Submersible electro-hydraulic powerpack for underhood automotive steering applications
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An electro-hydraulic power steering system comprising:
- a power pack including;
an electric motor having a rotatable drive shaft;
a pump having a gear drive in rotatable communication with said drive shaft;
a motor housing encompassing said electric motor, said motor housing having a closed end and an open end, with said drive shaft adjacent said open end;
a pump housing secured to said motor housing and having a pump reservoir formed therein, said pump being in fluid communication with said pump reservoir; and
an electronic control module for controlling the operation of said motor, said electronic control being in thermal communication with said pump reservoir;
wherein said power pack and said electronic control module are constructed so that they can be jointly submersed in liquid while operating.
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Abstract
An electro-hydraulic power steering system having a motor, a pump, and a control module all formed as an integral unit. The motor is shaft coupled to the pump and the pump housing and the motor housing are sealingly attached to prevent any fluid leakage. The control module is sealingly attached to the pump housing to prevent any fluid leakage. The control module is in electrical communication with the motor in order to drive a motor shaft and operate the hydraulic pump. The entire unit is submersible and can operate when submersed.
38 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An electro-hydraulic power steering system comprising:
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a power pack including;
an electric motor having a rotatable drive shaft;
a pump having a gear drive in rotatable communication with said drive shaft;
a motor housing encompassing said electric motor, said motor housing having a closed end and an open end, with said drive shaft adjacent said open end;
a pump housing secured to said motor housing and having a pump reservoir formed therein, said pump being in fluid communication with said pump reservoir; and
an electronic control module for controlling the operation of said motor, said electronic control being in thermal communication with said pump reservoir;
wherein said power pack and said electronic control module are constructed so that they can be jointly submersed in liquid while operating. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An electro-hydraulic power steering system for a motor vehicle, comprising:
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an electric motor having a rotatable drive shaft, said drive shaft having a first end and a second end;
a hydraulic pump in rotatable communication with said drive shaft;
a motor housing in which said electric motor is disposed, said motor housing having an open end and a closed end;
a pump housing, having a pump reservoir formed therein sealingly secured to said motor housing to prevent unwanted fluid from communicating with said electric motor or said hydraulic pump; and
an electronic control module, having an input electrical interconnect and an output electrical interconnect, said electronic control module sealingly attached to said pump housing;
said output electrical interconnect providing current to said motor through a sealed motor/module connector. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification