Device to aid in the assembly of a steering system for a motor vehicle and assembly method using it

Abstract

The invention relates to an assembly aid device (5) for a steering assembly of a motor vehicle comprising a steering column (1) including shaft segments (11, 12), said device comprising a support (51) adapted to be removably attached to a shaft segment of the column (11), and an arm (52) extending from said support (51) and including a free end (520) adapted to be reversibly attached to a proximal component of the vehicle (6), and the assembly aid method (5) for a steering assembly using said device. Figure to be published with the abbreviation: Fig. 2

Description

Title of the invention: Device for assisting in the assembly of a steering assembly of a motor vehicle and method of assembly using it

[0001] The invention relates to a device for assisting in the assembly of a steering assembly of a motor vehicle. It also relates to a method of assembling a steering assembly using said device.

[0002] As is well known, motor vehicles, whether for private or commercial use, include a steering assembly comprising in particular a steering column and a steering rack.

[0003] The steering column comprises several interconnected segments, including at least one upper segment to which the steering wheel will be connected in the vehicle's passenger compartment, and one or more axle segments, including a lower axle segment which has a cardan-type articulated link in its lower part with the steering rack, the latter being connected to the steering components of the wheels.

[0004] The steering column shaft segments thus extend from the steering rack, located outside the vehicle's passenger compartment, to the upper segment inside the passenger compartment, passing through an opening drilled in a wall of the vehicle body between the exterior and interior of the passenger compartment. Typically, this wall of the vehicle body, called the bulkhead, extends across the front of the vehicle, transversely between the front trunk and the passenger compartment, and forms part of the vehicle floor.

[0005] During the construction of a motor vehicle, various vehicle components, including the steering rack, are mounted on a mounting plate to be secured to other vehicle components when the mounting plate is joined to the vehicle body, which is positioned above the plate. To mount the steering assembly, the steering column can be installed from outside and / or inside the passenger compartment by passing it through the opening in the bulkhead. The lower shaft segment must be able to be connected to the steering rack mounted on the mounting plate, generally by means of a universal joint. More specifically, the lower shaft segment is connected by a universal joint to the pinion of the steering rack. Depending on the configurations of the front part of the vehicle and the passage opening, the steering column can be at least partially assembled and then connected to the rack, or it can be mounted segment by segment.

[0006] In certain vehicle configurations, mounting the steering assembly is difficult, as the column segments must be able to be installed one after the other. above the other and along the axial direction of the column with an angle of inclination to be respected between the connection points of the column axis segments respectively with the upper segment of the column and with the steering rack. Furthermore, during segment assembly, it may be necessary to automatically pass the lower axle segment through the opening when the vehicle body is positioned over the mounting plate, at the point where the mounting plate and vehicle body are joined. Therefore, the lower axle segment must be able to pass properly through the opening and be oriented towards it. The part of the steering rack to be connected may be offset from the opening.

[0007] Difficulties may arise from ergonomic constraints such as the position and / or size of the passage opening and its accessibility, and / or possibly the length of the lower segment and also the mobility of the lower segment mounted on a multidirectional joint with a high number of degrees of dispersion. The length of the axle segment can be adapted fairly easily so that the segment is long enough to pass through the opening, but the location and / or size of the passage opening may cause difficulties in mounting the steering assembly.

[0008] There is therefore a need to assemble a steering assembly according to ergonomic constraints.

[0009] To this end, the invention provides a device to aid in the assembly of a steering assembly of a motor vehicle comprising a steering column including shaft segments, said device comprising: - a support capable of being removably attached to a segment of the column axis, and - an arm extending outward from said support and comprising a free end capable of reversibly attaching to an element of the vehicle that is proximal to it.

[0010] The device allows the column axis segment to be held to a vehicle element, while subsequently being able to be removed from the column segment very easily.

[0011] Advantageously, the support comprises an elongated, hollow wall adapted to surround the column axis segment and having an open portion along its entire length. The support can thus be easily press-fitted around the column axis segment without tools. Furthermore, it can also be easily removed. Even more advantageously, the said wall is made of elastic material, its flexibility facilitating its assembly and removal without tools.

[0012] Preferably, said device comprises an operating member, preferably projecting from the support. This operating member facilitates the handling of the support, and more specifically its removal. In particular, this operating element is located on said support in a location different from that of said arm and in a direction oriented in a different direction from that of the direction of said arm. In particular, the arm is oriented towards the outside of the passenger compartment and towards a proximal element of the vehicle and it allows the device surrounding the segment on the outside of the passenger compartment to be retained, while the operating member, oriented differently to be accessible from inside the passenger compartment, facilitates the removal of the device from inside the passenger compartment.

[0013] Advantageously, the device consists of a single piece. It can thus be attached to the column segment without having to assemble parts and can be removed in one piece, which saves handling time.

[0014] The invention also relates to a method of mounting a steering assembly of a motor vehicle comprising a steering rack and a steering column having a lower axis segment connecting to said steering rack, said method comprising a step in which a mounting aid device as described above is removably attached to said lower axis segment. The process allows the mounting aid device to be installed and removed around the column axis segment, without the need for any additional tools.

[0015] Preferably, in said assembly method, the assembly aid device is secured to said lower axis segment of the column above the area where said axis segment and the steering rack connect.

[0016] More particularly, in said assembly method, the vehicle comprises a body including a through-hole between the exterior and interior of the passenger compartment, for the passage of the lower axis segment of the column, and said method comprises steps according to which: - The lower axis segment of the column is connected at its lower end to the steering rack, - The assembly aid device is secured to the lower axis segment by positioning the device support around said lower axis segment, preferably by force. - with the steering rack and lower segment assembly installed on a mounting plate supporting other vehicle components, the free end of the device arm is reversibly and preferably force-fitted to one of the vehicle components located on the mounting plate that is proximal to it, and so that said lower axis segment of the column is oriented in a predefined direction as a function of said passage orifice. The connection between the steering rack and the lower column shaft segment can be made on the mounting plate or before positioning them on the plate. Similarly, the mounting aid can be attached to the lower shaft segment on the mounting plate, either before the lower shaft segment is installed on the plate, or before or after the shaft segment is connected to the rack.

[0017] Preferably, said element on the proximal plate of the device is also proximal to the passage orifice. More specifically, the free end of the mounting aid arm is secured to one of the other elements arranged on the mounting plate. Preferably, the free end of the device arm is secured to one of the vehicle components, located on the plate, which is proximal to it and which will be outside the vehicle's passenger compartment.

[0018] In particular, said through-passage opening is made in the wall of the vehicle body formed by the apron separating the front trunk and the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

[0019] More particularly, in said assembly method, the vehicle body is positioned above the mounting plate, and said method includes a step according to which the lower axis segment of the column, thus held (to a proximal element of the vehicle), is passed, in an automated manner, through said passage orifice, and preferably during the docking between the body and the mounting plate.

[0020] In particular, said assembly method includes a subsequent step in which the assembly aid device is removed, in particular using the operating member, to free the lower axis segment of the column. Said device can be easily removed, for example manually, by force, by an operator.

[0021] Advantageously, according to said method, said mounting aid device is dropped through said passage opening. Preferably, said device is dropped from inside the vehicle's passenger compartment.

[0022] Said device makes it possible to maintain the lower axis segment of the steering column in a required position, indexed with respect to an element of the vehicle which is proximal to it, in order to orient said column axis segment connected to the rack towards the passage orifice, in order to pass said axis segment through said passage orifice during the docking step between the mounting plate and the vehicle body.

[0023] The device according to the invention, in addition to being easily installed and removed around the column axis segment, has the advantage of being recyclable once removed. It can thus be used multiple times for assembling the steering system of vehicles with the same configuration. It can also be easily recycled as a material.

[0024] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a particular embodiment of the invention, given by way of example but not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0025] [Fig-1] is a perspective view from inside the passenger compartment of a vehicle, of an example of a configuration in which the assembly of a vehicle steering assembly was carried out according to an assembly method in accordance with the invention.

[0026] [Fig.2] is a side perspective view from the front of the vehicle and external to the passenger compartment, of a device to aid in the assembly of a steering assembly disposed around the lower axis segment of the steering column and holding said segment, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0027] [Fig.3] is a perspective view, from inside the passenger compartment, of the device assembly aid holding the lower axis segment of the steering column according to [Fig.2].

[0028] [Fig.4] is a perspective view, from outside the passenger compartment, of the front trunk of the vehicle in which passes the lower axis segment of the steering column installed according to the method of mounting a steering assembly of a vehicle according to the invention.

[0029] The orientations expressed in the description of the figures are given with reference to a classic orthonormal XYZ frame of reference of a motor vehicle, in which X represents the longitudinal direction, oriented from the front to the rear of the vehicle, Y the transverse direction oriented from the left to the right of the vehicle, and Z the vertical direction oriented towards the top of the vehicle in usual position (resting on its wheels).

[0030] The description of the mounting aid device refers to these vehicle orientations.

[0031] Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a configuration of a front part of a vehicle in which the assembly of the vehicle steering assembly has been carried out according to an assembly method according to the invention. The configuration presented a problem with the installation of the steering column with the steering rack. The steering column comprises an upper segment 13 which connects at its upper end 100 to the vehicle's steering wheel, and a shaft having a lower shaft segment 11 which connects at its upper end 102 to the intermediate shaft segment 12 and at its lower end 103 (visible in Figures 2 to 4) to the steering rack, more precisely to the rack pinion. The intermediate shaft segment 12 is connected at its upper end 101 to the upper segment 13.

[0032] A passage 20 of the lower axis segment 11 of the column 1 is drilled in the transverse wall 2 of the vehicle body located between the exterior and the interior of the passenger compartment. This wall 2 is the bulkhead between the interior of the passenger compartment 3 and the front trunk 4, outside the passenger compartment.

[0033] In such a configuration, the ergonomic constraints of the vehicle, including the location and size of the opening 20 in the bulkhead 2, do not allow the steering column to be installed for connection to the steering rack. Indeed, there is no possibility of accessing the lower axis segment 11 of the steering column 1 to be connected at its lower end 103 to the steering rack, either from inside the vehicle's passenger compartment 3 (see [Fig. 1]), or from the front trunk 4 of the vehicle, which is external to the passenger compartment (see [Fig. 4]).

[0034] The lower axis segment 11 of the column 1 is shown in dotted lines on [Fig.1], after implementation of the assembly method with the assembly aid device shown in Figures 2 and 3 to install said lower axis segment 11 of the steering column 1 with the steering rack, as explained below with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

[0035] Figures 2 and 3 represent the retention of the lower axis segment 11 of the steering column 1 with a device 5 for assisting in the assembly of a steering assembly, according to an embodiment of the invention, once said assembly device 5 - axis segment 11 has passed through the passage 20 provided for this purpose during the assembly process of the steering assembly at the docking stage between a mounting plate and the body of the vehicle.

[0036] Said device 5 is made in the form of a single piece, of plastic material with elastic properties, for example by injection / molding.

[0037] Said device 5 comprises a support 51 which is removably attached to said lower axis segment 11 by surrounding said axis segment 11 of the column. The support consists of a hollow cylindrical wall made of an elastic material, having sufficient flexibility to allow it to be easily mounted by force around said axis segment 11 of the column. Furthermore, this wall is not completely closed; it includes an open portion 510, devoid of material, which extends over a small width of its circumference and along its entire length, parallel to the axial direction of the wall. This opening 510 facilitates the installation and removal of the support 51, both of which can be easily performed manually by force by an operator.The device 5 further comprises an arm 52, projecting from the support 51, the end 520 of which, opposite the end extending from the support 51, is curved to be reversibly attached to a multi-function support 6 located proximal to it in the front trunk 4 of the vehicle, i.e., outside the passenger compartment. The curved end 520 of the arm 52 is press-fitted into a receiving hole 60 (see [Fig. 4]) in the multi-function support 6, so as to retain the axis segment 11 by the device 5 on the multi-function support 6. In other words. In terms, the curved end 520 of the arm 52 forms an indexing finger, and the receiving hole 60 which comprises the proximal element of the vehicle 6 constitutes an indexing hole.

[0038] During the construction of the vehicle, a mounting plate is used on which various vehicle elements are positioned, such as suspension elements, brake pipes, brake discs, engine elements, and the steering rack, in order to assemble these elements to other vehicle elements during the docking between the mounting plate and the vehicle body, which includes the apron 2 and is positioned above the plate.

[0039] The steering rack and the multifunction support are placed at the front of the plate (corresponding to the front of the vehicle).

[0040] The method for mounting the steering assembly between the steering column 1 and the steering rack comprises the following steps: - the lower axis segment 11 of the column is connected at its lower end 103 to the steering rack, the steering rack and lower axis segment 11 assembly being installed on the mounting plate supporting other vehicle components, - an operator secures the assembly aid device 5 around said axis segment 11 by positioning the support 51 of the device 5 around said lower axis segment 11, by force, above the area where said column segment 11 and the steering rack connect, and - the operator secures the free end 520 of the arm 52 of the device 5 by inserting it into the receiving hole 60 of the multifunction support 6 which is also arranged on the mounting plate, so that said segment of axis 11 of the column is oriented in a predefined direction according to said passage hole 20. The multi-function support 6 is proximal to the through-hole 20 and the rack pinion which is connected to the lower end 103 of the lower column segment 11, and this multi-function support 6 will be located at the front trunk 4, outside the vehicle's passenger compartment, when docking between the mounting plate and the body.

[0041] Then, during the docking between the body and the mounting plate, the vehicle body is positioned above the mounting plate with the elements that the latter supports, the lower axis segment 11 of the column connected to the rack and thus held to the multi-function support 6 by said device 5 is passed, in an automated manner, through said passage orifice 20.

[0042] In a subsequent step, the operator manually removes the mounting aid 5, if necessary using the operating member 53, by disengaging the end 520 of said arm 52 from the receiving hole 60 simply by force, during removal of the support 51 around the segment 11 through said passage 20, and from inside the passenger compartment 3 of the vehicle from where it is easily accessible ([Fig. 3]).

[0043] Said device 5 thus makes it possible to maintain the lower column axis segment 11 in the position assigned to it, indexed with respect to the multi-function support 6 which is proximal to it and oriented towards the passage 20 of the apron 2 when the vehicle body is positioned above the mounting plate, in order to pass said axis segment 11, thus maintained, through the passage 20 during the docking between the mounting plate and the vehicle body. The removal of said device 5 subsequently allows said segment of axis 11 to be separated from the proximal element 6 without an additional tool.

[0044] After removal of the device 5, the upper end 102 of said lower axis segment 11 will be connected to the lower end of the intermediate axis segment 12 of the steering column 1. The upper end of the intermediate axis 12 will be connected by a universal joint to the upper receiver segment 13 at its end 100 of the steering wheel. The articulated connection of said lower segment 11 with the rack pinion allows its upper end to be oriented along the axial direction of the column axis to connect it with the intermediate segment 12, which is telescopic as shown in the example.

[0045] Said device 5 is designed according to the data relating to the location and size of the passage orifice 20 for the axis segment 11 to be held, the inclination to be given to it to orient it towards the passage orifice when docking between the mounting plate and the body, and the vehicle element 6 which is proximal to it and carrying the reception place 60 for its indexing to which the axis segment 11 will be held by said device 5.

[0046] The invention is not, however, limited to this embodiment and in particular to the proximal element of the vehicle. For example, in the case of a vehicle in which the steering wheel is located on the right side of the vehicle, the proximal element in the front trunk of the vehicle could be the battery support.

[0047] The invention can be applied to both passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles (for professionals). The invention can be applied to vehicles with internal combustion engines as well as to hybrid or fully electric vehicles.

Claims

Demands

1. A method for mounting a steering assembly of a motor vehicle comprising a steering rack and a steering column (1) having a lower shaft segment (11) connecting to said steering rack, said vehicle having a body comprising a wall (2) having a through-hole (20) passing between the exterior (4) and the interior (3) of the passenger compartment, for the passage of the lower shaft segment (11) of the steering column: said method comprising steps according to which: - the lower shaft segment (11) of the column is connected at its lower end (103) to the steering rack, - a mounting aid device (5) is removably attached to said lower shaft segment (11), the mounting aid device comprising: - a support (51) capable of being removably attached to a shaft segment of the column (11),and - an arm (52) projecting from said support (51) and comprising a free end (520) capable of being reversibly attached to a proximal component of the vehicle (6); the mounting aid being attached to the lower axis segment (11) by arranging the support (51) of the device around said lower axis segment (11), preferably by force; - the steering rack and lower segment assembly being installed on a mounting plate supporting other vehicle components, and the free end (520) of the arm (52) of said device is reversibly and preferably by force attached to one of the proximal components (6) of the vehicle arranged on the mounting plate, and such that said lower axis segment (11) of the column is oriented in a predefined direction as a function of said passage hole (20).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that said support (51) comprises an elongated hollow wall adapted to surround the column axis segment and having an open portion (510) along the entire length of said wall, and preferably said wall is made of elastic material.

3. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the assembly aid device (5) comprises an operating member (53), preferably projecting from the support (51).

4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the assembly aid device (5) is made of a single piece.

5. Assembly method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the assembly aid device (5) is secured to the lower column axis segment above the area where said lower axis segment (11) and the steering rack connect.

6. Assembly method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the vehicle body is positioned above the mounting plate, and comprising a step in which the lower axis segment (11) of the steering column, thus held, is passed, in an automated manner, through said passage orifice (20), and preferably during the docking between the body and the mounting plate.

7. Assembly method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising a subsequent step in which the assembly aid device (5) is removed, in particular using the operating member (53).

8. Assembly method according to claim 9, characterized in that said assembly aid device (5) is deposited through said passage orifice (20), and preferably from inside the vehicle's passenger compartment.

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