JP2000095118A - Steering apparatus and attachment tool used for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable the holder to be attached by fixing the attachment tool to the housing by providing, to an attachment tool for attaching a housing to a vehicle body, a coupling portion to which a holder for holding an interlocking cable interlocked with an operating portion is coupled. SOLUTION: A coupling portion 35 is integrally provided on one side of a lower portion of an attachment tool 3 for attaching a lower end of a housing 2 to a vehicle body. This coupling portion 35 has a pair of through holes spaced apart from each other. A holder 7, formed by molding a metal plate, has a pair of through holes at one end corresponding to those of the coupling portion 35. At the other end, a mounting hole for fitting a cylindrical member 10 therein is formed, wherein the cylindrical member 10 is fitted and held by an interlocking cable 6 to be interlocked with an operating portion 5 for the automatic transmission. Thus, the holder 7 is detachably attached to the coupling portion 35 by screwing a nut 12 onto a fixing screw 11 passing through the respective through holes of the coupling portion 35 and the holder 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering device mainly used for an automobile and a mounting device for mounting the steering device on a vehicle body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a steering device of an automobile, for example, a steering device in which an operating portion for an automatic transmission is mounted on a housing for rotatably housing a steering shaft is known.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a conventional steering device.
This steering device includes a rudder shaft 1 linked to a steering wheel for steering.
00, a housing 101 for rotatably storing and supporting the rudder shaft 100, a lower mounting tool 102 for mounting the lower side of the housing 101 to the vehicle body, and a longitudinally central portion of the housing 101 to the vehicle body. A mounting bracket 103 on the upper side and an operation unit 104 for an automatic transmission, a support bracket 107 on which a holding member 106 holding an interlocking cable 105 interlocked with the operation unit 104 is supported, and a steering torque applied to the steering wheel And a steering assist electric motor 108 that is driven and controlled based on the steering control.

[0004] The housing 101 has a cylindrical pipe portion 1.
09 and a molded cylindrical portion 1 whose ends are connected by press-fitting.
The upper-side fixture 103 and the operating part 104 are attached to the center of the pipe part 109 in the axial direction, and the electric motor 10
A motor-side cylinder portion in which a speed reduction mechanism linked to 8 is housed is provided. Also, a first mounting portion is provided at the lower end of the molded cylindrical portion 110, a second mounting portion is provided at the intermediate portion, and a plurality of the lower-side mounting tools 102 are provided at the first mounting portion. The plate-shaped support bracket 107 is attached to the second attachment portion by a plurality of attachment screws 112.

FIG. 11 is a side view of a conventional lower-side fixture. The lower mounting fixture 102 is a mounting piece 11 for mounting one side plate portion of an L-shaped bent metal plate to a vehicle body.
3, and the other side plate portion is formed into the molded cylindrical portion 110 of the housing.
And a plurality of through-holes 115 provided in the fixing portion 114.
By tightening the mounting screw 111 inserted into these through holes 115 to the first mounting portion,
10 is attached.

[0006]

According to the conventional steering apparatus constructed as described above, the housing 101
The first mounting part and the second mounting part are provided on the first mounting part, the lower mounting part 102 is mounted on the first mounting part, and the support bracket 107 is mounted on the second mounting part. The man-hour for assembling the steering device is large, and the workability of assembling the steering device is poor.
7 is attached to the molded cylindrical portion 110 of the housing,
The mounting part to the molding cylinder part 110 is easily broken by impact or the like,
The rigidity of this was low. Also, a mounting screw 112 for the support bracket is required separately from the mounting screw 111 for the lower-side mounting tool.
And the support bracket 107 requires a mounting portion,
There is a problem that the overall weight of the steering device increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a mounting tool for mounting a housing to a vehicle body has a connecting portion to which a holding tool for holding an interlocking cable interlocking with an operation unit is connected. When assembling a steering device, a holding device is fixed to a housing so that the holding device can be attached to the steering device. The purpose is to:

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering apparatus including a housing for rotatably housing a rudder shaft interlocking with a steering wheel, a mounting member for mounting the rudder shaft on a vehicle body, and an operation unit for an automatic transmission. In the steering device to be mounted, the mounting tool includes a connecting portion to which a holding tool that holds an interlocking cable that is interlocked with the operation unit is connected.

A steering device according to a third aspect of the present invention is a mounting device for mounting an end of a housing for rotatably housing a rudder shaft to a vehicle body, wherein the mounting member is mounted on the vehicle body, and the mounting member is mounted on one side of the mounting member. A holding portion that bends in a direction intersecting and is fixed to the housing and that holds an interlocking cable that is bent from one side in a direction intersecting with the fixing portion and interlocks with an operation unit for a transmission. And a coupling portion to which the tool is coupled.

According to the first and third aspects of the present invention, the attachment for attaching the housing to the vehicle body is provided with a coupling portion to which a holding member for holding an interlocking cable interlocking with the operation unit is provided. When assembling the device, the holder can be mounted by fixing the mounting to the housing. Therefore, the man-hour for assembling the steering device can be reduced, and the assembling workability can be improved.

In a steering apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention, the mounting member includes an impact energy absorbing portion for absorbing impact energy acting on the housing in an axial direction, and a mounting piece mounted on a vehicle body; The fixing portion bent from one side in a direction intersecting with the mounting piece and fixed to the housing, and the coupling portion bent from one side in a direction intersecting with the fixing portion are integrally formed. It is characterized by comprising.

A steering device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a mounting device for mounting an end portion of a housing for rotatably housing a rudder shaft to a vehicle body, wherein one side plate portion of an L-shaped bent metal plate is attached to the vehicle body. It is provided with an impact energy absorbing portion that absorbs impact energy in the axial direction acting on the housing, as a mounting piece having a mounting hole for mounting on the vehicle body, and the other side plate portion as a ring-shaped fixing portion fixed to the housing. One side of the fixing portion of the mounting body is provided with a connecting portion to which a holding member for holding an interlocking cable for an operating portion attached to the housing is connected.

According to the second and fourth aspects of the present invention, since the fixing portion fixed to the housing is provided with the coupling portion, the impact energy acting on the housing can be improved without being affected by the holder. Can be absorbed into
Further, since the connecting portion is integrated with the fixing portion for fixing to the housing, the number of mounting structures such as mounting screws is smaller than that of the conventional example in which a support bracket is provided separately from the lower-side mounting tool. Can be made lighter. Further, in the fourth aspect, since the mounting piece, the fixing portion, and the connecting portion are integrally formed by the metal plate, the mounting rigidity of the holder can be increased.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings showing the embodiments. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a steering device,
FIG. 2 is a front view of the steering device. The steering device includes a rudder shaft 1 having one end interlocked with a steering wheel for steering, and the rudder shaft 1
A housing 2 for rotatably storing and supporting the housing 2, a lower mounting 3 for mounting the lower end of the housing 2 to the vehicle body, and an upper mounting for mounting the longitudinal center portion of the housing 2 to the vehicle body. Tool 4 and an operation unit 5 for an automatic transmission, a holding tool 7 for holding an interlocking cable 6 interlocked with the operation unit 5, and an electric motor for steering assistance that is driven and controlled based on a steering torque applied to the steering wheel. 8 is provided.

The housing 2 is provided with a cylindrical pipe portion 21 and a molded cylindrical portion 22 whose ends are connected by press-fitting. The attachment 4 and the operation unit 5 are attached. The formed cylindrical portion 22 includes a sensor-side cylindrical portion 22a that houses a torque sensor 9 that detects a steering torque applied to the steering wheel, and a motor-side cylindrical portion 22b that is connected to the electric motor 8. 22a and motor-side cylindrical portion 22b
Are connected by a plurality of tightening screws 23. A plurality of mounting holes are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the end surface of the motor-side cylindrical portion 22b opposite to the sensor-side cylindrical portion 22a.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the lower fixture.
The lower mounting member 3 is a mounting piece 31 having mounting holes 30 for mounting one side plate portion of a metal plate bent in an L shape to a vehicle body, and the other side plate portion is a motor side cylindrical portion of the housing 2. A mounting body 3a is provided as a ring-shaped fixing portion 32 fixed to an end of the mounting portion 22b. A plurality of through holes 33 corresponding to the mounting holes are provided in the fixing portion 32 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The mounting screw 34 inserted into the through-hole 33 is tightened to the mounting hole, so that the mounting screw 34 is mounted on the formed cylindrical portion 22. On one side of the fixing portion 32, a connecting portion 35 to which the holder 7 is connected is provided integrally.

The connecting portion 35 forms a plate portion, which is continuous with one side of the fixing portion 32, in the plate thickness direction. The first bent portion 36 forms a right angle to the opposite side to the mounting piece 31. When the fixing portion 32 is fixed to the molding cylinder 22 when the fixing portion 32 is fixed to the molding cylinder 22, it is bent in a radial direction by the second bending portion 37. The coupling part 35 is arranged on one side. The coupling portion 35 is provided with a pair of through holes 38 separated from each other.

The holder 7 is formed by molding a metal plate and has a pair of through-holes corresponding to the through-holes 38 at one end thereof, and is fitted to and held by the interlocking cable 6 at the other end. A mounting hole into which the cylindrical member 10 is mounted by fitting is provided. Then, the through hole 38 and the holder 7 of the coupling portion 35
The holding tool 7 is detachably attached to the connecting portion 35 by screwing the nut 12 to the mounting screw 11 inserted into the through hole of the holding tool 7. The interlocking cable 6 includes, for example, an inner wire and an outer cylinder that stores and guides the inner wire.

A pair of mounting pieces 31 of the lower-side mounting tool 3 are provided apart from each other, and the mounting pieces 31, 31 are provided with the above-described mounting holes 30, 30 with one side notched. The bases of the mounting pieces 31, 31 and the mounting holes 30, 3
Between 0, the impact energy absorbing portion 39 having a notched concave portion,
39 is provided, and when impact energy acts on the steering wheel from the driver due to a frontal collision of the automobile or the like, the impact energy absorbing portions 39, 39 are deformed to absorb the impact energy. .

The operation unit 5 includes a shift lever (not shown)
And a mechanism (not shown) operated by this operation
And a casing 51 for accommodating the same. The casing 51 is fixed to the housing 2 via a mounting bracket 13, and the interlocking cable 6 is connected to a mechanism section. The inner wire of the interlocking cable 6 is moved in accordance with the gear position selected by the operator.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing the structure inside the molded cylindrical portion of the housing. The rudder shaft 1 is provided in the molded cylindrical portion 22.
A cylindrical input shaft 14 coupled to the other end of the input shaft 1;
4, one end of which is fitted to the one end of the input shaft 14 by the first dowel pin 15 and one end of which is inserted around the outer periphery of the other end of the input shaft 14. An output shaft 18 having the other end coupled to the other end of the torsion bar 16 by a second dowel pin 17, a worm wheel 19 fixed to the outer periphery of the output shaft 18 by fitting, and meshing therewith. Worm 20
And first and second ball bearings 60, 6 fitted on one side and the other side of the worm wheel 19 of the output shaft 18 in the axial direction.
1, a bearing 62 fitted on the outer periphery of the input shaft 14, and the torque sensor 9 are housed.

The sensor side cylinder 22a of the motor side cylinder 22b
On the other end opposite to the above, a fitting hole 24 is provided in which the first ball bearing 60 is fitted. A thread groove 25 is provided at one end of the fitting hole 24 in the axial length direction. A flange 26 for restricting the movement of the first ball bearing 60 is provided at the other end, and an outer ring of the first ball bearing 60 is connected to the flange 26 by screwing a nut body 27 into the screw groove 25. To fix it. A screw groove is provided on the outer periphery of the other end of the output shaft 18, and the inner ring of the first ball bearing 60 is provided in the middle of the output shaft 18 by tightening the nut body 63 screwed into the screw groove. To fix it.

The torque sensor 9 has rectangular teeth formed on the end face in the circumferential direction.
8, a pair of magnetic rings 91 and 91 are disposed inside the torque detecting coil 92, and the magnetic ring 91 and the output shaft 18 on the input shaft 14 side corresponding to the torsion of the torsion bar 16. A non-contact type sensor that detects the steering torque by changing the facing area of the tooth portion when the magnetic ring 91 on the side rotates relatively and the impedance of the torque detection coil 92 changes. I have.

When assembling the one housed in the molded cylindrical portion 22, for example, the first ball bearing 60 is inserted into the fitting hole 24, and the nut body 27, 63, the outer ring and the inner ring of the first ball bearing 60 are fixed, and the worm wheel 19 and the ring 91 made of a magnetic material are fixed.
Is inserted into the first ball bearing 60. The bearing 62, the torque detection coil 92 and the second
The input shaft 14 to which the magnetic ring 91 and the torsion bar 16 are fixed is inserted into the sensor-side cylindrical portion 22a in which the ball bearing 61 is stored. Then, the other end of the input shaft 14 is inserted into one end of the output shaft 18, and the sensor side cylinder 22
a is coupled to the motor-side cylindrical portion 22b. After assembling in this state, the lower-side fixture 3 is attached to the motor-side cylindrical portion 22.
b is attached to the other end by an attachment screw 34.

The lower mounting member 3 is a motor-side cylindrical portion 2.
If a pressing force in the axial direction acts on one end of the rudder shaft 1 before the rudder shaft 1 is attached to the shaft 2b, the first ball bearing 60 moves with the output shaft 18 in the axial direction in the conventional case. However, according to the present invention, the first ball bearing 60
Is fixed to the motor-side cylindrical portion 22b by the nut bodies 27 and 63, so that the first ball bearing 60 can be reliably prevented from moving in the axial direction together with the output shaft 18. Therefore, the magnetic ring 9 of the torque sensor 9 is used.
1, 91 can be prevented from being out of phase, and fluctuation of the sensor output can be favorably prevented. That is, in the conventional one, the flange 26 is provided at one end in the axial direction of the fitting hole 24, and the other end is opened without the provision of the flange. If a pressing force in the axial direction acts on one end of the rudder shaft 1 before the motor 3 is attached to the motor-side cylindrical portion 22b, the first ball bearing 60 moves in the axial direction together with the output shaft 18. Become.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line V--V in FIG.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a mounting side of the upper-side mounting tool to the vehicle body. The upper-side fixture 4 is formed by forming a metal plate into a concave shape, and has a U-shaped fixing piece 41 attached to the housing 2 by attaching means such as welding, and a right angle from one end and the other end of the fixing piece 41. And a pair of attachment pieces 42 attached to the vehicle body. Notch recesses 42 a and 42 extending in the axial direction of the housing 2 are provided in the mounting pieces 42.
and a plurality of pin holes 42b... formed in the concave edges of the notches 42a, 42a, and having a bolt hole 43a in the notches 42a, 42a. 2nd spacer 4 made of synthetic resin having 1 spacers 43 and 43 and impact energy absorber 44
5 and 45, and the fixture 4 is fixed to the vehicle body by bolts inserted into the bolt holes 43a, 43a of the first spacers 43, 43.

The first spacers 43, 43 have a facing surface facing the lower surface of the concave edge of the cutout recesses 42a, 42a.
A pair of thin facing portions 43b, 43b are cut out in a letter shape, and the pin holes 4 are formed in the thin facing portions 43b, 43b.
Are provided with a plurality of pin holes 43c.

The second spacers 45, 45
Are formed in a substantially U-shape so as to face the upper side surfaces of the concave edges of the second spacers 42a, 42a, and are inserted into the pin holes 42b,. The impact energy absorber 44 in the form of a pin is integrally formed.

Then, the second spacers 45, 45 are inserted into the notches 42a, 42a of the mounting pieces 42, 42 so that the thin facing portions 43b, 43b face the lower surfaces of the concave edges of the notches 42a, 42a. At the same time, the impact energy absorber 44 is inserted into the pin holes 42b,..., 43c, so that the second spacers 45, 45 face the upper side surfaces of the concave edges of the cutout recesses 42a, 42a. Attachment pieces 42, 42 by screwing bolts inserted into bolt holes 43a, 43a of 43, into attachment holes formed in the vehicle body.
Is sandwiched and fixed between the first and second spacers 43, 43, 45, 45. In this fixed state, the shock energy acting on the steering wheel from the driver due to a frontal collision of the automobile or the like causes the housing 2 to move through the rudder shaft 1 and its bearing.
When is pressed in the axial direction, the impact energy absorber 44 is broken, and the upper-side fixture 4 becomes the first spacer 4.
It slides with respect to 3, 43 to absorb impact energy.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the upper side of the mounting fixture on the vehicle body. The thickness H1 of the second spacers 45, 45 when the mounting pieces 42, 42 are sandwiched between the thin spacers 43b, 43b of the first spacers 43, 43 is the same as the thickness of the first spacers 43, 43. H2 is formed so as to be thicker than H2, and the mounting pieces 42, 4 are formed by the bolts.
When the second spacer 45, 4 is sandwiched and fixed to the vehicle body,
5 is bent, and the second spacers 45, 45 and the mounting pieces 42, 4
The first and second spacers 43 are brought into close contact with each other to increase the rigidity of the mounting portion of the mounting tool 4.

As described above, the first spacers 43 and 4 made of metal are used.
The rigidity of the mounting portion of the mounting member 4 to the vehicle body is increased by sandwiching and fixing the mounting member 4 by the third spacer 3 and the second spacer 45 made of synthetic resin, as compared with the case using only the synthetic resin spacer. In addition, the spacer sliding load in the evaluation of the torso, that is, the spacer until the fitting 4 comes out of the spacer by applying a load to one end of the rudder shaft 1 as compared with the one using only the metal spacer. Sliding load can be reduced.

Further, the second spacers 45 and 4 made of synthetic resin are used.
By integrally forming the impact energy absorber 44 in the step 5, the injection step is eliminated, and the work time corresponding to the injection step can be reduced. Further, since the metal plate mounting member 4 comes into contact with the first metal spacers 43 and 43 and comes into contact with the vehicle body, for example, the current flowing to the body ground of the horn push button provided on the steering wheel is transmitted to the first ground. It is possible to satisfactorily escape from one spacer 43, 43 to the vehicle body, and a special horn earth can be eliminated.

The steering device constructed as described above is provided with an interlocking cable 6 connected to the operation unit 5 attached to the housing 2.
The cylindrical member 10 fitted and held in the middle of the mounting member 7 is attached to the holding member 7, and the holding member 7 is attached to the connecting portion 35 formed at one end of the lower-side mounting member 3 by the mounting screw 11. Can be Therefore, a special bracket for mounting the holder 7 as in the conventional example is not required, and the number of steps for assembling to the housing 2 is small, and the workability of assembling the steering device can be improved. In addition, a metal plate attachment 3
Since the joint 35 is integrally formed with the holder 35 and the holder 7 is attached to the joint 35, the rigidity of the attachment portion of the holder 7 can be increased.

Further, the connecting portion 3 for attaching the holder 7 is provided.
5 is not a mounting piece 31 to be mounted on the vehicle body, but a housing 2
The shock energy absorbing portion 39 of the mounting piece 31 is held when the housing 2 moves in the axial direction via the rudder shaft 1 due to the impact energy applied to the steering wheel because the fixing portion 32 is fixed to the steering wheel. It is possible to satisfactorily deform without being affected by the tool 7 and to absorb impact energy satisfactorily.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing another embodiment of the upper-side fixture, and FIG. 9 is a developed view of the upper-side fixture. The mounting fixture 4 of this embodiment includes the cutout recess 42a and the pin hole 42 at one end in the length direction of the rectangular metal plate.
and the ground piece 42c, and the notch 42a and the pin holes 42b.
When it is bent into a concave shape, the ground piece 42c is crushed to make it thinner and bent in a wave shape to give elasticity so that it comes into contact with the vehicle body.

In this embodiment, the ground piece 42
c is integrally formed with the mounting member 4, so that the mounting member 4 is formed as compared with the conventional case in which the ground piece is separately formed.
Contact with the vehicle body can be eliminated, the workability of the assembling can be improved, and the elasticity of the grounding piece 42c can improve the contact with the vehicle body.

[0037]

As described in detail above, according to the first and third aspects of the present invention, the attachment for attaching the housing to the vehicle body is provided with the connecting portion to which the holder for holding the interlocking cable interlocking with the operating portion is connected. Therefore, when assembling the steering device, the holder can be attached by fixing the attachment to the housing, so that the man-hour for assembling the steering device can be reduced, and the assembling workability can be reduced. Can be improved.

According to the second and fourth aspects of the present invention, since the connecting portion is provided on the fixing portion fixed to the housing,
The impact energy acting on the housing can be favorably absorbed without being affected by the holder holding the interlocking cable. Moreover, since the connecting portion is integral with the fixing portion fixed to the housing, the number of mounting structures such as mounting screws is smaller than that of the conventional example in which the support bracket is mounted separately from the lower-side mounting tool. Can be made lighter. Further, according to the fourth aspect, since the mounting piece, the fixing part, and the connecting part are integrally formed by the metal plate, the rigidity of the mounting part of the holder can be increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a steering device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the steering device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a lower-side mounting tool of the steering device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a structure in a molded cylindrical portion of a housing of the steering device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a mounting side of the upper-side mounting tool of the steering device according to the present invention mounted on a vehicle body.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a mounting side of the upper-side mounting tool of the steering device according to the present invention mounted on a vehicle body.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing another embodiment of the upper mounting fixture of the steering device according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a mounting tool on the upper side of the steering device according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a steering device according to a conventional example.

FIG. 11 is a side view of a lower-side mounting tool of a steering device according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rudder shaft 2 Housing 3 Attachment 31 Attachment piece 32 Fixed part 35 Joint part 5 Operation part 6 Interlocking cable 7 Holder

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A steering device comprising: a housing for rotatably housing a rudder shaft interlocking with a steering wheel; and a mounting device for mounting the rudder shaft on a vehicle body and an operation unit for an automatic transmission. A steering device, comprising: a connecting portion to which a holding tool for holding an interlocking cable interlocking with the connecting member is connected. 2. The mounting device has an impact energy absorbing portion that absorbs impact energy acting on the housing in an axial direction, and a mounting piece that is mounted on a vehicle body.
The fixing portion bent from one side in a direction intersecting with the mounting piece and fixed to the housing, and the coupling portion bent from one side in a direction intersecting with the fixing portion are integrally formed. The steering device according to claim 1, which is configured. 3. A mounting device for mounting an end of a housing for rotatably housing a rudder shaft to a vehicle body, wherein the mounting member is mounted on the vehicle body, and is bent from one side in a direction intersecting the mounting member. A fixing portion fixed to the housing, and a coupling portion bent from one side in a direction intersecting the fixing portion and coupled with a holding tool for holding an interlocking cable interlocking with an operation portion for a transmission. A fixture comprising: 4. A fitting for mounting an end of a housing for rotatably housing a rudder shaft to a vehicle body, wherein one side plate of a metal plate bent in an L-shape is moved in the axial direction acting on the housing. A fixing piece having a mounting hole for mounting on a vehicle body, and the other side plate serving as a ring-shaped fixing part fixed to the housing. A mounting part to which a holder for holding an interlocking cable for an operation part mounted on the housing is connected on one side.