JP2647175B2 - Operation lever of steering tilt device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Purpose of the Invention] <Industrial application field> The present invention relates to an improvement of an operation lever in a steering tilt device capable of adjusting an angle between a steering column and a vehicle body. About.

<Prior Art> Various devices have been proposed as occupant protection devices in the event of a vehicle collision. In particular, as a device for protecting a knee, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-18997,
A structure in which a knee protector is provided on a lower surface of an instrument panel is known.

On the other hand, a steering tilt device for changing a position of a steering wheel so as to appropriately adapt to a riding posture or a physique of a driver is well known. As this type of steering tilt device, a fixed portion of a steering column with respect to a lower part of a vehicle instrument panel is configured to be vertically displaceable, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. In general, a structure is used in which the entire steering column is tilted about a universal joint portion connecting to a gear box, thereby changing the vertical position of the steering wheel.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> By the way, an operation lever for performing a tilt operation and a pivot portion of the lever have high rigidity and easy operation in order to obtain high operability of the lever and support strength of the steering column. A position is required. However, in order to satisfy such a demand, it is necessary to install the device at a position where it is easy to operate.

The present invention has been made in view of such inconvenience, and a main object of the present invention is to provide an operation lever of a steering tilt device that ensures energy absorption performance without impairing operability as an operation lever. is there.

[Constitution of the Invention] <Means for Solving the Problems> According to the present invention, an object of the present invention is to provide an operation lever of a steering tilt device pivotally mounted near a connection portion of a steering column with a vehicle body. And a bulging portion for absorbing a lateral impact load by being plastically deformed is formed in the vicinity of a pivotal connection portion of the operation lever with the vehicle body. This is achieved by providing an operating lever.

<Operation> With this configuration, the bulging portion is plastically deformed when the knee portion abuts, and suitably absorbs impact energy. In particular, if a swelling portion is provided with a transparent hole or a thick plate and a thin plate are formed in a double structure, the degree of freedom in setting the shock absorption characteristics can be increased.

<Embodiments> Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a tilt type steering apparatus constructed according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a hollow cylindrical steering column 1 is provided with a steering shaft 2 Is rotatably inserted. A steering wheel 3 is fixed to an upper end of the steering shaft 2, and a steering gear box (not shown) is connected to a lower end of the steering shaft 2 via a universal joint 4.

The steering column 1 includes a tilt mechanism 6 for adjusting an angle with respect to the vehicle body dashboard 5 and an EAU (impact energy absorbing device) 7 for absorbing an impact from the steering wheel 3 applied in the axial direction. It is attached to the mounting portion 5a on the lower surface of the vehicle body dashboard via the column bracket and the body bracket that constitute it.

As best shown in FIG.
Is composed of an upper shaft 2a to which the steering wheel 3 is fixed at the upper end, and a lower shaft 2b to which the universal joint 4 is fixed at the lower end. The lower end of the upper shaft 2a and the upper end of the lower shaft 2b are respectively They have an oval cross section and are fitted to each other. The fitting portions are connected to each other via a shear pin (not shown) made of polyacetal. When a predetermined axial impact load is applied to the steering shaft 2, the shear pin is sheared and the upper shaft 2a lowers. The steering shaft 2 is fitted to the shaft 2b so that the overall length of the steering shaft 2 is reduced.

On the other hand, the steering column 1 is composed of an upper tube 1a and a lower tube 1b which are connected via a large number of steel balls (not shown) press-fitted into a gap between the fitting portions, and usually has a predetermined axial dimension. However, when a predetermined axial load is applied to the steering column 1, the portions in contact with the steel balls are slid and displaced while being deformed. still,
The upper shaft 2a is attached to the upper tube 1a and the lower shaft
2b is supported by the lower tube 1b so as not to be displaced in the axial direction.

A pair of plate members at a predetermined interval in the vehicle width direction are provided on the outer periphery of the upper portion of the upper tube 1a in the steering column 1.
A column bracket 8 including a shaft 8b for connecting the inner surfaces of the plate members 8a to each other is fixedly provided. The outer side surface of the column bracket 8 is sandwiched between a pair of body brackets 9 for fixing the steering column 1 to the mount portion 5a on the lower surface of the vehicle dashboard.

The body bracket 9 is formed of a pair of left-right symmetric shapes bent from a plate material, and includes a hanging portion 9a for holding the column bracket 8 and a horizontal portion 9b extending right and left. As shown in FIG. 3, a U-shaped slot 10 opened toward the steering wheel 3 is formed in the horizontal portion 9b, and two small holes 11 are formed on both sides of the slot 10. Have been. A slide plate 12 made of boriacetal is insert-molded through the slot 10 and the small hole 11 so as to sandwich the horizontal portion 9b from both upper and lower surfaces. Thus, the portion via the small hole 11 functions as a shear pin that connects the horizontal portion 9b and the slide plate 12. Further, a spacer boss 13 is protrudingly provided at the center of the upper surface of the slide plate 12 so as to leave an appropriate gap between the slide plate 12 and the mount portion 5a on the lower surface of the vehicle dashboard.

At the center of the connecting shaft 8b in the column bracket 8, a bolt hole 14 is formed that penetrates between the left and right sides. A vertically long slot 15 having a partial arc shape is formed at a position where the bolt hole 14 is aligned with both body brackets 9. A clamp bolt 16 is coaxially inserted into the long hole 15 of each of the body brackets 9 and the bolt hole 14 of the connecting shaft 8b, and an operation lever is attached to one end of the clamp bolt 16 protruding from the hanging portion 9a of one of the body brackets 9. The column bracket 8 and the body bracket 9 can be fastened to each other by screwing and tightening the threaded portions 18 of 17.

The EAU 7 is provided on the upper surface side of the upper tube 1a in the steering column 1. The EAU 7 includes a casing 19 in the form of a hollow box having open front and rear (left and right in the figure) both end faces, and an energy absorber 20 accommodated in the casing 19. As shown in FIG. 3, the energy absorber 20 is formed by bending a single wire whose both ends are curved in a U-shape at the center, and the ends of the curved portions 21a and 21b are free ends. The shape is defined by the inner surface of the side wall. These curved portions 21a and 21b are inserted into the casing 19 while being covered with the rubber cover 22, so that the casing 19 and the energy absorber 20 do not come into metallic contact with each other. The steering column 1 can be relatively displaced along the axial direction. The central portion 23 folded in a loop shape passes through a boss 25 projecting from an island 24 formed on the upper tube upper surface. A rubber spacer 26 is fixed to the boss 25, and a nut 27 is screwed on the upper end of the rubber spacer 26. This allows the central portion 23 of the energy absorber 20 to escape upward from the boss 25. Have been without.

Inside the casing 19, the energy absorber 20 and the casing
A pair of stopper pins are provided so that the free ends of the curved portions 21a and 21b abut against each other when relative displacement is caused in the extension direction.
28 are provided. These left and right stopper pins 28
In the axial direction, they are juxtaposed at substantially the same position. On the other hand, the axial position of the two curved portions 21a and 21b in the energy absorber 20 is such that the one 21a located on the right side when viewed from the steering wheel side projects more toward the steering wheel side. The distance between each free end of each of the curved portions 21a and 21b and the stopper pin 28 is wider in the one 21a located on the right side.

At the end on the steering wheel side of the casing 19 of the EAU 7, an overhang portion 29 is formed in both the left and right directions along the horizontal portion 9b of the body bracket 9. An engagement hole 30 for loosely inserting a spacer boss 13 protruding from the slide plate 12 of the body bracket 9 is formed in the center of the both overhang portions 29. Also, the casing 19
At the end of the universal joint side in the above, a hook 31 is bored on both the left and right sides, and a tension coil spring 33 stretched between the hook 31 and a spring receiver 32 fixed on the lower surface of the upper tube 1a.
By this, EAU7 is constantly urged downward.

The tilt-type steering device configured as described above,
By inserting a fixing bolt 35 into a bolt hole 34 drilled through the spacer boss 13 in the center of the slide plate 12 and screwing the fixing bolt 35 to the mounting portion 5a of the vehicle dashboard, the steering column 1 Is fixed to the vehicle body via the upper tube 1a. In addition, lower tube 1b
Is fixed to the vehicle body via a jacket tube bracket (not shown).

 Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.

The body bracket 9 is fixed to the mount portion 5a of the vehicle body with the fixing bolt 35 inserted into the horizontal portion 9b as described above, and the body bracket 9 and the column bracket 8 are connected via the clamp bolt 16. Therefore, the coupling force of the column bracket 8 to the body bracket 9 is
It is determined exclusively by the tightening torque of the clamp bolt 16.
The tightening torque is determined by the tightening and loosening of the operation lever 17. That is, when the operating lever 17 is rotated in the loosening direction, the steering column 1 can be tilted up and down within the range of the elongated hole 15 in the body bracket 9, thereby changing the vertical position of the steering wheel 3.

By rotating the operation lever 17 in the tightening direction at an appropriate position, the position of the steering column 1 is fixed. In addition, a tension coil spring 36 is provided between the operation lever 17 and the column bracket 8 to constantly urge the operation lever 17 in the tightening direction so as to improve the operability of the operation lever 17. Has been. At the same time, the protruding piece 37 abutting on the upper surface of the operation lever 17 is
The operation lever 17 does not rotate more than necessary. A balance spring that balances the weight of the steering device is provided between the horizontal portion 9a of the body bracket 9 and the lower portion of the column bracket 8.
The steering column 1 is prevented from suddenly dropping when the operation lever 17 is loosened.

By the way, the upper shaft 2a and the lower shaft 2b are connected via a shear pin, and a horizontal portion of the body bracket 9 is formed.
9a and the mount portion 5a of the vehicle body are connected via the shear pin portion of the slide plate 12 and the fixing bolt 35, so that the operation load at the time of normal operation is the axial direction between the upper tube 1a and the lower tube 1b. Relative movement is defined,
At the same time, the position of the body bracket 9 with respect to the vehicle body mounting portion 5a is defined. Therefore, the turning power given to the steering wheel 3 is transmitted to the steering gear box via the steering shaft 2 and the universal joint 4.

When the driver collides with the steering wheel 3 due to a vehicle collision or the like, the shear pin between the upper shaft 2a and the lower shaft 2b is cut by the impact load at this time, and the two shafts 2a and 2b are relatively displaced in the contraction direction. At the same time
This impact load is transmitted to the body bracket 9 via the column bracket 8 fixed to the upper chamber 1a, and the shear pin portion of the slide plate 12 is also cut. Since the fixing bolt 35 is inserted into the slot 10 of the horizontal portion 9b of the body bracket 9, only the horizontal portion 9b falls forward from the fixing bolt 35 in this portion. As a result, the upper tube 1a can also move forward.

During the cutting of each shear pin during this time, part of the impact energy is absorbed.

When the upper tube 1a starts moving forward, the steel balls between the upper tube 1a and the lower tube 1b deform the fitting surfaces of each other while being relatively displaced, and a part of the impact energy is further absorbed by the deformation. On the other hand, since the fixing bolt 35 remains in the vehicle body mounting portion 5a, when the upper tube 1a moves forward, the energy absorber connected to the upper tube 1a
20 and the casing 19 connected to the fixing bolt 35 are relatively displaced. As a result, first the left curved part
The free end of 21b abuts the corresponding stopper pin 28. Then, since the axial movement of the free end of the curved portion is defined, the curved portion 21b is deformed while being sequentially displaced in accordance with the movement of the central portion 23, and the impact energy is further absorbed. Next, when the free end of the right curved portion 21a abuts on the corresponding stopper pin 28, the side 21a is similarly deformed and the impact energy is absorbed.

In this way, as the upper tube 1a advances, the steel pin, the left curved portion 21b, and the right curved portion 21a between the shear pin / the upper tube 1a and the lower tube 1b are operated in this order, and the steering column 1 Is configured so that its resistance increases sequentially in accordance with the axial displacement amount of. Therefore, according to the magnitude and duration of the impact load when the driver collides with the steering wheel 3, the buffering action works more accurately, and the reaction force applied to the occupant can be suppressed to the minimum.

Since the EAU 7 of the above-described type can be designed separately from the steering column 1, extremely high versatility can be obtained. However, on the other hand, it is necessary to connect one end to the steering column 1 and the other end to the vehicle body dashboard 5, so that when mounting to the tilt type steering device, it is necessary to follow the tilt of the steering column 1. Was one of the obstacles. Therefore, in this embodiment,
Both connecting ends of the EAU7 are provided with play in the vertical direction, as shown by dimensions A and B in FIG. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the EAU 7 from obstructing the tilting operation of the steering column 1.

In FIG. 2, the spacing between the horizontal portion 9a of the body bracket 9 and the lower surface of the vehicle body mounting portion 5a is exaggerated and widened for the sake of simplicity. Is preferably as narrow as possible in order to increase the rigidity. Therefore, as shown by an angle C in FIG.
The overhang portion 29 of 19 is bent so that the steering wheel side is slightly downward. By doing so, as shown in comparison with FIGS. 4 and 5, if the tilt angle from a position substantially parallel to the steering column 1 is within the same gap (D dimension), Large angle (I1
<I2) It is assumed that it can be displaced.

In addition, play of the connecting part (A and B dimensions in FIG. 2)
In order to prevent the EAU 7 from vibrating, a tension coil spring 33 is stretched between the casing 19 and the upper tube 1a.

By the way, in such a tilt type steering device, the operation lever 17 tends to be in a position close to the driver's knee. However, when the driver moves in the left and right direction at the time of a side collision or the like, the operation lever 17 is not moved. May touch the knee. The operation lever 17 has relatively high rigidity, and therefore has a large reaction force against the knee in the event of a collision, which may cause relatively large damage. Therefore, in the present invention,
As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, a bulging portion 41 which can be deformed when the knee strikes is provided below a particularly rigid pivot.

An opening 42 having an appropriate area is provided on the shock absorbing surface of the bulging portion 41.
And a fold 43 is formed by pressing. Thereby, the deformation strength and directionality are adjusted to stabilize the shock absorption characteristics. In addition, the bulging portion 41
A hollow portion 45 is formed by joining a main portion 41a made of a relatively thick plate and a sub portion 41b serving as an impact dispersion member made of a thin plate. By doing so, the subordinate portion 41b functions as a cover that smoothly covers the shock absorbing surface side of the operation lever 17, and the subordinate portion 41b and the main portion 41a are sequentially deformed to absorb the impact stepwise. As a result, it is possible to reduce the sudden reaction force applied to the knee by the collision.

Note that the edge 44 of the subordinate portion 41b is bent toward the main portion 41a, but the bending angle is an obtuse angle as shown in FIG. Regularity is given to the direction in which the edge 44 is deformed when it hits 41a. When the bent portion 46 is extended, a part of the impact load is absorbed. Further, the shock absorption characteristics may be adjusted not only by the bent portion 46 but also by a resin material which can be compressed and deformed interposed between the main portion 41a and the subordinate portion 41b.

On the other hand, in the tilt type steering apparatus as described above, it is customary to provide a spring means in order to balance the downward weight of the steering apparatus during the adjustment operation. However, in order to simplify the parts management and reduce the number of assembling steps, it is preferable to promote the subassembly within a range where the handling weight does not exceed a certain limit. However, in the above-described structure, the tension of the balance spring 37 causes the body bracket 9 to rotate about the clamp bolt 16 as a fulcrum, causing a large deviation between the angle of the horizontal portion 9b and the angle of the mount portion 5a. Sometimes. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a locking piece that locks between the column bracket 8 and the body bracket 9 is provided.
Projections 51 and 52 are provided to prevent rotation of the body bracket 9 due to spring tension.

As a structure for preventing this rotation, a locking piece 53 is provided at the front end of the casing 19 of the EAU 7, and the projecting portion 29 engaged with the spacer boss 13 protruding from the horizontal portion 9 b of the body bracket 9. Thus, the space between the island 24 provided on the upper tube 1a and the horizontal portion 9b of the body bracket 9 may be stretched. Also, in this case,
In order to prevent the EAU 7 from coming off from the spacer boss 13 upward, it is more preferable to provide a locking claw 54 so that the EAU 7 and the horizontal portion 9a of the body bracket 9 are locked to each other.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to add cushioning to the operation lever without lowering the rigidity of the tilt operation lever and without reducing the operability, and the vehicle interior during a vehicle collision This is extremely effective in improving the occupant protection performance against a secondary collision in which the occupant collides with the above structure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic overall side view of a tilt type steering device constructed according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view showing a partly cut away, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the same. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a displacement of a connecting portion between the EAU and the vehicle body where no countermeasures are taken, and FIG. 5 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of the tilt operation lever, FIG. 7 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow VII in FIG. 6, and FIG.
FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view along the line VIII. 1 Steering column 1a Upper tube 1b Lower tube 2 Steering shaft 2a Upper shaft 2b Lower shaft 3 Steering wheel 4 Universal joint 5 Body dashboard 5a ... Mounting part, 6 ... Tilt mechanism 7 ... EAU, 8 ... Column bracket 8a ... Plate material, 8b ... Connection shaft 9 ... Body bracket, 9a ... Hanging part 9b ... Horizontal part, 10 ... Slot 11: Small hole, 12: Slide plate 13: Spacer boss, 14: Bolt hole 15: Long hole, 16: Clamp bolt 17: Operation lever, 18: Screw part 19: Casing, 20 ... Energy absorbers 21a and 21b ... Bending part 22 ... Cover, 23 ... Central part 24 ... Island, 25 ... Boss 26 ... Spacer, 27 ... Nut 28 ... Stopper pin, 29 ... Overhang Part 30 ... engagement hole, 31 ... f H 32 spring holder 33 tension coil spring 34 bolt hole 35 fixing bolt 36 tension coil spring 37 balance spring 41 bulge 41a main part 41b … Slave part 42… Opening, 43… Fold 44… Edge, 45… Hollow part 46… Bending part, 51-53… Locking piece 54… Locking claw

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] An operating lever of a steering tilt device pivotally mounted near a connection portion of a steering column with a vehicle body, wherein a plastic deformation is formed near a pivoting portion of the operation lever with the vehicle body. An operating lever for a steering tilt device, wherein a bulging portion for absorbing a lateral impact load is formed. 2. The operating lever of a steering tilt device according to claim 1, wherein the bulging portion has a watermark hole. 3. The first or the first or second aspect, wherein the bulging portion is formed in a hollow shape with a main portion made of a thick plate and an impact dispersion member made of a thin plate covering an impact absorbing surface of the main portion. An operation lever of the steering tilt device according to claim 2.