US-12617449-B1 - Low profile energy absorption strap lock mechanism

Abstract

A steering column assembly includes a lower jacket. The steering column assembly also includes an upper jacket disposed within the lower jacket and being telescopingly adjustable relative to the lower jacket. The steering column assembly further includes a telescope drive assembly. The telescope drive assembly includes an electric actuator for actuating rotation of a threaded rod. The telescope drive assembly also includes a telescope drive nut threaded to the threaded rod. The telescope drive assembly further includes a telescope drive bracket coupled to the upper jacket and to a nut extension block of the telescope drive nut to axially adjust the upper jacket during movement of the telescope drive nut and the telescope drive bracket. The steering column assembly also includes an energy absorption strap disposed between the nut extension block and the telescope drive bracket.

Inventors

• Shenbing (Assur) Wen
• Yanyan Chen
• Guohui Hou
• Hongwei (Kevin) Song

Assignees

• STEERING SOLUTIONS IP HOLDING CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20250304

Priority Date

20250227

Claims (18)

1. 1 . A steering column assembly comprising: a lower jacket; an upper jacket disposed within the lower jacket and being telescopingly adjustable relative to the lower jacket; a telescope drive assembly comprising: an electric actuator for actuating rotation of a threaded rod; a telescope drive nut threaded to the threaded rod; and a telescope drive bracket coupled to the upper jacket and to a nut extension block of the telescope drive nut to axially adjust the upper jacket during movement of the telescope drive nut and the telescope drive bracket; and an energy absorption strap disposed between the nut extension block and the telescope drive bracket.
2. 2 . The steering column assembly of claim 1 , wherein the telescope drive bracket comprises: a base plate coupled to the upper jacket; and a pair of flanges extending radially outwardly from the base plate.
3. 3 . The steering column assembly of claim 2 , wherein the telescope drive bracket is coupled to the nut extension block of the telescope drive nut with at least one fastener extending through a coupling portion of each of the pair of flanges.
4. 4 . The steering column assembly of claim 3 , wherein the coupling portion of at least one of the pair of flanges extends axially more than one-half of the length of each of the pair of flanges.
5. 5 . The steering column assembly of claim 4 , wherein the coupling portion of at least one of the pair of flanges defines a cutout to receive a laterally protruding segment of the nut extension block.
6. 6 . The steering column assembly of claim 3 , wherein the coupling portion of at least one of the pair of flanges extends axially less than one-half of the length of each of the pair of flanges.
7. 7 . The steering column assembly of claim 2 , wherein the base plate of the telescope drive bracket is directly coupled to the upper jacket with a first fastener and a second fastener.
8. 8 . The steering column assembly of claim 7 , wherein the energy absorption strap comprises: a radially outer leg; a radially inner leg; and a curved portion connecting the radially outer leg and the radially inner leg.
9. 9 . The steering column assembly of claim 8 , wherein the radially inner leg of the energy absorption strap is directly coupled to the base plate of the telescope drive bracket with the second fastener.
10. 10 . The steering column assembly of claim 9 , wherein the radially outer leg is adjacent to, and in contact with, the nut extension block, wherein the radially inner leg is adjacent to, and in contact with, the base plate of the telescope drive bracket.
11. 11 . The steering column assembly of claim 8 , wherein the energy absorption strap is disposed within respective inner edges of the pair of flanges of the telescope drive bracket.
12. 12 . An integrated energy absorption apparatus and telescope drive assembly comprising: an electric actuator for actuating rotation of a threaded rod; a telescope drive nut threaded to the threaded rod; and a telescope drive bracket coupled to an upper jacket and to a nut extension block of the telescope drive nut to axially adjust the upper jacket during movement of the telescope drive nut and the telescope drive bracket, wherein the telescope drive bracket comprises: a base plate coupled to the upper jacket, wherein the base plate of the telescope drive bracket is directly coupled to the upper jacket with a first fastener and a second fastener; and a pair of flanges extending radially outwardly from the base plate, wherein the telescope drive bracket is coupled to the nut extension block of the telescope drive nut with at least one fastener extending through a coupling portion of each of the pair of flanges; and an energy absorption strap disposed between the nut extension block and the telescope drive bracket.
13. 13 . The integrated energy absorption apparatus and telescope drive assembly of claim 12 , wherein the energy absorption strap comprises: a radially outer leg; a radially inner leg; and a curved portion connecting the radially outer leg and the radially inner leg, wherein the radially inner leg of the energy absorption strap is directly coupled to the base plate of the telescope drive bracket with the second fastener.
14. 14 . The integrated energy absorption apparatus and telescope drive assembly of claim 13 , wherein the radially outer leg is adjacent to, and in contact with, the nut extension block, wherein the radially inner leg is adjacent to, and in contact with, the base plate of the telescope drive bracket.
15. 15 . The integrated energy absorption apparatus and telescope drive assembly of claim 12 , wherein the energy absorption strap is disposed within respective inner edges of the pair of flanges of the telescope drive bracket.
16. 16 . The integrated energy absorption apparatus and telescope drive assembly of claim 12 , wherein the coupling portion of at least one of the pair of flanges extends axially more than one-half of the length of each of the pair of flanges.
17. 17 . The integrated energy absorption apparatus and telescope drive assembly of claim 16 , wherein the coupling portion of at least one of the pair of flanges defines a cutout to receive a laterally protruding segment of the nut extension block.
18. 18 . The integrated energy absorption apparatus and telescope drive assembly of claim 12 , wherein the coupling portion of at least one of the pair of flanges extends axially less than one-half of the length of each of the pair of flanges.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefits of priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510229207.4, filed Feb. 27, 2025, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The following description relates to vehicle steering systems and, more particularly, to a low profile energy absorption strap lock mechanism for vehicle steering systems having electrically powered adjustability. BACKGROUND A vehicle, such as a car, truck, sport utility vehicle, crossover, mini-van, marine craft, aircraft, all-terrain vehicle, recreational vehicle, or other suitable vehicles, include various steering system schemes, for example, steer-by-wire and driver interface steering. These steering system schemes typically include a steering column assembly for translating steering input to an output that interacts with a steering linkage to ultimately cause the vehicle wheels to turn. Steering columns often include various safety features, such as airbags to lessen impact forces. In addition, many steering column assemblies are collapsible and include one or more energy absorption features, such as energy absorption straps. Some energy absorption straps are configured to roll along their length to absorb energy, and are often referred to as roll straps. Typically, roll straps absorb energy during the deformation of the strap in an impact event wherein kinetic energy can be dissipated through compression of the steering column assembly. In power telescoping (i.e., translating) steering columns, a telescope drive bracket is used to connect a telescope actuator to an upper jacket to carry out telescoping motion of the upper jacket relative to a lower jacket. A portion of the energy absorption strap and a strap bracket are coupled to the upper jacket and extend over a length that protrudes to an extent which requires a radially protruding bridge to allow the energy absorption strap and/or the strap bracket therethrough during axial adjustment of the steering column. The radially protruding bridge requires a large packaging space and introduces challenges for compliance with OEM spatial requirements. SUMMARY According to one aspect of the disclosure, a steering column assembly includes a lower jacket. The steering column assembly also includes an upper jacket disposed within the lower jacket and being telescopingly adjustable relative to the lower jacket. The steering column assembly further includes a telescope drive assembly. The telescope drive assembly includes an electric actuator for actuating rotation of a threaded rod. The telescope drive assembly also includes a telescope drive nut threaded to the threaded rod. The telescope drive assembly further includes a telescope drive bracket coupled to the upper jacket and to a nut extension block of the telescope drive nut to axially adjust the upper jacket during movement of the telescope drive nut and the telescope drive bracket. The steering column assembly also includes an energy absorption strap disposed between the nut extension block and the telescope drive bracket. According to another aspect of the disclosure, an integrated energy absorption apparatus and telescope drive assembly includes an electric actuator for actuating rotation of a threaded rod. The assembly also includes a telescope drive nut threaded to the threaded rod. The assembly further includes a telescope drive bracket coupled to the upper jacket and to a nut extension block of the telescope drive nut to axially adjust the upper jacket during movement of the telescope drive nut and the telescope drive bracket. The telescope drive bracket includes a base plate coupled to the upper jacket, wherein the base plate of the telescope drive bracket is directly coupled to the upper jacket with a first fastener and a second fastener. The telescope drive bracket also includes a pair of flanges extending radially outwardly from the base plate, wherein the telescope drive bracket is coupled to the nut extension block of the telescope drive nut with at least one fastener extending through a coupling portion of each of the pair of flanges. The assembly also includes an energy absorption strap disposed between the nut extension block and the telescope drive bracket. These and other aspects of the present disclosure are disclosed in the following detailed description of the embodiments, the appended claims, and the accompanying figures. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The disclosure is best understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is emphasized that, according to common practice, the various features of the drawings are not to-scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of the various features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. FIG. 1 schematically depicts a steering system including a power adjustable steering column assembly. FIG. 2 is a side, elevation view of the powe