US-12618732-B2 - Pinion sensor structure of steering apparatus and method of assembling pinion sensor structure of steering apparatus

US12618732B2US 12618732 B2US12618732 B2US 12618732B2US-12618732-B2

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a pinion sensor structure of a steering apparatus including a housing including a first accommodating part having an open one side surface and configured to accommodate a worm wheel and a second accommodating part configured to communicate with the first accommodating part and accommodate a worm shaft engaged with the worm wheel, a sensing unit disposed to be spaced a predetermined distance from the worm wheel to face the worm wheel, and a housing cover coupled to the one side surface of the first accommodating part, wherein the sensing unit may be fixed to the housing cover.

Inventors

Taehyun Sung
Jaehoon Bae
DongSik Kim

Assignees

HL MANDO CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230324
Priority Date: 20220324

Claims (7)

1 . A pinion sensor structure of a steering apparatus, comprising: a housing including a first accommodating part having an open one side surface and configured to accommodate a worm wheel and a second accommodating part configured to communicate with the first accommodating part and accommodate a worm shaft engaged with the worm wheel; a sensing unit disposed to be spaced a predetermined distance from the worm wheel to face the worm wheel; and a housing cover coupled to the one side surface of the first accommodating part, wherein the sensing unit is fixed to the housing cover, the sensing unit includes a coupling part formed to protrude from a frame forming an exterior of the sensing unit, the housing cover includes a fixing slot formed on an inner surface of the housing cover so that the coupling part is inserted and coupled thereto, the first accommodating part is formed with a first boss part with which one side surface of the coupling part is in contact, and the fixing slot is formed with a second boss part with which the other side surface of the coupling part is in contact.
2 . The pinion sensor structure of claim 1 , wherein the fixing slot has a first slot surface formed at one side thereof and extending in a slot direction to form the second boss part, and a second slot surface formed at the other side thereof and extending shorter than the first slot surface in the slot direction.
3 . The pinion sensor structure of claim 1 , wherein when the housing cover is coupled to the housing, the coupling part is in contact with the second boss part, coupled to the fixing slot, and spaced apart from the first boss part.
4 . A steering apparatus comprising: a housing including a first accommodating part having an open one side surface and configured to accommodate a worm wheel coupled to an output shaft and a second accommodating part configured to communicate with the first accommodating part and accommodate a worm shaft engaged with the worm wheel; a motor coupled to the worm shaft to provide a rotating force to the worm wheel through the worm shaft; a sensing unit disposed to be spaced a predetermined distance from the worm wheel to face the worm wheel; and a housing cover coupled to the one side surface of the first accommodating part, wherein the sensing unit is fixed to the housing cover, the sensing unit includes a coupling part formed to protrude from a frame forming an exterior of the sensing unit, the housing cover includes a fixing slot formed on an inner surface of the housing cover so that the coupling part is inserted and coupled thereto, the first accommodating part is formed with a first boss part with which one side surface of the coupling part is in contact, and the fixing slot is formed with a second boss part with which the other side surface of the coupling part is in contact.
5 . The steering apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the fixing slot has a first slot surface formed at one side thereof and extending in a slot direction to form the second boss part, and a second slot surface formed at the other side thereof and extending shorter than the first slot surface in the slot direction.
6 . The steering apparatus of claim 4 , wherein when the housing cover is coupled to the housing, the coupling part is in contact with the second boss part, coupled to the fixing slot, and spaced apart from the first boss part.
7 . A method of assembling a pinion sensor structure of a steering apparatus, comprising: arranging a sensing unit to be spaced a predetermined distance from a worm wheel to face the worm wheel; accommodating the worm wheel and the sensing unit in a first accommodating part having an open one side surface and provided in a housing; arranging one side surface of a coupling part formed to protrude from the sensing unit to be in contact with a first boss part formed in the first accommodating part; arranging a housing cover so that a second boss part formed on a fixing slot of the housing cover is in contact with the other side surface of the coupling part; assembling the housing cover to be in contact with one side surface of the first accommodating part in a state in which the coupling part and the second boss part are in contact with each other, and coupling the coupling part and the fixing slot; aligning the housing cover and the housing and separating the coupling part from the first boss part; and coupling the housing cover and the housing.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the priority benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0036914, filed on Mar. 24, 2022 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND 1. Field Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a pinion sensor structure of a steering apparatus and a method of assembling the pinion sensor structure of the steering apparatus, and more specifically, to a pinion sensor structure of a steering apparatus and a method of assembling the pinion sensor structure of the steering apparatus capable of easily installing sensors. 2. Description of the Related Art A steering apparatus is an apparatus for controlling a traveling direction of a vehicle. Such a steering apparatus includes a steering gearbox including a rack and a pinion gear, a steering shaft for transmitting rotation of a steering wheel to the pinion gear of the steering gearbox to cause a lateral operation of the rack, a tie rod for connecting knuckle parts of both wheels and both ends of the rack of the steering gearbox, respectively, and the like. Among the steering apparatus, there are an electric power assistance steering apparatus to which a hydraulic or electric power device is added or a steer-by-wire steering apparatus to which the hydraulic or electric power device physically separated from the steering wheel to generate a steering force according to the steering of the steering wheel is added. Such a steering apparatus is a type of assisting steering by rotating the steering shaft or laterally moving the rack with a motor. Among the steering apparatuses, the electric steering apparatus may be provided with a worm wheel and a worm shaft in order to transmit power to the rack through the pinion gear. The worm shaft is provided to be engaged with the worm wheel to transmit power generated from the motor to the worm wheel, and an output shaft provided with the pinion gear is coupled to the worm wheel to rotate together with the rotation of the worm wheel. Accordingly, the rack engaged with the pinion gear laterally moves and assists steering. The worm wheel and the worm shaft are accommodated inside a housing, and the housing has an open one side surface to accommodate the worm wheel, and a housing cover shields the one side surface of the housing and is coupled to the housing. In addition, the electric steering apparatus may be controlled through an electronic control unit (ECU). For example, a handle operation force of a driver is detected by a torque sensor, an angle sensor, or the like and transmitted to the ECU, and the motor is driven according to signals detected by the ECU. Accordingly, there is provided a sensor for detecting a rotating angle or a rotating torque of the worm wheel operated according to the driving of the motor. In this case, as the sensor, the torque angle sensor capable of detecting a torque and a rotating angle by one sensor may be used. Such a sensor is disposed to face the worm wheel and is installed on the output shaft, and the sensor needs to be fixed not to be rotated to detect the rotation of the worm wheel and the pinion. SUMMARY Therefore, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a pinion sensor structure of a steering apparatus and a method of assembling the pinion sensor structure of the steering apparatus capable of easily installing a sensor. Additional aspects of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure. In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a pinion sensor structure of a steering apparatus includes a housing including a first accommodating part having an open one side surface and configured to accommodate a worm wheel and a second accommodating part configured to communicate with the first accommodating part and accommodate a worm shaft engaged with the worm wheel, a sensing unit disposed to be spaced a predetermined distance from the worm wheel to face the worm wheel, and a housing cover coupled to the one side surface of the first accommodating part, wherein the sensing unit may be fixed to the housing cover. The sensing unit may include a coupling part formed to protrude from a frame forming an exterior of the sensing unit, and the housing cover may include a fixing slot formed on an inner surface of the housing cover so that the coupling part is inserted and coupled thereto. The first accommodating part may be formed with a first boss part with which one side surface of the coupling part may be in contact, and the fixing slot may be formed with a second boss part with which the other side surface of the coupling part may be in contact. The fixing slot may have a first slot surface formed at one side thereof and extending in a slot direction to form the second boss part, and a second slot surface formed at the ot