Land vehicles – Wheeled – Running gear
Patent
1989-11-28
1991-07-30
Marmor, Charles A.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Running gear
74493, B62D 118
Patent
active
050354469
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a steering wheel arrangement intended for automotive vehicles and including a steering wheel, a steering column which carries the steering wheel, and means for adjusting the position of the steering wheel in the direction of the steering column and/or with respect to the angle at which the steering wheel is inclined to said column.
Hitherto known steering wheel arrangements with adjustable steering wheels include manually operable catch devices and are so configured that the actual adjustment to the steering wheel position is effected totally through the force applied to the steering wheel by the driver of the vehicle. The adjustment is thus effected through a completely manual procedure, in which the driver first releases the catch, e.g. with the aid of a knob or an operating lever of the same kind as the lever used for operating the direction blinkers or indicators of the vehicle. While holding the catch released, the driver then moves or tilts the steering wheel to the position desired, whereafter he releases the catch operating lever, so as to lock the steering wheel in its new position.
With this type of steering wheel arrangement, it is difficult to finely adjust the position of the steering wheel while driving the vehicle. The telescopic joints and toggle joints required to enable the steering wheel to be adjusted to mutually different axial and angular positions must not present excessive resistance to the adjustment, but must "respond freely", which combined with the fact that the catch operating lever must be "held in" during the whole of the adjustment procedure, makes it difficult to reach the ideal position quickly while driving the vehicle. For instance, if the driver desires to stretch his arms while driving and therefore wishes to push away the steering wheel to some slight extent, the normal result of this procedure is that the steering wheel is moved backwards and forwards by the driver a few times, until an ideal steering wheel position is reached, which is a drawback and undesirable with regard to traffic safety, since the possibility of turning the steering wheel with the catch lever depressed is very limited.
The object of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel arrangement of the kind disclosed in the introduction which is easier to adjust than the known arrangements and which will enable the steering wheel to be adjusted quickly to precisely the position desired by the driver in a traffic safe fashion.
This object is achieved in accordance with the invention in that the steering wheel adjustment means include at least one setting motor for effecting adjustment movements and means for detecting the force acting on the steering wheel in the adjustment direction, said means being effective in starting the setting motor upon detection of a predetermined force in the adjustment direction and holding the motor active until the force acting in said adjustment direction falls beneath said predetermined force.
When utilizing the inventive arrangement, it is not necessary for the driver of a vehicle to release or apply any form of catch when adjusting the position of the steering wheel. All that the driver is required to do is to apply a higher pressure or pulling force than usual on the steering wheel in the adjustment direction. When the steering wheel is moved into the desired, new position under influence of the setting motor, the adjustment procedure is terminated by easing the pressure or force applied by the driver on the steering wheel. The driver of the vehicle is in full control of the vehicle during the whole of the adjustment procedure.
The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to an exemplifying embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which
FIG. 1 is a partially sectioned side view of one embodiment of the inventive steering wheel arrangement; and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a setting motor.
In FIG. 1 the reference numeral 1 identifies the instrument panel of an automobile
REFERENCES:
patent: 4598604 (1986-07-01), Sorsche
patent: 4602520 (1986-07-01), Nishikawa
patent: 4893518 (1990-01-01), Matsumoto
AB Volvo
Marmor Charles A.
Tyson Karin
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