Removable steering wheel and pedals for autonomous vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9963035-B2
Application number	US-201615016583-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2016
Priority date	Feb 5, 2016
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

A dashboard assembly for a vehicle includes a dashboard defining a receiving niche. The niche is alignable with a driver seat location, and is selectively fillable by each of a removable steering module and a removable filler module. The removable steering module includes a steering module base. A steering wheel support is fixed to the steering module base. A steering wheel is rotatably fixed to the steering wheel support. A steering wheel connector connects the steering wheel to a vehicle steering actuator. The removable filler module includes a filler module base.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dashboard assembly for a vehicle comprising:
a dashboard defining a receiving niche alignable with a driver seat location and the niche being alternatively fillable in a first configuration by a removable steering module and in a second configuration by a removable filler module;
the removable steering module including:
a steering module base,
a steering wheel support fixed to the steering module base,
a steering wheel rotatably fixed to the steering wheel support,
a steering wheel connector for connecting the steering wheel to a vehicle steering actuator; and

the removable filler module including a filler module base sized to fill the niche with a substantially line-to-line fit with the dashboard.

2. The dashboard assembly of claim 1 , the dashboard including an airbag disposed therein and the steering module including an airbag disposed in the steering wheel.

3. The dashboard assembly of claim 1 , the filler module including an airbag disposed therein and the steering module including an airbag disposed in the steering wheel.

4. The dashboard assembly of claim 1 , the filler module including a storage compartment incorporating a trim panel.

5. The dashboard assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the removable steering module includes a first part of a selectively engageable steering module mount fixed to the steering module base,
a second part of the steering module mount is incorporated into the vehicle dashboard with the first part and the second part cooperatively fixing the steering module to the dashboard, and
the removable filler module includes a first part of a selectively engageable filler module mount substantially identical to the first part of the steering module mount with the first part of the filler module mount and the second part of the steering module mount cooperatively fixing the filler module to the dashboard.

6. The dashboard assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a pedal module.

7. The dashboard assembly of claim 1 , the steering wheel connector being a mechanical connector.

8. A vehicle having a dashboard assembly:
a dashboard defining a receiving niche aligned with a driver seat location and the niche being alternatively fillable in a first configuration by a removable steering module and in a second configuration by a removable filler module;
the removable steering module including:
a steering module base,
a steering wheel support fixed to the steering module base,
a steering wheel rotatably fixed to the steering wheel support,
a steering wheel connector for connecting the steering wheel to a vehicle steering actuator; and
the removable filler module including a filler module base sized to fill the niche with a substantially line-to-line fit with the dashboard.

9. The vehicle of claim 8 , the dashboard including an airbag disposed therein and the steering module including an airbag disposed in the steering wheel.

10. The vehicle of claim 8 , the filler module including an airbag disposed therein and the steering module including an airbag disposed in the steering wheel.

11. The vehicle of claim 8 , the filler module including a storage compartment incorporating a trim panel.

12. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein:
the removable steering module includes a first part of a selectively engageable steering module mount fixed to the steering module base,
a second part of the steering module mount is incorporated into the vehicle dashboard with the first part and the second part cooperatively fixing the steering module to the dashboard, and
the removable filler module includes a first part of a selectively engageable filler module mount substantially identical to the first part of the steering module mount with the first part of the filler module mount and the second part of the steering module mount cooperatively fixing the filler module to the dashboard.

13. The vehicle of claim 8 , further comprising a pedal module.

14. The vehicle of claim 8 , the steering wheel connector being a mechanical connector.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• El Aile Steven R
• Joyce John P
• Brown Andrew
• Lauffer Scott J
• Abbas Samer

Classifications

• B60K2350/946

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60K37/06 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60R21/203

  in steering wheels or steering columns · CPC title

• B60K37/00

  Dashboards (as road-vehicle superstructure sub-units B62D25/14) · CPC title

• B60K26/02

  of initiating means or elements · CPC title