Land vehicles – Wheeled – Running gear
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-19
2001-07-24
Mar, Michael (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Running gear
C280S775000, C280S779000, C074S492000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264239
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION (47607)
This application is related to application Ser. No. 09/272,374 filed on Mar. 9, 1999, entitled MOTOR VEHICLE STEERING COLUMN ARRANGEMENT WITH SPACE-SAVING HOLDER FOR ADJUSTMENT, and filed in the name of Manfred Link.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application claims the priority of 198 12 179.2-21, filed Mar. 19, 1998, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a steering column arrangement for a motor vehicle, having an exterior, stationarily arranged steering column tube as well as having an interior steering column tube which is telescopically displaceable in the exterior steering column tube. An adjusting device is operative between the two steering column tubes for displacing the interior steering column tube inside the exterior steering column tube, and has an adjusting member which is stationarily applied to the interior steering column tube, extends longitudinally and is aligned axially in parallel with the steering axis. Energy absorption devices are assigned to the adjusting member.
A steering column arrangement is described in DE 195 24 196 C1. This known steering column arrangement has a steering spindle which carries a steering wheel and which is rotatably disposed in an interior steering column tube. The interior steering column tube is telescopically displaceably disposed in an exterior steering column tube. The exterior steering column tube is fixed to the vehicle body supporting structure of the motor vehicle.
For displacing the interior steering column tube with respect to the exterior steering column tube, an adjusting arrangement is configured as a spindle drive operated by an electric motor. The spindle drive has an adjusting spindle which extends axially in parallel to the steering axis of the steering spindle on the outside along the exterior and the interior steering column tube and is fixed by a holding device on a frontal end stationarily to the interior steering column tube. In the area of the exterior steering column tube, a threaded nut is disposed on the adjusting spindle configured as a threaded spindle and is disposed between two energy-absorbing bearing blocks. By way of a corresponding gearbox, the electric servo motor acts upon the threaded nut.
In the event of an impact load onto the motor vehicle, additional impact energy can be absorbed in the area of the adjusting arrangement in the known arrangement by plastically deforming the energy-absorbing bearing blocks through the introduction of force by way of the adjusting spindle. Depending on the direction of the impact load, i.e., from the steering gear or from the vehicle interior and therefore from the steering wheel, tension and pressure loads therefore act upon the adjusting spindle which can be reduced by way of the energy-absorbing bearing blocks while absorbing energy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a steering column arrangement which can absorb impact energy by using simple devices during a vehicle impact.
This object has been achieved in that a longitudinally extending adjusting member is provided with a desired buckling point. At the level of the desired buckling point, a supporting bow is provided which is stationarily arranged on the interior steering column tube, reaches at least partially over the desired buckling point and has a plastically deformable configuration. As a result, in the area of the adjusting arrangement, impact energy is reduced by a deformation of the adjusting member which, on the one hand, is arranged on the interior steering column tube and, on the other hand, is arranged on the exterior steering column tube.
Because of the characteristic that an additionally plastically deformable supporting bow reaches at least partially over the adjusting member in the area of the desired buckling point, this supporting bow is additionally deformed during a deformation of the adjusting member in the area of the desired buckling point as soon as, during the deformation, the desired buckling point comes to rest against this supporting bow. A series-type connection is therefore obtained of the energy absorption devices in the form of the desired buckling point and of the supporting bow. Particularly a threaded spindle of a spindle drive is provided as the adjusting member.
As an alternative, however, another adjusting member in the form of a tension-compression rod can also be provided which is acted upon by hydraulic or pneumatic, hydraulic or electric driving members.
The solution according to the invention allows a reduction of impact energy to first take place by a deformation of the adjusting member in the area of the desired buckling point. The contact of the desired buckling point on the supporting bow is adapted such to the deformation path that the contact already takes place after a slight drop of the deformation force level. As the result of the contact and the subsequent additional deformation of the supporting bow, a force rise of the deformation force level again takes place so that impact energy continues to be convertible. The deformation force level can therefore be kept high along a considerably longer displacement path between the interior and the exterior steering column tube than would be the case if only a desired buckling point were provided.
As a further feature of the invention, the desired buckling point of the adjusting member is aligned at an angle to the supporting bow such that, during a buckling operation, the desired buckling point is steered toward an application point of the supporting bow on the steering column tube. As a result, the desired buckling point is prevented from sliding off on the supporting bow to the outside, whereby the supporting bow could no longer exercise a supporting function of the desired buckling point.
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patent: 195 24 196 C1 (1996-11-01), None
Crowell & Moring , L.L.P.
Daimler Chrysler AG
Mar Michael
Phan Hau
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