JP4230955B2 - Steering lock device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering lock device for locking a steering wheel of a vehicle such as an automobile.

Conventionally, as disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 below, the steering lock device is divided into an operation portion and a lock portion, and the two are connected by a cable so that the operation is interlocked between the two portions. There is what I did. For the interlocking operation of this type of steering lock device,
(1) When the lock unit is in the locked state, in order to prohibit the power operation of the vehicle, the rotation of the operation member from the LOCK position in the operation unit is restricted.
(2) When the operation member is operated to any one of the ACC position, the ON position, and the START position, the lock bolt that locks the steering shaft in the lock portion is held in an unlocked state.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-138871

  However, the cable is usually configured by covering the periphery of the wire with an outer cylinder, and there is a slight gap between the inner surface of the outer cylinder and the outer peripheral surface of the wire. Because of this gap, when the wire is pushed in, the wire bends slightly in the outer cylinder. When the wire is pushed and pulled in the same way, the wire in the cable is pushed and pulled. A slight difference (hereinafter referred to as a movement error) may occur in the movement amount.

  When there is such a movement error of the wire, a delicate operation through the wire becomes difficult. For example, with regard to the steering lock device of Patent Document 1, if there is a wire movement error or dimensional error, the operation member cannot be reliably restricted in the operation of (1), and the operation Shaking of the member may occur.

Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a steering lock device in which an operation unit including an ignition switch and a lock unit for locking a steering shaft are separately provided,
The lock portion is a lock bolt that is movable to a lock position that engages with the steering shaft and an unlock position that does not engage the steering shaft;
An unlock position holding member that engages with the lock bolt and holds the lock bolt in the unlock position;
A control wire having one end connected to the unlock position holding member;
A holding spring that urges the control wire in a direction to pull the control wire toward the lock portion;
The operation unit includes a rotating body that is rotated by a user;
A restricting convex portion that is attached to the other end of the control wire and engages with the engaging portion of the rotating body to restrict the rotation of the rotating body;
A cable spring that urges the control wire in a direction to pull the control wire toward the operation portion and urges the restricting convex portion in a direction to engage with the engaging portion of the rotating body;
The urging force of the cable spring is stronger than the urging force of the holding spring.

  According to this configuration, since the restricting convex portion is moved by the urging force of the cable spring to engage with the rotating body, the movement error of the control wire does not affect the turning restriction of the operation portion. The rotation of the rotating body of the operation unit can be accurately regulated.

  In the steering lock device of the present invention, a drive mechanism that moves the control wire against the urging force of the cable spring by pressing the unlock position holding member is provided in the lock portion, and the drive mechanism is electrically driven. It may be activated by means.

  According to this configuration, the unlock position holding member and the restricting convex portion can be moved via the control wire by the drive mechanism that is operated by the electric drive means, thereby releasing the rotation operation restriction of the operation portion. can do.

  In the steering lock device of the present invention, the drive mechanism includes a first cam portion that engages with an engagement recess formed in the lock bolt and moves the lock bolt, and the unlock position holding member. A cam member that is rotationally driven and includes a second cam portion that presses toward the lock bolt side may be provided.

  According to this configuration, since the unlock position holding member is pressed and moved by the drive mechanism for operating the lock bolt, compared to the case where a dedicated electric drive means for moving the unlock position holding member is provided. The number of parts can be reduced.

  Further, in the steering lock device according to the present invention, the operation projection is held in a state in which the restricting convex portion is pushed toward the lock portion against the urging force of the cable spring in a predetermined rotation range of the rotating body. And the unlocking position holding member is held at a position engageable with the lock bolt by the urging force of the holding spring when the restricting convex portion is held by the holding portion. It may be.

  According to this configuration, since the restricting convex portion is held by the holding portion, the urging force of the cable spring does not directly act on the wire, while the unlock position holding member is moved to the lock bolt side by the urging force of the holding spring. Be energized. In other words, since the unlock position holding member is not operated by pushing the wire, the movement distance of the unlock position holding member is not shortened by the movement error of the wire, and can be reliably engaged with the lock bolt. it can.

  Furthermore, in the steering lock device of the present invention, a guide groove for guiding the restricting convex portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, and the guide groove is provided to extend in the circumferential direction of the rotating body. You may include the said holding | maintenance part and the engaging part which regulates rotation of the said rotary body by extending in the axial direction of the said rotary body and the said engagement convex part engaging.

  As described above, according to the steering lock device of the present invention, the restricting convex portion is moved by the urging force of the cable spring so as to be engaged with the rotating body. It is possible to accurately regulate the rotation of the rotating body of the operation unit without affecting the movement regulation.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an operation portion 10 of a steering lock device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing an internal structure of a lock portion 50 of the steering lock device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional configuration diagram showing the internal structure of the lock portion 50 as viewed from the bottom side of FIG. In FIG. 1 (the same applies to FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7A, and 7B), the left side is “front” and the right side is “rear” for convenience.

  In the steering lock device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the operation unit 10 and the lock unit 50 are provided separately, and the operation unit 10 and the lock unit are provided in order to link the operations between the two units 10 and 50. 50 are connected by a cable 12.

  The operation unit 10 includes a storage case 14. A cylindrical rotator 16 is rotatably disposed in the storage case 14, and an ignition switch 18 is disposed adjacent to the rotator 16.

  An operation shaft 20 that extends to the outside of the storage case 14 protrudes from the front end surface of the rotating body 16. An operation knob 22 is attached to the end of the operation shaft 20. Thereby, the rotary body 16 rotates with the rotation operation of the operation knob 22 by a user.

  On the surface 22a of the operation knob 22, four characters, LOCK, ACC, ON, and START are displayed. The user rotates the operation knob 22 so that the position of each display is matched with the triangular index 23 formed on the end surface of the storage case 14. In the following, the respective rotation positions at which the above four character displays match the index 23 are referred to as a LOCK position, an ACC position, an ON position, and a START position.

  A guide groove 24 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotator 16 to guide a regulating convex portion described later. The guide groove 24 is engaged with the holding portion 24a formed extending in the circumferential direction of the rotating body 16, the engaging portion 24b formed extending in the axial direction of the rotating body 24, and the end of the holding portion 24a. It is comprised by the inclination part 24c which connects the rear-end part of the part 24b diagonally.

  A shaft 26 projects from the rear end surface of the rotating body 16. The shaft 26 is connected to a rotor 28 that is rotatably accommodated in a rotor case 19 of the ignition switch 18. A movable contact 30 is attached to the rear end surface of the rotor 28 while being urged rearward by a spring 29. On the other hand, a plurality of contact terminals 34 are fixed to the terminal base 32 at the rear portion of the ignition switch 18, and the front end portion of each contact terminal 34 faces the movable contact 30. As a result, when the user rotates the operation knob 22, the rotor 28 rotates via the rotating body 16, and as a result, the contact state between the movable contact 30 and the contact terminal 34 changes, whereby a predetermined switch operation is performed. To be done.

  The torsion coil spring 36 disposed in the rotor 28 of the ignition switch 18 is used to apply a biasing force for automatically returning and turning the operation knob 22 that has been turned to the START position to the ON position. Is.

  A slider holder 38 is fixed to the side portion of the storage case 14 of the operation unit 10. A slider 40 is disposed in the slider holder 38 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1).

  On the side surface of the slider 40, a restricting convex portion 42 is projected. When the lock portion 50 is in the locked state (that is, when the rotation position of the operation knob 23 is the LOCK position), the restricting convex portion 42 enters the front end portion of the engaging portion 24b of the guide groove 24 of the rotating body 16. Are engaged. In this state, the rotation of the rotating body 16 and the operation knob 22 is restricted.

  The slider 40 integrally having the restricting convex portion 42 is urged forward by a cable spring 44. The slider 40 is connected to the end of the control wire 13 that penetrates the cable 12. As a result, the cable spring 44 urges the control wire 13 in the direction to pull the control wire 13 toward the operation unit 10 with respect to the lock unit 50, and the restricting convex portion 42 of the slider 40 is moved to the front end portion of the engaging portion 24 b of the rotating body 16. It works to urge in the direction to engage. Further, the urging force of the cable spring 44 is set to be stronger than the urging force of a holding spring of the lock unit 50 described later.

Next, the lock unit 50 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The lock portion 50 is disposed adjacent to the steering shaft 52 in which the concave portion 51 is formed. The lock unit 50 is connected to the other end of the cable 12 having one end connected to the operation unit 10.

  The lock unit 50 includes an electric motor 54 that is an electric drive unit. A worm gear 58 is fixed to the rotating shaft 56 of the electric motor 54. A worm wheel 60 that is rotatably supported by a shaft 59 is engaged with the worm gear 58.

The cam member 64 is connected to the worm wheel 60 via a torsion coil spring 62. The cam member 64 is also rotatably supported by the shaft 59. Thereby, the cam member 64 is rotationally driven by the electric motor 54 via the worm gear 58, the worm wheel 60, and the torsion coil spring 62. The cam member 64 includes a first cam portion 66 having a substantially elliptical outer shape, and a second cam portion 68 that protrudes radially inward from the outer edge wall portion 64a. As shown in FIG. 4, the second cam portion 68 has an inclined surface 68 a.
A coil spring may be used instead of the torsion coil spring 62, and one end side of the coil spring is locked to the cam member 64, and the other end side is locked to the worm wheel 60, and the compression force of the coil spring is used. The cam member 64 may be driven to rotate.

  The lock unit 50 includes a lock bolt 70. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the lock bolt 70 has a lock position that restricts the rotation of the steering shaft 52 by engaging the recess 51 of the steering shaft 52 with the tip protruding from the case 61 made of a plurality of parts. As shown in FIG. 5, when the tip is retracted into the case 61, the engagement with the recess 51 is released, and the steering shaft 52 can be moved to the unlocked position. In addition, an engaging recess 71 that is recessed in a substantially rectangular shape is formed in the lower portion of the lock bolt 70. The first cam portion 66 of the cam member 64 is engaged with the inner peripheral wall of the engagement recess 71. Thereby, the lock bolt 70 moves to the lock position or the unlock position by the rotation of the first cam portion 66.

  Further, the lock unit 50 includes a regulation lever (unlock position holding member) 72. The restriction lever 72 is supported by a shaft 74 so as to be rotatable. A holding spring 76 is disposed around the shaft 74. The regulating lever 72 is urged clockwise by the holding spring 76 in FIG.

  One end of the restriction lever 72 is connected to the end of the control wire 13 that is locked by the locking ball 78. Since the regulating lever 72 is urged clockwise by the holding spring 76, the urging force of the holding spring 76 causes the control wire 13 connected to one end of the regulating lever 72 to lock the operating portion 10 with the lock portion 50. Acts in the pulling direction.

  The other end of the regulating lever 72 is an engaging portion 80. The engaging portion 80 is in contact with the inner surface of the outer edge wall portion 64a of the cam member 64 when the lock portion 50 is in the locked state. Further, the engaging portion 80 of the regulating lever 72 is pressed toward the lock bolt 70 by the second cam portion 68 of the rotating cam member 64 when the lock bolt 70 moves from the lock position to the unlock position. It has become.

  In the lock bolt 70, an engagement receiving portion 73 formed of a step portion is formed on the side portion of the engagement recess 71. When the lock bolt 70 comes to the unlock position, the engaging portion 80 of the regulating lever 72 that rotates clockwise by the urging force of the holding spring 76 engages with the engagement receiving portion 73 of the lock bolt 70, As a result, the lock bolt 70 is held in the unlock position.

  In the present embodiment, as described later, the second cam portion 68 presses the engaging portion 80 to rotate the restricting lever 72, thereby controlling the urging force of the cable spring 44 of the operation portion 10 against the urging force. A cam member 64 that pulls and moves the wire 13 toward the lock portion 50 constitutes a drive mechanism.

Next, the operation of the steering lock device having the above configuration will be described.
When the steering lock device is in a locked state, that is, when the tip of the lock bolt 70 is engaged with the recess 51 of the steering shaft 52 in the lock portion 50 and the rotation of the steering shaft 52 is restricted, the operation portion 10, the operation knob 22 is in the LOCK position. At this time, since the urging force of the cable spring 44 of the operation unit 10 is stronger than the urging force of the holding spring 76 of the lock unit 50, the control wire 13 connected to the slider 40 moving to the most forward position is operated. It is in the state pulled to the part 10 side.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 6A, the restricting convex portion 42 of the slider 40 is engaged with the front end portion of the engaging portion 24 b of the rotating body 16, so that the rotating body 16 and the operation knob 22 from the LOCK position. The rotation is restricted. At this time, in the lock portion 50, the engaging portion 80 of the regulating lever 72 is in contact with the inner surface of the outer edge wall portion 64 a of the cam member 64.

  In this way, in the locked state, the restricting convex portion 42 is moved by the urging force of the cable spring 44 and is engaged with the engaging portion 24b of the rotating body 16, so that the movement error of the control wire is caused by the operating portion. Therefore, the rotation of the rotating body 16 and the operation knob 22 of the operation unit 10 can be accurately regulated. Further, since the engaging portion 24b is formed to extend in the axial direction of the rotating body 16, that is, the direction in which the restricting convex portion 42 moves, even if there is a dimensional error in the control wire 13, the restricting portion 24b and the restricting portion 24b are restricted. The rotation of the rotating body 16 and the operation knob 22 can be reliably restricted without the engagement with the convex portion 42 being released.

  When a user with an electronic key gets into the vehicle while the steering lock device is in a locked state, a control unit (not shown) on the vehicle body side that has received radio waves from the electronic key authenticates the electronic key. When the authentication is confirmed, the control unit operates the electric motor 54 of the lock unit 50 to perform the unlocking operation of the steering shaft 52.

  When the electric motor 54 is operated and the worm gear 58 is rotated, the worm wheel 60 is rotated in conjunction with it, and the cam member 64 is rotated counterclockwise in FIGS. As a result, the first cam portion 66 rotates while contacting the inner peripheral wall of the engagement recess 71 of the lock bolt 70, so that the lock bolt 70 moves from the lock position toward the unlock position.

  As the cam member 64 rotates, the second cam portion 68 also rotates. As shown in FIG. 6B, the inclined surface 68a of the second cam portion 68 presses the engaging portion 80 of the regulating lever 72 toward the lock bolt 70. . As a result, the restriction lever 72 rotates in the clockwise direction, and the control wire 13 connected to one end of the restriction lever 72 is pulled toward the lock part 50 with respect to the operation part 10. As a result, in the operation unit 10, the slider 40 moves backward, and the regulating convex portion 42 of the slider 40 moves to the rear end portion of the engaging portion 24 b of the rotating body 16. Thereby, the restricting convex portion 42 can enter the inclined portion 24c and the holding portion 24a of the guide groove 24 of the rotating body 16, and the rotation restriction of the rotating body 16 and the operation knob 22 is released.

  Further, when the control projection 13 abuts against the wall surface of the rear end portion of the engaging portion 24b in the operation portion 10, further movement of the control wire 13 is restricted, so that the control lever 72 in the lock portion 50 further increases. Since the rotation cannot be performed, the rotation of the cam member 64 is stopped in a state where the engaging portion 80 of the regulating lever 72 is in contact with the middle of the inclined surface 68 a of the second cam portion 68. However, the worm wheel 60 is rotated to a predetermined rotational position by the drive of the electric motor 54 even after the rotation of the cam member 64 is stopped, whereby the torsion coil spring 62 is twisted and the urging force is accumulated.

  As described above, the restriction lever 72 and the restriction convex portion 42 can be moved via the control wire 13 by the cam member 64 operated by the electric motor 54, thereby releasing the rotation operation restriction of the operation portion 10. be able to.

  Further, since the restricting lever 72 is pressed and moved by the cam member 64 for moving the lock bolt 70, the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the case where a dedicated electric drive means for moving the restricting lever 72 is provided.

  Thereafter, when the user rotates the operation knob 22 from the LOCK position to the ACC position, ON position, or START position, the rotating body 16 rotates accordingly. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7A, the restricting convex portion 42 of the slider 40 enters and is held in the holding portion 24a from the engaging portion 24b of the guide groove 24 of the rotating body 16 through the inclined portion 24c. At this time, the slider 40 moves backward against the urging force of the cable spring 44 by the regulation convex portion 42 moving along the guide groove 24 of the rotating body 16. As a result, the control wire 13 connected to the slider 40 is pushed and moved toward the lock unit 50. While the operation knob 22 (and the rotating body 16) is operated to the ACC position, the ON position, or the START position, the restricting convex portion 42 resists the urging force of the cable spring 44 by the holding portion 24a of the rotating body 16. It is held in a state where it is pushed to the lock portion 50 side.

  When the control wire 13 moves to the lock portion 50 side as described above, the regulating lever 72 is rotated in the clockwise direction by the urging force of the holding spring 76. When the engaging portion 80 of the restricting lever 72 moves toward the lock bolt 70 and moves away from the second cam portion 68, the cam member 64 is subjected to the predetermined force shown in FIG. 5 by the urging force accumulated in the torsion coil spring 62 as described above. Rotate to position. At this time, when the first cam portion 66 of the cam member 64 rotates, the lock bolt 70 reaches the unlock position. As a result, the tip of the lock bolt 70 is disengaged from the recess 51 of the steering shaft 52, and the lock of the steering shaft 52 is released.

  Further, when the lock bolt 70 comes to the unlock position, the engaging portion 80 of the regulating lever 72 that is urged clockwise by the urging force of the holding spring 76 is engaged with the engagement receiving portion 73 of the lock bolt 70. Accordingly, the lock bolt 70 is securely held in the unlock position.

  As described above, the restricting convex portion 42 of the slider 40 is held by the holding portion 24a of the rotating body 16 so that the urging force of the cable spring 44 does not directly act on the control wire 13, while the restricting lever 72 is provided with the holding spring. It is biased toward the lock bolt 70 by the biasing force 76. That is, the control lever 13 is not actuated by pushing the control wire 13 toward the lock portion 50, so that the movement distance of the engagement portion 80 of the control lever 72 is not shortened by the movement error of the control wire 13. The lock bolt 70 can be reliably engaged.

Next, an operation when the steering lock device is changed from the unlocked state to the locked state will be described.
When the user returns and operates the operation knob 22 from the ON position or the ACC position to the LOCK position, the rotating body 16 also rotates. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7B, the restricting convex portion 42 of the slider 40 moves from the holding portion 24a of the guide groove 24 of the rotating body 16 to the engaging portion 24b via the inclined portion 24c. At this time, the slider 40 moves forward due to the pressing force by which the restricting convex portion 42 is pushed forward by the inclined portion 24 c of the guide groove 24 and the urging force of the cable spring 44. As a result, the control wire 13 connected to the slider 40 is pulled and moved toward the operation unit 10 with respect to the lock unit 50.

  Due to the movement of the control wire 13 toward the operation unit 10, the regulating lever 72 rotates counterclockwise against the urging force of the holding spring 76 in the lock unit 50. As a result, the engaging portion 80 of the regulating lever 72 is disengaged from the engaging receiving portion 73 of the lock bolt 70, and the state where the lock bolt 70 is held in the unlocked position is released.

  The ignition switch 18 that detects the return turning operation of the operation knob 22 and the rotating body 16 transmits a signal to the control unit. Upon receiving this signal, the control unit drives the electric motor 54 in the reverse direction. Thereby, the cam member 64 rotates clockwise in FIG. 5 via the worm gear 58 and the worm wheel 60. As a result, the lock bolt 70 is pushed by the first cam portion 66 to move from the unlock position to the lock position, and the steering shaft 52 is locked.

  Since the urging force of the cable spring 44 is stronger than that of the holding spring 76 after the cam member 64 rotates and the second cam portion 68 passes through the position facing the engaging portion 80 of the regulating lever 72, the operating portion 10 The slider 40 moves forward by the urging force of the cable spring 44. As a result, the restricting convex portion 42 of the slider 40 moves to engage with the front end portion of the engaging portion 24b of the rotating body 16, and as a result, the rotation of the operation knob 22 and the rotating body 16 is restricted. .

Sectional drawing of the operation part which comprises the steering lock apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. The side view which shows the internal structure of the lock part which comprises the steering lock apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. The partial cross section block diagram which looked at the lock | rock part of FIG. 2 from the bottom face side. The figure which shows the lock | rock part in a locked state. The figure which shows the lock | rock part in an unlocked state. The figure which shows the relationship between the control convex part of the slider of an operation part when it is in a locked state, and the guide groove of a rotary body, and the state of a lock part. The figure which shows the relationship between the control convex part of the slider of an operation part when it is in a locked state, and the guide groove of a rotary body, and the state of a lock part. The figure which shows the relationship between the control convex part of the slider of an operation part when it is in an unlocked state, and the guide groove of a rotary body, and the state of a lock part. The figure which shows the relationship between the control convex part of the slider of an operation part when it is in an unlocked state, and the guide groove of a rotary body, and the state of a lock part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Operation part 12 ... Cable 13 ... Control wire 16 ... Rotating body 18 ... Ignition switch 22 ... Operation knob 24 ... Guide groove 24a ... Holding part 24b ... Engagement part 24c ... Inclination part 40 ... Slider 42 ... Restriction convex part 44 ... Cable spring 50 ... lock portion 54 ... electric motor (electric drive means)
58 ... Worm gear 60 ... Worm wheel 62 ... Torsion coil spring 64 ... Cam member (drive mechanism)
66 ... 1st cam part 68 ... 2nd cam part 70 ... Lock bolt 72 ... Restriction lever (unlock position holding member)
73 ... engagement receiving part 76 ... holding spring 80 ... engagement part

Claims (5)

A steering lock device in which an operation part including an ignition switch and a lock part for locking a steering shaft are separately provided,
The lock portion is a lock bolt that is movable to a lock position that engages with the steering shaft and an unlock position that does not engage the steering shaft;
An unlock position holding member that engages with the lock bolt and holds the lock bolt in the unlock position;
A control wire having one end connected to the unlock position holding member;
A holding spring that biases the control wire in a direction of pulling the control wire toward the lock portion,
The operation unit includes a rotating body that is rotated by a user,
A restricting convex portion that is attached to the other end of the control wire and engages with the engaging portion of the rotating body to restrict the rotation of the rotating body;
A cable spring that urges the control wire in a direction to pull the control wire toward the operation portion and urges the restricting convex portion in a direction to engage with the engaging portion of the rotating body;
A steering lock device characterized in that an urging force of the cable spring is made stronger than an urging force of the holding spring.   A drive mechanism that moves the control wire against the urging force of the cable spring by pressing the unlock position holding member is provided in the lock portion, and the drive mechanism is operated by an electric drive means. The steering lock device according to claim 1.   The drive mechanism includes a first cam portion that engages with an engagement recess formed in the lock bolt and moves the lock bolt, and a second cam that presses the unlock position holding member toward the lock bolt. The steering lock device according to claim 2, wherein a cam member that is rotationally driven is provided.   The operating portion is provided with a holding portion that holds the restricting convex portion in a state in which the restricting convex portion is pushed against the urging force of the cable spring in a predetermined rotation range of the rotating body and is pushed to the lock portion. The unlock position holding member is held at a position engageable with the lock bolt by an urging force of the holding spring when a convex portion is held by the holding portion. The steering lock device according to any one of 1 to 3.   A guide groove for guiding the restriction convex portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, and the guide groove extends in the circumferential direction of the rotating body, and the shaft of the rotating body. The steering lock device according to claim 4, further comprising an engaging portion that extends in a direction and restricts the rotation of the rotating body by engaging the engaging convex portion.

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