can be designed and provided with all necessary aids that are required or advantageous for the application. For example, the actuator can be provided with different types of sensors and control systems, with sealing and protection mechanisms to protect the actuator when it is used in hazardous environments. The actuator can be oil or grease lubricated. These can be made of any suitable construction material, including steel as well as injection-moldable material, depending on the requirements.

When the actuator is used, for example, as an actuator in a steer-by-wire system in a passenger car, the actuator is very suitable for being provided with a mechanical reserve system, connected by means of an electromagnetic coupling, and which is activated, for example, in the case of electrical power failure.

1025487

Claims (20)

An actuator (1) for applications in the automotive II sector, provided with an actuator rod (2) suitable for making II a linear movement, characterized in that the actuator II (1) comprises a converter for a rotational movement to convert II to linear motion, and that the transducer drives the actuator rod II (2) and can be connected during use to a II rotatably driven shaft (14) of a motor (4). I Actuator (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the transducer has a stationary frame (5) provided with radially inward-pointing teeth (6) and a gear wheel (7). cooperating with these teeth (6), said gear wheel (7) being movable along these teeth (6) and being coupled II to the actuator rod (2). I 3. Actuator (1) as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the teeth (6) and the gear (7) have a transfer ratio, so that at least one predetermined point in the II gear makes a linear movement during said movement of the gear (7). I 4. Actuator (1) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the gear (7) and the teeth (6) each form a business pitch circle and the gear (7) and the teeth (6) II are dimensioned such that the operating pitch circle of the II gear wheel has a diameter equal to half the diameter of the operating pitch circle of the teeth (6), and that the at least one predetermined point is positioned on II the operating circle of the gear (7). I 5. Actuator (1) according to one of claims 1 to II, characterized in that said motor (4) is mountable to said frame (5) and in that said rotatably driven shaft (14). ) is coupled to the gear (7). I Actuator (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the axis (14) is perpendicular to the operating pitch of II, the teeth (6) in the stationary frame (5) and the center point II of the axis (14) ) passes through the center (A) of this operating pitch II circle and that the shaft (14) is coupled to the center point II (B) of the gear (7). I I 1025487 - 11 - « Actuator (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the gear wheel (7) is formed with a recess, so that the gear wheel (7) remains substantially symmetrical with respect to a plane parallel to the operating pitch circle of the gear wheel 5 (7) , in which recess a first coupling (8) is housed, for connecting the gear (7) to the actuator rod (2), so that the actuator rod (2) is movably positioned in the recess. 8. Actuator (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that a second gear (17) is provided, which cooperates with the teeth (6), parallel to the first gear (7) on the opposite side of the actuator rod ( 2) and wherein the first coupling (8) couples both gears (7, 17) to the actuator rod (2). Actuator (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that a second coupling (9) couples both gears (7) together. 10. Actuator (1) according to one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that the gear (7) on the non-driven side is coupled in center (B) to a third coupling (10), the third coupling (10) is supported in the frame (5), this support being aligned with the rotatably driven shaft (14). 11. Actuator (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that a shaft (11) supports the third coupling (10) in the frame (5). Actuator (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that an auxiliary system can be attached to the shaft (11). 13. Actuator (1) according to claim 12, characterized in that the auxiliary system comprises a mechanical reserve device. Actuator (1) according to claim 12, characterized in that the auxiliary system comprises a motor; Actuator (1) according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the actuator rod (2) is provided with teeth (12) for cooperating with a gear wheel. An actuator (1) according to claim 15, characterized in that the actuator (1) is provided with an auxiliary system (13) which cooperates with teeth (12). 102548? ι I I - 12 - 17. Actuator (1) according to claim 16, characterized in that the auxiliary system comprises a mechanical backup system. 18. Actuator (1) according to claim 16, characterized in that the auxiliary system comprises a motor. Actuator (1) according to one of Claims 1 to II 18, characterized in that the actuator (1) is provided with a II first control, which comprises suitable sensors which limit the linear II movement to an area of movement around a center point. I Actuator (1) according to one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that the actuator (1) is provided with a second control, which comprises suitable sensors, which control the rotation speed. I I 1025487