Steering shaft
AssigneesBayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft, Krupp Presta AG
InventorsHans-Joachim Faulstroh, Frank Schroeter, Christoph Klukowski, Elmar Moch, Matthias Renker, Matthias Hell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A steering spindle (1) has a thin-walled container (5) which is filled by an incompressible flowable material (7). In the event of a crash, the container (5) is opened up by means of a, for example, pyrotechnic device (13). As a result, the flowable material (7) emerges and the container (5) deforms, whereby the forward vehicle intrusion is uncoupled from the behavior of the steering column.
Claims20
Steering spindle comprising a section including a thin-walled container, wherein during normal steering operation the container is filled with an incompressible flowable material so that the container is sufficiently rigid to transmit a steering torque from a steering handle, wherein in the event of a crash, the container is opened to discharge the incompressible flowable material so that the container is deformable to allow the steering spindle to deform, the steering spindle further comprising a device for opening the container to allow the incompressible flowable material to be discharged from the container in the event of a crash.
Steering spindle assembly comprising:
- an upper section connectable with a steering wheel,
- an intermediate section joining the upper section,
- said intermediate section being formed as a thin walled container filled with an incompressible flowable material so that the container is sufficiently rigid to transmit a steering torque from a steering handle,
- a lower section joining the intermediate section and connectable with a steering gear, and
- container opening means for opening the container in an event of a crash whereby the intermediate section becomes deformable thereby protecting the vehicle driver from transfer of collision forces through the steering spindle assembly.
A method of making a steering spindle assembly comprising:
- forming an upper section connectable with a steering wheel,
- joining an intermediate section to the upper section,
- said intermediate section being formed as a thin walled container filled with an incompressible flowable material so that the container is sufficiently rigid to transmit a steering torque from a steering handle,
- joining a lower section to the intermediate section,
- said lower section being connectable with a steering gear,
- wherein said thin walled container of the intermediate section is configured to be opened to release the flowable material in the event of collision forces in use on the steering spindle assembly so that the container becomes deformable to allow the steering spindle assembly to collapse.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.