Steering Assembly with Rotatable Connecting Member for Compact Turning
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Solution Overview
Problem
The design of motor vehicle steering assemblies faces a conflict between achieving a small turning circle for maneuverability and providing sufficient space within the vehicle body for technical devices and passengers, as conventional steering systems require significant clearance for wheel movement during cornering.
Innovation Solution
A steering assembly with a first and second transverse link mounted on the wheel carrier in an articulated manner, coupled via a rotatable connecting member on the vehicle body, allowing for large steering angles with minimal body-side clearance, and integrated with an actuator assembly for precise and dynamic steering, enabling a compact and space-efficient design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If conventional steering systems are used with direct wheel mounting, then the structure is simple, but the turning circle is large and body-side clearance is excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The steering assembly is segmented into multiple functional components: wheel carrier, first transverse link, second transverse link, and connecting member. This segmentation allows each component to perform a specific function, enabling the wheel to achieve large steering angles while maintaining a compact overall structure with reduced turning circle diameter.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a multi-dimensional linkage mechanism where the wheel carrier connects to the vehicle body through transverse links that move in both lateral and longitudinal dimensions. The connecting member rotates about a vertical axis while the transverse links articulate in horizontal planes, creating complex multi-axis motion that reduces the turning circle compared to conventional single-axis steering.
2Ease of operation
If large steering angles are achieved through conventional mechanisms, then the steering angle is sufficient, but the body-side clearance required is large
Solution Approach 1:
The transverse links and connecting members are arranged in a nested configuration where the first and second transverse links are coupled together via the connecting member, which is mounted rotatably on the vehicle body. This nested arrangement allows the wheel to pivot through large angles while the entire mechanism occupies a compact space adjacent to the vehicle body, minimizing required clearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting member acts as an intermediary between the wheel carrier and the vehicle body, providing a rotational mounting that enables large steering angles. The transverse links serve as intermediaries that translate the rotation of the connecting member into wheel articulation, allowing large steering angles to be achieved within a compact body-side footprint.
3Area of stationary object
If body-side clearance is minimized for compact design, then space efficiency is improved, but the steering mechanism becomes overly constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The steering mechanism employs dynamic articulation through ball and socket joints at the wheel-carrier-side bearings of the transverse links, allowing multi-axis motion. The connecting member provides rotational freedom about a vertical axis, while the transverse links articulate in horizontal planes. This dynamic design enables the mechanism to adapt its motion paths within a compact body-side clearance, maintaining steering versatility despite space constraints.
Data Source
AI summary
A steering assembly for a motor vehicle has a wheel carrier to which a wheel can be secured, a strut via which the wheel carrier is mounted on a vehicle body in an articulated manner, a first transverse link mounted on the wheel carrier in an articulated manner, and a second transverse link mounted on the wheel carrier in an articulated manner. The first transverse link and the second transverse link are coupled to one another on their side facing away from the wheel carrier by a connection member. The connection member is rotatably mounted on the vehicle body.