JP2998323B2 - Telescopic steering system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[Object of the invention]

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a telescopic steering apparatus.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of telescopic steering apparatus, one disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 3-47874 is known. The fixed shaft is rotatably supported on the vehicle body side, the movable shaft is rotatably connected to the fixed shaft so as to be relatively slidable in the axial direction, and is integrally rotatable, and the steering wheel is fixed to the end of the fixed shaft. A drive mechanism that is connected to the movable shaft side and slides the movable shaft in the axial direction with respect to the fixed shaft, and a pressing member that is disposed on the fixed shaft side and pressed against or released from the outer peripheral surface of the movable shaft side, An operating mechanism for operating the pressure contact member ensures the rigidity of the movable shaft with respect to the fixed shaft, that is, the holding rigidity of the steering wheel, without increasing the sliding resistance during telescopic operation, that is, when the movable shaft slides. By operating the operation switch,
The operating mechanism is operated to release the pressing state of the pressing member against the outer peripheral surface on the movable shaft side, and the driving mechanism is operated to perform the telescopic operation for setting the steering wheel to the normal operation position or the occupant getting on / off position, and this telescopic operation ends. Thereafter, the operating mechanism is operated again to bring the press-contact member into press-contact with the outer peripheral surface.

[0004]

However, in the above-described telescopic steering apparatus, even after the telescopic operation is completed, the operating mechanism operates again to bring the press-contact member into press-contact with the outer peripheral surface. The actuating mechanism operates even in an occupant getting on and off position that does not require holding rigidity, and the press-contact member operates to the press-contact state. For this reason, the number of occurrences of the operation noise is increased and the reduction of the operation durability is promoted.

[0005] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems relating to the operation noise and the operation durability.

[0006]

Configuration of the Invention

[0007]

Technical means taken in the present invention to solve the above technical object, according to an aspect of the times the vehicle body
A fixed shaft rotatably supported, and the fixed shaft;
And the fixed shaft and the
Slidable in the axial direction of the fixed shaft and integrally rotatable
The steering wheel is fixed to the tip
A movable shaft, and the fixed shaft
By sliding it in the axial direction with respect to the
Drive that changes the position of the ring wheel with respect to the driver
Mechanism and a pressure contact portion capable of contacting the outer peripheral surface of the movable shaft
Material and the pressure contact member is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the movable shaft.
Or an operating mechanism for separating from the outer peripheral surface of the movable shaft
Controlling the operation of the drive mechanism and the operation mechanism.
Telescopic steering system equipped with a control circuit
The steering wheel is
Passenger getting on and off with the maximum relative distance between the wheel and the driver
Detecting means for detecting that the control circuit
The road is controlled based on the detection result of the detection means.
When the position of the steering wheel is not at the occupant
When the drive mechanism is not operated, the drive mechanism
The pressure contact member is pressed against the outer periphery of the movable shaft, and the drive
The press-contact member by the operating mechanism when operating the moving mechanism
After releasing the pressure contact with the movable shaft,
Operating the mechanism, and the control circuit detects a detection result of the detection means.
Based on the operation of the drive mechanism, the steering
The position of the wheel is the occupant getting on and off position and the driving machine
When the operation of the structure is completed, the operation of the operation mechanism is performed.
The pressing member is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the movable shaft
Telescopic, characterized by being placed between
That is, a steering device is configured.

[0008]

The above technical means operates as follows. When the steering wheel is at the occupant getting on / off position, the detecting means detects the detection, and the control circuit does not operate the operating mechanism for bringing the pressure contact member into pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface. Accordingly, the number of times of operation of the operation mechanism is reduced, so that the number of times of generation of the operation sound is reduced and the operation durability can be improved.

[0009]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a column tube 3 is fixed to a breakaway bracket 1 via a bush 2, and the column tube 3 is fixed to a vehicle body via a bracket 4. I have. The breakaway bracket 1 has a bush 5 and a bush 2
The telescopic tube 6 is held so as to be slidable in the axial direction. A holder 7 is fixed to the telescopic tube 6, and a tilt bracket 8 is rotatably supported by a bolt 9 on the holder 7. The lower main shaft 10 and the upper main shaft 12 are rotatably supported on the breakaway bracket 1 and the column tube 3, respectively, and the upper main shaft 12 is supported on the tilt bracket 8 respectively.
The middle main shaft 11 is slidably connected to the lower main shaft 10 and the upper main shaft 12
Is rotatably connected to the middle main shaft 11 via a joint 13 located coaxially with the bolt 9, and is disposed in the telescopic tube 6 and the holder 7.
A steering wheel 18 shown in FIG. 1 is fixed to the tip of the upper main shaft 12. A telescopic motor 14 is fixed to the breakaway bracket 1. The rotary shaft of the telescopic motor 14 is connected to a telescopic screw 16 rotatably held on the breakaway bracket 1 via a reduction mechanism 15 composed of a worm and a worm wheel provided on the breakaway bracket 1. I have.

A telescopic nut member 17 is fixed to the telescopic tube 6 and is screwed with the telescopic screw 16. In this configuration, operating the telescopic motor 14 causes the telescopic screw 16 to rotate via the speed reduction mechanism 15. Due to the rotation of the telescopic screw 16, the telescopic nut member 17 is axially slid along the telescopic screw 16 by screwing. As a result, the telescoping tube 6, holder 7 and tilt bracket 8 slide with respect to the breakaway bracket 1 and column tube 3, and the middle main shaft 11 and the upper main shaft 12 slide with respect to the lower main shaft 10, that is, the steering wheel. 18 slides back and forth (telescopic operation).

Between the holder 7 and the tilt bracket 8, the tilt bracket 8 is centered on the bolt 9 with respect to the holder 7, and the upper main shaft 12 is centered on the joint 13 with respect to the middle main shaft 11. A tilt mechanism 19 that rotates vertically (that is, rotates the steering wheel 18 vertically) is provided. Since the tilt mechanism 19 is a known technique and is not directly related to the present invention, a description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a lock bolt 25 is connected to the lock motor 23 via speed reduction mechanisms 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d composed of a worm and a worm wheel. The rock bolt 25 is slidably held in a two-sided width fitting hole 26 formed on the lower side of the breakout bracket 1 with its rotation restricted. The lock motor 23 and the speed reduction mechanisms 24a, 24b, 24c are housed in a case 27, and the case 27 is fixed to the lower side of the breakaway bracket 1. Reduction mechanism 24d and reduction mechanism 24
The connection between the lock bolt 25 and the lock bolt 25 is positioned and accommodated between the breakaway bracket 1 and the case 27 by a bush serving as a bearing of the speed reduction mechanism 24d. A space 28 having a lower surface 28a as an inclined surface is formed below the holding hole 1a for holding the telescopic tube 6 of the breakaway bracket 1. A pressing member 29 having an inclined surface 29a joined to the inclined surface 28a is provided in the space 28. This pressing member 29 is in contact with the rock bolt 25. Pressing member 29
A pressure contact member 30 that is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the telescopic tube 6 is provided between the telescopic tube 6 and the telescopic tube 6. In this configuration, when the lock motor 23 is operated, the lock bolt 25 is guided and slid by the break-away bracket 1 via the speed reduction mechanisms 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d. By the sliding of the lock bolt 25, the pressing member 29 is released and the inclined surfaces 28a, 29
Sliding downward by the joining of a. Due to the sliding of the pressing member 29, the pressing of the pressing member 30 is released, and the pressing member 30 is slid, so that the pressing with the outer peripheral surface of the telescopic tube 6 is released. As a result, the frictional force between the telescopic tube 6 and the pressing member is reduced, the holding of the telescopic tube 6 on the breakaway bracket 1 is released, and the sliding of the telescopic tube 6 is facilitated (lock release operation). By operating the lock motor 23 in the opposite direction, the lock bolt 25 slides in the opposite direction to the above, and the pressing member 29 is pressed, and slides upward. As a result, the pressing member 30 is pressed and firmly pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the telescopic tube 6, the frictional force between the telescopic tube 6 and the pressing member increases, and the telescopic tube 6 is held against the breakout bracket 1 and The rigidity of the tube 6 (the rigidity of holding the steering wheel 18) is ensured (lock operation).

Referring to FIG. 6, a control circuit 31 for the telescopic motor 14 and the lock motor 23 will be described.

An ignition switch 34 is connected to an input port P 1 of the CPU 32 via an input circuit 33. An auto switch 36 is connected to the input port P2 via an input circuit 35. A manual switch 38 is connected to the input port P3 via an input circuit 37, and the input circuit 37 receives a signal from a position sensor 39 connected to the automatic switch 36. The output ports P4 and P5 are connected to a telescopic motor 14 via an output circuit 40, and the output ports P6 and P7 are connected to a rock motor 23 via an output circuit 41.

Next, the operation will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the steering wheel 18 is in the normal operation position A, and the pressure contact member 30 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the telescopic tube 6 and the telescopic tube 6 is held against the breakaway bracket 1 by the frictional force. And the occupant is present in the vehicle interior, that is, the ignition switch 34
Is an operation key (not shown) on the ignition (not shown)
Is turned on and the auto switch 36 is turned on. In this state, as shown in FIG. 7, when the operation key is removed from the ignition in S1 and the ignition switch 34 is turned off, the steering wheel 18 is steered in S2.
The position sensor 3 determines whether the vehicle is in an occupant getting on / off position B (shown in FIG. 1) where the relative distance between the driving wheel 18 and the driver is maximum .
When the steering wheel 18 is not in the occupant getting on / off position B, the lock motor 23 is operated for a predetermined time to perform an unlocking operation in S3, and the pressure contact between the outer peripheral surface of the telescopic tube 6 and the pressure contact member 30 is performed. Released, that is, the breakaway bracket 1 of the telescopic tube 6
Is released, the telescopic tube 6 slides easily, and the telescopic motor 14 operates to move the steering wheel 18 to the occupant getting on / off position B in S2.
, And the telescopic operation is performed until the position sensor 39 detects it. Steering wheel 1
When the position 8 becomes the occupant getting on / off position B, the operation of the telescopic motor 14 is stopped in S4, and the telescopic operation ends.

When the steering wheel 18 is in the occupant getting on / off position B and the ignition switch 34 is in the off state, the operation key removed from the ignition in S1 is inserted into the ignition, and the ignition switch is turned off. When the switch 34 is turned on, the position sensor 39 detects whether or not the steering wheel 18 is in the normal operation position A in S5. When the steering wheel 18 is not in the normal operation position A, the telescopic motor 14 is turned on in S6. In operation S5, the steering wheel 18 becomes the normal driving position A and the position sensor 3
The telescopic operation is performed until it is detected by 9. When the steering wheel 18 is in the normal operation position A, the operation of the telescopic motor 14 is stopped in S7, the telescopic operation ends, and the locking motor 23 is operated in S8 to perform the locking operation, and the outer peripheral surface of the telescopic tube 6 is operated. The pressure contact member 30 and the pressure contact member 30 are brought into a pressure contact state, that is, the telescoping tube 6 is held with respect to the breakout air bracket 1 to secure its rigidity. The normal driving position A can be set to an arbitrary memory position where the steering wheel 18 is set to a position desired by the driver by operating the manual switch 38.

As described above, the steering wheel 1
8 is a state in which the operation key is removed from the ignition, that is, a state in which the vehicle is stopped and a person who intends to drive the vehicle is not present in the vehicle. In some cases, the lock motor 23 that performs the rocking operation of bringing the pressure contact member 30 into pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the telescopic tube 6 is not performed. This reduces the number of times the lock motor 23 operates,
The number of occurrences of operation noise can be reduced, the operation durability can be improved, and the cost of parts can be significantly reduced. In addition, since the operation is performed in conjunction with the insertion and removal of the operation key from the ignition, the lock operation is performed only when the vehicle is at a position B where the vehicle is stopped and a person who intends to drive the vehicle does not exist in the vehicle. When the vehicle is in the normal operation position A, the locking operation is reliably performed, and the column tube 6 is securely held by the breakaway bracket 1, so that the operation of the vehicle is not hindered.

[0020]

According to the present invention, a fixed shaft rotatably supported by a vehicle body is provided coaxially with the fixed shaft.
Slidable in the axial direction between the fixed shaft and the fixed shaft
And are connected so that they can rotate together.
A movable shaft to which the steering wheel is fixed,
The shaft is slid axially with respect to the fixed shaft
To the driver of the steering wheel.
A driving mechanism for changing the position of the movable shaft,
A pressure contact member capable of contacting a peripheral surface, and the pressure contact member being movable
Pressing the outer peripheral surface of the shaft or the outer peripheral surface of the movable shaft
Operating mechanism for separating from the drive mechanism, the drive mechanism and the operation
And a control circuit for controlling the operation of the mechanism.
In the steering apparatus, the steering wheel
Is the relative distance between the steering wheel and the driver.
That can detect that the vehicle is at the maximum occupant getting on / off position
Means, wherein the control circuit detects a detection result of the detection means.
Based on the position of the steering wheel
When not in the getting on / off position, when the drive mechanism is not operating
Moves the pressing member by the operating mechanism to the movable shaft.
Press against the outer periphery of the
Press-contact of the press-contact member to the movable shaft by a mechanism.
After the release, the drive mechanism is operated, and the control circuit includes:
Operation of the drive mechanism based on the detection result of the detection means
Position of the steering wheel
When the position is set and the operation of the drive mechanism is completed,
The pressure contact member is movable without operating the operation mechanism.
It is characterized that it is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the shaft.
Because it is a telescopic steering device
It has the following effects.

The number of times of operation of the operation mechanism is reduced, the number of times of operation noise generation can be reduced, the operation durability can be improved, and the cost of parts can be greatly reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the position of a steering wheel in a vehicle cabin where a telescopic steering apparatus according to the present invention is mounted.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the telescopic steering device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a pressing member and an operation mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of a control circuit that controls a driving mechanism and an operating mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control circuit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Lower main shaft (fixed shaft) 11 Middle main shaft (movable shaft) 12 Middle main shaft (movable shaft) 14 Telescopic motor (drive mechanism) 18 Steering wheel 23 Rock motor (operating mechanism) 30 Pressure contact member 31 Control circuit 32 CPU (Control) Means) 39 Position sensor (Detection means)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-61-67661 (JP, A) JP-A-1-190578 (JP, A) JP-A-1-111566 (JP, A) 47874 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B62D 1/04-1/28

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A fixed shuff rotatably supported on a vehicle body.
And bets, while being the fixed shaft and coaxially disposed, the solid
Slidable in the axial direction between the fixed shaft and the fixed shaft and
And a steering wheel at the tip.
A movable shaft to which the eel is fixed, and the movable shaft being axially moved with respect to the fixed shaft.
By sliding, the operation of the steering wheel
A drive mechanism for changing the position with respect to the tumbler, a pressing member capable of contacting the outer peripheral surface of the movable shaft, and pressing the pressing member against the outer peripheral surface of the movable shaft or
An operating mechanism for separating the movable shaft from the outer peripheral surface, and a control circuit for controlling the operations of the driving mechanism and the operating mechanism.
And a road , wherein the steering wheel is mounted on the steering wheel.
Position where the relative distance between the driver and the driver is maximized.
Comprises a detectable sensing means Rukoto, said control circuit, based on the detection result of said detecting means, before
Make sure that the position of the steering wheel is
When the drive mechanism is not operating,
Pressing the pressure contact member to the outer periphery of the movable shaft
When the driving mechanism is operated,
After releasing the pressure contact of the pressure contact member to the movable shaft,
Activating the drive mechanism, the control circuit, based on the detection result of the detection means,
The position of the steering wheel is adjusted by operating the drive mechanism.
Is set to the occupant getting on / off position and the operation of the drive mechanism is completed.
When the operation is completed, the pressure
The contact member is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the movable shaft.
Telescopic steering characterized by
apparatus.