JP3651249B2 - Tilt-type steering device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a tilt type steering apparatus capable of adjusting the tilt angle of a steering wheel of a vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art A tilt type steering device is known in which a tilt angle of a steering wheel can be adjusted according to a driver's physique and driving posture. In a tilt type steering apparatus, generally, a steering shaft is divided into a front steering shaft and a rear steering shaft and is connected by a universal joint. The rear part of the front steering shaft is rotatably accommodated in a lower bracket fixed to the vehicle body, and the front part of the rear steering shaft is rotatably accommodated in an upper bracket provided so as to be swingable with respect to the lower bracket. Has been.
[0003]
In order to adjust the tilt angle of the steering wheel by tilting the upper bracket with respect to the lower bracket, a fixed-side engagement member having meshing teeth is provided on the lower surface of the lower bracket. A movable-side engagement member having a meshing tooth that engages with the meshing tooth of the fixed-side engagement member is swingably provided. However, the fixed side engaging member may be provided on the upper bracket side, and the movable side engaging member may be provided on the lower bracket.
[0004]
Further, a tilt lever operated by the driver is provided so as to be swingable. When the tilt lever is swung, the movable side engaging member is swung, and the meshing teeth of the movable side engaging member are provided. And the meshing teeth of the fixed-side engaging member are released, whereby the tilt angle of the steering wheel can be adjusted by tilting the upper bracket or the like. Further, after this adjustment, when the tilt lever is swung in the reverse direction, the movable gear is also swung in the reverse direction, and the meshing tooth of the movable side engaging member is engaged with the meshing tooth of the fixed side engaging member, Thereby, a steering wheel can be fixed in the state after adjustment.
[0005]
By the way, in the tilt type steering device disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-34145, in order to prevent the rattling by ensuring the parallelism between the meshing teeth of the movable engagement member and the meshing teeth of the fixed engagement member. The parallelism is obtained by increasing the processing accuracy of the meshing teeth of both engaging members and performing precise processing.
[0006]
In addition, in the tilt type steering device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-2291, either one of the movable side engaging member or the fixed side engaging member is used to ensure the parallelism of the meshing teeth of both engaging members. Engage the meshing teeth of both engagement members in a state where they are not fixed to the bracket side, and then fix the non-fixed engagement member by welding or bolts and nuts with the meshing teeth engaged. Yes.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the method for ensuring the parallelism of the meshing teeth disclosed in the Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-34145 has problems that the processing time is long and the defect rate is high because the processing accuracy is severe.
[0008]
Further, in the method for ensuring the parallelism of the meshing teeth disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-2291, the welding process is complicated when the engagement member that is not fixed first is fixed by welding. The surrounding parts may be affected by the heat of welding, and if the engaging member that was not fixed first is fixed with bolts and nuts, the number of parts will increase and the manufacturing cost will increase. In some cases, it is difficult to reduce the weight.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and even if the parallelism between the meshing teeth of the movable side engaging member and the meshing teeth of the fixed side engaging member is slightly deviated, both meshing is performed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tilt type steering device that can mesh teeth normally, and that can reduce the manufacturing cost and reduce the weight.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a tilt type steering apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention is connected to a lower bracket that houses a front steering shaft and is fixed to a vehicle body by a universal joint. An upper bracket that accommodates the rear steering shaft is swingably provided, and the tilt lever is swung so that the fixed side engaging member provided on one bracket is moved to the movable side provided on the other bracket. The engaging member is swung, and the meshing tooth of the movable side engaging member is engaged with the meshing tooth of the fixed side engaging member to fix the steering wheel at the adjustment position or release the engagement to adjust the steering wheel position. In a tilt type steering device that enables
At least a part of the teeth in the width direction of at least one of the meshing teeth of the movable side engaging member and the meshing teeth of the fixed side engaging member is the same as that of the other meshing tooth during normal use of the steering device. It is formed so that the meshing teeth portions of the remainder, tooth thickness than a portion of the tooth so as to occur a predetermined gap between the normal operation other meshing teeth are formed thinly .
The tilt type steering apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the remaining tooth portion is formed in a circular arc shape with a thin tooth thickness.
The tilt type steering apparatus according to claim 3 of the present invention is characterized in that the remaining tooth portion is formed in a tapered shape with a thin tooth thickness.
[0011]
Thus, according to the present invention, at least a part of the teeth in the tooth width direction of at least one of the meshing teeth of the movable side engaging member and the meshing teeth of the fixed side engaging member is a regular gear. Based on the specifications, the remaining teeth are formed so as to generate a predetermined gap with the other meshing teeth. Therefore, at the time of normal use, if at least a part of the teeth in the width direction of the meshing teeth formed based on the normal gear specifications of one of the engagement members meshes with the meshing teeth of the other engagement member Since the load applied to each meshing tooth is small, even if the parallelism of both meshing teeth is slightly deviated, it is possible to achieve sufficient strength meshing and no backlash occurs.
[0012]
Also, when there is an excessive load input to the steering device at the time of a collision, the remaining teeth formed so as to generate a predetermined gap with the other meshing tooth are also connected to the other meshing tooth. Since they can be engaged, a sufficiently strong engagement can be realized, and an excessive load can be sufficiently resisted.
[0013]
Furthermore, unlike the prior art, it is not necessary to significantly increase the processing accuracy, and it is not necessary to fix the engagement member by welding or bolts and nuts in a state where the both meshing teeth are engaged with each other. The number of parts can be reduced, and the weight can be reduced.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a tilt type steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0015]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a gear type tilt steering apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0016]
In the tilt type steering apparatus according to the present embodiment, the steering shaft is divided into a front steering shaft 1 and a rear steering shaft 2 and is connected by a universal joint 3. The front steering shaft 1 is housed in a lower bracket 4 fixed to the vehicle body, and the rear steering shaft 2 is freely rotatable by bearings 6 and 6 on an upper bracket 5 provided to be swingable with respect to the lower bracket 4. It is stored in. The upper bracket 5 is configured to swing around a pivot (not shown) provided on the side surface thereof.
[0017]
On the lower surface of the lower bracket 4, a fixed gear 8 (fixed side engaging member) having meshing teeth 8a is fixed by being cast, for example. A movable gear 10 (movable side engaging member) having meshing teeth 10a meshing with the meshing teeth 8a is pivotally supported on a movable gear pivot 11 provided on the upper bracket 5.
[0018]
Further, the upper bracket 5 is provided with a tilt lever 12 so as to be swingable, and a wedge-shaped portion 13 for locking the movable gear 10 is provided at the tip of the tilt lever 12.
[0019]
Therefore, when the tilt lever 12 is swung, the wedge-shaped portion 13 is separated from the movable gear 10, and the movable gear 10 meshing tooth 10a is disengaged from the meshing tooth 8a of the fixed gear 8, thereby the rear steering shaft. The inclination angle of the steering wheel fixed to the rear end of 2 can be adjusted.
[0020]
On the other hand, when the tilt lever 12 is swung in the reverse direction, the wedge-shaped portion 13 pushes up the movable gear 10, and the meshing tooth 10 a of the movable gear 10 engages with the meshing tooth 8 a of the fixed gear 8. The portion 13 is locked between the movable gear 10 and the fixed member 23, whereby the steering wheel can be fixed in an adjusted state.
[0021]
A support spring 14 (compression spring) is provided between the lower bracket 4 and the upper bracket 5 to support the weight of the rear steering shaft 2, the steering wheel, and other members supported by the upper bracket 5. Yes. This support spring 14 (compression spring) prevents the steering wheel or the like from descending vigorously when the engagement between the meshing tooth 10a of the movable gear 10 and the meshing tooth 8a of the fixed gear 8 is released.
[0022]
Next, FIG. 2 (a) is a plan view of the movable gear (movable side engaging member), FIG. 2 (b) is a side view of the movable gear (movable side engaging member), and FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view of a portion of the teeth formed based on the specifications of the regular gear, and FIG. 4 is a side view of the portion of the teeth where a gap is formed between the meshing teeth. FIG. 5 is a plan view of a movable gear (movable side engaging member) and a fixed gear (fixed side engaging member), and FIG. 6 is a movable gear (movable side engaging member) and a fixed gear (fixed side engaging member). FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a meshing state of a conventional product, and FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a meshing state of the first embodiment.
[0023]
As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), a portion 10b of the meshing tooth 10a of the movable gear 10 is formed based on the specifications of the regular gear (FIG. 3), and the remaining portion 10c is formed of the fixed gear 8. The tooth thickness is so thin that a predetermined minute gap is formed between the meshing teeth 8a (FIG. 4). When reducing the tooth thickness, crowning or a step may be provided.
[0024]
Therefore, during normal use, if the teeth of the portion 10b formed based on the normal gear specifications of the movable gear 10 and the meshing teeth 8a of the fixed gear 8 mesh with each other, the load applied to the meshing teeth 8a and 10a is increased. Since it is small, even if the parallelism of the movable gear 10 and the fixed gear 8 is slightly deviated, it is possible to realize a sufficiently strong meshing and no play occurs.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 5, when the parallelism shift angle between the movable gear 10 and the fixed gear 8 is θ, when the shift angle θ is the same, the shake amount of both the gears 8 and 10 is shown in FIG. Thus, when the entire meshing tooth is formed based on the specifications of the regular gear as in the prior art, it is H1, but a portion 10c having a thin tooth thickness as in the present embodiment is provided. If it is, it is H2, and the absolute value of the shake amount can be reduced. Therefore, in the case of the conventional case as shown in FIG. 7, when the parallelism is shifted, the teeth may interfere and cause rattling, but in the case of the present embodiment as shown in FIG. The teeth do not interfere with each other and no rattling occurs. 5 to 8, the deviation angle θ of the parallelism is exaggerated.
[0026]
Further, as described above, since the meshing of both the meshing teeth 8a and 10a is only a portion 10b formed based on the specifications of the regular gear, the meshing width is narrowed, the tooth surface pressure is increased, and the strength is increased. Although there is a risk that it will be insufficient, during normal use, since the load applied to each meshing tooth 8a, 10a is small, the tooth surface pressure does not increase that much, and even if the meshing width becomes narrow, it is strong. There is no fear of becoming insufficient.
[0027]
Further, when there is an excessive load input to the steering device as in the case of a collision, the teeth of the remaining portion 10c formed so as to generate a predetermined minute gap between the fixed gear 8 and the meshing teeth 8a. However, since it is possible to mesh with the meshing teeth 8a of the fixed gear 8, it is possible to realize sufficient meshing and sufficiently withstand an excessive load.
[0028]
Furthermore, unlike the prior art, it is not necessary to significantly increase the processing accuracy, and it is not necessary to fix the gears 8 and 10 by welding or bolts and nuts in a state where the meshing teeth are engaged, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced, The number of parts can be reduced, and the weight can be reduced.
[0029]
Next, various other embodiments are shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the movable gear (movable side engaging member), and FIG. 10 (a) is an enlarged view of the portion X in FIG. 9 and is a diagram of the first embodiment. FIG. 10B is an enlarged view of a portion X in FIG. 9 and is a diagram according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 10C is an enlarged view of a portion X in FIG. FIG. 10D is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by reference numeral X in FIG. 9 and is a diagram according to the fourth embodiment. e) is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by reference numeral X in FIG. 9 and is a diagram according to the fifth embodiment.
[0030]
In the said 1st Embodiment, the level | step difference is provided between the part 10b formed based on the normal gear specification and the part 10c formed in the tooth thickness thinly.
[0031]
On the other hand, in 2nd Embodiment, as shown in FIG.10 (b), although the part 10b formed based on the normal gear specifications is provided in the edge part of the meshing tooth 10a, tooth thickness The thin portion 10c is formed in a tapered shape so that both portions 10b and 10c are continuous.
[0032]
In 3rd Embodiment, as shown in FIG.10 (c), the part 10b formed based on the regular gear specifications is not the edge part of the meshing tooth 10a like 1st Embodiment, but the meshing tooth 10a. It is arranged at the approximate center.
[0033]
In 4th Embodiment, as shown in FIG.10 (d), although the part 10b formed based on the normal gear specifications was provided in the approximate center of the meshing tooth 10a, tooth thickness was formed thinly. The portion 10c is formed in an arc shape or a taper shape so that both portions 10b and 10c are continuous.
[0034]
In the fifth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10 (e), the portion 10b formed based on the specifications of the regular gear and the portion 10c formed with a thin tooth thickness are not clearly distinguished, and the whole is not. Thus, a part 10b formed substantially based on the specifications of the regular gear and a part 10c formed with a thin tooth thickness are formed.
[0035]
In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A various deformation | transformation is possible. For example, in the embodiment described above, the meshing tooth 10a of the movable gear 10 (movable side engaging member) is provided with the portion 10c having a reduced tooth thickness, but the fixed gear 8 (fixed side engaging member). The meshing tooth 8a may be provided with a portion 10c having a reduced tooth thickness. In the above-described embodiment, the gears 8 and 10 (fixed side engaging member, movable side engaging member) are arc gears, but are not limited thereto, and may be various types of gears. For example, a flat gear (rack) may be used.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, at least a part of the teeth in the tooth width direction of at least one of the meshing teeth of the movable side engaging member and the meshing teeth of the fixed side engaging member is: It is formed based on the specifications of the regular gear, and the remaining teeth are formed so as to generate a predetermined gap with the other meshing tooth. Therefore, at the time of normal use, if at least a part of the teeth in the width direction of the meshing teeth formed based on the normal gear specifications of one of the engagement members meshes with the meshing teeth of the other engagement member Since the load applied to each meshing tooth is small, even if the parallelism of both meshing teeth is slightly deviated, it is possible to achieve sufficient strength meshing and no backlash occurs.
[0037]
Also, when there is an excessive load input to the steering device at the time of a collision, the remaining teeth formed so as to generate a predetermined gap with the other meshing tooth are also connected to the other meshing tooth. Since they can be engaged, a sufficiently strong engagement can be realized, and an excessive load can be sufficiently resisted.
[0038]
Furthermore, unlike the prior art, it is not necessary to significantly increase the processing accuracy, and it is not necessary to fix the engagement member by welding or bolts and nuts in a state where the both meshing teeth are engaged with each other . The number of parts can be reduced, and the weight can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a gear type tilt steering apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
2A is a plan view of a movable gear (movable side engaging member), and FIG. 2B is a side view of the movable gear (movable side engaging member).
FIG. 3 is a side view of a tooth of a portion formed based on normal gear specifications.
FIG. 4 is a side view of a portion of a tooth where a gap is formed between both meshing teeth.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of a movable gear (movable side engaging member) and a fixed gear (fixed side engaging member).
FIG. 6 is a vector diagram showing a deflection amount of a movable gear (movable side engaging member) and a fixed gear (fixed side engaging member).
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a meshing state of a conventional product.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a meshing state of the first embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a plan view of a movable gear (movable side engaging member).
10 (a) is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by reference numeral X in FIG. 9 and is a view of the first embodiment, and FIG. 10 (b) is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by reference numeral X in FIG. FIG. 9C is a diagram according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 9C is an enlarged view of a portion X in FIG. 9 and is a diagram according to the third embodiment. FIG. It is an enlarged view of the part of the code | symbol X of this, Comprising: It is a figure which concerns on 4th Embodiment, (e) is an enlarged view of the part of the code | symbol X of FIG. 9, Comprising: The figure which concerns on 5th Embodiment It is.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front steering shaft 2 Rear steering shaft 3 Universal joint 4 Lower bracket 5 Upper bracket 6 Bearing 8 Fixed engagement member (fixed gear)
8a meshing tooth 10 movable engagement member (movable gear)
10a Engagement tooth 10b Part 10c formed based on normal gear specifications Remaining part 11 formed with thin tooth thickness 11 Movable gear pivot 12 Tilt lever 13 Wedge-like part 14 Support spring

Claims (3)

The lower bracket, which houses the front steering shaft and is fixed to the vehicle body, is provided with a swingable upper bracket that houses the rear steering shaft connected to the front steering shaft by a universal joint, and swings the tilt lever. The movable side engaging member provided on the other bracket is swung with respect to the fixed side engaging member provided on one bracket, and the meshing teeth of the movable side engaging member are moved to the fixed side engaging member. In a tilt type steering apparatus that engages with the meshing teeth of the steering wheel to fix the steering wheel at the adjustment position or releases the engagement to adjust the steering wheel position.
At least a part of the teeth in the width direction of at least one of the meshing teeth of the movable side engaging member and the meshing teeth of the fixed side engaging member is the same as that of the other meshing tooth during normal use of the steering device. It is formed so that the meshing teeth portions of the remainder, tooth thickness than a portion of the tooth so as to occur a predetermined gap between the normal operation other meshing teeth are formed thinly A tilt type steering apparatus characterized by the above. The tilt type steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the remaining tooth portion is formed in a circular arc shape with a thin tooth thickness. 2. The tilt type steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the remaining tooth portion is formed in a tapered shape with a thin tooth thickness.

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