# US 2014/0195204 A1 · Design assistance device for steering device and method of assisting steering device design > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0195204 A1 - Document ID: US20140195204A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/812,084 - Filed: 2012-06-20 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2011-08-29 - Assignees: Nsk Ltd. - Inventors: Masaki Tomaru; Naoki Sawada; Akira Ichikawa; Ryou Oosawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140195204A1 ## CPC - G06F 30/17: Mechanical parametric or variational design - B62D 1/16: Steering columns - B62D 1/20: Connecting steering column to steering gear - G06F 30/15: Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design - B62D 1/192: {Yieldable or collapsible columns} - G06F 2111/20: Configuration CAD, e.g. designing by assembling or positioning modules selected from libraries of predesigned modules - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) ## Abstract A design assistance device for a steering device and a method of assisting a steering device design which assists a design of a steering device including an intermediate shaft by using existing components of a tube yoke and a shaft yoke. A design assistance device 1 for a steering device displays a select button on a display device when a fitting length of the combination of a candidate component of the tube yoke and a candidate component of the shaft yoke satisfies a condition of a fitting length. When the select button is selected, a control device 4 may receive information in which a drawing selected by a designer is determined. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A design assistance device for a steering device, the design assistance device assisting a design of an intermediate shaft module including a tube yoke and a shaft yoke connected to the tube yoke, the design assistance device for the steering device comprising: a storage unit which stores at least information having a joint length as a distance between a first connection reference point where the intermediate shaft module is connected to a column yoke and a second connection reference point where the intermediate shaft module is connected to a pinion side yoke and a fitting length specification as a condition of a fitting length where the tube yoke and the shaft yoke are connected to each other, information of an existing component of an already designed tube yoke, and information of an existing component of an already designed shaft yoke; a candidate component extraction unit which extracts a candidate component of the tube yoke included in the joint length from the information of the existing component of the tube yoke and extracts a candidate component of the shaft yoke included in the joint length from the information of the existing component of the tube yoke; a calculation unit which is disposed between the first connection reference point and the second connection reference point and calculates an instruction for storing a combination of the candidate component of the tube yoke and the candidate component of the shaft yoke in the storage unit when the fitting length where the candidate component of the tube yoke and the candidate component of the shaft yoke are combined with each other satisfies the fitting length specification; and a display unit which displays an index indicating the presence of the instruction calculated by the calculation unit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The design assistance device for the steering device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit does not display the index when the fitting length where the candidate component of the tube yoke and the candidate component of the shaft yoke are combined with each other does not satisfy the fitting length specification. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The design assistance device for the steering device according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores a collision-contraction length specification as a condition of a collision-contraction length that is a distance in which the fitting between the tube yoke and the shaft yoke is released and the shaft yoke is movable inside the tube yoke, and wherein the display unit does not display the index when the collision-contraction length where the candidate component of the tube yoke and the candidate component of the shaft yoke are combined with each other does not satisfy the collision-contraction length specification. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The design assistance device for the steering device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays a drawing of the candidate component of the tube yoke or the candidate component of the shaft yoke between the first connection reference point and the second connection reference point in synchronization with selection information of the input unit that selects the candidate component of the tube yoke or the candidate component of the shaft yoke extracted by the candidate component extraction unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The design assistance device for the steering device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit receives the index and displays information of a combination of the candidate component of the tube yoke and the candidate component of the shaft yoke stored in the storage unit in a three-dimensional space in which the longitudinal direction, the vertical direction, and the transverse direction of a vehicle equipped with the steering device are defined. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The design assistance device for the steering device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit gives a rank of selecting a combination of candidate components in accordance with priority rank information stored in the storage unit to a combination of plural candidate components of the tube yoke and the shaft yoke stored based on the instruction. ### Claim 7 A method of assisting a steering device design, which causes a computer to assist a design of an intermediate shaft module including a tube yoke and a shaft yoke connected to the tube yoke, the method of assisting the steering device design comprising: a joint length information acquiring of acquiring information of a joint length as a distance between a first connection reference point where the intermediate shaft module is connected to a column yoke and a second connection reference point where the intermediate shaft module is connected to a pinion side yoke; a fitting length information acquiring of acquiring information of a fitting length specification as a condition of a fitting length where the tube yoke and the shaft yoke are connected to each other; a candidate component extracting of acquiring information of an existing component of an already designed tube yoke and information of an existing component of an already designed shaft yoke, extracting a candidate component of the tube yoke included in the joint length acquired in the joint length information acquiring from the information of the existing component of the tube yoke, and extracting a candidate component of the shaft yoke included in the joint length acquired in the joint length information acquiring from the information of the existing component of the tube yoke; and calculating an instruction for storing a combination of the candidate component of the tube yoke and the candidate component of the shaft yoke when the fitting length of the combination of the candidate component of the tube yoke and the candidate component of the shaft yoke extracted from the candidate component extracting satisfies the fitting length specification acquired in the fitting length information acquiring. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of assisting the steering device design according to claim 7, wherein in the calculating, when a collision-contraction length as a distance in which the fitting between the tube yoke and the shaft yoke is released and the shaft yoke is movable inside the tube yoke does not satisfy a collision-contraction length specification as a restriction condition of a vehicle, the instruction for storing the combination of the candidate component of the tube yoke and the candidate component of the shaft yoke is not calculated. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of assisting the steering device design according to claim 7, further comprising: a priority candidate component determining of determining a combination of prioritized candidate components with respect to the combinations of plural candidate components of the tube yoke and the shaft yoke stored based on the instruction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of assisting the steering device design according to claim 7, further comprising: displaying information of the combination of the candidate component of the tube yoke and the candidate component of the shaft yoke stored based on the instruction in a three-dimensional space in which the longitudinal direction, the vertical direction, and the transverse direction of a vehicle equipped with the steering device are defined. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The design assistance device for the steering device according to claim 2, wherein the display unit displays a drawing of the candidate component of the tube yoke or the candidate component of the shaft yoke between the first connection reference point and the second connection reference point in synchronization with selection information of the input unit that selects the candidate component of the tube yoke or the candidate component of the shaft yoke extracted by the candidate component extraction unit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 2) The design assistance device for the steering device according to claim 2, wherein the display unit receives the index and displays information of a combination of the candidate component of the tube yoke and the candidate component of the shaft yoke stored in the storage unit in a three-dimensional space in which the longitudinal direction, the vertical direction, and the transverse direction of a vehicle equipped with the steering device are defined. ### Claim 13 (depends on 4) The design assistance device for the steering device according to claim 4, wherein the display unit receives the index and displays information of a combination of the candidate component of the tube yoke and the candidate component of the shaft yoke stored in the storage unit in a three-dimensional space in which the longitudinal direction, the vertical direction, and the transverse direction of a vehicle equipped with the steering device are defined. ### Claim 14 (depends on 2) The design assistance device for the steering device according to claim 2, wherein the calculation unit gives a rank of selecting a combination of candidate components in accordance with priority rank information stored in the storage unit to a combination of plural candidate components of the tube yoke and the shaft yoke stored based on the instruction. ### Claim 15 (depends on 3) The design assistance device for the steering device according to claim 3, wherein the calculation unit gives a rank of selecting a combination of candidate components in accordance with priority rank information stored in the storage unit to a combination of plural candidate components of the tube yoke and the shaft yoke stored based on the instruction. ### Claim 16 (depends on 4) The design assistance device for the steering device according to claim 4, wherein the calculation unit gives a rank of selecting a combination of candidate components in accordance with priority rank information stored in the storage unit to a combination of plural candidate components of the tube yoke and the shaft yoke stored based on the instruction. ### Claim 17 (depends on 5) The design assistance device for the steering device according to claim 5, wherein the calculation unit gives a rank of selecting a combination of candidate components in accordance with priority rank information stored in the storage unit to a combination of plural candidate components of the tube yoke and the shaft yoke stored based on the instruction. ### Claim 18 (depends on 8) The method of assisting the steering device design according to claim 8, further comprising: a priority candidate component determining of determining a combination of prioritized candidate components with respect to the combinations of plural candidate components of the tube yoke and the shaft yoke stored based on the instruction. ### Claim 19 (depends on 8) The method of assisting the steering device design according to claim 8, further comprising: displaying information of the combination of the candidate component of the tube yoke and the candidate component of the shaft yoke stored based on the instruction in a three-dimensional space in which the longitudinal direction, the vertical direction, and the transverse direction of a vehicle equipped with the steering device are defined. ### Claim 20 (depends on 9) The method of assisting the steering device design according to claim 9, further comprising: displaying information of the combination of the candidate component of the tube yoke and the candidate component of the shaft yoke stored based on the instruction in a three-dimensional space in which the longitudinal direction, the vertical direction, and the transverse direction of a vehicle equipped with the steering device are defined.