JP2016182902A - Steering device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering device which can easily perform a steering operation and suppresses discomfort of a driver when advancing straight.SOLUTION: A steering wheel 7 is connected to one end 5a of a steering shaft 5 through a CVJ 6 (a universal joint) so that torque can be transmitted thereto. When a lower part 7L of the steering wheel 7 approaches a trunk part DB side of a driver D when advancing straight, an annular member 11 (a regulated member) which rotates integrally with the steering wheel 7 abuts on a regulating member 12, so that a pitching angle θ of the steering wheel 7 is regulated to a regulated angle θK. When the driver D performs steering, the lower part 7L of the steering wheel 7 is subjected to pitching displacement in a direction Z1 in which the lower part is separated from the trunk DB of the driver D, against an energizing member 13 which energizes the annular member 11 toward the regulating member 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering device.

A technique has been proposed in which the steering wheel is supported by a link mechanism so that the wheel surface of the steering wheel is directed leftward or rightward (yawing direction) according to the turning direction (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Further, by setting the angle formed by the handle surface of the handle connected to one end of the rotating shaft and the rotating shaft to an angle other than a right angle, the handle is rotated by a force pushing the handle perpendicular to the handle surface. A technique has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2003-165447 A JP 2007-246005 A

In general, the space between the lower part of the steering wheel and the driver's trunk tends to be narrow. Therefore, when the driver steers the steering wheel, the arm that holds the lower portion of the steering wheel is bent so as to be within the space. For this reason, the driver may have difficulty in performing the steering operation.
Such problems cannot be solved by the techniques of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. Also, if a mechanism that allows the wheel surface to be freely oriented in the required direction is adopted, the steering wheel may not be stable during straight traveling, and the driver holding the steering wheel may feel uncomfortable. is there.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a steering device that is easy to perform a steering operation and can suppress a driver's uncomfortable feeling when traveling straight ahead.

  The invention of claim 1 includes a hollow steering column (3) supported by the vehicle body (2), a steering shaft (5) rotatably supported by the steering column, and one end (5a) of the steering shaft. A steering wheel (7) connected to be able to transmit torque via a universal joint (6), a regulated member (11) rotating integrally with the steering wheel, and supported by the vehicle body or the steering column, the steering wheel When the lower part (7L) of the vehicle approaches the body (DB) side of the driver (D), it comes into contact with the restricted member, thereby passing through the joint center (C2) of the universal joint in the vehicle width direction (W). A regulating member (1) for regulating the pitching angle (θ) of the steering wheel around the extending first axis (J1) to a regulating angle (θK) 2) and a biasing member (13) for biasing the steering wheel around the joint center so that the pitching angle becomes the regulation angle.

In addition, although the alphanumeric character in a parenthesis represents the corresponding component etc. in embodiment mentioned later, this does not mean that this invention should be limited to those embodiment as a matter of course. The same applies hereinafter.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the restriction member is in contact with the restricted member at at least two positions that are separated from each other in the direction of the first axis line, and the first member within the wheel plane (P) of the steering wheel. You may have the function to control the yawing which is a displacement of the said steering wheel around the 2nd axis line (J2) orthogonal to an axis line.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the at least two positions may include two positions arranged symmetrically about the second axis.
The annular member (11) having a regulated surface (11a) that rotates integrally with the steering wheel and is parallel to a wheel plane of the steering wheel as in claim 4, wherein the biasing member is the regulated surface. The annular member may be biased via a rolling element (17) that is in rolling contact with the ring member.

  As in claim 5, the regulated member and the annular member may be used together.

According to the first aspect of the invention, when the steering wheel is steered, the lower portion of the steering wheel can be pitched and displaced in a direction away from the driver against the biasing member. For this reason, the driver does not need to bend the arm holding the lower part of the steering wheel excessively, and can easily perform the steering operation.
Further, during straight traveling, the regulated member urged by the urging member comes into contact with the regulating member, and the pitching angle of the steering wheel is regulated to the regulating angle. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the driver from feeling uncomfortable when the driver easily grips the steering wheel during straight traveling.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, during straight running, the pitching angle of the steering wheel is regulated to the regulation angle by the contact between the regulation member and the regulated member at at least two positions separated in the direction of the first axis. In this state, yawing of the steering wheel is also restricted. For this reason, during straight running, the attitude of the steering wheel is stabilized, and the driving feeling of the driver is improved.

According to the invention of claim 3, at least two positions where the regulating member comes into contact with the regulated member include two positions arranged symmetrically about the second axis, so that the steering wheel of the regulating member is The control effect of yawing can be increased.
According to invention of Claim 4, the frictional resistance which a biasing member gives to steering operation of a steering wheel can be reduced, and a steering feeling improves.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the structure can be simplified by sharing the members.

1 is a schematic side view of a steering device according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) shows the state at the time of the straight running where the steering wheel is not steered, and (b) shows the state at the time of steering operation where the steering wheel is steered. It is a schematic front view of a steering wheel. It is a typical perspective view of a steering wheel, and is explanatory drawing explaining pitching and yawing of a steering wheel. It is a schematic front view of the control member supported by the support part. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the biasing structure by a biasing member. It is a schematic diagram of a driver | operator and a steering wheel, and has shown the state when a driver | operator performs the steering operation which crosses both arms.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig.1 (a) is a typical side view which shows schematic structure of the steering apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention, and has shown the straight running state. As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the steering device 1 is supported by a hollow steering column 3 supported by a vehicle body 2 and rotatably supported by a steering column 3 via a bearing (not shown) and coupled to a steering mechanism 4. And a steering wheel 7 connected to one end 5a of the steering shaft 5 through a CVJ (constant velocity joint) 6 as a universal joint so that torque can be transmitted.

As the steering mechanism 4, a pinion shaft (not shown) connected to the other end 5 b of the steering shaft 5 through the universal joint 8, the intermediate shaft 9, and the universal joint 10 in order is engaged with the pinion shaft. A rack and pinion mechanism including a rack shaft (not shown) can be used.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the steering wheel 7. As shown in FIG. 2, the steering wheel 7 includes an annular wheel 7a having a wheel center C1 and a plurality of rims 7b extending radially from the CVJ 6 to the wheel 7a. As shown to Fig.1 (a), the steering wheel 7 has the wheel plane P containing the wheel center C1.

Although not shown, the CVJ 6 shown in FIG. 1A is, for example, an outer ring member fixed to one end 5a of the steering shaft 5, an inner ring member connected to the rim 7b at the wheel center C1, and the inner ring member. And a known ball type including a ball interposed between the ball grooves of the outer ring member.
The steering device 1 includes an annular member 11 as a regulated member that rotates integrally with the steering wheel 7, a regulating member 12 that contacts the annular member 11 and regulates the pitching angle θ of the steering wheel 7 to the regulating angle θK, And an urging member 13 that urges the annular member 11 toward the regulating member 12 side.

As shown in FIG. 3, the pitching angle θ of the steering wheel 7 shown in FIG. 1A passes through the joint center C2 of the CVJ 6 (matches the wheel center C1), and the vehicle width direction W [in FIG. The inclination angle of the wheel plane P of the steering wheel 7 with respect to the vertical plane Q around the first axis J1 extending in the direction orthogonal to the vertical plane Q1.
As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the annular member 11 as the regulated member has a regulated surface 11a made of an annular flat surface parallel to the wheel plane P of the wheel 7a at its end surface. The annular member 11 may be an annular plate.

The annular member 11 is fixed to the rim 7 b via the connecting arm 14. Thereby, the annular member 11 changes its posture integrally with the steering wheel 7 and rotates integrally with the steering wheel 7 in the steering operation direction of the steering wheel 7.
The restriction member 12 is supported by a support portion 15 fixed to the steering column 3. The support portion 15 may be a bracket fixed to the steering column 3.

At least one of the sliding contact portions between the regulated surface 11a of the annular member 11 and the regulating member 12 may be constituted by a friction reducing member such as a fluororesin that reduces the frictional resistance.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the regulating member 12 contacts the annular member 11 when the lower portion 7 </ b> L of the steering wheel 7 approaches the torso DB side of the driver D. Thereby, the pitching angle θ of the steering wheel 7 is restricted to the restriction angle θK.

  The regulating member 12 has, for example, a mountain shape in cross section. FIG. 4 is a front view of the regulating member 12 supported by the support portion 15. As shown in FIG. 4, at least the sliding contact portion 12 a (corresponding to the top of the mountain-shaped restricting member 12) of the restricting member 12 has a predetermined rotation direction Y (corresponding to the circumferential direction of the annular member 11). It has a length. That is, the restricting member 12 contacts the annular member 11 at at least two positions H1 and H2 that are separated in the rotational direction Y of the steering wheel 7.

Thereby, the regulating member 12 is in contact with the annular member 11 and, as shown in FIG. 3, the steering wheel around the second axis J2 orthogonal to the first axis J1 in the wheel plane P of the steering wheel 7. 7 has a function of regulating yawing which is a displacement of 7.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the urging member 13 is formed of, for example, a compression spring. One end 13 a of the urging member 13 is supported by a support portion 16 fixed to the steering column 3. The support portion 16 may be a bracket fixed to the steering column 3. The other end 13 b of the urging member 13 supports a rolling element 17 that is in rolling contact with the regulated surface 11 a of the annular member 11.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the rolling element 17 is supported by a holder 18 that is supported by a support hole 16 a formed in the support portion 16 so as to advance and retract by a predetermined amount. The holder 18 includes a shaft portion 18a that is inserted into the support hole 16a.
In addition, the holder 18 is provided with a facing portion 18c having a diameter larger than that of the shaft portion 18a and facing the annular member 11 to form a rolling element support portion 18b at one end of the shaft portion 18a. A stopper 19 having a larger diameter than the shaft portion 18a is locked to the other end of the shaft portion 18a. The facing portion 18c and the stopper 19 are disposed so as to face each other with the support portion 16 interposed therebetween.

The biasing member 13 is interposed between the support portion 16 and the facing portion 18 c of the holder 18, and biases the rolling element 17 toward the regulated surface 11 a via the holder 18.
According to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1B, when the driver D steers the steering wheel 7, the lower part 7 </ b> L of the steering wheel 7 is moved against the urging member 13. The pitching displacement can be made in the direction Z1 away from the body DB. For this reason, the driver D does not need to bend the lower arm LA holding the lower portion 7L of the steering wheel 7 excessively, and can easily perform the steering operation.

As shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1B, the lower arm LA ′ when the lower portion 7L ′ is not displaced by pitching is bent tightly.
Further, as shown in FIG. 6, when the steering wheel 7 is steered and the upper portion 7 </ b> U of the steering wheel 7 is changed over by crossing both the arms A <b> 1 and A <b> 2, FIG. As shown, the driver D can bring the upper portion 7U of the steering wheel 7 closer to the driver D side. Therefore, the driver D can easily transmit the turning operation force to the steering wheel 7 and can easily perform the steering operation.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1A, during straight traveling, the pitching angle θ of the steering wheel 7 is regulated to the regulation angle θK by the contact between the annular member 11 as the regulated member and the regulating member 12. Therefore, since the posture of the steering wheel 7 is stabilized during straight traveling, the driver D can easily hold the steering wheel 7, and the driver D can be prevented from feeling uncomfortable.

As shown in FIG. 4, the restricting member 12 has a predetermined length with respect to the rotational direction Y of the steering wheel 7. That is, the restricting member 12 comes into contact with the annular member 11 at at least two positions H1 and H2 that are separated in the direction of the first axis J1 (corresponding to the vehicle width direction W).
Therefore, during straight traveling, yawing of the steering wheel 7 is also regulated while the pitching angle θ of the steering wheel 7 is regulated to the regulation angle θK by contact between the regulating member 12 and the annular member 11 (regulated member). Is done. For this reason, since the attitude of the steering wheel 7 is stabilized during straight traveling, the driver D can easily hold the steering wheel 7, and the driving feeling of the driver D is improved.

In addition, the two positions H1 and H2 at which the regulating member 12 abuts on the annular member 11 are arranged at symmetrical positions with the second axis J2 as the center. For this reason, the effect of regulating the yawing of the steering wheel 7 by the regulating member 12 can be enhanced.
Further, the regulating member 12 is in contact with the annular member 11 in the entire region including the two positions H1 and H2. Thereby, the control effect of yawing can be made higher. However, the regulating member 12 may abut on the annular member 11 only at the two positions H1 and H2.

Further, the urging member 13 urges the annular member 11 via the rolling elements 17 that are in rolling contact with the regulated surface 11 a of the annular member 11. Therefore, the frictional resistance given to the steering operation of the steering wheel 7 can be reduced, and the steering feeling is improved.
In addition, the annular member 11 as a regulated member that abuts on the regulating member 12 brings the rolling element 17 biased by the biasing member 13 into rolling contact. Therefore, as compared with the case where the annular member that is in rolling contact with the rolling element 17 is provided separately from the annular member 11 that is in contact with the regulating member 12, the structure can be simplified by using the member.

Further, since the regulating member 12 and the urging member 13 are supported by the support portions 15 and 16 fixed to the steering column 3, the steering device 1 may be capable of adjusting the tilt.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the urging member is not limited to the mechanical spring, and a hydraulic or electric plunger may be used. In that case, the urging force can be adjusted as necessary.

  Although not shown, a plurality of regulating members 12 may be provided so as to be separated in the rotational direction Y of the steering wheel 7. Although not shown, the support portions 15 and 16 may be fixed to the vehicle body side member. In addition, the present invention can be variously modified within the scope of the claims.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Steering device, 2 ... Vehicle body, 3 ... Steering column, 4 ... Steering mechanism, 5 ... Steering shaft, 5a ... One end, 6 ... CVJ (universal joint), 7 ... Steering wheel, 7a ... Wheel, 7b ... Rib, 7L (lower part of the steering wheel), 7U (upper part of the steering wheel), 11 ... annular member (regulated member), 11a ... regulated surface, 12 ... regulating member, 13 ... urging member, 14 ... connecting arm, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 ... Support part, 16 ... Support part, 17 ... Rolling body, 18 ... Holder, A1, A2 ... Arm, C1 ... Wheel center, C2 ... Joint center, D ... Driver, DB ... Trunk part, LA ... Lower side Arm, θ ... pitching angle, θK ... regulation angle, J1 ... first axis, J2 ... second axis, P ... wheel plane, W ... vehicle width direction, Y ... rotation direction, Z1 ... direction away from the trunk

Claims (5)

A hollow steering column supported by the vehicle body,
A steering shaft rotatably supported by the steering column;
A steering wheel coupled to one end of the steering shaft via a universal joint so that torque can be transmitted;
A regulated member that rotates integrally with the steering wheel;
The lower end of the steering wheel is supported by the vehicle body or the steering column and comes into contact with the restricted member when the lower part of the steering wheel approaches the torso side of the driver, thereby extending in the vehicle width direction through the joint center of the universal joint. A regulating member that regulates the pitching angle of the steering wheel around one axis to a regulating angle;
And a biasing member that biases the steering wheel about the joint center so that the pitching angle becomes the regulation angle.   2. The control member according to claim 1, wherein the restricting member is a first member orthogonal to the first axis in a wheel plane of the steering wheel in a state of contacting the restricted member at at least two positions separated in the direction of the first axis. A steering device having a function of regulating yawing, which is a displacement of the steering wheel, around two axes.   3. The steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the at least two positions include two positions that are arranged symmetrically with respect to the second axis. The annular member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising an annular member that rotates integrally with the steering wheel and has a regulated surface parallel to a wheel plane of the steering wheel,
The steering device is configured such that the biasing member biases the annular member via a rolling element that is in rolling contact with the regulated surface.   The steering device according to claim 4, wherein the regulated member and the annular member are used together.

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