Steering Wheel Support Arm Sliding Track Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional motor vehicle steering wheels have a limited range of movement, which restricts their adjustability and usability.
Innovation Solution
A steering wheel assembly featuring a steer-by-wire steering wheel coupled to a support arm that slides along a track, allowing for greater movement and positioning, including stowable deployment and deployment between occupants, with a selectively releasable lock and electrical contacts for power and data transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the steering wheel is made adjustable with conventional mechanisms, then the range of movement is limited, but the structure remains simple and reliable
Solution Approach 1:
The support arm is divided into multiple segments that can slide relative to each other along the track, allowing the steering wheel to achieve extended range of movement through sequential motion of each segment rather than requiring a single complex adjustment mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
A track mechanism is introduced as an intermediary between the steering wheel and the vehicle interior, enabling the support arm to slide along a predetermined path and achieve greater adjustability while the track constrains and guides the motion to maintain structural reliability
2Adaptability or versatility
If the steering wheel is made stowable, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional locking and tracking mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The support arm transitions from a static fixed position to a dynamic stowable configuration, allowing it to slide along the track and be positioned in multiple states (deployed, stowed, intermediate), with the lock mechanism providing selective fixation to maintain reliability in each state
Solution Approach 2:
The support arm structure is designed to nest within the vehicle interior trim when stowed, with the arm sliding into a recess or cavity in the trim panel, allowing the steering wheel to be concealed within the interior structure rather than occupying external space
3Adaptability or versatility
If the support arm slides along a curved track, then the movement range and positioning flexibility are improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The track is pre-formed with the required curved geometry during manufacturing of the vehicle interior trim, establishing the sliding path in advance before the steering wheel assembly is installed, thereby eliminating the need for precise field adjustment or complex assembly tolerances
Solution Approach 2:
The curved track function is extracted from the support arm itself and transferred to the stationary interior trim structure, allowing the arm to be a simpler component that merely follows the predetermined curved path defined by the track rather than incorporating the curvature into the arm's manufacturing
Data Source
AI summary
A steering wheel assembly includes a steer-by-wire steering wheel and a central axis about which the steering wheel rotates to control the direction of travel of a motor vehicle. The steering wheel assembly also includes (a) a support arm, the steering wheel being coupled to a first end of the support arm so as to permit rotation of the steering wheel about the central axis of the steering wheel and (b) an interior trim portion, wherein the second end of the support arm is slidably coupled to a track of the interior trim portion. The track is configured such that the steering wheel is movable relative to the interior trim portion from a first deployed position in which a first occupant of the vehicle steers the steering wheel to a position away from the first deployed position.