Patent ID: 6994361

Claim:
A steering control apparatus for a steering system of a vehicle having at least one steerable member movable in response to a steering force to either side of a selected center position relative to carrying means for carrying the steerable member, said apparatus comprising: a rotary cam member mounted for rotation about an axis and having a corresponding face with at least one centering detent; a piston cam member having a corresponding face arranged opposite to the rotary member face with a centering detent aligned with each rotary member detent when the rotary cam member is in a centered position corresponding to the selected center position of the steerable member, each of the piston member and rotary member detents comprising a seat; a bearing member arranged to be pressed between the rotary and piston cam members and to be in a seated position in contact with the seats of the aligned centering detents when the steerable member is in the selected center position; rotation means for rotating the rotary cam member relative to the piston cam member in response to movement of the steerable member away from the selected center position; pressing means for pressing together the piston and rotary cam members so that contact pressure between the bearing member and the seats of the aligned centering detents causes a resistance force that resists relative movement between the rotary cam member and the piston cam member and prevents substantial movement of the steerable member away from the selected center position until the steering force exceeds a predetermined value; and, trim means for changing a center position of said piston cam member so as to selectively vary said selected position of said steerable member while said vehicle is in operation, said trim means comprising: a clutch ring mounted in a fixed position relative to the carrying means and a clutch disk arranged for releasably engaging the clutch ring, connecting means for connecting the piston cam member for rotation with the clutch disk while permitting relative axial movement between the piston cam member and the clutch disk, positioning means for momentarily releasing said clutch disk from engagement with said clutch ring in response to at least one remote input, said clutch disk when released being rotatable with said piston cam member in response to movement of said bearing member by rotation of said rotary cam member such that the center position of said piston cam member can be changed between a plurality of static rotational positions relative to the carrying means, and control means for selectively providing said at least one remote input to said positioning means from a location remote to said clutch disk and piston cam member.