FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
[39 OF 1970]
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10; rule 13]
TITLE: “A SYSTEM FOR LOCKING A STEERING WHEEL OF A VEHICLE DURING
COLLISION OF THE VEHICLE”
Name and Address of the Applicant:
TATA MOTORS PASSENGER VEHICLES LIMITED of Floor 3, 4, Plot-18, Nanavati
Mahalaya, Mudhana Shetty Marg, BSE, Fort, Mumbai, Mumbai City, Maharashtra, 400001
India.
Nationality: Indian
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

TECHNICAL FIELD
Present disclosure, in general, relates to a field of automobiles. Particularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to locking of a steering wheel of a vehicle. Further, embodiments of the present disclosure discloses a system and a method for locking the steering wheel of the vehicle in a collision.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
Generally, vehicles such as passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles are equipped with a plurality of airbags at different locations of the vehicle, as a safety feature to protect the occupants in an event of a collision. One such location for positioning the airbag is within a steering wheel of the vehicle that is adapted to deploy the air bag in case of a frontal collision to provide a protective barrier between a head of the occupant and the steering wheel of the vehicle, thereby preventing injuries.
Further, in high-speed frontal collision of the vehicle, front wheels may deflect about their turning axis, as the front wheels may collide with an impacting object. The deflection of the front wheels along the turning axis in-turn gets converted into a rotary motion of the steering wheel due to connection of the steering wheel with the front wheels of the vehicle. Such rotation of the steering wheel during collision results in rotation of the deployed airbag, which leads to rotation of the head of the occupant which is received by the airbag. The rotation of the head of the occupant during collision leads to fatal injuries and sub-optimal driver airbag performance, which is undesired.
Present disclosure is directed to overcome one or more limitations stated above or any other limitations associated with the known arts.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
One or more shortcomings of the prior art are overcome by a system and a method as claimed and additional advantages are provided through the system and the method as claimed in the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure a system for locking a steering wheel of a vehicle in a collision. The system includes a first control unit configured to receive a first signal from a plurality of impact sensors in case of collision of the vehicle. The first control unit upon receiving the first signal is configured to transmit a second signal to actuate one or more airbags equipped within the vehicle. Further, the system includes a second control unit communicatively coupled to the first control unit. The second control unit is adapted to actuate a locking unit for locking the steering wheel for locking the steering wheel of the vehicle based on the second signal received from the first control unit. Thus, the system locks the steering wheel upon deployment of the airbag thereby preventing rotation of the airbag.
In an embodiment, the first control unit is an airbag control unit of the vehicle and the second control unit is a body control unit of the vehicle.
In an embodiment, the first signal is a collision signal and the second signal is an airbag deployment signal.
In an embodiment, the locking unit includes a locking member connected to a steering column of the vehicle. Further, the locking unit includes a plunger coupled to an actuator. The actuator is communicatively coupled to the second control unit and adapted to displace the plunger from an unlocked position to a locked position relative to the locking member, based on the second signal received by the second control unit.
In another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for locking a steering wheel of a vehicle in a collision is disclosed. The method includes a step of receiving by a first control unit, a first signal from a plurality of impact sensors in case of collision of the vehicle. Further, the first control unit is configured to transmits a second signal to actuate one or more airbags based on the first signal. Additionally, a second control unit is configured to receive the second signal from the first control unit and actuate a locking unit for locking the steering wheel based on the second signal.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects,

embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The novel features and characteristics of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:
Fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a system for locking a steering wheel of a vehicle during collision, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 2 illustrates front view of a locking unit of the system, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 3 is a flowchart depicting a method for locking the steering wheel of the vehicle during collision, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the system and method illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which forms the subject of the claims of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that, the conception and specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying other devices, system, methods and processes for carrying out the same purposes of the present

disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that, such equivalent method do not depart from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristics of the disclosure, to its composition and method, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.
In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.
The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusions, such that a system or a method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such system or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or a method proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or method.
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, same numerals have been used to refer to the same or like parts. The following paragraphs describe the present disclosure with reference to Figs. 1-3.
Fig. 1 is an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure which illustrates a system (100) for locking a steering wheel of a vehicle. In an embodiment, the system (100) may be configured to

lock the steering wheel in case of a collision. In an embodiment, the vehicle may be including but not limited to passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles . The vehicle may include a plurality of impact sensors (3) which may be positioned in a body of the vehicle. The plurality of impact sensors (3) may be configured to transmit a first signal in case of collision of the vehicle. Further, the vehicle may include one or more airbags, which may be equipped within the vehicle and may be positioned in the steering wheel and other predefined locations such as on the dashboard, A-pillar, B-pillar or at any other location in the cabin of the vehicle to provide cushioning to an occupant during collision of the vehicle.
Further, as seen in Fig. 1 the system (100) may include a first control unit (1) which may be communicatively coupled to the plurality of impact sensors (3) and may be configured to receive a first signal from the plurality of impact sensors (3) corresponding to collision of the vehicle. In an embodiment, the first signal may be a collision signal which may be transmitted by the plurality of impact sensors (3) upon collision of the vehicle. Further, the first control unit may be configured to transmit a second signal to actuate one or more air bags, upon receiving the first signal from the plurality of impact sensors. As an example, the first control unit (1) may be an airbag control unit of the vehicle which may be configured to operate or actuate one or more airbags (4) in the vehicle. In another embodiment, the second signal may be an airbag deployment signal which may be transmitted by the first control unit (1) upon determining the requirement of the one or more airbags (4) to be deployed.
Further, the system (100) may include a second control unit (2) which may be communicatively coupled to the first control unit (1) and a locking unit (5). In an embodiment, the locking unit (5) may be positioned in a steering column (6) of the vehicle and may be configured to lock the steering wheel upon actuation, thereby preventing rotation of the steering wheel. The second control unit (2) may be adapted to receive the second signal from the first control unit (1) and may actuate the locking unit (5) for locking the steering wheel, based on the second signal. In an embodiment, the second signal may correspond to deployment of one or more airbags (4) inside the cabin of the vehicle.

As an example, the second control unit (2) may be at least one of a body control unit, a centralized control unit or a dedicated control unit associated with the vehicle, and any other control unit capable of controlling hardware components of the vehicle.
In an embodiment, the first control unit (1) and the second control unit (2) may include a memory unit which may be configured to store data. This data may be pre-stored to determine the parameters to transmit the first signal and the second signal. The memory unit may be including, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, etc., and employing connection protocols such as serial advanced technology attachment (SATA), integrated drive electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, universal serial bus (USB), fiber channel, small computing system interface (SCSI), etc. The memory drives may further include a drum, magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive, redundant array of independent discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives, etc. Additionally, the first control unit (1) and the second control unit (2) may be implemented by any computing systems that is utilized to implement the features of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the first control unit (1) and the second control unit (2) may include a receiving module which may be configured to receive the signals from the plurality of impact sensors (3) and the second control unit (2), respectively. Further, the first control unit (1) and the second control unit (2) may include a processing module which may include at least one data processor for executing program in the components for executing the system operations. The processing module may be a specialized processing module such as integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management control units, floating point units, graphics processing modules, digital signal processing modules, etc. Additionally, the processing module may be configured to receive data or signals from the receiving module. Furthermore, the first control unit (1) and the second control unit (2) may include an activation module which may be configured to receive data or signals from the processing module and transmit the received signals to actuate the one or more airbags (4) and the locking unit (5), respectively.
In an embodiment, the first control unit (1) and the second control unit (2) may include one or more computer-readable storage media that may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more

processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term “computer-readable medium” should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals, i.e., are non-transitory. Examples include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard drives, CD ROMs, DVDs, flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.
In an embodiment, the locking unit (5) may be one of a mechanical locking unit, an electronic locking unit and the like, which may be adapted to lock rotation of the steering wheel upon receiving transmission of signals from the second control unit (2). As seen in Fig. 2, in an illustrated embodiment, the locking unit is a mechanical locking unit operable electrically and the same cannot be construed as limitation since, any type of locking unit may be deployed and the same may be operated by the system (100) of the present disclosure. The locking unit (5) may include the locking member (8) which may be connected to the steering column (6) of the vehicle. The locking member (8) may rotate along with rotation of the steering wheel. As an example, the locking member (8) may be at least one of a ring, a gear, spool and the like. Further, the locking unit (5) may include a plunger (7) which may be positioned adjacent to the locking member (8). The plunger (7) may be coupled to an actuator and may be configured to displace between a locked position and an unlocked position relative to the locking member (8). The plunger (7) in the locked position may be adapted to contact the locking member (8) and may restrict rotation of the locking member (8). In an embodiment, the plunger (7) may engage within a space between teeth of the gear and thereby restricting rotation of the gear, which in turn prevents rotation of the steering wheel. Further, the plunger (7) in the unlocked position may not contact the locking member (8) and may allow rotation of the locking member (8). The actuator may be communicatively coupled to the second control unit (2). The second control unit (2) may be configured to operate the actuator to displace the plunger (7) from the unlocked position to the locked position, based on second signal to lock rotation of the steering wheel. In the illustrated embodiment, the locking member (8) and the plunger (7) may be the mechanical components of the locking unit and the actuator may be the electrical component of the locking unit.
In an embodiment, the locking unit (5) may be a part of a steering by a wire mechanism [not shown in figs], where the second control unit (2) may be communicatively coupled to at least one

actuators associated with the steering by wire mechanism. The second control unit (2) may be configured to restrict rotation of the at least one actuator of the steering by wire mechanism to lock the rotation of the steering wheel upon receiving the second signal. Further, the locking unit (5) may include any other mechanism which may be capable of receiving operational signal from the second control unit (2) and restrict rotation of the steering wheel.
In an embodiment, the second signal to operate the one or more airbags (4) and the actuation of the locking unit (5) may be simultaneous such that, the steering wheel may be locked along with deployment of the one or more airbags (4).
It should be noted that in an exemplary embodiment, as seen in the Figs. 1-2 the features, construction, position, connections and process should not be construed as a limitation as the system (100) may include any other type of features, construction, position, and connections which may work with other combinations for locking the steering wheel relative to deployment of the one or more airbags (4).
Referring now to Fig. 3 which is an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure illustrating a flow chart of a method for locking the steering wheel of the vehicle in a collision.
The order in which the method is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks may be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein.
At block 301, the method may include receiving the first signal by the first control unit (1). The first signal may be received by the first control unit (1) from the plurality of impact sensors (3) upon collision of the vehicle. The first control unit (1) may receive the first signal, that is, the collision signal and may transmit the second signal to actuate the one or more airbags (4) [as seen in block 302].
Further, at block 303, the method may include receiving the second signal by the second control unit (2), which may be transmitted by the first control unit (1). The second control unit (2) determines actuation of the one or more airbags (4) from the second signal and may be configured

to actuate the locking unit (5) [as seen in block 304]. In an exemplary embodiment, the second control unit (2) may be configured to actuate the actuator in the locking unit (5) to displace the plunger (7) from the unlocked position to the locked position, such that the steering wheel may be locked and may not rotate. This way, head or neck injury due to rotation of the steering wheel after deployment of the one or more airbags (4) may be prevented.
It should be noted that in an exemplary embodiment, as seen in the Fig. 3, the features, steps, connections and process should not be construed as a limitation as the method may include any other type of features, steps, connections and may work with other process or any other combinations for locking the steering wheel.
It should be imperative that the system, method and any other elements described in the above detailed description should not be considered as a limitation with respect to the figures. Rather, variation to such system and method should be considered within the scope of the detailed description.
Equivalents:
With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such

phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope.

Referral Numerals:

Reference Number Description
100 System
1 First control unit
2 Second control unit
3 Impact sensors
4 Airbag
5 Locking unit
6 Steering column
7 Plunger
8 Locking member

We Claim:
1. A system (100) for locking a steering wheel of a vehicle in a collision of the vehicle, the
system (100) comprising:
a first control unit (1) configured to receive a first signal from a plurality of impact sensors (3) in case of collision of the vehicle, wherein the first control unit (1) transmits a second signal to actuate one or more airbags (4), upon receiving the first signal; and
a second control unit (2) communicatively coupled to the first control unit (1), the second control unit (2) is adapted to actuate a locking unit (5) for locking the steering wheel, based on the second signal from the first control unit (1).
2. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first control unit (1) is an airbag control unit of the vehicle.
3. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second control unit (2) is a body control unit of the vehicle.
4. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first signal is a collision signal and the second signal is an airbag deployment signal.
5. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking unit (5), comprising:
a locking member (8) connected to a steering column (6) of the vehicle;
a plunger (7) coupled to an actuator, wherein the actuator is communicatively coupled to the second control unit (2) and adapted to displace the plunger (7) from an unlocked position to a locked position relative to the locking member (8), based on the second signal received by the second control unit (2).
6. A method for locking a steering wheel of a vehicle in a collision of the vehicle, the method
comprising:
receiving by a first control unit (1), a first signal from a plurality of impact sensors (3) in case of collision of the vehicle;

transmitting by the first control unit (1), a second signal to actuate one or more airbags (4) based on the first signal;
receiving by a second control unit (2), the second signal from the first control unit (1); and
actuating by the second control unit (2), a locking unit (5) for locking the steering wheel, based on the second signal.
7. The method as claimed in clam 7, wherein the first control unit (1) is an airbag control unit of the vehicle.
8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second control unit (2) is a body control unit of the vehicle.
9. The method as claimed in clam 7, wherein the first signal is a collision signal and the second signal is an airbag deployment signal.