| United States Patent | 5,147,004 |
| Weisgerber, et. al. | Sept. 15, 1992 |
Powertrain-driven electromagnetic rear steering system
| Inventors: | Weisgerber; Thomas W. (Saginaw, MI); Zuraski; Jeffery A. (Saginaw, MI); Babineau; James W. (Saginaw, MI); McDonald; Brian P. (Saginaw, MI). |
| Assignee: | General Motors Corp. (Detroit, MI). |
| Appl. No.: | 638,242 |
| Filed: | Jan. 7, 1991 |
| Intl. Cl. : | B60K 25/08 |
| U.S. Cl.: | 180/53.6; 180/79.3; 280/91; 74/13 |
| Current U.S. Class: | 180/53.6 |
| Field of Search: | 180/79.3, 79.4, 79.5, 53.6, 53.61, 53.62, 140, 148, 79.1; 280/91, 98, 99; 74/13, 14, 388 PS |
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
| 1,454,178 | May, 1923 | Moore | 180/79.3 |
| 2,900,835 | Aug., 1959 | Winkelmann et al. | 180/79.3 |
| 2,967,980 | Jan., 1961 | Ovshinsky | 180/79.3 |
| 2,987,132 | Jun., 1961 | Reiter | 180/79.3 |
| 4,078,438 | Mar., 1978 | Starbard | 74/13 |
| 4,467,885 | Aug., 1984 | Furukawa | 180/148 |
| 4,496,016 | Jan., 1985 | Unsworth et al. | 180/53.6 |
| 4,741,409 | May, 1988 | Westercamp et al. | 180/148 |
| 4,779,471 | Oct., 1988 | Rettig | 74/13 |
Foreign Patent Documents
| 0002722 | Jan., 1988 | JP | 180/53 .6 |
Primary Examiner: Marmor; Charles A.
Assistant Examiner: Buenhler; Anne Marie
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Navarre; Mark A.
Abstract
A rear steering system in which a rotary mechanical input obtained from one of the rear wheels is controllably applied to a rear steering rack through an electromagnetic clutch apparatus operated by an electronic control unit. The rotary mechancial input is achieved with a flexible cable gear driven by the rear wheel. The cable provides a rotary mechanical input to a magnetic particle clutch assembly, which in turn, interfaces with the rear steering rack via a bevel gearset. The clutch assembly is controlled by an electronic control unit which responds to a variety of system parameters such as the front and rear rack positions, forward/reverse indication and the speed of the vehicle.
7 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures
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