Steering arrangement for a vehicle

• US 6,481,525 B1
• Filed: 02/02/2001
• Issued: 11/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sauer-Danfoss Holding APS (Bitten Og Mads Clausens Fond)
• Original Assignee: Sauer-Danfoss Aps (Bitten Og Mads Clausens Fond)
• Inventors: Østergård, Ulla Toft, Bloch, Jesper
• Primary Examiner(s): LERNER, AVRAHAM H
• Application Number:
  US09/701,058
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 446/454, 446/455, 446/456, 180/402, 180/442, 180/403, 180/167, 180/168, 180/169, 180/441, 701/41, 701/42
• US Class Current: 180/402
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/02 vehicle-mounted

Abstract

The invention concerns a steering arrangement (1) for a vehicle, in particular for an automotive machine, with a steering drive (4) controlled by a steering unit (8). In a steering arrangement of this kind, it is endeavoured to make the steering less straining for the operator. For this purpose the steering unit (8) has a keyboard (9) instead of a steering handwheel.

Claims

1. Steering arrangement for a human-occupied vehicle having a steering drive controlled by a steering unit operated by a human occupant, the steering unit having only a keyboard instead of a steering handwheel for steering control of the vehicle, said keyboard having at least one feedback device acting on the human occupant.

2. Steering arrangement according to claim 1 in which the keyboard has at least two direction determining keys.

3. Steering arrangement according to claim 1 in which the keyboard has resting keys, which need a predetermined force to be activated.

4. Steering arrangement according to claim 1 in which the keyboard has pressure-sensitive keys, whose output signal depends on the pressure acting upon them.

5. Steering arrangement according to claim 1 which the keyboard has a dead man'"'"'s button.

6. Steering arrangement according to claim 1 which at least one key of the keyboard has a detection unit for at least one person-specific feature.

7. Steering arrangement according to claim 6 in which the person-specific feature is a fingerprint.

8. Steering arrangement according to claim 1 in which the keyboard has a hand rest area, and said feedback device is located in said hand rest area.

9. Steering arrangement according to claim 1 in which the feedback device comprises a vibration producing arrangement.

10. Steering arrangement according to claim 1 in which the feedback device comprises a temperature increasing device.

11. Steering arrangement according to claim 1 which the keyboard is arranged in a housing having a BUS connection for operating a steering drive.

12. Steering Arrangement according to claim 11 in which the keyboard is connected to a function generator, which, independent of a key operation, causes at least one of a time and movement dependent operation of the steering drive.

13. A steering arrangement for a human-occupied vehicle having a steering drive controlled by steering unit operated by a human occupant, the steering unit having only a keyboard instead of a steering handwheel for steering control of the vehicle, in which the keyboard is connected to a function generator, which, independent of a key operation, causes at least one of a time and movement dependent operation of the steering drive, the function generator having an inlet with a time demodulator, which, on a key operation, opens a time window, in which an additional key operation causes a deviating deflection of the steering drive.