JP2000177600A - Steering column cover device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering column cover being excellent in an outward appearance and having no possibility of damaging an instrument panel. SOLUTION: In a vehicular steering wheel having a tilt function, a steering column cover main body 4 is mounted on a steering column 3 for surrounding a steering shaft 3a mounted with the steering wheel, and when tilting the steering shaft 3a to this steering column cover main body 4, a shielding plate 7 for blocking up clearance generated between an instrument panel 1 and the steering column cover main body 4 is mounted so as to freely rise up and fall down. The shielding plate 7 is energized in the standing-up direction by an energizing means so as to abut from the inside on the opening edge of an opening part 1a opened in the instrument panel 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a steering column cover device for a steering wheel having a tilt function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of steering column cover, for example, those described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 50-31647 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-78665 are known.

As shown in FIG. 7, the steering column cover of the former publication fixes the upper edge of a curtain c made of a soft and flexible material formed along a notch b of an instrument panel a, and c is inserted and arranged along the peripheral wall of the cutout portion of the upper surface of the steering column cover d. Even when the steering wheel e is tilted up and down, light does not leak from the cutout portion b of the instrument panel a. It has become.

In the steering column cover disclosed in the latter publication, as shown in FIG. 8, the column cover is divided into a wheel side and an instrument panel side along the axial direction of a column shaft f. g
And the instrument panel side cover h are slidably fitted along the axial direction of the column shaft f, and the instrument panel side cover h is urged toward the instrument panel side by a spring i. The surface portion j is provided with a shielding surface portion k for receiving the instrument panel side cover h. Since the gap between the column cover and the instrument panel can be closed, the appearance is improved. .

[0005]

However, in the steering column cover disclosed in the former publication, when the steering wheel e is tilted down, the curtain c extends as shown by the phantom line in FIG. 7, but the steering wheel e is tilted up. At the same time, wrinkles are generated on the curtain c and the appearance is poor, and it is troublesome to attach the curtain c in a good format.

In the steering column cover disclosed in the latter publication, the instrument panel side cover h is urged toward the instrument panel side by the spring i, so that the instrument panel side cover h is pressed against the urging force of the spring i. Since the assembling is troublesome, the assembling is troublesome and the mounting property is poor, and the instrument panel j is pressed against the instrument panel side cover h. Shield panel k of the panel
Of the instrument panel j.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and provides a steering column cover device which has good appearance and does not damage an instrument panel with a simple structure and at low cost. It is intended for.

[0008]

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a steering wheel of a vehicle having a tilt function, wherein a steering column surrounding a steering shaft on which the steering wheel is mounted is provided with a steering wheel. When the column cover body is attached, and the steering shaft is tilted to the steering column cover body, a shielding plate that closes a gap generated between the instrument panel and the steering column cover body is attached to the steering column cover body so as to be able to move up and down. Is urged in a rising direction by an urging means so as to come into contact with the opening edge of the opening formed in the instrument panel from the inside.

With the above structure, when the steering shaft is tilted down according to the driver's physique or a desired posture, the gap formed between the instrument panel and the steering column cover main body is closed, so that the appearance is improved. improves.

In order to achieve the above object, according to a second aspect of the present invention, the shielding plate is curved in an arc shape centered on the tilt rotation center of the steering column surrounding the steering shaft.

With the above structure, when the steering shaft is tilted, the shield plate does not swing back and forth, and the contact surface pressure between the shield plate and the opening edge does not change. The moving parts are less likely to be worn.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 3 is such that the shielding plate is also provided below the steering column cover body.

With the above configuration, the gap below the steering column cover main body, which is generated when the steering shaft is tilted up, is closed by the shielding plate, so that the appearance is further improved.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings shown in FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a steering column cover attached to a steering column surrounding a steering shaft, FIG. 2 is a side view of the same, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a vicinity of a shielding plate, and FIG. FIG.

In these figures, reference numeral 1 denotes an instrument panel fitted to a dashboard 2 of an automobile, and reference numeral 3a denotes a steering shaft provided at a lower portion of the instrument panel 1, which is vertically tiltable.
A steering wheel (not shown) is attached to a tip of a steering column 3 surrounding the steering shaft 3a.

A large opening 1a is opened at the lower part of the instrument panel 1 so as not to hinder the vertical tilting operation of the steering column 3, and a steering column cover body 4 is attached to the tip end of the steering column 3. Have been.

The steering column cover body 4 is
It has a substantially box-like structure divided into a column upper 4a and a column lower 4b, and a square small hole 4c for projecting the direction indicating operation lever 5, the wiper operation lever 6, and the like is opened near the division on the side surface. ing.

The ends of the column upper 4a and the column lower 4b on the instrument panel 1 side have a cylindrical shape slightly smaller in diameter than the front side, as shown in FIG. 3 in a cylindrical portion 4d on the column upper 4a side. , A pair of bearing projections 4e are provided so as to be spaced apart in the left-right direction.

The bearing projections 4e are formed in a substantially semicircular shape, and pins 4f are integrally provided on the surfaces facing each other, and the pins 4f are provided with bearing projections 7a provided on the shielding plate 7. The pin hole 7b is inserted.

The shielding plate 7 is integrally formed of a resin of the same material as the steering column cover body 4,
As shown in FIG. 3, it is formed of a substantially square plate material curved in an arc shape, and a lower side portion is cut out along the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 4d of the column upper 4a, and is close to the notch portion 7c. As described above, the bearing projection 7a is protruded.

On the other hand, when the steering column 3 is tilted up and down, the shielding plate 7 can close the gap formed between the upper portion of the opening 1a and the column upper 4a as shown in FIG.
, The opening 1a is formed to be larger than the upper half.

The upper end surface is urged by an urging means 8 composed of a helical spring fitted into one of the pins 4f so as to contact the opening edge 1b of the opening 1a.

Next, the operation of the steering column cover constructed as described above will be described. When assembling the steering column cover main body 4, first, as shown in FIG. Is attached to the steering column 3 with screws from below, and then a column upper 4a is provided in front of the column lower 4b.
In a state in which the shielding plate 7 is overlaid, the shielding plate 7 is rotated forward to a substantially horizontal position against the urging means 8.

Then, in this state, the column upper 4a is slid forward and the upper end of the shield plate 7 is inserted into the opening 1a, and then the shield plate 7 is released. And the surface is brought into contact with the opening edge 1b from the inside.

After assembling the column upper 4a as described above, the column upper 4a is fixed to the column lower 4b with a screw inserted from below the column lower 4b.
Even if the steering column 3 is tilted down during use, the shielding plate 7 closes a gap generated between the instrument panel 1 and the steering column cover body 4, so that the appearance when the tilt is lowered is improved.

In the above embodiment, the shielding plate 7 is curved with an arbitrary curvature. However, as in the modification shown in FIG. 5, the shielding plate 7 is formed into an arc shape having a curvature centered on the tilt rotation center O of the steering column 3. It may be curved.

FIG. 6 shows a modification of the column lower 4b.
The same shielding plate 7 as the column upper 4a is also provided on the cylindrical portion 4d.
Is mounted so as to close a gap below the opening 1a that occurs when the steering column 3 is tilted up.

[0029]

As has been described in detail above, the present invention provides a steering column cover body attached to a steering column surrounding a steering shaft. The gap between the body panel and the steering column cover body is closed by the shield plate, which improves the appearance and reduces wrinkles on the shield plate even when the steering shaft is tilted up. In addition to being very good, there is no fear that the instrument panel will be damaged because the shielding plate does not slide on the instrument panel.

Further, since the shielding plate is urged by the urging means in the upright direction so as to abut on the opening edge, the shielding plate does not flutter due to vibrations during traveling, and noise is not generated. When assembling the column cover to the steering column, the assembling of the shielding plate is completed simply by tilting the shielding plate to a substantially horizontal position and inserting the shielding plate into the opening, so that the assembling property is very good.

Furthermore, by forming the shielding plate with the same material and the same color resin as the steering column cover body, the sense of unity between the instrument panel and the steering column cover is increased, so that the appearance is further improved and the steering column cover is improved. If a shielding plate is also provided on the lower side of the main body, a gap generated below the steering column cover main body can be closed when the steering shaft is tilted up, so that the appearance is further improved.

In addition, since the shield plate is attached to the steering column cover body so as to be able to move up and down, it can be provided at a low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a steering column cover according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the steering column cover according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the vicinity of a shielding plate of the steering column cover according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory view at the time of assembling the steering column cover according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a modified example of the steering column cover according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a modified example of the steering column cover according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing one example of a conventional steering column cover.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing another example of the conventional steering column cover.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Instrument panel 1a Opening 1b Opening edge 2 Dashboard 3 Steering column 3a Steering shaft 4 Steering column cover main body 4a Column upper 4b Column lower 4c Small hole 4d Cylindrical part 4e Bearing projection 4f Pin 5 Direction operation lever 6 Wiper operation lever 7 shielding plate 7a bearing projection 7b pin hole 7c notch 8 biasing means

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Takatsuo Watanabe 218 Aoshima-cho, Fuji-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture Within Nihon Plast Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3D030 DC13 DC37 DD01 3D044 BA00 BA12 BB01 BC13 BC28 BC30

Claims (3)

[Claims] In a steering wheel of a vehicle having a tilt function, a steering column cover body is mounted on a steering column surrounding a steering shaft to which the steering wheel is mounted, and the steering shaft is tilted to the steering column cover body. At that time, a shielding plate that closes a gap generated between the instrument panel and the steering column cover body is attached so as to be able to undulate, and the shielding plate is
A steering column cover device characterized in that it is urged in an upright direction by an urging means so as to come into contact with an opening edge of an opening portion opened in the instrument panel from inside. 2. The steering column cover device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding plate is curved in an arc shape centered on a tilt rotation center of the steering column surrounding the steering shaft. 3. The steering column cover device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding plate is also provided below the steering column cover main body.