JP2007168625A - Steering device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering device reducing the number of parts and facilitating assembling work. <P>SOLUTION: The steering device has a vehicle body side bracket 3 having first and second arms 7a, 7b disposed at the right and left side of the vehicle body, oblong holes 10a, 10b vertically formed on the first and second arms 7a, 7b, a steering column 1 disposed between the first and second arms 7a, 7b, a holding member 11 having a liftable bolt 12a along the oblong hole 10a disposed between the steering column 1 and the first arm 7a, cam means 13 which is disposed between the steering column 1 and the second arm 7b, can increase and decrease the length in the holding direction of the member positioned between the first and second arms 7a, 7b and has the liftable bolt 12b along the long obhole 10b of the second arm 7b, and a tilt lever 17 which locks or unlocks the steering column 1 by operating the cam means 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering device that eliminates the parts disposed below the steering column to widen the space near the knees and reduces the number of parts of the tilt mechanism to facilitate assembly.

  In an automobile, a steering shaft is rotatably supported via a cylindrical steering column, and a steering wheel is provided at the upper end of the steering shaft. A tilt mechanism is provided to adjust the height of the steering wheel. As the tilt mechanism, a steering side bracket is provided integrally with the steering column at the lower portion of the steering column, and the steering side bracket is fixed by being sandwiched by a pair of bracket portions that protrude downward from the vehicle body side bracket attached to the vehicle body. Structure is adopted. That is, cam means having a tilt lever is provided on a tilt bolt that penetrates the vehicle body side bracket and the steering side bracket, and by operating the tilt lever, the pair of bracket portions tighten the steering side bracket from the outside by the action of the cam means. It is configured. However, in order to reduce the impact on the driver's knee at the time of a vehicle collision or the like, it is required to widen the knee space, and there is one in which the cam means is arranged at a height position intersecting the steering column.

As a steering device in which cam means is arranged at a height position intersecting with a steering column, there is one described in Patent Document 1. In this invention, a steering column and a steering shaft are coaxially arranged between a pair of bracket members projecting downward from the vehicle body side bracket, and a ring-shaped tightening means is interposed between the steering column and the steering shaft. In order to guide the tightening means in the vertical direction, long holes are formed in the pair of bracket members, studs are inserted into the long holes, and one of the studs is pulled out by turning the cam means through the handle. As a result, the steering column is fixed by sandwiching the steering column itself with a pair of bracket members.
Special table flat 10-512826

  However, since the steering device described in Patent Document 1 is based on the principle that the steering column itself is clamped from the outside by a pair of bracket members, the number of parts constituting the tilt mechanism increases, and the assembly work of the tilt mechanism is troublesome. is there.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a steering device including a tilt mechanism that has a small number of parts and can be easily assembled.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle body side bracket having first and second side wall portions fixed to a vehicle body and arranged substantially parallel to each other on the left and right sides of the vehicle body, and a substantially vertical direction on each of the side wall portions. A guide portion formed, a steering column disposed between the first and second side wall portions, and disposed between the steering column and the first side wall portion to hold one side surface of the steering column; A holding member having a first sliding portion that is movable up and down along the guide portion, and a member that is disposed between the steering column and the second side wall portion and disposed between the first and second side wall portions. And a cam means having a second sliding portion capable of increasing / decreasing a holding direction length of the steering column and holding the other side surface of the steering column and freely moving up and down along the guide portion of the second side wall portion, Operate the steer And having an operating lever for locking or unlocking the ring column.

  According to this invention, since the tilt mechanism is configured by the vehicle body side bracket, the holding member, the cam means, and the operation lever, and there are no parts for connecting the side wall portions located on the left and right of the steering column, the number of parts is small. Assembling work is easy.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the steering apparatus according to the first aspect, the cam means and the holding member are arranged on a substantially horizontal line that is substantially orthogonal to the axis of the steering column. Features.

  According to the present invention, the cam means and the holding member are arranged on a horizontal line orthogonal to the axis of the steering column, and there are no parts for connecting the side wall portions located on the left and right of the steering column below the steering column. Knee space can be widened.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the steering device according to the first or second aspect, further comprising holding force adjusting means for adjusting a holding force when the cam means is operated to lock the steering column. The holding force adjusting means is provided either between the holding member and the first sliding portion or between the cam means and the second sliding portion.

  According to the present invention, the variation in the distance between the first side wall and the second side wall and the variation in the dimensions of the parts between the side walls can be absorbed by adjusting the holding force adjusting means. Can be stabilized.

  According to the steering device of the present invention, the steering column is disposed between the pair of side wall portions, and the interval between the steering column and one side wall portion is widened by the cam means, whereby the steering column is interposed via the holding member. Since it pushes against the other side wall part and holds and locks the steering column, it is not necessary to provide parts for connecting the side wall parts located on the left and right sides of the steering column. Therefore, the number of components can be reduced as compared with the conventional configuration that employs the principle of clamping by directly pinching from the outside. Further, the assembly operation of the steering device is easy.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the steering device according to the present invention will be described by being mainly divided into Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 in which the position of the tilt lever is different.
(A) Embodiment 1
First, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the steering device viewed from the axial direction, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the steering device.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a nut 21 is screwed into the upper end of the steering shaft 2 with the steering shaft 2 inserted into the cylindrical steering column 1, and a bearing 4a provided inside the steering column 1 and a bearing (not shown) The steering shaft 2 is rotatably supported via the. A steering wheel (not shown) is provided at the upper end of the steering shaft 2, which is the right end of FIG. 2, and the lower end, which is the left end of the steering shaft 2, is connected to a steering gear box (not shown) via a universal joint 5. A tilt mechanism 8 is provided so that the height of the steering wheel can be adjusted.

  That is, it is configured as follows. A vehicle body side bracket 3 is attached to support an intermediate portion of the steering column 1 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The vehicle body side bracket 3 includes a flat plate-like mounting portion 6 that is long in the left-right direction, and first arm portions 7a as first and second side wall portions that are positioned on the left and right sides of the mounting portion 6 and are arranged substantially parallel to each other. , And the second arm portion 7b. Both sides of the first arm portion 7a and the second arm portion 7b are bent for reinforcement, and the rigidity is improved so as not to be deformed in a locked state described later. Attachment holes 9 for attaching the vehicle body side bracket 3 to the vehicle body are formed on both sides of the attachment portion 6. Long holes 10a and 10b as guide portions are formed in the first arm portion 7a and the second arm portion 7b, respectively, along a substantially vertical direction. A steering column 1 is disposed between the first arm portion 7a and the second arm portion 7b, and a holding member 11 is disposed between the steering column 1 and the first arm portion 7a. A circular arc surface 11 b is formed on the holding member 11, and the circular arc surface 11 b is in contact with an outer peripheral surface which is one side surface of the steering column 11. In order to guide the holding member 11 along the elongated hole 10a so as to be movable up and down, a bolt 12a as a first sliding portion that is inserted from the outside into the elongated hole 10a and is movable up and down along the elongated hole 10a is provided on the holding member 11. It is screwed into the screw hole 11a. The bolt 12a includes a large diameter portion 18a having an outer diameter dimension slightly smaller than the width dimension of the long hole 10a and a length dimension slightly longer than the thickness of the first arm portion 7a, a flange portion 19, , Is formed. The front end of the bolt 12a protrudes from the holding member 11 to form a convex portion 12c. The convex portion 12c engages with a round hole 1a formed on the side surface of the steering column 1, and the steering column 1 rotates in the circumferential direction. It is regulated not to.

  On the other hand, cam means 13 is disposed between the steering column 1 and the second arm portion 7b. The cam means 13 expands and contracts between the second arm portion 7b and the steering column 1 so that a member located between the first arm portion 7a and the second arm portion 7b is sandwiched. It is provided to increase or decrease the length in the clamping direction (the length in the left-right direction in FIG. 1), and is composed of a fixed cam 14 and a movable cam 15. A cylindrical projecting shaft 15a is formed at the axial center position of the movable cam 15 facing the fixed cam 14, and the projecting shaft 15a is rotatably fitted in a recess 14a formed in the fixed cam 14. It is rare. The fixed-side cam 14 has a substantially disk shape, and on the surface facing the movable-side cam 15, high and low surfaces are alternately formed in the axial direction along the circumferential direction in a portion surrounding the recess 14 a. High and low surfaces 14b are formed. On the other hand, a sliding portion (not shown) that slides with the height surface 14 b of the fixed cam 14 is formed on the opposing surface of the movable cam 15 so as to project.

  An arc surface 14d is formed on the surface of the fixed cam 14 opposite to the elevation surface 14b, and the arc surface 14d is in contact with the outer peripheral surface which is the other side surface of the steering column 1. Then, a convex portion 14c having a square cross section is formed on the circular arc surface 14d, and the convex portion 14c is fitted into a square hole 1b formed in the steering column 1, so that the rotation of the fixed cam 14 is restricted. In this state, the steering column 1 is engaged.

  The movable cam 15 is provided with a bolt 12b as a second sliding portion that can be moved up and down along the elongated hole 10b of the second arm portion 7b. That is, it is as follows. A concave portion 15b having a square cross section is formed on the surface of the movable cam 15 on the second arm portion 7b side, and a square plate-like nut 16 is loosely fitted inside the concave portion 15b. The nut 16 is screwed with the bolt 12b inserted into the long hole 10b. The bolt 12b has a large diameter portion 18b having an outer diameter dimension slightly smaller than the width dimension of the long hole 10b and a length dimension slightly longer than the thickness of the second arm portion 7b, and a flange portion 19. Is formed.

  By operating the cam means 13, the holding force when the steering column 1 is locked is increased by increasing the length of the member arranged between the first arm portion 7a and the second arm portion 7b. Holding force adjusting means 23 is provided for adjusting. The holding force adjusting means 23 is provided between the cam means 13 and the bolt 12b as the second sliding portion, and is constituted by the bolt 12b, the nut 16, and the movable cam 15. The tip of the bolt 12b is in contact with the bottom surface of the recess 15b, and the movable cam 15 is moved to the left and right relative to the second arm portion 7b by changing the screwing amount of the screw portion of the bolt 12b. By changing the axial length of the movable cam 15 to increase or decrease the distance between the second arm portion 7b and the steering column 1, and changing the reference length, the cam means 13 is brought into the locked position. The holding force of the steering column 1 can be adjusted.

  In order to operate the cam means 13, the movable cam 15 is provided with a tilt lever 17 as an operation lever. That is, the outer peripheral surface of the movable cam 15 is formed in a square shape, while a square cylindrical portion 17a is formed at the base end portion of the tilt lever 17, and the movable cam 15 is fitted inside the cylindrical portion 17a. ing. Note that the movable cam 15 and the tilt lever 17 may be integrally configured by a mold or the like. Further, the holding member 11 may be configured integrally with the steering column 1 by welding or the like, similarly to the holding member 1c of the second embodiment described later.

  Next, the procedure for assembling the steering device will be described. Other parts can be assembled in a state where the first arm portion 7a and the second arm portion 7b are coupled to the attachment portion 6 by welding or the like. A nut 16 is attached to the movable cam 15, and a cylindrical portion 17 a of the tilt lever 17 is attached to the movable cam 15. Next, the convex portion 14c of the fixed cam 14 is fitted into the square hole 1b of the steering column 1, and the steering means 1 and the holding member 11 sandwich the steering column 1, and these are connected to the first arm portion 7a. The bolt 12a is inserted into the long hole 10a and screwed into the screw hole 11a of the holding member 11 with the second arm portion 7b. Thereby, the convex part 12c of the front-end | tip of the volt | bolt 12a enters the inside of the round hole 1a. Finally, the bolt 12b is inserted into the long hole 10b and screwed into the nut 16. At this time, by screwing the bolt 12b to a predetermined torque, the tip of the bolt 12b protruding from the nut 16 pushes the movable cam 15, and a gap is formed between the nut 16 and the movable cam 15. It is possible to adjust the support rigidity when the steering column 1 is locked by absorbing the dimensional variation of the parts.

  According to this invention, the vehicle body side bracket 3, the holding member 11, the cam means 13, and the tilt lever 17 constitute a tilt mechanism, and the first arm portion 7 a and the second arm located on the left and right of the steering column 1. Since there are no parts for connecting the portion 7b, the number of parts is small, and the assembling work is easy.

  Next, the operation of the steering device will be described. When it is desired to change the height position of the steering wheel from the state where the steering column 1 of the tilt mechanism 8 is locked, the following procedure is used. First, the tilt lever 17 is rotated clockwise in FIG. Then, the movable side cam 15 that rotates integrally with the tilt lever 17 rotates in the clockwise direction, and a sliding portion (not shown) of the movable side cam 15 slides on the height surface 14b of the fixed side cam 14 along the circumference. Then, it moves from a high position on the elevation surface 14b to a low position. Thereby, the axial length of the cam means 13 is shortened. Since the distance between the first arm portion 7a and the second arm portion 7b is constant and does not change, there is no tension between the first arm portion 7a / second arm portion 7b and the steering column 1, and the tilt mechanism 8 is locked. Canceled. At this time, since the steering column 1 can be moved up and down, the height of the steering column 1 is changed by moving the steering wheel up and down.

  Next, with the height of the steering wheel changed, the tilt lever 17 is rotated counterclockwise and tightened. When the tilt lever 17 is rotated, the movable cam 15 integrally rotates counterclockwise in the figure, and a sliding portion (not shown) of the movable cam 15 moves along the circumference of the elevation surface 14b of the fixed cam 14. And move from a low position to a high position on the height surface 14b. As a result, the length of the cam means 13 in the axial direction is increased, a tension is generated between the first arm portion 7a / second arm portion 7b and the steering column 1, and the tilt mechanism 8 is locked.

  When it is desired to change the tightening force when the steering column 1 is locked or the open state when the steering column 1 is unlocked, the amount of protrusion of the bolt 12b protruding from the nut 16 in the holding force adjusting means 23 is changed. What is necessary is just to increase / decrease the magnitude | size of the clearance gap formed between the movable cams 15. FIG.

  According to the present invention, the cam means 13 and the holding member 11 are arranged on a horizontal line orthogonal to the axis of the steering column 1, and the first arm portion 7 a located on the left and right of the steering column 1 below the steering column 1. Since there is no part for connecting the second arm portion 7b, the knee space can be widened.

According to the present invention, the variation in the distance between the first arm portion 7a and the second arm portion 7b and the variation in the dimensions of the parts between the both arm portions can be absorbed by the adjustment of the holding force adjusting means 23. Therefore, the steering column 1 The holding force can be stabilized.
(B) Embodiment 2
Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Since the second embodiment is obtained by changing a part of the first embodiment, description of the same parts as those of the first embodiment is omitted, and only different parts are described. In the first embodiment, the tilt lever 17 is disposed inside the second arm portion 7b, while in the second embodiment, the tilt lever 17 is disposed outside.

  In this embodiment, a substantially C-shaped holding member 1c is welded to the steering column 1, and the holding member 1c is formed in a square square hole 1d formed in a flat portion facing the second arm portion 7b. The convex portion 14c having a square cross-sectional shape formed on the fixed side cam 14 is fitted. Then, instead of the bolt 12b in the first embodiment as the second sliding portion, an operation shaft 15c is formed integrally with the movable cam 15, and a tilt lever 17 is provided at the tip of the operation shaft 15c inserted through the long hole 10a. It is attached. That is, it is configured as follows. The operating shaft 15c is formed with a large diameter portion 15d, a small diameter portion 15e that is deformed or serrated, and a screw portion 15f. The outer diameter of the large diameter portion 15d is the width of the long hole 10b. The length dimension is formed to be slightly smaller than the thickness of the second arm portion 7b. On the other hand, the base end portion of the tilt lever 17 is provided with a through hole 17b that is formed in a deformed shape or a serration. The small diameter portion 15e is inserted into the through hole 17b and the nut 20 is screwed through the plain washer 22. As a result, the tilt lever 17 is integrally coupled to the movable cam 15.

  Since the structure on the first arm portion 7a side of the steering column 1 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  A procedure for assembling the steering device will be described. With the cam means 13 fitted to the holding member 1c integrated with the steering column 1, the portion of the operating shaft 15c is inserted into the long hole 10b, and the steering column 1 is connected to the first arm portion 7a and the second arm portion 7b. In this state, the holding member 11 is inserted between the steering column 1 and the first arm portion 7a, and then the bolt 12a is inserted into the elongated hole 10a and screwed into the screw hole 11a of the holding member 11. Finally, the small diameter portion 15e of the operation shaft 15c is inserted into the insertion hole 17b of the tilt lever 17, and the nut 20 is screwed.

  By adopting the above configuration, the tilt lever 17 is disposed outside the second arm 7b as in the prior art, and the degree of freedom in the layout of the tilt lever 17 is improved.

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

  In the first and second embodiments, the configuration in which the lower portions of the first arm portion 7a and the second arm portion 7b are opened is adopted. However, the lower portion of the first arm portion 7a and the lower portion of the second arm portion 7b And may be reinforced by connecting via a connecting member. In the first embodiment, the holding force adjusting means is provided between the cam means and the second sliding portion. However, the holding force adjusting means may be provided between the holding member and the first sliding portion. In the second embodiment, a holding force adjusting means may be provided between the first arm portion 7a and the holding member 11.

The block diagram which looked at the steering device from the axial direction (Embodiment 1). 1 is an exploded perspective view of a steering device (Embodiment 1). FIG. Configuration of the steering device viewed from the axial direction (Embodiment 2)

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Steering column 3 ... Body side bracket 7a ... 1st arm (1st side wall part)
7b ... 2nd arm (2nd side wall part)
10a, 10b ... long hole (guide part)
11 ... Holding member 12a ... Bolt (first sliding part)
12b ... bolt (second sliding part)
13: Cam means 15d: Large diameter portion (second sliding portion)
17 ... Tilt lever (operating lever)
23 ... Holding force adjusting means

Claims (3)

  A vehicle body side bracket having first and second side wall portions fixed to the vehicle body and arranged substantially parallel to each other on the left and right sides of the vehicle body; a guide portion formed in a substantially vertical direction on each of the side wall portions; , A steering column disposed between the second side walls, and a first column which is disposed between the steering column and the first side wall and holds one side surface of the steering column and is movable up and down along the guide. It is possible to increase or decrease the holding direction length of the holding member having one sliding portion and the member disposed between the steering column and the second side wall portion and disposed between the first and second side wall portions. And a cam means having a second sliding portion that holds the other side surface of the steering column and that is movable up and down along the guide portion of the second side wall portion, and locks the steering column by operating the cam means. Steering apparatus characterized by comprising an operating lever which click release. The steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The steering device according to claim 1, wherein the cam means and the holding member are disposed on a substantially horizontal line substantially orthogonal to an axis of the steering column. The steering apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A holding force adjusting means is provided for adjusting a holding force when the steering means is locked by operating the cam means, and the holding force adjusting means is provided between the holding member and the first sliding portion. Alternatively, the steering apparatus is provided between the cam means and the second sliding portion.

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