Collision energy absorbable steering column for vehicle
View Patent ↗Disclosed is a vehicular collision energy absorbable steering column coupled to a steering shaft. The steering column comprises shaped wires deformable to absorb a collision load in a vehicle collision, a cylindrical hollow outer tube, a cylindrical hollow inner tube having on its interior circumferential surface mounting grooves to secure the wires, and a distance bracket that is formed of a hollow tubular member having an outer tube joint at one end and an inner tube joint at the opposite end and has a pair of fastening flanges shaped into two spaced opposing plates formed on the outer circumferential surfaces of the tubular member for receiving the wires so that the distance bracket may collapse in the axial direction in the event of a vehicle collision through deforming the wires.
1. A vehicular collision energy absorbable steering column coupled to a steering shaft, the steering column comprising:
a cylindrical hollow outer tube;
a cylindrical hollow inner tube having on an interior circumferential surface one or more mounting grooves; and
a distance bracket shaped into a hollow cylinder with a circumferential area cut partially open in an axial direction of the steering shaft, the distance bracket having
one end fixedly inserted in the outer tube;
an opposite end fixedly receiving the inner tube; and
a pair of fastening flanges formed with a distance from each other on outer circumferential surfaces of the hollow cylinder, the fastening flanges having grip holes and guide sections with guide grooves; and
one or more U-shaped wires each having two ends, wherein one of the ends is fixed on the mounting groove of the inner tube and the other end is extended from the circumferential area cut, penetrated through the grip holes in the axial direction and seated in the guide grooves, so that the one or more wires are deformed in the axial direction with a vehicle load in the vehicle collision in order to cushion the vehicle collision.
2. The vehicular collision energy absorbable steering column in claim 1 , wherein each of the guide sections is in planar semicircular shape along which the guide groove is formed centrally with a circular profile in cross section.
3. The vehicular collision energy absorbable steering column in claim 1 , wherein the wire is comprised of a straight end section to be inserted in the grip hole, an impact absorption section extending from the straight end section and bent to rest in the guide groove, an attachment section formed integral to the impact absorption section and bent over the inner tube and extending through a straight length to be seated in the mounting groove formed on the interior circumferential surfaces of the inner tube.