GB2335257A

GB2335257A - A cowl arrangement for a vehicle steering column

Info

Publication number: GB2335257A
Application number: GB9805707A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Edward Jessamine; John Downing
Original assignee: MG Rover Group Ltd
Current assignee: MG Rover Group Ltd
Priority date: 1998-03-14
Filing date: 1998-03-14
Publication date: 1999-09-15
Also published as: GB2335257A8; GB9805707D0

Abstract

A cowl arrangement comprises a cowl 11 formed to envelop a substantial proportion of a motor vehicle steering column (1, Fig. 1), and a flared shroud 12 extending from an end of that cowl in order to obscure from the driver's view any unsightly mechanical components of the steering column mechanism. The cowl may include a moulded plastics frame (14, Fig.4) covered with a sheet material such as fabric with the flared shroud being created by excess material extending beyond one end of the frame. The frame and the shroud may be integrally moulded, may be secured together through fusion, and may be made from plastics material having different thicknesses or different proportions of plasticisers.

Description

2335257 A COWL ARRANGEMENT The present invention relates to a cowl

arrangement and more particularly to a cowl arrangement for a motor vehicle steering column.

In order to improve both driver safety and comfort, it is a common feature to provide an adjustable steering wheel in a motor vehicle. Thus, the steering wheel may be adjusted in terms of angular presentation to the longitudinal axis of a motor vehicle along with displacement from the motor vehicle's dashboard. It will be appreciated that such adjustment to the steering wheel introduces the requirement that the cowl arrangement about the steering wheel and therefore the steering column is sufficiently encompassing to ensure that the unsightly, or at least aesthetically less pleasing, functional components of the steering column are hidden from a driver's view.

In view of the above, cowl arrangements within motor vehicles for the steering column have generally been relatively large with significant redundancy in terms of size accommodated within the dimensions of the cowl arrangement to ensure adequate cover of the functional components of the steering column. Thus, prior cowl arrangements have been bulky and included a relatively large number of components. Such bulkiness and component count are inherently unfavourable within a manufacturing environment where logistics and simplicity of assembly are paramount 2 " objectives. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that size also adds to cost with regard to provision of relatively expensive trim coverings within a motor vehicle and thus it is difficult for a motor vehicle manufacturer to offer a wide range of steering column cowl trim levels without further 5 increasing costs, manufacturing complexity and logistic supply difficulties.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cowl arrangement which substantially relieves the above-mentioned problems.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a cowl arrangement for a motor vehicle steering column, the cowl arrangement comprising a cowl frame arranged to envelope a motor vehicle's steering column and a flared shroud extending from an end of the cowl frame, the cowl frame being secured in use to the steering column whilst said flared shroud is associated with a panel about that steering column in order to effectively cover said steering column over a range of angular and displacement presentations thereof.

The cowl frame may be in a two-part form with the flared shroud extending from an upper part of the cowl frame.

The cowl frame may be moulded individually or integrally with the flared shroud. When moulded integrally with the flared shroud, the cowl frame and the flared shroud may be made from the same plastics material with different structural properties provided by material thickness or variation in the proportion of plasticisers included within the plastics material. Alternatively, the cowl frame and the flared shroud may be formed integrally within a mould by injecting or embedding the cowl frame and the flared shroud.

The cowl frame may be covered with a material and that material extends beyond the cowl frame to form the flared shroud.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way 10 of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic side elevation indicating a configuration of a steering column within a motor vehicle; Figure 2 is a front elevation of a cowl arrangement; Figure 3 is a schematic perspective of the cowl arrangement depicted in 15 Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a perspective view of a cowl frame used in the cowl arrangements depicted in Figures 2 and 3.

1 1.

Referring to Figure 1 which illustrates in schematic side elevation the steering column configuration within a motor vehicle. It will be noted that, a steering column 1 is coupled to a steering wheel 2 such that a driver 3 of the motor vehicle may adjust the steering wheel 2 position, both arcuately 5 as indicated by arrow heads A and longitudinal as indicated by arrow heads B. Thus, the steering wheel 2 position can be adjusted to the most desirable for the driver 3 in terms of comfort and safety. Inevitably, these adjustments in directions A and B result in a cowl arrangement 4 about the steering column 1 altering its position or relationship relative to a dashboard panel 5 of the motor vehicle. Thus, a portion 6 of the cowl arrangement 4 extends beyond the panel 5 to ensure that occupants 3 eye line does not include unsightly functional components of the steering column 1. Previously, as indicated above, the portion 6 has been incorporated within the cowl arrangement 4 and so added to bulkiness, weight and assembly complexity.

In accordance with the present invention and as depicted in Figures 2 and 3, a cowl arrangement typically comprises two halves or shells secured together in order to envelop at least an upper portion of the steering column of a motor vehicle. Figures 2 and 3 only illustrate the upper half or shell of such a cowl arrangement. Typically, the lower half will be a simple plain component as it will be appreciated that an occupant's eye line will not extend, whilst driving, to below the steering column.

In Figures 2 and 3, a cowl arrangement 10 comprises a cowl frame 11 and a flared shroud 12. The cowl frame 11 includes fixings 13 to secure or complete the cowl arrangement about the steering column. Thus, these fixings 13 may be secured to the steering column or a lower half or shell of 5 the cowl arrangement.

The cowl arrangement 10 is formed from a moulded cowl frame illustrated in Figure 4. Essentially, the cowl frame 14 comprise appropriate arches 15 with spars 16 therebetween. The arches 15 define the crosssection to envelop the steering of a motor vehicle whilst the spars 106 define the depth of the cowl arrangement. This frame 14 is covered with the desired material for trim and style consistency within a motor vehicle. Thus, the frame 14 may be covered with leather, fabric or plastics material of an appropriate colour and texture for consistency with the motor vehicle interior. Alternatively, the cowl arrangement could be moulded integrally with a cover over the frame 14 and consistent with provision of the flared shroud 12 in accordance with the present invention. It will be appreciated that the number and distribution of spars 16 within the frame 14 to a significant extent defines the cowl arrangement strength and the consistency of the cowl arrangement profile. Widely spaced spars 16 will provide less support to a cover upon the frame 14 and thus be more susceptible to intermediate distortion between the spars 16 with a resultant less consistent or smooth profile therefore defined.

Irrespective of the manner that the frame 14 is covered in accordance with the present invention, it is of paramount concern that adequate flared shroud 12 is provided to achieve the desired covering for all allowed orientations, whether they be angular or displacement, of the steering column within a motor vehicle. Thus, typically, the flared shroud 12 will extend up to 20 centimetres beyond one end of the covered cowl frame 11 whilst the other end of the frame 11 provides a neat surface for juxtaposed location about the steering column in order to provide an aesthetically pleasing eye line for the vehicle driver. With a fabric covering applied to the 10frame 14 to define the cowl frame 11 depicted in Figures 2 and 3, it will be appreciated that an excess of material can be left at one end of the frame 11 by not trimming that edge in order to achieve the flared shroud 12.

For installation within a motor vehicle, the cowl arrangement 10 will simply be located about the steering column 1 and then the flared shroud pushed through, or similarly positioned with regard to, the console panel 5. In order to secure the flared shroud 12 within the panel 5 it will be appreciated that this shroud 12 could be retained by clips or secured in some other fashion within the panel 5 to ensure the shroud 12 remains in relatively close contact with the periphery of the aperture through which the steering column 1 extends.

As indicated above, preferably a moulded frame 14 is covered with an appropriate sheet material in order to create the cowl arrangement. However, as also indicated, the cowl arrangement could be provided through an integral moulding procedure. Thus, the relatively rigid cowl frame 11 could be created from one plastics material whilst the flared shroud 12 could be formed from a second plastics material with the two combined in a twopart or two-stage moulding procedure. In such circumstances, there win be a fusion bond between the two plastics materials. Alternatively, a similar plastics material could be used for both the cowl frame 11 and the flared shroud 12 with the differences in flexibility required for functional performance achieved through varying the degree of plasticiser incorporated within that plastics material. It will also be understood that in a moulding procedure a flared shroud 12 component could be placed in the mould and the cowl frame 11 moulded or extruded onto that flared shroud 12 in order that the two become embedded or fused with one another during the manufacturing procedure. Finally, flexibility between the cowl frame 11 and the flared shroud 12 could be achieved to a degree through material thickness or skiving. Thus, a rear edge 17 could be skived in order to create a relative line of weakness within the cowl arrangement and so precipitate flexibility between the cowl frame 11 and the flared shroud 12.

It will be appreciated that component tolerance between the cowl frame 11 and the aperture in the console panel 5 to accommodate a steering wheel is reduced in that the flared shroud 12 provides a broad range of acceptable, for aesthetic reasons, component dimension range for fitting within a motor vehicle. Thus, inaccuracy "stack up" between components when using the present cowl arrangement are unimportant due to the ameliorating effect of the flared shroud 12, that is to say the shroud 12 will hide a relatively wide range of component gaps in comparison with previous specifically moulded cowl arrangements.

Claims

CIAIMS

1. A cowl arrangement for a motor vehicle steering column, the cowl arrangement comprising a cowl frame arranged to envelop a proportion of a motor vehicle steering column and a flared shroud extending from an end of the cowl frame, the cowl frame being arranged to be secured to the steering column whilst said flared shroud is associated with a panel about that steering column in order to effectively cover said steering column over the allowed range of angular and displacement positions thereof.

2. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the cowl frame is of a two-part form with an upper part thereof including a flared shroud.

3.

4.

An arrangement as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the cowl frame is moulded from a plastics material.

An arrangement as claimed in any of Claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the cowl frame is covered with a sheet material and said sheet material extends beyond the frame in order to form the flared shroud.

5. An arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the cowl frame and the flared shroud are integrally moulded.

6. An arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said cowl frame and said flared shroud are made from plastics materials having different thicknesses to provide differential mechanical performance as required within the cowl arrangement.

An arrangement as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the cowl frame and the flared shroud are formed from plastics material having different proportions of plasticisers in order to provide differential mechanical performance as required within the cowl arrangement.

8. An arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the cowl frame and the flared shroud are secured together through fusion or therebetween.

9. An arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the junction between the cowl frame and the flared shroud has a substantially thinner cross-section in comparison with the material of the cowl frame and the flared shroud either side in order to facilitate a hinge-like flexibility thereabout.

10. A cowl arrangement for a motor vehicle steering column substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

11. A motor vehicle including a cowl arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim.