JP4259417B2 - Steering support structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering support structure applied to a steering apparatus including a steering wheel, a steering shaft, and a steering gear box.

  When the input load at the time of frontal collision is large, the steering wheel may exhibit a specific displacement behavior via the steering gear box and the steering shaft. Various techniques have been developed in the past to protect passengers from this type of displacement behavior.

  For example, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the bottom wall of the front cross member 102 disposed between the pair of left and right front side members 100 with the vehicle width direction as the longitudinal direction. A long hole 104 that is long in the vehicle width direction is formed in the portion 102A. Thereby, the lower part of the front cross member 102 has a lower rigidity than the upper part. A steering gear box 108 is attached to the front wall 102B of the front cross member 102 via a bracket 106.

According to the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 6, when a load greater than a predetermined value is input to the steering gear box 108 via the engine unit (not shown) during a frontal collision, the load is applied to the bracket. It is input to the front cross member 102 via 106. Since the upper part of the front cross member 102 is relatively higher in rigidity than the lower part, the upper part is not crushed much in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the lower part is largely crushed in the vehicle front-rear direction. Due to the difference in the amount of plastic deformation, rotational displacement of the steering shaft 110 connected to the steering gear box 108 to the front side of the vehicle occurs, and the steering wheel 112 fixed to the upper end portion of the steering shaft 110 moves to the front side of the vehicle (FIG. 6). (In the direction of arrow B). That is, the steering wheel 112 is displaced away from the occupant (from the position indicated by the two-dot chain line to the position indicated by the solid line). Thereby, the protection performance of the passenger's chest at the time of a frontal collision is enhanced.
JP 2002-104247 A

  However, according to the above prior art, the long cross hole 104 is formed in the bottom wall portion 102A of the front cross member 102 along the vehicle width direction to intentionally reduce the rigidity. However, the front cross member 102 is a front side member. Since it is a member that functions as a vehicle body structural member (vehicle body skeleton member) together with 100, it is not preferable from the viewpoint of securing the rigidity of the vehicle body.

  In view of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to obtain a steering support structure capable of enhancing the protection performance of the occupant's chest in relation to the steering wheel at the time of a frontal collision without affecting the rigidity of the vehicle body.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering support structure according to the present invention, wherein a steering shaft that is rotatably supported around an axis on the vehicle body side in a state of passing through a dash panel that separates an engine room and a cabin, A steering wheel fixed to the rear end portion to which a steering force is applied, a steering gear box that is arranged at the front end portion of the steering shaft and that converts the rotational force transmitted through the steering shaft into an output for changing the steering angle; Is a steering support structure applied to a steering device including a steering shaft, and supports a steering shaft so as to be rotatable around a center line along the vehicle width direction at a predetermined position above the steering gear box. supporting means for the longitudinal vehicle width direction on the back side of the dash panel And a unit disposed at the front side of the vehicle relative to the steering gear box at the time of a frontal collision is displaced by a predetermined amount or more toward the rear side of the vehicle and steered. Displacement means for pushing the steering gear box to the upper side of the vehicle by sandwiching the lower part of the steering gear box with the contact part of the unit when contacting the lower part below the center position of the gear box. It is a feature.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering support structure according to the present invention, wherein the steering shaft is supported on the vehicle body side so as to be rotatable about the axis while passing through a dash panel separating the engine room and the cabin. A steering wheel fixed to the rear end portion to which a steering force is applied, a steering gear box that is arranged at the front end portion of the steering shaft and that converts the rotational force transmitted through the steering shaft into an output for changing the steering angle; Is a steering support structure applied to a steering device including a steering shaft, and supports a steering shaft so as to be rotatable around a center line along the vehicle width direction at a predetermined position above the steering gear box. Support means and the vehicle front side of the steering gear box A displacement means for displacing the steering gear box to the vehicle upper side by displacing a predetermined amount or more to the vehicle rear side at the time of a frontal collision, and rotating the steering shaft about the center line of the support means, The displacement means connects the unit and the dash panel in the vehicle front-rear direction and is disposed below the steering gear box, and is bent at an intermediate portion when a load at the time of a frontal collision is input. It is a bracket that pushes up the steering gear box to the upper side of the vehicle.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the steering shaft is supported on the vehicle body side through the dash panel, the steering wheel is fixed to the rear end portion, and the steering gear box is disposed at the front end portion. ing. When the occupant operates the steering wheel, the steering shaft is rotated around the axis, and the rotational force is transmitted to the steering gear box. In the steering gear box, the input rotational force is converted into an output for changing the steering angle, thereby changing the steering angle.

Here, when a frontal collision occurs, the unit arranged in the engine room may be displaced to the vehicle rear side by a collision load at that time. A steering gear box is arranged on the vehicle rear side of the unit, and a cross member that forms a closed cross section with the dash panel is provided on the back side of the dash panel with the vehicle width direction as a longitudinal direction. It has been. The closed cross section has higher rigidity than the general part of the dash panel. For this reason, when the unit is displaced to the vehicle rear side by a predetermined amount or more and comes into contact with the lower part below the center position of the steering gear box, the contact part of the unit and the cross member as the displacement means Insert the bottom. Further, when the contact portion of the unit is further displaced toward the rear side of the vehicle, the steering gear box is pushed out toward the upper side of the vehicle. Since the steering shaft connected to the steering gear box is supported by the support means so as to be rotatable at a predetermined position above the steering gear box, the steering shaft is displaced when the steering gear box is displaced upward. The shaft is rotated to the vehicle lower side around the center line along the vehicle width direction. As a result, the steering wheel fixed to the rear end portion of the steering shaft is displaced away from the occupant's chest.

In addition, the present invention is different from that in which the structure is established by intentionally reducing the rigidity of the vehicle body constituent member as in the prior art, so the vehicle body rigidity is not sacrificed. Rather, since the cross member is arranged on the back side of the dash panel to form the closed cross section, the vehicle body rigidity is also increased. As a result, the operation of sandwiching the lower portion of the steering gear box between the abutting portion of the unit and the cross member serving as the displacement means and pushing the vehicle gear upward is performed reliably.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the unit and the dash panel are connected in the vehicle front-rear direction by the bracket disposed below the steering gear box. If the input load at the time of a frontal collision is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the bracket bends at the intermediate portion and pushes up the steering gear box to the upper side of the vehicle.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, the bracket starts to be bent from the time point before the unit interferes with the steering gear box, that is, the point at which the unit starts to be displaced rearward, and the steering gear box is pushed upward. Can do. For this reason, the steering shaft can be rotated around the center line along the vehicle width direction at an early stage at the time of a frontal collision.

As described above, in the steering support structure according to the first aspect of the present invention, the steering shaft can be rotated around the center line along the vehicle width direction at a predetermined position above the steering gear box. It is composed of a supporting means for supporting and a cross member that is arranged on the back side of the dash panel with the vehicle width direction as a longitudinal direction and that forms a closed cross section with the dash panel, and is ahead of the vehicle than the steering gear box at the time of a frontal collision When the unit arranged on the side is displaced by a predetermined amount or more toward the rear side of the vehicle and comes into contact with the lower part below the center position of the steering gear box, the lower part of the steering gear box is sandwiched between the contact part of the unit. in because it has a displacement means for pushing the steering gear box to the vehicle upper side, a scan during a frontal collision The alling wheel can be displaced in a direction away from the occupant's chest, and as a result, the protection performance of the occupant's chest in relation to the steering wheel at the time of a frontal collision can be improved without affecting the vehicle body rigidity. It has the effect.
Further, in the steering support structure according to the first aspect of the present invention, the displacement means is configured by a cross member that is disposed on the back side of the dash panel with the vehicle width direction as a longitudinal direction and forms a closed cross-section with the dash panel. As a result, the steering gear box has an excellent effect that it is possible to achieve both a reliable push-out effect on the vehicle upper side and an improvement in vehicle body rigidity.

The steering support structure according to the second aspect of the present invention connects the unit and the dash panel in the vehicle front-rear direction and is disposed below the steering gear box. Since the above-described displacement means is configured by the bracket that bends and the bent portion pushes the steering gear box upward of the vehicle , the steering wheel can be displaced away from the chest of the occupant during a frontal collision. It can improve the protection performance of the occupant's chest in relation to the steering wheel at the time of frontal collision without affecting the rigidity of the vehicle body, and the steering shaft around the center line along the vehicle width direction at an early stage during frontal collision As a result, the steering wheel It has an excellent effect that it is possible to further enhance the protection performance of the rider's chest in relation to the Le.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a steering support structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 indicates the front side of the vehicle, and the arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle (the same applies to FIG. 2 and later).

  As shown in FIG. 1, an engine room 12 in which the engine unit 10 and the like are disposed and a cabin 14 that accommodates an occupant are separated by a dash panel 16. The dash panel 16 is arranged substantially vertically, and its lower end is coupled to a floor panel (not shown) by spot welding. Note that the upper end portion of the dash panel 16 is joined by spot welding to the lower surface side of a cowl disposed in the vehicle width direction along the lower edge of the windshield glass (not shown).

  An opening 20 for inserting the steering column tube 18 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape is formed at a predetermined position on the driver's seat side of the dash panel 16 described above. The steering column tube 18 is disposed obliquely using the opening 20. A plurality of bearings (not shown) are disposed at appropriate positions in the axial direction in the steering column tube 18, whereby the steering shaft 22 is accommodated in the steering column tube 18 so as to be rotatable about its axis. A steering wheel 24 for steering angle changing operation is fixed to the rear end portion of the steering shaft 22. Accordingly, when the occupant (driver) rotates the steering wheel 24, the steering shaft 22 rotates in the same rotational direction by the same rotational amount.

  On the other hand, the front end portion of the steering shaft 22 is disposed in the engine room 12 and is connected to the steering gear box 26. The steering gear box 26 is disposed between the engine unit 10 and the dash panel 16 and converts the rotational force input via the steering shaft 22 into an output for changing the steering angle. Incidentally, the steering gear box 26 may be either a rack and pinion type or a recirculating ball type, but if the rack and pinion type that is generally adopted is taken as an example, the steering gear box 26 has a vehicle width direction. A part of the rack bar arranged so as to be movable along with the pinion shaft meshing with the rack bar is housed, and the front end portion of the steering shaft 22 is connected to the pinion shaft.

  In addition, the steering shaft 22 is normally composed of a plurality of shafts such as a steering main shaft and an intermediate shaft, and has a configuration in which a rotational force can be transmitted by a universal joint.

  The above-described steering column tube 18 is supported by an instrument panel reinforcement 28 which is a high-strength member arranged with the vehicle width direction as a longitudinal direction. Specifically, the instrument panel reinforcement 28 is formed in a pipe shape, and is disposed inside an instrument panel (not shown). A steering support 30 as a supporting means for supporting the steering column tube 18 and the steering shaft 22 is disposed at a predetermined position on the driver's seat side in the instrument panel reinforcement 28. The steering support 30 is normally disposed obliquely below the instrument panel reinforcement 28, and weld nuts 32 are welded in advance around the lower surface thereof.

  The instrument panel reinforcement 28 is fitted with a clamp 34 as a support means from above, and the bolt 36 is screwed into the weld nut 32 so that the steering support 30 is instrument panel reinforcement with a predetermined fastening force. 28 is fixed. However, when a load higher than the tightening torque of the bolt 36 acts on the steering support 30, the steering column tube 18 can rotate around the instrument panel reinforcement 28 (center line O).

  On the cabin-side surface of the dash panel 16 described above, a cross-sectional hat-shaped displacement means whose longitudinal direction is the vehicle width direction and a cross member 38 as a highly rigid portion are fixed by spot welding or the like. As a result, the closed member 40 is formed by the cross member 38 and the dash panel 16. The upper wall portion 38A of the cross member 38 is disposed on the vehicle lower side than the center position P of the steering gear box 26 described above. Further, the above-described upper rear end 10A of the engine unit 10 (this portion corresponds to the interference portion in the present invention) is also disposed on the vehicle lower side than the center position P of the steering gear box 26. Further, the upper rear end 10A of the engine unit 10, the upper wall portion 38A of the cross member 38, and the lower portion 26A located below the center position P of the steering gear box 26 are arranged in the height direction (the vehicle vertical direction). It is arranged to overlap.

[Operation and effect of this embodiment]
Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

  When the occupant (driver) rotates the steering wheel 24, the steering shaft 22 is rotated around the axis. The rotational force of the steering shaft 22 is transmitted to the steering gear box 26, and in the case of a rack and pinion type steering gear box, the rotational motion of the steering shaft 22 is converted into the linear motion of the rack bar. As a result, the rack bar is moved to the right or left in the vehicle width direction, and the steering angle is changed.

  Here, when the vehicle collides with the front, the engine unit 10 disposed in the engine room 12 may be displaced rearward due to the collision load at that time. Since the steering gear box 26 is disposed on the vehicle rear side of the engine unit 10, when the engine unit 10 is displaced to the vehicle rear side by a predetermined amount or more, the upper rear end 10 </ b> A of the engine unit 10 becomes the lower portion 26 </ b> A of the steering gear box 26. The lower portion 26A of the steering gear box 26 is pressed against the dash panel 16 side. Since the upper wall portion 38A of the high-strength cross member 38 is disposed on the dash panel 16 side, the lower portion 26A of the steering gear box 26 is connected to the upper rear end 10A of the engine unit 10 and the upper wall portion 38A of the cross member 38. It will be in the state pinched by.

  Further, when the upper rear end 10A of the engine unit 10 tries to displace to the vehicle rear side, a push-up force to the vehicle upper side acts on the steering gear box 26. For this reason, the steering gear box 26 is pushed out to the upper side of the vehicle (the center position after movement is indicated by P ′), and when the pushing-up force toward the upper side of the vehicle exceeds the fastening force of the clamp 34, the steering column tube As a result, the steering shaft 22 is rotated around the center line O of the instrument panel reinforcement 28 in the clockwise direction (arrow A direction) in FIG. As a result, the steering wheel 24 fixed to the rear end portion of the steering shaft 22 is displaced in a direction away from the occupant's chest. That is, the steering wheel 24 is displaced from the position indicated by the solid line to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line.

  Moreover, the steering support structure according to the present embodiment is different from that in which the structure is established by intentionally reducing the rigidity of the vehicle body constituent member as in the prior art, so the vehicle body rigidity is not sacrificed.

  As described above, according to the steering support structure according to the present embodiment, the steering wheel 24 can be displaced in a direction away from the chest of the occupant during a frontal collision, and as a result, the frontal collision can be performed without affecting the vehicle body rigidity. Sometimes the protection performance of the occupant chest in relation to the steering wheel 24 can be enhanced.

  Further, in the steering support structure according to the present embodiment, since the cross member 38 is set on the dash panel 16 as the displacement means, the lower portion 26A of the steering gear box 26 is connected to the upper rear end 10A of the engine unit 10 and the cross member. The operation of being sandwiched between the upper wall portion 38A of the vehicle 38 and pushing it out to the upper side of the vehicle is reliably performed. Therefore, the steering shaft 22 can be reliably rotated in the direction of arrow A in FIG.

  Furthermore, in the steering support structure according to the present embodiment, the cross-section hat-shaped cross member 38 is attached to the back side of the dash panel 16, whereby the closed cross-section portion 40 is formed in this portion. Therefore, since the rigidity of the portion where the cross member 38 is disposed is higher than that of the general portion 16A of the dash panel 16, the rigidity of the entire vehicle body can be increased. In other words, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to achieve both a reliable push-out effect of the steering gear box 26 toward the vehicle upper side and an improvement in vehicle body rigidity.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The second embodiment is a reference example. Further, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in this figure, the present embodiment is characterized in that a floor tunnel portion 50 is used instead of the cross member 38 as a high-rigidity portion.

  More specifically, the floor tunnel portion 50 is arranged at the center of a floor panel (not shown) with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle as the longitudinal direction. In the present embodiment, the front end portion 50A is disposed on the vehicle upper side along the dash panel 16. To the dash panel 16 by spot welding or the like. The upper wall portion 50 </ b> A ′ of the front end portion 50 </ b> A of the floor tunnel portion 50 is disposed below the center position P of the steering gear box 26. Since the floor tunnel portion 50 has a hat shape in cross section, a closed cross section 52 is formed by the front end portion 50 </ b> A and the dash panel 16 when coupled to the dash panel 16.

  Also with the above configuration, the same operations and effects as those of the first embodiment described above can be obtained. That is, when the upper rear end 10A of the engine unit 10 is displaced rearward in the frontal collision and interferes with the lower portion 26A of the steering gear box 26, the lower portion 26A is connected to the upper rear end 10A of the engine unit 10 and the floor tunnel portion 50. Since the upper rear end 10A of the engine unit 10 is sandwiched between the upper wall portion 50A ′ of the front end portion 50A and the upper rear end 10A of the engine unit 10 tends to be displaced toward the rear side of the vehicle, the lower portion 26A of the steering gear box 26 moves upward. Extruded. As a result, the steering column tube 18 and consequently the steering shaft 22 rotate around the instrument panel reinforcement 28 in the direction of arrow A, and the steering wheel 24 is rotationally displaced downward from the vehicle (from the position shown in the solid line to the position shown in the two-dot chain line). .

  As described above, also with the steering support structure according to the present embodiment, the steering wheel 24 can be displaced in a direction away from the chest of the occupant at the time of a frontal collision, and as a result, without affecting the rigidity of the vehicle body, The protection performance of the occupant's chest in relation to the steering wheel 24 can be enhanced.

  Further, according to this embodiment, the front end portion 50A of the floor tunnel portion 50 is raised along the dash panel 16 and coupled to the dash panel 16, so that the closed cross-section portion 52 is formed. The portion where the portion 50 </ b> A is disposed has higher rigidity than the general portion 16 </ b> A of the dash panel 16. Therefore, the rigidity of the entire vehicle body can be increased. Therefore, also according to the present embodiment, it is possible to ensure both the effect of pushing the steering gear box 26 toward the upper side of the vehicle and the improvement of the vehicle body rigidity.

  In addition, in the case of the steering support structure according to the present embodiment, not only the high rigidity portion for securing the reaction force, that is, the front end portion 50A of the floor tunnel portion 50 is coupled to the dash panel 16, but also the front end portion 50A. Since the main body part 50B of the floor tunnel part 50 that is integrated with the floor panel is coupled to the floor panel, the coupling rigidity at the floor panel can be applied to ensure the reaction force. Therefore, there is an advantage that higher rigidity can be ensured than in the case of the first embodiment.

[Third Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the steering support structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, about the same component as 1st Embodiment mentioned above, the same number is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in these drawings, the present embodiment is characterized in that a bracket 60 as a displacement means is interposed between the engine unit 10 and the dash panel 16.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the bracket 60 is formed of a press-formed product of a steel plate that is formed with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle as the longitudinal direction and has a U-shaped cross section. The bracket 60 has a substantially “f” shape in a side view, and includes a front portion 60A, an intermediate portion 60B, and a rear portion 60C. A pair of left and right flange portions 62 bent in directions away from each other are formed at the front end portion of the front portion 60A, and the flange portions 62 are fixed to the rear end surface of the engine unit 10 with bolts 64. In addition, a pair of left and right flange portions 66 that are bent away from each other are formed at the rear end portion of the rear portion 60C, and the flange portions 66 are fixed to the front surface of the dash panel 16 with bolts 68 and nuts 70. Yes. In addition, the intermediate portion 60B of the bracket 60 has no both side portions and is constituted only by the top wall portion. Therefore, the bracket 60 has a low rigidity at the intermediate portion 60B.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bracket 60 described above is disposed below the steering gear box 26 and at a position overlapping the steering gear box 26 in plan view.

  Further, a reinforcing member 72 having a hat-shaped cross section for reinforcing the position where the rear portion 60C of the bracket 60 is fixed is fixed to the rear surface side of the dash panel 16 by spot welding or the like. The reinforcing member 72 can be replaced by the cross member 38 used in the first embodiment.

  According to the above configuration, in the assembled state, as shown in FIG. 3, the engine unit 10 and the dash panel 16 are coupled in the vehicle longitudinal direction by the bracket 60 disposed below the steering gear box 26. .

  From this state, as shown in FIG. 4, when a frontal collision occurs and a load of a predetermined value or more is input to the bracket 60 via the engine unit 10, the bracket 60 bends starting from the intermediate portion 60B having low rigidity. Then, it bends in a mountain shape to the upper side of the vehicle. For this reason, the intermediate portion 60B of the bracket 60 pushes the lower portion 26A of the steering gear box 26 upward. As a result, the steering column tube 18 and thus the steering shaft 22 are rotated around the instrument panel reinforcement 28 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. Therefore, also according to the present embodiment, the steering wheel 24 can be displaced in the direction away from the occupant's chest at the time of the frontal collision, and as a result, the relationship with the steering wheel 24 at the time of the frontal collision without affecting the rigidity of the vehicle body. The protection performance of the occupant chest can be improved.

  In particular, in the case of the present embodiment, the bracket 60 begins to bend from the time before the engine unit 10 interferes with the lower portion 26A of the steering gear box 26, that is, from the time when the engine unit 10 starts to be displaced rearward. Since the lower portion 26 </ b> A of the box 26 can be pushed upward, the steering shaft 22 can be rotated around the instrument panel reinforcement 28 at an early stage during a frontal collision. As a result, according to this embodiment, the protection performance of the occupant's chest in relation to the steering wheel 24 at the time of a frontal collision can be further enhanced.

  Furthermore, in the case of the present embodiment, if the distance in the vehicle vertical direction of the bracket 60 with respect to the lower portion 26A of the steering gear box 26 is shortened, the turning start time of the steering shaft 22 can be advanced, and the steering shaft 22 It is also possible to increase the amount of rotation. Therefore, there is an advantage that tuning from various viewpoints can be performed relatively easily by adjusting the shape, length, arrangement position, and the like of the bracket 60. Moreover, the energy absorption effect by the plastic deformation of the bracket 60 can also be expected.

[Supplementary explanation of the embodiment]
In the steering support structure according to each of the above-described embodiments, the engine unit 10 has been described as an example. However, it is not necessarily a part that constitutes a part of the engine, and is a unit of a part other than the engine. May be.

  Supplementally, in general, the steering gear box 26 is often arranged on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the position shown in FIG. 1 and the like. Recently, however, there are various short overhang type vehicles with a narrow space in the engine room 12. In this case, since the engine unit 10 and the like are disposed at a position that is considerably close to the dash panel 16, the present invention is particularly effective for such a vehicle type.

  In the steering support structure according to each of the above-described embodiments, the instrument panel reinforcement 28 is used as the rotation center of the steering column tube 18. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a rotation center independent of the instrument panel reinforcement 28 may be set. Good.

  Furthermore, in the steering support structure according to the first embodiment described above, the cross member 38 is disposed on the rear surface side (rear surface side) of the dash panel 16, but not limited thereto, the front surface side (front surface side) of the dash panel 16. A cross member 38 may be disposed on the side.

It is the side view which made a part the cross section which shows the whole structure of the steering support structure which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the side view which made a part the cross section which shows the whole structure of the steering support structure which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is the side view which made a part the cross section which shows the whole structure of the steering support structure which concerns on 3rd Embodiment in the state before a collision. It is the side view which made the cross section the part which shows the whole structure of the steering support structure which concerns on 3rd Embodiment in the state after a collision. It is an expansion perspective view which shows the bracket shown by FIG.3 and FIG.4. It is the side view which made a part the cross section which shows the whole structure of the steering support structure which concerns on a prior art example. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a main part of the steering support structure shown in FIG. 6 as viewed from the back side.

Explanation of symbols

10 Engine unit 10A Upper rear end ( contact part )
12 Engine room 14 Cabin 16 Dash panel 22 Steering shaft 24 Steering wheel 26 Steering gear box 26A Lower part 28 Instrument panel reinforcement (vehicle body side)
30 Steering support (support means)
34 Clamp (support means)
38 Cross member (displacement means)
40 Closed section 60 Bracket (displacement means)
60B Middle part

Claims (2)

A steering shaft that is rotatably supported around the axis on the vehicle body side while penetrating a dash panel that separates the engine room and the cabin, and a steering wheel that is fixed to the rear end portion of the steering shaft and is provided with steering force And a steering gear box that is arranged at the front end of the steering shaft and converts the rotational force transmitted through the steering shaft into an output for changing the steering angle, and is applied to a steering device that is applied to a steering device Structure,
Support means for supporting the steering shaft so as to be rotatable around a center line along the vehicle width direction at a predetermined position on the vehicle upper side than the steering gear box;
A unit that is arranged on the back side of the dash panel with the vehicle width direction as the longitudinal direction and that is constituted by a cross member that forms a closed cross section with the dash panel, and is arranged on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the steering gear box at the time of a frontal collision Is displaced by a predetermined amount or more toward the vehicle rear side and comes into contact with the lower part below the center position of the steering gear box, the lower part of the steering gear box is sandwiched between the contact part of the unit and the steering gear box is Displacement means for pushing upward,
A steering support structure characterized by comprising: A steering shaft that is rotatably supported around the axis on the vehicle body side while penetrating a dash panel that separates the engine room and the cabin, and a steering wheel that is fixed to the rear end portion of the steering shaft and is provided with steering force And a steering gear box that is arranged at the front end of the steering shaft and converts the rotational force transmitted through the steering shaft into an output for changing the steering angle, and is applied to a steering device that is applied to a steering device Structure,
Support means for supporting the steering shaft so as to be rotatable around a center line along the vehicle width direction at a predetermined position on the vehicle upper side than the steering gear box;
The unit arranged on the front side of the vehicle relative to the steering gear box is displaced by a predetermined amount or more toward the rear side of the vehicle at the time of a frontal collision, thereby displacing the steering gear box to the upper side of the vehicle and rotating the steering shaft around the center line of the support means. Displacement means to be moved;
Have
The displacement means connects the unit and the dash panel in the vehicle front-rear direction and is disposed below the steering gear box, and is bent at an intermediate portion when a load at the time of a frontal collision is input. A bracket that pushes up the steering gear box to the upper side of the vehicle.
A steering support structure characterized by that.

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