The present invention relates to a vehicle steering column internal device intended to facilitate driving in curves by modifying the alignment of the front and rear wheels of the vehicle.
This system is in particular designed to adapt to any steering type and can be mounted on existing steering columns or integrated into the production of steering columns for new vehicles or other machines.
More particularly, the device according to the invention is configured as a replacement device for the rolling bearings (in French “roulements”) of the mechanism inside conventional steering column, preferably without having to change the steering column shaft.
The device comprises an eccentric spherical (*in French “a rotule”) rolling bearing preferably disposed on the upper part of the steering column shaft and a concentric spherical rolling bearing preferably provided on the lower part of the steering column shaft.
The internal mechanisms of vehicle steering columns are mainly produced using concentric rolling bearings so as to induce a perfectly coaxial rotation between the handlebar rotational movement and that of the wheel along the steering column shaft. The inclination angle or rake angle (in French “angle de chasse”) of the steering column is also fixed.
However, there are several inventions described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,946A, EP1841640B1 intended to allow modifying the inclination angle or rake angle of the column by using two concentric rolling bearings provided in two decentered hoops (in French “frettes”) or retaining members. These systems thus allow adjusting the longitudinal inclination angle or rake angle of the steering column based on of the eccentricity of the hoops or retaining members of the rolling bearings.
According to the invention U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,946A, the inclination of the steering column guiding axis (in French “axe de guidage”) is achieved by two rolling bearing members, each comprising an eccentric opening opposed to the other one by 180°, which remain fixed in the longitudinal axis of the vehicle formed by the front and rear wheels.
According to the invention EP1841640B1, the inclination of the steering column guiding axis is achieved by adjustable members allowing adjusting the steering column rake angle in a predefined manner without having to disassemble the fastening and guiding members of the steering column shaft.
The transverse inclination of the steering column guiding axis remains however fixed or static for a set of hoops, installed retaining members or angle setting defined at the two ends of the steering column shaft.
According to these inventions, during straight line and curve driving, the guiding axis of the steering column remains aligned in the longitudinal plane of the front and rear wheels of the vehicle, it is therefore impossible to vary the transverse inclination angle dynamically guiding the column while driving in curves or bends.
The main problem encountered while driving is that in a curve, the front wheel of the vehicle pivots around the steering column shaft, which is in general not vertical. In the case of a two-wheeled vehicle, this forces the driver into having to tip the vehicle laterally so as to correctly lead the vehicle into the oblique trajectory according to the curve to be followed. This movement thus facilitates changing the vehicle direction, but the fixed angle of the steering column limits the possible vehicle inclination, which proves dangerous when the rider leans too much or over a sudden dodge because the front wheel grips onto the road and the driver loses control of the vehicle.
A main goal of the present invention is therefore to propose a steering column internal device making it possible to transversely displace, all or in part, the guiding axis of the steering column, preferably of the front wheel, simultaneously with the handlebar rotation, which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art.
To this end, the present invention relates more particularly to a steering column internal device, of the aforementioned type, characterized in that the system comprises at least a part of the steering column shaft provided, in relation or preferably integral, eccentrically, and/or optionally obliquely, in a rotating guiding member such as a rolling bearing or bearing (in French “palier”). The present invention also relates to a spherical rolling bearing or bearing intended to be integrally fixed to the shaft of the steering column in an eccentric manner.
The present invention also relates to a concentric rolling bearing or bearing intended to be integrally fixed to the shaft of the steering column in an oblique manner.
Thanks to these features, the device makes it possible to dynamically change the transverse inclination angle of the steering column guiding axis or to shift it laterally upon rotating the steering column shaft without having to replace the steering column guiding members. It is designed in such a way that it can replace the existing rolling bearings on steering columns, thus allowing to benefit from its advantages without having to change the steering column.
The system is designed to be robust, interchangeable and possibly reversible in order to ensure safety and avoid any maintenance.
The present invention will be better understood upon reading the description of the examples, given for illustrative purpose only and in no way limiting, with reference to the appended drawings in which:
According to
The members (1, 10, 20) of the steering column internal device (9) are provided in a hollow tube (not illustrated) generally named a steering column and which is normally part of the vehicle frame.
The fork tubes (not illustrated) are integrally fixed on the tube retaining supports (not illustrated), the latter being integrally fixed with the lower and upper part of the steering column shaft (10) according to a common implementation in the construction of two-wheeled vehicle steering columns.
The eccentric spherical member (1) preferably comprises rollers (5) provided around an inner ring (3) and held in position by an outer ring (2). The rollers (5) are solidly connected between and can freely pivot along the track (6) of the outer ring (2).
According to
According to
The transverse angle change from 0 to (β) thereby caused onto the steering column guiding axis, upon turning the vehicle handlebars, makes it possible to dynamically modify the front and rear wheel alignment (warping) according to the axis (93′) while driving in curves, which makes the vehicle more manageable. The offset between the axes (93) and (93′) generates a shift (98) of the rotating front wheel (96′) on the road with the rear wheel (97) according to the angle from 0 to (β) depending the length of the fork and the diameter of the wheels as well as the angle of rotation of the axis of the steering column (10). The shift (98) obtained thereby can be either on the side corresponding to the vehicle trajectory change or on the opposite side thereto, depending on whether the position of the opening (4) is provided eccentrically on one side or the other of the center (17) through which the rotation axis of the steering column shaft (10) normally passes, which is normally itself coaxial with the guiding axis of the steering column. Depending on the settings chosen upon designing the invention, the shift (98) resulting from offsetting the wheels on the ground is preferably between 0 and 20 mm. Driving is then improved in curves and safety increased over a dodge.
According to another variation, not shown, the position of the concentric spherical member (20) on the steering column shaft (10) can be swapped with the eccentric spherical member (1).
According to a second alternative of the invention, illustrated in
According to a third alternative of the invention, illustrated in
According to a fourth alternative of the invention, illustrated in
According to a fifth alternative of the invention, illustrated in
According to a sixth alternative of the invention, illustrated in
According to a seventh alternative of the invention, illustrated in
The connections (511, 611, 711, 911) can be made as a welded assembly, a machined assembly, a universal joint assembly or an assembly with any to suitable means.
According to an eighth alternative of the invention, illustrated in
According to a ninth alternative of the invention, illustrated in
When the two rolling bearing members (101, 120) are provided coaxially in the steering column, the normal guiding axis of the steering column forms with the steering column shaft (110) an angle (β), represented by the axes (30, 30′).
A spherical joint (124) provided on the steering column shaft (110) is positioned in the opening (104) and comprises at least one flat mating surface (134) (in French “meplat”) allowing the steering column shaft (110) to pivot integrally with the inner ring (113) over its rotation around the axis (30).
A sleeve (not illustrated) is preferably fixed to the upper part (144) of the steering column shaft (110) so as to make possible to mount it onto the vehicle and to easily adapt to different steering column models.
When the steering column shaft (110) is in a position for driving in a straight-line, the angle (β) has no influence on the transverse alignment of the front wheel with the rear wheel of the vehicle. When the steering column shaft (110) pivots to steer right or left, the angle (β) transversely offsets the front wheel with respect to the rear wheel of the vehicle, thereby creating the shift (98) as previously described and induces the desired “warping” or spinning movement to improve the vehicle handling.
According to several implementation alternatives of the invention, the following changes and/or additions may be made to the previously described embodiments:
In a alternative, not shown, the steering column shaft or one of its parts can be made so as to form a part of the inner ring (3, 83, 113) of at least one of the previously described rolling bearing members. In this case, the steering column shaft is no longer detachable from the opening (4, 84, 104) which may prove useful for reducing production costs or producing special steering column mechanisms.
In another alternative, not shown, all or part of the steering column shaft can have any type of cross-section, round, oval, square, rectangular or according to any geometric profile.
In another alternative not shown, the steering column shaft can be made in
Although the invention is described according to several embodiments, there are other alternatives which are not presented and which can also be combinations or part of the previously described alternatives. The scope of the invention is therefore not limited to the embodiments described above.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/IB2020/055601 | Jun 2020 | WO | international |
PCT/IB2020/056012 | Jun 2020 | WO | international |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/IB2021/055284 | 6/15/2021 | WO |