JP2008100643A - Steering lock device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering lock device capable of giving priority to the operational speed or the drawing force of a lock shaft according to the engagement state of the lock shaft to a steering shaft. <P>SOLUTION: In the steering lock device 10 having a transmission mechanism for transmitting the power of an electric motor 22 to a lock shaft 30 to be engaged/disengaged with/from a steering shaft, the transmission mechanism comprises a shaft part 24a to be rotated according to the operation of the electric motor 22 and a winder 26 which is engaged with the shaft part 24a to transmit the operation of the electric motor 22 to the lock shaft 30. When the lock shaft 30 is disengaged from the steering shaft, the shaft part 24a and the winder 26 are integrally rotated in a normal state. On the other hand, when the drawing force of the predetermined magnitude or more is required for the lock shaft 30, the winder 26 is moved in the axial direction with respect to the shaft part 24a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering lock device for locking a steering wheel of an automobile or the like.

  Conventionally, a steering lock device has been used to lock a steering wheel for the purpose of preventing theft of a vehicle such as an automobile. Normally, in the steering lock device, the lock shaft enters a recessed portion formed in the outer peripheral portion of the steering shaft connected to the steering wheel to enter a locked state, while the lock shaft escapes from the recessed portion to unlock. Become locked.

In the conventional electric steering lock device, since there is only one driving method of the lock shaft, it is difficult to achieve both the operation speed of the lock shaft and the pulling force. For example, the steering lock device disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 employs a method in which a cam follower moves along a cam groove so that the lock shaft moves forward and backward with respect to the steering shaft. By giving the speed to the speed, the operating range in which the operating speed of the lock shaft is given priority and the operating range in which the priority is given to increase the pulling force of the lock shaft are divided.
JP 2006-15984 A

  However, in this steering lock device, the lock shaft always operates at a predetermined position regardless of the meshing state between the lock shaft and the steering shaft. It was not possible to operate with priority given to either of the pulling forces.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a steering lock device that can prioritize the operation speed or the pull-out force of the lock member in accordance with the engagement state of the lock member with the movable member.

In order to achieve the object, the present invention is mounted on a vehicle and a lock member that locks or unlocks the movable member by engaging or disengaging the movable member that is interlocked with the operation of the steering wheel. In a steering lock device comprising an actuator that is operated by electric power supplied from a battery, and a transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the actuator to the lock member,
The transmission mechanism includes a shaft member that rotates in response to the operation of the actuator, and a cam member that engages with the shaft member and transmits the operation of the actuator to the lock member. When the engagement is released, the shaft member and the cam member rotate integrally in a normal state. On the other hand, when a pulling force of a predetermined amount or more is required for the lock member, the cam member moves against the shaft member. Thus, it is configured to move in the axial direction.

  According to this configuration, by providing the cam member capable of rotating and linearly moving with respect to the shaft member as a member for transmitting power to the lock member, two methods can be adopted for driving the lock member. That is, when the cam member moves linearly with respect to the shaft member, the lock member operates at a low speed but a large pulling force is obtained. On the other hand, when the cam member rotates with respect to the shaft member, the lock member pulls out a small force but increases the operating speed. Can do. Therefore, in a normal state in which no load is applied to the lock member, priority is given to quickly moving the lock member by rotation of the cam member, and the distal end portion of the lock member is pressed by the concave side surface of the movable member to lock when unlocked. When a large pulling force is required for the member, priority can be given to pulling out the lock member with a large force by linear movement of the cam member. In this way, priority can be given to the operating speed or pull-out force for the lock member according to the state of engagement of the lock member with the movable member.

  In the steering lock device of the present invention, the cam member is a substantially cylindrical member that engages with the lock member, and a female screw is formed in a through hole thereof, and the shaft member is formed on the outer periphery of the cam member. An external thread corresponding to the internal thread may be provided, and the cam member and the shaft member may be screwed together and assembled.

According to this configuration, since the shaft member is screwed into the through hole of the cam member by a screw, and the lead of the screw is generally small, a large pulling force is exerted as when the lock member is engaged with the movable member. Even if necessary, the engagement between the lock member and the movable member can be reliably released by moving the cam member linearly with respect to the shaft member with the screw.
In addition, since a frictional force is generated between the female screw of the cam member and the male screw of the shaft member, when the pulling force necessary for releasing the engagement of the lock member is less than a predetermined amount, the cam member is moved by the frictional force. It can be configured to rotate integrally with the shaft member.

  In the steering lock device of the present invention, a cam groove that engages with the lock member is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the cam member, and stopper portions that contact the lock member are formed at both ends of the cam groove. Provided, and the distance that the lock member moves with respect to the shaft member between the one stopper portion of the cam groove and the other stopper portion is set to be larger than the lead of the screw. Is preferred.

  According to this configuration, the distance that the lock member moves with respect to the shaft member between the one stopper portion of the cam groove and the other stopper portion is set larger than the lead of the screw. The operating speed of the rectilinear movement of the lock member in the cam groove due to the rotation of the cam member can be made faster than the rectilinear movement of the cam member and thus the lock member by the screw.

  Furthermore, in the steering lock device of the present invention, the shaft member may be disposed in parallel with the advancing / retreating direction of the lock member.

  According to this configuration, since the straight movement of the cam member by the shaft member can be transmitted to the lock member as it is, power transmission from the cam member to the lock member can be efficiently performed with the simplest configuration.

  As described above, according to the steering lock device of the present invention, priority can be given to the operating speed or pull-out force for the lock member in accordance with the engagement state of the lock member with the movable member.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following description, the words “up”, “bottom”, “left”, “right”, “front”, “back”, “vertical”, “horizontal” are used for convenience. It is not intended to limit the configuration.

  FIG. 1 shows an electric steering lock device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention with a housing 12 removed from a lid 14. The housing 12 is formed, for example, as an integrally molded product made of metal or resin, and has a lower end portion that is open and includes a housing space inside. A substantially semi-cylindrical curved surface portion 16 is formed at the upper end of the housing 12. In addition, a lock shaft insertion hole 18 made of, for example, a substantially rectangular opening is formed in a substantially central portion of the curved surface portion 16.

  The lid 14 is also made of an integrally molded product made of, for example, metal or resin. A plurality of support portions 15 (see FIG. 2) are erected on the lid 14. The support unit 15 supports a lock unit 20 and a switch case 21 which will be described later, and is integrated (modularized) with the lid 14. The housing 12 is modularized by fixing the lock unit 20 and the switch case 21 etc. to the lid 14, and then, for example, a screw (not shown) is attached to the lid 14 with the lock unit 20 and the switch case 21 etc. accommodated therein. It is fixed by.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the lock unit 20. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the lock unit 20 generally includes an electric motor (actuator) 22, a worm wheel 24, a winder (cam member) 26, a slider (lock member) 28, and a lock shaft (lock member) 30. It is configured. The worm wheel 24, the winder 26, and the worm gear coupled to the electric motor 22 described later constitute a transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the electric motor 22 to the lock shaft 30.

  The electric motor 22 is fixed by the support portion 15 on the lid 14. The terminal portion 22b of the electric motor 22 is directly connected to a terminal portion 32 (see FIG. 3) provided in the switch case 21 so that electric power is supplied to the electric motor 22 from an in-vehicle battery (not shown). It has become. As described above, since the electrical connection is completed immediately after the electric motor 22 is fixed to the lid 14, a harness for electrical connection is not required, and assembly work is facilitated by one-touch connection. become.

  A worm gear 23 is fixed to the shaft portion 22 a of the electric motor 22. The worm wheel 24 is rotatably supported by a shaft-like support portion 15 a erected on the lid 14. The worm wheel 24 has a cylindrical shaft portion (shaft member) 24a extending upward. A trapezoidal screw (lead 1 between pitches) which is a male screw is cut on the outer peripheral portion of the shaft portion 24a. Further, the worm wheel 24 has a protruding regulating portion 24b at the lower base end portion of the shaft portion 24a. The worm gear 23 of the electric motor 22 is screwed to the worm wheel 24. Thereby, the rotational power of the electric motor 22 is transmitted to the worm wheel 24 through the worm gear 23. Further, the shaft portion 24a is disposed in parallel to the slider 28 and the lock shaft 30, which will be described later, in the up / down linearly moving direction or the forward / backward direction. As a result, the straight movement of the winder 26 by the shaft portion 24a can be transmitted as it is to the slider 28 and the lock shaft 30, so that the power transmission from the winder 26 to the lock shaft 30 can be efficiently performed with the simplest configuration. .

  The winder 26 has a substantially cylindrical shape having a through hole 26a penetrating in the axial direction, and an internal thread corresponding to the thread shape of the shaft portion 24a of the worm wheel 24 is cut on the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 26a. . Accordingly, the winder 26 is attached to the worm wheel 24 in a state of being screwed to the shaft portion 24a of the worm wheel 24, and moves linearly in the vertical direction in the axial direction of the shaft portion 24a according to the rotation of the worm wheel 24, or The worm wheel 24 is rotated together with the worm wheel 24. A cam groove 27 is formed on the outer periphery of the winder 26. The cam groove 27 is formed over approximately 360 degrees in the circumferential direction, and both end portions are rotation stopper portions (stopper portions) 27a and 27b each having a stepped portion. The cam groove 27 is formed to extend in an oblique direction that forms an acute angle with respect to a plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the winder 26 so as to form a part of a spiral.

  The slider 28 is supported by the support portion 15 of the lid 14 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. The slider 28 has an engaging portion 34 that protrudes in the lateral direction and is integrally formed. The engaging portion 34 is engaged with the cam groove 27 of the winder 26. Thus, when the winder 26 moves up and down or rotates with the worm wheel 24, the engaging portion 34 moves relative to the winder 26 or along the cam groove 27 of the winder 26, so that the slider 28 also moves up and down. It has become.

  When the winder 26 rotates with the worm wheel 24, the relative movement of the engaging portion 34 along the cam groove 27 from the position where the engaging portion 34 contacts the one end 27a of the cam groove 27 until the engaging portion 34 contacts the other end 27b of the cam groove 27 is performed. The moving distance L of the slider 28 (that is, the moving distance of the lock shaft 30) L is set to be larger than the lead l between the screw pitches of the shaft portion 24a of the worm wheel 24 (that is, L> l).

  The central portion of the slider 28 is an accommodating portion 36 that is open at the top and one side and has a bottom at the bottom. The slider 28 is provided with a truncated cone-shaped spring receiving portion 38 on the same side as the engaging portion 34, and a switch operating portion 40 is provided on the opposite side of the engaging portion 34. .

  The lower end of a coil-shaped unlocking spring 42 is fitted and locked to the spring receiving portion 38 of the slider 28. The hook at the upper end of the unlock spring 42 is hooked on the inner surface of the housing 12 assembled to the lid 14. Accordingly, the unlock spring 42 presses and urges the slider 28 (and eventually the lock shaft 30 assembled to the slider 28) in the unlocking direction, the retracting direction, or the downward direction in the assembled state.

  The lock shaft 30 is made of, for example, a flat, vertically long rectangular casting, and has an engagement portion 44 having a trapezoidal shape in side view at the tip or upper end. Further, the lock shaft 30 is formed with a long hole 46 extending in the vertical direction and penetrating in the thickness direction slightly below the center in the vertical direction. Further, a spring accommodating recess 48 is formed at the lower end of the lock shaft 30.

  As will be described later, when the lock shaft 30 is in the locked position, the engaging portion 44 protruding from the insertion hole 18 of the housing 12 is engaged with the concave portion of the steering shaft (movable member) to be locked. When the lock shaft 30 is in the unlocked position, the engaging portion 44 is retracted into the housing 12 to be disengaged from the steering shaft and become unlocked.

  When the lock shaft 30 is disposed in the housing portion 36 of the slider 28, the lock shaft 30 penetrates through the long hole 46 of the lock shaft 30 and both ends are supported by both side walls of the housing portion 36 of the slider 28. Assembled into. The lock shaft 30 assembled in this manner moves up and down together with the slider 28, but since the pin 50 can move in the longitudinal direction within the long hole 46, the lock shaft 30 moves in the vertical direction with respect to the slider 28. The relative movement is possible. Further, the lock spring 52 accommodated in the spring accommodating recess 48 of the lock shaft 30 is disposed in a state of being sandwiched between the lock shaft 30 and the bottom portion of the accommodating portion 36 of the slider 28, whereby the lock shaft 30 is The pin 50 is in contact with the lower end of the long hole 46 by being pressed and urged in the locking direction, the protruding direction, or upward by the lock spring 52.

FIG. 3 is a partially exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of the switch case 21 and the position block 80 with a part of the switch case 21 removed.
A connector 21a for supplying electric power from the vehicle-mounted battery to the electric steering lock device 10 is integrally formed at the lower rear portion of the switch case 21 (see FIG. 1). A printed circuit board 53 is latched and held on the rear surface of the switch case 21 by latching claws 51 (only the upper one is shown) provided on the top and bottom of the switch case 21, respectively. The printed circuit board 53 is electrically connected to a terminal portion (not shown) provided in the switch case 21 so that power is supplied from the in-vehicle battery. Further, the printed circuit board 53 determines the position of the lock shaft 30 by electrically connecting a mounted electric circuit including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to each position detection switch described later. It can function as a position determination means.

  On the printed circuit board 53 facing the accommodation space 58 in the switch case 21, a lock position detection switch 54 and an unlock position detection switch 56 are mounted close to each other in the vertical direction. Each of the position detection switches 54 and 56 is constituted by a limit switch having plate switch pieces 54a and 54b that can be swung, for example.

  In the switch case 21, a detent portion 60 is disposed and accommodated adjacent to the position detection switches 54 and 56 in the lateral direction. The detent portion 60 is formed with a recess having a bottom curved in a substantially arc shape on the side opposite to the printed circuit board 53 (that is, on the lock unit 20 side). A first detent recess 64 having a substantially V-shaped cross section is formed at a position, and a second detent recess 66 having a substantially V-shaped cross section is formed adjacent to the upper side of the first detent recess 64. In addition, an inclined surface 68 is formed which extends continuously from the second detent recess 66 and curves upward in a substantially arc shape.

  A mounting hole 70 having one end expanded in a tapered shape is formed in the lower portion of the detent portion 60. A coiled return spring 72 is inserted into the attachment hole 70 from the printed board 53 side and attached. The return spring 72 has a ring portion provided at one end thereof press-fitted into the taper portion of the mounting hole 70, so that the mounting hole 70 is pressed even if the other end protruding from the detent portion 60 is pressed by a position block 80 described later. It is designed not to get out of it.

As shown in FIG. 3, the switch case 21 is provided with an accommodation hole 74 having an opening facing the lock unit 21 and including a rectangular parallelepiped space. On both side walls (a part of the switch case 21) in the lateral direction of the accommodation hole 74, swinging shafts 76 having a small protrusion amount and having an inclined surface on the opening side are respectively projected. On the other hand, the position block 80 is formed with bearing holes 82 penetrating in the lateral direction and opening on both side surfaces. As a result, when the position block 80 is pushed into the accommodation hole 74 from the opening of the switch case 21, the inclined surfaces of the swing shaft 76 come into contact with both side surfaces of the position block 80, so that both side walls of the accommodation hole 74 are lateral The position block 80 is swingably attached to the receiving hole 74 by being pushed outward and being further inserted into the bearing hole 82 by pushing the position block 80 into the bearing hole 82. The position block 80 attached in this way protrudes from the opening of the accommodation hole 74 by a predetermined amount toward the lock unit 21 (see FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the position block 80 is substantially Y-shaped in a side view, and protrudes forward (that is, on the lock unit 20 side) at both ends that extend to both sides across the bearing hole 82. The side surfaces of the protrusions on the bearing hole 82 side are respectively a lock-side contact surface 84 and an unlock-side contact surface 86 so as to contact the switch operating portion 40 of the slider 28 that moves up and down as will be described later. It has become. Further, locking projections 88 and unlocking projections 90 are provided on the rear surfaces of both ends of the position block 80, respectively. The protrusions 88 and 90 face or contact the switch pieces 54a and 56a of the lock position detection switches 54 and 56, respectively, when the position block 80 is assembled to the switch case 21.

  The position block 80 has legs 92 extending backward. A receiving recess 94 is formed at the tip of the leg 92, and the detent 60 is received in the receiving recess 94 when attached to the switch case 21 as described above. Further, the leg portion 92 of the position block 80 is formed with a spring accommodation hole 96 at the bottom of the accommodation recess 94. The position block 80 is assembled to the switch case 21 in a state where the detent spring 98 and the steel ball 100 are accommodated in a spring accommodation hole 96 provided in the leg 92. As a result, the steel ball 100 is biased outward by the detent spring 98, partially protrudes from the spring accommodation hole 96, and is in pressure contact with the bottom of the recess of the detent portion 60.

Next, an unlocking operation and a locking operation in the lock unit 20 of the steering lock device 10 having the above-described configuration will be described.
The steering lock device 10 is disposed at a corresponding position at which the lock shaft 30 can be advanced and retracted through an opening formed in a cylindrical steering column (not shown) covering the periphery of the steering shaft (not shown). In a state where the curved surface portion 16 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the steering column, the curved surface portion 16 is fixed by a method such as screwing. On the outer periphery of the steering shaft, a plurality of recesses into which the engaging portions 44 of the lock shaft 30 can be fitted are formed at an equal pitch over the entire periphery. The steering shaft is a movable member that rotates in conjunction with the operation of a steering wheel (not shown).

  When engine startup or driving is prohibited for a vehicle (for example, when a user with a regular electronic key is not in the vehicle and is not near the vehicle), the lock shaft 30 is in the locked position. At this time, the steering shaft is locked because the engaging portion 44 of the lock shaft 30 is engaged in the recess of the steering shaft.

  FIG. 4 shows the unlocking operation in a normal state in which a large pulling force is not required for the lock shaft 30 when the lock shaft 30 is retracted from the recess of the steering shaft to release the engagement.

  In state A, the lock shaft 30 is in the locked position, and the engaging portion 44 at the tip thereof is engaged in the recess of the steering shaft. At this time, since the side surface in the recess is not in pressure contact with the side surface of the engaging portion 44, a large pulling force is not required for releasing the engagement of the lock shaft 30 from the steering shaft. Further, when the lock shaft 30 is in the locked position, the engaging portion 34 of the slider 28 is positioned in the cam groove 27 of the winder 26 and is in contact with one rotation stopper portion 27a.

  For example, when a user having a regular electronic key gets into a car and an engine operation switch is pressed, power is supplied to the electric motor 22 of the electric steering lock device 10 in response to a start signal from a host ECU (host electronic control device). It is operated forward. Thereby, the motive power of the electric motor 22 is transmitted through the worm gear 23, and the worm wheel 24 rotates counterclockwise on the top view.

  At this time, as described above, in the normal state, the pulling force of the lock shaft 30 is relatively light. Therefore, the frictional force between the male screw of the shaft portion 24a of the worm wheel 24 and the female screw of the winder 26 is greater than the frictional force between the engaging portion 34 of the slider 28 and the side surface of the cam groove 27 of the winder 26. Is rotated together with the worm wheel 24. As a result, when the winder 26 starts to rotate together with the worm wheel 24, the engaging portion 34 of the slider 28 moves away from the rotation stopper portion 27a of the cam groove 27 of the winder 26 and moves along the cam groove 27. As shown in B, the lock shaft 30 linearly moves downward from the locked position toward the unlocking direction. As a result, the engaging portion 44 of the lock shaft 30 escapes from the recess of the steering shaft and is disengaged (ie unlocked).

  When the winder 26 further rotates, the engaging portion 34 moves along the cam groove 27 and the lock shaft 30 further moves down to the state C. At this time, the engaging portion 34 is the other rotation stopper portion of the cam groove 27. 27b, and further rotation of the winder 26 is restricted. At this time, the engaging portion 44 of the lock shaft 30 has already escaped from the recess of the steering shaft, but the lock shaft 30 has not yet reached the unlock position.

  Even after reaching the state C, the electric motor 22 continues to rotate forward. As a result, the worm wheel 24 also continues to rotate. At this time, since the winder 26 is already restricted in rotation, the winder 26 is screw-driven with respect to the shaft portion 24a while keeping the engagement portion 34 in contact with the other rotation stopper portion 27b of the cam groove 27. Accordingly, the slider 28 and the lock shaft 30 are also moved linearly downward to reach the unlock position shown in the state D.

  At this time, the lower surface of the winder 26 is brought into contact with a restricting portion 24b provided at the base end portion of the shaft portion 24a of the worm wheel 24, so that further downward movement is restricted and accurately stopped at the unlock position. At the same time, the operation of the electric motor 22 is also stopped.

  In the unlocking operation described above, the urging force with which the unlock spring 42 presses the slider 28 is maximum in the state A and minimum in the state D. The unlock spring 42 serves to assist the pulling force of the lock shaft 30.

  Next, the unlocking operation at the time of stationary will be described with reference to FIG. Here, “at the time of stationary” means that when the engaging portion 44 of the lock shaft 30 is fitted in the recess of the steering shaft, torque is applied to the steering shaft so that the side surface of the recess becomes the engaging portion. 44 is a state in which the side surface 44 is in strong pressure contact and requires a large pulling force of a predetermined amount or more to pull out the lock shaft 30, and the torque or load acting on the lock shaft 30 at this time is referred to as "stationary torque".

  In the state A, similarly to FIG. 4, the lock shaft 30 is in the locked position, and one rotation stopper portion 27 a of the cam groove 27 of the winder 26 is in contact with the engaging portion 34 of the slider 28. From this state, the electric motor 22 starts normal rotation driving so as to perform the unlocking operation similarly to the case of FIG. At this time, since a stationary torque is applied to the lock shaft 30, the pulling force becomes very large as compared with the normal state. Therefore, the friction force between the engaging portion 34 of the slider 28 and the side surface of the cam groove 27 of the winder 26 is superior to the friction force between the male screw of the shaft portion 24 a of the worm wheel 24 and the female screw of the winder 26. Without rotating with the worm wheel 24, the shaft portion 24 rotates counterclockwise in the top view relative to the winder 26. Thereby, the winder 26 linearly moves downward by screw driving without rotating. Along with this, the lock shaft 30 also moves linearly downward, and moves downward until the lower surface of the winder 26 abuts against the restricting portion 24b. At this time, the engagement portion 44 of the lock shaft 30 is in a state of being released from the recess of the steering lock shaft and released (ie, unlocked).

  As described above, when the stationary torque is applied, the lock shaft 30 is moved downward by the screw drive, so that the operation speed is slower than the operation by the cam groove 27 as in the case of FIG. A pulling force can be obtained, and the lock shaft 30 to which the stationary torque is applied can be reliably pulled out.

  The force required to move the lock shaft 30 after the engagement with the steering shaft is released may be relatively small. Therefore, after the state G, the frictional force between the male screw of the shaft portion 24a of the worm wheel 24 and the female screw of the winder 26 is larger than the frictional force between the engaging portion 34 of the slider 28 and the side surface of the cam groove 27 of the winder 26. In order to win, the winder 26 is rotated together with the worm wheel 24. As a result, when the winder 26 rotates together with the worm wheel 24, the engaging portion 34 of the slider 28 moves away from the rotation stopper portion 27 a of the cam groove 27 of the winder 26 and moves along the cam groove 27. As shown, the lock shaft 30 further linearly moves downward. When the engaging portion 34 of the slider 28 comes into contact with the other rotation stopper portion 27b of the cam groove 27, the lock shaft 30 reaches the unlock position shown in the state D, and at the same time, the operation of the electric motor 22 is stopped. Is done.

  As described above, according to the electric steering lock device 10 of the present embodiment, the winder 26 that can rotate and move linearly with respect to the shaft portion 24a is provided as a member that transmits power to the lock shaft 30. Two methods can be adopted for driving the lock shaft 30. That is, when the winder 26 moves linearly with respect to the shaft portion 24a, the lock shaft 30 operates at a low speed but a large pulling force is obtained. On the other hand, when the winder 26 rotates with respect to the shaft portion 24a, the lock shaft 30 pulls out with a small pulling force. Can be faster. Therefore, in a normal state where the lock shaft 30 is not particularly loaded, priority is given to quickly moving the lock shaft 30 by the rotation of the cam groove 27 of the winder 26, and since the stationary torque is applied, the lock shaft 30 is locked when unlocked. When a large pulling force is required for the shaft 30, priority can be given to pulling out the lock shaft 30 with a large force by the linear movement of the winder 26. Thus, priority can be given to the operating speed or pull-out force of the lock shaft 30 according to the engagement state of the lock shaft 30 with the steering shaft.

  Further, since the shaft portion 24a and the winder 26 are screwed together and the lead 1 of the screw is generally small, even if the lock shaft 30 is subjected to a stationary torque and requires a large pulling force when unlocked, By causing the winder 26 to move linearly with respect to the shaft portion 24a by driving, the engagement between the lock shaft 30 and the steering shaft can be reliably released.

  In addition, since a frictional force is generated between the female screw of the winder 26 and the male screw of the shaft portion 24a, when the pulling force necessary for releasing the engagement of the lock shaft 30 is a predetermined amount or less, the winder is driven by the frictional force. 26 can rotate integrally with the shaft portion 24a.

  Further, a distance L that moves relative to the shaft portion 24a from the time when the engaging portion 34 of the slider 28 comes into contact with the other rotation stopper portion 27b of the cam groove 27 of the winder 26 is the screw lead. Since it is set to be larger than l, the operating speed of the linear movement of the lock shaft 30 in the cam groove 27 by the rotation of the winder 26 can be made faster than the linear movement of the winder 26 and thus the lock shaft 30 driven by the screw. it can.

Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the locking operation in the lock unit 20 of the electric steering lock device 10 will be described.
4 and 5, in the state D, the lock shaft 30 is in the unlock position.

  For example, when it is detected that the user who has the regular electronic key has stopped the engine, or has stopped the engine and the vehicle door has been closed and has moved away from the automobile by a predetermined distance or more, the host ECU A lock command is transmitted to the device 10. In response to this instruction, the printed circuit board 53 operates the electric motor 22 in the reverse direction. Thereby, the power of the electric motor 22 is transmitted through the worm gear 23, and the worm wheel 24 rotates in the clockwise direction on the top view.

  At this time, the pushing force for linearly moving the lock shaft 30 upward may be small. Therefore, the frictional force between the male screw of the shaft portion 24a of the worm wheel 24 and the female screw of the winder 26 is greater than the frictional force between the engaging portion 34 of the slider 28 and the side surface of the cam groove 27 of the winder 26. Is rotated together with the worm wheel 24. As a result, when the winder 26 together with the worm wheel 24 starts to rotate in the clockwise direction as viewed from above, the engaging portion 34 of the slider 28 moves away from the other rotation stopper portion 27 b of the cam groove 27 of the winder 26 and enters the cam groove 27. Accordingly, as shown in the state E, the lock shaft 30 linearly moves upward from the unlock position toward the lock direction.

  As the winder 26 further rotates, the lock shaft 30 linearly moves upward, but when the engaging portion 34 of the slider 28 comes into a state F in contact with one rotation stopper portion 27a of the cam groove 27, the winder 26 Rotation will be restricted. Thereafter, since the reverse rotation of the electric motor 22 is continued, the worm wheel 24 and the shaft portion 24a continue to rotate. Thereby, the winder 26 linearly moves upward with respect to the shaft portion 24a by screw driving without rotating. Along with this, the lock shaft 30 also linearly moves upward to reach the lock position shown in the state A, and the drive of the electric motor 22 is stopped. Thereby, the engaging portion 44 of the lock shaft 30 is fitted into the recess of the steering shaft, and the steering shaft (and the steering wheel) is locked.

  Incidentally, FIG. 7 shows the lock operation state when the engagement portion 44 of the lock shaft 30 cannot be fitted into the recess because the position of the recess of the steering shaft is shifted during the lock operation. The state D and the state E in this case are the same as those in FIG. When the engaging portion 34 of the slider 28 is brought into a state F in which the engaging portion 34 is in contact with one rotation stopper portion 27a of the cam groove 27, the rotation of the winder 26 is restricted. Thereafter, since the reverse rotation of the electric motor 22 is continued, the worm wheel 24 and the shaft portion 24a continue to rotate. When the lock shaft 30 linearly moves further upward from the state E, the tip of the engaging portion 44 of the lock shaft 30 abuts on the outer peripheral surface between the recesses of the steering shaft, so that further upward movement is restricted. It will be. However, since the reverse drive of the electric motor 22 is continued, the winder 26 is moved upward with respect to the shaft portion 24a by the screw drive, and the slider 28 is also moved upward accordingly.

  At this time, since the upward movement of the lock shaft 30 is restricted, the lock shaft 30 moves relative to the slider 28 by moving the pin 50 in the long hole 46 of the lock shaft 30. The relative movement amount becomes the compression amount of the lock spring 52, whereby the lock shaft 52 is strongly urged in the locking direction or upward by the lock spring 52. Thereafter, when the steering shaft is rotated by the operation of the steering wheel and the position of the recess coincides with the engaging portion 44 of the lock shaft 30, the lock shaft 30 is moved upward by the urging force of the lock spring 52 to engage with the engaging portion 44. Fits into the recess and the steering shaft is locked. As described above, the electric steering lock device 10 of the present embodiment is configured so that the locked state is automatically completed even when the position of the recess of the steering shaft is shifted during the locking operation.

The perspective view which shows the electric steering lock apparatus which is one Embodiment of this invention in the state which removed the housing from the lid. The disassembled perspective view of a lock unit. The partial exploded perspective view which shows the internal structure and position block of a switch case in the state which removed a part of switch case. The figure which shows the unlocking operation in a normal state with time. The figure which shows the unlocking operation at the time of stationary over time. The figure which shows a normal lock operation | movement over time. The figure which shows the locking operation | movement when the recessed part position of a steering shaft has shifted | deviated from the engaging part of a lock shaft with time.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Steering shaft 2 ... Recess 10 ... Electric steering lock device 12 ... Housing 14 ... Lid 20 ... Lock unit 21 ... Switch case 22 ... Electric motor 24 ... Worm gear 24a ... Shaft part (shaft member)
26 ... Winder (cam member)
27 ... Cam groove 28 ... Slider (lock member)
30 ... Lock shaft (lock member)
53 ... Printed circuit board 54 ... Lock position detection switch 56 ... Unlock position detection means 60 ... Detent portion 64 ... First detent recess 66 ... Second detent recess 68 ... Inclined surface 80 ... Position block 98 ... Detent spring 100 ... Steel ball

Claims (4)

A lock member that locks or unlocks the movable member by engaging or disengaging the movable member that is interlocked with the operation of the steering wheel; and an actuator that is operated by electric power supplied from a battery mounted on the vehicle. A steering lock device comprising: a transmission mechanism for transmitting the power of the actuator to the lock member;
The transmission mechanism includes a shaft member that rotates in response to the operation of the actuator, and a cam member that engages with the shaft member and transmits the operation of the actuator to the lock member. When the engagement is released, the shaft member and the cam member rotate integrally in a normal state. On the other hand, when a pulling force of a predetermined amount or more is required for the lock member, the cam member moves against the shaft member. And a steering lock device configured to move in the axial direction.   The cam member is a substantially cylindrical member that engages with the lock member, and a female screw is formed in a through hole thereof. The shaft member has a male screw corresponding to the female screw of the cam member on an outer peripheral portion. The steering lock device according to claim 1, wherein the cam member and the shaft member are screwed together and assembled.   A cam groove that engages with the lock member is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the cam member, and stopper portions that contact the lock member are provided at both ends of the cam groove, and the lock member is connected to the cam groove. 3. The distance of movement with respect to the shaft member between the one stopper portion and the other stopper portion is set to be larger than the lead of the screw. Steering lock device.   4. The steering lock device according to claim 1, wherein the shaft member is disposed in parallel with a forward / backward direction of the lock member. 5.

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