JP2522535Y2 - Tilt steering column - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to a tilt steering column of an automobile.

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a steering apparatus for a vehicle employs a tilt steering column capable of adjusting a tilt of a steering column in a vertical direction at a desired angle in order to secure an optimal driving posture of an occupant. In this tilt steering column, an upper clamp fixed to the vehicle body nips the column jacket movably in the vertical direction, and the upper clamp is tightened to the column jacket side to fix the vertical movement adjustment position, and friction between them Has a tightening mechanism to hold with resistance (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 50-155726 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 51-85)
925). This tightening mechanism pivotally supports the tilt lever in a plane parallel to the axis of the column jacket and has an arc-shaped cam at its rotation base, and rotates the tilt lever in a direction perpendicular to the column jacket. Then, the cam presses the side wall of the upper clamp and presses against the distance bracket fixed to the column jacket.

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] However, according to the above-described conventional tilt steering column, since the arc portion of the cam is formed by pressing a plate material, the fracture surface and the shear surface during pressing are not smooth. The cam sliding part catches on the upper clamp,
It is not smooth and the operation feeling is bad. Therefore, the cam sliding portion may be smooth-finished, but the processing requires time and expense, and the cost is high. Moreover, by repeating the rotation operation of the tilt lever, the sliding surface is easily worn, the stopping force of the tilt is reduced, and the possibility that the steering column slides up and down during driving may increase.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to improve the operation feeling of the tilt lever and to prevent wear of the sliding surface.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is capable of rotating a distance bracket to which an upper jacket is fixed and a tilt bolt penetrating an upper clamp which sandwiches the upper bracket with its head as a fulcrum. One end of the tilt lever is engaged with the other end of the tilt lever, and one end of the tilt lever has a tightening portion, and a sliding contact plate that slides on the tightening portion and slides on the side wall of the upper clamp is loosely fitted. The tilt steering column is formed by screwing a nut to the threaded part, and the head is used as a fulcrum with the distance bracket that fixes the upper jacket and the tilt bolt that passes through the upper clamp that clamps it. One end of the tilt lever is movably engaged, and one end of the tilt lever has a fastening portion, and slides on the fastening portion to form a side wall portion of the upper clamp. Sliding is possible, loosely fit a sliding contact plate whose surface is coated with a low friction member,
Further, a tilt steering column in which a nut is screwed into the screw portion is configured.

[Operation] According to the invention of the above configuration, when the tilt lever is rotated in the direction orthogonal to the side wall of the upper clamp, the tilt lever is rotated about the head of the tilt bolt as a fulcrum, thereby making sliding contact. The plate slides along the side wall of the upper clamp and separates from the side wall of the upper clamp to release the distance bracket. Also,
When the tilt lever is returned to the original state, the sliding plate slides in the opposite direction, is pressed against the upper clamp, and the distance bracket is tightened, and the tilt position is held by the frictional force.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment according to the present invention, in which 1 is an upper jacket, 2 is an upper shaft, which is rotatably supported coaxially with the upper jacket 1, a steering wheel is mounted on the upper end, and a lower end is provided. Lower shaft 3
Are fitted coaxially so as to be able to transmit rotational force and to be contractable in the axial direction, and a universal joint 4 is connected to the lower end of the lower shaft 3. Reference numeral 5 denotes a lower jacket which is coaxial with the upper jacket 1 and is slidably fitted in the axial direction. Reference numeral 6 denotes an upper clamp which fixes the upper jacket 1 to the vehicle body. Reference numeral 7 denotes a tilt lever which is rotatably supported via a tilt bolt 8 inserted into the upper clamp 6. Reference numeral 9 denotes a lower clamp, which penetrates the lower jacket 5 and is connected by welding, and is fixed to the vehicle body.

As shown in FIG. 2, a tilt bolt 8 is inserted into the tilt lever 7 with the head 8 a as a stopper, and the rectangular cross section 8 b of the tilt bolt 8 is attached to the side wall of the upper clamp 6.
A square hole 28 of the sliding contact plate 11 interposed between the side wall 10 and the square hole 28 is loosely inserted. It is prevented from rotating through the hole 14 and the circular hole 17, and the washer is screwed through the rectangular long hole 16 of the opposing side wall portion 15 and into the screw portion 8 c
Nuts 19 and 19 are screwed together with 18 interposed. As shown in FIG. 3, the tilt lever 7 has a U-shaped cross section, a knob 20 is mounted at one end, and a tightening portion 22 having an opening 21 into which the tilt bolt 8 is inserted at the other end. The fastening portion 22 has a projection 24 substantially at the center.
The opening 21 is formed with arc-shaped notches 26, 26, and the projections 27, 27 engaging with the notches 26, 26 are formed diametrically opposite to the head 8a of the tilt bolt 8. Have been. Sliding plate 11
Is a square plate-like body in which the concave portion 11b with which the projection 24 is engaged is formed at the upper and lower substantially central portions of the square hole 28, and the surface thereof is coated with a low-friction resin (fluorine or the like).

The upper clamp 6 has holes formed in both wings.
The front surface of the distance bracket 13 is fixed to the vehicle body via the protrusions 33, 33 so as not to be detached via the protrusions 34, 34, and the protrusions 34, 34 are formed so as to face the inner surfaces thereof. The distance bracket 13 is connected to the upright wall 35 by welding through the upper jacket 2.
An arc-shaped curling portion 36, 36 following 35 is continued to the side wall portions 37, 37, and cut-shaped ripping portions 38, 38 are formed between the curling portions 36, 36 and the side wall portions 37, 37. ing. Further, rollers 39, 39 are inserted into the curling portions 36, 36, and the rollers 39, 39 have resin covers 40.
The other end of the cover 40 is locked by a holder 41 fixed to the upper surface of the upper jacket 2.

The ripping sections 38, 38 and the curling sections 36, 36
When an occupant collides with the steering wheel in a vehicle collision accident, the impact energy input from the upper jacket 1 to the distance bracket 13 via the upright wall 35 first tears the ripping sections 38, 38, and then the rollers 39, The curling portions 36, 36 with the 39 interposed therebetween are deformed and rolled in, so that the curling portions 36, 36 are absorbed.

Describing the tilt operation in the above embodiment,
When the tilt lever 7 is turned around the tightening portion 22 in the direction away from the upper clamp 6, the tightening portion 22 engages with the notch 26 of the opening 21 as shown in FIG. The tilting bolt 8 rotates around the projection 27 of the engaging bolt, and the projection 24 slides the sliding contact plate 11 rightward in the drawing along the side wall 10, and the sliding contact plate 11 and the side wall of the upper clamp 6. A gap is formed between the upper clamp 6 and the side wall 10 of the upper clamp 6.
Is released from tightening the distance bracket 13. Then, when the distance bracket 13 is moved up and down by a desired distance in a desired direction, and then the knob 20 of the tilt lever 7 is brought close to the upper clamp 6, the tilt lever 7 pulls the tilt bolt 8, so that the upper clamp 1 is pulled.
The side wall portions 10 and 15 fasten and fix the distance bracket 13. At this time, the tilt bolt 8 is
The rectangular cross section 9b is engaged with the hole 12 and the hole 14 to prevent rotation, thereby preventing the tilt lever 7 from rotating in the vertical direction.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the invention described above, the sliding contact plate that engages with the tilt lever is coated with a low-friction member on its surface, and slides on the side wall of the upper clamp to attach the upper clamp. Since the fastening to the distance bracket is performed or the fastening is released, the sliding surface of the sliding contact plate is hardly worn, the operating force is reduced, and the durability is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a half sectional side view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional plan view of a main part, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main part, and FIG. 1 ... upper jacket, 6 ... upper clamp,
7 ... Tilt lever, 8 ... Tilt bolt, 8a ... Head, 8b ... Square cross section, 8c ... Screw, 11 ... Sliding plate, 1
2,16 …… Long hole, 13 …… Distance bracket, 18 ……
Washer, 19 ... Nut, 21, 31 ... Opening, 22 ...
Tightening part, 23 ... Sliding part, 24 ... Protrusion, 25 ... R part, 26 ... Notch, 27 ... Protrusion

Claims (2)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] An end of the tilt lever is rotatably engaged with the head of the tilt lever through a distance bracket penetrating the distance bracket to which the upper jacket is fixed and the upper clamp sandwiching the distance bracket. One end has a tightening portion, and a sliding contact plate that slides on the tightening portion and slides on the side wall of the upper clamp is loosely fitted, and a nut is screwed into the screw portion. Features a tilt steering column. 2. The tilt steering column according to claim 1, wherein the sliding contact plate has a surface coated with a low friction member.