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WO2019081522A1 - Ensemble formant colonne de direction - Google Patents

Ensemble formant colonne de direction

Info

Publication number
WO2019081522A1
WO2019081522A1 PCT/EP2018/079054 EP2018079054W WO2019081522A1 WO 2019081522 A1 WO2019081522 A1 WO 2019081522A1 EP 2018079054 W EP2018079054 W EP 2018079054W WO 2019081522 A1 WO2019081522 A1 WO 2019081522A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
steering column
support bracket
column assembly
connection element
connection
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/EP2018/079054
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Pawel PONIKIEWSKI
Artur WOJTALIK
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
TRW Steering Systems Poland Sp zoo
Original Assignee
TRW Steering Systems Poland Sp zoo
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from GBGB1718656.0A external-priority patent/GB201718656D0/en
Application filed by TRW Steering Systems Poland Sp zoo filed Critical TRW Steering Systems Poland Sp zoo
Priority to DE112018004682.6T priority Critical patent/DE112018004682T5/de
Publication of WO2019081522A1 publication Critical patent/WO2019081522A1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
    • B62D1/00—Steering controls, i.e. means for initiating a change of direction of the vehicle
    • B62D1/02—Steering controls, i.e. means for initiating a change of direction of the vehicle vehicle-mounted
    • B62D1/16—Steering columns
    • B62D1/18—Steering columns yieldable or adjustable, e.g. tiltable
    • B62D1/19—Steering columns yieldable or adjustable, e.g. tiltable incorporating energy-absorbing arrangements, e.g. by being yieldable or collapsible
    • B62D1/195—Yieldable supports for the steering column

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to steering column assemblies that permit a steering wheel to collapse in a controlled manner in the event of a crash by controlled breakaway of a portion of the steering column assembly from a mounting bracket that secures it to the main body of the vehicle.
  • a steering column assembly comprising a shroud that houses a steering shaft.
  • the steering shaft connects a steering wheel to the road wheels of the vehicle allowing the driver to rotate the steering wheel in turn to move the road wheels.
  • the connection may be through a rack and pinion gearbox, and to assist the driver a hydraulic or electric assistance may be provided.
  • electric assistance a motor will act upon the steering shaft or a part of the steering between the shaft and the road wheels to apply a torque in the same sense as that applied by the driver.
  • the shroud may be non-adjustable in a simple arrangement in which it is fixed directly to a support bracket that is secured to the vehicle body, for instance to a beam that extends across the vehicle behind the dashboard. In other cases it may be adjustable for rake or reach or both rake and reach. This may be achieved by connecting the shroud to a support bracket though an adjustable clamp mechanism, the support bracket in turn being fixed to the mounting bracket. During adjustment the clamp assembly is released and the shroud can be moved up or down, or along, the support bracket.
  • the shroud To improve safety, it is known for the shroud to be telescopic so that in the event of a crash where the driver is thrown onto the steering wheel it can collapse and allow the wheel to move with the driver. This requires the shroud to be normally fixed to the vehicle body so it cannot move during normal use but able to break away and move in the event such a crash occurs. To achieve this it is known to secure the shroud, or the support bracket fixed to the shroud, to the mounting bracket using one or more breakaway capsule assemblies. These are designed to provide a rigid connection during normal use but to breakaway when a predetermined load is applied to them. Once broken, the shroud can move relative to the mounting bracket. An energy absorbing mechanism may be provided to absorb the energy associated with the movement so that one broken the movement is controlled.
  • a common way to provide a breakaway capsule is to use an overmoulding operation to eliminate clearance, which can be quite large, between the capsule and the support bracket.
  • the overmoulding operation uses hot polymer to fill the clearance between capsule and support bracket and also can provide pins through the capsule and support bracket. These pins fracture under crash loads in order to allow the capsule and support bracket to separate.
  • the differential cooling between the polymer overmoulding and the capsule and support bracket can result in gaps still being present between the parts. This can negatively affect the natural frequency of the assembly and thus noise, vibration, and harshness characteristics. It can further result in the assembly failing quality control, generating scrap, lost assembly cycles, and increased operational costs.
  • a steering column assembly comprising: a mounting bracket arranged to be secured to a vehicle body, and
  • a support bracket arranged to be secured to a steering column shroud; and at least one connection assembly connecting the mounting bracket to the support bracket;
  • connection assembly comprises a connection element and a slidable fastener that connects the connection element to a body, defined as one of the mounting bracket and the support bracket;
  • the slidable fastener when a force greater than a threshold is applied to the steering column assembly, the slidable fastener is slidably detachable from the connection element or body such that the mounting bracket and support bracket can move relative to each other, the slidable fastener not being slidably detachable below the threshold.
  • the present assembly has a lower chance of manufacturing errors and does not rely on a polymer component breaking in a predictable manner.
  • the slidable fastener may have force applied to determine the threshold.
  • the force may result in the slidable fastener being under tension such that it applies a compressive force to the connection element and body.
  • the tension applied may be adjusted so as to vary the threshold force of the slidable fastener.
  • the slidable fastener may be slidably detachable from a guide, which may be in the form of a slot or notch in one of the connection element and the body.
  • the slidable fastener may be simultaneously retained within a hole in the other of the connection element and the body.
  • the guide may be configured to guide the slidable fastener during relative movement of the mounting bracket and support bracket. Where the guide is a slot or notch, the slot or notch may provide a guiding surface along which the slidable fastener slides, the surface guiding the slidable fastener. As such, the slidable fastener may slide along the guide, such as the notch or slot, during collapse.
  • the slidable fastener can detach simply from one of the components to which it is connected.
  • the other component may retain the slidable fastener.
  • the disengagement of the slidable fastener can be made more predictable.
  • connection element may be connected to a second body, defined as the other of the mounting bracket and the support bracket, by a connector which retains the connection element.
  • the connection element may include an upper portion and a lower portion, a wing of the support bracket being sandwiched between the upper portion and the lower portion. Sandwiching the support bracket allows the connection element to provide multiple frictional surfaces that effectively provide a clamp. This also ensures greater stability of the assembly and better natural frequency performance.
  • the at least one connection assembly may further comprise an insert between the upper portion and the lower portion.
  • the insert may provide a guiding surface for guiding the wing of the support bracket during movement of the support bracket relative to the connection element.
  • the connector may pass through the insert.
  • the at least one connection assembly may include an additional slidable fastener.
  • the slidable fastener and the additional slidable fastener may be positioned at a front and rear of the connection assembly, respectively.
  • the steering column may further comprise a steering column shroud and a shaft, the shaft being located at least partially within the steering column shroud and the steering column shroud being supported by the support bracket.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a steering column assembly in accordance with the invention
  • Figure 2 is a perspective view of the steering column assembly of Figure 1 with the mounting bracket removed, for clarity;
  • Figure 3 is an inverted perspective view of the steering column assembly of Figure 2;
  • Figure 4 is a perspective view of the steering column assembly of Figure 2 with one of the connection assemblies separated;
  • Figure 5 is a side view of a steering column assembly, showing the forces applied during an impact;
  • Figure 6 is an enlarged side view of the connection assembly of Figure 2, showing the forces applied during an impact.
  • the steering column assembly 100 includes a mounting bracket 102 that is secured to a support bracket 104.
  • the mounting bracket 102 is configured for connection to a vehicle (not shown), the vehicle therefore supporting the mounting bracket 102 which in turn supports the support bracket 104.
  • the support bracket 104 is then attached to a steering column shroud 106 and shaft 108, which are not shown in Figure 1.
  • the shaft and shroud can be seen in Figure 5.
  • connection assembly 1 10 including a connection element 1 12.
  • this connection is provided by a connector 1 14 which extends through an aperture 1 16 in the connection element 1 12.
  • two connection assemblies 1 10 are included, one on each side of the support bracket 104.
  • one of the apertures 1 16 in the connection assemblies 1 10 is formed as a slot, whilst the other is a hole. It will be apparent that both of these apertures 1 16 could be formed as slots or as holes, if desired.
  • a single connection assembly 1 10 or more than two connection assemblies 1 10 may be included. However, it is preferred that two connection assemblies 100 are included in order to support the support bracket 104 evenly.
  • connection element 1 12 of the present embodiment includes an upper portion 1 1 8 and a lower portion 120 which are positioned above and below, respectively, a wing 122 of the support bracket 104, each wing 122 extends out from the side of the support bracket 104.
  • the upper portion 1 18 and lower portion 120 therefore sandwich each wing 122 therebetween.
  • the upper and lower portions 1 18, 120 are interconnected such that the connection element 1 12 effectively wraps around the wing 122.
  • connection element 1 12 of the present invention also wraps around an insert 124 situated adjacent to the wing 122.
  • the insert 124 therefore provides a guiding surface 126 along which the wing 122 of the support bracket 104 can slide, during a collapse of the steering column assembly.
  • the insert 124 is held in position by the connector 1 14, which passes through not only the connection element 1 12 but also the insert 124.
  • this keeps the insert 124 in position during collapse without requiring any other fixtures between the insert 124 and the connection element 1 12, although alternative fixtures may be used if desired.
  • connection element 1 12 is connected to the support bracket 104 by two fasteners. These fasteners have a slidable engagement with one of the support bracket 104 and the connection element 1 12 and are therefore referred to as slidable fasteners 128.
  • the slidable fasteners 128 take the form of rivets.
  • a single slidable fastener 128 may be used to secure each connection element 1 12 to the support bracket 104.
  • two slidable fasteners 128 are used, one of which is positioned towards the front of the support bracket 104 and the other of which is positioned towards the rear of the support bracket 104. This arrangement can mitigate against twisting of the support bracket 104 relative to the connection element 1 12.
  • Each slidable fastener 128 is seated within an aperture 130 within one of the support bracket 104 and the connection element 1 12 in order to hold the slidable fastener 128 in position.
  • a guide is provided in the form of a slot or notch 132 is formed in the other of the support bracket 104 and the connection element 1 12, into which the slidable fastener 128 is positioned.
  • a force is applied to the slidable fastener 128 during manufacture or assembly which causes a frictional engagement between the support bracket 104 and connection element 1 10.
  • the force applied to the slidable fastener 128 also removes any free-play which may result from manufacturing tolerances of the steering column assembly 100.
  • the magnitude of the force applied to the slidable fastener 128, and thus the level of frictional engagement between the support bracket 104 and connection element 1 12 can be selected such that the frictional engagement is overcome at a threshold chosen by the manufacturer of the steering column assembly 100.
  • the notch 132 provides a guiding surface along which the slidable fastener 128 is guided, the guiding surface being defined as the side of the notch.
  • a guiding surface could be defined as an upper surface of the notch or as any other surface along which the slidable fastener is guided during relative movement of the mounting bracket 102 and support bracket 104.
  • the guide may also include any other feature which allows the slidable fastener 128 to be attached and guided during the relative movement of the mounting bracket 102 and support bracket 104, during collapse. Such possibilities will be known to the skilled person.
  • the slidable fasteners 128 will provide a relatively lower frictional force between the connection assembly 1 10 and the support bracket 104. As such, the impact force required to cause the support bracket 104 to move relative to the mounting bracket 102 will also be lower. Conversely, the application of a relatively higher force to the slidable fasteners 128 will provide a relatively higher frictional force and thus the impact force required to provide relative movement will also be higher.
  • the force applied to the slidable fasteners 128 can therefore be altered for specific requirements such as the speed of collapse required for seat-belted or non-seat-belted drivers or differing safety requirements in different countries.
  • a force applied to the steering column assembly 100 and being transmitted through the support bracket 104 such as the impact of an occupant of a vehicle, if greater than the threshold, will cause the frictional engagement to be overcome and the slidable fasteners 128 to allow relative movement of the support bracket 104 and connection element 1 10.
  • Each slidable fastener 128 will move or slide down the length of the notch 132 to which it is attached and depending on the magnitude and duration of the applied force may become completely detached from the component - the support bracket 104 or the connection element 1 10 - in which each slidable fastener's 128 notch 132 is formed.
  • each front slidable fastener 128 is detachable from the wing 122 and each rear slidable fastener 128 is detachable from the connection element 1 12.
  • the connection assembly 1 10 can be made narrower than would otherwise be possible.
  • connection assembly 1 10 Due to the sandwiching of the support bracket 104 by the connection assembly 1 10, the steering column assembly 100 can have much greater stiffness than known assemblies. This also improves natural frequency performance.
  • an impact force F is applied to the steering column assembly 100 via the steering wheel 134, for example by way of the driver being thrown against the steering wheel 134.
  • This force can be considered as having two components: F x , acting down the axis of the steering column assembly 100, and F y normal to this force, acting to rotate the steering column assembly 100 about a pivot axis 136 at its far end, where it is fixed to the vehicle.
  • F x acting down the axis of the steering column assembly 100
  • F y normal to this force, acting to rotate the steering column assembly 100 about a pivot axis 136 at its far end, where it is fixed to the vehicle.
  • both the support bracket 104 and the connection assembly 1 10 are formed of steel
  • the friction coefficient is around 0.6 and can be reduced to around 0.2 with the addition of a lubricant such as oil or grease.
  • This is around 50% of the friction coefficient of known prior art assemblies which utilise a steel support bracket and a polymer (ZAMAC 5) connection assembly.
  • the friction coefficient between steel and ZAMAC 5 is around 0.8 and can be lowered to around 0.4 with a low-friction coating.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Steering Controls (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un ensemble formant colonne de direction comportant une ferrure de montage agencée pour être assujettie à une carrosserie de véhicule, et une ferrure de support agencée pour être assujettie à un carénage de colonne de direction et au moins un ensemble de connexion reliant la ferrure de montage à la ferrure de support. L'ensemble de connexion comprend un élément de connexion et un élément de fixation coulissant qui connecte l'élément de connexion à un corps, défini comme l'une parmi la ferrure de montage et la ferrure de support. Quand une force supérieure à un seuil est appliquée à l'ensemble formant colonne de direction, l'élément de fixation coulissant peut être détaché de manière coulissante de l'élément de connexion ou du corps de telle sorte que la ferrure de montage et la ferrure de support peuvent se déplacer l'une par rapport à l'autre, l'élément de fixation coulissant ne pouvant pas être détaché de manière coulissante en dessous du seuil.
PCT/EP2018/079054 2017-10-23 2018-10-23 Ensemble formant colonne de direction Ceased WO2019081522A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE112018004682.6T DE112018004682T5 (de) 2017-10-23 2018-10-23 Lenksäulenanordnung

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP17461625.0 2017-10-23
EP17461625 2017-10-23
GBGB1718656.0A GB201718656D0 (en) 2017-10-23 2017-11-10 A steering column assembly
GB1718656.0 2017-11-10

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2019081522A1 true WO2019081522A1 (fr) 2019-05-02

Family

ID=60201984

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/EP2018/079054 Ceased WO2019081522A1 (fr) 2017-10-23 2018-10-23 Ensemble formant colonne de direction

Country Status (2)

Country Link
DE (1) DE112018004682T5 (fr)
WO (1) WO2019081522A1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2609533B (en) 2021-07-29 2025-05-07 Zf Steering Systems Poland Sp Z O O Steering column assembly

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20060049620A1 (en) * 2004-09-06 2006-03-09 Hyundai Mobis, Co., Ltd. Shock absorbing device for steering columns
US20070013182A1 (en) * 2005-07-13 2007-01-18 Bechtel Travis D Energy absorbing support for a vehicle steering assembly
WO2010026552A2 (fr) * 2008-09-06 2010-03-11 Trw Automotive Us Llc Palier support pour un ensemble colonne de direction
CN103273956A (zh) * 2013-06-27 2013-09-04 长城汽车股份有限公司 用于汽车的转向管柱组件和具有其的汽车
EP2781434A1 (fr) * 2011-11-18 2014-09-24 Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha Dispositif de colonne de direction

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20060049620A1 (en) * 2004-09-06 2006-03-09 Hyundai Mobis, Co., Ltd. Shock absorbing device for steering columns
US20070013182A1 (en) * 2005-07-13 2007-01-18 Bechtel Travis D Energy absorbing support for a vehicle steering assembly
WO2010026552A2 (fr) * 2008-09-06 2010-03-11 Trw Automotive Us Llc Palier support pour un ensemble colonne de direction
EP2781434A1 (fr) * 2011-11-18 2014-09-24 Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha Dispositif de colonne de direction
CN103273956A (zh) * 2013-06-27 2013-09-04 长城汽车股份有限公司 用于汽车的转向管柱组件和具有其的汽车

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE112018004682T5 (de) 2020-06-25

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