JP2002225751A - Support structure of steering unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate vibration generated in a steering unit due to the transmission of various kinds of forces to a support member stretched between pillars and coupled with the steering unit. SOLUTION: The single and smoothly curved support member 5 is stretched between the pillars 3 and 3, the top part 5c of the curved support member is disposed lower than a pillar coupling part 5a behind a vehicle body, the upper part of a reinforcing member 23 is coupled with the top part 5c of the curved support member or in the vicinity thereof, and the lower part of the member 23 is coupled with a part 6 of the vehicle body. The lower part of the reinforcing member 23 is disposed forward of the upper part.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A support member is provided between front pillars of an automobile, and a steering device is connected to the support member. The invention belongs to the technical field supporting such a steering device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 61-114768 discloses a conventional technique closely related to the present invention. The publication is shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, and the prior art will be described with reference to these drawings. FIG. 5 is a plan view schematically showing the main points, and FIG. 6 shows a section (6)-(6) of FIG.

[0003] Reference numeral 1 denotes the entire vehicle body, and here, side members 2 extending in the front-rear direction on both sides of the vehicle body 1.
And the front pillars 3, 3 stand up from the side members 2, 2. A cowl top 4 made of a steel plate arranged in the vehicle width direction is connected to the front pillar-3. A support member 5 is provided between the front pillars 3 and 3. This is generally called a pillar-to-pillar member, and is used for securing a living space in a vehicle compartment and for attaching a steering device and pedals. Reference numeral 6 denotes a floor panel, reference numeral 7 denotes a dash panel,
Reference numeral 8 denotes a seat.

[0004] An engine 9 is arranged in the engine room, and is supported by the side member 2 via a mount rubber 10. This engine is a so-called horizontal type in which the output shaft 11 is arranged in the vehicle width direction.

[0005] The support member 5 is bent as shown in the figure in order to avoid interference with peripheral members or to increase the coupling rigidity with related members. The main bends are indicated by the reference numbers 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16. Reference numeral 17 denotes the entire steering device, which includes a steering post 18, a steering wheel 19, and a gas bag unit 2 disposed at the center thereof.
0, a steering gear box 21 and the like.

[0006] The support member 5 has a reference numeral 5 with respect to the pillar 3.
The steering post 18 is connected to the mounting portion 5b via a bracket 22 at a point a. The connecting portion 5a and the mounting portion 5b are offset,
The amount is indicated by the length L as shown in FIGS. At the same time, the height position of the connecting portion 5a and the mounting portion 5b is
They are set at almost the same height. That is, the connection point 5a
A center line AA (see FIG. 7) connecting the center portion of the mounting portion 5b to the mounting portion 5b is substantially horizontal. Alternatively, although not shown, there may be a case where a portion other than the mounting portion 5b is bent in the up and down direction, and has a three-dimensionally bent shape as a whole.

[0007] Several reinforcing members are connected to the support member 5 to increase the support rigidity of the steering device 17. One is an elongated reinforcing member 23 disposed between the support member 5 and the floor panel 6. Here, two support members are erected near the center of the support member 5, and the upper part thereof is firmly connected to the support member 5 and the lower part thereof is firmly connected to the floor panel 6. And the reinforcing members 23, 23
Is set up substantially vertically from the floor panel 6. Further, another reinforcing member is a member 24 for connecting the support member 5 to the cowl top 4.

The vibration of the support member 5 is suppressed by installing the reinforcing members 23 and 24 as described above. In the case of this type of vibration, when the vibration source is the engine 9 and the horizontal engine as shown in the drawing, the vibration is predominantly vibrating in the rotational direction around the vibration center mark indicated by reference numeral 25. When such engine vibration occurs, the vehicle body 1 is in a vibration mode in which the side member 6 in FIG. 6 bends downward or upward. As a result, the front pillar 3 also oscillates back and forth, whereby the support member 5 also vibrates.

[0010] The vibration generated in the support member 5 becomes a vibration phenomenon in various directions depending on the vibration direction transmitted from the neighboring member. Here, since the mounting portion 5b has a vibration mode in the arc direction (see the arrow 26) centering on the coupling portion 5a,
The steering post 18 vibrates up and down about its lower part. In order to suppress such vibration, the reinforcing member 23 is erected substantially tangentially to the arrow 26.

Actually, the forced frequency, which is the combustion component frequency of the engine, and the steering device 17 and the support member 5
When the natural frequencies of the structural systems are the same, the vibration of the steering wheel 19 appears most remarkably, which is generally remarkable during idling operation.

[0011]

The above prior arts have the following problems. Since the support member 5 itself has a large number of bent portions 12, 13, 14,.
Bending and elongation at each bending portion are in a state where they are easily repeated. When an input is made to the support member 5 from the pillars 3, 3, etc., the deformation of the support member 5 itself appears more. Therefore, the reinforcing members 23 and 24
It is necessary to increase the rigidity of the reinforcing member, and eventually the mass of the reinforcing component increases, which is disadvantageous in cost. The point is that the gas bag unit is installed on the steering wheel,
It should also be noted that the mass of the entire steering wheel has increased.

Further, when the reinforcing member 23 stands almost vertically from the floor panel 6 as shown in the figure, when the occupant moves to the next seat, the lower portion of the reinforcing member becomes an obstacle, and the indoor convenience is improved. Will not increase. In addition, bending the support member 5 into various shapes adversely affects the manufacturing process and cost. Even if the reinforcing member 23 is installed at the center of the support member having a large number of bent portions, the bent portions near the steering device 17 (for example, reference numerals 14, 15, 16).
Etc.), the vibration of the steering device 17 cannot be sufficiently restricted.

It is conceivable to make the support member 5 straight and increase the diameter and thickness of the member.
After all, mass and cost matter, and it is not a good idea.

[0014]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems. According to the first aspect of the present invention, a support member is installed between left and right pillars in a vehicle width direction. In this type in which the steering post of the steering device is coupled to the support member, the support member is disposed so as to protrude toward the rear of the vehicle body in a single gentle curved shape, and the curved top portion of the support member is moved right and left. The upper end of the reinforcing member for the support member is connected to or near the curved top of the support member, and the lower end of the reinforcing member is positioned forward of the upper end of the vehicle body. It is characterized by being connected to a part of the vehicle body.

Since the curved top is lower than the connecting point to the pillar, the center line connecting the curved top and the connecting point is inclined. Since the inclined steering device (steering post) is coupled to the support member in such an inclined state, the center line and the center line of the steering post intersect at a substantially right angle or an angle close thereto. Therefore, the arrangement is most advantageous for receiving the vertical vibration of the steering post, and the vibration of the steering wheel is sufficiently suppressed.

On the other hand, the curved top facilitates circular motion around the point of connection to the pillar. However, since the reinforcing member is arranged in an inclined position, that is, the tangential direction of this circular motion or as much as possible. This means that the reinforcing member is installed close to the member. Therefore, the circular motion of the support member itself is also reliably suppressed.

The technical intention of the shape and arrangement posture of the support member as described above makes the effect of suppressing the vertical vibration of the steering post high. On the other hand, the arc movement of the curved top is intentionally allowed, and is suppressed by the inclined reinforcing member, which also contributes to securing the foot space.

As described above, the supporting member having a single curved shape and the reinforcing member joined to the substantially central portion thereof are composed of three members.
The skeleton extends in the direction. When such a configuration is viewed as a skeletal structure system, the tripod can be widely expanded to include two pillars and one
It is in the form of being connected to a part of the vehicle body at some places. Therefore,
Even when the vibration displacement is transmitted from both pillars and the reinforcing member to the support member, the vibration displacement is securely received by the above-mentioned tripod structure, and the deformation of the support member itself can be minimized.

In the above-described skeletal structure system, the support member is curved with the support member projecting rearward, and the curved top of the support member is located at a position lower than the position where the member is connected to the left and right pillars. The upper end of the reinforcing member for the support member is connected to or near the curved top of the support member, and the lower end is positioned forward of the upper end side of the vehicle body and connected to a part of the vehicle body. A highly rigid skeletal structure is established.

Since the curved top is set low as described above, the reinforcing member is inclined in proportion thereto. Therefore, since the lower part of the reinforcing member is located on the front side of the vehicle body, the feet of the occupant are widened, and the movement to the next seat becomes very easy.

Since the support member has a single gently curved shape, there is no bent portion as in the prior art, and a local bending and stretching phenomenon can be avoided, which is advantageous for reducing vibration of the steering device. With such a curved shape, the manufacturing process can be simplified, and it is advantageous in terms of cost.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments. The components having the same functions as those described in the related art after FIG. The support member 5 has a single gentle curved shape. In the case of FIG. 1, it is formed by an arc having a large diameter and protrudes to the rear of the vehicle body. Here, “single curved shape” means that there is substantially one bent portion from one end to the other end of the support member. Support member 5
Is a curved top portion 5c, and the position of this portion is set lower than the connecting portions 5a, 5a to the left and right pillars 3, 3. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the center line AA is given an inclination of an angle θ with respect to the front-back direction line BB. The support member 5 has, for example, a diameter of 50.
Millimeter steel pipe is gently deformed.

The reinforcing member 23 is made of a long and thin steel plate member, and its upper end is connected to or near the curved top 5c, and its lower end is connected to the floor panel 6 so as to be located forward of the upper end. Therefore, the reinforcing member 23
The upper part is inclined rearward of the vehicle body, and the inclination angle is set in proportion to the angle θ. Therefore, when viewed as a whole structural system, it is as shown in FIG. this is,
This is a form in which a tripod is greatly opened, and these three skeletal members are respectively connected to the pillars 3 and 3 and the floor panel 6 to form an integral skeleton. Appropriate brackets are interposed between the upper and lower joining portions of the reinforcing member 23, and such brackets may be those generally used. The lower side of the reinforcing member 23 is connected to the floor panel 6, but may be connected to a cross member integral with the floor.

Conceptually, the curved shape given to the support member 5 is not limited to a complete arc shape as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4 (A), a shape in which the V-shape is widely opened, and a shape in which the central portion is straight and the portions near both ends are slightly bent as shown in FIG.
In addition, the diameter of the curved arc indicating the degree of bending is set in consideration of various factors such as the strength of the related components, the angle θ, the mass of the steering device, or the positional relationship with the components inside the instrument panel.

[0025]

According to the present invention, since the reinforcing member is assembled in the above-described manner to the support member having the gentle single curved shape and the installation posture as described above. Therefore, effective rigidity can be maintained for the force transmitted to the support member. Further, a large foot space can be ensured by the inclined arrangement of the reinforcing members. Further, since the skeleton structure system is based on the principle of a tripod as described above, it is advantageous in terms of securing rigidity.

Since the shape is simple, the mass is reduced as much as possible and the cost is favorable.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line (2)-(2) of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a simplified three-dimensional view showing a skeletal structure system.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the shape of another support member;
(A) is a V-shape and (B) is a both-end bent type.

FIG. 5 is a simplified plan view showing a conventional technique.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line (6)-(6) of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a partial side view showing an attachment relationship between the support member and the steering device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Support member 3, 3 pillar 17 Steering device 18 Steering post 5c Curved top 5a Joining point 23 Reinforcement member 6 Part of vehicle body

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A type in which a support member is provided between left and right pillars in a vehicle width direction, and a steering post of a steering device is coupled to the support member. And the curved top of the support member is set at a position lower than the position where the member is connected to the left and right pillars,
The steering device is characterized in that the upper end of the reinforcing member for the support member is connected to or near the curved top of the support member, and the lower end is connected to a part of the vehicle body with the lower end positioned forward of the vehicle body from the upper end side. Support structure.