Telescopic Steering Column Stroke Control With Crash-Safe Tube Layout
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional steering apparatuses face limitations in stroke adjustment due to installation space constraints and pose a risk of injury during vehicle crashes due to protruding components.
Innovation Solution
A steering apparatus with a configuration that includes an outer tube, middle and inner tubes, a motor, and a speed reducer with transport guides and gears, allowing for increased stroke variability and responsiveness, while minimizing the risk of injury by repositioning components during a crash.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the steering apparatus uses a conventional single-tube structure, then the installation space is simple, but the stroke adjustment range is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The steering apparatus is divided into three separate tubes (outer tube, middle tube, inner tube) that can move independently relative to each other. Each tube serves as a separate movable element, allowing the system to achieve greater total stroke adjustment by combining the movement of multiple tubes rather than relying on a single tube structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The three tubes are arranged in a nested configuration where the inner tube is inserted into the middle tube, and the middle tube is inserted into the outer tube. This nested structure allows multiple movable elements to be compactly arranged while maintaining independent movement capability, resolving the contradiction between increased stroke range and structural complexity.
2Length of moving object
If the steering apparatus uses a compact design, then the installation space is reduced, but the stroke variability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The nested tube configuration allows the steering apparatus to achieve large stroke variability through the combined movement of multiple tubes while maintaining a compact overall footprint. When retracted, all tubes are nested within each other, minimizing the installation space required.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs multiple dynamically movable tubes that can extend and retract independently. This dynamic multi-tube mechanism enables the apparatus to achieve greater stroke variability than a static or single-tube design would allow within the same installation space.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the screw bar protrudes during vehicle crash, then the steering apparatus structure is simple, but driver injury risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transport guides are designed with crash protection functionality that prevents the screw bar from protruding forward during a vehicle collision. The guide structure inherently restricts the movement direction of the screw bar, providing preliminary protection against driver injury before the crash force is fully applied.
Solution Approach 2:
The transport guide acts as an intermediary component between the motor assembly and the outer tube. It mediates the movement of the screw bar by constraining it to move only along the guide's path, preventing harmful forward protrusion during crashes while still allowing normal stroke adjustment operation.
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
Enhances stroke control variability and responsiveness, allowing for greater flexibility in installation space and reduces the risk of driver injury during crashes by repositioning components.
Implementation Method 1
The speed reducer may include a worm rotated by the motor, a first gear engaged with the worm and supported by the first transport guide, and a second gear engaged with the first gear and supported by the second transport guide.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment of the present invention relates to a steering apparatus, in which not only a middle tube but also an inner tube can be moved along a longitudinal direction of an outer tube, and thus, stroke control of the steering apparatus can be effectively performed. Specifically, in the steering apparatus, the speed reducer is supported by a first transport guide and a second transport guide, moves along the first transport guide according to power of a motor, and can effectively rotate the second transport guide.