Steering Column Coupling Structure for Impact-Resistant Housing Covers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing steering column and housing cover coupling methods are complex and prone to separation due to impact, requiring surface processing and press-fitting, which is difficult to maintain.
Innovation Solution
A steering column with an elongated main body and an enlarged diameter portion featuring a through-hole and a curled end, allowing easy coupling to a housing cover without surface processing, and a steering apparatus with a bearing and injection-molded housing cover made of engineering plastic, ensuring secure attachment and impact resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If surface processing and press-fitting are used to couple the housing cover and steering column, then the coupling strength is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The steering column is segmented into distinct functional portions: a main body, an enlarged diameter portion for coupling, and a curled end portion. This segmentation allows each portion to serve a specific purpose - the enlarged diameter portion provides a larger surface area for coupling without requiring complex surface processing, while the curled end provides mechanical interlocking. This resolves the contradiction by achieving strong coupling through geometric segmentation rather than complex manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of processing surfaces to achieve coupling strength, the invention inverts the approach by using an unprocessed enlarged diameter portion that naturally provides coupling strength through its geometry. The enlarged diameter portion is inserted into the housing cover without any surface processing, and the curled end portion provides the interlocking mechanism. This inversion eliminates the need for complex surface processing while maintaining coupling strength.
2Ease of manufacture
If surface processing and press-fitting are used to couple the housing cover and steering column, then the initial coupling is achieved, but the coupling reliability under impact decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The curled end portion of the steering column acts as a pre-designed impact absorption and stress distribution mechanism. When impact occurs, the curled portion deforms elastically to absorb shock and distribute stresses uniformly across the coupling interface. This beforehand cushioning design prevents stress concentration that would otherwise cause coupling failure under impact, thereby improving reliability while maintaining ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the steering column by creating an enlarged diameter portion with specific dimensions and a curled end portion. These parameter changes - the enlarged diameter providing greater contact area and the curled end providing elastic deformation capability - enable the coupling to withstand impact forces without requiring complex processing, thus improving both ease of manufacture and coupling reliability under impact.
3Device complexity
If the steering column main body is elongated and inserted into the housing cover, then the structural simplicity is improved, but the resistance to separation under impact deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies curvature by creating a curled end portion of the steering column. This curled geometry provides mechanical interlocking with the housing cover, preventing separation under impact while maintaining the overall simplicity of the elongated main body structure. The curved, curled end acts as a retention feature that complements the simple elongated form, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and separation resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a dimensional feature by creating an enlarged diameter portion that extends radially outward from the main body. This dimensional change - from a simple cylindrical form to one with radial enlargement and curling - provides additional coupling surface area and mechanical interlocking capability in the radial dimension, thereby preventing separation while preserving the simplicity of the longitudinal elongated structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a steering column disposed in a steering apparatus including a housing cover connected to a drive unit housing and a bearing disposed in the housing cover, the steering column including: a main body elongated in one direction and having one side inserted into and supported by the housing cover; an enlarged diameter portion formed as one side of the main body expands in diameter; and a through-hole penetratively formed in an outer periphery of the enlarged diameter portion so as to be coupled to the housing cover.