JP2006044545A - Steering column device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering column device simple in structure, capable of adjusting an impact absorbing characteristic in collision, high in vibrational rigidity and capable of absorbing impact energy in secondary collision. <P>SOLUTION: A sliding part 81 on a side surface of a sliding member 81 collapsed and moved with an upper side outer column 42 intrudes into an inclined surface 821 of a groove 82 when the upper side outer column collapses and moves to a car body front side with an upper side inner column 43. The impact energy in the secondary collision is effectively absorbed along overall length of a stroke of collapse movement as the sliding part 812 is guided to the inclined surface 821, smoothly intrudes into the groove 82 and plastic-deforms the groove 82 by spreading it out when the upper side outer column 42 further collapses and moves to the car body front side with the upper side inner column 43. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering column device, and more particularly to a steering column device capable of adjusting a telescopic position of a steering wheel.

  It is necessary to adjust the telescopic position of the steering wheel according to the physique and driving posture of the driver, and the electric steering column device can be easily adjusted manually or using an electric motor. Is increasingly adopted. As such an electric steering column apparatus, there are electric steering column apparatuses disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.

  In the electric steering column device, the telescopic driving force of the electric motor attached to the outer periphery of the outer column is transmitted to the inner column that can telescopically slide with respect to the outer column. For this purpose, an opening is made in the outer column, a connecting member is projected from the inner column through the opening to the outer column side, and the telescopic driving mechanism of the electric motor is connected to the connecting member, so that the telescopic driving force of the electric motor is increased. It is transmitted to the inner column.

  In order to mitigate the impact when the driver collides with the steering wheel during the secondary collision, the inner column is collapsed to the front side of the vehicle during the secondary collision, and the impact load is applied using the stroke during the collapse movement. Need to relax. However, since the outer column and the inner column are always connected by the connecting member, there is a structural restriction that the inner column cannot perform a collapse movement with respect to the outer column.

  In the electric steering column device of Patent Document 1, the collision of the vehicle body is detected to explode the explosive, and the electric motor and the worm are forcibly swung to disengage the rack and the worm on the inner column side. In this way, the inner column can be collapsed forward with respect to the outer column with respect to the outer column to absorb impact energy.

  However, the electric steering column device of Patent Document 1 requires a structure for pivotally supporting the electric motor and the worm so as to be swingable, an explosive ignition device for forcibly removing the worm, and the like. However, there was a problem that the manufacturing cost was increased.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-58952 International Publication No. WO03 / 078234 Pamphlet

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a steering column device that has a simple structure, can adjust shock absorption characteristics at the time of collision, has high vibration rigidity, and can absorb shock energy at the time of a secondary collision. .

  The above problem is solved by the following means. That is, the first invention is a lower side inner column that can be fixed to a vehicle body, an upper side outer column that is guided by the lower side inner column during a secondary collision and can be moved in a collapsed manner toward the front side of the vehicle body, and the upper side outer column. Provided on the upper outer column, a steering shaft on which the steering wheel is mounted on the rear side of the vehicle body. An electric actuator, a driving mechanism for transmitting a driving force of the electric actuator as a telescopic movement of the upper inner column, an opening provided in the upper outer column, the upper side through the opening from the upper inner column, and the upper side Au -A connecting member that protrudes to the column side and is connected to the drive mechanism to transmit the telescopic driving force of the electric actuator to the upper inner column, a groove formed in the lower inner column and opened on the rear side of the vehicle body, and the upper outer column And a sliding contact member that is in sliding contact with the groove and absorbs impact energy during a secondary collision when the upper outer column collapses.

  The second invention is a lower inner column that can be fixed to the vehicle body, an upper outer column that is guided by the lower inner column during a secondary collision and can be moved in a collapsible manner to the front side of the vehicle, and telescopic to the upper outer column. Upper side inner column fitted to be adjustable in position, a steering shaft rotatably supported on the upper side inner column and mounted with a steering wheel on the rear side of the vehicle body, and an electric actuator provided on the upper side outer column A driving mechanism for transmitting the driving force of the electric actuator as a telescopic motion of the upper inner column; an opening provided in the upper outer column; the upper outer column from the upper inner column through the opening A connecting member that is connected to the driving mechanism and transmits the telescopic driving force of the electric actuator to the upper inner column; a groove formed in the lower inner column and having an opening on the rear side of the vehicle body; and the upper outer column The steering column device is characterized in that, during the collapse movement, the connecting member slidably contacts the groove to absorb impact energy at the time of a secondary collision.

  According to a third invention, in the steering column device of the first or second invention, the drive mechanism has a spherical protrusion, and the connecting member is slidable by the spherical protrusion. A steering column device characterized in that it is a cylindrical sleeve fitted inside.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the steering column device according to any one of the first to third aspects of the invention, the shock absorbing load is changed according to the stroke position of the collapse movement by changing the width of the groove according to the stroke position of the collapse movement. The steering column device is characterized by being adjusted.

  A fifth invention is the steering column device according to the first invention, wherein the sliding contact member is provided in an opening of the upper outer column.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inner column, an outer column that is externally fitted so as to be able to expand and contract relative to the inner column, and a vehicle body that is attached to the vehicle body so that either the inner column or the outer column can be detached from the vehicle body front side. Mounting bracket, rotatably supported on the inner column, a steering shaft on which a steering wheel is mounted on the rear side of the vehicle body, an opening provided in the outer column, from the inner column to the outer column side through the opening A connecting member that protrudes and transmits telescopic position adjusting force to the inner column, can be fixed to the vehicle body, and is formed on the third column and the third column that are fitted to the inner periphery of the outer column or the outer periphery of the inner column. The connecting member side end is formed of an open groove. It is tearing column apparatus.

  A seventh invention is the steering column device according to the sixth invention, wherein the steering column device is provided on either the inner column or the outer column, and is slidably contacted with the groove when the outer column and the inner column are collapsing. A steering column device having a sliding contact member that absorbs impact energy at the time of a next collision.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the steering column device according to the sixth or seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drive mechanism that transmits the driving force of the electric actuator as the telescopic motion of the inner column via the connecting member. A steering column device characterized by having a steering column device.

  According to the steering column device of the first aspect of the present invention, the impact energy at the time of the secondary collision is slidably contacted between the sliding member and the groove while the telescopic drive mechanism of the electric actuator is connected to the connecting member of the upper inner column. Therefore, collapse can be realized with a simple structure.

  According to the steering column device of the second aspect of the present invention, the telescopic drive mechanism of the electric actuator is connected to the connecting member of the upper side inner column, and the impact energy at the time of the secondary collision is determined by sliding contact between the connecting member and the groove. Since it can absorb, collapse can be realized with a simple structure.

  According to the steering column device of the third aspect of the invention, since the connecting member using the spherical joint is used, the telescopic adjustment mechanism can be realized with a simple structure.

  According to the steering column device of the fourth aspect of the invention, it is possible to freely determine the shock absorbing load during the collapse movement.

  According to the steering column device of the fifth aspect of the invention, since the sliding contact member is provided in the opening of the upper side outer column, the assembling work is facilitated.

  According to the steering column device of the sixth aspect of the invention, it is possible to realize the collapse movement while having the telescopic position adjusting mechanism between the outer column and the inner column.

  According to the steering column device of the seventh aspect of the invention, since the sliding contact member absorbs impact energy during the collapse movement, the connecting member can be protected.

  According to the steering column device of the eighth aspect of the invention, the collapse movement can be realized in a state where the outer column and the inner column are connected.

* 1st Embodiment FIG. 1: is a whole front view which shows the electric telescopic type steering column apparatus 1 of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a bottom view seen from the direction P in FIG. FIG. 3 is an overall front view in which the electric motor and the sliding member are removed from FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

  The electric telescopic steering column apparatus 1 includes a lower-side inner column 41 (third column), an upper-side outer column 42, and an upper-side inner column 43. A lower-side vehicle body mounting bracket 51 is fixed to the vehicle body 53 on the left side (front side of the vehicle body) of FIG. 1, and an upper-side vehicle body mounting bracket 52 is mounted on the vehicle body 53 on the right side (rear side of the vehicle body) of FIG. It has been.

  The upper surface of the left end (vehicle body front side end) of the lower side inner column 41 is fixed to the lower side vehicle body mounting bracket 51, and the upper surface of the right end (vehicle body rear side end) of the upper side outer column 42 is fixed to the upper side vehicle body mounting bracket 52. It is fixed to. The upper-side vehicle body mounting bracket 52 is separated from the vehicle body 53 toward the front side of the vehicle body at the time of the secondary collision, and can be moved together with the upper-side outer column 42 to the front side of the vehicle body.

  A hollow cylindrical upper-side outer column 42 is fitted on the outer periphery of the hollow cylindrical lower-side inner column 41 so as to be capable of collapsing in the axial direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1). The lower-side inner column 41 and the upper-side outer column 42 may be fitted so that they can be expanded and contracted by press-fitting or the like. A hollow cylindrical upper-side inner column 43 is fitted in the inner periphery of the lower-side inner column 41 so as to be telescopically slidable in the axial direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1). During normal driving operation, the upper side outer column 42 is fixed to the vehicle body 53 by the upper side vehicle body mounting bracket 52, so that the upper side inner column 43 is axially oriented with respect to the upper side outer column 42 (see FIG. 1). It is fitted so that it can slide telescopically in the left-right direction).

  In the first embodiment, the upper outer column 42 is disposed on the lower side with respect to the upper inner column 43, but the upper outer column 42 may be disposed on the upper side with respect to the upper inner column 43. . Further, the lower inner column 41 is disposed on the lower side than the upper outer column 42 and the upper inner column 43, but may be disposed on the upper side.

  A rectangular opening 45 is formed in the lower surface of the upper-side outer column 42, and a hollow cylindrical sleeve (connection member) 75 fixed to the upper-side inner column 43 by welding is downwardly directed through the opening 45. It protrudes outward.

  A steering shaft 2 is rotatably supported by the upper inner column 43, and a steering wheel 3 is mounted on the steering shaft 2 at the right end (rear side of the vehicle body). On the lower surface of the upper-side outer column 42, a front shaft support portion 44A and a rear shaft support portion 44B are integrally formed protruding forward and backward across the opening 45 via rolling bearings 46A and 46B (FIG. 3). The front and rear ends of the ball screw 71 are pivotally supported. The ball screw 71 may be a triangular screw or a trapezoidal screw that does not use a ball. An electric motor 61 is fixed to the side surface of the upper side outer column 42.

  A worm gear 62 is integrally formed on the output shaft 611 of the electric motor 61, and a worm wheel 72 fixed to the ball screw 71 is engaged with the worm gear 62. The worm wheel 72 and the worm gear 62 constitute a speed reduction mechanism, and the rotation of the electric motor 61 is decelerated and transmitted to the ball screw 71. The speed reduction mechanism is not limited to the worm / worm wheel mechanism, and may be a spur gear, a helical gear, or a bevel gear.

  A ball nut 73 that converts the rotation of the ball screw 71 into a linear motion is screwed into the ball screw 71. Since the ball is interposed, there is no backlash between the ball screw 71 and the ball nut 73, so there is no backlash and the steering feeling of the steering wheel 3 is improved. Further, since the feed resistance is small and the fluctuation of the feed resistance is small, it is possible to adjust the telescopic position smoothly.

  A ball 74 having a spherical protrusion on the upper side is integrally formed on the ball nut 73, and the outer periphery of the ball 74 is slidably fitted into the inner periphery 75A (FIG. 3) of the sleeve 75. Constitutes a spherical joint. A sleeve 75 may be attached to the ball nut 73 and the sleeve 75 may be attached to the upper side inner column 43. Further, the mounting position of the telescopic drive mechanism constituted by the ball screw 71, the ball 74, etc. is not limited to the lower surface side of the upper side outer column 42, and it is mounted at an arbitrary phase position such as the upper surface side or the side surface side. Is possible.

  When it is necessary to adjust the telescopic position of the steering wheel 3, when the switch (not shown) is operated, the electric motor 61 is rotationally driven in either the forward or reverse direction. Then, the rotation of the electric motor 61 is decelerated and transmitted from the worm gear 62 to the worm wheel 72, and the ball screw 71 integrated with the worm wheel 72 rotates, for example, the ball nut 73 moves along the ball screw 71. Move to the left (front side of the car).

  Then, the ball 74 integrated with the ball nut 73 also moves leftward, and the ball 74 is fitted to the sleeve 75, so that the upper inner column 43 telescopically moves leftward. Further, when the ball 74 moves in the right direction (rear side of the vehicle body), the upper inner column 43 telescopically moves in the right direction. When the upper-side inner column 43 moves telescopically, the ball 74 freely rotates and slides within the inner circumference 75A of the sleeve 75, so that the telescopic movement of the upper-side inner column 43 is hindered, the ball 74 and the sleeve 75, During this period, unnecessary stress and friction are not generated.

  Since the upper side inner column 43 and the upper side outer column 42 are connected by the ball 74 being fitted into the sleeve 75, the upper side vehicle body mounting bracket 52 is separated from the vehicle body 53 due to an impact at the time of a secondary collision. The side outer column 42 moves together with the upper side inner column 43 in the forward direction of the vehicle body.

  A sliding contact member 81 is press-fitted into the opening 45 of the upper side outer column 42 and is fixed to the upper side outer column 42. The sliding member 81 may be fixed to the opening 45 of the upper outer column 42 by welding or caulking. 1 and 2 show a state in which the sliding contact member 81 is press-fitted into the opening 45. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the sliding contact member 81 is removed from the opening 45 in order to show a state in which the sleeve 75 protrudes outward from the opening 45.

  The sliding contact member 81 is formed with a rectangular opening 811 that is smaller than the opening 45 of the upper outer column 42, and the sleeve 75 protrudes outward through the opening 811. . The sliding contact member 81 functions as a stopper by the outer periphery of the sleeve 75 abutting against the front end 811A and the rear end 811B of the opening 811 when adjusting the telescopic position of the upper side inner column 43. The column 43 also functions as a detent in the rotational direction. The sliding contact member 81 and the upper inner column 43 may be fixed by welding or the like, and an elongated hole having a length obtained by adding a telescopic stroke to the axial length of the sliding contact member 81 may be formed in the upper outer column 42. .

  FIG. 5 shows a state before the secondary collision. The upper outer column 42 is removed leaving the sliding contact member 81, and the above-described sliding contact with the groove 82 on the lower surface of the lower inner column 41 covered by the upper outer column 42 is performed. It shows a positional relationship with the member 81, (1) is a front view, (2) is a bottom view of (1), and (3) is a right side view of (1). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, a groove 82 having an opening on the right side (rear side of the vehicle body) is formed in the lower portion of the lower-side inner column 41.

  In the secondary collision in which the driver collides with the steering wheel 3, the groove 82 interferes with the lower inner column 41 when the upper outer column 42 collapses together with the upper inner column 43 toward the front of the vehicle body. Without having a function of smoothly collapsing.

  The width W1 of the groove 82 is slightly narrower than the width W2 of the sliding contact portion 812 on both sides of the sliding contact member 81, and an inclined surface 821 is formed at the right side (rear side of the vehicle body) opening of the groove 82. ing. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an initial state at the time of a secondary collision, where (1) is a front view and (2) is a bottom view of (1). As shown in FIG. 6, when the upper outer column 42 collapses together with the upper inner column 43 toward the front of the vehicle body during the secondary collision, the sliding contact portion on the side surface of the sliding member 81 that has collapsed together with the upper outer column 42. An R portion formed at the vehicle body front side corner 812 enters the inclined surface 821 of the groove 82.

  When the upper side outer column 42 further collapses together with the upper side inner column 43 toward the front side of the vehicle body, the R portion at the corner of the sliding contact portion 812 is guided by the inclined surface 821 and smoothly enters the groove 82. Is spread and plastically deformed, so that the impact energy at the time of the secondary collision is effectively absorbed over the entire stroke of the collapse movement. The R portion at the corner of the sliding contact portion 812 may be tapered.

* 2nd Embodiment Next, the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is described. FIG. 7 is a bottom view showing the second embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, only structural parts different from the above embodiment will be described, and redundant description will be omitted. The second embodiment is an example in which the shock absorbing load is adjusted according to the stroke position of the collapse movement by changing the width of the groove 82 according to the position of the stroke of the collapse movement.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 7, in the second embodiment, the groove 82 is formed by repeatedly forming a wide portion 822 and a narrow portion 823 in a sawtooth shape in the axial direction, and the width W3 of the wide portion 822 is: The width W2 of the narrow portion 823 is slightly narrower than the width W3 of the wide portion 822, and the width W4 of the narrow portion 823 is slightly narrower than the width W2. Therefore, the shock absorbing load is small at the initial position of the collapse movement stroke, and the shock absorbing load can be set large at the subsequent stroke position of the collapse movement.

  In this way, by forming the width of the groove 82 in a predetermined shape so that a target shock absorbing load characteristic can be obtained depending on the position of the stroke of the collapse movement, the shock absorbing load characteristic most suitable for the driver can be obtained. Can be obtained. Further, the width of the groove 82 may be narrowed as the collapse movement proceeds (toward the vehicle body front side) so that the shock absorbing load gradually increases.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the sliding contact portion 812 on the side surface of the sliding contact member 81 contacts the inclined surface 821 of the groove 82 during normal driving operation (before the secondary collision). In this state, the rigidity of the groove 82 with the lower right end opened and weak rigidity is improved by engagement with the sliding contact portion 812 on the side surface of the sliding contact member 81, so that the vibration rigidity of the entire steering column device is improved. preferable.

* 3rd Embodiment Next, the 3rd Embodiment of this invention is described. FIG. 8 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, where (1) is a front view and (2) is a bottom view of (1). In the following description, only structural parts different from the above embodiment will be described, and redundant description will be omitted. In the third embodiment, the sliding contact member 81 is omitted, and the sleeve 75 is slidably contacted with the groove 82 to absorb the impact.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the third embodiment has no sliding contact member 81, and the width W6 of the groove 82 is slightly narrower than the width W5 of the sleeve 75, and the right side of the groove 82 (the rear side of the vehicle body). ) Is formed with an inclined surface 821. A sleeve 75 shown by a solid line in FIG. 8 shows a state before the secondary collision, and a sleeve 75 shown by a two-dot chain line shows an initial state at the time of the secondary collision. At the time of the secondary collision, when the upper outer column 42 collapses together with the upper inner column 43 toward the front of the vehicle body, the outer periphery of the sleeve 75 comes into contact with the inclined surface 821 of the groove 82.

  When the upper side inner column 43 further collapses to the front side of the vehicle body, the outer periphery of the sleeve 75 is guided by the inclined surface 821 and smoothly enters the groove 82, and the groove 82 is expanded and plastically deformed. The impact energy at the time is effectively absorbed over the entire stroke of the collapse movement. In the third embodiment, since the sliding contact member 81 is not necessary, the structure is simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the present invention is applied to the electric telescopic steering column apparatus has been described. However, the present invention may be applied to a steering column apparatus in which the telescopic position can be manually adjusted.

1 is an overall front view showing an electric telescopic steering column apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is the bottom view seen from the P direction of FIG. It is the whole front view which removed the electric motor and the sliding contact member from FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the state before the secondary collision of 1st Embodiment, (1) is a front view, (2) is a bottom view of (1), (3) is a right view of (1). is there. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the initial state at the time of the secondary collision of 1st Embodiment, (1) is a front view, (2) is a bottom view of (1). It is a bottom view which shows 2nd Embodiment. A 3rd embodiment is shown, (1) is a front view and (2) is a bottom view of (1).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric telescopic steering column apparatus 2 Steering shaft 3 Steering wheel 41 Lower side inner column 42 Upper side outer column 43 Upper side inner column 44A Front shaft support part 44B Rear shaft support part 45 Opening part 46A, 46B Rolling bearing 51 Lower side body mounting bracket 52 Upper side body mounting bracket 53 Car body 61 Electric motor 611 Output shaft 62 Worm gear 71 Ball screw 72 Worm wheel 73 Ball nut 74 Ball 75 Sleeve 75A Inner circumference 81 Sliding member 811 Opening portion 811A Front end 811B Rear end 812 Sliding contact portion 82 Groove 821 Inclined surface 822 Wide part 823 Narrow part

Claims (8)

Lower inner column that can be fixed to the car body,
An upper outer column that is guided by the lower inner column during a secondary collision and can move in a collapsed manner toward the front of the vehicle body;
An upper inner column fitted to the upper outer column so that the telescopic position can be adjusted;
A steering shaft rotatably supported by the upper inner column and having a steering wheel mounted on the rear side of the vehicle body;
An electric actuator provided on the upper outer column;
A driving mechanism for transmitting the driving force of the electric actuator as the telescopic movement of the upper inner column;
An opening provided in the upper outer column,
A connecting member that projects from the upper inner column through the opening to the upper outer column side and is connected to the drive mechanism to transmit the telescopic driving force of the electric actuator to the upper inner column;
A groove formed in the lower inner column and having an opening on the rear side of the vehicle body
A steering column apparatus, comprising: a sliding contact member provided on the upper outer column and configured to slidably contact the groove and absorb impact energy at the time of a secondary collision when the upper outer column collapses. Lower inner column that can be fixed to the car body,
An upper outer column that is guided by the lower inner column during a secondary collision and is capable of collapsing to the front of the vehicle body;
An upper inner column fitted to the upper outer column so that the telescopic position can be adjusted;
A steering shaft rotatably supported by the upper inner column and having a steering wheel mounted on the rear side of the vehicle body;
An electric actuator provided on the upper outer column;
A driving mechanism for transmitting the driving force of the electric actuator as the telescopic movement of the upper inner column;
An opening provided in the upper outer column,
A connecting member that projects from the upper inner column through the opening to the upper outer column side and is connected to the drive mechanism to transmit the telescopic driving force of the electric actuator to the upper inner column;
Provided with a groove formed in the lower inner column and opened on the rear side of the vehicle body,
A steering column device characterized in that, when the upper outer column collapses, the connecting member slides into contact with the groove to absorb impact energy at the time of a secondary collision. In the steering column device according to claim 1 or 2,
The drive mechanism has a spherical protrusion,
The steering column device according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is a cylindrical sleeve in which the spherical protrusion is slidably fitted. In the steering column device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A steering column device characterized in that the shock absorbing load is adjusted according to the stroke position of the collapse movement by changing the width of the groove according to the stroke position of the collapse movement. In the steering column apparatus according to claim 1,
The steering column device according to claim 1, wherein the sliding contact member is provided in an opening of the upper outer column. Inner column,
An outer column externally fitted so as to be able to expand and contract relative to the inner column;
A vehicle body mounting bracket for mounting either the inner column or the outer column to the vehicle body detachably on the vehicle body front side;
A steering shaft rotatably supported by the inner column and having a steering wheel mounted on the rear side of the vehicle body;
An opening provided in the outer column;
A connecting member that projects from the inner column to the outer column side through the opening and transmits a telescopic position adjusting force to the inner column;
A third column that can be fixed to the vehicle body and fitted to the inner periphery of the outer column or the outer periphery of the inner column;
A steering column device comprising: a groove formed in the third column and having an opening at the end on the connecting member side. In the steering column device according to claim 6,
A sliding contact member is provided on one of the inner column and the outer column and has a sliding contact member that slidably contacts with the groove and absorbs impact energy at the time of a secondary collision when the outer column and the inner column collapse. Steering column device. In the steering column device according to claim 6 or 7,
A steering column device having a drive mechanism for transmitting a driving force of an electric actuator as a telescopic motion of the inner column via the connecting member.

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