Control yoke for steering a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10933901-B2
Application number	US-201716325607-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2017
Priority date	Aug 19, 2016
Publication date	Mar 2, 2021
Grant date	Mar 2, 2021

Abstract

A control yoke for steering a motor vehicle, with a hub attached to a steering shaft, is connected to two steering handles protruding laterally in opposite directions, and has a motor-driven adjustment device by means of which the steering handles are displaceable from a usage position at a greater distance from the hub into a standby position at a smaller distance from the hub and vice versa. In an automatic steering mode of the motor vehicle the steering handles are rotatable by means of the adjustment device towards the driver in the usage position and away from the driver in the standby position about a transverse axis which connects the two steering handles and is arranged transversely to the rotation axis of the steering shaft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control yoke for steering a motor vehicle, comprising:
a hub;
a steering shaft attached to the hub;
two steering handles protruding laterally in opposite directions from the hub; and
a motor-driven adjustment device configured to displace the steering handles from a usage position at a greater distance from the hub into a standby position at a smaller distance from the hub and vice versa;
wherein the steering handles are configured to rotate by means of the adjustment device towards the driver in the usage position and away from the driver in the standby position about a transverse axis which connects the two steering handles and is arranged transversely to the rotation axis of the steering shaft.

2. The control yoke of claim 1 , wherein the steering handles each have a connecting portion which runs in the direction of said transverse axis and is connected to the hub, and is connected to a radially outwardly arranged handle part which, in the usage position of the control yoke, extends upward inside a plane orthogonal to the rotation axis of the steering shaft and, in the standby position of the control yoke, extends towards a vehicle front.

3. The control yoke of claim 2 , wherein the adjustment device has a guide tube which is connected rotationally fixedly to the steering shaft and is oriented along said transverse axis.

4. The control yoke of claim 3 , wherein each connecting portion of the steering handles comprises a connecting tube which is guided so as to be displaceable relative to the guide tube.

5. The control yoke of claim 4 , wherein each connecting tube and each respective connecting portion are formed of a one piece construction.

6. The control yoke of claim 4 , wherein each respective connecting tube is displaceable relative to the guide tube by means of a spindle drive driven by an electric motor.

7. The control yoke of claim 6 , wherein the electric motor is provided with two spindle drives for displacing both connecting tubes.

8. The control yoke of claim 6 , wherein two electric motors are provided with two spindle drives for displacing the connecting tubes.

9. The control yoke of claim 8 , wherein the two electric motors of the spindle drives are arranged in the guide tube, wherein spindles are arranged on motor shafts and are each oriented in the direction of each respective connecting tube, and wherein nuts sitting on the spindles are each connected directly or indirectly to a corresponding connecting tube.

10. The control yoke of claim 8 , wherein the two electric motors of the spindle drives are each arranged in the connecting tube, wherein spindles are arranged on motor shafts and are each oriented in the direction of the guide tube, and wherein nuts sitting on the spindles are connected to the guide tube.

11. The control yoke of claim 7 , wherein the electric motor is arranged in the guide tube, wherein a spindle is arranged on each axial side of a motor shaft and is oriented in a direction of the associated connecting tube, and wherein nuts sitting on the spindles are each directly or indirectly connected to the associated connecting tube, and wherein a first spindle of the spindles and its associated first nut have a right-hand thread, and a second spindle of the spindles and its associated second nut have a left-hand thread.

12. The control yoke of claim 8 , wherein each connecting tube is mounted via a respective bearing so as to be rotatable about said transverse axis.

13. The control yoke of claim 12 , wherein each bearing is attached to a housing element of the associated electric motor.

14. The control yoke of claim 12 , wherein each connecting tube and/or guide tube each has a recess in at least one portion, into each of which a radially outwardly protruding bolt engages which is attached to the guide tube.

15. The control yoke of claim 12 , wherein two end portions of the guide tube are each provided with at least one recess in at least one portion, into each of which a radially inwardly protruding bolt engages which is attached to the respective connecting tube.

16. The control yoke of claim 14 , wherein each recess of the connecting tube or guide tube has an axially oriented end portion at both ends of its portion.

17. The control yoke of claim 15 , wherein each recess of the connecting tube or guide tube has an axially oriented end portion at both ends of its portion.

Assignees

• Thyssenkrupp Presta Ag
• Thyssenkrupp Ag

Inventors

• Kreutz Daniel

Classifications

• B62D1/04

  Hand wheels · CPC title

• B62D1/08

  Spokes, e.g. resilient (B62D1/11 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62D1/06 Primary

  Rims, e.g. with heating means; Rim covers (B62D1/11 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60R2011/0085

  with adjustment by rotation in their operational position · CPC title