Abstract: A method for assembling an annular seal element, formed by a sealing cord which runs around an opening on a seal receptacle which runs around on the outside of a component. The method includes introducing two assembly fingers into the opening of the annular seal element, stretching the annular seal element by moving the assembly fingers apart from one another, with the formation of a cord portion of the sealing cord, the cord portion being freely tensioned between the assembly fingers, placing the freely tensioned cord portion onto the seal receptacle in a contact region, applying the annular seal element, by way of its opening, onto the seal receptacle, and removing the assembly fingers from the annular seal element. The assembly fingers are moved so as to follow the profile of the seal receptacle, to travel around the seal receptacle in opposite directions.

Abstract: A helical gear transmission for an electromechanical power-assisted steering mechanism includes a shaft which meshes with a helical gear. The shaft is disposed in a housing and at the first end of said shaft in a drive-side bearing assembly is mounted to rotate about a rotation axis, and at the second end of said shaft in a drive-distal bearing assembly is mounted in the housing. The drive-side bearing assembly has a fixed bearing, and the fixed bearing is enclosed by two bearing shells. On each end side of the fixed bearing one spring element is disposed between the fixed bearing and the respective bearing shell. The spring elements asymmetrically pre-load the fixed bearing such that a pivot axis about which the shaft is pivotable in the direction of the helical gear is disposed in the region of the toothing plane of the shaft and the helical gear.

Abstract: A steering column for a motor vehicle may include a casing unit in which a steering spindle is mounted such that the steering spindle is rotatable about a longitudinal axis that extends in a longitudinal direction. The casing unit has at least two telescopically guided casing tubes that are adjustable relative to one another in the longitudinal direction, an intermediate element that is movable in the longitudinal direction and is arranged between the casing tubes, and a positioning device for positioning the intermediate element in the longitudinal direction relative to the casing tubes. The positioning device may have elongate guide tracks that are arranged on the casing tubes and the intermediate element and interact with one another such that they position the casing tubes and the intermediate element relative to one another in a defined manner.

Abstract: A steering column may include an actuating unit in which a steering shaft is mounted rotatably, a holding unit that is connectable to a body of a motor vehicle and that adjustably supports the actuating unit, a locking element that is coupled movably to the holding unit for axial locking of the actuating unit, a spring element that exerts a prestressing force on the locking element, a securing element for fixing the spring element, and a counterbearing. The locking element, the securing element, and the counterbearing may form a three-point arrangement in which the spring element is fixed. The spring element may be supported on one side on the locking element and on the other side on the counterbearing. The securing element may be arranged between the locking element and the counterbearing and may prestress the spring element.

Abstract: An adjustment drive for a steering column may include a drive unit having a threaded spindle that is supported in a gearbox housing at a bearing portion so as to be rotatable, with the threaded spindle including a threaded portion with a spindle thread that is axially adjoined to a shaft portion on which a gear wheel is arranged in a rotationally secure manner. The gear wheel meshes with a drive wheel that is coupled to a motor. Between the threaded portion and the gear wheel a peripheral bearing groove with a groove base may extend between groove flanks thereof. The bearing portion may be disposed in the bearing groove in a region of the groove base, and the bearing portion may be supported in a sliding manner in a bearing opening of a bearing plate that engages radially in the bearing groove.

Abstract: A steering system circuit arrangement for operating an electric motor comprised by a steering adjuster may include a control unit and either a first sensor unit, which is designed to provide first input signals, or a second sensor unit, which is designed to provide second input signals that are different from the first input signals. The control unit is configured to both receive the first input signals provided by the first sensor unit and to provide an actuation signal for the electric motor by taking account of these received first input signals, and to receive the second input signals provided by the second sensor unit and to provide the actuation signal by taking account of these received second input signals. Further, an electromechanical steering system may include such a circuit arrangement. Methods for producing and operating such steering systems may also be utilized.

Abstract: An electromechanical power steering system for a motor vehicle includes a worm shaft which can be driven by an electric motor and which meshes with a worm wheel coupled to a steering shaft. The worm shaft is rotatably mounted in a bearing which has at least one bearing ring fitted in a retainer that can be displaced relative to the worm wheel. In order to specify an electromechanical power steering system having an improved retainer, which has higher dimensional stability and increased stiffness, according to the invention the retainer has a main body of plastic, which is injection-molded onto the bearing ring as an injection-molded part.

Abstract: A motor electric control unit (ECU) for an electromechanical power steering mechanism, which controls current through an electric assist motor in response to steering mechanism sensors' signals. The ECU may comprise at least two channels. Each channel has the steering mechanism sensors in a redundancy concept. At least one voter that is assigned to an actuator and is configured to vote on the correct steering mechanism sensors' outputs of the at least two channels. The steering mechanism sensors may include a steering column torque sensor and an RPS sensor for sensing a rotor angle of the electric assist motor. Each of the at least two channels may include processors that have different software to protect against systematic faults.

Abstract: An adjustment drive can be used in a steering column for a motor vehicle. In some examples, the adjustment drive may include a threaded spindle that engages with an outer thread in a spindle nut and a drive unit that is coupled to the threaded spindle or the spindle nut in such a manner that the threaded spindle and the spindle nut can be driven in rotation relative to each other. The drive unit may have a torque-transmitting slip clutch that is coupled to the threaded spindle or the spindle nut. The slip clutch may include friction faces that contact each other in a frictionally engaging manner.

Abstract: A controller may have a plurality of self-diagnostic functions, each of which is configured for checking a function of an assigned hardware component of the controller. Each of the self-diagnostic functions may have at least one safety limit value, which is configured such that when the at least one safety limit value is exceeded the corresponding hardware component is switched off. Each of the self-diagnostic functions may have at least one quality limit value, the absolute value of which is smaller than an absolute value of the at least one safety limit value. The at least one quality limit value can be configured such that a quality-relevant state can be detected in the assigned hardware component when the at least one quality limit value is exceeded.

Abstract: A steering column may include a casing unit in which a steering spindle is rotatably mounted about a longitudinal axis and which has at least three telescopically guided casing tubes that are mutually adjustable in an axial direction. One of the tubes is an external casing tube in which an intermediate casing tube is received, an internal casing tube being received in the intermediate casing tube. A locking bolt installation can releasably lock at least two of the casing tubes to one another in the direction of the longitudinal axis. The locking bolt installation can switch between an internal blocking position and an external blocking position. The intermediate casing tube in the internal blocking position is locked to the internal casing tube. The intermediate casing tube in the external locking position is locked to the external casing tube.

Abstract: A steering column for a motor vehicle may include an actuating unit in which a steering spindle is rotatably mounted and which is held in an adjustable manner by a supporting unit, an adjustment device for adjusting the actuating unit with respect to the supporting unit, and a position-sensing device that includes a first sensor unit for sensing the position of the actuating unit with respect to the supporting unit. The position-sensing device may also include a second sensor unit for sensing a state when the actuating unit is in a predetermined position relative to the supporting unit. One or both of the sensor units may be configured to operate in a contactless manner.

Abstract: A steering system for a motor vehicle having a rotation sensor may include a magnetic element that is attached to a steering shaft and is rotatable with the latter about an axis, two stator elements that are arranged fixed coaxially relative to the steering shaft. The stator elements may be spaced apart axially from one another and may be operatively connected to at least one sensor element via two flux conductors. A flux conductor in each case has a collecting portion, a connecting portion, and a compensator portion. The collecting portion is connected to a stator element and is connected to the compensator portion via a connecting portion. The sensor element may be arranged between the two flux conductors. The compensator portion may have a compensator surface that is smaller than or equal to a collecting surface of the collecting portion.

Abstract: A drive unit for an electrical power-assisted steering system of a motor vehicle may include an electric motor with a stator housing to which a control housing, in which a control circuit board is arranged, is attached, and with a connecting unit, attached to the stator housing, which has electrical connecting elements and at least one positioning element. The connecting elements are electrically connected to the electric motor and to the control circuit board. The positioning element interacts with the control circuit board for the purpose of relative positioning. To enable simpler and more secure mounting, the positioning element interacts with the control housing for the purpose of relative positioning.

Abstract: A steering column for a motor vehicle, comprising a casing unit, in which a steering spindle is mounted rotatably about a longitudinal axis and which has at least two casing tubes which are guided adjustably relative to one another by an adjustment distance in the direction of the longitudinal axis. In order to permit easier adjustment, the casing tubes can be brought along the adjustment distance relative to one another into at least one comfort region and at least one transition region, wherein a transition adjustment force for the relative adjustment of the casing tubes in the transition region is smaller than a comfort adjustment force for the relative adjustment of the casing tubes in the comfort region.

Abstract: A steering column may include a casing tube in which a steering spindle is rotatably mounted, a guide unit that receives the casing unit so as to be telescopically adjustable in a direction of a longitudinal axis, and an electromotor adjustment drive that is arranged between the casing tube and the guide unit. An inner bearing face of the guide unit surrounds an outer casing surface of the casing tube and includes a slot extending longitudinally with a slot width between mutually opposing slot edges. A preload device engages the slot edges and is configured to apply a tightening force to reduce the slot width to preload the bearing face together with the casing surface. A clamping body cooperates with the slot edges via a deflection device that converts a reduction of slot width into a radial clamping movement of the clamping body for radial preloading the outer casing surface.

Abstract: An adjusting drive for a steering column for a motor vehicle may include a threaded spindle with an external thread that engages in a spindle nut and a drive unit that is coupled to the threaded spindle or the spindle nut such that the threaded spindle and the spindle nut are able to be rotatably driven relative to one another by overcoming a screw resistance. To permit an optimized adjustment over the entire adjusting region, the threaded spindle includes at least one actuator portion and at least one transition portion. The transition portion is configured such that the screw resistance of the spindle nut is lower in the transition portion than in the actuator portion.

Abstract: An electromechanical power steering unit for a motor vehicle includes an integral component having a torque sensor unit, which detects the rotation of the upper steering shaft relative to the lower steering shaft. The torque sensor unit includes a ring magnet rotationally fixed to the upper steering shaft and a magnetic flux guide connected to the lower steering shaft. A magnet sensor detects the rotation of the shaft connected to the ring magnet with respect to the lower shaft connected to the magnetic flux guide and the ring magnet is carried by a ring magnet sleeve, which sits on the upper steering shaft and is made from a thermoplastic material and is molded by way of ultrasound forming in the upper steering shaft in one region for mounting on the upper steering shaft.

Abstract: A steering column has a housing. A steering spindle jacket is disposed within the housing. An outer steering spindle is disposed within the steering spindle jacket and has a spline hub. An inner spindle is disposed within the outer steering spindle and includes a spline shaft configured to permit axial movement and prevent rotation of the outer steering spindle when the spline hub and the spline shaft are engaged. In a non-stowed state the spline shaft and the spline hub are engaged and in a stowed state the spline shaft and the spline hub are free of engagement. A pin is disposed in the housing engages the spline hub portion in the stowed state and prevents rotation of the outer steering spindle and is free of engagement in the non-stowed state.

Abstract: A steering column may include a first adjustment drive for adjustments in a length adjustment direction and a second adjustment drive for adjustments in a height adjustment direction. The adjustment drives each have a drive motor. A joint control unit for the drive motors comprises three half bridges arranged in parallel and connected between two voltage potentials. Each half bridge has a high-side switch and a low-side switch connected in series via a connection point. The connection point of the first half bridge is electrically conductively connected to a first connection of a first drive motor. The connection point of a second half bridge is electrically conductively connected to a second connection of the first drive motor and to a first connection of the second drive motor. The connection point of a third half bridge is electrically conductively connected to a second connection of the second drive motor.