Q.

1 Sona koyo steering system

Ans sona koyo steering system was established in 1985.it is the largest manufacturer of steering system
for passenger cars, utility vehicles and light commercial vehicles. The company has technical and financial
collaboration with JTEKT coorporation which is the largest producer of passenger vehicle in the world. The
key customers of the company include Maruti Suzuki, Toyota, Hyundai, Tata Motors, Mahindra &
Mahindra, General Motors and Ford. The company also exports its products to USA, Europe and Japan.

The products of Sona Koyo steering system include:

1. High performance tilt steering column

2. High performance intermediate shaft for CEPS
3. High performance telescopic shaft for steering column
4. Advanced telescopic I-shaft for CEPS
5. Improved hydraulic power steering gear
6. High performance steering gear for CEPS system
7. Electronically controlled power steering system
8. Advanced column technology for HCV
9. Advanced telescopic I-shaft technology for HCV
10. Advanced steering column with value added features
11. Intermediate shaft with vibration dampener for UV
12. Improved steering column
13. Steer by wire
14. Steering electronic control unit
15. Electric power assist module

Q.2 What is steering? What are the types of steering systems for different vehicles?
Ans. Steering system is a system consisting of collection of components, linkages etc. which allows a
vehicle to move in a desired course. It converts the circular motion of the steering wheel to the angular
motion of the drive wheels.
Types of steering system for different vehicles.

The classification of vehicles based upon number of wheels:

1. Two wheeler vehicles : Motor cycles and Scooties

The steering used is Hub centre steering system

2. Four wheeler vehicles: car, jeep, bus, truck

The steering used are rack and pinion steering, recirculating ball type steering, worm and roller, Electric
power steering(EPS), Hydraulic power steering(HPS).

3. Six wheeler vehicles: Buses and Truck

The steering system used are Hydraulic power steering system and Hydro Electric power steering system

Q.3 What is electric power steering? What are the different types of electric power steering?
Ans. Power steering provides assistance (assist torque) to which helps the driver to steer the vehicle more
comfortably. Electric power steering uses torque sensor, electric motor and other components to
estimate the torque applied by the driver and according provide the assistance torque.
Different types of electric power steering?
1. Column Assist type: in this system, the assist motor is connected to the steering column.

Figure 1 COLUMN ASSIST TYPE EPAS

2. Pinion Assist type: in this system, the assist motor is connected to the pinion shaft of the
steering system. It is used in small cars.

Figure 2 PINION ASSIST TYPE EPAS

3. Direct drive type: it consists of combined unit of steering gear and assist unit.
 4. Rack Assist type: in this system, the assist motor is connected to the steering rack.

Figure 3 RACK ASSIST TYPE EPAS

Q 4. What are the different types of power steering? How the power steering works? What are the
different components of power steering?
Ans. There are basically three types of power steering systems:

1. Hydraulic power assisted steering

2. Electric power assisted steering

3. Electro hydraulic power assisted steering

Power steering provides assistance (assist torque) which helps the driver to steer the vehicle more
comfortably. Electric power steering uses torque sensor, electric motor and other components to
estimate the torque applied by the driver and according provide the assistance torque.
1. Hydraulic Power Assisted Steering(HPAS):
The main components of HPAS system are: Hydraulic pump, hoses, pressure control
valve, and hydraulic piston.

2. Electric power assisted steering:

The main components of EPAS are: Electric motor, torque sensor, ECU

3. Electro hydraulic power steering system:

The main components are: Electric motor, hydraulic pump, torque sensor, ECU,
hydraulic cylinder.
Working of HPAS:

Figure 4 HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING

In the Hydraulic power steering system when the steering wheel is rotated, the pump generally rotary
vane pump throws fluid from the reservoir to the rotary valve. The rotary valve according opens the fluid
line to one side of the hydraulic double acting cylinder and sucks the fluid from the other side which causes
the hydraulic piston to push the rack in the opposite direction of the steering wheel and hence provide
the assisting torque to the steering system.
2. Working of Electric power steering:

Figure 5 ELECTRIC POWER STEERING

In the electric power steering, when the steering wheel is rotated the toque sensor mounted on the
steering column senses the amount of torque applied by the driver on the steering wheel. Based on the
input i.e torque applied at the steering wheel, the torque sensor sends an electrical signal to the ECU. The
ECU computes the input signals which also include vehicle speed and the direction of motion of the vehicle
. after computing the ECU sends the signal to the electric motor which drives the pinion and provides the
assist torque.
Working of Hydro Electric power steering:

Figure 6 HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER STEERING SYSTEM

In the hydro electric power steering system, the power to the hydraulic system is delivered by an electric
motor and not the engine directly. This means that the engine load does not change as the power is being
delivered by battery and motor.

Another added advantage is that the electric motor gets operated and controlled by the ECU unit which
controls the motor very precisely by accurately monitoring the steering force, vehicle speed and steering
angle. This added intelligence makes the system very comfortable to drive and improves the handling &
feel to a great extent.
Q.5 What are the merits of EPS and HPS? Which one is better for which vehicle?
Ans Merits of EPS:

1. Electric power steering improves the efficiency of the vehicle as it utilizes energy from
the alternator of the car only when it is required unlike hydraulic power steering whose
pump is driven by the engine which reduces the efficiency of the system.

2. Due to the presence of more of electric components, the reliability of the system is higher
as compared to that of hydraulic system which has more of mechanical components like
valves and hoses.
3. It aquires less space and the assembly of the system is simpler.

4. Due to the absence of hydraulic pump the problems associated with the hydraulic pumps
are eliminated. These include unwanted vibrations, designing the location for the pump
etc.
 5. The electric steering unit is still connected to the steering wheel by a steel shaft, but this
is only used to provide input to the sensor during normal operation. If the steering
module detects a fault, it shuts down the electric motor and the steel shaft allows the
vehicle to still be steered.

6. Electric Power Steering gives better response at different speeds as compared to

Hydraulic Power Steering.

7. EPS requires less maintenance as compared to that of HPS

Merits of HPS:

1. The hydraulic power steering uses hydraulic fluid which provides more power and hence
more assist torque.

2. It reduces the drivers fatigue in comparison to normal steering.

3. The input torque is low and the steering works continuously.

In most of the vehicles, the Electric power steering has successfully replaced Hydraulic power steering.
According to me, the EPS can give better performance in small and medium utility vehicles where the
torque requirement is less as compared to the heavy utility vehicles. HPS can give better performance in
the heavy utility vehicles as it can produce comparatively higher amount of torque.

For heavy utiity vehicles(HUVs), the Hydro Electric power steering can also be used as it is more accurate,
precise and fuel efficient as compared to the HPS and provides more power as compared to that of EPS.

Q. 6 What is Steer by wire?

Ans Steer by wire is the technology which is focused on eliminating most of the mechanical components
of the steering system in a vehicle. There is no mechanical connection between the steering wheel an the
wheels of the car. Unlike convectional steering system, steer by wire converts the steering input into
electrical signals which guide the steering angle actuators to move the tires in the desired direction.
The components of Steer by wire system are steering wheel , steering rod ,angle sensor feedback motor,
ECU, Steering angle actuator, pinion angle sensor, power assist unit.

Working: when the driver applies certain torque to rotate the steering wheel, the angle sensor and the
feedback motor sense the corresponding angle of the steering wheel as well as the steering torque and
send the signal to ECU. the ECU computes several algorithms to evaluate the amount of torque required
at wheels and sends the signal to the steering angle actuator which is basically an electric motor driven
by power assist unit which drives the pinion on the rack to provide the appropriate torque as commanded
by the ECU. Pinion angle sensor senses the angle of the pinion and sends the information to ECU via the
electrical signals. ECU makes sure that the steering wheel angle as well as the pinion angle are same.
 Figure 7 STEER BY WIRE

Advantages:

1. Safety: electric and electronic components are more reliable than the mechanical
components which are making the system more reliable and safer.
2. Ergonomics: by the elemination of mechanical components a lot more space is available to
improve the design of the vehicle

3. Reduced weight: less mechanical components help in reducing the weight of the vehicle and
hence increasing the overall effiency and power of the engine.

Disadvantages:

1. Can be hacked: Due to the use of electronic components, there is a possibility that the system can
be hacked.

2. Skilled labour: to repair and install the system skilled labour is required
3. Costly: cost of the system will be high as compared to the previous system.
Q. 7 How steering works in a driverless car? Is there any steering system required?
Ans in the driverless car, the passenger set the destination. The cars software calculates a route and starts
the car on its way. A rotating roof mounted sensor called LIDAR(Light Detecting and Ranging) monitors 60
meter range around the car and creates a dynamic 3-D map of the cars current environment. There is a
sensor on the left rear wheel which monitors sideways movement to detect the cars position relative to
the 3D map. There is a Radar system installed in the front and the rear bumpers which calculate distances
to obstacles. The Artificial Intelligence software is the key component of the system which receives input
signals from all the sensors. It also receives input from street view softwares like google street view and
video cameras inside the car. The AI computes all the inputs and accordingly control various systems like
steering system.
The steering system is required in the driverless car but the steering wheel can be eliminated.