Steering Column Telescopic Locking and Collision Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing steering columns with tooth-on-tooth connections for telescopic motion are prone to unlocking issues, leading to reduced driver control and potential gear breakage, and lack stability during collisions, compromising safety.
Innovation Solution
A steering column design featuring a fixed gear with telescopic motion stop holes, a movable gear with elasticity to maintain engagement, and a load-absorbing unit with a guide block and load-absorbing members to absorb collision loads, ensuring stable locking and collision safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a tooth-on-tooth connection is used between fixed gear and movable gear, then the telescopic motion is restricted when locked, but the connection becomes unstable and gears may break under collision loads
Solution Approach 1:
The gear connection is segmented into multiple engagement points through telescopic motion stop holes positioned at different locations. Instead of a single tooth-on-tooth connection, the system uses multiple discrete engagement positions that distribute the load and provide stable locking at each position, preventing gear breakage while maintaining locking stability.
2Ease of operation
If the steering column is designed for telescopic motion, then driver convenience is improved, but the column becomes unstable during collisions and may pop up
Solution Approach 1:
The steering column is pre-equipped with a load-absorbing unit that is activated during collisions. This unit includes collision load-absorbing members and guide blocks that are positioned in advance to absorb collision loads and prevent the steering column from popping up, ensuring stability during collisions while maintaining telescopic adjustability during normal operation.
3Reliability
If the movable gear is made elastic to maintain engagement, then the locking stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The movable gear's material properties are changed by introducing elasticity, allowing it to maintain engagement with the fixed gear through elastic deformation. This parameter change enables the gear to accommodate minor misalignments and maintain stable locking without requiring additional complex mechanical components, thus improving reliability while minimizing complexity increase.
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
The design stabilizes the telescopic motion locking mechanism and effectively absorbs collision loads, preventing the steering column from popping up and enhancing driver safety during vehicle collisions.
Implementation Method 1
a movable gear inserted into or separated out of the telescopic motion stop holes
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a steering column of a vehicle, the steering column including: a fixed gear disposed on the outer side of an inner tube, in which a steering shaft is inserted, in the axial direction of the steering column, and having a plurality of telescopic motion stop holes arranged in the axial direction of the steering column; a movable gear inserted into or separated out of the telescopic motion stop holes; an outer tube fitted on the inner tube such that the inner tube can slide in the axial direction of the steering column, and having distance members disposed at both sides of the fixed gear; a lever bolt disposed through the distance members and supporting the movable gear such that the fixed gear and the movable gear are coupled to or separated from each other when a control lever is tightened or loosened; and a load-absorbing unit comprising a guide block coupled to the outer tube and a first load-absorbing member coupled to the movable gear to be able to slide in the axial direction of the steering column on the guide block.