JP2564999Y2 - Tilt steering column - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tilt steering column of an automobile, and more particularly to a tilt steering column capable of maintaining an inclination angle of a steering shaft by tightening an upper bracket to an upper jacket side with a cam tilted by a tilt lever. About.

[0002]

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 at a desired angle in a vertical direction in order to secure an optimum 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. 50-15572)
No. 6 and JP-A-51-85925). 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 both side walls of the upper clamp toward the upper jacket, and presses and tightens the distance bracket fixed to the column jacket.

[0003]

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 is caught by the upper clamp, which is not smooth and the operation feeling is poor. 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.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made for the purpose of improving the operation feeling of the tilt lever and preventing the sliding surface from being worn.

[0005]

In the tilt steering column according to the present invention, a nut is screwed to one end of a tilt bolt penetrating the upper clamp, and a nut is screwed to the other end of a side wall of the upper clamp. And a sliding member having a bearing interposed therebetween via a lever member, and formed outside the sliding member.
And a tilt bolt having a convex portion to be fitted in the set concave portion.
And a cam member rotatable around the cam member.
Connected to the lever support member and the sliding member to swing
Characterized in that the the link member formed by connecting the tilt lever.

[0006]

When the tilt lever is rotated in setting the tilt, the sliding member moves along the side wall of the upper clamp, whereby the cam member swings, and the gap between the cam member and the sliding member due to the swing of the cam member. , The upper clamp is tightened or released with a small force and a small amount of rotation.

[0007]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a tilt steering column according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, an upper jacket 3 is supported by an upper clamp 1 fixed to a vehicle body via an energy absorbing member 2 so as to be vertically movable. A steering shaft 4 is supported rotatably about the axis. A lower jacket 5 is fitted to the upper jacket 3 so as to be movable in the axial direction, and a lower shaft 6 is fitted to the steering shaft 4 so as to be movable in the axial direction. It is well known that the steering shaft 4 and the lower shaft 6 have a cross-sectional shape capable of transmitting torque and are movable in the axial direction.
Although not shown, the lower shaft 6 is connected to the universal joint 7.
And an intermediate shaft (not shown), and the intermediate shaft is connected to a steering gear box. The lower end of the lower jacket 5 is supported on the vehicle body by a lower bracket 8.

In order to make the upper jacket 1 have a tilt function, both side walls 9, 9 of the upper clamp 1 are provided.
In the vertical direction, square holes 10, 10 are formed opposite to each other, and as shown in FIG. 2, a tilt bolt 11 penetrating the square holes 10, 10 penetrates the energy absorbing member 2, and tilts. The lever support member 1 is provided at one end of the bolt 11.
2 and the fastening member 13 are interposed, and a nut 14 is provided at the other end. The energy absorbing member 2 has left and right sides 15, 15 slidably in contact with both side walls 9, 9 of the upper clamp 1, respectively.
5 and 15 are integrally connected by a reinforcing distance 16.

As shown in FIG. 3, the tilt bolt 11 has a disk-shaped head 17 at one end, and projections 18, 18 diametrically opposed to each other. The shaft portion includes a prism portion 19 and a column portion 20, and a thread portion 21 is formed at an end of the column portion 20. The nut 14 is screwed to the screw portion 21.

[0010] Lever supporting member 12, as shown in FIG. 3, the elongated plate 23 bored a square hole 22 for inserting the tilt bolt 11 and integrally forming a bracket 25 for holding the tilt lever 24 , Bracket 2
Through holes 27, 27 into which the pins 26 are inserted are formed in the holes 5, 25. The tilt lever 24 includes brackets 25, 25.
Brackets 28 and 28 and through holes 27 and 27
Are formed. Through hole 2
The pins 27 are inserted so that the holes 27, 29 are aligned with the holes 7, 27, and the pins 26 are caulked and connected.

As shown in FIG. 3, the fastening member 13 includes a bearing 33 formed by embedding a needle 32 in a plate 31 having a square hole 30 through which the prism 19 of the tilt bolt 11 passes, and a tilt bolt An elliptical hole 34 in which the 11 prism portions 19 are fitted and movable to the left and right, and semicircular recesses 3 formed opposite to each other at substantially central portions of upper and lower sides of the elongated hole 34.
5 and 35 and the sliding member 37 made of plate 36 obtained by forming a link member 40 bored pin projections 38 that engage holes 39 projecting from the plate 3 6 at one end, the sliding member 37 and a cam member 41. The link member 40 is formed by integrally forming brackets 42, 42 sandwiched between the brackets 28, 28 of the tilt lever 24, and through holes 43, 43 are formed in the brackets 42, 42. The through-holes 43 are aligned with the through-holes 44 formed in the brackets 28 of the tilt lever 24, and the pins 45 are inserted therein. The through hole 44 is disposed closer to the end than the through hole 29.

The cam member 41 is a member having a U-shaped cross section penetrating the tilt bolt 11 as shown in FIG.
The convex portions 46, 46 and the concave portions 47, 47 which are vertically opposed to each other.
And The protruding portions 46, 46 are concave portions 3 of the sliding member 37.
5 and 35, and the recesses 47 and 47 are
Engages with the projections 18 formed on the head.

The operation of the above embodiment will now be described. In setting the tilt, if the tilt lever 24 is rotated leftward in the figure from the state shown by the solid line to the state shown by the virtual line in FIG. The tilt lever 24 rotates about the pin 26, and the link member 40 moves rightward in the drawing to pull the sliding member 37 rightward. Accordingly, the cam member 41 has its convex portions 46, 46 swinging rightward in the drawing around the protruding portions 18, 18, and the convex portions 46, 46 move from left to right as shown in FIG. As shown by the imaginary line, the interval A
Of the upper clamp 1 with the tilt bolt 11
Is released, the space between the side walls 9, 9 is widened, and the energy absorbing member 2 can move in the vertical direction.

Therefore, when the steering wheel is set by moving the steering wheel up and down to an arbitrary position and the tilt lever 24 is returned to the original position, the link member 40 moves leftward in the drawing and the sliding member 37 moves leftward in the drawing. Press Therefore, the cam member 41
Got up the recess 47, 47 around the protruding portions 18 and 18, by the convex portions 46, 46 is moved from right to left, as indicated by the solid line in FIG. 4, the disappearance of distance A Thus, the side walls 9, 9 of the upper clamp 1 are fastened to the energy absorbing member 2 by the tilt bolt 11. Since the energy absorbing member 2 has the distance 16 interposed therebetween, the energy absorbing member 2 has a proof stress even when tightened. Therefore, the inclined state of the upper jacket 3 is maintained by the frictional resistance between the upper clamp 1 and the energy absorbing member 2.

In the above embodiment, the lever supporting member 12 can be unitized together with the tightening member 13 and is convenient for assembling.
A bracket for pivotally supporting the tilt lever 24 may be provided.

[0016]

According to the invention described above, the sliding member with the bearing interposed therebetween slides by the tilt lever,
Since the upper and lower clamps are tightened and released by changing the distance between the side walls of the upper clamp by swinging the cam member, the tilt can be reliably set with a light operating force and a small amount of lever rotation. Further, since the tilt lever can be pivotally supported close to the steering wheel via the link member, the operability is extremely 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.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Tilt bolt, 12 ... Lever support member, 13 ... Tightening member, 18 ... Protrusion, 24 ... Tilt lever, 33 ... Bearing, 37 ... Sliding member, 40 ... Link member, 41 ...
Cam member

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] A nut is screwed to one end of a tilt bolt penetrating the upper clamp, and a sliding member is provided at the other end of the tilt bolt with a bearing interposed on the outer side of a side wall of the upper clamp via a lever member . Recess formed on the outside of moving member
It has a convex part that fits into the
Fit a rotatable cam member and swing this cam member
For this reason, a ring connected to the lever supporting member and the sliding member is used.
A tilt steering column characterized by connecting a tilt lever to a tilting member .