Steering column arrangement for a motor vehicle

• US 6,264,239 B1
• Filed: 03/19/1999
• Issued: 07/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Chemtron Research LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Link, Manfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Mar, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, HAU VAN
• Application Number:
  US09/272,375
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 280/777, 280/775, 280/779, 744/92, 744/93, 180/400, 180/427, 180/428, 180/444, 180/434
• US Class Current: 280/777
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/181 with power actuated adjustment, e.g. with position memory
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/19 incorporating energy-absorbing arrangements, e.g. by being yieldable or collapsible shock absorbers using plastic deformation of members in general F16F7/12

Abstract

A steering column arrangement has an interior steering column tube which can be axially and telescopically adjusted by a spindle drive relative to an exterior steering column tube. A threaded spindle of the spindle drive is disposed by way of energy-absorbing bearing blocks. The longitudinally extending adjusting member is provided with a desired buckling point. At the level of the desired buckling point, a supporting bow is provided which is stationarily arranged on the exterior steering column tube, reaches at least partially over the desired buckling point and is designed to be plastically deformable.

Claims

1. A steering column arrangement for a motor vehicle, comprising an exterior, stationarily arranged steering column tube, an interior steering column tube telescopically displaceable in the exterior steering column tube, and an adjusting device operatively arranged between the two steering column tubes for displacing the interior steering column tube inside the exterior steering column tube, the adjusting device having an adjusting member which is stationarily applied to the interior steering column tube, extends longitudinally thereof and is aligned axially parallel with a steering axis, and the longitudinally extending adjusting member is configured with a desired buckling point for producing a laterally projecting deformation portion during longitudinal compression of the longitudinally extending adjusting member, and at a level of the desired buckling point, a supporting bow is stationarily arranged on the exterior steering column tube, reaches at least partially over the desired buckling point and is plastically deformable upon engagement of the buckling point with the supporting bow during a forced telescopic collapse of the interior steering column relative to the exterior steering column tube.

2. The steering column arrangement according to claim 1, wherein supporting bow adjoins a jacket of the exterior steering column tube and curved over the desired buckling point.

3. The steering column arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the desired buckling point of the adjusting member is aligned at an angle to the supporting bow such that, during a buckling operation, the desired buckling point is steered to an adjoining point of the supporting bow on the steering column tube.

4. The steering column arrangement according to claim 3, wherein supporting bow adjoins a jacket of the exterior steering column tube and curved over the desired buckling point.

5. The steering column arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting member is a threaded spindle of a spindle drive.

6. The steering column arrangement according to claim 5, wherein supporting bow adjoins a jacket of the exterior steering column tube and curved over the desired buckling point.

7. The steering column arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the desired buckling point of the adjusting member is aligned at an angle to the supporting bow such that, during a buckling operation, the desired buckling point is steered to an adjoining point of the supporting bow on the steering column tube.

8. The steering column arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the desired buckling point of the adjusting member is aligned at an angle to the supporting bow such that, during a buckling operation, the desired buckling point is steered to an adjoining point of the supporting bow on the steering column tube.