Foldable Steering System for Autonomous Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
The spatial utilization of a driver seat in autonomous vehicles is compromised due to the protruding steering wheel, which occupies space and interferes with seat swiveling, especially during autonomous driving or stopping modes where the driver does not need to manipulate the steering wheel.
Innovation Solution
A foldable steering system that accommodates the steering wheel, steering shaft, and shroud within the crash pad during autonomous or stopping modes, and extends them for manual driving or emergency situations, utilizing a motor, lead screw, gear train, and control device to adjust the steering tube's position based on driving modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the steering wheel is disposed on the crash pad in front of the driver seat, then the driver can manipulate the steering wheel for vehicle control, but the steering wheel occupies space and interferes with driver seat swiveling, especially during autonomous driving modes
Solution Approach 1:
The steering wheel is made dynamically movable between two positions: a first position where it protrudes from the crash pad for manual driving operation, and a second position where it is retracted into the crash pad for autonomous driving modes. This dynamic repositioning resolves the contradiction by allowing the steering wheel to be accessible when needed while maximizing driver seat space during autonomous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The steering assembly is divided into separable components including the steering wheel, steering shaft, and shroud that can be independently moved relative to the crash pad. This segmentation enables the steering wheel to be selectively positioned based on driving mode, resolving the space conflict by allowing it to be stored within the crash pad structure when not actively needed for manual control.
2Ease of operation
If the steering wheel protrudes toward the driver seat, then the driver can easily access and manipulate it, but spatial utilization for reading, viewing multimedia contents, and sleeping deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The steering wheel's position is made dynamic rather than fixed, allowing it to transition between a protruding position for manual manipulation and a retracted position within the crash pad. This resolves the contradiction by eliminating the steering wheel's occupation of driver seat space during autonomous modes while maintaining full accessibility during manual driving modes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the steering shaft and steering tube are retractably inserted into the steering column housing, then vertical and forward/rearward adjustment of the steering wheel is enabled, but the structure becomes complex and space-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The steering wheel assembly is extracted from the traditional steering column housing structure and repositioned to be mounted on the front surface of the crash pad. This extraction eliminates the need for complex telescopic and tilting mechanisms within a housing, while the crash pad itself serves as the mounting structure, thereby reducing overall structural complexity while maintaining position adjustability capabilities.
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
Maximizes spatial utilization of the driver seat, provides convenience and safety by allowing the steering wheel to be easily accessed when needed, and ensures rapid deployment during autonomous driving failures or collision avoidance scenarios.
Implementation Method 1
a motor mounted on an external diameter portion of the steering column housing; a lead screw fixedly connected to an output shaft of the motor
Implementation Method 2
a lead screw fixedly connected to an output shaft of the motor; a lead nut into which the lead screw is rotatably inserted
Implementation Method 3
a gear train mounted on the folding bracket, the steering tube, and the steering column housing and configured to form a forward/rearward movement distance of the steering tube longer than a forward/rearward movement distance of the lead nut and folding bracket
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable steering system for a vehicle may maximize spatial utilization of a driver seat by performing a fold-in operation in which a steering wheel, a steering shaft, shrouds, and the like are accommodated in a crash pad when an autonomous driving mode, a stopping mode, or a getting-in/out mode, in which a driver need not directly manipulate the steering wheel, is selected as a driving mode of an autonomous vehicle and configured for ensuring convenience of use and safety of the steering wheel by performing a fold-out operation in which the steering wheel, the steering shaft, the shrouds, and the like extend from an interior of the crash pad toward the driver seat when the driving mode of the autonomous vehicle is switched to a manual driving mode, an autonomous driving fail mode, and an active safety mode for coping with collision avoidance impossibility.