The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 09, 1999
Filed:
Aug. 13, 1997
Leland Nels Olgren, Frankenmuth, MI (US);
Hamid Vahabzadeh, Oakland, MI (US);
Madhu Raghavan, Bloomfield Hills, MI (US);
General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
A steering apparatus for a motor vehicle including a steering column and an electric power assist apparatus. The steering column includes a mast jacket, a steering shaft rotatably supported on the mast jacket, and a steering hand wheel on the steering shaft. The electric power assist apparatus includes a speed reducer on the mast jacket and an electric motor. A worm wheel of the speed reducer is rigidly connected to an output shaft of the speed reducer which, in turn, is connected to a steering gear of the motor vehicle. A worm gear of the speed reducer is driven by the electric motor and meshes with the worm wheel to transfer the torque of the electric motor to the speed reducer output shaft. A tubular reference shaft is rotatably supported on the speed reducer housing. A torsion bar in the tubular reference shaft has a lower end connected to the speed reducer output shaft and an upper end connected to the reference shaft and to the steering shaft through a stroking universal coupling which isolates the reference shaft and the speed reducer output shaft from lateral runout of the steering shaft.