JP2008007035A - Electric telescopic adjustment type steering device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric telescopic adjustment type steering device capable of absorbing impact energy stably when an impact load is applied on a steering wheel. <P>SOLUTION: This steering device is provided with a steering column 12 having an outer column 12a and an inner column 12b connected relatively expansively while rotatably supporting a steering shaft 11 to which a steering wheel 13 is attached, and an electric actuator 50 expanding the outer column 12a and the inner column 12b, one end of which is attached to the outer column 12a and the other end of which is attached to the inner column 12b. The connection part of the column closer to the steering wheel 13 out of the outer column 12a and the inner column 12b and the electric actuator 50 has a pivot connection structure. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention has an outer column and an inner column that are relatively telescopically connected to each other, a steering column that rotatably supports a steering shaft to which a steering wheel is attached, and one end portion of the outer column. The present invention relates to an electric telescopic adjustment type steering apparatus having an other end attached to the inner column and including the outer column and an electric actuator for expanding and contracting the inner column.

Conventionally, an electric telescopic steering device has been proposed in which a shaft provided on a different axis from the steering column is driven in the axial direction by a motor to expand and contract a column connected to the shaft. As this electric telescopic steering device, for example, the one shown in FIG. 12 has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). In this conventional example, a housing inner cylinder 2 is slidably accommodated in a housing cylinder 1, and a steering shaft 3 having a steering wheel 4 at the tip is rotatably held in the housing inner cylinder 2. An electric motor 5 is attached to the housing cylinder 1, an attachment plate 6 is attached to the housing inner cylinder 2, and a connecting rod 7 is disposed between the electric motor 5 and the attachment plate 6. The connecting rod 7 includes a shaft 7 a that moves in the axial direction in conjunction with the electric motor 5, and an outer cylinder in which the shaft 7 a is slidably inserted in the axial direction and the free end is inserted into the mounting plate 6 and tightened with a nut. 7b, and one or more pins 8 penetrating the shaft 7a and the outer cylinder 7b are press-fitted, and the pins 8 are broken and collapsed by an impact force generated at the time of a collision or the like.
JP 2003-276616 A (first page, FIGS. 1 and 2)

  However, in the conventional example described in Patent Document 1, the electric motor 5 is fixed to the housing cylinder 1, and the connecting rod 7 that is extended and contracted by the electric motor 5 is linked to the electric motor 5 in the axial direction. Since the moving shaft 7a and the outer cylinder 7b in which the shaft 7a is slidably inserted in the axial direction and the free end is inserted into the mounting plate 6 and tightened with a nut are configured, an impact load is applied to the steering wheel 4. When it is actuated, the steering shaft 4 with the steering wheel 4 mounted thereon is mounted with a predetermined angle so that the axial direction of the steering shaft 3, that is, the column axis direction is rearwardly raised with respect to the vehicle horizontal direction. When a direction impact load is applied, the impact load is decomposed into a column axial force and a column axis perpendicular force. Since the housing inner cylinder 2 is slidable with respect to the housing cylinder 1, the housing inner cylinder 2 is slid into the housing cylinder 1 by the column axial force, so that the mounting portion of the outer cylinder 7 b on the mounting plate 6 is attached. A bending moment is generated.

Further, the housing inner cylinder 2 is slightly bent upward by the force perpendicular to the column axis, and the mounting plate 6 rigidly connected to the housing inner cylinder 2 also moves while maintaining a right angle with the housing inner cylinder 2. As a result, a bending moment is generated at the attachment portion of the outer cylinder 7b on the attachment plate 6 due to the result.
Since these bending moments are transmitted to the outer cylinder 7b of the connecting rod 7, a twist occurs between the outer cylinder 7b and the shaft 7a, resulting in a relatively large sliding resistance, and the coplus force acting on the pin 8 varies. As a result, there is an unsolved problem that stable impact energy cannot be absorbed.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made paying attention to the unsolved problems of the conventional example described above, and when an impact load is applied to the steering wheel, the bending moment is applied to the joint between the electric actuator and the column near the steering wheel. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric telescopic adjustment type steering apparatus that can stably generate shock energy while avoiding the occurrence of the above.

  In order to achieve the above object, an electric telescopic adjustment type steering apparatus according to claim 1 has an outer column and an inner column which are relatively telescopically connected, and a steering shaft to which a steering wheel is attached is rotatable. A steering column to be supported; and an electric actuator having one end attached to the outer column and the other end attached to the inner column, and extending and contracting the outer column and the inner column. Is an electric telescopic adjustment type steering device configured to be capable of contracting in the axial direction when the motor is input, and includes a coupling portion between the outer column and the inner column closer to the steering wheel and the electric actuator. It is characterized by a pivot connection structure.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electric telescopic adjustment type steering apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the electric actuator includes a connecting member that allows the outer rod and the inner rod to contract when the secondary collision load is applied. It has the feature that it has the rod connected via.
Furthermore, an electric telescopic adjustment type steering apparatus according to claim 3 includes an outer column and an inner column that are relatively telescopically connected, and a steering column that rotatably supports a steering shaft to which a steering wheel is attached; One end is attached to the outer column, the other end is attached to the inner column, and the outer column and the electric actuator for expanding and contracting the inner column are provided, and when the electric actuator receives an impact load An electric telescopic adjustment type steering apparatus that is detachably attached to a column far from the steering wheel,
A coupling portion between the outer column and the inner column, which is closer to the steering wheel, and the electric actuator has a pivot coupling structure.

  According to the present invention, since the coupling portion between the one of the outer column and the inner column on the side close to the steering wheel and the electric actuator has a pivot coupling structure, the pivot coupling coupling portion is applied when an impact load is applied to the steering wheel. It is possible to prevent the bending moment from acting on the electric actuator, and it is possible to prevent the electric actuator from generating a twisting force due to the bending moment and to absorb the impact energy stably.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a vehicle assembled with an electric telescopic adjustment type steering device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of an electric telescopic adjustment type steering device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the present invention, and FIG. It is sectional drawing.

  In FIG. 1, a steering column device 10 includes a steering column 12 that supports a steering shaft 11 so as to be rotatable. A steering wheel 13 is mounted at the rear end of the steering shaft 11, and an intermediate shaft 15 is connected to the front end of the steering shaft 11 via a universal joint 14. A steering gear 17 composed of a rack and pinion mechanism or the like is connected to the intermediate shaft 15 via a universal joint 16 at its front end. The output shaft of the steering gear 17 is connected to the steered wheel 19 through a tie rod 18.

When the driver steers the steering wheel 13, the rotational force is transmitted to the steering gear 17 via the steering shaft 11, the universal joint 14, the intermediate shaft 15, and the universal joint 16, and the rack and pinion mechanism rotates the vehicle. The steered wheel 19 is steered through the tie rod 18 after being converted into a linear motion in the width direction.
In addition, peripheral parts P such as a combination switch for driving a tilt mechanism 30 and a telescopic mechanism 50, which will be described later, and a column cover, are disposed at a rear portion of the steering column 12 in the vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the steering column device 10 is disposed so as to be inclined backward by a predetermined angle θ with respect to the horizontal direction of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 5, the steering column device 10 includes an outer shaft 11a to which a steering wheel 13 is attached and an inner shaft 11b slidably engaged with the outer shaft 11a.

2 and 5, the steering column 12 includes an outer column 12a and an inner column 12b that is slidably held by the outer column 12a. The outer shaft 11a of the steering shaft 11 is rotatably supported by rolling bearings 12c disposed on the peripheral surface.
The outer column 12a has a rear end (left end in FIG. 2) on the side of the universal joint 14 supported by a lower bracket 22 attached to the vehicle body side member 21 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction by a pivot pin 23. A front end (right end in FIG. 2) is attached to the vehicle body side member 21 and is supported by the upper bracket 24 so as to be movable in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the upper bracket 24 includes a mounting plate portion 24b having a bulging portion 24a with a central portion bulging upward attached to the vehicle body side member 21, and a bulging portion of the mounting plate portion 24b. The guide plate portions 24c and 24d extending downward from the left and right positions of 24a and the bottom plate portion 24e connecting the lower ends of the guide plate portions 24c and 24d are formed in a rectangular frame shape.
The outer column 12a described above is inserted into the guide space 24f surrounded by the mounting plate portion 24b, the guide plate portions 24c and 24d, and the bottom plate portion 24e of the upper bracket 24. As shown in FIG. 3, the outer column 12a has a protruding portion that protrudes in the horizontal direction, and is formed with guide plate portions 12d and 12e each having a vertical guide surface 12c whose end faces the guide plate portions 24c and 24d. Yes.

  The guide plate portion 12e is held by the tilt mechanism 30 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the tilt mechanism 30 includes a rolling bearing 33 fixedly disposed by a restraining member 32 in a substantially rectangular frame-shaped gear housing 31 formed integrally with a lower end portion of the guide plate portion 24 d of the upper bracket 24. The above-described rolling bracket 34 disposed on the lower surface of the mounting plate portion 24b of the upper bracket 24 has a screw shaft 35 extending in the vertical direction along the guide plate portion 24d and rotatably supported.

  A worm wheel 36 is mounted on the screw shaft 35 in the vicinity of the rolling bearing 33 in the gear housing 31, and a worm 37 is engaged with the worm wheel 36. As shown in FIG. 4, the worm 37 is rotatably held by rolling bearings 38 and 39 disposed in the gear housing 31, and one end of the worm 37 is attached to the guide plate portion 24 d of the upper bracket 24. The output shaft 40a of the electric motor 40 fixed to the plate portion 24g is connected via a coupling 39.

  A cylindrical cover 41 that covers the screw shaft 35 is disposed in an insertion hole 31 a through which the screw shaft 35 of the gear housing 31 is inserted, and a large elasticity that slides on the outer peripheral surface of the screw shaft 35 at the tip of the cylindrical cover 41. A lip 42 made of a synthetic resin, such as polyurethane, is provided. Similarly, a lip 43 slidably contacting the outer peripheral surface of the screw shaft 35 is also provided on the lower end surface of the rolling bearing 34.

  A nut 45 held by a nut holder 44 having a square cross section is screwed between the lips 42 and 43 of the screw shaft 35. The nut holder 44 engages in a guide groove 46 formed in the guide plate portion 24d of the upper bracket 24 and extending in the vertical direction, so that the rotational movement around the axis of the screw shaft 35 of the nut holder 44 is restricted. The nut holder 44 is moved in the vertical direction by forward and reverse rotation of the screw shaft 35. An engaging pin 47 protruding from the nut holder 44 is engaged with a long hole 24h extending in the axial direction of the outer column 12a formed at the tip of the outer column 12a.

Therefore, when the worm 37 is driven forward / reversely by the electric motor 40, the screw shaft 35 is driven forward / reversely via the worm wheel 36, whereby the nut holder 44 is moved up and down, and the outer column 12a is centered on the pivot pin 23. As a result, the tilt function can be exerted.
A telescopic mechanism 50 as an electric actuator is provided between the outer column 12a and the inner column 12b of the steering column 12 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the telescopic mechanism 50 includes a gear housing 51 fixed to the steering wheel 13 side of the outer column 12 a of the steering column 12. A worm wheel 54 is rotatably supported on the gear housing 51 by rolling bearings 52 and 53 that are arranged to face each other at a predetermined distance in the axial direction of the steering column 12. The worm wheel 54 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a large-diameter outer peripheral surface at the center and small-diameter outer peripheral surfaces fitted with rolling bearings 52 and 53 on both ends sandwiching the large-diameter outer peripheral surface. In addition, a helical gear 54a is formed, and a female screw 54b is formed on the inner peripheral surface.

A worm 56 connected to an output shaft of an electric motor 55 fixed to the gear housing 51 via a coupling is engaged with the worm teeth 54a of the worm wheel 54 in the same manner as the tilt mechanism 30 described above.
On the other hand, a connecting plate 57 extending in the same direction as the gear housing 51 and arranged at a distance from the end surface of the outer column 12a is attached to the vicinity of the end of the inner column 12b of the steering column 12 on the steering wheel 13 side. A connecting rod 58 is disposed between the connecting plate 57 and the gear housing 51.

The connecting rod 58 includes an outer rod 58a having one end rotatably attached to the lower end of the connecting plate 57 by a pivot pin 59, and an inner rod 58b slidably engaged with the other end of the outer rod 58a. ing.
In the engaging portion between the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b, the relative movement between the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b is restricted by a human power such as a normal driver, but an impact load is applied to the steering wheel 13 during a secondary collision. A connecting member 60 that allows relative movement between the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b when being transmitted to the outer rod 58a via the inner column 12b and the connecting plate 57 is disposed.

The connecting member 60 has a structure in which a thin leaf spring material formed in a ring shape in which the cross section is uneven in the circumferential direction is formed in a ring shape, and a collapse load that allows relative movement of the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b is, for example, about It is set to 2 kN or more.
The inner rod 58b is formed with a male screw 58c on the side opposite to the outer rod 58a. The male screw 58c is screwed into a female screw 54b of a worm wheel 54 rotatably supported by the gear housing 51, thereby connecting rod 58b. Is arranged so as to be parallel to the axial direction of the steering column 12.

  Therefore, by driving the electric motor 55 forward / reversely, driving the worm wheel 54 forward / reversely via the worm 56, and moving the inner rod 58 b back and forth in the axial direction of the steering column 12, the outer rod 58 a and the connection The inner column 12b is driven to extend and contract in the axial direction via the plate 57, so that a telescopic function can be exhibited.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.
Now, in order for the driver to adjust the tilt of the steering column 12 of the steering column device 10, the combination for the tilt mechanism provided in the peripheral part P provided in the vehicle rear portion of the steering column 12 shown in FIG. When the switch is operated in the tilt-up direction (or tilt-down direction), the electric motor 40 of the tilt mechanism 30 is driven forward (or reverse), for example.

  In response to this, by driving the screw shaft 35 in reverse (or forward) via the worm 37 via the worm 37, the nut 45 moves upward (or downward) as viewed in FIG. Since the engaging pin 47 formed on the nut holder 44 is engaged with the long hole 24h formed on the outer column 12a of the steering column 12, the outer column 12a rotates upward (downward) about the pivot pin 23. And tilt up (or tilt down) adjustment.

Further, in order for the driver to perform telescopic adjustment of the steering column of the steering column device 10, a combination switch for a telescopic mechanism provided on a peripheral part P disposed in the rear part of the steering column 12 shown in FIG. When operated in the extending direction (or contracting direction), the electric motor 55 of the telescopic mechanism 50 is driven forward (or reverse), for example.
As a result, the worm wheel 54 is driven to rotate forward (or reversely) via the worm 56, whereby the inner rod 58 b of the connecting rod 58 moves to the steering wheel 13 side (or the side opposite to the steering wheel 13). The outer rod 58a moves to the steering wheel 13 side (or the side opposite to the steering wheel 13) via the member 60.

For this reason, the inner column 12b is pulled out from the outer column 12a via the connecting plate 57 (or the inner column 12b is inserted into the outer column 12a), and the steering column 12 is expanded (or contracted) to perform telescopic adjustment. be able to.
At this time, along with the movement of the inner column 12b, the outer shaft 11a of the steering shaft 11 moves relative to the inner shaft 11b.

  As described above, the telescopic mechanism 50 can extend and retract the steering column 12 to perform telescopic adjustment. However, when the connecting rod 58 is moved by the electric motor 55, the connecting member 60 includes the outer rod 58a and the inner rod. The expansion and contraction between 58b can be reliably prevented, and the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b can be integrated to move the connecting plate 57 in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the inner column 12b can be moved in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

  However, when an impact load F is applied to the steering wheel 13 in the horizontal direction of the vehicle due to the secondary collision, the impact load F is first applied to the column axis direction component force Fx and the column axis direction perpendicular to the column axis direction. It is divided into component force Fy. Then, the outer column 12b and the outer shaft 11a are pushed to the left in the column axial direction as seen in FIG. 5 by the column axial component force Fx, and the outer rod 58a of the connecting rod 58 is moved to the left via the connecting plate 57 accordingly. The column axial component force Fx is transmitted to the connecting member 60 by being moved. When the column axial component force Fx transmitted to the connecting member 60 reaches a set collapse load, slip occurs between the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b, and the inner rod 58b is inserted into the outer rod 58a. Thus, a predetermined collapse stroke can be secured.

  In this way, when an impact load for moving the vehicle forward is applied to the steering wheel 13, until the column axial component force Fx reaches the collapse load, between the outer column 12 a and the inner column 12 b of the steering column 12. The sliding resistance of the connecting rod 58 is slight, and the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b of the connecting rod 58 are held by the connecting member 60 in a non-slip state, so that the connecting position of the connecting plate 57 to the inner column 12b is the connecting rod. By moving to the vehicle front side from the pivot pin 59 serving as a connecting portion with 58, a bending moment is generated on the inner column 12b side of the connecting plate 57.

However, since the connecting plate 57 and the connecting rod 58 are rotatably connected by the pivot pin 59, it is ensured that the bending moment of the connecting plate 57 by the column axial component force Fx is transmitted to the connecting rod 58. Can be prevented.
On the other hand, the inner column 12b and the outer shaft 11a are slightly bent upward by the component force Fy in the direction perpendicular to the column axis of the impact load F, and the connecting plate 57 rigidly connected to the inner column 12b is also perpendicular to the inner column 12b. Moved together while keeping. As a result, the connection plate 57 is twisted and a bending moment is generated. However, as described above, the connection plate and the connection rod 58 are rotatably connected by the pivot pin 59. Can be reliably prevented from being transmitted to the connecting rod 58.

For this reason, no twisting occurs between the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b of the connecting rod 58, and when the column axial component force Fx due to the impact load F becomes equal to or greater than the collapse load set by the connecting member 60, Relative movement occurs between the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b, and impact energy can be stably absorbed.
At this time, since no twisting occurs between the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b, it is reliably prevented that the connecting member 60 is engaged with the outer rod 58a or the inner rod 58b and the relative movement of the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b is inhibited. be able to.

  Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 6, in the case of adopting the conventional coupling method in which the coupling plate 57 and the outer rod 58a of the coupling rod 58 are integrally rigidly coupled by fixing means such as welding, the steering wheel 13 When the impact load F acts on the inner column 12b and the axial force component Fx is transmitted to the inner column 12b, the central axis of the steering column 12 and the central axis of the connecting rod 58 are spaced apart by a distance L and arranged in parallel. Therefore, the load is offset, and a bending moment M is generated at the connecting position of the connecting plate 57 to the connecting rod 58. Further, when the inner column 12b is bent upward by the component force Fy in the column axis perpendicular direction of the impact load F, the connecting plate 57 rigidly connected to the inner column 12b also moves while maintaining a right angle with the inner column 12b. As a result, a bending moment similar to the bending moment M is generated in the connecting plate 57 due to prying.

  A bending force acts on the connecting rod 58 by these bending moments, and a twist is applied to the position of the connecting member 60 where the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b are in contact. For this reason, the impact load acting on the connecting member 60 becomes equal to or greater than the collapse load, and when the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b coupled by the connecting member 60 move relative to each other, the load becomes unstable, resulting in a collision. There is an unsolved problem that energy cannot be stably absorbed.

In addition, when the twisting force acting on the connecting member 60 is increased, there is an unsolved problem that the connecting member 60 may be engaged with the outer rod 58a or the inner rod 58b and the relative movement of the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b may be hindered. is there.
However, in the present embodiment, as described above, since the connecting plate 57 and the connecting rod 58 are pivotally coupled by the pivot pin 59, a bending moment M is generated at the pivot coupling position of the coupling plate 57. This can be reliably prevented, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the twisting force from acting on the connecting member 60 disposed in the connecting portion of the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b of the connecting rod 58, and to stabilize Can absorb the collision energy.

In the first embodiment, the case where the outer column 12a of the steering column 12 is fixed to the vehicle body side member 21 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the inner column 12b is connected to the lower bracket 22 and the upper bracket. The bracket 24 may be attached to the vehicle body side member 21 and the steering wheel 13 may be attached to the outer column 12a.
In the first embodiment, the case where the outer rod 58a of the connecting rod 58 is connected to the connecting plate 57 by the pivot pin 59 and the inner rod 58b is screwed to the female screw 54b of the worm wheel 54 has been described. The inner rod 58b may be connected to the connecting plate 57 with the pivot pin 59, and the outer rod 58a may be screwed into the female screw 54b of the worm wheel 54.

  Furthermore, although the case where the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b are connected by the connecting member 60 formed in a ring shape having a corrugated cross section has been described in the first embodiment, the connecting member 60 is limited to the above configuration. Any configuration can be applied as long as the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b are relatively moved when an impact load equal to or greater than the set collapse load is transmitted. For example, the resin pin structure shown in FIG. Can be applied.

  In the first embodiment, the case where the inner rod 58b of the connecting rod 58 is screwed into the female screw 54b of the worm wheel 54 and the worm wheel 54 itself is used as a nut has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. 7, the worm wheel 54 is formed integrally with the inner rod 58b, the male screw 58d is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer rod 58a, and the connecting plate 57 is formed. It is also possible to dispose a nut 67 rotatably held by the pivot pin 66 and to screw the male screw 58d of the outer rod 58a into the nut 67. In this case, the worm wheel 54 is driven forward / reversely by the worm 56 to drive the connecting rod 58 forward / reversely, and the nut 67 screwed into the male screw 58d of the outer rod 58a of the connecting rod 58 is turned to the connecting plate 57. Since it is held movably, the connecting plate 57 can move in the vehicle longitudinal direction and the inner column 12b can move in the vehicle longitudinal direction to adjust the telescopic position. When an impact load is applied to the steering wheel 13, the nut 67 is rotatably held even when the connecting plate 57 is tilted, so that a pivot coupling state is established, and the outer rod 58 a and the inner rod 58 b of the connecting rod 58 are connected. It is possible to reliably prevent the twisting force from acting on the connecting portion, and the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above can be obtained. The nut 67 is configured as a spherical nut formed with a female thread that passes from the outer peripheral surface of the sphere to the other outer peripheral surface through the center, and a spherical seat for receiving the spherical nut is formed on the connection plate 57 accordingly. It may be.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
Here, FIG. 8 is a side view of the steering column apparatus showing the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the main part of FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is the main part of the steering column apparatus at the time of the secondary collision. FIG. 11 is a side view of the main part at the time of a secondary collision, and the steering column device 10 is disposed so as to be inclined rearward and upward with respect to the vehicle horizontal plane as in the first embodiment.

In the second embodiment, a gear housing that holds an electric motor is configured to be detachable from the steering column in place of providing a connecting member that absorbs energy when an impact load is applied to the connecting rod.
That is, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the tilt mechanism 30 is provided on the guide plate portion 24c side of the upper bracket 24, and the outer column 12a and the inner column 12b of the steering column 12 on the guide plate portion 24d side. Between them is a telescopic mechanism 50.

In the telescopic mechanism 50, the connecting rod 58 in the first embodiment described above is constituted by a single rod, the connecting member 60 is omitted, and the gear housing 51 in which the electric motor 55 is disposed is provided on the outer column 12a. The vehicle is mounted on the side surface so as to be removable in the direction in which an impact load applied to the front side of the vehicle, that is, the steering wheel 13 is applied.
Here, as clearly shown in FIG. 10, the gear housing 51 is formed with a connecting plate portion 61 protruding upward, and an engaging hole 62 is formed on the side surface of the connecting plate portion 61 on the steering wheel 13 side. ing. The engaging hole 62 has a circular arc bottom, and is formed in a divergent shape in which the distance between the side walls in the vertical direction gradually increases from the circular arc surface toward the right end.

  On the other hand, a fastening screw 63 is screwed onto the vehicle front side (left side as viewed in FIG. 8) of the upper bracket 24 in the outer column 12a of the steering column 12. Then, the fastening screw 63 is engaged so that the bottom portion of the engagement hole 62 of the connecting plate portion 61 comes into contact with each other, and the both surfaces of the connecting plate portion 61, the outer peripheral surface of the outer column 12a, and the head portion of the fastening screw 63 are connected. With the coating plate 64 covered with a low friction material interposed therebetween, for example, when an impact load F of about 2 kN or more is applied, the connecting plate portion 61 is tightened so as to be detached from the vehicle front side. The tightening torque of the screw 63 is set.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described.
In the second embodiment, since the tilt function by the tilt mechanism 30 has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment described above, the same operation as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.
On the other hand, in the telescopic mechanism 50, in a normal state where no impact load is applied to the steering wheel 13, a fastening screw in which the engagement hole 62 of the connecting plate portion 61 of the gear housing 51 is screwed to the outer column 12 a of the steering column 12. 63 is fixed through the coating plate 64.

  For this reason, as in the first embodiment described above, the telescopic mechanism combination switch provided in the peripheral part P disposed in the vehicle rear portion of the steering column 12 shown in FIG. 1 is extended (or contracted). When operated, the electric motor 55 of the telescopic mechanism 50 is driven forward (or reverse), for example. Accordingly, the worm wheel 54 is driven to rotate forward (or reversely) via the worm 56, whereby the connecting rod 58 moves to the steering wheel 13 side (or the side opposite to the steering wheel 13).

  For this reason, the inner column 12b is pulled out from the outer column 12a via the connecting plate 57 (or the inner column 12b is inserted into the outer column 12a), and the steering column 12 is expanded (or contracted) to perform telescopic adjustment. be able to. At this time, along with the movement of the inner column 12b, the outer shaft 11a of the steering shaft 11 moves relative to the inner shaft 11b.

  In this way, the telescopic mechanism 50 can be used to adjust the telescopic adjustment by extending and retracting the steering column 12, but it is pushed forward in the vehicle horizontal direction against the steering wheel 13 by the secondary collision, that is, leftward in FIG. When an impact load F is applied, first, the outer column 12b and the outer shaft 11a are pushed to the left as viewed in FIG. 9, and the connecting rod 58 is moved to the left via the connecting plate 57 in response to this and the gears are moved. The housing 51 is moved to the left. For this reason, when the impact load acting on the connecting plate portion 61 of the gear housing 51 reaches the collapse load, the engagement hole 62 of the connecting plate portion 61 moves from the tightening screw 63 to the left as shown by the solid line in FIGS. The necessary collapsing stroke can be secured.

  In this case, when an impact load F is applied to the steering wheel 13, a bending moment M is applied to the connecting plate 57 by the column axis direction component force Fx and the column axis perpendicular direction component force Fy as in the first embodiment described above. Although it is going to act, since the connecting plate 57 and the connecting rod 58 are rotatably connected by the pivot pin 59, the generation of a bending moment can be prevented, and the connecting rod 58 has a column of impact load F. Only the axial component force Fx is transmitted. For this reason, since the column axial component force Fx transmitted to the connecting rod 58 is transmitted to the gear housing 51 as it is, only the left column axial component force Fx is transmitted to the connecting plate portion 61 as well. Thus, the engaging hole 62 of the connecting plate portion 61 can be easily detached without sliding contact with the tightening screw 63, and the connecting plate portion 61 can be detached with a set collapse load.

  Also in the second embodiment, when the coupling plate 57 and the coupling rod 58 are rigidly coupled instead of pivotally coupled, when the impact load is applied to the steering wheel 13, the first embodiment described above. As described above, a bending moment acts on the connecting plate 57. Therefore, a load in a direction in which the connecting rod 58 moves away from the steering column 12 acts, and thereby a load that moves the gear housing 51 downward as viewed in FIG. The upper edge to be formed comes into sliding contact with the tightening screw 63, and a frictional resistance is generated between them, so that the load at which the connecting plate portion 61 is detached from the tightening screw 63 becomes unstable.

  However, in the second embodiment, since the connecting plate 57 and the connecting rod 58 are pivotally connected by the pivot pin 59, it is ensured that a moment for moving the connecting rod 58 outward from the steering column 12 acts. Therefore, only the impact load parallel to the axial direction of the steering column 12 is transmitted to the gear housing 51. When the set collapse load is exceeded, the connecting plate portion 61 is accurately removed from the tightening screw 63. Can be withdrawn.

In the second embodiment as well, the arrangement relationship between the outer column 12a and the inner column 12b of the steering column 12 can be reversed.
Also in the second embodiment, a nut that engages with a male screw formed on the connecting rod 58 on the connecting plate 57 is rotatably held by the pivot pin 59 so that the worm wheel 54 in the gear housing 51 is connected to the connecting rod. 58 may be formed integrally.
Further, in the first and second embodiments, the case where the tilt mechanism 30 is provided has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the tilt mechanism 30 is omitted and only the telescopic mechanism 50 is provided. You may do it.

1 is an overall configuration diagram illustrating a state in which a steering device according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle. It is a side view except a steering wheel of a steering column device. It is sectional drawing on the AA line of FIG. It is sectional drawing on the BB line of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the principal part of a steering column apparatus. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the principal part of the steering column apparatus which made the connection plate and the connection rod the rigid connection similar to the past. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the steering column apparatus which shows the modification of 1st Embodiment. It is a side view of the principal part of the steering column apparatus which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the principal part of the steering column apparatus at the normal time in 2nd Embodiment. It is a side view of the principal part of the steering column apparatus at the time of the impact load effect | action in 2nd Embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the principal part of the steering column apparatus at the time of the impact load effect | action in 2nd Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the conventional steering column apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Steering column apparatus, 11 ... Steering shaft, 11a ... Outer shaft, 11b ... Inner shaft, 12 ... Steering column, 12a ... Outer column, 12b ... Inter column, 13 ... Steering wheel, 14, 16 ... Universal joint, 15 ... Intermediate shaft, 17 ... steering gear, 18 ... tie rod, 19 ... steering wheel, 21 ... vehicle body side member, 22 ... lower bracket, 24 ... upper bracket, 30 ... tilt mechanism, 50 ... telescopic mechanism, 51 ... gear housing, 54 ... Worm wheel, 55 ... electric motor, 56 ... worm, 57 ... connecting plate, 58 ... connecting rod, 58a ... outer rod, 58b ... inner rod, 59 ... pivot pin, 60 ... connecting member, 61 ... connecting plate, 62 ... engagement Joint hole, 63 ... Clamping screw, 6 ... coated plates.

Claims (3)

A steering column that has an outer column and an inner column that are relatively telescopically connected, and that rotatably supports a steering shaft to which a steering wheel is attached, one end of the steering column and the other end An electric actuator attached to the inner column and extending and contracting the outer column and the inner column, and the electric actuator is configured to contract in an axial direction and absorb impact energy when an impact load is input. Electric telescopic adjustable steering device,
An electric telescopic adjustment type steering apparatus characterized in that a coupling portion between the outer column and the inner column, the column closer to the steering wheel, and the electric actuator has a pivot connection structure.   2. The electric telescopic adjustment type steering according to claim 1, wherein the electric actuator includes a rod in which an outer rod and an inner rod are connected via a connecting member that allows contraction of the outer rod and the inner rod when a secondary collision load is applied. apparatus. A steering column that has an outer column and an inner column that are relatively telescopically connected, and that rotatably supports a steering shaft to which a steering wheel is attached, one end of the steering column and the other end An electric actuator attached to the inner column and extending and contracting the outer column and the inner column; and the electric actuator is detachably attached to a column far from the steering wheel when an impact load is input. An electric telescopic adjustable steering device,
An electric telescopic adjustment type steering apparatus characterized in that a coupling portion between the outer column and the inner column, the column closer to the steering wheel, and the electric actuator has a pivot connection structure.

Images