Land vehicles – Wheeled – Running gear
Patent
1998-04-13
2000-05-30
Swann, J. J.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Running gear
280779, 180334, 180 90, 296 73, B62D 199
Patent
active
060682957
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
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 inclined, 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 inclined 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 reproductability 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 element 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.
The solution of the problem set above is described by claim 1. Advantageous details of the embodiment of the invention follow from subclaims.
It is to be noted that according to the found solution, the steerin
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Bartholomai Gunther
Skabrond Klaus
Mannesmann VDO AG
McClellan James S.
Swann J. J.
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