Steering Column Intermediate Shaft Screw Adjustment Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing steering systems face challenges in adjusting the steering wheel depth to match driver measurements, absorbing vibrations, and providing safety in accidents, particularly in environments prone to corrosion and mechanical wear.
Innovation Solution
An intermediate shaft with a screw/nut mechanism that allows easy adjustment of the steering column depth using a sliding joint, which transitions to a rigid joint upon tightening, featuring a nut with a retainer to prevent loosening and a screw with anti-loosening features, ensuring torsional and hysteresis rigidity, and designed for durability and noise reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the intermediate shaft uses a sliding joint for easy adjustment, then the ease of operation is improved, but the torsional rigidity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate shaft employs a dynamic joint that can transition between sliding and rigid states. During assembly, the joint slides freely to accommodate positioning adjustments. Once positioned, locking mechanisms (such as set screws or clamp plates) engage to transform the joint into a rigid connection, eliminating play and ensuring torsional rigidity for vibration absorption and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate shaft is divided into distinct functional segments: a sliding section for adjustment, a locking section for securing position, and a rigid connection section for force transmission. This segmentation allows each part to fulfill its specific function optimally - the sliding section provides ease of adjustment while the locked rigid section ensures structural integrity.
2Reliability
If the steering column is made rigid for safety, then the reliability is improved, but the ease of assembly deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate shaft is designed with pre-positioned locking features and alignment elements that guide the assembly process. The sliding joint allows the shaft to be easily inserted and positioned before final locking, enabling assembly workers to complete the connection without requiring precise alignment or excessive force, thereby maintaining both safety and ease of assembly.
3Reliability
If the nut is made with complex locking features to prevent loosening, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The nut incorporates self-locking features such as deformed threads, elastic elements, or friction-based mechanisms that automatically prevent loosening under vibration and load without requiring external locking components. This self-service approach maintains reliability while minimizing additional complexity in the fastening system.
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
Facilitates easy assembly while providing torsional and hysteresis rigidity, enhances safety, and reduces noise and wear, maintaining performance across varying temperatures and demanding conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a screw which tightens the male shaft via an adjustment strip
Implementation Method 2
absorb vibrations which may be generated by the wheels and suspension up to the steering wheel
Implementation Method 3
corresponding screw/nut mechanisms comprising a nut rigidly connected to the intermediate shaft
Data Source
AI summary
An intermediate shaft to adjust the height of a steering wheel to match a driver's measurements, to absorb vibrations which may be generated by the wheels and suspension up to the steering wheel, and to act as a safety measure to collapse in the event of an accident. The shaft utilizes corresponding screw/nut mechanisms comprising a nut rigidly connected to the intermediate shaft on one of the flat surfaces of a female shaft and a screw which turns to tighten a male shaft via an adjustment strip to allow adjustment of the sliding load and the torsional rigidity and hysteresis of the sliding intermediate shaft.