US 11,697,450 B2
Handwheel actuator assembly
Lukas Schemmel, Wasserlosen (DE); David Julian Moule, Birmingham (GB); and Russell Wilson-Jones, Stratford-upon-Avon (GB)
Assigned to ZF AUTOMOTIVE UK LIMITED, West Midlands (GB); and ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG, Friedrichshafen (DE)
Appl. No. 16/770,710
Filed by ZF AUTOMOTIVE UK LIMITED, West Midlands (GB); and ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG, Friedrichshafen (DE)
PCT Filed Dec. 4, 2018, PCT No. PCT/GB2018/053517
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 8, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/110985, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 13, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 1720363 (GB), filed on Dec. 6, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0163061 A1, Jun. 3, 2021
Int. Cl. B62D 5/00 (2006.01); B60K 35/00 (2006.01); B60R 16/02 (2006.01); B62D 1/10 (2006.01)
CPC B62D 5/006 (2013.01) [B60K 35/00 (2013.01); B60R 16/0207 (2013.01); B62D 1/105 (2013.01); B60K 2370/16 (2019.05)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A handwheel actuator assembly for a steer by wire steering system of a vehicle, the assembly comprising:
a steering wheel having at least one hand grip portion rotatable around an axis of rotation of the steering wheel which can be gripped by a driver, the steering wheel having a hub that supports the hand grip portion;
a housing;
a stub shaft having one end rotatably supported in the housing and another end fixed to the hub such that the stub shaft rotates with the hub around the axis; and
a feedback torque generator comprising an electric motor which has a stator and a rotor, the stator and the rotor being in the housing, wherein the rotor is directly or indirectly fixed to the stub shaft and rotates with the hub of the steering wheel via the stub shaft, and the stator is secured to a fixed part of the vehicle body such that it cannot rotate relative to the vehicle body,
wherein the electric motor comprises a brushless permanent magnet Vernier motor.