Steering Clamp Yoke Bolt Blocking for Correct Shaft Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
The assembly of an intermediate shaft and a steering system is challenging due to difficulty in accessing the pinch bolt, leading to incorrect assembly and subsequent separation of components, resulting in increased inspection time and errors.
Innovation Solution
A bolt blocking assembly is integrated into the clamp yoke, featuring a resilient member with a rotatable blocking member that ensures the pinion shaft is correctly positioned before allowing a fastener to secure it, preventing misassembly by obstructing the counter bore until the shaft is properly aligned.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the pinch bolt is tightened to couple the pinion shaft with the intermediate shaft, then the connection is secured, but the difficulty in accessing the pinch bolt leads to incorrect assembly and increased inspection time
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking member is positioned in the counterbore before the pinion shaft is inserted, performing a preliminary action to guide and control the assembly process. This preliminary placement ensures the pinion shaft is correctly positioned before the pinch bolt is tightened, preventing incorrect assembly while maintaining connection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking member acts as an intermediary element between the counterbore and the pinion shaft. It mediates the assembly process by temporarily occupying the counterbore space, guiding the pinion shaft into correct position, and then being removed to allow the pinch bolt to be properly installed and tightened.
2Measurement precision
If additional inspection measurements are performed to detect incorrect assembly, then assembly errors can be identified, but the inspection time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking member performs a preliminary guiding function during assembly, ensuring the pinion shaft is correctly positioned before final tightening. This preliminary action prevents assembly errors from occurring in the first place, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for additional inspection measurements and reducing inspection time.
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking member temporarily obstructs the counterbore, which initially seems to complicate the assembly process. However, this obstruction is converted into a benefit by serving as a positioning guide that prevents incorrect assembly, thereby reducing inspection time and converting a potential harm (assembly error) into a benefit (error prevention).
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
This solution ensures precise and reliable coupling of the pinion shaft and clamp yoke, reducing assembly errors and inspection time by ensuring the pinion shaft is correctly positioned before fastening, thereby enhancing the robustness of the steering system connection.
Implementation Method 1
The blocking assembly includes a resilient member having a first leg, a second leg and a connecting end
Data Source
AI summary
A steering assembly includes a pinion shaft. The steering assembly also includes a clamp yoke defining a central opening for axially receiving the pinion shaft and defining a counter bore for receiving a fastener that couples the pinion shaft to the yoke. The steering assembly further includes a blocking assembly fixed to the clamp yoke. The blocking assembly includes a resilient member having a first leg, a second leg and a connecting end. The blocking assembly also includes a blocking member coupled to the first leg and the second leg of the resilient member, the blocking member rotatable between a blocking position and a non-blocking position, the blocking position blocking the counter bore in an initial position and rotatable upon contact with the pinion shaft to be clear of the counter bore in the non-blocking position.