Energy absorbing steering column

Details Energy absorbing steering column Energy absorbing steering column

1995-12-08

1997-02-25

Rice, Kenneth R.

Land vehicles

Wheeled

Running gear

74492, B62D 111

Patent

active

056053525

ABSTRACT:
An energy absorbing steering column for a motor vehicle including a housing supported on a body structure of the vehicle for translation through a linear collapse stroke in response to an impact on a steering wheel of the steering column and an energy absorber. The energy absorber includes a flat metal ribbon having a first end anchored to the housing, an unrestrained second end, a preformed first undulation near the first end looped over a stationary first roller, and a preformed second undulation tangent to the first undulation looped over a floating second roller. The first and second undulations overlap each other and are confined between a pair of parallel containment walls of the steering column housing. As the steering column housing traverses its linear collapse stroke, the flat metal ribbon is plastically deformed to convert kinetic energy to work by being pulled sequentially over rotating anvils defined by at least one half of the circumference of the stationary first roller and at least one half of the circumference of the floating second roller.

REFERENCES:
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patent: 4989898 (1991-02-01), Yamaguchi et al.
patent: 4998999 (1991-03-01), Yuzuriha et al.
patent: 5052716 (1991-10-01), Matsumoto
patent: 5082311 (1992-01-01), Metlotik
patent: 5088768 (1992-02-01), Maruyama et al.
patent: 5228359 (1993-07-01), Thomas
patent: 5487562 (1996-01-01), Hedderly et al.
Automotive Industries, "Components and Systems '95", p. 48.

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