Adjustable Steering Stop for Wheel Scrub Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current steering systems for vehicles lack the ability to adjust the steering stop position effectively, leading to potential wheel scrubbing against the vehicle body during turns, especially when tractive elements are reconfigured for different tasks or terrain, which can cause damage and affect maneuverability.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable steering stop system that includes a chassis stop and a knuckle stop, coupled to the vehicle's chassis and steering knuckle respectively, with an adjustment actuator to change the steering limit location, allowing for user-controlled adjustment of the steering stop position to prevent wheel scrubbing and optimize turning radius.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the steering stop position is fixed, then the steering system is simple and reliable, but the wheel may scrub against the vehicle body during turns when tractive elements are reconfigured
Solution Approach 1:
The steering stop position is made adjustable through an actuator system that can dynamically reposition the stop between different configurations. The knuckle stop includes a body coupled to the steering knuckle and a contact surface that can be repositioned relative to the chassis stop, allowing the steering limit location to change based on operational requirements without requiring a completely different steering system for each configuration.
2Reliability
If the steering stop position is adjusted to prevent wheel scrubbing, then the vehicle can handle different tasks and terrains, but the steering system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The steering stop system is divided into separate components: a chassis stop fixed to the vehicle body, a knuckle stop body coupled to the steering knuckle, and a contact surface that can be repositioned. This segmentation allows the contact surface to be adjusted independently to prevent wheel scrubbing while keeping the overall steering system structure relatively simple and maintaining reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the steering stop position is fixed, then the device complexity is low, but the turning radius cannot be optimized for different operational conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The steering stop position is made variable through the actuator mechanism that can change the location where the knuckle stop contacts the chassis stop. By adjusting the position of the contact surface on the knuckle stop body, the steering limit location changes, allowing optimization of the turning radius for different operational conditions such as narrow corridor navigation versus open terrain operation.
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable steering stop includes a chassis stop configured to be coupled to a chassis member of a vehicle and a knuckle stop configured to be coupled to a steering knuckle. The chassis stop and the knuckle stop together define a steering limit location where the knuckle stop contacts the chassis stop. The adjustable steering stop further includes an adjustment actuator coupled to one of the chassis stop or the knuckle stop to move the chassis stop or the knuckle stop thereby changing the steering limit location.