Patent Abstract:
A unique motor type motor driven column apparatus may include a motor attached to a telescoping tube that slidably receives a column tube therein, wherein the telescoping tube may be pivotally coupled with a vehicle body by a tilt bracket, an actuating rod rotating by the motor, a tilt mechanism including a tilt clutch receiving the actuating rod therethrough and selectively engaged therebetween by a motor controller such that a rotation force of the actuating rod may be converted into a linear movement of the tilt mechanism to make a tilt motion of the column tube, and a telescoping mechanism including a telescoping clutch receiving the actuating rod therethrough and selectively engaged therebetween by the motor controller such that a rotation force of the actuating rod may be converted into a linear movement of the telescoping mechanism so as to make a telescoping motion of the column tube.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application Number 10-2010-0123777 filed Dec. 6, 2010, the entire contents of which application is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a motor driven column apparatus, and more particularly, to a unique motor type motor driven column apparatus using one unified motor to implement tilt and telescoping motions. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In general, motor driven power steering (MDPS) systems which are motor driven steering systems are a type which does not use fluid pressure and assists steering power with motor power, and are mainly applied to compact vehicles. 
     An MDPS system has a decelerator including a worm shaft and a worm wheel rotating by a motor in order to assist the steering power, and uses a motor driven column apparatus having a tilt motor and a telescoping motor to implement tilt and telescoping motions, respectively. 
     An MDPS motor is controlled by an MDPS ECU, and the tilt motor and the telescoping motor are controlled by a separate tilt/telescoping ECU. 
     As importance of improvement of fuel efficiency of vehicles is emphasized, there is a trend in that the MDPS systems should be necessarily applied to not only compact vehicles but also mid-size and full-size vehicles. 
       FIG. 8  shows a motor driven column apparatus having an MDPS motor, a tilt motor, a telescoping motor, and an MDPS ECU and a tilt/telescoping ECU for controlling those motors as described above. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the motor driven column apparatus has an MDPS motor  200  and a decelerator for assisting steering power provided in a column tube  100  covering a steering shaft  100   a , a tilt mechanism for tilting column tube  100  up and down, and a telescoping mechanism for telescoping transmission. 
     The tilt mechanism includes a tilt motor  300  which is a power source, a deceleration gear  301  decelerating the rotation of the motor and increasing torque, and a tilt rod  302  moving a tilt bracket  303  by an output of deceleration gear  301 . 
     The telescoping mechanism includes a telescoping motor  400  which is a power source, a deceleration gear  401  decelerating the rotation of the motor and increasing torque, and a telescoping rod  402  moving a telescoping bracket  403  by an output of deceleration gear  401 . 
     Also, an MDPS ECU  210  for controlling MDPS motor  200  and a tilt/telescoping ECU  500  for controlling tilt motor  300  and telescoping motor  400  are provided, respectively. MDPS ECU  210  is configured to receive a signal of an MDPS motor/angle sensor, and tilt/telescoping ECU  500  is configured to receive signals of a tilt motor/angle sensor and a telescoping motor/angle sensor. 
     However, since the tilt mechanism having MDPS motor  200  for assisting the steering power and the tilt mechanism having tilt motor  300  and the telescoping mechanism having telescoping motor  400  are separately provided to the motor driven column apparatus as described above, a structure for tilt and telescoping operations is complex, and especially, when the motor driven column apparatus is installed together with a knee airbag, a column collision absorption structure, etc., it is very difficult to secure a package. 
     The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a unique motor type motor driven column apparatus which uses one unified motor as a power source to implement tilt and telescoping motions, thereby simplifying a tilt and telescoping structure and making it easy to ensure a package of a knee airbag, a column collision absorption structure, etc. 
     In an aspect of the present invention, the unique motor type motor driven column apparatus, may include a motor attached to a telescoping tube that slidably receives a column tube therein, wherein the telescoping tube may be pivotally coupled with a vehicle body by a tilt bracket, an actuating rod rotating by the motor, a tilt mechanism including a tilt clutch receiving the actuating rod therethrough and selectively engaged therebetween by a motor controller such that a rotation force of the actuating rod may be converted into a linear movement of the tilt mechanism so as to make a tilt motion of the column tube, and a telescoping mechanism including a telescoping clutch receiving the actuating rod therethrough and selectively engaged therebetween by the motor controller such that a rotation force of the actuating rod may be converted into a linear movement of the telescoping mechanism so as to make a telescoping motion of the column tube. 
     The tilt mechanism may further include a first block housing, and a first moving block operably mounted in the first block housing with a predetermined gap therebetween so that the actuating rod passes through and may be engaged with the first moving block, and wherein the first moving block may include a first groove formed on an outer surface thereof. 
     The tilt clutch may include a plug rod which may be selectively engaged with the first groove through an opening formed in the first block housing by the motor controller. 
     The tilt bracket may be pivotally coupled with the first block housing and the vehicle body. 
     A tilt sensor may include a moving knob fixed to the first block housing, and a potentiometer installed in the telescoping tube at a position of the moving knob to sense a position change of the moving knob according to the tilt motion so as to signal tilting amount to the motor controller. 
     The telescoping mechanism further may include a second block housing, and a second moving block operably mounted in the second block housing with a predetermined gap therebetween so that the actuating rod passes through and may be engaged with the second moving block, and wherein the second moving block may include a second groove formed on an outer surface thereof. 
     The telescoping clutch may include a plug rod which may be selectively engaged with the second groove through an opening formed in the second block housing. 
     The telescoping mechanism further may include a telescoping rod, an end of which may be attached to the second block housing and the other end of which may be attached to a support bracket coupled to the column tube. 
     A telescoping sensor may include a moving knob fixed to the second block housing, and a potentiometer installed in the telescoping tube at a position of the moving knob to sense a position change of the moving knob according to the telescoping motion so as to signal telescoping amount to the motor controller. 
     The motor driven column apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention uses a unified motor as a power source for implementing tilt and telescoping motions. Therefore, it is possible to simplify a tilt and telescoping structure and make it easy to ensure a package of a knee airbag, a column collision absorption structure, etc. 
     The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and the following Detailed Description, which together serve to explain certain principles of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a view illustrating a configuration of a unique motor type motor driven column apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  are views illustrating configurations of tilt and telescoping clutches of the unique motor type motor driven column apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are views illustrating configurations of potentiometers of the unique motor type motor driven column apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 4 and 5  are views illustrating tilt operations of the unique motor type motor driven column apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 6 and 7  are views illustrating telescoping operations of the unique motor type motor driven column apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a view illustrating a configuration of a motor driven column apparatus having an MDPS motor, a tilt motor, and a telescoping motor, and an MDPS ECU and a tilt/telescoping ECU for controlling the motors according to the related art. 
     
    
    
     It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various features illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of the present invention as disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment. 
     In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that present description is not intended to limit the invention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings. The exemplary embodiment is an example and may be implemented in various different forms by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiment to be described here. 
       FIG. 1  is a view illustrating a configuration of a unique motor type motor driven column apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the motor driven column apparatus includes a column tube  1  joined with a mounting bracket  2  mounted to a vehicle body  800  and covering a steering shaft  1   a , an MDPS motor  3  controlled by an MDPS motor ECU  3   a  and installed in column tube  1 , a unified motor  5  controlled by a unified motor ECU  4 , generating power for tilt and telescoping motions of steering shaft  1   a , and installed in telescoping tube  30 , a decelerator  6  decelerating the rotation of unified motor  5  and increasing a torque output, and an actuating rod  7  aligned along an axis direction of column tube  1  and rotating by decelerator  6 . 
     Decelerator  6  and actuating rod  7  are connected to each other as a screw and nut structure for decelerating the rotation of unified motor  5 . 
     Actuating rod  7  has a thread formed on the outer circumference surface along the overall length. 
     Actuating rod  7  is supported at one or more positions. To this end, a rod support end  31  integrally formed with a telescoping tube  30  covering column tube  1  supports the middle portion of actuating rod  7 . 
     The motor driven column apparatus further includes a tilt mechanism  10  engaged with actuating rod  7  to implement a tilt motion by a linear movement of actuating rod  7 , a telescoping mechanism  20  engaged with actuating rod  7  inside tilt mechanism  10  to implement a telescoping motion by rotation of actuating rod  7 , and a tilt sensor  40  and a telescoping sensor  50  sensing a motion of tilt mechanism  10  and a motion of telescoping mechanism  20  and transmitting signals to unified motor ECU  4 . 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  show internal configurations of clutches of the tilt and telescoping mechanisms according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 2A , tilt mechanism  10  includes a tilt clutch  11 , a block housing  13 , a moving block  14 , and a tilt bracket  18 . 
     Tilt clutch  11  has a plug rod  12  controlled by unified motor ECU  4  to be drawn from and into tilt clutch  11 . In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the tilt clutch  11  may be an electromagnetic actuator or pneumatic actuator but limited thereto so as to move the plug rod  12  as generally known in the art. 
     Actuating rod  7  passes through block housing  13 , and block housing  13  has an opening  13   a  from and into which plug rod  12  of tilt clutch  11  is drawn. Moving block  14  is accommodated in block housing  13  with a predetermined gap therebetween and is locked by or released from plug rod  12 . Actuating rod  7  is coupled with moving block  14  in a screw-coupling manner, and passes through moving block  14 . Tilt bracket  18  is connected from block housing  13  to mounting bracket  2  to tilt column tube  1 . 
     If moving block  14  is not locked by plug rod  12  of tilt clutch  11 , moving block  14  rotates idle with actuating rod  7  at the same place since the moving block  14  is spaced with the block housing  13  with a gap. If moving block  14  is locked with the actuating rod  7  by plug rod  12  of tilt clutch  11  being positioned into a groove  140  formed along outer surface of the moving block  14 , moving block  14  linearly moves by actuating rod  7 . 
     A tilt motion is implemented by the above-mentioned linear movement of moving block  14 . 
     Also, inside block housing  13 , a pair of inner rings  15  and  16  is positioned on both sides (i.e. left and right) of moving block  14 . Outside block housing  13 , an outer ring  17  is positioned. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3A , a lower end portion of tilt bracket  18  is linked with block housing  13  by a lower end hinge shaft  19   a , and an upper end portion of tilt bracket  18  is linked with mounting bracket  2  by an upper end hinge shaft  19   b.    
     As described above, tilt bracket  18  forms a two-point hinge structure, such that, during tilt, the lower end portion of tilt bracket  18  linked by lower end hinge shaft  19   a  is pushed aside and rotates. In this case, upper end hinge shaft  19   b  acts as a rotation shaft for tilt bracket  18 . 
     Therefore, tilt bracket  18  can tilt column tube  1  by the movement of the lower end portion linked by lower end hinge shaft  19   a  without a movement of the upper end portion linked by upper end hinge shaft  19   b.    
     Tilting column tube  1  up is implemented by a counterclockwise rotation of tilt bracket  18 , and tilting column tube  1  down is implemented by a clockwise rotation of tilt bracket  18 . 
     Telescoping mechanism  20  shown in  FIG. 2B  includes a telescoping clutch  21 , a block housing  23 , a moving block  24 , a telescoping rod  28 , and telescoping tube  30 . Telescoping clutch  21  has a plug rod  22  controlled by unified motor ECU  4  to be drawn from and into telescoping clutch  21 . 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the telescoping clutch  21  may be an electromagnetic actuator pneumatic actuator but limited thereto so as to move the plug rod  22  as generally known in the art. 
     Actuating rod  7  passes through block housing  23 , and block housing  23  has an opening  23   a  from and into which plug rod  22  of telescoping clutch  21  is drawn. Moving block  24  is accommodated in block housing  23  and is locked or released by plug rod  22 . Actuating rod  7  is coupled with moving block  24  in a screw-coupling manner, and passes through moving block  24 . Telescoping rod  28  is fixed to block housing  23  and guides the movement of support bracket  8  to which the telescoping rod  28  is connected, wherein the support bracket  8  is joined with column tube  1 . Telescoping tube  30  is fixed to block housing  23  to be capable of a telescoping movement and covers column tube  1 . 
     If moving block  24  is not locked by plug rod  22  of telescoping clutch  21 , moving block  24  rotates idle with actuating rod  7  at the same place since the moving block  24  is spaced with the block housing  23  with a gap. If moving block  24  is locked with actuating rod  7  by plug rod  22  of telescoping clutch  21  being positioned into a groove  240  formed along outer surface of the moving block  24 , moving block  24  linearly moves by the actuating rod  7 . 
     The telescoping motion is implemented by the above-mentioned linear movement of moving block  24 . 
     Also, inside block housing  23 , a pair of inner rings  25  and  26  is positioned on both sides (i.e. left and right) of moving block  24 . Outside block housing  23 , an outer ring  27  is positioned. 
     In the exemplary embodiment, as described above, telescoping tube  30  is integrally formed with rod support end  31  supporting the middle portion of actuating rod  7 . 
       FIGS. 3A and 3B  are views illustrating configurations of tilt and telescoping sensors of the unique motor type motor driven column apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 3A , tilt sensor  40  includes a moving knob  41  fixed to block housing  13  in perpendicular to block housing  13  inside tilt bracket  18  to follow the tilt motion, and a potentiometer  42  horizontally installed at the position of moving knob  41  to sense a position change of moving knob  41  according to the tilt motion. 
     In the exemplary embodiment, as described above, tilt sensor  40  transmits a signal based on the sensed tilt motion to unified motor ECU  4 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3B , telescoping sensor  50  includes a moving knob  51  fixed to block housing  23  in perpendicular to block housing  23  to follow the telescoping motion, and a potentiometer  52  horizontally installed at the position of moving knob  51  to sense a position change of moving knob  51  according to the telescoping motion. 
     In the exemplary embodiment, as described above, telescoping sensor  50  transmits a signal based on the sensed telescoping motion to unified motor ECU  4 . 
       FIG. 4  shows a tilt operation state of the unique motor type motor driven column apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. If a tilt motion is implemented, the rotation of unified motor  5  driven by the control of unified motor ECU  4  is decelerated by decelerator  6  and is converted into a motion for moving actuating rod  7  forward (in a case of tilting column tube  1  up) while rotating actuating rod  7 . 
     At the same time, unified motor ECU  4  differently controls tilt clutch  11  of tilt mechanism  10  and telescoping clutch  21  of telescoping mechanism  20 , such that the tilt motion can be implemented by the operation of tilt mechanism  10  without interference of telescoping mechanism  20 . 
     That is, during tilt, unified motor ECU  4  draws plug rod  12  of tilt clutch  11  into opening  13   a  of block housing  13  while drawing out plug rod  22  of telescoping clutch  21  from opening  23   a  of block housing  23 . 
     Therefore, moving block  14  of tilt mechanism  10  is locked by plug rod  12  (a locked state Ka), while moving block  24  of telescoping mechanism  20  is released from plug rod  22  (a released state Kb), such that moving block  14  of tilt mechanism  10  moves forward along actuating rod  7  without rotating, while moving block  24  of telescoping mechanism  20  rotates idle at the same place without moving forward along actuating rod  7 . 
     If moving block  14  of tilt mechanism  10  moves forward as described above, the forward movement force of moving block  14  is converted into a force for pushing block housing  13  through inner ring  16 . 
     That is, if the tilt motion is implemented, moving block  14  of tilt mechanism  10  moves forward along actuating rod  7  moving forward while rotating so as to push block housing  13 . As block housing  13  is pushed, tilt bracket  18  moves up while rotating so as to tilt column tube  1  up. 
     The motion of tilt bracket  18  for tilting column tube  1  up is implemented by an action of lower end hinge shaft  19   a  and upper end hinge shaft  19   b  forming the two-point hinge structure of tilt bracket  18 . 
     That is, if tilt bracket  18  receives a pushing force by block housing  13 , the lower end portion of tilt bracket  18  linked by lower end hinge shaft  19   a  is pushed while rotating. In this case, the upper end portion of tilt bracket  18  linked by upper end hinge shaft  19   b  acts as the rotation shaft of tilt bracket  18 . As a result, tilt bracket  18  tilts column tube  1  up by the movement of the lower end portion without the movement of the upper end portion. 
     In the exemplary embodiment, if unified motor  5  reversely rotates by unified motor ECU  4  (when the rotation direction of unified motor  5  for titling column tube  1  up is referred to as a normal direction), actuating rod  7  moves backward while reversely rotating, such that tilt bracket  18  clockwise rotates so as to tilt column tube  1  down. That is, an operation process for tilting column tube  1  down is the same as the above-mentioned operation process for tilting column tube  1  up, except for the operation directions of the components. 
       FIG. 5  shows an operation state for detecting the tilt motion during tilt according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. If the tilt motion is implemented, in tilt mechanism  10 , block housing  13  is pushed or pulled by moving block  14  to push or pull tilt bracket  18 . The motion of block housing  13  moves moving knob  41 , fixed to block housing  13  in perpendicular thereto, in the same direction as block housing  13 . 
     The motion of moving knob  41  causes a position change of moving knob  41  relative to potentiometer  42 , and potentiometer  42  transmits an electric signal corresponding to the position change of moving knob  41  to unified motor ECU  4 . 
     Therefore, unified motor ECU  4  can exactly recognize the progression degree of the tilt motion, and thus, unified motor ECU  4  can greatly improve the accuracy of the tilt motion. 
       FIG. 6  shows a telescoping operation state of the unique motor type motor driven column apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. If the telescoping motion is implemented, the rotation of unified motor  5  driven by the control of unified motor ECU  4  is decelerated by decelerator  6  and then is converted into a motion for moving actuating rod  7  forward (assuming a case of performing forward telescoping) while rotating actuating rod  7 . 
     At the same time, unified motor ECU  4  differently controls tilt clutch  11  of tilt mechanism  10  and telescoping clutch  21  of telescoping mechanism  20 , such that the telescoping motion can be implemented by the operation of telescoping mechanism  20  without interference of tilt mechanism  10 . 
     That is, during telescoping, unified motor ECU  4  draws out plug rod  12  of tilt clutch  11  from opening  13   a  of block housing  13  while drawing plug rod  22  of telescoping clutch  21  into opening  23   a  of block housing  23 . 
     Therefore, moving block  24  of telescoping mechanism  20  is locked by plug rod  22  (locked state Kc), while moving block  14  of tilt mechanism  10  is released from plug rod  12  (released state Kd), such that moving block  24  of telescoping mechanism  20  moves forward along actuating rod  7  without rotating, while moving block  14  of tilt mechanism  10  rotates idle at the same place without moving forward along actuating rod  7 . 
     If moving block  24  of telescoping mechanism  20  moves forward as described above, the forward movement force of moving block  24  is converted into a force for pushing block housing  23  through inner ring  26 . 
     That is, if the telescoping motion is implemented, moving block  24  of telescoping mechanism  20  moves forward along actuating rod  7  moving forward while rotating so as to push block housing  23 . As a result, block housing  23  pushes telescoping rod  28  and thereby moving the support bracket  8  joined with column tube  1 . 
     Telescoping tube  30  pushes column tube  1  covered by telescoping tube  30  while being pushed as described above so as to implement forward telescoping to make a steering wheel closer to a driver side. 
     At this time, tilt mechanism  10  does not make any tilt motion according to the forward movement of actuating rod  7  as described above. 
     In the exemplary embodiment, if unified motor  5  reversely rotates by unified motor ECU  4  (when the rotation direction of unified motor  5  for forward telescoping is referred to as a normal direction), actuating rod  7  moves backward while reversely rotating, such that telescoping rod  28  is pulled so as to implement backward telescoping. That is, an operation process for backward telescoping is the same as the above-mentioned operation process for forward telescoping, except for the operation directions of the components. 
       FIG. 7  shows an operation state for detecting the telescoping motion during telescoping according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. If the telescoping motion is implemented, in telescoping mechanism  20 , block housing  23  is pushed or pulled by moving block  24  to push or pull telescoping rod  28 . The motion of block housing  23  moves moving knob  51 , fixed to block housing  23  in perpendicular thereto, in the same direction as block housing  23 . 
     The motion of moving knob  51  causes a position change of moving knob  51  relative to potentiometer  52 , and potentiometer  52  transmits an electric signal corresponding to the position change of moving knob  51  to unified motor ECU  4 . 
     Therefore, unified motor ECU  4  can exactly recognize the progression degree of the telescoping motion, and thus, unified motor ECU  4  can greatly improve the accuracy of the telescoping motion. 
     As described above, the motor driven column apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment includes tilt mechanism  10  having tilt clutch  11  converting the rotation force of actuating rod  7  moving by one unified motor  5  into a linear movement force for the tilt motion, and telescoping mechanism  20  having telescoping clutch  21  converting the rotation force of actuating rod  7  into a linear movement force for the telescoping motion. Therefore, the simple configuration with one unified motor  5  makes it easy to secure a package of a knee airbag, a column collision absorption structure, etc. 
     Further, the motor driven column apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment further includes potentiometers  42  and  52  sensing the tilt motion and the telescoping motion and transmitting the electric signals to unified motor ECU  4 . Therefore, the accuracy of the tilt and telescoping motions is greatly improved, and the reliability is also greatly improved. 
     For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “inner” and “outer” are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures. 
     The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1