Land vehicles – Wheeled – Running gear
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-29
2001-07-24
Rice, Kenneth R. (Department: 2167)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Running gear
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264240
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to collapsible steering columns for vehicles, and more particularly to an energy absorption device for dissipating force from a steering column to a driver in case of collision.
Requirements vary from place to place and from vehicle to vehicle as to the constraints to be applied to energy absorption systems incorporated in collapsible steering columns for vehicles. Hitherto, in addition to the difficulty of determining the required energy absorption for a given vehicle in a given country, it has been a problem to meet these requirements in a single device.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present energy absorbing steering columns. Thus, it would clearly be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the present invention, this is accomplished by providing a collapsible steering column for a vehicle, the column incorporating an energy absorption device in the form of a first member and an elongate filament which is drawn over said first member upon steering column collapse, thereby to absorb energy, the filament having a cross section which has been profiled to meet specified energy absorption criteria.
The foregoing and other aspects will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5609364 (1997-03-01), Fouquet et al.
patent: 5961146 (1999-10-01), Matsumoto et al.
patent: 2268125A (1994-01-01), None
patent: 2279623A (1995-01-01), None
patent: 2291840A (1996-02-01), None
patent: 2309204A (1997-07-01), None
patent: 2326135A (1998-12-01), None
patent: 2331964A (1999-06-01), None
Miles & Stockbridge PC
Nastech Europe Limited
Rice Kenneth R.
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