Patent ID: 9452776
Filing Date: 2016-09-27
CPC Classification: B62D

Claim Text:
1. A method for characterizing steering gear reversal clunk noise in a steering system having a rack and a pinion gear, with the pinion gear disposed on an end of a steering shaft in meshed engagement with the rack, and a steering assist motor operable for electrically assisting a steering maneuver, the method comprising: electrically assisting the steering maneuver via the steering assist motor; transmitting a steering input angle control signal from a controller to a rotary actuator to thereby set the steering shaft at a calibrated steering angle; transmitting an axial force signal from the controller to a linear actuator to thereby impart a calibrated axial force along a longitudinal axis of the rack at a constant apply rate; measuring an axial acceleration value of the rack along the longitudinal axis via an accelerometer after imparting the calibrated axial force; and executing a control action with respect to the steering system, via the controller, when a peak amplitude of the measured axial acceleration value exceeds a calibrated threshold axial acceleration value indicative of an unacceptable level of the steering gear clunk noise.