Adjustment Drive Safety Coupling With Tunable Manual Haptics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adjustment drives in motor vehicles face challenges in achieving a balance between safety coupling protection and desired haptics during manual actuation, requiring repeated adaptation to meet haptic requirements in different end applications.
Innovation Solution
An adjustment drive with a safety coupling that separates the self-locking transmission stage from excessive torque using gearwheels with coupling elements pretensioned by resilient elements, allowing a free-running mechanism to determine haptics and enable flexible haptic adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a safety coupling is installed to protect the self-locking transmission from excessive torque, then the transmission is protected from damage, but the haptics of manual actuation becomes difficult to control and consensus between haptics and safety coupling cannot be reached
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the safety coupling into two distinct functional parts: coupling elements (15) that provide safety protection by disengaging under excessive torque, and engaging elements (12) that determine haptics through controlled engagement with engaging contours (7b). This segmentation allows independent optimization of protection and haptics characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the coupling mechanism are given different local qualities: the coupling elements are designed for torque-based disengagement (safety function), while the engaging elements are designed for controlled engagement with specific contour shapes (haptics function). The engaging contours are specifically shaped to provide desired haptic feedback during manual actuation.
2Ease of manufacture
If a standard transmission is used in different end applications, then manufacturing is simplified, but the safety-relevant component has to be newly adapted repeatedly to comply with different haptic requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The haptics characteristics are made dynamically adjustable through the engagement of different engaging elements (12) with differently shaped engaging contours (7b). This allows the same base transmission to be adapted to different haptic requirements by changing the engaging elements or contour shapes, without modifying the core safety coupling mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables parameter changes in haptic characteristics by varying the geometry of engaging contours (7b) and the properties of engaging elements (12). This allows continuous adjustment of haptic parameters such as engagement force, movement resistance, and feedback characteristics while maintaining the same safety coupling structure.
3Reliability
If coupling elements are pressed out of the positive-locking connection by excessive torque to separate the transmission, then the transmission is protected, but the same mechanism must not interfere with normal manual actuation detection
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanism is segmented into coupling elements (15) for safety protection and engaging elements (12) for normal operation detection. The angle measuring sensor (9) specifically monitors the position of engaging elements, not coupling elements, ensuring that normal manual actuation is detected while excessive torque that disengages coupling elements does not trigger false movement requests.
Solution Approach 2:
The engaging elements (12) act as intermediaries between the manual actuation force and the angle measuring sensor (9). They transmit the movement request information to the sensor while being protected from the excessive forces that would trigger the safety coupling disengagement, thus enabling reliable detection without interference from the protection mechanism.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a safety coupling that protects the transmission while allowing customizable haptics through a free-running mechanism, enabling adaptable haptic responses without affecting the safety function, and facilitating manual actuation detection.
Implementation Method 1
at least one engaging element which is rotationally secure with respect to the other of the two gearwheels, the gearwheel at the motor or the gearwheel at the power takeoff, is pretensioned by a resilient element against at least one engaging contour
Data Source
AI summary
Adjustment drive includes an electric motor, a transmission, at least one engaging element, and a resilient element. The transmission has a self-locking transmission stage, a power takeoff, and a safety coupling that separates the self-locking transmission stage from an external torque in response to an excessive external torque introduced via the power takeoff. The safety coupling has a motor-side gearwheel with at least one coupling contour and at least one engaging contour, a power takeoff-side gearwheel, a free-running mechanism formed by the at least one coupling contour, and coupling elements operable to establish a positive-locking connection between the motor-side gearwheel and the power takeoff-side gearwheel. The at least one engaging element is rotationally secured to the motor-side gearwheel or the power takeoff-side gearwheel. The at least one resilient element pretensions the at least one engaging element against the at least one engaging contour to enable haptics of an external movement request introduced via the power takeoff.