JP2018127041A - Steering unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a structure capable of inhibiting an adjustment lever from furiously turning at the time of releasing a retention force for disabling position adjustment of a steering wheel.SOLUTION: A reduction and extension device is included to reduce the space between a pair of support plates 22a and 22b along with turning in one direction of an adjustment lever 26, and extend the space along with turning in the other direction of the adjustment lever. An elastic member 41 whose compression quantity increases when the adjustment lever 26 is turned in one direction and reduces when the adjustment lever 26 is turned in the other direction, and whose reaction force reacts in a direction of contracting the space between the pair of support plates 22a and 22b is incorporated in the reduction and extension device. The reaction force of the elastic member 41 is reacted in the direction of contracting the space between the pair of support plates 22a and 22b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering device having a steering wheel position adjusting function and performing switching of whether or not the steering wheel can be adjusted by rotating an adjusting lever.

  2. Description of the Related Art Some steering devices for automobiles include a position adjustment function that can adjust the vertical position and front / rear position of a steering wheel in accordance with a driver's physique and driving posture.

  For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe a steering apparatus having such a position adjustment function, in which whether or not the position of the steering wheel can be adjusted can be switched by rotating the adjustment lever. . The adjustment lever is provided so as to be rotatable around an adjustment rod disposed in the width direction of the vehicle body. Then, a holding force for making it impossible to adjust the position of the steering wheel is generated based on turning the adjusting lever in one direction. On the contrary, the holding force is released based on rotating the adjustment lever in the other direction so that the position of the steering wheel can be adjusted.

  Further, in the case of the steering device described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the force for rotating the adjusting lever in one direction is applied to the adjusting rod by the screw device (Patent Document 1) or the cam device (Patent Document 2). This is converted into a pulling force in the axial direction, causing this adjusting rod to elastically stretch in the axial direction, and generating an axial force that is an elastic restoring force corresponding to this elongation, and using this axial force The holding force is ensured.

Japanese Patent No. 4178318 JP 2011-194959 A

  In the case of the above-described conventional structure, when the adjustment lever is rotated in the other direction to release the holding force, the adjustment lever is vigorously rotated in the other direction by the biasing based on the axial force of the adjustment rod. there's a possibility that. If the adjustment lever is vigorously rotated in the other direction as described above, it is not preferable because the driver who operates the adjustment lever feels uncomfortable.

  In the present invention, in view of the circumstances as described above, the adjustment lever rotates vigorously when switching from the locked state in which the position adjustment of the steering wheel is disabled to the unlocked state in which the position adjustment of the steering wheel is enabled. It was invented to realize a structure capable of suppressing this.

The steering device of the present invention includes a steering column, a column side bracket, a column side through hole, a vehicle body side bracket, a pair of vehicle body side through holes, an adjustment rod, and an expansion / contraction device.
Among these, the steering column supports a steering shaft, which supports a steering wheel at the rear end, rotatably on the inner diameter side.
The column side bracket is provided on a part of the steering column in the axial direction.
The column side through hole is provided in a state of penetrating the column side bracket in the width direction.
Moreover, the said vehicle body side bracket has a pair of support plate part arrange | positioned in the position which pinches | interposes the said column side bracket from the width direction both sides, and is supported by the vehicle body.
Further, the pair of vehicle body side through holes are provided in a state of passing through the pair of support plate portions in the width direction.
The adjustment rod is inserted through the column side through hole and the pair of vehicle body side through holes in the width direction.
Further, the expansion / contraction device generates hysteresis in the characteristics of the reaction force against the compression amount and the adjustment lever provided to be rotatable around the adjustment rod, and the reaction force against the compression amount An elastic member acting in a direction to reduce the interval between the support plate portions and an operation of rotating the adjustment lever in one direction are converted into an operation of increasing the compression amount of the elastic member, and the adjustment lever is moved in the other direction. And a conversion device that converts the rotating operation into an operation that reduces the compression amount of the elastic member. The expansion / contraction device reduces the distance between the pair of support plate portions by increasing the amount of compression of the elastic member as the adjustment lever is rotated in one direction, and the adjustment lever is moved to another position. The distance between the pair of support plate portions is increased by reducing the amount of compression of the elastic member as it is rotated in the direction.
Incidentally, the occurrence of hysteresis in the reaction force characteristic with respect to the compression amount is generated when the pressure is reduced, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, for example, as shown in FIGS. It means that reaction force becomes small.
Further, at least one of the column side through hole and the pair of vehicle body side through holes is a long hole extending in a direction in which the position of the steering wheel can be adjusted.
Further, the expansion / contraction device can increase the distance between the pair of support plate portions and the locked state in which the position adjustment of the steering wheel is disabled based on the reduction of the interval between the pair of support plate portions. On the basis of this, it is possible to switch between the unlocked state in which the position of the steering wheel can be adjusted.

  In the case of carrying out the present invention, for example, the elastic member can be configured by overlapping a plurality of disc springs in the axial direction. In this case, the plurality of disc springs may be superposed in a parallel superposition in which they are superposed in the same direction with respect to the axial direction, in a serial combination in which they are superposed in the reverse direction in the axial direction, or in a combination of parallel superposition and serial combination. It may be used in combination (for example, a serial combination of two stacked in parallel).

  In the case of carrying out the present invention, for example, a configuration is adopted in which the compression amount (deflection amount) of the elastic member does not reach the total deflection amount (= free height-contact height) even in the locked state. I can do things.

  When implementing the present invention, for example, a configuration in which the amount of compression of the elastic member does not become zero even in the unlocked state can be adopted.

In carrying out the present invention, for example, the conversion device can be a cam device.
The cam device is provided with a driving cam surface that is an uneven surface in the circumferential direction on the side surface in the width direction, the driving side cam that rotates together with the adjusting lever, and the width side surface that faces the driving side cam surface. A driven cam surface that is an uneven surface in the circumferential direction that engages with the driving cam surface, and has a driven cam that is prevented from rotating with respect to the vehicle body side bracket. By rotating with respect to the driven cam, the size in the width direction can be enlarged and reduced, and in the unlocked state, a plurality of driving convex portions provided on the driving cam surface and the driven side The plurality of driven-side convex portions provided on the cam surface are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction, and in the locked state, the tip surfaces of the respective driving-side convex portions and the respective driven-side convex portions It is in a state where the tip surface is abutted It is intended.
Then, by rotating the adjustment lever in one direction, the amount of compression of the elastic member is increased based on increasing the width direction dimension of the cam device, and the adjustment lever is rotated in the other direction. Accordingly, the amount of compression of the elastic member is reduced based on the reduction of the dimension in the width direction of the cam device.

  In the case of carrying out the present invention, for example, when the adjustment lever is rotated in one direction to switch from the unlocked state to the locked state, the drive-side convex portions that are slidably guided to each other are guided. The shape in which the inclination angle of the portion that is first slidably guided by the circumferential side surface and the circumferential side surface of the driven-side convex portion is smaller than the inclination angle of the portion that is slidably guided thereafter It is possible to adopt a configuration such as having

  In the case of carrying out the present invention, for example, when the adjustment lever is rotated in the other direction to switch from the locked state to the unlocked state, the drive-side convex portions guided by sliding contact with each other are guided. The shape in which the inclination angle of the portion that is first slidably guided by the circumferential side surface and the circumferential side surface of the driven-side convex portion is smaller than the inclination angle of the portion that is slidably guided thereafter It is possible to adopt a configuration such as having

  In carrying out the present invention, for example, an urging spring is provided that urges the driving cam in a direction to rotate in one direction with respect to the driven cam in the unlocked state. Can be adopted.

  In carrying out the present invention, for example, it is disposed between a pair of surfaces that are displaced relative to each other when the steering column is displaced with respect to the vehicle body side bracket, and the reaction force of the elastic member. It is possible to employ a configuration in which a synthetic resin material that is compressed between the pair of surfaces is included.

  In the case of the steering device of the present invention having the above-described configuration, the adjustment lever is used when switching from the locked state in which the position adjustment of the steering wheel is disabled to the unlocked state in which the position adjustment of the steering wheel is enabled. It is possible to suppress the vigorous rotation.

1 is a partially cut schematic side view of a steering device according to a first example of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. Similarly, the expanded AA sectional view of FIG. Similarly, the enlarged view which abbreviate | omits and shows the B section of FIG. Similarly, the front view (a) of the driving side cam surface and the front view (b) of the driven side cam surface. Similarly, the cross-sectional schematic diagram shown in order to demonstrate the change of the contact state of the cam surfaces at the time of switching from an unlocked state to a locked state. Similarly, the C section of FIG. 2 is partially omitted, and is an enlarged view shown in an unlocked state (a) and a locked state (b). Similarly, the figure (a) which looked at the single disc spring from the axial direction, and DD sectional view (b) of (a). Similarly, the diagram which represents conceptually the relationship between the compression amount of a single disk spring, and reaction force. Similarly, sectional drawing of the elastic member which is a laminated disk spring. Similarly, the diagram which represents notionally the relationship between the compression amount and reaction force of the elastic member which is a laminated disk spring. The enlarged view equivalent to the C section of FIG. 2 regarding the 2nd example of embodiment of this invention. The enlarged view equivalent to the B section of FIG. 2 regarding the 3rd example of embodiment of this invention. The figure similar to FIG. 2 which shows the 4th example of embodiment of this invention. The figure similar to FIG. 3 regarding the 5th example of embodiment of this invention. Similarly, the same figure as FIG. Similarly, the same figure as FIG. The cross-sectional schematic diagram shown in order to demonstrate the change of the contact state of the cam surfaces at the time of switching from the locked state to the unlocked state regarding the sixth example of the embodiment of the present invention. The enlarged view equivalent to the B section of FIG. 2 regarding the 7th example of embodiment of this invention. Similarly, the cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows the contact state of the cam surfaces in an unlocked state. The figure similar to FIG. 3 regarding the 8th example of embodiment of this invention. Similarly, the cross-sectional schematic diagram which shows two examples of the contact state of the cam surfaces in an unlocked state. Sectional drawing which shows the 1st example of another example of an elastic member. Sectional drawing which shows the 2nd example of another example of an elastic member. The figure (a) seen from the axial direction which shows the 3rd example of another example of an elastic member, and the figure (b) seen from the downward direction of (a).

[First example of embodiment]
A first example of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the present specification and claims, the front-rear direction, the width direction, and the up-down direction refer to the front-rear direction, the width direction, and the up-down direction of the vehicle unless otherwise specified.

  The steering device of the present example is configured as shown in FIG. 1, and transmits the rotation of the steering wheel 1 to the input shaft 3 of the steering gear unit 2, and a pair of left and right tie rods 4 as the input shaft 3 rotates. 4 is pushed and pulled to give a steering angle to the front wheels which are steered wheels. The steering wheel 1 is supported and fixed to the rear end portion of the steering shaft 5. The steering shaft 5 is rotatably supported by the steering column 6 in a state where the cylindrical steering column 6 is inserted in the axial direction. ing. A front end portion of the steering shaft 5 is connected to a rear end portion of the intermediate shaft 8 via a universal joint 7, and a front end portion of the intermediate shaft 8 is connected to the input shaft 3 via another universal joint 9. Yes.

  The steering apparatus of this example includes a tilt mechanism for adjusting the vertical position of the steering wheel 1 and a telescopic mechanism for adjusting the front-rear position according to the physique and driving posture of the driver.

  In order to constitute a telescopic mechanism, the steering column 6 is slidably fitted between the front end portion of the cylindrical outer column 10 disposed on the rear side and the rear end portion of the cylindrical inner column 11 disposed on the front side. Combined to make the entire length extendable. Of these, the outer column 10 is supported by a vehicle body side bracket 13 supported by the vehicle body 12 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. Further, the steering shaft 5 is rotatably supported inside the steering column 6 and the steering wheel 1 is fixed to the rear end portion thereof, and the outer shaft 14 and the inner shaft 15 are spline-engaged to each other so that torque can be transmitted. It has a structure that can be expanded and contracted. The outer column 10, the inner column 11, the outer shaft 14, and the inner shaft 15 are each made of a metal such as an iron alloy or an aluminum alloy.

  In order to constitute the tilt mechanism, the steering column 6 is supported with respect to the vehicle body 12 so as to be capable of swinging displacement about the tilt shaft 16 installed in the width direction, and the outer column 10 is attached to the vehicle body side bracket 13. On the other hand, it is supported to be movable in the vertical direction.

  Also, slits 17a and 17b (shown only in FIG. 2) are formed in the lower and upper portions of the front end portion of the outer column 10 so as to extend in the axial direction, so that the inner diameter of the front end portion of the outer column 10 is elastically expanded and reduced. It is possible. A pair of sandwiched portions 18 and 18 are integrally provided with the outer column 10 at a portion of the lower surface of the front end portion of the outer column 10 where the slit 17a is sandwiched from both sides in the width direction. A side bracket 19 is configured. The pair of sandwiched portions 18, 18 form telescopic elongated holes 20, 20 corresponding to the column side through holes described in the claims in a state of extending in the axial direction of the outer column 10.

  On the other hand, the vehicle body side bracket 13 is made of a metal plate such as an iron alloy or an aluminum alloy, and includes a mounting plate portion 21 and a pair of support plate portions 22a and 22b. The mounting plate portion 21 is a flat plate and is normally supported with respect to the vehicle body 12. However, in the event of a collision, the mounting plate portion 21 disengages forward based on the impact of the secondary collision, and the front of the outer column 10. Is allowed to be displaced. In addition, the pair of support plate portions 22 a and 22 b are provided in parallel with each other while being suspended from the mounting plate portion 21. Among the two support plate portions 22a and 22b, tilt elongated holes 23 and 23 corresponding to the vehicle body side through holes described in the claims are provided at positions facing each other in the width direction in a state of extending vertically. Forming. A cylindrical adjustment rod 24 is inserted through the telescopic long holes 20 and 20 and the tilt long holes 23 and 23 in the width direction. The adjusting rod 24 is made of a high-strength material such as a metal such as an iron alloy or an aluminum alloy, or a synthetic resin mixed with reinforcing fibers.

  And the space | interval of a pair of support plate part 22a, 22b can be expanded / contracted with the expansion / contraction apparatus assembled | attached to the adjustment rod 24. FIG.

  In order to configure such an expansion / contraction device, one of the pair of support plate portions 22a and 22b (left side in FIG. 2) is supported by one end portion (left end portion in FIG. 2) of the adjustment rod 24 in the axial direction. An outward flange-shaped head portion 25 is integrally provided at a portion protruding from the outer surface of the plate portion 22a. Of the one end of the adjusting rod 24 in the axial direction, the base end of the adjusting lever 26 is arranged between the inner surface of the head 25 and the outer surface of the one support plate 22a in this order from the head 25 side. And the cam device 27 are externally fitted.

  The cam device 27 expands and contracts the axial dimension, which is the width dimension, based on the relative displacement between the driving cam 28 and the driven cam 29. Of these, the driven cam 29 is used as one support plate. The tilt long hole 23 formed in the portion 22a is engaged with the tilt long hole 23 while allowing displacement along the tilt long hole 23 and preventing rotation. Further, the driven cam 29 is fitted on the adjustment rod 24 so as to be capable of relative rotation and relative displacement in the axial direction. Further, the driving cam 28 is fitted on the adjustment rod 24 in a state in which relative rotation and relative displacement in the axial direction are prevented. Further, the base end portion of the adjusting lever 26 is coupled to the driving cam 28 in a state in which relative rotation is prevented. Therefore, in the case of this example, the drive side cam 28 and the adjustment rod 24 rotate around the adjustment rod 24 together with the adjustment lever 26.

  In the case of this example, the axial dimension of the cam device 27 increases as the adjustment lever 26 is rotated in one direction, and the cam is increased as the adjustment lever 26 is rotated in the other direction. The axial dimension of the device 27 is reduced.

  For this reason, of the outer surface of the driven cam 29 and the inner surface of the driving cam 28 facing each other, the outer surface of the driven cam 29 is an uneven surface in the circumferential direction. A cam surface 30 is formed. As shown in FIGS. 4B and 5, the driven cam surface 30 includes a flat driven side reference surface 31 that is orthogonal to the width direction, and a circumferential direction of the driven side reference surface 31. Driven-side convex portions 32 and 32 projecting outward in the width direction from a plurality of locations (four locations in the illustrated example) that are equally spaced. Of the both sides in the circumferential direction of the driven-side convex portion 32, the side surface on one direction side with respect to the rotation direction of the adjustment lever 26 is a driven-side stopper surface 33. The side surface on the other direction is a driven side guide slope 34. The driven-side stopper surface 33 is a stepped surface facing one direction side of the rotation direction, which is substantially perpendicular to the driven-side reference surface 31. The driven-side guide slope 34 is inclined in a direction toward one direction of the rotational direction as it goes outward in the width direction. In the case of this example, the inclination angle of the driven side guide slope 34 with respect to the driven side reference surface 31 is constant over the entire width in the circumferential direction.

  Further, on the inner side surface of the drive side cam 28, a drive side cam surface 35 that is an uneven surface in the circumferential direction is formed. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 5, the drive-side cam surface 35 includes a flat drive-side reference surface 36 that is orthogonal to the width direction, and an equal circumferential interval between the drive-side reference surfaces 36. Drive-side convex portions 37, 37 that are the same number as the driven-side convex portions 32, 32 that protrude inward in the width direction from the plurality of locations. Of the both sides in the circumferential direction of the drive-side convex portion 37, the side surface on one direction side with respect to the rotation direction of the adjustment lever 26 is a drive-side guide slope 38, and the other direction with respect to the rotation direction of the adjustment lever 26. The side surface is a drive side stopper surface 39. The drive-side guide slope 38 is inclined in the direction toward the other direction of the rotational direction as it goes inward in the width direction. In the case of this example, the inclination angle of the drive side guide slope 38 with respect to the drive side reference surface 36 is constant over the entire width in the circumferential direction. The drive-side stopper surface 39 is a stepped surface that faces the other direction side of the rotation direction and is substantially perpendicular to the drive-side reference surface 36.

  In addition, the inclination angle of the driving side guide inclined surface 38 with respect to the driving side reference surface 36 is equal to the inclination angle of the driven side guide inclined surface 34 with respect to the driven side reference surface 31. Further, the inclination angle of the driving side stopper surface 39 with respect to the driving side reference surface 36 is equal to the inclination angle of the driven side stopper surface 33 with respect to the driven side reference surface 31.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 5A, the adjustment lever 26 is rotated in one direction in the unlocked state in which the driving-side convex portions 37 and the driven-side convex portions 32 are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction. Thus, when the drive side cam 28 is rotated in one direction, the drive side guide slope 38 is slidably guided by the driven side guide slope 34 as shown in FIGS. The axial dimension of the cam device 27 is enlarged. Then, as shown in FIGS. 5B to 5C, the axial dimension of the cam device 27 with the front end surface 61 of the driving side convex portion 37 abutting against the front end surface 60 of the driven side convex portion 32. Becomes the maximum and becomes locked.

  On the other hand, when the driving cam 28 is rotated in the other direction by rotating the adjusting lever 26 in the other direction in the locked state shown in FIG. 5C, (c) → (b As shown in FIG. 5, the axial dimension of the cam device 27 is reduced while the drive side guide slope 38 is slidably guided by the driven side guide slope 34. As shown in FIGS. 5B to 5A, the front end surface 61 of the drive-side convex portion 37 abuts against the driven-side reference surface 31, and the front end surface 60 of the driven-side convex portion 32 is driven to the drive side. In the state where it abuts against the reference surface 36, the axial dimension of the cam device 27 is minimized, and the unlocked state is established.

  Further, the other end (right end in FIG. 2) of the adjustment rod 24 in the axial direction protrudes from the outer surface of the other support plate 22b (the right in FIG. 2) of the pair of support plates 22a and 22b. A nut 40 is fixed to the portion that has been removed. The elastic member 41 and the thrust bearing 42 are arranged in this order from the nut 40 side between the inner side surface of the nut 40 and the outer side surface of the other support plate portion 22b in the other axial end portion of the adjusting rod 24. And the press plate 43 are externally fitted so as to be capable of relative rotation and relative displacement in the axial direction with respect to the adjustment rod 24, respectively.

  In this state, the inner surface of the pressing plate 43 is frictionally engaged with the outer surface of the other support plate portion 22b. The elastic member 41 can be rotated relative to the pressing plate 43 by a thrust bearing 42. At the same time, the elastic member 41 is elastically compressed in the axial direction between the thrust bearing 42 and the nut 40. In the case of this example, in this state, the reaction force generated as the elastic member 41 is compressed acts in the direction of reducing the distance between the pair of support plate portions 22a and 22b.

  In the case of this example, the elastic member 41 generates hysteresis in the reaction force characteristics with respect to the compression amount. Specifically, a plurality of (two in the illustrated example) disc springs 44, 44 are provided. It is a lap spring that is configured by overlapping in parallel, that is, by overlapping in the same direction with respect to the axial direction that is the compression direction.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the disc spring 44 is made of a metal plate such as a steel plate having elasticity in the shape of a partially conical cylinder having a large apex angle. Such a disc spring 44 generates a frictional force due to rubbing at the contact portion with the mating member when the axial compression amount changes, and the direction of this frictional force increases when the compression amount is increased. And in the reverse direction when reducing the amount of compression. As a result, as shown in the conceptual diagram of FIG. 8, the disc spring 44 has a hysteresis that the reaction force generated at the time of depressurization is smaller than the reaction force generated at the time of pressurization.

  Such hysteresis, that is, the difference between the reaction force generated at the time of pressurization and the reaction force generated at the time of depressurization increases as the frictional force generated when the compression amount changes increases. On the other hand, in the case of the elastic member 41 of this example, the side surfaces of the adjacent disc springs 44 and 44 are in surface contact with each other as shown in FIGS. And when the compression amount of the elastic member 41 changes, the frictional force by friction is generated between the side surfaces of the disc springs 44 and 44 adjacent to each other in the axial direction. Therefore, the hysteresis of the lap spring, which is the elastic member 41 of this example, is larger than the hysteresis of the single disc spring 44 shown in FIG. 8, as shown in the conceptual diagram of FIG.

  Further, in the case of this example, among the axial end portions of the elastic member 41 which is such a stacked disc spring, the small diameter side end portion is brought into contact with the inner surface of the nut 40, and the large diameter side end portion is thrust. The outer surface of the bearing 42 is in contact. However, the installation direction of the elastic member 41 in the axial direction can be reversed from the case of this example.

  When adjusting the position of the steering wheel 1 by the steering device of this example, the adjustment lever 26 is rotated in the other direction. As a result, the driving cam 28 is rotated in the other direction together with the adjusting lever 26. And as shown to (a) of FIG. 5, the cam apparatus 27 is made into the unlocked state which is the state which arrange | positioned the drive side convex part 37 and the to-be-driven side convex part 32 alternately regarding the circumferential direction. Reduce the axial dimension of. Then, as shown in FIG. 6A, the distance between the thrust bearing 42 and the nut 40 is increased, and the compression amount of the elastic member 41 is reduced. That is, the reaction force of the elastic member 41 acting in the direction of reducing the distance between the pair of support plate portions 22a and 22b is reduced. Accordingly, the distance between the pair of support plate portions 22a and 22b increases accordingly. As a result, the surface pressure of the contact portion between the inner surface of the pair of support plate portions 22a and 22b and the outer surface of the pair of sandwiched portions 18 and 18, and the inner peripheral surface of the front end portion of the outer column 10 and the inner column The surface pressure of the contact portion with the outer peripheral surface of the rear end portion 11 is reduced or lost. As a result, the frictional force of each contact portion, which is a holding force for preventing the displacement of the steering column 6 with respect to the vehicle body side bracket 13, is reduced or lost. In this state, the vertical position and the front-rear position of the steering wheel 1 can be adjusted within a range in which the adjustment rod 24 can move within the tilt long holes 23 and 23 and the telescopic long holes 20 and 20.

  In the case of this example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the adjustment lever 26 is rotated in the other direction only to the position where the driving side stopper surface 39 and the driven side stopper surface 33 abut. It can not be made to.

  In addition, after the steering wheel 1 is moved to a desired position as described above, the driving lever 28 is rotated in one direction together with the adjusting lever 26 by rotating the adjusting lever 26 in one direction. And as shown in FIG.5 (c), by setting it as the locked state which is the state where the front end surface 61 of the drive side convex part 37 and the front end surface 60 of the driven side convex part 32 were mutually abutted, The axial dimension of the cam device 27 is expanded. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the distance between the thrust bearing 42 and the nut 40 is reduced, and the compression amount of the elastic member 41 is increased. That is, the reaction force of the elastic member 41 acting in the direction of reducing the distance between the pair of support plate portions 22a and 22b increases. Accordingly, the distance between the pair of support plate portions 22a and 22b is reduced accordingly. As a result, as the surface pressure of each contact portion increases, the frictional force of each contact portion, which is the holding force, increases. Thereby, the steering wheel 1 can be held at the adjusted position.

  In the case of this example, when the lock state is switched to the unlock state, the adjustment lever 26 can be restrained from vigorously rotating in the other direction.

  That is, in the case of this example, when the drive side cam 28 is rotated in the other direction by rotating the adjusting lever 26 in the other direction in the locked state, as shown in FIGS. The drive side guide slope 38 is slidably in contact with the driven side guide slope 34. At this time, not only the inertial force and the weight of the adjusting lever 26 act on the drive side cam 28, but also the reaction force generated by the compression of the elastic member 41 acts and is biased in the other direction. Become. However, at this time, the compression amount of the elastic member 41 changes in a decreasing direction as shown in FIGS. 6B to 6A. That is, at this time, the reaction force of the elastic member 41 is the reaction force at the time of decompression shown in FIG. 10, and is significantly smaller than the reaction force at the time of pressurization. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the biasing in the other direction acting on the drive side cam 28, and to suppress the adjustment lever 26 from rotating vigorously in the other direction.

  In the case of this example, as shown in FIG. 6B, the amount of compression of the elastic member 41 does not reach the total amount of deflection even in the locked state. In other words, the disc springs 44, 44 constituting the elastic member 41 are prevented from bottoming out. By adopting such a configuration, when switching from the locked state to the unlocked state, the reaction force of the elastic member 41 is immediately greatly reduced to prevent the adjustment lever 26 from rotating vigorously in the other direction. I am trying to do it. Furthermore, the elastic member 41 is prevented from being easily sag by excessively increasing the amount of compression of the elastic member 41 in the locked state. When the structure of this example is implemented, it is preferable that the compression amount of the elastic member 41 in the locked state is 80% or less of the total deflection amount.

In the case of carrying out the present invention, a configuration in which the compression amount of the elastic member 41 reaches the total deflection amount in the locked state can be adopted.
For example, if the amount of compression of the elastic member 41 reaches the total amount of deflection while the adjustment lever 26 is rotated in one direction from the unlocked state to the locked state, the elastic member 41 is locked in the locked state. The generated axial force can be maximized, and the holding force can be sufficiently increased by using this axial force. When such a configuration is adopted, the state shown in FIG. 6B, that is, the compression amount of the elastic member 41 does not reach the total deflection amount from the middle of the operation of releasing the locked state. The disc springs 44, 44 are not bottomed out.

  In the case of this example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the amount of compression of the elastic member 41 does not become zero even in the unlocked state. As a result, even in the unlocked state, the reaction force of the elastic member 41 is loaded as a preload on each member such as the cam device 27 fitted on the adjustment rod 24, thereby causing rattling between these members. So that things can be suppressed. When implementing the structure of this example, it is preferable that the compression amount of the elastic member 41 in the unlocked state is 20% or more of the total deflection amount. That is, when the structure of this example is implemented, it is preferable that the compression amount of the elastic member 41 be within a range of 20% to 80% of the total deflection amount in any state.

[Second Example of Embodiment]
A second example of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the case of this example, in order to increase the spring rigidity and hysteresis of the elastic member 41a, the number of the disc springs 44a, 44a constituting the elastic member 41a is three, and the outer diameter of the elastic member 41a is also set. That is, the outer diameter of the disc springs 44a and 44a is made larger than the outer diameter of the thrust bearing 42. Accordingly, in this example, the outer diameter dimension between the outer surface of the thrust bearing 42 and the elastic member 41a is larger than the outer diameter dimension of the thrust bearing 42, and the outer diameter of the elastic member 41 is increased. An annular seat plate 45 that is larger than the diameter is sandwiched. The large-diameter end of the elastic member 41a is brought into contact with the outer surface of the seat plate 45.
Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first example of the embodiment described above.

[Third example of embodiment]
A third example of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the case of this example, in addition to the configuration of the first and second examples of the above-described embodiment, the elastic member 41b is elastic between the inner surface of the head 25 and the outer surface of the adjustment lever 26 with respect to the axial direction. In a compressed state. The reaction force generated by compressing the elastic member 41b acts in the direction of reducing the distance between the pair of support plate portions 22a and 22b (see FIG. 2). For this reason, in the case of this example, the drive side cam 28 is externally fitted to the adjustment rod 24 in a state where relative displacement in the axial direction is possible. In addition, even with the elastic member 41b, the amount of compression in the locked state is prevented from reaching the total amount of deflection, and the amount of compression in the unlocked state is prevented from becoming zero.
Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first and second examples of the embodiment described above.

  In the case of carrying out the present invention, a structure in which the elastic members 41 and 41a of the first and second examples of the embodiment are omitted can be adopted instead of providing the elastic member 41b shown in FIG.

[Fourth Example of Embodiment]
A fourth example of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the case of this example, when the position of the steering wheel 1 (see FIG. 1) is adjusted, the pair of relative displacements as the steering column 6 (outer column 10) is displaced with respect to the vehicle body side bracket 13. Between these surfaces, a synthetic resin material is disposed to reduce friction against the relative displacement of the pair of surfaces.

  Specifically, a gap between the rear end outer peripheral surface of the inner column 11 and the front end inner peripheral surface of the outer column 10 that are relatively displaced when adjusting the front-rear position of the steering wheel 1 is separated in the width direction. A pair of synthetic resin materials 46a and 46a, each of which is formed thin, are disposed. In the locked state and the unlocked state, these synthetic resin materials 46a and 46a are caused to react with the reaction force of the elastic members 41a and 41b between the rear end outer peripheral surface of the inner column 11 and the front end inner peripheral surface of the outer column 10. Based on compression.

  Further, the front end portion of the outer column 10 and both side surfaces in the width direction of the column side bracket 19 and the inner side surfaces of the pair of support plate portions 22a and 22b, which are displaced relative to each other when the vertical position of the steering wheel 1 is adjusted. In between, synthetic resin materials 46b and 46b, each of which is formed thin, are arranged. Then, in the locked state and the unlocked state, these synthetic resin materials 46b and 46b are connected to the front end portion of the outer column 10 and both side surfaces in the width direction of the column side bracket 19, and the inner side surfaces of the pair of support plate portions 22a and 22b. Is compressed based on the reaction force of the elastic members 41a and 41b.

  Further, the synthetic resin material 46c formed thinly between the outer surface of one support plate portion 22a and the inner surface of the driven cam 29, which are displaced relative to each other when the vertical position of the steering wheel 1 is adjusted. Is arranged. Then, in the locked state and the unlocked state, the synthetic resin material 46c is placed on the basis of the reaction force of the elastic members 41a and 41b between the outer surface of the one support plate portion 22a and the inner surface of the driven cam 29. Compressed.

In addition, a thin synthetic resin material 46d is disposed between the outer surface of the other support plate 22b and the inner surface of the pressing plate 43, which are displaced relative to each other when the vertical position of the steering wheel 1 is adjusted. doing. Then, in the locked state and the unlocked state, the synthetic resin material 46d is compressed based on the reaction force of the elastic members 41a and 41b between the outer surface of the other support plate portion 22b and the inner surface of the pressing plate 43. doing.
Various synthetic resins such as polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyacetal (POM), and polyamide (PA) can be used as the synthetic resin constituting the synthetic resin materials 46a to 46d. These synthetic resins can be mixed with various reinforcing fibers such as glass fibers, polyethylene fibers, carbon fibers, and aramid fibers, if necessary.

  In the case of this example having the above-described configuration, when the position of the steering wheel 1 is adjusted, the pair of surfaces in which the synthetic resin materials 46a to 46d are disposed between the synthetic resin materials 46a to 46d. Can be slid with a small sliding resistance. For this reason, the workability of the position adjustment of the steering wheel 1 can be improved.

In the case of the steering device of this example, a structure is employed in which the holding force in the locked state is secured by utilizing the reaction force of the elastic members 41a and 41b, which has a lower spring stiffness than the adjustment rod 24. Yes. For this reason, even if the dimensions of each part have a large variation from the beginning, or the dimensions of the synthetic resin materials 46a to 46d change due to wear or creep caused by long-term use, the variation in these dimensions. And changes can be absorbed based on the low spring stiffness of the elastic members 41a and 41b. That is, the elastic members 41a and 41b (same for the elastic member 41), which have a lower spring stiffness than the adjustment rod 24, have a difference or change in the compression amount in the locked state due to the above-described dimensional variation or change. Even in the case of occurrence of a failure, the reaction force generated does not vary greatly or change, so that the holding force in the locked state can be made stable. Therefore, switching between the unlocked state and the locked state and maintaining the locked state can be performed appropriately.
In the case of carrying out the present invention, not all of the portion between the pair of surfaces that are relatively displaced in accordance with the adjustment of the position of the steering wheel 1, but a part (at least between one pair of surfaces). It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a synthetic resin material is disposed only in (part).
Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the third example of the embodiment described above.

[Fifth Example of Embodiment]
A fifth example of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the case of this example, the configuration of the driving side cam surface 35a and the driven side cam surface 30a constituting the cam device 27a is slightly different from the case of the first example of the above-described embodiment.

  In the case of this example, the angle of inclination of the driven-side guide inclined surface 34a constituting the driven-side cam surface 30a with respect to the driven-side reference surface 31 changes stepwise with respect to the circumferential direction. In other words, the driven-side guide slope 34a is composed of a driven-side high gradient portion 47 provided on one side in the rotation direction and a driven-side low gradient portion 48 provided on the other direction side in the rotation direction. It is comprised by making the circumferential direction edge | edges continue. The inclination angle of the driven side low gradient portion 48 with respect to the driven side reference surface 31 is smaller than the inclination angle of the driven side high gradient portion 47 with respect to the driven side reference surface 31.

  In addition, the inclination angle of the drive-side guide slope 38a constituting the drive-side cam surface 35a with respect to the drive-side reference plane 36 also changes stepwise with respect to the circumferential direction. That is, the drive-side guide slope 38a has a mutual circumference between a drive-side high gradient portion 49 provided on one side in the rotation direction and a drive-side low gradient portion 50 provided on the other direction side in the rotation direction. It is constituted by making the direction edges continuous. The inclination angle of the drive side low gradient portion 50 with respect to the drive side reference surface 36 is smaller than the inclination angle of the drive side high gradient portion 49 with respect to the drive side reference surface 36. The inclination angle of the driving side high gradient portion 49 with respect to the driving side reference surface 36 is equal to the inclination angle of the driven side high gradient portion 47 with respect to the driven side reference surface 31. Further, the inclination angle of the drive-side low gradient portion 50 and the inclination angle of the driven-side low gradient portion 48 are equal to each other. Further, the circumferential length of the drive-side low gradient portion 50 is smaller than the circumferential length of the driven-side low gradient portion 48.

  In the case of this example having such a configuration, the drive cam 28a is moved in one direction by rotating the adjustment lever 26 (see FIG. 2) in one direction in the unlocked state shown in FIG. When rotated, first, as shown in FIGS. 16A to 16B, the driving-side low-gradient portion 50 is guided in sliding contact with the driven-side low-gradient portion 48, while the cam device 27a is axially moved. The dimensions increase. Next, as shown in (b) → (c) of FIG. 16, the axial dimension of the cam device 27 is expanded while the driving-side high gradient portion 49 is slidably guided by the driven-side high gradient portion 47. It becomes locked.

Thus, in the case of this example, when the unlocked state is switched to the locked state, the drive-side guide slope 38a and the driven-side guide slope 34a suddenly have a large inclination angle, that is, the drive-side high gradient. Instead of abutting between the portion 49 and the driven-side high gradient portion 47, the portions having a small inclination angle are in contact with each other, that is, the driving-side low gradient portion 50 and the driven-side low gradient portion 48. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a sudden change in the resistance force of the rotation that acts on the adjustment lever 26 from the cam device 27a, and the operability of the adjustment lever 26 can be further improved.
Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first example of the embodiment described above.

[Sixth Example of Embodiment]
A sixth example of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the case of this example, the configuration of the driven cam surface 30b constituting the cam device 27b is slightly different from that of the first example of the above-described embodiment.

  In the case of this example, among the driven side guide slopes 34b constituting the driven cam surface 30b, the second driven side low slope is located at the end of the driven side high gradient portion 47 in one direction of rotation. A gradient portion 51 is provided. The inclination angle of the second driven side low gradient portion 51 with respect to the driven side reference surface 31 is equal to the inclination angle of the driven side low gradient portion 48 with respect to the driven side reference surface 31.

  In the case of this example having such a configuration, the drive side cam 28a is rotated in the other direction by rotating the adjustment lever 26 (see FIG. 2) in the other direction in the locked state shown in FIG. When moved, first, as shown in FIGS. 17A to 17B, the drive-side low gradient portion 50 is guided in sliding contact with the second driven-side low gradient portion 51, while the shaft of the cam device 27b is moved. Direction dimension is reduced. Next, as shown in FIGS. 17B to 17C, after the drive-side high gradient portion 49 is guided in sliding contact with the driven-side high gradient portion 47, the axial dimension of the cam device 27b is reduced. While the drive-side low gradient portion 50 is slidably guided by the driven-side low gradient portion 48, the axial dimension of the cam device 27b is reduced to be in a locked state.

As described above, in this example, when the locked state is switched to the unlocked state, the driving-side guide slope 38a is suddenly guided in sliding contact with the portion having a large inclination angle, that is, the driven-side high gradient portion 47. Instead, it is guided in sliding contact with a portion having a small inclination angle, that is, the second driven side low gradient portion 51. For this reason, when the locked state is switched to the unlocked state, it is possible to prevent the drive side guide slope 38a from sliding down vigorously along the driven side guide slope 34b from the initial stage. Accordingly, it is possible to further suppress the adjustment lever 26 from rotating vigorously in the other direction.
Other configurations and operations are the same as in the case of the fifth example of the embodiment described above.

  In the fifth to sixth examples of the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the inclination angles of the driven side guide slopes 34a and 34b and the drive side guide slope 38a change stepwise in the circumferential direction is adopted. In the case of implementing the above, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the inclination angle of the driven side guide slope and the drive side guide slope changes continuously (that is, gradually) in the circumferential direction.

[Seventh example of embodiment]
A seventh example of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the case of this example, the configuration of the drive side cam surface 35b constituting the cam device 27c is slightly different from the case of the first example of the above-described embodiment.

  That is, in the case of this example, the locking convex portion 52 is provided at the end portion on the other side in the rotational direction of the tip surface 60 of the driven-side convex portion 32a constituting the driven-side cam surface 30c. Yes. Then, in the locked state, the engaging convex portion 52 is engaged with the end edge portion on the other side in the rotational direction of the distal end portion of the driving side convex portion 37, whereby the driving side cam 28 and the adjusting lever 26 (see FIG. 2) can be prevented from unintentionally rotating in the other direction, that is, releasing the locked state.

In the case of this example, an urging spring 53 such as a coil spring is provided between the adjustment lever 26 and the vehicle body side bracket 13, and the elastic force of the urging spring 53 causes the adjustment lever 26 to be unlocked. The drive side guide slope 38 of the drive side cam 28 is slightly ridden on the driven side guide slope 34 of the driven side cam 29b. As a result, the rotation position of the adjustment lever 26 can be stopped in the unlocked state, and the rattling feeling when operating the adjustment lever 26 can be eliminated.
Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first example of the embodiment described above.

[Eighth Example of Embodiment]
An eighth example of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the case of this example, the configurations of the driven cam surface 30d and the driving cam surface 35b constituting the cam device 27d are slightly different from those of the seventh example of the above-described embodiment.

  In the case of this example, the driven side guide slope 34a constituting the driven side cam surface 30d and the drive side guide slope 38a constituting the drive side cam surface 35b are the same as those in the embodiment shown in FIG. The configuration is the same as in the case of five examples.

Further, the driven side reference surface 31a constituting the driven side cam surface 30d and the leading end surface 60a of the driven side convex portion 32a are directed toward the outer side in the width direction toward the one direction side of the rotation direction, that is, driven. It is inclined in the same direction as the side guide slope 34a at an inclination angle smaller than that of the driven side guide slope 34a.
Further, the drive side reference surface 36a constituting the drive side cam surface 35b and the tip surface 61a of the drive side convex portion 37a are directed in the direction toward the outer side in the width direction toward the one direction side of the rotation direction, that is, the drive side guide slope 38a. In the same direction as the driving side guide slope 38a.
Further, the inclination angle of the driven side reference surface 31a constituting the driven side cam surface 30d and the leading end surface 60a of the driven side convex portion 32a, and the driving side reference surface 36a and the driving side convexity constituting the driving side cam surface 35b. The inclination angles of the portion 37a and the tip surface 61a are the same.

  In the case of this example, in the unlocked state, as shown in FIG. 21 (b), the leading end surface 61a of the drive-side convex portion 37a is moved by the elastic force of the biasing spring 53 (see FIG. 18). Raising to the middle in the circumferential direction of the reference surface 31a prevents the cam device 27d and the adjustment lever 26 from rattling. FIG. 20A shows that the drive side cam 28b rotates in one direction together with the adjusting lever 26 when the switching from the unlocked state to the locked state, and the drive side low gradient portion 50 is driven side low gradient portion. The state which contacted 48 is shown.

In the case of this example, not the driven side guide slope 34a but the energizing force that the tip end surface 61a of the drive side convex portion 37a rides on the driven side reference surface 31a having a smaller tilt angle than the driven side guide slope 34a. Since it is sufficient if there is elasticity of the spring 53, it is not necessary to increase the elasticity of the biasing spring 53 too much. Therefore, the strength of the portion where the urging spring 53 is stretched can be kept low.
Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the seventh example of the embodiment described above.

In carrying out the present invention, various types of elastic members that produce hysteresis in the reaction force characteristics with respect to the compression amount can be employed.
For example, a single disc spring 44 (FIG. 7) may be employed as the elastic member.

  Further, as an elastic member, for example, as shown in FIG. 22, a pair of lap springs, each of which is formed by stacking a plurality of (two in the illustrated example) disc springs 44, 44 in parallel, are connected in series. It is also possible to adopt a superposition of combinations.

  Further, as an elastic member, for example, a ring spring 54 as shown in FIG. 23 can be adopted. The ring spring 54 includes a plurality of inner rings 55 and outer rings 56 each made of a material such as an elastic metal. Of these, the inner ring 55 is formed in an annular shape with the whole circumference connected, and the inner ring side friction surface of a partially conical surface in which the axially central side of the inner ring 55 is the large diameter side is formed on both axial halves of the outer peripheral surface. 57. Further, the outer ring 56 is configured in an annular shape with the entire circumference connected, and the outer ring side friction surface 58 having a partial conical surface in which the axially central side of the outer ring 56 is the small diameter side is formed in both axial halves of the inner peripheral surface. have. Such inner rings 55 and outer rings 56 are alternately arranged with respect to the axial direction which is the compression direction, and the inner ring side friction surface 57 and the outer ring of the inner ring 55 and the outer ring 56 which are adjacent to each other in the axial direction are close to each other. The side friction surface 58 is in surface contact.

Further, as the elastic member, for example, a substantially partial cylindrical plate spring 59 as shown in FIG. 24 can be used alone or as a lap spring constituted by overlapping a plurality of lap springs.
Further, as the elastic member, for example, a rubber material can be adopted in addition to a spring material (a disc spring, a ring spring, a leaf spring, etc.). Further, the spring material is not limited to metal but may be made of synthetic resin, for example.

  Moreover, when implementing this invention, the conversion apparatus which comprises the expansion / contraction apparatus for expanding / contracting the space | interval of a pair of support plate parts can also be made into a screw apparatus. This screw device is configured, for example, by screwing an adjustment nut into a male screw portion formed at one end of an adjustment rod, and the adjustment lever is used to adjust the screwing amount (screwing position in the axial direction) of the adjustment nut. It is changed by turning. Also in this case, the expansion / contraction device changes the screwing amount of the adjusting nut by rotating the adjusting lever in one direction, and increases the compression amount of the elastic member, thereby increasing the compression amount of the pair of support plate portions. The distance between the pair of support plate portions is increased by reducing the compression amount of the elastic member as the screwing amount of the adjustment nut is changed by reducing the interval and rotating the adjustment lever in the other direction.

  The present invention can also be applied to a steering apparatus provided with only one of a tilt mechanism and a telescopic mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steering wheel 2 Steering gear unit 3 Input shaft 4 Tie rod 5 Steering shaft 6 Steering column 7 Universal joint 8 Intermediate shaft 9 Universal joint 10 Outer column 11 Inner column 12 Car body 13 Car body side bracket 14 Outer shaft 15 Inner shaft 16 Tilt shaft 17a, 17b Slit 18 Clamped portion 19 Column side bracket 20 Telescopic slot 21 Mounting plate portion 22a, 22b Support plate portion 23 Tilt slot 24 Adjusting rod 25 Head 26 Adjusting lever 27, 27a-27d Cam device 28, 28a, 28b Drive side cam 29, 29a, 29c Driven side cam 30, 30a-30d Driven side cam surface 31, 31a Driven side reference surface 32, 32a Driven side convex portion 33 Driven side stopper surface 34, 34a- 4b Driven-side guide slopes 35, 35a, 35b Drive-side cam surfaces 36, 36a Drive-side reference surfaces 37, 37a Drive-side convex portions 38, 38a Drive-side guide slopes 39 Drive-side stopper surfaces 40 Nuts 41, 41a, 41b Elastic members 42 Thrust bearing 43 Press plate 44, 44a Belleville spring 45 Seat plate 46a-46d Synthetic resin material 47 Driven side high gradient part 48 Driven side low gradient part 49 Drive side high gradient part 50 Drive side low gradient part 51 2nd object Driving side low gradient part 52 Locking convex part 53 Energizing spring 54 Ring spring 55 Inner ring 56 Outer ring 57 Inner ring side friction surface 58 Outer ring side friction surface 59 Leaf spring 60, 60a End surface 61, 61a End surface

Claims (10)

A steering column that supports a steering wheel that supports a steering wheel at the rear end, and rotatably supports the inner diameter side;
A column side bracket provided in a part of the steering column in the axial direction;
A column-side through hole provided in a state of penetrating the column-side bracket in the width direction;
A vehicle body side bracket having a pair of support plate portions disposed at positions sandwiching the column side bracket from both sides in the width direction and supported by the vehicle body;
A pair of vehicle body side through holes provided in a state of penetrating the pair of support plate portions in the width direction;
An adjustment rod inserted in the width direction through the column side through hole and the pair of vehicle body side through holes;
An adjustment lever provided to be able to rotate about the adjustment rod, and a hysteresis in the reaction force characteristics with respect to the compression amount, and the reaction force against the compression amount determines the distance between the pair of support plate portions. The elastic member acting in the direction of contraction and the operation of rotating the adjustment lever in one direction are converted into the operation of increasing the compression amount of the elastic member, and the operation of rotating the adjustment lever in the other direction is converted into the elasticity An expansion / contraction device including a conversion device that converts the operation to reduce the amount of compression of the member,
At least one of the column side through hole and the pair of vehicle body side through holes is a long hole extending in a direction in which the position of the steering wheel can be adjusted,
Based on reducing the distance between the pair of support plate portions by the expansion / contraction device, the locked state in which the position adjustment of the steering wheel is disabled, and expanding the interval between the pair of support plate portions. A steering device capable of switching between an unlocked state in which the position of the steering wheel can be adjusted. The steering device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is configured by overlapping a plurality of disc springs in the axial direction. The steering device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of disc springs are overlapped in the same direction with respect to the axial direction. The steering device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the compression amount of the elastic member does not reach a total deflection amount even in the locked state. The steering device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the compression amount of the elastic member does not become zero even in the unlocked state. The conversion device is a cam device;
The cam device is provided with a driving cam surface that is an uneven surface in the circumferential direction on the side surface in the width direction, the driving side cam that rotates together with the adjusting lever, and the width side surface that faces the driving side cam surface. A driven cam surface that is an uneven surface in the circumferential direction that engages with the driving cam surface, and has a driven cam that is prevented from rotating with respect to the vehicle body side bracket. By rotating with respect to the driven cam, the size in the width direction can be enlarged and reduced, and in the unlocked state, a plurality of driving convex portions provided on the driving cam surface and the driven side The plurality of driven-side convex portions provided on the cam surface are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction, and in the locked state, the tip surfaces of the respective driving-side convex portions and the respective driven-side convex portions It is in a state where the tip surface is abutted It is those,
By rotating the adjusting lever in one direction, the compression amount of the elastic member is increased based on expanding the width direction dimension of the cam device, and by rotating the adjusting lever in the other direction, the cam The steering device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the amount of compression of the elastic member is reduced based on reducing a width-direction dimension of the device. When the adjustment lever is rotated in one direction to switch from the unlocked state to the locked state, the circumferential side surface of the drive-side convex portion and the driven-side convex portion are guided in sliding contact with each other. The circumferential side surface of each of the first and second circumferential surfaces has a shape in which an inclination angle of a portion guided by sliding contact first is smaller than an inclination angle of a portion guided by sliding contact thereafter. Steering device. When the adjustment lever is rotated in the other direction to switch from the locked state to the unlocked state, the circumferential side surface of the drive-side convex portion and the driven-side convex portion are guided in sliding contact with each other. The circumferential side surface of each of the above has a shape in which an inclination angle of a portion guided by sliding contact first is smaller than an inclination angle of a portion guided by sliding contact thereafter. The steering device described in any one of the above. The urging spring is provided to urge the driving cam in one direction with respect to the driven cam in the unlocked state. Steering device described in 1. It is arranged between a pair of surfaces that are displaced relative to each other when the steering column is displaced with respect to the vehicle body side bracket, and between the pair of surfaces based on a reaction force of the elastic member. Having a synthetic resin material that is compressed in
The steering device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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