Land vehicles – Wheeled – Running gear
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-28
2001-02-13
DePumpo, Daniel G. (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Running gear
C280S779000, C180S334000, C180S090000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186547
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a motor vehicle with a position adjustable steering wheel and a position adjustable dashboard.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Studies directed to development of a new concept of working places of bus drivers, in particular, of city bus drivers show, see, e.g., an offprint from ATZ (1994), Heft 7/8, that from the medical and ergonomical point of view, the shape and the adjustment possibilities of a driver's seat alone is not sufficient to achieve an optimal posture of a motor vehicle driver. Rather, in order for a plurality of drivers to be in a position in which they can take a healthy and comfortable working posture, it is additionally necessary to provide possibilities for axial adjustment and for pivoting of the steering wheel and, in addition, to provide prerequisites for changing a position of the dashboard. At that, there exists a direct correlation between the angle of the steering wheel to a horizontal and the angle of the display plane of the dashboard to a horizontal. In other words, considering the position of the driver's eyes, for a relatively big driver, the steering wheel would occupy an elevated, only slightly included position, and the instrumentation panel of the dashboard would be in a flat, slightly inclined position. Whereas for a relatively small driver, the steering wheel would occupy a lowered, more included position, and likewise the instrumentation panel of the dashboard would occupy a more upright position.
The realization of medical and ergonomical recommendations present significant technical problems, in particular with regard to the locking and adjustment of a relatively large, widely-spread mass of the dashboard and to its stabilization, i.e., with regard to its oscillation-free suspension. It is to be noted that with regard to the adjustment, the necessary forces should be relatively small particularly in buses, which often have a change of drivers with the possibility that the driver may be female. Additional difficulties consist in that the required ergonomical-technical optimization should be conducted in a technical area in which smallest possible costs and a series production capability, that is, good reproducing capability, as well as inexpensive assembly, are required.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to so arrange a steering wheel and a dashboard in a motor vehicle so that the position of the steering wheel and the dashboard can easily be changed, that the self-oscillation with respect to the driver's cab is prevented, and that the costs of assembly of such arrangement, in a motor vehicle are reduced to the most possible extent.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This and other objects of the present invention, which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieved by providing a motor vehicle with a position-adjustable steering wheel and a position-adjustable dashboard, in which the dashboard and an axially adjustable and pivotally supported steering column, which carries a steering wheel, are fixedly connected with each other, and in which there is provided a bracket, which is connectable with a front side cross-spar of the driver's cab, on which a supporting frame, which carries the steering column and is provided with slideway guides for the steering column, is secured. A stabilizing device, which is associated with the dashboard, is connected with the supporting frame. The stabilizing device has two, spaced from each other by a relatively large distance, guide rails and functional elements which are connected with the dashboard and which are associated operatively with the guide rails in such a way that the stabilizing device provides for both height adjustment and pivotal movement of the steering column/dashboard about a rotational axle displaceable in the supporting frame.
It is to be noted that according to the found solution, the steering column and the dashboard do not move relatively to each other, but rather form a raising and lowering as well as pivotable assembly which is displaceable by using suitable parallel slideway guides, and is locked in each position. The steering wheel serves as a handle for an ergonomically-appropriate accommodation of this assembly to a particular male or female driver. A particular advantage can be seen in that the assembly is arranged with a three-point support using a bracket which is easily secured on the front side cross-spar of the driver's cab of a respective motor vehicle, so that as a result, the assembly simply follows the driver's cab oscillations. At that, the assembly can be produced as a functional unit outside of the motor vehicle and be inserted into the motor vehicle as pre-manufactured unit.
Of a particular importance for the found solution is the stabilizing device which insures a relatively wide support of the dashboard by suitably mounted guide rails and prevents jamming of the assembly formed of the steering wheel and the dashboard during its position-adjustment. The means for preventing jamming associated with each of the rails for the dashboard, a combination consisting of a gear wheel/toothed rack arrangement and a slideway guide and which provides for a uniform distribution of forces generated during raising or lowering and during pivotal movement of the steering wheel/dashboard assembly. To this end, a hinge connection is provided between the dashboard and a connection rod which carries both gear wheels.
The found solution further consists in that for effecting a pivotal movement of the assembly, a smallest possible play is contemplated in gear wheel/toothed rack engagement and between slideways provided in the guide rails and the connection rod engageable in both slideways. The spacial arrangement of the functional elements secured to the dashboard of the stabilizing device with respect to the rotational axis of the steering wheel is so effected that the plane, in which the connection rod and rotational axis are arranged, extends, in the middle position of the pivotal angle, substantially perpendicular to the plane in which both slideways of the stabilizing device are located.
In addition, relatively simple, with regard to manufacturing and particularly with regard to mounting, means is provided for locking the stabilizing device. First to be mentioned is a spring-biased, pneumatically releasable clamp element loosely supported on the connection rod. The force for effecting this force-locking fixation is transmitted from the clamp element via tightening sleeves, which are supported on the connection rod and are provided with play-compensating means, in the direction toward the guide rails and thereby in the direction of the outwardly located gear wheels of the stabilizing device. The latter are connected with the connection rod by throated sleeves and are counteracted in an appropriate manner. That is, the force flow is closed by a tensioned connection rod.
For completeness, it should be mentioned that despite a considerable weight of the steering column/dashboard assembly, the dimensioning can be so effected that raising requires little force and, if necessary, can be effected automatically. To this end, the slideway guides, which are inclined in a direction opposite to the working direction of the gravity force, cooperates with a telescopic shaft, which forms part of a cadran shaft extending from the steering column and which is provided with a gas spring.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3032134 (1962-05-01), Banker
patent: 4449419 (1984-05-01), Soler Bruguera
patent: 4472982 (1984-09-01), Nishikawa
patent: 4527444 (1985-07-01), McKee et al.
patent: 4541298 (1985-09-01), Strutt
patent: 4580647 (1986-04-01), Peifer et al.
patent: 4656888 (1987-04-01), Schmitz
patent: 5088342 (1992-02-01), Bening
patent: 6068295 (2000-05-01), Skabrond et al.
Bartholomai Gunther
Skabrond Klaus
Brown & Wood LLP
DePumpo Daniel G.
Mannesmann VDO AG
McClellan James S.
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