JP2009006962A - Position adjustable steering device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a position adjustable steering device enabling to reliably secure conduction between a steering column and a vehicle body side bracket even when an insulating material is arranged between the steering column and the vehicle body side bracket. <P>SOLUTION: The position adjustable steering device 10 comprises the steering column 12 for rotatably supporting a steering shaft 11 mounted with a steering wheel 13, and the conductive vehicle body side bracket 24 fixed to a vehicle body side member 21 for supporting the steering column 12 in a position adjustment operable manner. A conductive member 27 is arranged between the steering column 12 and the vehicle body side bracket 24. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention includes a steering column that rotatably supports a steering shaft to which a steering wheel is attached, a vehicle body side bracket that is fixed to a vehicle body side member, supports the steering column so that the position of the steering column can be adjusted, and has conductivity. The present invention relates to a position-adjustable steering device.

Conventionally, as a position-adjustable steering device, for example, a rectangular support portion is formed around the steering column, and a contact plate (slide plate) is interposed between the support portion and the opposed flat plate portion of the vehicle body side bracket, By tightening a plurality of tightening screws, the plate is slid between the support part and the opposed flat part of the bracket on the vehicle body side by pressing the plate against both sides of the square support part of the steering column. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known an electric position adjustment type steering apparatus in which resistance is applied and the sliding resistance is set to be larger than an external input (driver's steering force) from a steering wheel and smaller than a tilt driving force.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-199760 (first page, FIG. 3)

  However, in the conventional example described in Patent Document 1, sliding resistance is applied between the rectangular support portion of the steering column and the opposed flat plate portion of the vehicle body side bracket. In order to ensure resistance, if a high friction material is coated on both or one of the support part and the plate, or if the plate itself is formed of a synthetic resin material, the coated high friction material becomes an insulating material. At the same time, since the plate itself is also an insulating material, there is an unsolved problem that it is impossible to ground the electrical components mounted on the steering column and the electrical components mounted on the steering wheel.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made paying attention to the unsolved problems of the above-described conventional example, and even when an insulating material is disposed between the steering column and the vehicle body side bracket, the present invention is provided between the steering column and the vehicle body side bracket. An object of the present invention is to provide a position-adjustable steering apparatus that can reliably obtain electrical continuity.

  In order to achieve the above object, a position-adjustable steering apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a steering column that rotatably supports a steering shaft to which a steering wheel is attached, and a position of the steering column that is fixed to a vehicle body side member. A position-adjustable steering device that is operably supported and includes a conductive vehicle body side bracket, wherein a conductive member is disposed between the steering column and the vehicle body side bracket. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the position-adjustable steering apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein one end of the conducting member is fixed to one of the steering column and the vehicle body side bracket, and the other end is the steering. It is characterized by comprising a conductive metal piece slidably contacting the other of the column and the vehicle body side bracket.
Further, the position-adjustable steering apparatus according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 2, wherein the conductive metal piece is formed of a spring material, and the vehicle body side bracket or the steering column is subjected to a predetermined preload by its own elastic force. It is characterized in that the contact is made in a state of giving.

Still further, the position-adjustable steering apparatus according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vehicle body side bracket supports the steering column in a tiltable manner, and the conductive member Is characterized in that the end surface in contact with the steering column is formed in an arc shape having a rotation center equivalent to the rotation center during the tilting operation of the steering column.
Still further, the position-adjustable steering device according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an insulating material is interposed between the steering column and the vehicle body side bracket. It is characterized by being.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the position-adjustable steering apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein the insulating material is a solid lubricant that ensures slidability between the steering column and the vehicle body bracket. It is a stress relaxation member.

  According to the present invention, since the conductive member is disposed between the steering column and the vehicle body side bracket, even if an insulating material is disposed between the steering column and the vehicle body side bracket, the conductive member is interposed between the steering column and the vehicle body side bracket. The continuity between the steering column and the vehicle body side bracket can be established. Electrical components such as a vehicle horn mounted on the steering wheel and various switches, an electric tilt mechanism mounted on the steering column, an electric telescopic mechanism, etc. The effect that the grounding can be reliably obtained is obtained.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a vehicle equipped with a position-adjustable steering apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a left side view showing a first embodiment of a position-adjustable steering apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing the conductive member, FIG. 5 is an enlarged bottom view of the conductive member attached, and FIG. 6 is the electric tilt mechanism. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 2, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG.

  In FIG. 1, a position-adjustable steering apparatus 10 includes a steering column 12 that supports a steering shaft 11 so as to be rotatable. A steering wheel 13 is mounted at the rear end of the steering shaft 11, and an intermediate shaft 15 is connected to the front end of the steering shaft 11 via a universal joint 14. A steering gear mechanism 17 such as a rack and pinion mechanism is connected to the intermediate shaft 15 through a universal joint 16 at the front end. The output shaft of the steering gear mechanism 17 is connected to the steered wheel 19 through a tie rod 18.

  When the driver steers the steering wheel 13, the rotational force is transmitted to the steering gear mechanism 17 via the steering shaft 11, the universal joint 14, the intermediate shaft 15, and the universal joint 16, thereby constituting the steering gear mechanism 17. The rack and pinion mechanism converts the rotational motion into a linear motion in the vehicle width direction and steers the steered wheels 19 via the tie rods 18.

  In addition, peripheral parts P such as a control switch, a combination switch, and a column cover for driving an electric tilt mechanism 30 and an electric telescopic mechanism 50, which will be described later, are disposed in the rear part of the steering column 12, and the steering wheel 13 includes: As shown in FIG. 2, electrical components 20 such as a vehicle horn switch and a volume adjustment switch of a car navigation system are mounted.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the position-adjustable steering device 10 includes a steering shaft 11 formed of a conductive metal material with a steering wheel 13 attached thereto, and supports the steering shaft rotatably. And a steering column 12 formed of a conductive metal material.
The steering column 12 includes an outer column 12a and an inner column 12b that is slidably held by the outer column 12a. Rolling bearings (see FIG. The steering shaft 11 is rotatably supported by an unillustrated).

  The outer column 12a has a rear end (left end in FIG. 2) on the universal joint 14 side supported by a vehicle body side lower bracket 22 attached to the vehicle body side member 21 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction by a tilt pivot shaft 23. The front end on the 13th side (the right end in FIG. 2) is attached to the vehicle body side member 21 and supported by the vehicle body side upper bracket 24 so as to be movable in the vertical direction.

  The vehicle body side upper bracket 24 is formed of a conductive metal material, and has a bulging portion 24a with a central portion bulging upward as shown in FIG. 3 when viewed from the axial direction of the inner column 12b. The mounting plate portion 24b attached to the vehicle body side member 21, the guide plate portions 24c and 24d extending downward from the left and right positions of the bulging portion 24a of the mounting plate portion 24b, and the lower ends of the guide plate portions 24c and 24d It is formed in a square frame shape with a bottom plate portion 24e connecting the gaps. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, each of the guide plate portions 24c and 24d is a circular arc in which the vehicle rear side end surface 24f and the vehicle front side end surface 24g are centered on the center of the tilt pivot shaft 23 of the vehicle body side lower bracket 22, respectively. A band-shaped curved plate portion is formed on the surface.

The aforementioned outer column 12a is inserted into the guide space surrounded by the mounting plate portion 24b, the guide plate portions 24c and 24d, and the bottom plate portion 24e of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24.
As shown in FIG. 3, the outer column 12a is formed with protrusions 12c and 12d that protrude in the horizontal direction on the left and right sides and have flat end surfaces. The rectangular parallelepiped stress relaxation members 25a and 25b are fixed to the portion.

  Here, the stress relaxation members 25a and 25b are made of POM (polyacetal) resin, PA (polyamide) resin, PEEK (polyether ether ketone) resin, PPS (polyphenylene sulfide) resin, PAI (polyamide-imide) having excellent wear resistance. ) It is made of a synthetic resin such as a resin, and is fixed to the projecting portions 12c and 12d by adhesion, welding or the like. Here, in order to further improve the slidability (durability) of the stress relaxation members 25a and 25b, for example, an oil-containing resin such as an oil impregnated in POM can be applied.

Then, one stress relaxation member 25a is slidably contacted with a backlashing plate 26 that prevents the steering column 12 from rattling with respect to the inner surface of the guide plate portion 24c of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24, and the other stress relaxation member. 25 b is in sliding contact with the inner surface of the guide plate portion 24 d of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24.
Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the backlash filling plate 26 has a pair of protrusion adjustment bolts 26a and 26b that are screwed into a pair of female screws 24h formed at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction on the guide plate portion 24c. Then, the projection length from the inner peripheral surface of the guide plate portion 24c is adjusted by the pair of projection adjustment bolts 26a and 26b, and the adjusted projection length is screwed onto the projection adjustment bolts 26a and 26b with the retaining nuts 26c and 26d. Is held by.

  In addition, a conducting member 27 that forms an electrical conducting path between the outer column 12a and the vehicle body side upper bracket 24 is disposed on the vehicle rear side end surface 12e of the outer column 12a. As shown in FIG. 5, the conducting member 27 is a spring material having conductivity, and a column-side flat plate portion 27a in contact with the vehicle rear side end surface 12e of the outer column 12a, and a stepped portion 27b on the column-side flat plate portion 27a. It is comprised with the bracket side flat plate part 27c connected via.

Here, the column-side flat plate portion 27a is formed with an insertion hole 27d through which the retaining screw 28 is inserted, and the bracket-side flat plate portion 27c is in contact with the guide plate portion 24c of the vehicle body-side upper bracket 24 so as to protrude hemispherically. A portion 27e is formed.
Then, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 5, the column side flat plate portion 27a is screwed into the female screw 29 formed on the vehicle rear side end surface 12e of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24 through the insertion hole 27d, thereby The vehicle rear side end surface 24f of the guide plate portion 24c of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24 is fixed to the rear side end surface 12e and the contact portion 27e formed on the bracket side flat plate portion 27c applies a predetermined preload by the elastic force of the spring material. Is touching.

  Further, the steering column 12 is held movably in the vertical direction by an electric tilt mechanism 30 disposed on the vehicle front side (left side in FIG. 2) of the guide plate portions 24c and 24d of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24. As shown in FIG. 6, the electric tilt mechanism 30 is fixedly disposed by a restraining member 32 in a substantially rectangular frame-shaped gear housing 31 formed integrally with the lower end portion of the guide plate portion 24 c of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24. A screw shaft that extends in the vertical direction along the guide plate portion 24c and is rotatably supported by the rolling bearing 33 and the rolling bearing 34 disposed on the lower surface of the mounting plate portion 24b of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24 described above. 35.

  A worm wheel 36 is mounted on the screw shaft 35 in the vicinity of the rolling bearing 33 in the gear housing 31, and a worm 37 is engaged with the worm wheel 36. As shown in FIG. 7, the worm 37 is rotatably held by rolling bearings 38 and 39 disposed in the gear housing 31, and one end thereof is formed on the guide plate portion 24 c of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24. The output plate 40a of the electric motor 40 fixed to the mounting plate portion 24k is coupled via a coupling 40b.

  A cylindrical cover 41 that covers the screw shaft 35 is disposed in an insertion hole 31 a through which the screw shaft 35 of the gear housing 31 is inserted, and a large elasticity that slides on the outer peripheral surface of the screw shaft 35 at the tip of the cylindrical cover 41. A damper 42 made of a synthetic resin, such as polyurethane, is disposed. Similarly, a damper 43 slidably contacting the outer peripheral surface of the screw shaft 35 is also provided on the lower end surface of the rolling bearing 34.

A nut 45 held by a nut holder 44 having a square cross section is screwed between the dampers 42 and 43 of the screw shaft 35. The nut holder 44 is engaged in a guide groove 46 formed in the guide plate portion 24c of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24 and extending in the vertical direction.
In addition, an engagement pin 47 formed to project from the nut holder 44 is engaged with an elongated hole 12m extending in the axial direction formed in the projecting portion 12c formed integrally with the outer column 12a. The rotational movement around the axis of the screw shaft 35 of the nut holder 44 is restricted, and the nut holder 44 is moved in the vertical direction by forward and reverse rotation of the screw shaft 35.

  Therefore, when the worm 37 is driven forward / reversely by the electric motor 40, the screw shaft 35 is driven forward / reversely via the worm wheel 36, whereby the nut holder 44 is moved up and down, and the outer column 12 a moves the tilt pivot shaft 23. The tilt function can be exhibited by swinging up and down as the center. Here, the electric motor 40, the worm 37, the worm wheel 36, the screw shaft 35, the nut 45, and the like constitute an electric actuator 48.

An electric telescopic mechanism 50 is provided between the outer column 12a and the inner column 12b of the steering column 12.
The electric telescopic mechanism 50 is connected to a connecting plate portion 57 attached to the steering wheel side (right end side in FIG. 2) of the inner column 12b, an outer shaft 58a connected to the connecting plate portion 57, and the outer shaft 58a. It has a connecting rod 58 having an inner shaft 58b.

  The inner shaft 58b is formed with a male screw on the outer peripheral surface, and a worm wheel (not shown) is screwed to the male screw, and the worm meshing with the worm wheel is rotationally driven by an electric motor (not shown) so that the inner shaft 58b becomes a steering column. The telescopic adjustment is performed by moving the inner column 12b forward and backward with respect to the outer column 12a by linearly moving in the 12 axial direction.

Here, in the sliding contact portion of the outer shaft 58a with the inner shaft 58b, the inner shaft 58b is fixedly held by a load transmitted during normal steering, but an impact load greater than a predetermined load is transmitted. Is connected to the outer shaft 58a.
Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.

  Now, it is assumed that the steering column 12 is held by the vehicle body side lower bracket 22 and the vehicle body side upper bracket 24 in parallel with the vehicle body side member 21 as shown in FIG. In this state, the contact portion 27e formed on the bracket side flat plate portion 27c of the conducting member 27 fixed to the vehicle rear side end surface 12e of the outer column 12a is the vehicle rear side end surface 24f of the guide plate portion 24c of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24. It is in contact with the upper side.

  In this state, the ground side of the electrical components such as a vehicle horn switch built in the steering wheel 13 and a volume control switch of the car navigation system passes through the steering wheel 13 and has conductive conductivity as shown in FIG. The shaft 2 is connected to the inner shaft 11a. Similarly, the inner shaft 11a is electrically connected to the conductive inner column 12b via a conductive rolling bearing, so that the inner shaft 11a, the outer shaft 11b, the inner Through the column 12b and the outer column 12a, a conductive path reaching the conductive member 27 fixed to the vehicle rear side end portion 12e of the outer column 12a is formed.

  In this conducting member 27, as shown in FIG. 5, the column-side flat plate portion 27a fixed to the end surface of the outer column 12a reaches the bracket-side flat plate portion 27c through the step portion 27b, and a predetermined preload is applied. A conductive path is formed from the contact portion 27e to the vehicle rear side end surface 24f of the guide plate portion 24c of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle body is connected from the guide plate portion 24c via the mounting plate portion 24b. A conductive path reaching the side member 21 is formed.

  For this reason, the ground side of the electrical components 20 such as a vehicle horn switch and a volume control switch of a car navigation system installed in the steering wheel 13 is connected to the vehicle body side upper bracket through the steering shaft 2 and the steering column 3 and through the conductive member 27. Thus, the electrical component 20 can be securely grounded.

  In this case, since the vehicle rear side end surface 24f of the guide plate portion 24c of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24 is an arc surface centered on the center of the tilt pivot shaft 23 of the vehicle body side lower bracket 22, as described later, Even when the steering column 12 is tilted by the tilt mechanism 30, the contact portion 27e formed on the bracket side flat plate portion 27c of the conducting member 27 can surely contact the vehicle rear side end surface 24f of the guide plate portion 24c. The conductive member 27 is made of a spring material, and the contact portion 27e is in contact with the vehicle rear side end surface 24f of the guide plate portion 24c in a state where a predetermined preload is applied. The conductive state of the side upper bracket 24 with the guide plate portion 24c can be reliably maintained.

  Here, when the conduction member 27 is not provided, stress relaxation members 25a and 25b made of a synthetic resin material are disposed at the tips of the protruding portions 12c and 12d of the outer column 12a. Since the space between the side upper bracket 24 and the side upper bracket 24 is insulated by the stress relaxation members 25a and 25b, it is necessary to separately form a conduction path between them, but in this embodiment, the conduction member 27 and the outer column 12a are connected to each other. Since the conductive path is formed between the vehicle body side upper bracket 24, the conductive path can be reliably formed regardless of the vertical swing of the outer column 12a caused by a tilting operation described later.

  In this state, in order for the driver to adjust the tilt of the steering column 12 of the position-adjustable steering apparatus 10, the tilt provided on the peripheral component P provided at the rear portion of the steering column 12 shown in FIG. When the mechanism control switch is operated in the tilt-up direction (or tilt-down direction), the electric motor 40 of the electric tilt mechanism 30 is driven forward (or reverse), for example.

  In response to this, by driving the screw shaft 35 in reverse (or forward) via the worm 37 via the worm 37, the nut 45 moves upward (or downward) as viewed in FIG. Since the engaging pin 47 formed on the nut holder 44 is engaged with the elongated hole 12m formed in the protruding portion 12c provided on the outer column 12a, the outer column 12a is moved upward (about the tilt pivot shaft 23 ( It is possible to perform tilt up (or tilt down) adjustment.

  At this time, stress relaxation members 25a and 25b are mounted at the tips of the protruding portions 12c and 12d formed on the outer column 12a of the steering column 12, and these stress relaxation members 25a and 25b are connected to the backlash plate 26 and the vehicle body side upper bracket 24. Since the parallelism of the sliding contact surface between the steering column 12 and the vehicle body side upper bracket 24 is deviated, the loose plate 26 and the guide plate portion 24d are assembled at the time of assembly. The stress relaxation members 25a and 25b are competing with each other. However, as time passes, the stress relaxation members 25a and 25b become familiar with the sliding contact surfaces of the loose plate 26 and the guide plate portion 24d, and the area of the sliding contact surface increases. The surface pressure of the sliding surface can be reduced.

By reducing the surface pressure of the sliding contact surface in this way, it is possible to reliably prevent the sliding contact surface from being lubricated and damaged, and to generate abnormal noise during the sliding contact and to drive the electric motor 40 of the electric tilt mechanism 30. Increase in driving current can be prevented. Further, it is not necessary to improve the dimensional accuracy, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
Furthermore, since the stress relaxation members 25a and 25b are attached to the protrusions 12c and 12d of the outer column 12a, the length of the stress relaxation members 25a and 25b in the sliding direction may be the length of the protrusions 12c and 12d. The relaxing members 25a and 25b can be set to the minimum necessary size.

  In addition, in order for the driver to perform telescopic adjustment of the steering column 12 of the position-adjustable steering apparatus 10, the driver for the telescopic mechanism provided in the peripheral component P disposed in the rear portion of the steering column 12 shown in FIG. When the control switch is operated in the extending direction (or contracting direction), an electric motor (not shown) of the electric telescopic mechanism 50 is rotated forward (or reversely) to move the connecting rod 58 in the axial direction of the steering column 12. The telescopic adjustment can be performed by extending and contracting the inner column 12b with respect to the outer column 12a via the connecting plate portion 57.

In the first embodiment, the case where the stress relaxation members 25a and 25b are bonded or welded to the protrusions 12c and 12d of the outer column 12a has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. 25a and 25b may be fixed by applying other fixing means such as screwing.
Further, in the first embodiment, the case where the conducting member 27 is fixed to the vehicle rear side end surface 24f of the outer column 12a by the fastening screw 28 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and bolts, rivets, etc. Other fixing means may be applied, or fixing means such as welding and adhesion may be applied. Moreover, the conducting member 27 is not limited to being fixed to the vehicle rear side end surface 24f of the outer column 12a, but may be fixed to the side surface of the outer column 12a, and further to the guide plate portion 24c of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24. The bracket side flat plate portion 27c is fixed, a contact portion is formed on the column side flat plate portion 27a, and this contact portion is brought into contact with a contact surface formed by an arc surface centering on the center of the pivot shaft 23 formed on the outer column 12a. You may do it.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where the conduction | electrical_connection member 27 was formed with a spring material was demonstrated, it is not limited to this, Since it should just have elasticity slightly, a conductive metal plate and conductive You may make it form with property rubber | gum etc.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the conducting member 27 is brought into contact with the vehicle rear side end surface 24f of the guide plate portion 24c of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24 with a predetermined preload applied. The arc surface is not necessarily an arc surface centered on the center of the tilt pivot shaft 23, and may be an arc surface centered on a position slightly deviated from the center of the tilt pivot shaft 23.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the hemispherical contact portion 27e is formed on the bracket side flat plate portion 27c of the conductive member 27 is described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the contact portion 27e is omitted. Instead of this, a curved portion that contacts the vehicle rear side end surface 24f of the guide plate portion 24c may be formed by protruding on the bracket side flat plate portion 27c.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the conductive member 27 is formed in a crank shape when viewed from the bottom surface on the column side flat plate portion 27a, the stepped portion 27b, and the bracket side flat plate portion 27c has been described. Instead, the conductive member 27 is formed in a flat plate shape with the column side flat plate portion 27a extended, and a conductive elastic body such as a coil spring is disposed at a position facing the vehicle rear side end surface 24f of the guide plate portion 24c. And you may make it form a contact part in the front-end | tip of this electroconductive elastic body.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case where the conductive member 27 is disposed between the outer column 12a and the guide plate portion 24c of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the outer column 12a is not limited thereto. The conducting member 27 may be disposed between the guide plate portion 24d of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24 and between the outer column 12a and the guide plate portions 24c and 24d of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24. May be arranged.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where the conduction | electrical_connection member 27 fixed to either one of the outer column 12a and the guide-plate parts 24c and 24d and making it contact with the other was demonstrated, it is not limited to this As shown in FIG. 8 representing the left side view of the position-adjustable steering device, a flexible lead wire 60 is provided as a conductive member between the outer column 12a and the guide plate portion 24c of the vehicle body upper bracket 24. It is also possible to apply both ends to the outer column 12a and the guide plate portion 24c by screwing or the like. In this case, since the conductive member does not slide in contact with the guide plate portion 24c, it is not necessary to bend the guide plate portions 24c and 24d when viewed from the side, and it is extended linearly in a direction perpendicular to the mounting plate portion 24b. Yes.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the stress relaxation members 25a and 25b are provided between the protruding portions 12c and 12d of the outer column 12a, the backlash stuffing plate 26, and the guide plate portion 24d has been described. Instead of this, a solid lubricant may be provided between the protruding portions 12c and 12d of the outer column 12a, the backlash plate 26, and the guide plate portion 24d.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the backlash filling plate 26 is provided on the guide plate portion 24c side of the vehicle body side upper bracket 24 has been described, but it may be provided on the guide plate portion 24d side, and further the guide. You may make it provide in both the board parts 24c and 24d.
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the position-adjustable steering apparatus having the electric tilt mechanism 30 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a normal operation in which the electric tilt mechanism 30 is omitted. The present invention can also be applied to a position-adjustable steering apparatus having a manual tilt mechanism.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the vehicle front side end portion of the outer column 12a is supported by the vehicle body side lower bracket 22 via the tilt pivot shaft 23 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction has been described. As shown in FIG. 9 representing the left side view of the position-adjustable steering apparatus, an electric motor that transmits the steering assist force generated by the electric motor 71 to the steering shaft 2 to the vehicle front side end portion of the outer column 12a. A power steering device 72 may be provided, and the reduction gear housing 73 of the electric power steering device 72 may be supported on the vehicle body side lower bracket 22 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction by the tilt pivot shaft 23. Reference numeral 74 denotes a motor control device that drives the electric motor 71.

1 is an overall configuration diagram illustrating a state in which a position-adjustable steering device according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle. It is a left view of a position adjustment type steering device. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in which the electric tilt mechanism and the electric telescopic mechanism of FIG. 2 are omitted. It is a bottom view which shows a conduction member. It is an enlarged view of the state which attached the conduction member. It is sectional drawing on the BB line of FIG. 2 which shows an electric tilt mechanism. It is sectional drawing on the CC line of FIG. It is a left view of the position adjustment type steering device which shows other examples of a conductive member. It is a left view of the position adjustment type steering apparatus provided with the electric power steering apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Position adjustment type steering apparatus, 11 ... Steering shaft, 12 ... Steering column, 12a ... Outer column, 12b ... Inner column, 12c, 12d ... Projection part, 13 ... Steering wheel, 14, 16 ... Universal joint, 15 ... Middle Shaft, 17 ... steering gear mechanism, 18 ... tie rod, 19 ... steered wheel, 21 ... vehicle body side member, 22 ... vehicle body side lower bracket, 23 ... tilt pivot shaft, 24 ... vehicle body side upper bracket, 24b ... mounting plate portion, 24c 24d ... Guide plate part, 24e ... Bottom plate part, 24f ... Vehicle rear side end face, 26 ... Backlash filling plate, 25a, 25b ... Stress relief member, 27 ... Conductive member, 27a ... Column side flat plate part, 27b ... Step part, 27c ... Bracket side flat plate portion, 27d ... Insertion hole, 27e ... Contact portion, 28 ... Fastening Screw, 30 ... electric tilt mechanism, 50 ... electric telescopic mechanism, 60 ... lead wire, 72 ... electric power steering apparatus

Claims (6)

Position adjustment provided with a steering column that rotatably supports a steering shaft to which a steering wheel is mounted, and a vehicle body side bracket that is fixed to a vehicle body side member and supports the steering column so that the position of the steering column can be adjusted. Type steering device,
A position-adjustable steering device, wherein a conductive member is disposed between the steering column and the vehicle body side bracket.   One end of the conducting member is fixed to one of the steering column and the vehicle body side bracket, and the other end is formed of a conductive metal piece that is in sliding contact with the other of the steering column and the vehicle body side bracket. The position-adjustable steering device according to claim 1, wherein   The position adjustment according to claim 2, wherein the conductive metal piece is made of a spring material and is in contact with the vehicle body side bracket or the steering column with a predetermined preload by its own elastic force. Steering device.   The vehicle body side bracket supports the steering column in a tiltable manner, and an end surface with which the conductive member contacts is formed in an arc shape having a rotation center equivalent to the rotation center at the time of the tilting operation of the steering column. The position-adjustable steering device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein   5. The position-adjustable steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an insulating material is interposed between the steering column and the vehicle body side bracket.   6. The position-adjustable steering apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the insulating material is a solid lubricant or a stress relaxation member that ensures slidability between the steering column and the vehicle body bracket.

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