Revisions in Steering Experience

The project aims at the creation of a steering mechanism which is capable of transmitting the exact angle of turning from the steering wheel to the wheels themselves instead of the current system where several rotations of the steering wheel have to be executed for the wheels to turn a considerable angle.

The traditional Ackermann steering system has a limitation of a steering angle of 44O on either side of the centre position. Instead of the steering shaft directly influencing the center of turning radius, the shaft in our proposed system ends where the contacts are used to determine the angle of turning.

For the common Indian man who graduates from a two wheeler to a four wheeler, this new steering system will make the transition smooth. During high speeds when the driver encounters a temporary obstacle like a dog or a jay-walker, the driver can avoid the obstacle instantaneously because even with a minimum reaction time he/she can steer the vehicle around the obstacle.

The angular contacts correspond to angles (ranging from -90O to +90O clockwise where 0O is the central position) of turning. The steering shaft has a pointer which completes the circuit. The onboard computer will compute the angle from the corresponding contacts and turn the wheels using a servo motor.

This angle is computed by the ECU and a highly reactive feedback servo motor is engaged to turn the wheels in the required angle, which we believe can be extended up to 60 degrees. The purpose of the project is to essentially increase the steering angle.