Steering Device Liquid Sensor with Expanding Tripping Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing steering devices for power-assisted vehicles face issues with water ingress, leading to corrosion, mechanical failures, and inaccurate detection of water presence, which can result in premature failure of the steering system.
Innovation Solution
A steering device equipped with a liquid sensor featuring two electrical conductors, a movably mounted bridging element, and a tripping element made of liquid-absorbing material that expands upon contact with liquid, allowing for early detection of water ingress by changing the current flow between the conductors, thereby preventing false alarms and ensuring reliable detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If friction recognition software is used to detect water ingress, then detection capability is provided, but measurement precision is insufficient and detection occurs only after corrosion has already occurred
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the software-based friction detection method with a mechanical liquid sensor system. The sensor uses a tripping element made of liquid-absorbing material that mechanically expands upon contact with liquid, directly moving a bridging element to change the electrical circuit state. This mechanical substitution provides immediate, precise detection of liquid presence without relying on indirect friction measurements, thereby resolving the contradiction between detection reliability and measurement precision.
2Reliability
If electrical current flows through liquid to detect water ingress, then detection is enabled, but accuracy is insufficient due to very small current values
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a tripping element made of liquid-absorbing material as an intermediary between the liquid and the electrical conductors. This intermediary absorbs the liquid and mechanically expands, converting the liquid presence into a mechanical displacement that directly opens or closes the electrical circuit. This eliminates the need to measure very small currents through the liquid, as the circuit state change is caused by the mechanical action of the tripping element rather than by current flow through the liquid, thereby resolving the contradiction between detection reliability and measurement precision.
3Reliability
If a liquid sensor is implemented with a tripping element that expands upon liquid contact, then early detection of water ingress is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into a single integrated sensor unit. The housing serves as both the structural enclosure and the liquid containment chamber. The tripping element is directly mounted within the housing and is in direct contact with the liquid when it enters, eliminating the need for separate detection chambers or complex transmission mechanisms. The bridging element is directly connected to the electrical conductors, creating a simple switch mechanism. This merging of functions reduces overall device complexity while maintaining early detection capability, resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity.
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 liquid sensor effectively and reliably detects water ingress before it causes significant damage, preventing failures by emitting a warning signal when a sufficient amount of liquid is present, thus ensuring the steering system's integrity.
Implementation Method 1
a tripping element made of a liquid-absorbing material that expands upon contact with a liquid
Implementation Method 2
a flow of current between the at least two electrical conductors being prevented in one of the two positions, and a flow of current between the at least two electrical conductors being enabled in the other of the two positions
Data Source
AI summary
A steering device for a motor vehicle is specified, having a housing and having a liquid sensor, comprising at least two electrical conductors, and at least one bridging element that is movably mounted and that is in a first position in the absence of liquid and is in a second position in the presence of liquid, a flow of current between the at least two electrical conductors being prevented in one of the two positions, and a flow of current between the at least two electrical conductors being enabled in the other of the two positions, and a tripping element made of a liquid-absorbing material that expands upon contact with a liquid and thereby moves the bridging element into the second position, the liquid sensor being arranged at least partially inside the housing.