Vehicle Locking Housing With Evasive Support for Tilting Loads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing locking devices for functionally essential vehicle components, such as steering columns, are prone to damage under high loads due to tilting movements, which can lead to safety issues and component failure.
Innovation Solution
A locking device with a movably arranged locking element and a mounting housing that includes a rigid section and an evasive element, allowing the locking element to move into a free space to avoid tilting loads, thereby reducing stress on the mounting housing and preventing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the locking element is rigidly supported on the mounting housing, then the locking device provides stable locking, but the mounting housing is damaged under high loads due to tilting movements
Solution Approach 1:
The guide element is designed to be movable relative to the mounting housing, allowing it to dynamically adapt to load conditions. The guide element can tilt relative to the locking element when subjected to transverse forces, preventing rigid stress transmission to the mounting housing while maintaining locking functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide element acts as an intermediary between the locking element and the mounting housing. It absorbs and redistributes the tilting forces through its own movement and deformation, protecting the mounting housing from direct damage while still enabling the locking element to perform its locking function.
2Strength
If the locking element is allowed to move freely to avoid tilting loads, then the mounting housing is protected from damage, but the locking stability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The guide element's movement is not completely free but controlled within specific degrees of freedom. It can tilt and move to accommodate loads while maintaining constrained motion that preserves locking stability. The guide element moves only as necessary to relieve stress, not freely in all directions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the guide element based on load conditions. Under normal conditions, the guide element maintains a fixed position for stable locking. Under high load conditions, it changes its position and orientation parameters to avoid damage, then returns to the original position when loads are removed.
3Manufacturing precision
If a rigid guide structure is used for the locking element, then the locking element is precisely guided, but the guide structure is damaged under high loads
Solution Approach 1:
The guide element transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic component that can move and deform. This allows it to maintain guiding precision under normal conditions while absorbing excessive forces through controlled movement, preventing damage under high loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide element incorporates flexible or deformable characteristics, allowing it to bend and tilt under load rather than breaking. This flexibility enables the guide to maintain its guiding function while protecting itself and the mounting housing from damage under extreme conditions.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a locking device (10) for a functionally essential component (2) of a vehicle (1), comprising a locking element (11) for locking the functionally essential component (2), and a mounting housing (20) in which the locking element (11) is movable for locking the functionally essential component (2), wherein the mounting housing (20) can be at least partially mounted with a clearance (4.1) to form a component housing (4) for the functionally essential component (2). The invention further relates to a functional unit (3) and a method (100).