Steering Column Belt Drive With Flanged Bearing Ring Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing belt-driven motorized adjustment drives for steering columns in motor vehicles experience operating behavior issues due to transverse forces during load changes, leading to potential impairment of smooth operation and increased wear.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a bearing ring with a flanged disk section that projects radially beyond the belt running surface to limit the belt's lateral movement, providing optimized support and guidance, thereby reducing friction and wear, and incorporating a toothed belt drive for low-slip torque transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a belt drive is used in the adjustment drive, then the weight and complexity of the drive unit are reduced, but transverse forces during load changes cause impaired operating behavior and increased wear
Solution Approach 1:
A guide device is introduced as an intermediary element between the belt pulley and the belt. This guide device comprises a guide surface that actively guides the belt and prevents lateral displacement during load changes, thereby eliminating the harmful transverse forces while maintaining the lightweight belt drive system
Solution Approach 2:
The guide surface is positioned to preemptively counteract lateral belt displacement before it can occur during load changes. By providing a pre-positioned guiding surface, the system prevents the development of harmful transverse forces rather than reacting to them after they arise
2Power
If the belt width is increased to improve torque transmission, then the torque capacity is increased, but the lateral movement and wear of the belt are exacerbated
Solution Approach 1:
The guide device provides localized guidance at the critical interface between the belt and pulley. Rather than requiring the entire belt to be wider, the guide surface locally constrains the belt's lateral movement at the point where torque transmission occurs, allowing optimal belt width selection without exacerbating lateral displacement
Solution Approach 2:
The guide surface acts as an intermediary that decouples the relationship between belt width and lateral stability. It provides the necessary lateral constraint independent of belt width, allowing the belt width to be optimized for torque transmission without automatically increasing lateral movement and wear
3Ease of manufacture
If no lateral guidance is provided for the belt, then the design is simpler and manufacturing is easier, but the belt experiences excessive lateral movement and friction during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The guide device is merged with the existing belt pulley structure, integrating the guidance function into the torque transmission component. This combination approach provides lateral guidance without adding separate complex structures, maintaining ease of manufacture while eliminating friction and wear caused by lateral belt movement
Solution Approach 2:
The guide surface on the belt pulley performs multiple functions: it guides the belt laterally to prevent displacement, supports the belt during torque transmission, and reduces friction through smooth contact. This multi-functional element simplifies the overall design while eliminating harmful effects
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
This design enhances the operating behavior by ensuring smooth and low-wear operation, even under load changes, with minimal design effort and low weight.
Implementation Method 1
reducing friction and wear
Implementation Method 2
incorporating a toothed belt drive for low-slip torque transmission
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The present invention relates to an adjustment drive (6, 7) for a motor-adjustable steering column (1) for a motor vehicle, comprising a threaded spindle (52, 62) which engages in a spindle nut (51, 61) and has an axis (G), and a drive unit having a belt drive (8) with a belt (84) which can be driven rotationally by a motor (55, 65) and runs round a circumferential belt running surface (86) of a belt pulley (83) which is connected for conjoint rotation to the spindle nut (52) or to the threaded spindle (62) and is mounted in a bearing arrangement (87, 88, 9) so as to be rotatable about the axis (G). In order to enable an improved operating behaviour, according to the invention the bearing arrangement (87, 88, 9) has at least one bearing ring (9) which is attached axially to the belt (83) and has a flanged pulley portion (91) projecting radially above the belt running surface (86).