JP2010274712A - Electric steering lock device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric steering lock device reduced in the thickness not requiring a large arrangement space extending in a radial direction beside a steering shaft. <P>SOLUTION: The electric steering lock device includes a gear member 30 rotating by a driving force of an electric motor 23 and having a cam surface 34 displacing in the extending direction of a rotary shaft 33, and a lock member 40 capable of moving between a lock position at which projects in the extending direction of the rotary shaft 33 of the gear member 30 to engage with a steering shaft 1 and an unlock position at which the engagement is released by rotating in conjunction with the displacement of the cam surface 34 caused by the rotation of the gear member 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

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

  In this type of electric steering lock device, an engagement recess is provided on the outer periphery of a steering shaft that rotates in accordance with a steering operation. In the electric steering lock device, when the driver performs a stop operation of the engine of the automobile with a key or the like, the lock member advances by the drive of the electric motor and engages with the engagement recess. Thus, the steering is locked by restricting the rotation of the steering shaft. On the other hand, in the electric steering lock device, when the driver starts the engine with a key or the like, the lock member is retracted by the drive of the electric motor, and the engagement with the engagement recess is released. Thus, the steering is unlocked by releasing the rotation restriction of the steering shaft. The engine is started after unlocking.

  Such an electric steering lock device is described in Patent Document 1. The electric steering lock device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a cam gear that rotates with the driving force of an electric motor. The cam gear is provided with a cam groove having a spiral shape. An engagement pin of the lock member is engaged with this cam groove. The lock member advances when the engagement pin moves to the outer peripheral side along the cam groove by driving the electric motor. The lock member is configured to retract when the engagement pin moves toward the center along the cam groove by driving the electric motor.

  However, since this electric steering lock device has an outer shape that extends long along the advancing / retreating direction of the lock member, the electric steering lock device is disposed beside the steering shaft so as to extend in the radial direction. A large space is required. Further, the electric steering lock device may interfere with the driver's knee at the time of collision depending on the arrangement position.

JP-T-2006-525170

  The present invention has been made in view of the conventional problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an electric steering lock device capable of being thinned without requiring a large arrangement space extending radially in the side of the steering shaft. It is.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an electric steering lock device according to the present invention includes a gear member having a cam surface that is rotated by a driving force of an electric motor and is displaced along an extending direction of a rotating shaft, and the rotation of the gear member. A lock position that projects along the extending direction of the rotating shaft of the gear member by engaging with the displacement of the cam surface and engages the steering shaft; and an unlock position that releases the engagement. And a lock member movable between the two.

  In this electric steering lock device, since the lock member is projected along the extending direction of the rotation shaft of the gear member, the electric steering lock device is attached to the steering shaft so that the radial direction of the gear member is along the longitudinal side of the steering shaft. Can be arranged. That is, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the electric steering lock device with respect to the radial direction of the steering shaft. As a result, a large space extending in the radial direction on the outer peripheral portion of the steering shaft becomes unnecessary. Thus, the driver's knee does not interfere with the electric steering lock device.

  In this electric steering lock device, the lock member includes a driven portion that is in sliding contact with the cam surface of the gear member on one end side, a lock portion that engages with the steering shaft on the other end side, and a rotation shaft in the intermediate portion. It is preferable that the lock member is directly operated by a cam surface of the gear member.

  In this way, it is possible to configure the electric steering lock device with a small number of parts, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  The lock member is preferably arranged so as to extend along a radial direction of the gear member.

  In this way, since the longitudinal side of the lock member is arranged along the radial direction of the gear member, the overall thickness of the electric steering lock device can be reduced.

  Furthermore, the cam portion forming the cam surface is preferably provided so as to protrude from the upper surface along the outer peripheral edge of the gear portion of the gear member having a substantially disk shape along the extending direction of the rotation shaft of the gear member.

  If it does in this way, it will become possible to comprise simply the gear member which operates a rotary lock member.

  In the electric steering lock device of the present invention, since the lock member protrudes along the extending direction of the rotation shaft of the gear member, the electric steering lock device is attached to the steering shaft so that the radial direction of the gear member is along the longitudinal side of the steering shaft. Can be placed against. That is, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the electric steering lock device with respect to the radial direction of the steering shaft. As a result, a large space extending in the radial direction on the outer peripheral portion of the steering shaft becomes unnecessary. Thus, the driver's knee does not interfere with the electric steering lock device. Therefore, a wide space can be secured for the driver's feet, and safety when the vehicle collides can be improved.

It is a perspective view showing an electric steering lock device of an embodiment concerning the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the locked state of a locking member. It is a top view which shows the assembly state except a cover. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the unlocking state of a locking member. The operation state of an electric steering lock device is shown, (A) is a sectional view showing a locked state, and (B) is a sectional view showing an unlocked state.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an electric steering lock device (hereinafter abbreviated as “lock device”) 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The locking device 10 is disposed on an outer peripheral portion of a steering shaft 1 (illustrated in FIG. 5) having a steering (not illustrated) for steering a vehicle disposed at the upper end. The locking device 10 unlocks the steering so that it can be steered when the driver starts the engine with a key or the like, and locks the steering so that it cannot be steered when the engine is stopped.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5A, the steering shaft 1 of the vehicle has a columnar shape and is inserted into a steering column 2 having a rectangular cylindrical shape in the passenger compartment. The steering column 2 is provided with a through hole 3 at the mounting position of the lock device 10. Further, a collar 4 is disposed on the steering shaft 1 so as not to move relative to the steering shaft 1 at the position where the through hole 3 is formed. The collar 4 has a cylindrical shape, and engagement recesses 5 extending in the axial direction are provided on the outer periphery of the collar 4 at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction.

  In the locking device 10 of the present embodiment, an electric motor 23, a gear member 30, and a lock member 40 are disposed inside an exterior body composed of a case 11 and a cover 18.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the case 11 has a bottomed rectangular tube shape with one end opening. On the bottom of the case 11, a pair of lock member shaft support portions 12 having U-shaped grooves that are open upward are provided. The case 11 is provided with a bearing portion 13 for rotatably mounting the gear member 30. Further, the case 11 is provided with a motor storage portion 14 in the vicinity of the bearing portion 13 and a motor shaft support portion 15 with a predetermined distance from the motor storage portion 14.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5A, the cover 18 is formed of a rectangular flat plate that closes the upper end opening of the case 11. On the inner surface of the cover 18, a pair of pressing portions (not shown) are provided so as to face the lock member shaft support portion 12 in the assembled state. The cover 18 is provided with a similar bearing portion 19 at a position facing the bearing portion 13. Further, the cover 18 is provided with a lock member insertion hole 20 at the end opposite to the bearing portion 19 in which a lock portion 43 of the lock member 40 described later can be projected and retracted with respect to the outside. A mounting portion 21 that protrudes from the upper surface (outer surface) of the cover 18 into a substantially rectangular tube shape and fits into the through hole 3 of the steering column 2 is provided at the outer edge of the lock member insertion hole 20.

  The electric motor 23 is a drive unit for operating the lock member 40 via the gear member 30. The electric motor 23 is supplied with electric power via a wiring (not shown) disposed in the case 11 and is rotated forward and backward by a control circuit (not shown) mounted on the vehicle. When electric power is supplied to the electric motor 23, the output shaft 24 rotates in the lock operation direction (forward rotation) or the unlock operation direction (reverse rotation) depending on the energization direction. The output shaft 24 is provided with a worm 25 formed with helical teeth. As shown in FIG. 3, the electric motor 23 is housed in the motor housing portion 14 of the case 11, and the tip of the output shaft 24 is rotatably supported by the motor shaft support portion 15.

  The gear member 30 is rotated by the driving force of the electric motor 23. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5A, the gear member 30 includes a disc-shaped gear portion 31 having a helical tooth that meshes with the teeth of the worm 25 on the outer peripheral portion, And a cam portion 32 protruding from the upper surface. A rotating shaft 33 is fixed through the shaft center of the gear portion 31. The gear member 30 is rotatably supported in the case 11 by both ends of the rotating shaft 33 being pivotally supported by the bearing portions 13 and 19 of the case 11 and the cover 18 in the assembled state.

  The cam portion 32 is provided so as to protrude in a substantially cylindrical shape from the upper surface of the gear portion 31 over approximately 270 degrees along the outer peripheral edge of the gear portion 31. The upper surface of the cam portion 32 is a cam surface 34 that comes into sliding contact with a driven portion 42 of a lock member 40 described later. The cam surface 34 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 gear member 30 to form a part of a spiral. That is, the cam surface 34 that is in sliding contact with the driven portion 42 of the lock member 40 is formed to be displaced along the extending direction of the rotation shaft 33 of the gear member 30 by the rotation of the gear member 30. In addition, non-operation surfaces 35 a and 35 b extending in the circumferential direction of the gear member 30 are provided at both ends of the cam surface 34. The non-operation surface 35 a is configured with the upper surface of the gear portion 31.

  In the gear member 30 of the present embodiment, the cam portion 32 that forms the cam surface 34 extends from the upper surface along the outer peripheral edge of the substantially disc-shaped gear portion 31 along the extending direction of the rotation shaft 33 of the gear member 30. It protrudes in a substantially cylindrical shape. According to this structure, the distance (radius) from the rotating shaft 33 of the gear member 30 to the cam part 32 can be taken longer. That is, the length of the cam surface 34 of the cam portion 32 along the circumferential direction of the gear member 30 can be increased. As a result, the inclination angle of the cam surface 34 can be made smaller with respect to the amount of displacement of the cam surface 34, the friction between the driven portion 42 of the lock member 40 and the cam surface 34 can be reduced, and the driven portion 42 and the cam The consumption of the surface 34 can be reduced. Further, since the cam portion 32 is provided so as to protrude from the gear member 30, the gear member 30 can be assembled to the case 11 or the like by gripping the cam portion 32 with fingers, and the assemblability can be improved.

  The lock member 40 is rotated by the axial displacement of the cam surface 34 of the gear member 30, and the lock position where the lock member 40 engages with the engagement recess 5 of the steering shaft 1 and the engagement of the steering shaft 1. It is rotationally moved between unlock positions not engaged with the recess 5. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5 (A), the lock member 40 has a substantially long plate shape, and a shaft portion 41 that protrudes from both sides is provided at approximately the center of the lock member 40. Is provided. The shaft portion 41 is supported by the lock member shaft support portion 12 of the case 11 and is rotatably held at the positions shown in FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B). In the assembled state, the pressing portion (not shown) of the cover 18 facing the lock member shaft support portion 12 of the case 11 contacts the upper surface of the shaft portion 41 of the lock member 40, and the shaft portion 41 of the case 11. The lock member shaft support part 12 is prevented from falling off. The lock member 40 extends along the radial direction of the gear member 30 and extends along the tangential direction of the gear member 30. Further, the shaft portion 41 of the lock member 40 is set so as to extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to a line parallel to the axis of the rotation shaft 33 of the gear member 30. That is, the lock member 40 is configured such that both ends thereof move approximately along the axial direction of the gear member 30 by a rotational movement with the shaft portion 41 as the rotation center.

  The lock member 40 is provided with a driven portion 42 that protrudes downward (to the gear member 30 side) at one end portion on the gear member 30 side. The driven portion 42 is in sliding contact with the cam surface 34 of the gear member 30, and its end surface is rounded in a substantially semi-cylindrical shape, and the sliding resistance between the cam surface 34 and the driven portion 42 is reduced. It is formed as follows.

  On the other end side of the lock member 40, a lock portion 43 that protrudes upward (toward the steering shaft 1) is provided. When the lock member 40 rotates in the lock direction around the shaft portion 41, the lock portion 43 protrudes along the extending direction of the rotation shaft 33 of the gear member 30, passes through the lock member insertion hole 20, and the steering shaft 1. Engage with the engaging recess 5. Further, when the lock member 40 rotates in the unlocking direction about the shaft portion 41, the lock portion 43 is immersed in the lock member insertion hole 20 and the engagement with the engagement recess 5 is released. The lock member 40 is urged by a spring 44 as an urging member so as to rotate to the lock position shown in FIGS. 2 and 5A. The spring 44 is a torsion coil spring attached to one shaft portion 41 of the lock member 40, and one end is engaged with the upper surface on the driven portion 42 side of the lock member 40 and the other end is engaged with the inner surface of the cover 18. The lock portion 43 of the lock member 40 is biased toward the lock position, and the driven portion 42 on the other end side is biased toward the gear member 30.

  The lock device 10 having the above-described configuration is disposed on the wall surface having the through hole 3 of the steering column 2 having a rectangular tube shape. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5A, the mounting portion 21 protruding from the upper surface of the cover 18 is inserted into the through hole 3. Accordingly, the upper surface of the locking device 10 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape is disposed so as to extend along the wall surface of the steering column 2. In this state, the rotation shaft 33 of the gear member 30 is positioned so as to extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to the plane including the axis of the steering shaft 1. That is, since the locking device 10 can be arranged such that the radial direction of the gear member is along the longitudinal side of the steering shaft 1 with respect to the steering shaft 1, the locking device 10 can be thinned with respect to the radial direction of the steering shaft 1. .

  Moreover, since the locking device 10 of this embodiment is arrange | positioned so that the locking member 40 may extend along the radial direction of the gear member 30, the whole locking device 10 can be reduced in thickness.

  Furthermore, in the locking device 10 of the present embodiment, since the locking member 40 is rotationally operated, the amount of operation and the operating torque in the vertical direction of the locking portion 43 of the locking member 40 are from the driven portion 42 to the shaft portion 41. The length can be changed by appropriately adjusting the length and the length from the shaft portion 41 to the lock portion 43. In this case, for example, even if the entire length of the lock member 40 is set to be long in order to adjust the operation amount of the lock portion 43 of the lock member 40, in the lock device 10 of the present embodiment, the lock member 40 is the gear member 30. Since the lock member 40 is arranged so as to extend along the radial direction, the lock member 40 only extends along the radial direction of the gear member 30 of the lock device 10, and the lock device 10 is in the direction of the rotation shaft 33 of the gear member 30. Can be prevented from becoming large. That is, the degree of freedom in design can be improved while maintaining the thickness of the locking device 10 in the radial direction of the steering shaft 1.

  Next, the operation of the locking device 10 will be specifically described.

  In the locked state shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5A, when electric power is supplied to the electric motor 23 and the electric motor 23 rotates normally, the gear member 30 rotates clockwise via the worm 25. When the gear member 30 rotates clockwise, the driven portion 42 of the lock member 40 comes into sliding contact with the non-operation surface 35a of the cam portion 32, and then reaches the non-operation surface 35b via the cam surface 34. When the driven portion 42 is in sliding contact with the non-operating surface 35 a of the cam portion 32, the non-operating surface 35 a has a planar shape perpendicular to the rotating shaft 33 of the gear member 30. There is no displacement along. When the driven portion 42 reaches the cam surface 34, the cam surface 34 is gradually displaced toward the steering shaft 1 along the rotation shaft 33 of the gear member 30, so that the driven portion 42 is pressed by the cam surface 34. The gear member 30 is moved toward the steering shaft 1 along the direction of the rotation axis 33 of the gear member 30. Thereby, the lock member 40 rotates toward the unlock position against the urging force of the spring 44 around the shaft portion 41. Thereafter, when the driven portion 42 reaches the non-operating surface 35 b, the non-operating surface 35 b has a planar shape perpendicular to the rotation shaft 33 of the gear member 30, so that the driven portion 42 of the lock member 40 is Displacement along the direction of the rotation axis 33 stops. As a result, the rotation operation of the lock member 40 is also stopped.

  When the lock member 40 is rotated toward the unlock position in this way, the lock portion 43 at the distal end moves in the lock member insertion hole 20 so as to move substantially along the extending direction of the rotation shaft 33 of the gear member 30. Immerse yourself in. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5B, the lock portion 43 is completely separated (disengaged) from the engagement concave portion 5 of the steering shaft 1 and becomes unlocked.

  Then, when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of energization of the electric motor 23, the supply of electric power from the vehicle control circuit is stopped, the electric motor 23 is stopped, and the gear member 30 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5B. Stop at the unlocked position. If the gear member 30 further rotates clockwise beyond the unlock position for some reason, the driven portion 42 of the lock member 40 falls off from the non-operating surface 35b, and the driven portion 42 is separated from the non-operating surface 35a. There is a possibility that the lock member 40 may be locked by moving to the sliding contact position. In order to prevent this, a stopper portion is provided at the end of the non-operating surface 35b on the counterclockwise direction side so as to engage with the driven portion 42 of the lock member 40 and prevent the gear member 30 from rotating more than a predetermined amount. You may make it provide.

  On the other hand, when electric power is supplied to the electric motor 23 in the unlocked state shown in FIGS. 4 and 5B and the electric motor 23 reverses, the gear member 30 rotates counterclockwise via the worm 25. . When the gear member 30 rotates counterclockwise, the driven portion 42 of the lock member 40 comes into sliding contact with the non-operation surface 35b of the cam portion 32 and then reaches the non-operation surface 35a via the cam surface 34. When the driven portion 42 is in sliding contact with the non-operating surface 35 b of the cam portion 32, the non-operating surface 35 a has a planar shape perpendicular to the rotating shaft 33 of the gear member 30. There is no displacement along. When the driven portion 42 reaches the cam surface 34, the cam surface 34 is gradually displaced toward the gear portion 31 along the rotation shaft 33 of the gear member 30, so that the driven portion 42 is geared by the urging force of the spring 44. It is moved to the member 30 side. Accordingly, the lock member 40 rotates toward the lock position with the shaft portion 41 as the center. Thereafter, when the driven portion 42 reaches the non-operating surface 35a, the non-operating surface 35a has a planar shape orthogonal to the rotation shaft 33 of the gear member 30, so that the driven portion 42 of the lock member 40 is Displacement along the direction of the rotation axis 33 stops. As a result, the rotation operation of the lock member 40 is also stopped.

  When the lock member 40 is rotated toward the lock position in this manner, the lock portion 43 at the tip is moved from the lock member insertion hole 20 to the outside so as to move along the extending direction of the rotation shaft 33 of the gear member 30. Protrusively toward. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5A, the lock member 40 engages with the engagement concave portion 5 of the collar 4 of the steering shaft 1 corresponding to the lock portion 43, and enters the locked state.

  Then, when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of energization of the electric motor 23, the supply of electric power from the vehicle control circuit is stopped, the electric motor 23 is stopped, and the gear member 30 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 5A. Stop at the locked position. In this locked state, the state in which the lock portion 43 of the lock member 40 is biased toward the steering shaft 1 by the biasing force of the spring 44 is maintained, so that the lock state of the lock member 40 is maintained.

  As described above, the locking device 10 of the present invention is configured so that the locking member 40 protrudes along the extending direction of the rotation shaft 33 of the gear member 30 and engages with the steering shaft 1. The locking device 10 can be arranged with respect to the steering shaft 1 so that the radial direction is along the longitudinal side of the steering shaft. That is, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the lock device 10 in the radial direction of the steering shaft 1. As a result, in order to dispose the locking device 10, a large space extending in the radial direction on the outer peripheral portion of the steering shaft 1 becomes unnecessary. Therefore, the driver's knee does not interfere with the lock device 10 provided.

  Further, in the lock device 10 of the present embodiment, since the lock member 40 is directly operated by the cam surface 34 provided on the gear member 30, the lock device 10 can be configured with a small number of parts. Manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Steering shaft, 10 ... Electric steering lock device, 23 ... Electric motor, 30 ... Gear member, 33 ... Rotating shaft, 34 ... Cam surface, 40 ... Lock member , 41... Shaft portion, 42... Driven portion, 43.

Claims (4)

  A gear member having a cam surface that is rotated by the driving force of the electric motor and is displaced along the extending direction of the rotation shaft, and by rotating in conjunction with the displacement of the cam surface by the rotation of the gear member, A lock member that protrudes along the extending direction of the rotation shaft of the gear member and engages with the steering shaft, and a lock member that is movable between an unlock position where the engagement is released Electric steering lock device.   The lock member includes a driven portion that is slidably in contact with the cam surface of the gear member on one end side, a lock portion that engages with the steering shaft on the other end side, and a shaft portion that serves as a rotation shaft in an intermediate portion, The electric steering lock device according to claim 1, wherein the lock member is directly operated by a cam surface of the gear member.   The electric steering lock device according to claim 1, wherein the lock member is disposed so as to extend along a radial direction of the gear member.   The cam portion forming the cam surface is provided so as to protrude along the extending direction of the rotation shaft of the gear member from the upper surface along the outer peripheral edge of the gear portion of the gear member having a substantially disk shape. The electric steering lock device according to claim 1.

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