Steering Shaft Ring Flag Alignment for Tool-Free Yoke Assembly

The ring flag is designed with self-aligning features including a tapered bore that guides the shaft onto the ring flag, and a flag with geometrical alignment that automatically aligns with the shaft serrations during assembly. This eliminates the need for external assembly tools to perform alignment, as the components guide themselves into the correct position through their inherent geometric features.

The ring flag is pre-positioned on the shaft with the flag extending beyond the shaft end before the shaft is inserted into the yoke. The tapered bore and flag geometry are pre-configured to automatically guide and align the shaft serrations with the ring flag during the insertion process, performing the alignment action in advance of the final connection.

The patent uses a ring flag made of relatively inexpensive material (such as plastic or metal) that incorporates the alignment geometry directly in its structure. Instead of machining expensive alignment features into the shaft, the alignment function is transferred to the disposable or replaceable ring flag, which can be manufactured more economically through molding or forming processes.

Instead of providing alignment geometry on the shaft (the traditional approach), the invention inverts the approach by providing the alignment geometry on the ring flag that mates with the shaft. This reverses which component carries the complex geometric features, allowing the shaft to remain simpler and more cost-effective to manufacture.