JP2005280520A - Tilt hinge structure of steering column - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent occurrence of play in a tilt bracket with respect to a hinge bracket. <P>SOLUTION: This tilt hinge structure of a steering column comprises the hinge bracket 1 fixed to a vehicle body and the tilt bracket 2 vertically turnable via a screw shaft 8 with respect to the hinge bracket 1, the base end of the screw shaft 8 is screwed into the hinge bracket 1, and the tip thereof is inserted into a shaft hole 2b of the tilt bracket 2. A spherical surface projecting part 8b is formed on the tip side of the screw shaft 8, and a spherical surface recessed part 2a is formed in a hole edge of the shaft hole 2b of the tilt bracket 2. The spherical surface projecting part 8b is engaged with the spherical surface recessed part 2a, the screwing amount of the screw shaft 8 is increased and decreased, thereby adjusting the play quantity of the tilt bracket 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a tilt hinge structure of a steering column, and prevents play from occurring in the radial direction of the tilt hinge portion.

  The steering column is configured by rotatably supporting a steering shaft inside a tubular housing that is arranged and fixed in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and a steering wheel is attached to a rear end portion of the steering shaft. Even if the steering shaft is provided with a universal joint and is bent, the rotational force is transmitted so that the tilt of the housing can be adjusted at the position of the universal joint. That is, the tilt bracket is configured to be rotatable in the vertical direction with respect to the hinge bracket fixed to the housing. As a conventional tilt hinge structure in which the tilt bracket is configured to be rotatable with respect to the hinge bracket, as described in Patent Document 1, a holding cylinder is pivotally supported with respect to the support bracket via a horizontal axis. A sleeve-like sliding bearing is inserted between the holding cylinder and the horizontal shaft.

As such a sliding bearing, a resilient resin bushing having improved slipping property is adopted, and this resin bushing is press-fitted into the fitting portion in the tilt hinge structure shown in FIG. The reason for adopting the resin bush is to eliminate radial play at the hinge portion of the tilt bracket relative to the hinge bracket. A tilt bracket 2 is provided so as to be rotatable up and down with respect to a hinge bracket 1 fixed to a housing (not shown), and a screw shaft 3 screwed into a female screw portion 1a of the hinge bracket 1 has a flange portion 4a. It is inserted into the shaft hole 2 a of the tilt bracket 2 via a bush 4 made of metal.
JP-A-7-81584 ((0016) to (0017), FIGS. 1 and 2)

  However, when the screw shaft 3 is screwed into the female thread portion 1a and the tip end portion of the screw shaft 3 is inserted into the shaft hole 2a of the tilt bracket 2, the bush 4 moves together with the screw shaft 3 and is displaced in the axial direction. There is play in the tilt bracket 2 in the radial direction of the hinge.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a tilt hinge structure for a steering column that solves the above-described problems and eliminates play in the radial and thrust directions of the hinge.

  The invention according to claim 1 includes a tilt bracket in which a steering shaft is rotatably supported, and a hinge bracket that is fixed to the vehicle body and rotatably supports the tilt bracket in the vertical direction via a screw shaft. The screw shaft includes a base end portion screwed into a female screw portion of one of the hinge bracket and the tilt bracket, and a distal end portion inserted through the shaft hole of the other member. In the tilt hinge structure of the steering column, a spherical convex portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface on the tip end side of the screw shaft, and a spherical concave portion is formed in the hole edge of the shaft hole of the other member. And locking means for locking the screw shaft screwed into the one member at an arbitrary screwing position, and screwing the screw shaft into the female screw portion of the one member. , And adjusting the screwing amount of the screw shaft while the spherical protrusion engaged with the spherical recess.

  In such a tilt hinge structure of the steering column, the spherical convex portion formed on the outer peripheral surface on the tip end side of the screw shaft engages with the spherical concave portion of the other member, so that the screw shaft in the thrust direction and the radial direction and the other side The size of the gap with the member is adjusted by the screwing amount of the screw shaft, and when the gap is eliminated, the play of the tilt bracket is eliminated.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the tilt hinge structure of the steering column according to the first aspect, a cylindrical portion is formed at a tip of the spherical convex portion of the screw shaft, and an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion is interposed through the shaft hole. And receiving a radial load applied to the tilt bracket.

  In such a tilt hinge structure of the steering column, when a driver collides with the steering wheel and an impact load is applied to the tilt bracket, the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the screw shaft is the inner periphery of the shaft hole of the other member. It is in contact with the surface and receives impact load over a large area. For this reason, partial destruction of the other member is prevented beforehand.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that in the tilt hinge structure of the steering column according to claim 1 or 2, a spherical bush is interposed between the spherical concave portion and the spherical convex portion.

  In such a tilt hinge structure of the steering column, since the spherical bush is interposed between the spherical concave portion and the spherical convex portion, an error in the screwing amount of the screw shaft is absorbed by the compression deformation of the spherical bush. That is, since the proper range of the screwing amount of the screw shaft is large, the play amount of the tilt bracket can be easily adjusted.

  According to the tilt hinge structure of the steering column according to the present invention, the spherical convex portion at the tip of the screw shaft is engaged with the spherical concave portion of the other member, so that the screw shaft in the thrust direction and the radial direction and the other member are The size of the gap can be adjusted by the screwing amount of the screw shaft. For this reason, it becomes easy to adjust the tilt hinge structure to a state where there is no play of the tilt bracket. Even if there are variations in the dimensions of the constituent members, the amount of play can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the screwing amount of the screw shaft. In other words, this means that the amount of play can be adjusted to an optimal value without increasing the machining accuracy of the parts, which contributes to a reduction in the number of steps for assembling the steering column and a reduction in manufacturing costs.

  Embodiments of a tilt hinge structure for a steering column according to the present invention will be described below.

(A) Embodiment 1
First, the first embodiment is shown in FIGS. FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the steering column portion. The lower shaft 5 connected to the steering portion of the front wheel of the vehicle is provided with an upper shaft 7 via a universal joint 6, and a steering wheel (not shown) is attached to the tip of the upper shaft 7. On the other hand, a tilt bracket 2 is provided on the hinge bracket 1 attached to the vehicle body so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction via a screw shaft 8 arranged in the width direction of the vehicle body. A bearing 9 is provided between the tilt bracket 2 and the upper shaft 7. For this reason, the tilt bracket 2 can be tilted in the vertical direction together with the upper shaft 7, and a tilt lever 10 for performing tilt lock and unlock is provided.

  A sectional view of the vicinity of the screw shaft 8 is shown in FIG. A male screw portion 8 a is formed at the base end portion of the screw shaft 8, and a spherical convex portion 8 b is formed on the outer peripheral surface on the tip end side of the screw shaft 8. The spherical convex portion 8b is provided on the end surface of the external thread portion 8a so as to protrude toward the tip. A cylindrical portion 8c is formed at the tip of the spherical convex portion 8b.

  On the other hand, the female thread 1a is formed in the hinge bracket 1. The tilt bracket 2 is formed with a spherical recess 2a. The spherical recess 2a is a surface facing the hinge bracket 1 and is formed at the hole edge of the shaft hole 2b through which the cylindrical portion 8c is inserted. The spherical radii of the spherical concave portion 2a and the spherical convex portion 8b are both R having the same value. In order to lengthen the shaft hole 2b formed in the tilt bracket 2 in the axial direction and increase the area of the contact surface with the cylindrical portion 8c, a circular protrusion is formed at the hole edge of the shaft hole 2b in the tilt bracket 2. 2c is formed, thereby ensuring the axial length L of the shaft hole 2b. Further, since the screw shaft 8 and the tilt bracket 2 are in contact with each other on a spherical surface, not only there is no play in the thrust and radial directions, but also the frictional resistance is small, so the tilt bracket 2 is attached to the hinge bracket 1. It can be rotated smoothly.

  In the present invention, since the play amount of the tilt bracket 2 is adjusted by changing the screwing amount of the screw shaft 8, the adjustment of the screwing position of the screw shaft 8 is important. The screw shaft 8 has no head so that the screwing position can be adjusted, and the screw shaft 8 is provided with a lock nut 9 as a locking means so that the screw shaft 8 can be screwed and locked to an arbitrary position. Yes.

  Next, the operation of the tilt hinge structure of the steering column will be described. When the tilt bracket 2 is assembled to the hinge bracket 1, the tilt bracket 2 is disposed inside the hinge bracket 1, and the screw shaft 8 is screwed into the female thread portion 1a. Then, the spherical convex portion 8b at the tip of the screw shaft 8 gradually approaches the spherical concave portion 2a of the tilt bracket 2, and the gap between the spherical convex portion 8b and the spherical concave portion 2a becomes smaller as the screw is screwed in, and the tilt bracket in the radial direction. The positioning of 2 is automatically performed. The amount of relative play between the screw shaft 8 and the tilt bracket 2 in the radial direction is adjusted by the screwing amount of the screw shaft 8. Further, when the screw shaft 8 is screwed in a small amount, the amount of relative play between the screw shaft 8 and the tilt bracket 2 in the thrust direction increases. When the screw screw amount is excessive, the tilt bracket 2 is rotated. When the frictional resistance increases. For this reason, the screwing position of the screw shaft 8 is adjusted to an appropriate position, and then the lock nut 9 is tightened so as not to move. By setting the screwing position of the screw shaft 8 to an appropriate position, it is possible to obtain a state where there is no play in the radial direction and the thrust direction.

  In addition, when the driver has a secondary collision with the steering wheel and an impact load is applied to the tilt bracket 2, the tilt bracket 2 moves to the left in FIG. The inner peripheral surface of the hole 2 b collides with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 8 c of the screw shaft 8. Since the inner peripheral surface of the shaft hole 2b abuts on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 8c and can receive an impact load with a large area, partial destruction of the tilt bracket 2 is prevented.

(B) Embodiment 2
Next, Embodiment 2 is shown in FIG. In the first embodiment, the play amount of the tilt bracket 2 can be adjusted by adjusting the screwing position of the screw shaft 8, but it is often difficult to determine the screwing amount of the screw shaft 8. For this reason, in this embodiment, the screwing amount can be adjusted more easily.

  For this purpose, a spherical bush 10 made of a soft resin is interposed between the tilt bracket 2 and the screw shaft 8. The spherical bush 10 includes a spherical portion 10a interposed between the spherical concave portion 2a and the spherical convex portion 8b, a cylindrical portion 10b interposed between the shaft hole 2b and the cylindrical portion 8c, and a flange portion 10c. It is configured. A gap 11 is formed between the flange portion 10c of the spherical bush 10 and the inner surface of the tilt bracket 2, so that the spherical bush 10 can be easily deformed. In this case, since the setting of the screw amount of the screw shaft 8 is easy by providing the spherical bush 10, unlike the case of the first embodiment, the lock shaft is replaced with the male screw portion 8a. The head 8d that cannot be moved is the locking means. That is, when the head portion 8d abuts against the hinge bracket 1, the spherical convex portion 8b is set to abut against the spherical concave portion 2a via the spherical bush 10 without a gap.

  Next, the operation will be described. Since the spherical bush 10 is interposed between the spherical concave portion 2a and the spherical convex portion 8b, and the spherical bush 10 is made of a soft resin, the spherical bush 10 is formed even if the screw shaft 8 is screwed in a little too much. By compressing and deforming, errors due to excessive screwing are absorbed. That is, the appropriate range of the screwing amount becomes wider than the original appropriate range, and the screwing position can be easily adjusted accordingly.

  Since other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  In the embodiment, the screw shaft is screwed into the hinge bracket and the tip of the screw shaft is inserted into the shaft hole of the tilt bracket. Conversely, the screw shaft is screwed into the tilt bracket and the tip of the screw shaft is the axis of the hinge bracket. It is good also as a structure inserted in a hole.

The block diagram which shows the tilt hinge structure of a steering column (Embodiment 1). The block diagram which shows the tilt hinge structure of a steering column (Embodiment 2). The block diagram which shows the principal part of a steering column. The block diagram which shows the tilt hinge structure of the conventional steering column.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Hinge bracket 1a ... Female thread part 2 ... Tilt bracket 2a ... Spherical recessed part 2b ... Shaft hole 8 ... Screw shaft 8a ... Male thread part 8b ... Spherical convex part 8c ... Cylindrical part 10 ... Spherical bush

Claims (3)

A tilt bracket on which a steering shaft is rotatably supported, and a hinge bracket that is fixed to the vehicle body and rotatably supports the tilt bracket in a vertical direction via a screw shaft, In the tilt hinge structure of the steering column, the base end portion is screwed into the female thread portion of one of the hinge bracket and the tilt bracket, and the distal end portion is inserted into the shaft hole of the other member.
A spherical convex portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface on the tip end side of the screw shaft, and a spherical concave portion that engages with the spherical convex portion is formed on a hole edge of the shaft hole of the other member. Locking means for locking the screwed screw shaft at an arbitrary screwing position is provided, the screw shaft is screwed into the female screw portion of the one member, and the spherical shaft is engaged with the spherical concave portion while the screw shaft is engaged. The steering column tilt hinge structure is characterized in that the screwing amount of the steering column is adjusted. 2. The tilt hinge structure for a steering column according to claim 1, wherein a cylindrical portion is formed at a tip of the spherical convex portion of the screw shaft, and an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion is supported through the shaft hole. A steering column tilt hinge structure that receives a radial load applied to the bracket. 3. The steering column tilt hinge structure according to claim 1, wherein a spherical bush is interposed between the spherical concave portion and the spherical convex portion.

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