JP2000238648A - Supporting device for steering column for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To remarkably enhance supporting rigidity in a transverse direction of a steering column, while reducing the number of part items and eliminating a limitation of a degree of freedom in design. SOLUTION: In this device, a body side bracket 5 having a supporting member 6 is provided to surround a steering column 1 from its upper side, and a distance bracket 8 is provided to support the steering column 1 from its lower side. An extending supporting piece 20 extended integrally from the distance bracket 8, of which a tip 20a is fixed to the steering column 1 is provided to be brought into sliding contact with an inside of the supporting member 6 of the body side bracket 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering column support device for a vehicle, in which the number of parts is reduced and the lateral support rigidity of the steering column is remarkably improved.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A steering apparatus for a vehicle has a type in which a tilt angle of a steering column is not adjusted.
There are a tilt type in which the steering column can be tilted to a desired angle of the driver, and a telescopic type in which the length of the steering column can be expanded and contracted according to the driver's request.

[0003] Among them, a supporting device for supporting a steering column in a tilt type steering device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-207787.
According to this publication, a vehicle body side bracket is provided so as to surround the steering column from above, and the column side bracket is provided so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the vehicle body side bracket so as to support the steering column from below. A tilt bolt inserted through a notch in the column side bracket is provided so as to be able to move up and down along the tilt groove of the vehicle body side bracket, and a tilt nut rotated by a tilt lever is screwed to the other end of the tilt bolt. Have been combined.

Thus, the tilt lever is rotated, the tilt nut is rotated, the distance between the tilt nut and the head of the tilt bolt is reduced, and the vehicle body side bracket is pressed against the column side bracket to make sliding contact. , While the steering column can be fixed so that it does not tilt, the tilt lever is rotated in the opposite direction to increase the distance between the tilt nut and the head of the tilt bolt, and the sliding contact between the vehicle body side bracket and the column side bracket is released. By doing so, the steering column can be freely tilted, and the steering wheel can be adjusted to a desired angle.

[0005]

In recent years, there has been a demand for an improvement in support stiffness (ie, lateral support stiffness) against a lateral load (or vibration) acting on the steering column.

In the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-207787,
In order to improve the lateral support rigidity, a resin spacer is interposed between the steering column and the vehicle body-side bracket, thereby increasing the support rigidity against a load (or vibration) in the left-right direction and allowing the steering wheel to oscillate. It effectively prevents chattering noise.

However, as described above, a resin bracket is required, and in addition, a bracket attached to the resin bracket is also required, so that the number of parts is increased and the production cost is increased.

Further, if the gap between the steering column and the vehicle body side bracket is set relatively large, the spacer interposed in this gap is made of resin, so that a sufficient effect cannot be obtained. The degree may be restricted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has been made to significantly reduce the number of parts, eliminate restrictions on the degree of freedom of design, and significantly improve the lateral support rigidity of a steering column. It is an object of the present invention to provide a supporting device for a vehicle steering column.

[0010]

To achieve the above object, a vehicle steering column support device according to the present invention is provided with a vehicle body side bracket having a support member so as to surround the steering column from above. A support device for a steering column for a vehicle, wherein a column-side bracket is provided so as to support the column from below, wherein the extension extends integrally from the column-side bracket and has a distal end fixed to the steering column. A support piece is provided, and the extended support piece is slid on the inside of the support member of the vehicle body side bracket.

As described above, according to the present invention, the extension support piece integrally extending from the column side bracket and having the distal end side fixed to the steering column is provided, and the support member of the vehicle body side bracket is provided inside the support member. This extended support piece is in sliding contact.
Therefore, the support member of the vehicle body-side bracket presses the extended support piece against the steering column, thereby increasing the lateral support rigidity of the steering column. Therefore, the support structure of the steering column by the extended support pieces can be added to the support structure of the steering column by the column side bracket, so that the steering column can be supported by a double structure. Therefore,
The support rigidity of the steering column against the load (or vibration) in the left-right direction can be significantly increased, the steering wheel vibration, chatter noise, etc. can be effectively prevented, and the number of parts can be increased. There is no restriction on the degree of freedom of design.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vehicle steering column support device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a tilt type steering apparatus to which a vehicle steering column support device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-I of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I, FIG. 3 is an exploded side view of the vehicle steering column support device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 4 is a view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. It is sectional drawing.

As shown in FIG. 1, the steering column 1
An upper steering shaft 2 is rotatably supported therein, and a lower steering shaft (not shown) is connected to a lower end of the upper steering shaft 2 via a universal joint 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the steering column 1
Is provided from above, and a pair of support members 6, 6 having tilt grooves 7, 7 extend from both sides of the steering column 1 from the bracket 5.

Below the pair of supporting members 6, 6, there are provided:
A distance bracket (column side bracket) 8 is provided. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper ends 8a, 8a of the distance bracket 8 are fixed to the lower side of the center of the steering column 1 by welding. The distance bracket 8 is formed with a pair of notches 9, 9 which are open to the rear of the vehicle (see FIGS. 1 and 3).

As shown in FIG. 2, a tilt bolt 10 is inserted into the notches 9, 9 of the distance bracket 8 and the tilt grooves 7, 7 of the support members 6, 6. A tilt nut 11 is screwed into one end of the tilt bolt 10, and a base end of a tilt lever 12 is fixed to the tilt nut 11. On the head side of the tilt bolt 10, the projecting piece 1 extending from the distance bracket 8 is provided.
A support spring 14 is interposed between the bracket 3 and the vehicle body-side bracket, and substantially supports the steering column 1 during tilt adjustment.

On the upper surface of the steering column 1, a push-up preventing member 15 for preventing the steering column 1 from being pushed up at the time of a primary collision is provided so that both ends thereof are in contact with the support members 6, 6.

An absorption wire 16 is wound around the tilt bolt 10 for absorbing an impact accompanying the movement of the steering column 1 forward of the vehicle at the time of a secondary collision, and one end thereof extends to a lower portion of the steering column 1. At the same time, the other end is fixed to the front end of the distance bracket 8 (so-called distance detachment / wire shock absorbing type). Thus, when an impact is applied to the steering column 1 from the steering wheel (not shown) toward the front of the vehicle at the time of the secondary collision of the vehicle, the steering column 1 moves in the horizontal direction (front of the vehicle) due to the impact load. The notches 9, 9 of the distance bracket 8 are open at the rear, and the tilt bolt 10 is supported on the vehicle body via the vehicle body bracket 5, so that the tilt bolt 10 is fixed at that position. On the other hand, as the distance absorbing bracket 8 fixed to the steering column 1 moves, the shock absorbing wire 16 is bent by the tilt bolt 10 and plastically deforms and extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Thereby, the impact energy of the steering column 1 can be absorbed, and the impact at the time of the secondary collision can be reduced.

Since the tilt type steering apparatus is constructed as described above, the tilt lever 12 is turned and the tilt nut 11 is turned at the time of tilt tightening, so that the tilt nut 11 and the head of the tilt bolt 10 are rotated. The steering column 1 can be fixed so as not to tilt by pressing the supporting members 6 and 6 of the vehicle body-side bracket 5 against the distance bracket 8 to make sliding contact with each other by narrowing the gap between the steering column 1 and the steering column 1.

On the other hand, when the tilt is released, the tilt lever 1
2 is rotated in the opposite direction to increase the distance between the tilt nut 11 and the head of the tilt bolt 10 and release the sliding members 6 and 6 of the vehicle body side bracket 5 from sliding contact with the distance bracket 8. The steering column 1 can be freely tilted, and a steering wheel (not shown) can be adjusted to a desired angle. At this time, the support spring 14 substantially supports the steering column 1 to prevent the steering column 1 from being accidentally dropped.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a pair of extending support pieces 20, 20 extending from the distance bracket 8 to the rear of the vehicle are provided by integral molding. Of the supporting members 20, 20
Reference numerals 0a and 20a are fixed by welding above the center of the steering column 1.

The surfaces indicated by the reference numeral A of the extending support pieces 20, 20 are in sliding contact with the surfaces indicated by the reference numeral B inside the support members 6, 6, whereby the extending support pieces 20, 20 are provided. Is pressed against the steering column 1 by the support members 6 and 6 to increase the lateral support rigidity of the steering column 1.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the upper ends 8a, 8a of the distance bracket are fixed below the center of the steering column 1 by welding.
Since the tips 20a, 20a of the extending support members 20, 20 are fixed to the upper side of the center of the steering column 1 by welding, the upper and lower sides of the center of the steering column 1 (4 on both sides). Since the steering column 1 can be supported at the position (1), the lateral support rigidity of the steering column 1 can be increased.

Further, since the surfaces of the extending support pieces 20, 20 indicated by the reference numeral A are in sliding contact with the surfaces indicated by the reference numeral B inside the support members 6, 6, the support members of the vehicle body side bracket 5 are provided. According to 6, 6, the extended support pieces 20, 20 are pressed against the steering column 1, and the lateral support rigidity of the steering column 1 can be further increased.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the support structure of the steering column 1 by the extension brackets 20 can be added to the support structure of the steering column 1 by the distance bracket 8, so to say, a double structure. Thus, the steering column 1 can be supported. Therefore, the support rigidity of the steering column 1 against the load (or vibration) in the left-right direction can be significantly increased, and the vibration, chatter, etc. of the steering wheel (not shown) can be effectively prevented. Further, since the extension support pieces 20 are simply added to the distance bracket 8 by integral molding, the number of parts is not increased, and the degree of freedom in design is not restricted.

Further, an experiment was conducted to confirm the effect of improving the support rigidity in the present invention. According to the experimental results,
The conventional dynamic stiffness was 340 N / mm, whereas the dynamic stiffness of the present invention was 740 N / mm. Compared with the rigidity ratio, in the present invention, the present invention was about 2.2 times as large as the conventional one. It was improved. As a result, it was confirmed that the present invention can significantly improve the lateral support rigidity as compared with the related art.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified. In particular, the present invention relates not only to a tilt type steering device, but also to a type in which the inclination angle of the steering column is not adjusted, or a telescopic device in which the length of the steering column can be expanded or contracted according to the driver's request. The present invention can also be applied to a steering device of the type.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention,
An extension support piece extending integrally from the column side bracket and having a distal end fixed to the steering column is provided, and the extension support piece is slidably contacted inside the support member of the vehicle body side bracket. Therefore, the support member of the vehicle body-side bracket presses the extended support piece against the steering column, thereby increasing the lateral support rigidity of the steering column. Therefore, the support structure of the steering column by the extended support pieces can be added to the support structure of the steering column by the column side bracket, so that the steering column can be supported by a double structure. Therefore, the support rigidity of the steering column against the load (or vibration) in the left-right direction can be significantly increased,
It is possible to effectively prevent the steering wheel from shaking, chattering, etc., without increasing the number of parts, and without limiting the degree of freedom in design.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a tilt type steering device to which a vehicle steering column support device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an exploded side view of the vehicle steering column support device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steering column 2 Upper steering shaft 3 Universal joint 4 Lower steering shaft 5 Car body side bracket 6 Support member 7 Tilt groove 8 Distance bracket (column side bracket) 8a Upper end of distance bracket 9 Notch 10 Tilt bolt 11 Tilt nut 12 Tilt lever 13 Projection piece 14 Support spring 15 Thrust prevention member 16 Shock absorbing wire 17 Projection piece 20 Extension support piece 20a Tip of extension support piece

Claims (1)

[Claims] A vehicle body side bracket having a support member is provided so as to surround the steering column from above, and the column side bracket is provided inside the support member of the vehicle body side bracket so as to support the steering column from below. A support device for a vehicle steering column, which is provided in sliding contact with the vehicle-side bracket, wherein an extension support piece integrally extending from the column-side bracket and having a distal end fixed to the steering column is provided; A support device for a steering column for a vehicle, wherein the extended support piece is slid on the inside of the support member.