Cable-Driven Retractable Steering Wheel for Compact Stowing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The need for a steering wheel assembly that can be easily stowed and repositioned to accommodate both manual driving and autonomous modes, while ensuring optimal user vision and compact stowing, is not adequately met by existing designs.
Innovation Solution
A steering wheel assembly with retractable hand grips connected to a central hub via control cables and a drive mechanism, allowing the grips to move between retracted and non-retracted positions through motorized control, enabling flexible configuration and compact stowing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the steering wheel is made retractable to enable compact stowing, then the stowing compactness is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional drive mechanisms and control cables
Solution Approach 1:
The steering wheel is divided into a central hub and multiple independent hand grips that can move separately. Each hand grip is connected to the hub via control cables, allowing individual retraction while maintaining the structural integrity of the overall assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The hand grips are designed to be dynamically adjustable between retracted and non-retracted positions through motorized control cables. This dynamic configuration allows the steering wheel to adapt its shape and orientation based on driving mode requirements.
2Ease of operation
If the steering wheel is designed with fixed position for manual driving, then the ease of operation is improved, but the adaptability for autonomous mode deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The steering wheel incorporates motorized control cables that enable dynamic repositioning of hand grips between retracted and non-retracted states, allowing seamless transition between manual and autonomous driving modes while maintaining ease of operation when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The steering wheel assembly serves multiple functions: it provides a traditional fixed configuration for manual driving and can retract to a compact configuration for autonomous mode, making it universally applicable across different driving scenarios.
3Illumination intensity
If the steering wheel is retracted to enhance user vision in autonomous mode, then the field of view is improved, but the ease of operation for manual mode deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hand grips are equipped with motorized control cables that allow them to be dynamically adjusted between retracted and non-retracted positions, enabling the system to optimize field of view during autonomous operation while maintaining full operational accessibility when manual control is required.
Data Source
AI summary
A steering wheel assembly has a central hub configured to connect to a steering column, at least one retractable hand grip attached to the central hub, one or more control cables disposed internal of each retractable hand grip, and a drive mechanism connected to the control cables. The drive mechanism is located either at or in the central hub or remotely relative to the steering wheel assembly. The drive mechanism when activated can selectively move one or more of the control cables to move the retractable grips to a retracted position or a non-retracted position. Optionally, the hand grips can be connected directly to the central hub and/or to one or more spokes extending form the central hub. Each of the retractable hand grips has at least one and up to four control cables.