JP2011230554A - Steering apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering apparatus that prevents the occurrence of noise.SOLUTION: A steering angle ratio variable mechanism of the steering apparatus includes: a cam member 21 having a cam groove 22; a piece 23 installed movably in the cam groove 22; and an eccentric pin 24 on which the piece 23 is rotatably installed. Dumpers 53 having a spring 61 configured of a metal material are each installed between a pair of sides 51 of the cam groove 22 and respective opposed sides 52 which is opposed to the respective sides 51 of the piece 23. A spring 61 is configured to be elastically deformable in a width direction, and the dumper 53 is installed so that the spring 61 is to be in compression between the side 51 and the opposed side 52.

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering device for a vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a vehicle steering device, for example, a first shaft connected to a steering wheel and a second shaft connected to a steered wheel are eccentrically arranged by a predetermined amount, and these shafts are arranged by a steering angle ratio variable mechanism. There is a configuration in which the relationship between the change in the steering angle and the change in the steering angle (steering angle) of the steered wheels becomes non-linear by connecting them so as to be able to transmit rotation (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  Such a rudder angle ratio variable mechanism includes a cam member having a U-shaped cam groove extending in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of each axis, and a cylindrical piece provided slidably in the cam groove. The member includes an eccentric pin that is rotatably provided via a bearing such as a needle bearing. For example, the cam member is coupled to the first shaft so as to be integrally rotatable, and the eccentric pin is coupled to be integrally rotatable at a position that is eccentric with respect to the second shaft by a larger amount than the predetermined amount. In the steering apparatus having such a steering angle ratio variable mechanism, the rotation of the first shaft caused by the steering operation is accompanied by the sliding of the top member in the cam groove and the rotation of the top member around the eccentric pin. The frame member is transmitted to the second axis by moving on the concentric circle of the second axis. Thereby, depending on the position of the eccentric pin in the cam groove, the relationship between the rotation angle change of the first shaft caused by the steering operation and the rotation angle change of the second shaft that defines the turning angle change of the steered wheels, that is, The relationship between the steering angle change and the turning angle change can be made non-linear.

JP 2009-143429 A JP-A-5-178222

  By the way, the top member is slidably inserted into the cam groove, and in order to allow manufacturing tolerance of each component, the outer dimension of the top member is the width of the cam groove (the axial direction of each shaft and the cam groove). The length in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first) is set slightly smaller. Therefore, a gap is formed in the width direction of the cam groove between the pair of side surfaces extending in the longitudinal direction of the cam groove and the opposing surfaces facing the side surfaces of the top member.

  For this reason, for example, when the cam member starts rotating due to a steering operation, or when a reverse input is generated when a steered wheel of the vehicle collides with a curb, the side surface of the cam groove and the opposing surface of the top member collide. There is a risk that abnormal noise may occur.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a steering device that can suppress the generation of abnormal noise.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first shaft and a second shaft which are arranged eccentrically with each other by a predetermined amount, and the first shaft and the second shaft are coupled so as to be able to transmit rotation. A steering angle ratio variable mechanism, the cam angle member being connected to the first shaft and having a cam groove extending in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of each axis; and the cam groove A top member movably provided in the interior, and an eccentric pin on which the top member is rotatably provided. The eccentric pin is located at a position eccentric from the second shaft by more than the predetermined amount. In the steering device coupled to the two shafts so as to be integrally rotatable, at least one of a pair of side surfaces of the cam groove extending in the longitudinal direction of the cam groove and an opposing surface facing the side surfaces of the top member In the metal material A damper having a spring portion configured to be configured, wherein the spring portion is configured to be elastically deformable in a width direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the longitudinal direction, and the damper is disposed between the side surface and the opposing surface. The gist is that the spring portion is provided in a compressed state.

  According to the above configuration, the damper is provided in a compressed state on at least one of the pair of side surfaces of the cam groove and the facing surface of the top member, so that a gap between them is filled. Therefore, for example, when the rotation of the cam member associated with the steering operation is started or when reverse input is applied, the side surface and the opposing surface can be prevented from colliding with each other, and abnormal noise can be suppressed. And since the spring part of a damper is comprised with a metal material, compared with the case where the damper with which the spring part was comprised with rubber | gum is provided between a side surface and an opposing surface, for example, the spring part is hard to deteriorate with a heat | fever etc. The generation of abnormal noise can be suppressed stably over a long period of time.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the steering device according to the first aspect, the damper includes a contact portion provided at a distal end portion of the spring portion, and the contact portion is one of the side surface and the opposing surface. The damper is slidably contacted, and the damper is sandwiched between the side surface and the facing surface, and the base end portion of the spring portion is fixed to either the side surface or the facing surface. The gist is that

  According to the said structure, a damper is provided with the contact part which contacts any one of a side surface and an opposing surface, and the base end part of a spring part is fixed to either one of a side surface and an opposing surface. Therefore, for example, when two dampers are provided between the side surface and the opposing surface, and the base end of the spring part is fixed to the same side surface or the opposing surface, and these dampers are slidably in contact with each other. In comparison, an increase in the number of parts can be suppressed.

  The gist of the invention according to claim 3 is the steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the contact portion is formed so as to be in surface contact with either the side surface or the facing surface.

  According to the above configuration, the contact portion of the damper is in surface contact with either one of the side surface and the opposing surface, so that rotation is transmitted from the first shaft to the second shaft, for example, compared to the case of line contact or point contact. In doing so, one of the side surface and the opposing surface, the contact portion, and the contact pressure can be reduced, and the life of the device can be extended.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the steering apparatus according to the second or third aspect, the surface of either the side surface or the facing surface of the contact portion is made of a material having a low friction coefficient. This is the gist.

  According to the above configuration, since the surface on either one of the side surface and the facing surface of the contact portion is made of a material having a low friction coefficient, the sliding resistance between the surface and one of the side surface and the facing surface is reduced. The top member can be moved smoothly in the cam groove.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the steering apparatus according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, a concave portion is formed on one of the side surface and the opposing surface, and a base end of the spring portion The gist is that the portion is formed to be press-fitted into the concave portion.

  According to the above configuration, since the damper is configured such that the base end portion of the spring portion can be press-fitted into the recess, the state before the top member is inserted into the cam groove, that is, the damper is between the side surface and the opposing surface. The damper can be easily fixed to the cam member or the top member without being pinched, and the assembling property can be improved.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the steering device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the piece member is made of a sintered material impregnated with lubricating oil, The gist is that an insertion hole into which the eccentric pin is slidably inserted is formed.

  According to the above configuration, since the piece member is configured by the sintered material impregnated with the lubricating oil, the rotational resistance between the piece member and the eccentric pin can be reduced by the lubricating oil that oozes from the piece member. Thus, the top member can be stably rotated around the eccentric pin without using a bearing. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the conventional case (see, for example, Patent Document 2) in which a bearing is interposed between the top member and the eccentric pin.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the steering device which can suppress generation | occurrence | production of unusual noise can be provided.

Sectional drawing of the steering column vicinity of a steering device. The expanded sectional view of the steering angle ratio variable mechanism vicinity. Action | operation explanatory drawing of the steering angle ratio variable mechanism using an eccentric pin. Sectional drawing orthogonal to the axial direction near the eccentric pin of this embodiment. AA sectional drawing. Sectional drawing orthogonal to the axial direction of another eccentric pin vicinity. (A) The perspective view of another damper, (b) BB sectional drawing.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the steering device 1, the column shaft 4 constituting the steering shaft 3 to which the steering wheel 2 is fixed at one end (the right end portion in the figure) has bearings 5a and 5b at both ends. It is rotatably accommodated in the steering column 6 by being pivotally supported on the steering column 6. The other end of the column shaft 4 (the left end portion in the figure) is an output shaft arranged eccentrically by a predetermined amount in the radial direction from the axis L1 of the column shaft 4 via the steering angle ratio variable mechanism 7. It is connected to one end of 8 so that rotation transmission is possible. The other end of the output shaft 8 is connected to an intermediate shaft (not shown) via a universal joint (not shown), so that the rotation (steering torque) accompanying the steering operation is changed to the steering gear (rack & rack & It is configured to be transmitted to a steering mechanism that changes the steering angle of a steered wheel (not shown) such as a pinion mechanism.

  The steering device 1 has a so-called telescopic function that enables adjustment of the position (steering position) of the steering wheel 2 in the axial direction. More specifically, the column shaft 4 of the present embodiment includes a hollow upper shaft 11 to which the steering wheel 2 is fixed, and the upper shaft 11 is spline-fitted to the upper shaft 11 in the axial direction. The lower shaft 12 is allowed to slide. The steering column 6 includes an outer tube 13 that accommodates and supports the upper shaft 11 via the bearing 5a, and an inner tube 14 that accommodates and supports the lower shaft 12 via the bearing 5b. The inner tube 14 is inserted into the inner periphery of the inner tube 14 so as to be slidable in the axial direction with respect to the inner tube 14. Then, by moving the outer tube 13 and the upper shaft 11 relative to the inner tube 14 and the lower shaft 12, the steering position in the axial direction can be adjusted.

  Note that the steering column 6 of the present embodiment is supported by a bracket (not shown) so as to be tiltable in the vertical direction. By tilting the column shaft 4 together with the steering column 6, the steering position in the vertical direction can be adjusted. It has a so-called tilt function.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the rudder angle ratio variable mechanism 7 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped cam member 21 connected to the other end of the column shaft 4 (lower shaft 12) so as to be integrally rotatable. The cam member 21 is formed with a substantially linear cam groove 22 that extends in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the column shaft 4 and the output shaft 8 and opens toward the output shaft 8. Further, the rudder angle ratio variable mechanism 7 includes a top member 23 provided to be movable in the longitudinal direction in a cam groove 22 formed in the cam member 21, and an eccentric pin 24 provided to be rotatable. And. The cam groove 22 is filled with lubricating grease (not shown) at a predetermined filling rate so that the top member 23 can move smoothly. The eccentric pin 24 is coupled to the output shaft 8 so as to be integrally rotatable about the axis L2 at a position eccentrically larger than the predetermined amount (the eccentric amount of the column shaft 4 and the output shaft 8). That is, in this embodiment, the column shaft 4 corresponds to the first axis, and the output shaft 8 corresponds to the second axis.

  Specifically, a fitting hole 31 is formed at the other end of the lower shaft 12, and a protruding portion 32 that protrudes toward the lower shaft 12 in the axial direction is formed on the cam member 21. The cam member 21 is coupled to the lower shaft 12 (column shaft 4) so as to be integrally rotatable. A substantially annular connecting member 34 is fixed coaxially with the output shaft 8 on one end side of the output shaft 8. The connecting member 34 is formed with a mounting hole 35 to which the eccentric pin 24 is fixed at a position farther from the center (axis L2 of the output shaft 8) than the predetermined amount. The eccentric pin 24 is provided such that its axis L3 is parallel to the axis L1 of the column shaft 4 and the axis L2 of the output shaft 8. In the present embodiment, the cam member 21 is formed with a housing portion 36 continuous with the cam groove 22, and the tip of the output shaft 8 is inserted into the housing portion 36. The housing portion 36 is formed in a substantially circular cross section so as not to interfere with the output shaft 8 and prevent the cam member 21 from rotating (see FIG. 3).

  Therefore, the rotation of the cam member 21 connected to the column shaft 4 is allowed by the movement of the top member 23 in the cam groove 22 and the rotation of the same top member 23 around the eccentric pin 24. As shown in FIG. 3, the rudder angle ratio variable mechanism 7 is configured such that the eccentric pin 24 connected to the top member 23 moves on a concentric circle of the output shaft 8 as the cam member 21 rotates, so that the column shaft 4 Is transmitted to the output shaft 8.

  Here, in the figure, the circle indicated by the broken line indicates the locus of the eccentric pin 24 (the axis thereof) that moves as the cam member 21 rotates. Further, each square and each circle indicated by a two-dot chain line indicate rotation of the cam member 21 (at intervals of 60 °) from the position (P0) of the top member 23 and the eccentric pin 24 at the steering neutral position (steering angle zero) indicated by the solid line. The positions (P1, P2, P1 ′, P2 ′, and P3) of the same frame member 23 and the eccentric pin 24 corresponding to () are shown. As shown in the figure, the closer the position of the eccentric pin 24 is to “P0”, the smaller the position change of the eccentric pin 24 with respect to the rotation angle change of the cam member 21, and the position of the eccentric pin 24 is “ The closer to “P3”, the larger the position change of the eccentric pin 24 with respect to the rotation angle change of the cam member 21.

  In this way, the steering angle ratio variable mechanism 7 connects the column shaft 4 and the output shaft 8 arranged eccentrically to each other so as to be able to transmit rotation, and changes in the rotation angle of the column shaft 4 caused by the steering operation and the rotation angle of the output shaft 8. The relationship between the change, that is, the relationship between the change in the steering angle and the change in the steering angle (steering angle) of the steered wheels can be made non-linear.

  The steering device 1 is configured as a so-called column-type electric power steering device. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the output shaft 8 is supported by bearings 41 a to 41 c so that the output shaft 8 is fixed within the sensor housing 42 and the worm housing 43 fixed to the other end of the steering column 6. It is housed rotatably. A worm wheel 44 is fixed to the outer periphery of the output shaft 8. An assist force can be applied to the steering system by decelerating the rotation of a motor (not shown) and transmitting it to the output shaft 8 by a speed change mechanism constituted by the worm wheel 44 and a worm gear (not shown). It has a possible configuration.

  Here, the steering device 1 has a built-in torque sensor 46 for detecting a steering torque transmitted through the column shaft 4. Specifically, the output shaft 8 is configured by connecting an upper shaft 47 coupled to the coupling member 34 and a lower shaft 48 provided with the worm wheel 44 via a torsion bar 49. Yes. The torque sensor 46 is configured to detect the steering torque input to the steering system by measuring the torsion angle of the torsion bar 49. A control device (not shown) is configured to control the assist force applied to the steering system based on the steering torque detected by the torque sensor 46.

(Anti-noise suppression structure of the steering angle ratio variable mechanism)
Next, the noise suppression structure of the rudder angle ratio variable mechanism in the present embodiment will be described.
As described above, if there is a gap between the pair of side surfaces along the longitudinal direction of the cam groove 22 and the pair of opposed surfaces facing each side surface of the top member 23, abnormal noise is generated due to the gap. A problem occurs.

  In consideration of this point, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a damper 53 is provided between each side surface 51 of the cam groove 22 and each opposing surface 52 of the top member 23. The damper 53 includes a spring portion 61 that is made of a metal material and elastically deformable in the width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 4) perpendicular to the axial direction and the longitudinal direction. And each damper 53 is provided so that the spring part 61 may be in the compression state between the side surface 51 and the opposing surface 52, and the gap between these side surfaces 51 and the opposing surface 52 is filled ( Removed). In other words, in this embodiment, the dampers 53 are provided on both sides in the width direction of the top member 23, and the top members 23 are elastically pressed from both sides in the width direction by the dampers 53 in the cam groove 22. .

  More specifically, the damper 53 includes the spring portion 61 and a contact portion 62 that is provided at the distal end portion 61 a of the spring portion 61 and contacts the side surface 51, and is sandwiched between the side surface 51 and the facing surface 52. In this state, the base end portion 61b of the spring portion 61 is fixed to the facing surface 52 (the piece member 23).

  The spring portions 61 are formed at both ends of the contact portion 62 in the longitudinal direction. Specifically, it is formed in a zigzag shape that is folded back from the longitudinal end portion of the cam groove 22 in the contact portion 62 to the center side and then folded back to the longitudinal end portion side in the vicinity of the center of the contact portion 62. ing.

  The contact portion 62 is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape parallel to the side surface 51, and comes into surface contact with the side surface 51. The surface 63 on the side surface 51 side of the contact portion 62 is made of a material having a low friction coefficient. Specifically, the contact portion 62 of the present embodiment has a base portion 65 made of a metal material formed integrally with the spring portion 61 and a low friction portion 66 provided on the side surface 51 side of the base portion 65. A surface 63 is provided on the low friction portion 66. The low friction portion 66 is formed by coating the base portion 65 with a resin material (for example, ethylene tetrafluoride resin) having a lower friction coefficient than the metal material constituting the base portion 65. The spring portion 61 and the base portion 65 are formed by bending a plate material (steel plate) made of a metal material.

  On the other hand, the top member 23 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and each facing surface 52 is formed in a planar shape parallel to the side surface 51. A rectangular recess 67 is formed on the facing surface 52. And the base end part 61b of the spring part 61 is formed in the recessed part 67 so that press fitting is possible. Specifically, the base portion 61 b is press-fitted into the recess 67 by forming the length of the spring portion 61 in the axial direction (vertical direction in FIG. 5) longer than the length of the recess 67 in the axial direction. It has a configuration. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the damper 53 is sandwiched between the side surface 51 and the opposed surface 52 and the proximal end portion 61b of the spring portion 61 is pressed into the recess 67, so that the proximal end portion 61b of the spring portion 61 is opposed. Fixed to the surface 52, the top member 23 and the damper 53 are integrally moved in the cam groove 22 in the longitudinal direction.

  Further, the piece member 23 is made of a porous sintered metal impregnated with lubricating oil, and an insertion hole 68 penetrating in the axial direction is formed at the approximate center of the piece member 23. The eccentric pin 24 is inserted into the insertion hole 68. The top member 23 is configured to be rotatable about the eccentric pin 24 by sliding the outer peripheral surface of the eccentric pin 24 with respect to the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 68. As shown in FIG. 5, the eccentric pin 24 is formed with an annular flange portion 24 a extending radially outward. The top member 23 is restricted from moving in the axial direction by contacting the bottom portion 22a or the flange portion 24a of the cam groove 22.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following operational effects can be achieved.
(1) The steering angle ratio variable mechanism 7 of the steering device 1 is provided with a cam member 21 having a cam groove 22, a piece member 23 provided to be movable in the cam groove 22, and a piece member 23 to be rotatable. And an eccentric pin 24. Further, dampers 53 each having a spring portion 61 made of a metal material are provided between the pair of side surfaces 51 of the cam groove 22 and the pair of facing surfaces 52 facing the side surfaces 51 of the top member 23. And the spring part 61 was comprised so that elastic deformation was possible in the width direction, and the damper 53 was provided between the side surface 51 and the opposing surface 52 so that the spring part 61 might be in a compression state.

  According to the above configuration, the damper 53 is provided in a compressed state between each side surface 51 of the cam groove 22 and each facing surface 52 of the top member 23, thereby filling a gap between them. Therefore, for example, when the rotation of the cam member 21 accompanying the steering operation or when reverse input is applied, the side surface 51 and the facing surface 52 can be prevented from colliding with each other, and the generation of abnormal noise can be suppressed. And since the spring part 61 of the damper 53 is comprised with a metal material, compared with the case where the damper whose spring part is comprised with the rubber | gum is provided between the side surface 51 and the opposing surface 52, for example, the said spring part 61 is heat | fever. It is hard to deteriorate by etc. Further, since the spring portion 61 is made of a metal material, even if the grease for lubrication is filled in the cam groove 22, the spring characteristic is changed because the grease is not swelled and absorbed like rubber. hard. Therefore, the damper 53 can stably suppress the generation of abnormal noise over a long period of time.

  (2) The damper 53 includes a contact portion 62 that is provided at the distal end portion 61 a of the spring portion 61 and slidably contacts the side surface 51, and is sandwiched between the side surface 51 and the facing surface 52. The end 61b is fixed to the facing surface 52. Therefore, for example, between the side surface 51 and the opposing surface 52, two dampers 53 are provided to which the base end portions 61 b of the spring portions 61 are respectively fixed with respect to the same side surface 51 or the opposing surface 52. The increase in the number of parts can be suppressed as compared with the case where they are slidably in contact with each other.

  (3) Since the contact portion 62 is formed so as to be in surface contact with the side surface 51, the side surface 51 and the damper 53 are more effective in transmitting rotation from the steering shaft 3 to the output shaft 8 than in the case of line contact or point contact. The contact pressure with the contact portion 62 can be reduced, and the life of the apparatus can be extended.

  (4) Since the surface 63 of the contact portion 62 is made of a resin material having a low coefficient of friction, the sliding resistance between the surface 63 and the side surface 51 can be reduced, and the top member 23 can be moved within the cam groove 22. It can be moved smoothly.

  (5) Since the concave portion 67 is formed in the facing surface 52 and the base end portion 61b of the spring portion 61 is formed so as to be press-fit into the concave portion 67, the state before the top member 23 is inserted into the cam groove 22, that is, the damper 53 Is not sandwiched between the side surface 51 and the opposing surface 52, the damper 53 can be easily fixed to the top member 23, and the assembling property can be improved.

  (6) The top member 23 is made of a sintered material impregnated with lubricating oil, and the insertion hole 68 into which the eccentric pin 24 is slidably inserted is formed in the top member 23. Therefore, the lubricating oil that oozes out from the top member 23 makes it possible to reduce the rotational resistance between the top member 23 and the eccentric pin 24, and stabilizes the top member around the eccentric pin 24 without using a bearing. Can be rotated. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced compared to the case where a bearing is interposed between the top member 23 and the eccentric pin 24 as in the prior art (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  (7) Since the base portion 65 constituting the spring portion 61 and the contact portion 62 is formed by bending a steel plate, for example, the contact portion 62 (base portion 65) and the spring portion 61 are configured separately and integrated by welding or the like. The damper 53 can be easily manufactured as compared with the case.

In addition, the said embodiment can also be implemented in the following aspects which changed this suitably.
In the above embodiment, the piece member 23 is made of sintered oil-impregnated metal, and the eccentric pin 24 is slidably inserted into the insertion hole 68 of the piece member 23. It is good also as a structure which comprises with bearings, such as a needle bearing, between the eccentric pins 24 with materials other than an oil impregnated metal.

In the above embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the eccentric pin 24 may be coated with a resin material having a low friction coefficient, for example, so that the outer peripheral surface has low friction.
In the above embodiment, the concave portion 67 is formed in the facing surface 52 and the base end portion 61b of the spring portion 61 is formed so as to be press-fit into the concave portion 67. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the base end portion 61b of the spring portion 61 May be configured not to be press-fitted into the recess 67. In this case, the damper 53 is sandwiched between the side surface 51 and the opposing surface 52, whereby the base end portion 61b of the spring portion 61 is fixed to the opposing surface 52, and the top member 23 and the damper 53 are integrated. Thus, the cam groove 22 moves in the longitudinal direction.

  In the above embodiment, the damper 53 is fixed to the facing surface 52 of the top member 23 and the contact portion 62 is in contact with the side surface 51 of the cam groove 22. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and as shown in FIG. 6, the base end portion 61 b of the spring portion 61 is press-fitted into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped recess portion 71 formed on each side surface 51, and the damper 53 is inserted into the side surface 51 of the cam groove 22. It may be fixed so that the contact portion 62 contacts the facing surface 52 of the top member 23.

  In the above embodiment, one damper 53 is provided between the side surface 51 and the facing surface 52, the contact portion 62 of the damper 53 contacts the side surface 51, and the base end portion 61 b of the spring portion 61 is the facing surface. It was fixed to 52. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, two dampers 53 are provided between the side surface 51 and the opposing surface 52, and the two bases 61 b of the spring portion 61 are respectively fixed to the side surface 51 or the opposing surface 52. The 53 contact portions 62 may be in contact with each other.

  In the above embodiment, the surface 63 (low friction portion 66) of the contact portion 62 is made of a resin material having a low friction coefficient. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, solid lubrication made of a metal material (such as molybdenum disulfide). The low friction part 66 may be configured by an agent.

  In the above embodiment, the contact portion 62 of the damper 53 is formed in a flat plate shape parallel to the side surface 51, and the contact portion 62 is in surface contact with the side surface 51. You may make it contact. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the contact portion 62 may be formed in an arc shape when viewed in the axial direction so as to be in line contact with the side surface 51. In FIG. 6, the contact member 62 may be in line contact with the facing surface 52 by forming the top member 23 in an annular shape.

  In the above embodiment, the spring portion 61 of the damper 53 is formed by bending the steel plate. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, as shown in FIG. 7, a part of the contact portion 62 (base portion 65) is cut. You may make it form the spring part 72 which can be elastically deformed in the width direction by raising. Specifically, the base portion 65 is formed in a rectangular plate shape, and the spring portion 72 is cut and raised near the center of the base portion 65 so that both ends in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction in FIG. It is formed in a connected state. The spring portion 72 may be configured such that only one end in the longitudinal direction is connected to the contact portion 62. In this configuration, in addition to the effects according to (1) to (7) of the above embodiment, the outer shape of the damper 53 before the spring portion 72 is formed is the same rectangular plate shape as the base portion 65. The yield of the steel plate used as the material can be improved.

  Further, the contact portion 62 and the spring portion 61 may be configured by separate members and connected to each other by welding or the like. In this case, the spring part 61 may be constituted by a coil spring or the like.

  In the above embodiment, the contact portion 62 includes the base portion 65 made of a metal material and the low friction portion 66 made of a resin material. However, the contact portion 62 is not limited thereto, and the contact portion 62 is not provided with the low friction portion 66. The base 65 may be in contact with the side surface 51. Further, for example, the entire contact portion 62 may be constituted by a flat plate made of a resin material, and the contact portion 62 may be separately fixed to the tip portion 61 a of the spring portion 61.

  In the above embodiment, the dampers 53 are provided on both the side surfaces 51 of the cam groove 22 and the opposing surfaces 52 of the top member 23, that is, the dampers 53 are provided on both sides in the width direction of the top member 23. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the damper 53 may be provided only in one of the top members 23 in the width direction.

  In the above embodiment, the column shaft 4 is configured as the first axis, and the output shaft 8 is configured as the second axis. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the output shaft 8 is configured as the first shaft and the cam member 21 is provided on the output shaft 8, and the column shaft 4 is configured as the second shaft and the eccentric pin 24 is provided on the column shaft 4. You may make it provide.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a steering apparatus having a tilt function and a telescopic function. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be applied to a steering apparatus having only a telescopic function or only a tilt function.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention is embodied in the steering device 1 configured as a column assist type electric power steering device (EPS). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention may be applied to an EPS other than column assist, a hydraulic power steering device, or a non-assist type steering device such as a so-called rack assist type.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Steering device, 3 ... Steering shaft, 4 ... Column shaft, 7 ... Steering angle ratio variable mechanism, 8 ... Output shaft, 21 ... Cam member, 22 ... Cam groove, 23 ... Top member, 24 ... Eccentric pin, 51 ... Side surface 52 ... Opposite surface 53 ... Damper 61, 72 ... Spring part 61a ... End part 61b ... Base end part 62 ... Contact part 63 ... Surface 65 ... Base part 66 ... Low friction part 67 71 ... recess, 68 ... insertion hole.

Claims (6)

A first shaft and a second shaft arranged eccentrically with each other by a predetermined amount, and a rudder angle ratio variable mechanism that connects the first shaft and the second shaft so as to be able to transmit rotation,
The variable steering angle ratio mechanism includes a cam member coupled to the first shaft and having a cam groove extending in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of each shaft, and a top provided movably in the cam groove. A member and an eccentric pin on which the top member is rotatably provided;
In the steering device, the eccentric pin is connected to the second shaft so as to be integrally rotatable at a position eccentric from the second shaft by a larger amount than the predetermined amount.
A damper having a spring portion made of a metal material is provided on at least one of a pair of side surfaces of the cam groove extending in the longitudinal direction of the cam groove and an opposing surface facing the side surfaces of the top member. Provided,
The spring portion is configured to be elastically deformable in a width direction orthogonal to the axial direction and the longitudinal direction,
The steering device, wherein the damper is provided so that the spring portion is in a compressed state between the side surface and the opposing surface. The steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The damper includes a contact portion provided at a tip portion of the spring portion, and the contact portion is slidably in contact with either one of the side surface and the opposing surface,
The steering device, wherein the damper is sandwiched between the side surface and the opposing surface, and a base end portion of the spring portion is fixed to either the side surface or the opposing surface. The steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
The steering device according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion is formed so as to be in surface contact with one of the side surface and the opposing surface. The steering apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
The steering device according to claim 1, wherein a surface of one of the side surface and the facing surface of the contact portion is made of a material having a low friction coefficient. In the steering device according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
A concave portion is formed on the other of the side surface and the facing surface,
A steering device, wherein a base end portion of the spring portion is formed so as to be press-fitted into the concave portion. In the steering device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The top member is made of a sintered material impregnated with lubricating oil,
The steering device according to claim 1, wherein an insertion hole into which the eccentric pin is slidably inserted is formed in the top member.

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