JP2016185772A - Steering device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering device with an extremely simple structure, which can eliminate the necessity of lubricant on a slide surface, and facilitate tilt adjustment.SOLUTION: The steering device includes: a column pipe; an outer column having a wrapping and holding portion capable of longitudinally moving and fixing the column pipe, fastening portions for expanding and contracting, in a diameter direction, a slit formed at the wrapping and holding portion, and a through-hole for fastening; a fixing bracket having support holes, and fixing side portions for clamping widthwise both sides of the outer column; and a fastening tool having a bolt shank. A self-lubricating elastic member is interposed between an outer surface of each fastening portion and an inner surface of each fixing side portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering apparatus provided with a tilt adjustment mechanism, which can smoothly perform tilt adjustment without applying a lubricant with a very simple configuration.

  A steering device that controls the direction of an automobile can adjust a tilt position and a telescopic position so as to match the physique of a driver. The adjustment of the tilt position is related to the angle of the steering shaft, and is recognized as an adjustment of the height of the steering wheel by the driver. The adjustment of the telescopic position relates to the length of the steering shaft, and is recognized as an adjustment of the distance from the steering wheel for the driver.

  These adjustment mechanisms of the steering device include a manual type and an electric type. For manual operation, release the tightening with the tightening lever, adjust manually, and then tighten with the tightening lever. On the other hand, in the electric type, adjustment is performed by operating a motor, and after the adjustment is completed, tightening is performed by meshing of gears related to the motor.

  By the way, in a car accident, a secondary collision occurs in which the driver collides with the steering device in the event of a collision. In order to protect the driver from this secondary collision, the steering device is provided with a mechanism for absorbing an impact in the axial direction. In order to operate the axial shock absorbing mechanism with certainty, the tilt adjusting mechanism needs to be firmly tightened.

  As described above, the tilt adjustment mechanism normally needs to be firmly tightened, but is required to move smoothly during adjustment. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a steering device that releases a tightening tool, weakens the tightening force of the outer column by the bracket, adjusts the tilt, and then tightens and fixes the steering device.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a steering device in which the tightening force of the outer column is made constant and tilt adjustment is performed by an electric motor. This is not fixed by a fastener, but is fixed by meshing with the gear of the motor. Further, during adjustment, the outer column holding surface by the bracket slides in a state where a tightening pressure is applied, so that a large amount of lubricating oil is applied to the sliding surface. For this reason, a storage groove for the lubricating oil and an O-ring for preventing oil leakage are provided.

  Patent Document 3 discloses an O-ring made of a fluorine rubber compound, and describes that the resistance is small when the O-ring slides.

  Non-Patent Document 1 describes an O-ring made of a lubricious rubber. In the evaluation example of the long-term compression set of the O-ring, the time required for the compression set of the O-ring to reach 80% is described as equivalent to about 16.7 years (the lower part of the catalog “Life calculation”). Example "excerpt).

JP 2008-308034 (basic clamp type) JP 2008-94157 A (O-ring on electric sliding surface) JP 2004-307765 A (self-lubricating material O-ring)

“Valker (registered trademark) Lubricating Rubber Product Catalog April 1994”, Nippon Valqua Industries, Ltd., April 1999, No. LA03 9904 02.

  In a steering device having a tilt adjustment mechanism, a lubricant such as grease is applied to the tilt sliding portion regardless of whether it is manual or electric.To prevent dripping of the lubricant applied to the sliding portion, It is necessary to control the amount of coating, which is expensive. In addition, since the lubricant is present in the sliding portion, the friction coefficient at the time of lever tightening is lowered, so that the tightening holding force at the tilt position may be lowered.

  In addition, when releasing the lever tightening, a gap is generated between the bracket-side clamping member and the clamped member of the outer column, and the tilt can be adjusted, but there is nothing to secure the gap between the two members. There is a risk of generating a so-called bid load that rubs at the part. When tilt adjustment is performed in such a state, both members rub against each other to generate abnormal noise due to the metal member and to give the driver an unpleasant sensation.

  An object of the present invention, that is, a technical problem to be solved is to provide a steering device that can eliminate a lubricant on a sliding surface with a very simple configuration and can smoothly perform tilt adjustment. .

  Accordingly, the invention of claim 1 includes a column pipe, a holding portion that allows the column pipe to be moved and fixed in the front-rear direction, and a tightening portion that expands and contracts a slit formed in the holding portion in the diameter direction. An outer column having a through hole for tightening; a fixing side portion holding both sides in the width direction of the outer column; a fixing bracket having a support hole; and a tightening tool having a bolt shaft, the outer surface of the tightening portion And the said subject was solved by setting it as the steering device characterized by the elastic member which has self-lubricating property interposing between the inner surface of the said fixed side part.

  When the fastening tool is loosened in the invention of claim 2 in the invention of claim 1, the self-lubricating elastic member is an outer surface of the fastening portion provided in the outer column or The above problem has been solved by providing a steering device that is fixed to one of the inner side surfaces of the fixed side portion and is slidable with respect to the other surface.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, a groove is formed on the outer surface of the tightening portion over the entire circumference of the outer surface, and the groove has an elasticity having self-lubricating properties. The above-described problem has been solved by providing a steering device in which members are mounted.

  Further, in the invention of claim 4, in the invention of claim 1, claim 2, or claim 3, at least one of the opposing surfaces of the outer column and the fixed side portion is uneven. Or the said subject was solved by setting it as the steering device characterized by having a mountain-shaped surface structure.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, an elastic member having a self-lubricating property is interposed between the outer side surface of the tightening portion and the inner side surface of the fixed side portion. The outer side surface and the inner side surface of the fixed side portion slide through the elastic member having the self-lubricating property. Thereby, favorable tilt adjustment can be performed without applying a lubricant to the sliding portion. In addition, since no lubricant is required, the dripping test of lubricant and the management of the amount of lubricant applied are not required, and the lubricant application step can be eliminated in the steering device assembly process, thereby reducing costs. it can.

  Further, when the lever is tightened, the elastic member having self-lubricating property is deformed so as to be crushed by the elastic force, and the outer surface of the tightening portion and the inner surface of the fixed side portion are in direct contact with each other. The tightening holding force at the tilt position can be improved by allowing the metals to directly contact each other without using a lubricant.

  When the lever is released and the tilt adjustment is performed, both opposing surfaces of the outer surface of the tightening portion and the inner surface of the fixed side portion are caused by the elastic force of the self-lubricating elastic member. Since the gap at is constant, smooth tilt adjustment can be performed without generating a bid load.

  In the invention of claim 2, the elastic member having self-lubricating property slides with respect to the outer side surface of the other fastening portion or the inner side surface of the fixed side portion, so that the elastic member having self-lubricating property itself Lubricant eliminates the need for a lubricant and allows smooth tilt adjustment.

  In the invention of claim 3, by attaching an elastic member having self-lubricating property to the groove formed on the outer surface of the tightening portion, it is possible to attach the elastic member having self-lubricating property very easily. .

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, at least one of the opposing surfaces of the outer surface of the tightening portion and the inner surface of the fixed side portion has an unevenness or a chevron surface structure, so that the tilt is maintained when the lever is tightened. The power is further improved.

(A) is a side view of an example of a steering device of the present invention, (B) is a side view of an outer column, (C) is the same steering device, and shows a state in which the fastening tool is tightened, and is enlarged in the direction of arrows AA. Sectional drawing, (D) is an enlarged view of a state in which the lever is released at (α) part of (C). (A) is an enlarged schematic view of the sliding portion, and shows that the outer column and the fixed side portion are not in contact with each other when the lever is released, and (B) is an enlarged schematic view of the sliding portion. It is a figure which shows that the outer column and fixed side part at the time of lever fastening are in a contact state. FIG. 6 is a view of a tilt sliding surface of a conventional steering device of a fastening tool type.

  FIG. 1A is a side view of a steering apparatus which is an example of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1A, in the example of the steering device of the present invention, a column pipe 4 containing a shaft is held by an outer column 1 so as to be movable and fixed in the front-rear direction. The fixed bracket 2 sandwiches both sides of the outer column 1 in the width direction so that the tilt can be adjusted. The fixing bracket 2 can tighten or release the outer column 1 with a fastener 3 described later. When adjusting the tilt, release the tightening and tighten again after the adjustment is completed.

  1B is a side view of the outer column 1, and FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view of the steering apparatus of the present invention including the outer column 1, showing a state in which the fastener 3 is tightened. FIG. FIG. 2B is an enlarged schematic view in which the fixing side portion 21 of the fixing bracket 2 and the tightening portion 12 of the outer column 1 are brought into contact with each other by tightening the lever 32. .

  The outer column 1 has a holding body portion 11 and a tightening portion 12. The holding body main body 11 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and the inside is hollow. A slit portion 13 to be described later is formed at the lower portion of the holding body main body portion 11 in the diameter direction. The outer column 1 is made of aluminum die cast.

  The tightening portion 12 is formed integrally with the lower portion of the outer column 1. In FIG. 1C, both tightening portions 12 have a bilaterally symmetric shape and are integrally formed at positions on both ends in the width direction of the slit portion 13. Specifically, it is a thick plate-like portion formed in a substantially hanging shape from both ends in the width direction of the slit portion 13 or its vicinity.

  The slit portions 13 are spaced apart portions that are discontinuous in the width direction from the front side in the axial direction of the holding main body portion 11 to the rear side. When the edge portions facing each other on both sides in the width direction of the slit portion 13 are close to each other, the diameter of the holding body main body portion 21 is reduced, and the column pipe 4 housed and mounted inside can be fastened and fixed.

  The outer surface 12a that is the outer surface of the tightening portion 12 is a surface that faces the inner surface 21a of the fixed side portion 21 of the fixing bracket 2 described later. The outer surface 12a shown in FIG. 1B is a flat surface, and a groove 12b is formed over the entire circumference. The shape of the groove 12 b is appropriately changed depending on the shape of the tightening portion 12.

  The groove 12b is desirably formed at or near the outer periphery of the outer surface 12a. Further, the groove 12b may be formed at two locations, a central location of the outer surface 12a and a location close to the outer periphery. A self-lubricating O-ring 51 is mounted in the groove 12b as the elastic member 5 having self-lubricating properties. The self-lubricating O-ring 51 is an O-ring whose material itself has lubricity.

  The self-lubricating O-ring 51 has a certain smoothness in the rubber itself without using a lubricant. Since it is not a coating, the slipperiness does not peel off. As the self-lubricating O-ring 51, for example, a self-lubricating O-ring 51 containing a fluorine-based compound in addition to a lubricating component can be used.

  When the tightening by the tightening tool 3 is released, the outer surface 12 a slides with the fixed side portion 21 through the self-lubricating O-ring 51. Since the self-lubricating O-ring 51 itself is slidable, the lubricant on the sliding surface between the outer surface 12a of the tightening portion 12 and the fixed side portion 21 can be made unnecessary.

  As the self-lubricating O-ring 51, for example, the lubricating rubber described in Non-Patent Document 1 can be used. According to Non-Patent Document 1, it is described that the service life of the lubricating rubber is about 16.7 years.

  A fastening through hole 14 is formed in the fastening portion 12 along a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the outer column 1 and parallel to the horizontal diameter direction of the holding main body portion 11. The fastening through hole 14 is a hole through which the bolt shaft 31 as the fastening tool 3 is inserted.

  In FIG. 1B, a shaft support portion 15 is provided at the left end of the outer column 1. This is for pivotally supporting the outer column 1 on a vehicle body, and the outer column 1 can be tilted around a tilt bolt 15 a inserted through the pivotal support portion 15.

  The fixing bracket 2 is a member that is fixed to the vehicle body and supports and fixes the outer column 1. As shown in FIG. 1C, the fixed bracket 2 is provided with a pair of left and right fixed side portions 21. Both the fixed side portions 21 sandwich the outer column 1 from both sides in the width direction.

  The fixed side portion 21 has a support hole 22 that is a long hole for tilt adjustment. The bolt shaft 31 is inserted into the support hole 22 and the tightening through hole 14 of the outer column 1. The tilt position of the outer column 1 can be adjusted by the elongated hole shape of the support hole 22.

  Next, the tilt adjustment operation of the embodiment of the steering device of the present invention will be described. The tilt adjustment is performed by releasing the tightening by the both fixed side portions 21. As shown in FIG. 1C, the bolt shaft 31 inserted through the support hole 22 and the tightening through hole 14 is tightened and released by the rotation of the lever 32.

  When the tightening is released by the lever 32, the interval between the two fixed side portions 21 is opened, and the tightening of the tightening portion 12 is loosened. At this time, the self-lubricating O-ring 51 mounted in the groove 12b formed on the outer surface 12a of the tightening portion 12 protrudes outward in the width direction from the outer surface 12a due to its elastic force.

  Then, the inner side surface 21 a of the fixed side portion 21 and the outer side surface 12 a of the tightening portion 12 do not directly contact each other, and the outer side surface 12 a slides on the fixed side portion 21 via the self-lubricating O-ring 51. Accordingly, smooth tilt adjustment can be performed without applying a lubricant to the tilt sliding surface. Further, due to the elastic force of the self-lubricating O-ring 51, the gap between the outer side surface 12a of the tightening portion 12 and the inner side surface 21a of the fixed side portion 21 becomes constant, and smooth tilt adjustment can be performed without generating a competitive load. It can be carried out.

  In the embodiment, the self-lubricating O-ring 51 is fixed by processing the groove 12b on the tightening portion 12 side. However, conversely, a groove may be provided on the fixed side portion to fix the self-lubricating O-ring 51, and the self-lubricating O-ring 51 may be slid on the outer surface 12 a of the tightening portion 12. In this case, the groove 12b provided on the outer surface 12a is not necessary.

  After the tilt adjustment, both the fixed side portions 21 of the fixed bracket 2 and the tightening portion 12 of the outer column 1 are pressed by the rotation operation of the lever 32 so as to be mutually narrowed. The self-lubricating O-ring 51 attached to the outer side surface 12 a of the tightening portion 12 or the inner side surface 21 a of the fixed side portion 21 is deformed by being pressed by the both fixed side portions 21.

  Since no lubricant is applied to the tilt sliding surface, the inner side surface 21a of both the fixed side portions 21 and the outer side surface 12a of both the tightening portions 12 are in direct contact with each other. When the metals come into contact with each other, a tightening frictional force is generated, and the tightening holding force at the tilt position is improved. The outer column 1 is fixed to the fixing bracket 2, and the interval between the slit portions 13 of the holding main body 11 of the outer column 1 is narrowed, and the column pipe 4 held by the outer column 1 is also tightened. As described above, the friction force after tightening on the tilt sliding surface is increased, so that the tightening holding force at the tilt position can be improved without using a friction plate.

  In the steering device of the present invention, when the lever 32 is released from the tightening, the self-lubricating O-ring 51 slides on the fixed side 21 or the tightening portion 12, and the fixed side 21, the tightening portion 12, Becomes non-contact [see FIG. 1D]. FIG. 2A is an enlarged schematic view showing that the fixed side portion 21 and the tightening portion 12 are not in contact with each other by releasing the tightening of the lever 32. By applying a small chevron or uneven process to at least one of these opposing surfaces, the frictional force of the tilt sliding surface can be further strengthened when the lever 32 is tightened.

  Further, the steering device can be prevented from moving upward at the time of a secondary collision, and the impact absorbing mechanism can be operated reliably. Further, when the self-lubricating O-ring 51 is attached to the tightening portion 12, the outer surface 12a of the tightening portion 12 is left as it is without being processed, so that the tilt sliding is performed when the lever 32 is tightened. The frictional force of the surface can be further strengthened, and the cost can be reduced by omitting the processing.

  When releasing the tightening of the lever 32, the self-lubricating O-ring 51 mounted on the tightening portion 12 and the inner side surface 21a of the fixed side portion 21 slide, so that smooth tilt adjustment can be performed. These are the effects obtained by making the opposing surfaces non-contact when tightening is released.

  In the steering device of the present invention, the self-lubricating O-ring 51 is used for the tilt sliding portion, so that when the tightening is released, the self-lubricating O-ring 51 and the outer surface 12a of the tightening portion 12 or the fixed side portion 21 are fixed. Since the tilt adjustment is performed by sliding with the inner side surface 21a, a feeling of smooth tilt adjustment can be obtained.

  In addition, since the self-lubricating O-ring 51 itself is slidable, it is not necessary to apply a lubricant to the tilt sliding surface. As a result, when the lever is tightened, a larger frictional force is obtained between the outer surface 12a of the tightening portion 12 and the inner surface 21a of the fixed side portion 21, and the outer column 1 can be firmly tightened. There is an effect.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Outer column, 11 ... Holding body part, 12 ... Fastening part, 12a ... Outer surface, 12b ... Groove,
13 ... Slit part, 14 ... Tightening through-hole, 15 ... Shaft support part, 15a ... Tilt bolt,
2 ... fixed bracket, 21 ... fixed side, 21a ... inner surface, 22 ... support hole, 3 ... fastener
31 ... Bolt shaft, 32 ... Lever, 4 ... Column pipe, 5 ... Elastic member,
51 ... Self-lubricating O-ring.

Claims (4)

  An outer column having a column pipe, a holding portion that allows the column pipe to be moved and fixed in the front-rear direction, a tightening portion that expands and contracts a slit formed in the holding portion in the diameter direction, and a through hole for tightening A fixing bracket having a fixing side portion and a support hole that sandwiches both sides in the width direction of the outer column, and a fastening tool having a bolt shaft, and an outer surface of the tightening portion and an inner surface of the fixing side portion. A steering device characterized in that a self-lubricating elastic member is interposed between the two.   2. The loose member according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member having self-lubricating property is one of an outer surface of the tightening portion provided on the outer column or an inner surface of the fixed side portion. And a steering device characterized by being slidable with respect to the other surface.   3. The structure according to claim 1, wherein a groove is formed on the outer surface of the tightening portion over the entire circumference of the outer surface, and an elastic member having a self-lubricating property is attached to the groove. Steering device. In any one of Claim 1, Claim 2, or Claim 3, At least any one of both the opposing surfaces of the said outer column and the said fixed side part has unevenness | corrugation or a chevron surface structure. Steering device characterized.

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