JP2002002503A - Electric tilt type steering device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reliably prevent any play in the vertical direction of a steering wheel without requiring accuracy control of a screw, and to ensure the sufficiently large rigidity in the transverse direction of a steering column in addition to the sufficiently large rigidity in the vertical direction of the steering column. SOLUTION: A tilt mechanism unit 10 for tilting the steering column 1 by converting the rotation of an electric motor 19 into the straight motion is provided on one side of the steering column 1, and a slide unit 11 for allowing the steering column 1 to slide during the tilt mode is provided on the other side of the steering column 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric tilt type steering apparatus for a vehicle, in which a steering column is automatically tilted and tilted by an electric motor to adjust a tilt angle of the steering column as desired.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electric tilt type steering apparatus for automatically adjusting a tilt angle of a steering column by automatically tilting a steering column by an electric motor in accordance with a driver's driving posture is known. There is.

In such an electric tilt type, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-11913, a steering column is suspended from the vehicle body by a pair of tilt mechanisms on both left and right sides thereof. In each tilt mechanism, an adjustment nut (body side) is mechanically connected to one electric motor via a worm and a worm gear, and a screw shaft (steering column side) is screwed to the adjustment nut. is there.

Accordingly, when the electric motor is driven, the adjustment nut (body side) rotates through the worm and the worm gear, and the screw shaft (steering column side) moves up and down. Tilt and tilt.

[0005]

However, in the electric tilt type steering apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, a screw gap exists between the adjusting nut and the screw shaft. There is a case where the backlash is generated, giving the driver discomfort.

In order to reduce the screw gap, it is necessary to increase the screw accuracy between the adjusting nut and the screw shaft. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to control the screw accuracy during manufacturing.

In the above publication, the steering column is generally suspended from the vehicle body by a pair of tilt mechanisms on the right and left sides thereof, so that the rigidity of the steering column in the vertical direction is relatively small. Although large and sufficient, there is a problem that the lateral rigidity of the steering column is not always sufficient and is slightly insufficient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is possible to reliably prevent rattling of a steering wheel in a vertical direction without requiring screw precision control, and to provide a steering column. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric tilt type steering apparatus for a vehicle in which not only the vertical rigidity but also the lateral rigidity are sufficiently increased.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, an electric tilt type steering apparatus for a vehicle according to the present invention automatically tilts a steering column by an electric motor so as to reduce the tilt angle of the steering column. A tilt mechanism for tilting the steering column by converting a rotational driving force of the electric motor into a linear motion and being provided on one side of the steering column; And a slide portion provided on the other side of the steering column to slide the steering column when tilting.

As described above, according to the present invention, the tilt mechanism for tilting the steering column is provided on one side of the steering column, and the steering column is mounted on the other side of the steering column when tilting. A slide portion for sliding is provided.

That is, unlike the related art, a pair of tilt mechanisms are not provided on both sides of the steering column, but a tilt mechanism is provided only on one side of the steering column, and the tilt mechanism is provided on the other side of the steering column. , A slide portion is provided.

As described above, since one tilt mechanism can be omitted, the screw portion of the tilt mechanism can be halved as compared with the related art, and a load is applied to the screw portion of the tilt mechanism from the slide portion. Therefore, the male screw and the female screw in the tilt mechanism can be firmly engaged with each other. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the steering wheel from rattling in the vertical direction without requiring the precision control of the screws.

Further, since one tilt mechanism can be omitted, the number of parts can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, instead of suspending the steering column on both sides by a pair of tilt mechanisms as in the prior art, a tilt mechanism is provided only on one side of the steering column, and the other side of the steering column is provided on the other side. , A slide portion is provided. Therefore, since it is not a conventional suspension structure, not only the vertical rigidity but also the lateral rigidity of the steering column can be made sufficiently large.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an electric tilt type steering apparatus for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state in which an electric tilt type steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on an actual vehicle. FIG. 2 is a side view of the electric tilt type steering device shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the electric tilt steering device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 5 shows B in FIG.
It is sectional drawing which followed the -B line. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a steering shaft 2 is rotatably supported in a steering column 1, and an intermediate shaft is provided at a lower end of the steering shaft 2 via a cross shaft 3. 4 is connected. The intermediate shaft 4 is composed of an inner shaft 4a and an outer shaft 4b, which are telescopically and non-rotatably spline-fitted.
And the displacement of the steering column 1 during tilting is absorbed.

The lower end of the steering column 1 is supported on the vehicle body by a lower bracket 5 so as to be swingable around a tilt center pin 6.

Above the steering column 1, an electric box 8 is attached to an upper bracket 7 attached to the vehicle body.
Are swingably supported via bolts 9. The steering column 1 is automatically tilted and tilted in the electric box 8.

As shown in FIG. 4, a tilt mechanism 10 is provided on the right side of the electric box 8 and a slide section 11 is provided on the left side thereof.

As a structure for the tilt mechanism 10, a tubular portion 12 is formed on the right side of the steering column 1, and an adjusting nut 13 is fitted in the tubular portion 12. , And is fixed by a lock nut 14.

A screw shaft 15 is adapted to be screwed into the adjusting nut 13, and the screw of the adjusting nut 13 and the screw shaft 15 is a trapezoidal screw. The upper and lower ends of the screw shaft 15 are rotatably supported by bearings 16 and 17, respectively. Further, a worm gear 18 is integrally formed above the screw shaft 15, and a worm 20 connected to a drive shaft of an electric motor 19 meshes with the worm gear 18.

Thus, when the electric motor 19 is driven, the rotational driving force is transmitted to the screw shaft 15 via the worm 20 and the worm gear 18, and the screw shaft 15 rotates. As a result, the adjustment nut 13 screwed to the screw shaft 15 moves up and down together with the tubular portion 12 of the steering column 1, and the steering column 1 tilts automatically.

The bearing 16 for the screw shaft 15 is fixed by a tightening bolt 21. By tightening the tightening bolt 21 to which the anti-loosening material is applied and which does not loosen up to the specified torque, a preload can be applied to the bearings 16 and 17, and the screw shaft 15 is firmly vertically and horizontally at the upper and lower ends. Can be supported.

On the other hand, as a structure for the slide portion 11, the left side of the steering column 1 is formed flat, and a plate 22 is mounted on this flat surface. A flat block 23 is provided between the plate 22 and the flat inner wall of the electric box 8. Plate 22
And a block 23, a roller 25 (needle pin) held by a cage 24 is interposed.

Thus, when the steering column 1 is tilted and tilted, the plate 22 slides on the flat surface of the block 23 via the rollers 25, so that the steering column 1 can be smoothly moved in the vertical direction, and the adjustment can be performed. The nut 13 can be prevented from being twisted with respect to the screw shaft 15.

In addition, on the flat left wall of the electric box 8,
A pair of tightening bolts 26 are attached by a pair of lock nuts 27, and a rightward preload is applied to the block 23 by tightening the tightening bolts 26 with a specified torque.

The rightward pressurization constantly presses the steering column 1 and the adjustment nut 13 to the right, thereby preventing the tilt mechanism 10 and the slide portion 11 from rattling in the left and right directions, and adjusting the adjustment nut. 13
Female screw and the male screw of the screw shaft 15 can be firmly engaged with each other, and rattling of the steering wheel in the vertical direction can be prevented.

In the electric tilt type steering apparatus constructed as described above, when the driver operates a tilt position adjusting switch (not shown) when tilting, the electric motor 19 is driven, and the rotational driving force is reduced by a worm. 20 to the screw shaft 15 via the worm gear 18 and the screw shaft 15
Rotates. As a result, the adjustment nut 13 screwed to the screw shaft 15 moves up and down together with the tubular portion 12 of the steering column 1, and the steering column 1 automatically tilts and tilts to adjust the tilt angle of the steering column as desired. be able to.

At the time of this tilting, the plate 22 of the steering column 1 slides on the flat surface of the block 23 via the rollers 25, so that the steering column 1 can be smoothly moved in the vertical direction. 13 can be prevented from being twisted with respect to the screw shaft 15.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the tilt mechanism 10 is provided only on one side of the steering column 1 instead of the pair of tilt mechanisms provided on both sides of the steering column as in the prior art. , Steering column 1
On the other side, a slide portion 11 is provided.

Therefore, since one tilt mechanism can be omitted, the screw portion of the tilt mechanism can be reduced by half as compared with the conventional one, and the tilt mechanism can be separated from the slide section 11 by the tightening bolt 26 and the lock nut 27. Since a preload is applied to the screw portion of the portion 10, the female screw of the adjusting nut 13 and the male screw of the screw shaft 15 can be firmly engaged with each other. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the steering wheel from rattling in the vertical direction without requiring the precision control of the screws.

Further, since one tilt mechanism can be omitted, the number of parts can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, the steering column is not hung on both sides of the steering column by a pair of tilt mechanisms as in the prior art, but a tilt mechanism 10 is provided only on one side of the steering column 1. On the side, a slide portion 11 is provided. Therefore, not the conventional suspension structure, the rigidity in the vertical direction as well as the rigidity in the lateral direction of the steering column 1 can be made sufficiently large.

Further, in the present embodiment, the tightening bolt 21 for fixing the bearing 16 of the screw shaft 15 is tightened to a specified torque, so that a preload can be applied to the bearings 16 and 17 and the screw shaft 15 is The upper and lower ends can be firmly supported in the lateral direction. Therefore, also in this case, the rigidity in the lateral direction as well as the rigidity in the vertical direction of the steering column 1 can be sufficiently increased.

In other words, in the present embodiment, in other words, as shown in FIG. 4, a triangular shape having the cylindrical portion 12 of the right tilt mechanism 10 as the apex and the left slide portion 11 as the base, as shown in FIG. By forming the steering column 1, the tilt tilt of the steering column 1 is made smooth.

Next, FIG. 7 is a side view of the electric tilt type steering apparatus shown in FIG. 2, showing a state where the tilt is raised. FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line DD of FIG.
Indicates when the tilt rises. FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C are schematic diagrams of the lower bracket and the steering column when the tilt is raised, when the tilt is neutral, and when the tilt is lowered, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 7, the electric box 8 swings around the bolt 9 when tilting.
The steering column 1 moves slightly in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. That is, the steering column 1 moves to the rear of the vehicle when the tilt is raised, and moves to the front of the vehicle when the tilt is lowered.

For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the support hole 28 at the tip of the steering column 1 is formed as an elongated hole so that the tilt center pin 6 can be moved in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 9A, when the tilt is raised, the long hole 28 of the steering column 1 moves rearward with respect to the tilt center pin 6. As shown in FIG. 9B, when the tilt is neutral, the steering column 1
Is located at an intermediate position with respect to the tilt center pin 6. As shown in FIG. 9C, when the tilt is lowered, the long hole 28 of the steering column 1 moves to the front and rear of the vehicle with respect to the tilt center pin 6.

Also, as shown in FIG.
Is an inner shaft 4a that is telescopically and non-rotatably spline-fitted.
And the outer shaft 4b, so that the displacement of the steering column 1 can be absorbed during tilting. Since the amount of displacement is small, the intermediate shaft 4 can absorb the displacement even with a rubber coupling or the like.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A tilt mechanism for tilting the steering column is provided on one side of the steering column, and a slide unit for sliding the steering column when tilting is provided on the other side of the steering column.

That is, unlike the related art, a pair of tilt mechanisms are not provided on both sides of the steering column, but a tilt mechanism is provided only on one side of the steering column, and the other side is provided on the other side of the steering column. , A slide portion is provided.

As described above, since one tilt mechanism can be omitted, the screw portion of the tilt mechanism can be halved as compared with the conventional one, and a pressurized load is applied to the screw portion of the tilt mechanism from the slide portion. You can also. Therefore, since the male screw and the female screw in the tilt mechanism can be firmly engaged with each other, it is possible to surely prevent the steering wheel from rattling in the vertical direction without requiring precision control of the screw. .

Further, since one tilt mechanism can be omitted, the number of parts can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, instead of suspending the steering column on both sides by a pair of tilt mechanisms as in the prior art, a tilt mechanism is provided only on one side of the steering column, and the other side of the steering column is provided on the other side. , A slide portion is provided. Therefore, since it is not a conventional suspension structure, not only the vertical rigidity but also the lateral rigidity of the steering column can be made sufficiently large.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state in which an electric tilt type steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on an actual vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the electric tilt type steering device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the electric tilt type steering device shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the electric tilt type steering device shown in FIG. 2, showing a state where the tilt is raised.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 7, showing a time when the tilt is raised.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C are schematic diagrams of a lower bracket and a steering column, respectively, when the tilt is raised, when the tilt is neutral, and when the tilt is lowered.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steering column 2 Steering shaft 3 Cross shaft 4 Intermediate shaft 5 Lower bracket 6 Tilt center pin 7 Upper bracket 8 Electric box 9 Bolt 10 Tilt mechanism 11 Slide part 12 Tubular part 13 Adjustment nut 14 Lock nut 15 Screw shaft 16, 17 Bearing 18 Worm gear 19 Electric motor 20 Worm 21 Tightening bolt 22 Plate 23 Block 24 Cage 25 Roller 25 (needle pin) 26 Tightening bolt 27 Lock nut 28 Support hole (long hole)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An electric tilt type steering apparatus for a vehicle, in which a steering column is automatically tilted and tilted by an electric motor to adjust a tilt angle of the steering column as desired, provided on one side of the steering column. A tilt mechanism for converting the rotational driving force of the electric motor into linear motion to tilt and tilt the steering column; and a slide provided on the other side of the steering column for sliding the steering column when tilting. And an electric tilt steering device for a vehicle.