JP2020100356A - Steering device - Google Patents

Abstract

To execute an order of shock absorption as designed in a steering device.SOLUTION: A steering device 100 includes: a column shaft 110; a column tube 120 that holds the column shaft 110; a housing 130 that holds the column tube 120; a fastening means 140 that fastens the housing 130 to position the column tube 120; a first shock absorber 150 attached to an outer periphery of the column tube 120; and a second shock absorber 160 fixedly connected to the housing 130 by the fastening means 140. The housing 130 is equipped with a rotation regulating portion 136 that abuts on a regulated portion 164 of the second shock absorber 160, and regulates the rotation of the second shock absorber 160 around a fastening position of the fastening means 140.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a steering device that steers a vehicle or the like.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there is known a steering device including a column tube that rotatably holds a column shaft to which a steering member is connected, and a housing that holds the column tube slidably and is fixed to a vehicle (for example, Patent Document). Reference 1). Such a steering device has a shock absorbing mechanism that absorbs a shock by converting the force of the column tube immersing into the housing into friction during a secondary collision caused by a vehicle collision. This shock absorbing mechanism gradually absorbs the impact at the time of the secondary collision to protect the steering wheel.

JP, 2008-127062, A

In a steering device having a plurality of locations where dynamic friction is generated to absorb impact, the structure of the steering device is arranged so that dynamic friction occurs in the order in which each location begins to move in sequence and the impact can be absorbed in a desired profile. Designed. However, the inventor has found that dynamic friction may not occur in the order as designed at the time of a secondary collision. As described above, when the dynamic friction is inadvertently generated, the shock absorption according to the designed profile is not performed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above findings, and an object of the present invention is to provide a steering device capable of absorbing shocks in a desired order during a secondary collision.

In order to achieve the above object, a steering device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a column shaft connected to a steering member, a cylindrical column tube rotatably holding the column shaft, and a piercing inward. And a housing for holding the column tube movably in the axial direction, and a fastening means for positioning the column tube outside the column tube by fastening so that a part of the housing in the axial direction is reduced in diameter. And an annular first shock absorber, which is attached to the outer periphery of the column tube in contact with each other and generates a first dynamic frictional force between the column tube and the column tube at the time of a secondary collision, and the tightening force of the tightening means. A second shock absorber that is fixedly connected to the housing and that moves with the first shock absorber along with the movement of the column shaft during a secondary collision to generate a second dynamic friction force with the housing. The housing includes a rotation restricting portion that abuts on a regulated portion of the second impact absorbing body and that regulates rotation of the second impact absorbing body around the tightening position of the tightening means.

According to the present invention, the tightening force of the tightening means can be stabilized, and dynamic friction can be generated in a desired order (profile) to absorb shock.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a steering device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the steering device in a cross section taken along line I-I in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of the tightening means of the steering device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a conventional example. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the second shock absorber of the steering device according to the embodiment of the present invention and the vicinity thereof. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a first modification of the rotation restricting portion and the restricted portion. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a second modification of the rotation restricting part and the restricted part.

Embodiments of a steering device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that each of the embodiments described below shows a comprehensive or specific example. Numerical values, shapes, materials, constituent elements, arrangement positions and connection forms of constituent elements, steps, order of steps, and the like shown in the following embodiments are examples, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Further, among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, the constituent elements that are not described in the independent claim indicating the highest concept are described as arbitrary constituent elements.

In addition, the drawings are schematic diagrams in which the present invention is appropriately emphasized or omitted and ratios are adjusted, and may differ from actual shapes, positional relationships, and ratios.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a steering device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the steering device in a cross section taken along the line I-I in FIG. 1. As shown in these figures, the steering device 100 is a device that steers the steered wheels of a vehicle in conjunction with the steering operation of a driver, and includes a column shaft 110, a column tube 120, a housing 130, and a tightening mechanism. The attaching means 140, the first shock absorber 150, and the second shock absorber 160 are provided. Although the steering device 100 includes a shaft member such as an intermediate shaft connected to the column shaft 110 and a steering mechanism such as a rack and pinion mechanism, the illustration and description thereof are omitted.

In normal use in which no collision has occurred, the steering device 100 loosens the tightening means 140 and slides the column tube 120 in the axial direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing) with respect to the housing 130, so that The changed position of the column tube 120 can be fixed by changing the position of the steering member according to the physique and tightening the housing 130 with the tightening means 140. In the case of the present embodiment, the steering device 100 can change the inclination of the housing 130 with respect to the vehicle body, and can also fix and release the inclination of the housing 130 by the tightening means 140.

The housing 130 is a tubular member that holds the column tube 120 movably in the axial direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing) with respect to the vehicle body. Further, the housing 130 has a slit-shaped interference portion 132 (which extends axially through the peripheral wall in the radial direction (Z-axis direction in the drawing) at the end on the steering member side (rear side of the vehicle body) in the axial direction. (See FIG. 2) and the tightened portions 133 that respectively project from both sides of the tightening margin portion 132 in the radial direction. The tightened portion 133 is provided with through holes 134 that are orthogonal to the direction of penetration of the tightening margin portion 132 (one in the radial direction) and the axial direction of the column tube 120. A tightening shaft body 141 of the tightening means 140, which will be described later, is pierced through the through hole 134, and the interval between the two tightened parts 133 arranged in opposition to each other can be narrowed by the tightening means 140. .. By narrowing the interval between the tightened portions 133, the housing 130 clamps the pierced column tube 120 from the surroundings and holds it fixedly.

The housing 130 includes a rotation restricting portion 136 that is in contact with the second shock absorber 160 and restricts rotation of the second shock absorber 160 around the tightening position of the tightening means 140.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of the rotation restricting portion according to the present embodiment with the fixing bracket omitted. As shown in the figure, the rotation restricting portion 136 projects outward from the outer surfaces of the two tightened portions 133 of the housing 130 along the tightening direction of the tightening means 140. The rotation restricting portion 136 is a rectangle arranged such that the longitudinal direction is along the axial direction in a plan view, and is inserted into the slit-shaped restricted portion 164 (details will be described later) of the second shock absorber 160. Thus, the movement of the second shock absorber 160 in the axial direction is guided while the rotation of the second shock absorber 160 is restricted. The rotation restricting portion 136 is fitted into the slit-shaped regulated portion 164, and two parallel side surfaces thereof come into contact with the regulated portion 164, respectively, so that the axial end portion of the contacting portion, that is, all four corners in a plan view. The are are formed. The rotation restricting portion 136 provided with the radius can smoothly guide the movement of the second shock absorber 160 in the axial direction.

In the case of the present embodiment, a set of first hinge members 131 is provided in a protruding manner on the housing 130 at a portion opposite to the steering member (front side of the vehicle body) in the axial direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing). The housing 130 is tiltably fixed to the vehicle body by rotatably connecting the second hinge member (not shown) fixed to the vehicle body and the first hinge member 131 using the shaft body. .. Further, at the position on the steering member side (the rear side of the vehicle body) with respect to the first hinge member 131, two fixing brackets 170 are arranged symmetrically on both sides of the tightened portion 133. The fixed bracket 170 is a member fixed to the vehicle body. The two fixing brackets 170 are each provided with an arc-shaped fixed elongated hole 171 centered on the rotation center of the first hinge member 131. The fixing bracket 170 is pressed against the tightened portion 133 of the housing 130 by the tightening means 140 pierced through the two fixed elongated holes 171, so that the housing 130 can be fixed at a predetermined tilt position. There is.

The tightening means 140 is a unit that positions the column tube 120 by tightening the radial end of the housing 130 outside the column tube 120. In the case of the present embodiment, the tightening means 140 is arranged such that the tightening means 140 is pierced through the through holes 134 of the tightened part 133 integrally extending on both sides of the tightening margin part 132 of the housing 130. The shaft 141 is provided. The tightening shaft body 141 includes a flange portion 142 that engages with the peripheral edge of the through hole 134 of the tightened portion 133 at one end. Further, the tightening means 140 is provided with a tightening lever 143 provided with a cam capable of tightening and releasing the housing 130 on the side opposite to the flange portion 142 with respect to the tightening shaft body 141.

In the case of the present embodiment, the fastening means 140 can press the fixing bracket 170 and the second shock absorber 160, which are arranged on the outer sides of the pair of fastened portions 133, respectively, to the fastened portion 133. It is possible. As described above, the tightening means 140 can operate the tightening lever 143 to reduce the distance between the pair of tightened portions 133, thereby allowing the housing 130 to tighten the column tube 120 for positioning. Further, the tightening means 140 can position the column tube 120 and press the two second shock absorbers 160 against the outer surfaces of the two tightened portions 133 of the housing 130 to generate a vertical reaction force. The second dynamic friction force at the time of the next collision can be generated. Further, the tightening means 140 positions the column tube 120 and fixes the second shock absorber 160 during normal use, and at the same time, presses the fixing bracket 170 against the tightened portion 133 via the second shock absorber 160. Thus, the tilt position of the housing 130 can be determined.

The column shaft 110 is a member to which a steering member to be steered by a technician is attached to a tip end portion thereof, and is rotatably held inside the housing 130 via a column tube 120 so as to rotate the steering angle of the steering member. It is a member that transmits to the rudder mechanism. In the case of the present embodiment, the column shaft 110 is supported by the column tube 120 via the first bearing 111, and is fixed to the column tube 120 in the axial direction and rotatable in the circumferential direction. The column shaft 110 is configured to expand and contract as the column tube 120 appears in and out of the housing 130, and to maintain transmission of the steering angle. Specifically, the column shaft 110 includes a first shaft body 112 supported by a first bearing 111 and a second shaft body (not shown) supported by a housing via a second bearing (not shown). There is. The first shaft body 112 and the second shaft body are formed to realize a telescopic structure, and the first shaft body 112 appears and disappears with respect to the second shaft body as the column tube 120 appears and disappears with respect to the housing 130. Then, the column shaft 110 expands and contracts. Further, the first shaft body 112 and the second shaft body are formed so as to realize a spline fitting structure, and can transmit the steering angle of the steering member.

The column tube 120 is a member called a column jacket that rotatably holds the column shaft 110. The column tube 120 is held by a housing 130 attached to the vehicle body to hold the steering member at a predetermined position via the column shaft 110. Is a member to be placed. The shape of the column tube 120 is not particularly limited, but in the case of the present embodiment, the column tube 120 has a cylindrical shape (tubular shape) and is retained in an inserted state in the housing 130 having a through hole in the axial direction. In addition, the column tube 120 holds the column shaft 110 inwardly via a bearing such as the first bearing 111, and along with the held column shaft 110 with respect to the housing 130 in the axial direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing). It is movable.

A long hole-shaped first hole 121 extending in the axial direction and penetrating in the radial direction is formed on the peripheral wall of the column tube 120. A pin-shaped determining member 135 that is pierced through the first hole 121 is fixed to the housing 130. In normal use, the operator may loosen the fastening means 140 and push the column tube 120 into the housing 130 in order to change the position of the steering member. In this case, the determining member 135 regulates the movement of the column tube 120 with respect to the housing 130 by engaging with the edge of the first hole 121. In addition, at least a part or all of the determining member 135 is formed of resin, and also functions as a third shock absorber that is broken by the force received from the recessed side edge 123 of the first hole 121 at the time of a secondary collision. ..

The first shock absorber 150 is an annular member that is fixedly attached to the outer circumference of the column tube 120 in a contact state and moves together with the column tube 120 during normal use. Further, at the time of a secondary collision, the first shock absorber 150 slides relative to the column tube 120 and generates a first dynamic friction force for absorbing a shock with the column tube 120.

More specifically, in the case of the present embodiment, the first shock absorber 150 is provided with a hole through which the column tube 120 is inserted in the rectangular plate-shaped base body 154 as shown in FIG. A cylindrical tube portion 155 is provided on the peripheral edge so as to project in the axial direction.

The method of attaching the first shock absorber 150 to the column tube 120 is not particularly limited, but press fitting can be mentioned, for example. In addition, after the column tube 120 is pierced through the first shock absorber 150, the static friction coefficient may be adjusted by pressing the tubular portion 155 against the outer peripheral surface of the column tube 120 by crimping.

The second shock absorber 160 is a member that is fixedly connected to the tightened portion 133 of the housing 130 by the tightening force of the tightening means 140 during normal use. The second shock absorber 160 moves through the first shock absorber 150 that moves as the column tube 120 is retracted into the housing 130 due to the secondary collision, so that the second shock absorber 160 and the second tightening portion 133 are moved together. It is a member that generates a dynamic friction force. The second shock absorber 160 includes a regulated portion 164 that comes into contact with the rotation regulating portion 136 included in the housing 130. By sliding with the regulated portion 164, rotation is regulated and movement in the axial direction is guided.

In the case of the present embodiment, the second shock absorber 160 has a plate-shaped contact portion 163 that comes into planar contact with the outer surface of the tightened portion 133 of the housing 130 and an axial direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing). It is provided with a plate-shaped connecting portion 162 that is connected to the spreading contact portion 163 in a plane (XZ plane in the drawing) orthogonal to each other. The second shock absorber 160 is provided with a contact portion 163 and a connecting portion 162 outside the two tightened portions 133 in plane symmetry. The two connecting portions 162 are respectively connected to the base 154 of the first shock absorber 150, and the first shock absorber 150 and the second shock absorber 160 are integrated. Therefore, during normal use, in a state where the tightening of the tightening means 140 is released, the second shock absorber 160 is provided on the rotation restricting portion 136 together with the column tube 120 via the first shock absorber 150. Move in the axial direction while being guided.

Further, the contact portion 163 is provided with a long hole portion 161 having a width capable of piercing the tightening shaft body 141 of the tightening means 140 and extending in the axial direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing). .. The contact portion 163 is pressed against the tightened portion 133 of the housing 130 by the tightening means 140 having the tightening shaft body 141 pierced through the long hole portion 161, and the second shock absorber 160 is fixed to the housing 130. .. In the case of the present embodiment, since the second shock absorber 160 is in a state of being sandwiched between the tightened portion 133 and the fixed bracket 170, a dynamic friction force is also generated between the second shock absorber 160 and the fixed bracket 170. .. The dynamic friction force may be included in the second dynamic friction force.

Although the location where the regulated portion 164 is provided and the shape of the regulated portion 164 are not particularly limited, in the case of the present embodiment, the regulated portion 164 has a width into which the rotation regulating portion 136 can be inserted and has a long length. It is arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction of the hole 161 and has a slit shape extending in the axial direction.

Next, the operation of the steering device 100 will be described.

During normal use, the operator operates the tightening lever 143 to release the tightening by the tightening means 140, whereby the housing 130 becomes rotatable around the first hinge member 131, and the column tube 120, The column shaft 110 is movable in the axial direction with respect to the housing 130. In such a state, the steering person sets the steering member to a position suitable for the steering person by moving the steering member up and down or forward and backward, and fixes the position set by the fastening means 140. When the column tube 120 is pulled out of the housing 130 while the tightening is released, the first shock absorber 150 moves in the axial direction together with the column tube 120 because it is fixed to the column tube 120. The second shock absorber 160 moves together with the first shock absorber 150 while being guided by the rotation restricting portion 136.

When a secondary collision occurs in which the driver collides with the steering member due to a vehicle collision, a strong force is generated in the direction in which the column tube 120 is retracted into the housing 130. The maximum static friction force between the first shock absorber 150 and the column tube 120 is set to be larger than the maximum static friction force between the second shock absorber 160 and the housing 130 tightened by the tightening means 140. Therefore, the second shock absorber 160 and the tightened portion 133 of the housing 130 first slip, and the second dynamic friction force is generated. The impact is absorbed by the second dynamic friction force. A dynamic frictional force is also generated between the housing 130 and the column tube 120, and the impact is also absorbed by this dynamic frictional force.

As shown in FIG. 4, since the impact force P1 generated by the secondary collision and the second dynamic friction force P2 are not in a straight line, a moment is imparted to the second impact absorber 160 via the first impact absorber 150. work. As in the prior art shown in FIG. 4, when the rotation restricting portion 136 is not provided, the force by which the second shock absorber 160 rotates about the tightening shaft body 141 of the tightening means 140 in the direction indicated by the broken line arrow in the drawing. Occurs, and a rotational force is also generated in the first shock absorber 150 integrated with the second shock absorber 160. When such a force is generated, the static frictional force generated between the column tube 120 and the first shock absorber 150 becomes uneven in the circumferential direction, and the maximum frictional force between the first shock absorber 150 and the column tube 120 becomes large. The static friction force is no longer as designed. In such a situation, a first dynamic friction force is generated by the first shock absorber 150 while the second dynamic friction is occurring, and it becomes impossible to obtain a desired shock absorption profile.

Therefore, in the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 and the like, it is possible to resist the moment applied to the second shock absorber 160 by the secondary collision on the outer surface of the tightened portion 133 of the housing 130. The rotation regulating portion 136 is provided at a position where it can be formed. The rotation restricting part 136 and the restricted part 164 of the second shock absorber 160 contact each other, whereby the rotation of the second shock absorber 160 is restricted. As a result, the rotating force is not transmitted from the second shock absorber 160 to the first shock absorber 150, and the maximum static friction force between the first shock absorber 150 and the column tube 120 is as designed and desired. It becomes possible to absorb the shock with the profile of.

Next, when the column tube 120 further sinks into the housing 130, the recessed side edge 123 of the first hole 121 provided in the column tube 120 breaks the determining member 135. As a result, the determining member 135 functions as the third shock absorber to absorb the shock.

Next, while the first shock absorber 150 is stationary at the position according to the design with respect to the housing 130, the column tube 120 is further retracted into the housing 130, so that the first shock absorber 150 and the column tube 120 are The shock absorption by the first dynamic friction force is performed between the two.

As described above, by providing the rotation restricting portion 136 on the housing 130, it is possible to cause the steering device 100 to perform shock absorption in a desired order (profile) when a secondary collision occurs.

Further, in the axial direction, the end of the portion of the rotation restricting portion 136 that comes into contact with the regulated portion 164 is provided with a curve that is gradually away from the regulated portion 164. It is possible to prevent the rotation restricting portion 136 and the restricted portion 164 from being caught by the steering wheel when the steering member is released and the position of the steering member is changed. Further, at the time of a secondary collision, it is possible to prevent an excessive frictional force from being generated between the rotation restricting part 136 and the restricted part 164, and suppress the influence on the shock absorption profile.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, another embodiment realized by arbitrarily combining the constituent elements described in this specification or excluding some of the constituent elements may be an embodiment of the present invention. Further, the present invention also includes modified examples obtained by applying various modifications that those skilled in the art can think of to the above-described embodiment without departing from the gist of the present invention, that is, the scope of the wording described in the claims. Be done.

For example, the rotation restricting portion 136 included in the housing 130 may be not only a protrusion but also a groove provided in the tightened portion 133 as shown in FIG. When the rotation restricting portion 136 is a groove, the restricted portion 164 is fitted into the rotation restricting portion 136 and serves as a protrusion that is movable in the axial direction. The method of forming the regulated portion 164 is not particularly limited, but as shown in FIG. 6, it may be formed by bending a part of the plate-shaped contact portion 163.

Further, the rotation restricting portion 136 may be provided at a plurality of places as shown in FIG. 7. Further, the rotation restriction may be brought into contact with both edge portions of the contact portion 163 of the second shock absorber 160, which are both ends in the radial direction. In this case, the edge portion of the contact portion 163 becomes the regulated portion 164.

Further, the shape of the rotation restricting portion 136 is not particularly limited, and may be circular, semicircular, long rail-shaped, or the like.

100... Steering device, 110... Column shaft, 111... First bearing, 112... First shaft body, 120... Column tube, 121... First hole, 123... Immersion side edge, 130... Housing, 131... First hinge Member, 132... Substitute part, 133... Tightened part, 134... Through hole, 135... Determining member, 136... Rotation restricting part, 140... Tightening means, 141... Tightening shaft body, 142... Flange part, 143... Tightening lever, 150... First shock absorber, 154... Base body, 155... Cylindrical part, 160... Second shock absorber, 161... Long hole part, 162... Connecting part, 163... Contact part, 164... Regulated part , 170... Fixed bracket, 171... Fixed elongated hole

Claims (4)

A column shaft connected to the steering member,
A cylindrical column tube that rotatably holds the column shaft,
A housing that holds the column tube pierced inward so as to be movable in the axial direction,
On the outer side of the column tube, a fastening means for positioning the column tube by fastening so that a part of the axial direction of the housing is reduced in diameter.
An annular first shock absorber that is attached to the outer periphery of the column tube in a contact state, and generates a first dynamic friction force between the column tube and the column tube during a secondary collision,
It is fixedly connected to the housing by the tightening force of the tightening means, and moves through the first shock absorber along with the movement of the column shaft at the time of a secondary collision, thereby making A second shock absorber that generates a dynamic friction force,
The steering device includes a rotation restricting portion that abuts on a restricted portion of the second shock absorber and restricts rotation of the second shock absorber around a tightening position of the tightening unit. The steering device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation restricting portion projects from the housing toward the second shock absorber and abuts on the restricted portion of the second shock absorber. The steering device according to claim 2, wherein the regulated portion of the second impact absorbing body has a slit shape having a width into which the rotation regulating portion can be inserted and extending in the axial direction. The steering device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the rotation restricting portion has a rounded end portion in an axial direction of a portion of the second impact absorbing body that abuts the restricted portion.

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