Steering Wheel Thumb Wheel Mounting Without Dashboard Obstruction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for controlling vehicle acceleration and deceleration by people with lower limb disabilities require complex installation and obstruct the dashboard view, limiting the driver's ability to monitor instrumentation.
Innovation Solution
A device with a support mechanism that connects to the steering wheel's operation crown without machining, allowing easy installation and full dashboard visibility, using a little wheel and potentiometer to control acceleration/deceleration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the bracket is fixed to the steering wheel by housing an arm in a dedicated vertical seat made on the upper surface of the central body, then the device can be securely mounted, but machining operations are required on the steering wheel which complicates installation
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is divided into separate components: a bracket with mounting arms that can be independently positioned and secured to the steering wheel without requiring integrated machining of the steering wheel itself. This segmentation allows the bracket to be mounted using existing features on the steering wheel, eliminating the need for dedicated vertical seats.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket acts as an intermediary element between the steering wheel and the accelerator control mechanism. It provides mounting surfaces and structural support without requiring direct modification of the steering wheel, thereby simplifying installation while maintaining secure mounting.
2Ease of operation
If the bracket protrudes towards the driver between the central body and the operation crown, then the little wheel can be positioned in front of the steering wheel, but the bracket obstructs the view of the dashboard
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting arms of the bracket are positioned in the radial dimension of the steering wheel, extending outward from the central body toward the operation crown but maintaining clearance in the axial dimension (toward the driver). This dimensional arrangement allows the control mechanism to be accessible while keeping the bracket out of the driver's line of sight to the dashboard.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket is designed with selective positioning: the mounting arms extend only far enough radially to support the little wheel at an accessible position, while the overall structure remains confined to areas that do not interfere with dashboard visibility. This local optimization balances accessibility with visibility requirements.
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
Enables quick and easy installation on the steering wheel, maintaining dashboard visibility and effective control of vehicle speed without obstructing the dashboard.
Implementation Method 1
a potentiometer configured to control the acceleration of the motor vehicle based on the detected movement of the little wheel with respect to the bracket
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
Device for controlling the acceleration and/or deceleration of a vehicle, having a steering wheel rotatable around a rotation axis, comprising a support rigidly connectable to the steering wheel, a little wheel supported by the support in such a way that, in use, it can translate with respect to the support substantially parallel to the rotation axis, and a transducer configured to convert a translation of the little wheel with respect to the support into a control signal for the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle, characterized in that the support is rigidly connectable to an operation crown of the steering wheel in such a way as to at least partially overlap, in use, with the operation crown parallel to the rotation axis.