JP4349571B2 - Wire-type steering device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a wire type steering apparatus in which a steering handle and a steering mechanism are connected by a flexible operation cable.

A general vehicle steering apparatus has a configuration in which a steered wheel is steered via a steering mechanism by a steering torque of a steering handle by coupling a steerable mechanism to a steering handle via a coupling shaft.
On the other hand, in recent years, in order to increase the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the steering handle, the connection shaft is abolished, and the wire type steering device in which the steering handle and the steering mechanism are connected by a flexible operation cable. Development is underway. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP-A-8-2431 (FIGS. 1-2)

Patent document 1 is demonstrated based on the following figure.
11 (a) and 11 (b) are schematic views of a conventional wire-type steering device, (a) shows the overall configuration, and (b) shows the main part configuration.
A conventional wire type steering apparatus 200 is configured to draw a steering torque generated by a steering handle 201 from a driving pulley (not shown) connected to the steering handle 201 in two directions opposite to each other via two operation cables 202 and 202. Then, it is transmitted to the driven pulley 204 connected to the steering mechanism 203.

  The operation cable 202 includes an outer tube 211 and an inner cable 212 slidably passed through the outer tube 211. Both end portions 211a and 211a of the outer tubes 211 and 211 are respectively attached to a driving pulley case 221 for storing a driving pulley and a driven pulley case 222 for storing a driven pulley 204. Both end portions 212 a and 212 a of the inner cables 212 and 212 are respectively wound around the pulley groove of the driving pulley and the pulley groove of the driven pulley 204.

The wire-type steering device 200 holds the steering handle 201 in a neutral state (that is, a steering state in which the vehicle goes straight) by winding both ends 212a of the inner cables 212 and 212 around the driving pulley and the driven pulley 204. Can do.
By turning the steering handle 201 from the neutral state to the left or right and winding one inner cable 212 around the driving pulley, the driven pulley 204 is rotated via the inner cable 212, and the wheels 223 and 223 are rotated by the steering mechanism 203. Can be steered.

By the way, it is preferable that the steering handle 201 can be steered with a small steering torque at the beginning of steering from the neutral state. This is because the steering feeling (steering feeling) of the wire-type steering device 200 can be enhanced.
However, the steering handle 201 is affected by the frictional resistance of the inner cables 212 and 212 and the frictional resistance of the steering mechanism 203 itself. The initial steering torque must be increased by the extra frictional resistance. Further, when returning the steering handle 201 to the neutral position, it is important for enhancing the steering feeling that the influence of the frictional resistance is suppressed and the neutral position is surely and promptly returned.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of further enhancing the steering feeling in the neutral position of the steering handle and in the vicinity thereof in the wire type steering apparatus.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the steering torque generated by the steering handle is transmitted from the drive pulley connected to the steering handle to the driven pulley connected to the steering mechanism via two operation cables drawn in opposite directions. A wire-type steering device,
The drive pulley has a spiral pulley groove and is housed in a drive pulley case. The driven pulley has a spiral pulley groove and is housed in a driven pulley case. The two operation cables are placed in the outer tube. It is a flexible wire cable that slidably passes through the inner cable, and the two outer tubes have one end attached to the drive pulley case and the other end attached to the driven pulley case. The two inner cables are In the wire type steering apparatus in which one end is wound around the pulley groove of the driving pulley and the other end is wound around the pulley groove of the driven pulley.
When the drive pulley is rotated relative to the driven pulley, the wire type steering device has a torque characteristic when the characteristic of the degree of increase in torque with respect to the increase in rotation angle is used as the torque characteristic. Equipped with a torque adjustment mechanism to adjust
This torque adjustment mechanism has a non-linear torque characteristic in which the increase degree of the initial torque necessary for rotating the drive pulley from the neutral state is smaller than the increase degree of the next torque necessary for subsequently rotating the drive pulley. It is characterized by being configured to adjust as much as possible.
The “nonlinear torque characteristic” includes a broken line or curved torque characteristic.

Furthermore, in the invention according to claim 1 , when the torque adjusting mechanism pulls one inner cable with the driving pulley out of the two inner cables, the outer tube through which the inner cable is passed is pulled by the tensile force. A moving member that is fixed to one outer tube and can move by a certain amount in the same direction as the outer tube to be displaced in the same direction as the inner cable, and according to the tensile force when the moving member moves And an elastic member that can be elastically deformed.

Further, in the invention according to claim 1 , the drive pulley case has two through holes, and each of the two through holes includes a wire hole connected to the case inner wall of the drive pulley case, and the wire hole. A large-diameter cushioning material housing hole, an elastic member housing hole larger in diameter than the cushioning material housing hole, and a female screw portion having a diameter larger than that of the elastic member housing hole and provided at the inlet of the through hole in this order. It is a hole formed continuously from the inner wall side to the inlet side, and the moving member is slidably fitted into the buffer material accommodation hole and the elastic member accommodation hole, and has a flange on the outer peripheral surface, and this flange is an elastic member. The elastic member is fitted into the storage hole, and the elastic member is stored in the elastic member storage hole between the step surface of the elastic member storage hole and the buffer material storage hole and the flange, and the wire hole and the buffer material storage hole Attach the first cushioning material to the stepped surface of Between the restraining member and the flange screwed into parts, characterized in that interposing a second buffer material.

In the invention according to claim 1, when “the drive pulley is rotated relative to the driven pulley”, the degree of increase in the initial torque required at the initial stage for rotating the drive pulley from the neutral state is determined after that. Is provided with a torque adjusting mechanism that adjusts the non-linear torque characteristics as much as possible, which is smaller than the degree of increase in the next torque required to rotate the motor.
Therefore, in “when the driven pulley is in a normal rotatable state”, the steering torque at the neutral position of the steering wheel and in the vicinity thereof can be reduced. That is, the initial steering torque at which the steering handle in the neutral state starts to be steered can be further reduced. Since the initial steering torque at which the steering handle in the neutral state starts to be steered is small, the steering feeling of the wire type steering device can be further enhanced.
Further, since the steering torque at the neutral position of the steering handle and in the vicinity thereof is small, even when the steering handle is returned to the neutral position, it can be surely and quickly returned to the neutral position. Therefore, the steering feeling of the wire type steering device can be further enhanced.

Further, in the invention according to claim 1 , when one inner cable is pulled by the drive pulley, the outer tube through which the inner cable is passed is pulled in the same direction as the inner cable by the pulling force, and is displaced by a certain amount. Can be made. The elastic member is elastically deformed according to the tensile force at this time. As a result, the attachment position of the one end portion of one outer tube is shifted by a certain amount toward the drive pulley. The steering torque can be reduced as much as the outer tube mounting position is closer to the drive pulley.

  By the way, when the inner cable is pulled, the inner cable is stretched to some extent with respect to the tensile force. It is generally known that the elongation at this time is a so-called elastic elongation that returns to the original when the tensile force is eliminated, and the amount of elongation is approximately proportional to the tensile force. The elastic member only needs to be able to be elastically deformed by a certain amount with a tensile force smaller than the tensile force necessary for elastically extending the inner cable by a certain amount.

Here, consider the case where the drive pulley is rotated with the driven pulley fixed, that is, the case where the drive pulley is rotated relative to the driven pulley. The initial torque required to rotate the drive pulley relatively does not need to extend the inner cable, but only a small torque that elastically deforms the elastic member.
Therefore, in “when the driven pulley is in a normal rotatable state”, the steering torque at the neutral position of the steering wheel and in the vicinity thereof can be reduced. That is, the initial steering torque at which the steering handle in the neutral state starts to be steered can be further reduced.

Further, in the invention according to claim 1 , the torque adjusting mechanism is a combination of a moving member fixed to the outer tube and movable by a fixed amount, and an elastic member that can be elastically deformed by a tensile force when the moving member moves. Just a simple configuration.

Further, in the invention according to claim 1 , since the impact is buffered by hitting the first and second buffer members when the moving member moves, the generation of the collision sound can be suppressed. Therefore, the collision sound is not heard by the passenger in the vehicle interior. In addition, since the impact is buffered by the first and second buffer materials, the initial steering torque can be smoothly changed to the next steering torque. Therefore, the steering feeling of the wire type steering device can be further enhanced.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall view of a wire type steering apparatus according to the present invention.
A wire-type steering device 10 mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile includes two drive pulley cases 12 disposed at a front portion of a steering handle 11 as a steering member and a driven pulley case 14 housing a steering mechanism 13. The operation cables 15 and 15 are connected. Steering torque generated by the steering handle 11 is transmitted to the steering mechanism 13 via the operation cables 15 and 15 and a pulley described later, and the left and right steered wheels 17 are transmitted from the steering mechanism 13 via the left and right tie rods 16 and 16. , 17 can be steered.
The outer tubes 41 and 41 in the two operation cables 15 and 15 are each bent in the middle of the longitudinal direction and attached to both ends 41a, 41a, 41b, and 41b, respectively. The mounting structure will be described later.

  The drive pulley case 12 includes a steering torque sensor 21 that detects a steering torque generated by the steering handle 11. Upon receiving the sensor signal from the steering torque sensor 21, the control unit 22 issues a control signal to the electric motor 23. The electric motor 23 generates an auxiliary torque corresponding to the steering torque and adds it to the steering mechanism 13. In this way, the steered wheels 17 and 17 can be steered by the combined torque obtained by adding the auxiliary torque to the steering torque.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and shows a main part of the drive pulley case 12 in cross section.
The drive pulley case 12 stores a steering shaft 26 connected to the steering handle 11 (see FIG. 1) and a drive pulley 30 connected directly to the steering shaft 26 or indirectly via a pulley shaft 27. A case which is attached to the vehicle body via a bracket 28.
The drive pulley 30 is formed on one end of the spiral pulley groove 31 formed on the outer peripheral surface and on both end surfaces in the axial direction of the drive pulley 30 (both sides in the left-right direction in this figure) and continues to both ends of the pulley groove 31. Two locking holes 32 and 32 are provided.

3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, and shows a mounting relationship between the drive pulley case 12, the drive pulley 30, and the two operation cables 15 and 15. FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the two operation cables 15 and 15 are flexible wires in which inner cables (also referred to as inner wires) 42 and 42 are slidably passed through the outer tubes 41 and 41, respectively. It is a cable and is also called a Bowden cable. The inner cables 42, 42 are made of wire ropes (steel cords) produced by twisting a large number of steel strands.

  These inner cables 42, 42 are obtained by fixing small cylindrical locking pins 43, 43 to one end portions 42a, 42a. The two locking pins 43, 43 are connected to the two locking holes 32, 32 of the drive pulley 30 by individually fitting, and the two inner cables 42, 42 are connected to the spiral pulley groove 31. Are wound in opposite directions and then pulled out in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the drive pulley 30. In this manner, the one end portions 42 a and 42 a of the two inner cables 42 and 42 can be wound around the pulley groove 31 of the drive pulley 30, respectively.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part of the operation cable attachment portion and the torque adjustment mechanism of the first embodiment according to the present invention.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the drive pulley case 12 is provided with two cylindrical tube connection portions 51, 51 integrally formed on the side portion, and two tube connection portions 51, 51 are provided in the tube connection portions 51, 51. The one end portions 41a and 41a of the outer tubes 41 and 41 are attached via the torque adjustment mechanisms 60 and 60 of the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 4, the tube connecting portion 51 has a through hole 52 that penetrates into the case 12. The through hole 52 has the smallest diameter wire hole 54 connected to the case inner wall 53, the buffer material storage hole 55 having a diameter larger than the wire hole 54, the elastic member storage hole 56 having a diameter larger than the buffer material storage hole 55, and the elastic member storage. A female screw portion 57 having a diameter larger than that of the hole 56 and provided at the inlet of the tube connection portion 51 is formed in this order from the case inner wall 53 side to the inlet side.

The torque adjustment mechanism 60 of the first embodiment includes a moving member 61, an elastic member 62, a first buffer material 63, a second buffer material 64, a holding member 65, and a lock nut 66.
The moving member 61 is a pipe-like tube mounting member that is fixed to the one end portion 41a of the outer tube 41 and through which the inner cable 42 is slidable. The moving member 61 is integrally provided with a flange 61a on the outer peripheral surface in the middle of the length. The outer diameter of the moving member 61 is a size that can be fitted into the buffer material accommodation hole 55. The outer diameter of the flange 61 a is large enough to fit into the elastic member accommodation hole 56.
The elastic member 62 is a resilient member made of, for example, a compression coil spring. The first buffer material 63 having a small diameter and the second buffer material 64 having a large diameter are annular elastic bodies having a certain thickness, for example, rubber products. The restraining member 65 is an annular screw member having an external thread on the outer peripheral surface, and the moving member 61 can be movably passed through the inside.

  Such a torque adjusting mechanism 60 attaches the moving member 61 to the through-hole 52 until the distal end portion of the moving member 61 is fitted into the shock-absorbing material accommodation hole 55, so that the elastic member is accommodated in the elastic member accommodation hole 56. The elastic member 62 can be stored between the bottom of the storage hole 56 (that is, the step surface between the elastic member storage hole 56 and the buffer material storage hole 55) and the flange 61a. The elastic member 62 repels the moving member 61 in a direction opposite to the direction in which the inner cable 42 is wound by the drive pulley 30 (the direction of the arrow R2).

When the first buffer material 63 is attached to the bottom of the buffer material storage hole 55 (that is, the step surface between the wire hole 54 and the buffer material storage hole 55), the gap between the tip of the moving member 61 and the first buffer material 63 Has a gap Sp having a constant interval δ.
With the moving member 61 mounted in the through hole 52, the sliding movement of the moving member 61 in the through hole 52 can be restricted by screwing the holding member 65 into the female screw portion 57. A second cushioning material 64 is interposed between the flange 61 a and the holding member 65. The lock nut 66 is a loosening prevention member in a state in which the holding member 65 is screwed into the female screw portion 57.

As is clear from the above description, the moving member 61 can move relative to the drive pulley case 12 by the gap Sp, that is, by a fixed amount δ. Moreover, in the normal state, the moving member 61 is elastically ejected to the inlet side by the elastic member 62, and as a result, the tip of the moving member 61 is separated from the first buffer material 63.
In this way, the one end portions 41a and 41a of the two outer tubes 41 and 41 can be attached to the drive pulley case 12, respectively.
The moving member 61 includes a guide bush 67 inside. The guide bush 67 is a protective member that prevents the inner cable 42 from rubbing directly against the moving member 61. 68 is a rubber waterproof boot.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 1 and shows a longitudinal cross-sectional structure of the steering mechanism 13 and the driven pulley case 14.
The steering mechanism 13 connects the input shaft 73 to the motor shaft 23 a of the electric motor 23 via the worm gear mechanism 71, and connects the rack shaft 77 to the input shaft 73 via the rack and pinion mechanism 75. Tie rods 16 and 16 (see FIG. 1) are connected to both ends.
The worm gear mechanism 71 includes a worm 72 provided on the motor shaft 23 a and a worm wheel 74 provided on the input shaft 73. The rack and pinion mechanism 75 includes a pinion 76 provided on the input shaft 73 and a rack 78 provided on the rack shaft 77. A rack guide 79 supports and guides the back surface of the rack shaft 77.

  The driven pulley case 14 is a steered side case that houses the steering mechanism 13 and also houses the driven pulley 80. Similar to the drive pulley 30, the driven pulley 80 attached to the input shaft 73 of the steering mechanism 13 includes a pulley groove 81 and locking holes 82 and 82. More specifically, the driven pulley 80 is formed on one end of the spiral pulley groove 81 formed on the outer peripheral surface and both axial end surfaces (both sides in the left-right direction in this figure) of the driven pulley 80. Two locking holes 82, 82 connected to both ends.

6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5, and shows the mounting relationship between the driven pulley case 14, the driven pulley 80, and the two operation cables 15, 15. FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the two inner cables 42, 42 are obtained by fixing small cylindrical locking pins 44, 44 to the other end portions 42b, 42b. The two locking pins 44 and 44 are connected to the two locking holes 82 and 82 of the driven pulley 80 by individually fitting them, and the two inner cables 42 and 42 are connected to the spiral pulley groove 81. Are wound in opposite directions and then pulled out in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the driven pulley 80 (the left-right direction in this figure). In this manner, the other end portions 42b and 42b of the two inner cables 42 and 42 can be wound around the pulley groove 81 of the driven pulley 80, respectively.

  The driven pulley case 14 is provided with two cylindrical tube connection portions 91, 91 integrally formed on the side portion, and the other end portions of the two outer tubes 41, 41 are formed on these tube connection portions 91, 91. 41b and 41b are individually attached by fixing mechanisms 95 and 95, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 6, the tube connecting portion 91 has a through hole 92 that penetrates into the case 14. The fixing mechanism 95 includes, for example, an adjustment mechanism that manually adjusts the attachment position of the outer tube 41 when the operation cable 15 is attached.
The adjustment mechanism 95 (that is, the fixing mechanism 95) includes one tube mounting member 96 and two nuts 97 and 97. The tube attachment member 96 is a long pipe member that is fixed to the other end portion 41b of the outer tube 41 and through which the inner cable 42 is slidable. The tube attachment member 96 has a male thread on the outer circumferential surface over the entire length or almost the entire length.

By passing the tube attachment member 96 through the through-hole 92 and sandwiching the inner and outer surfaces of the tube connection portion 91 by two nuts 97, 97 screwed into the tube attachment member 96, each of the outer tubes 41, 41 is inserted into the driven pulley case 14. The other end portions 41b and 41b can be attached.
Further, when the operation cable 15 is attached, the nuts 97 and 97 are loosened, the position of the tube attachment member 96 with respect to the tube connection portion 91 is adjusted, and then the nuts 97 and 97 are tightened again, whereby the outer tube 41 is attached. The position can be easily adjusted by hand. And since it has a male screw over the full length of the long tube attachment member 96, the dimension which adjusts the position of the tube attachment member 96 with respect to the tube connection part 91 is large, ie, an adjustment allowance is large.
The tube attachment member 96 includes a guide bush 98 inside. The guide bush 98 is a protective member that prevents the inner cable 42 from rubbing directly against the tube mounting member 96.

  The above description will be described based on FIGS. 1, 3, and 5. FIG. The wire-type steering device 10 transmits the steering torque generated by the steering handle 11 to the steering mechanism 13 via the two operation cables 15 and 15 that pull in the opposite directions from the drive pulley 30 connected to the steering handle 11. It is transmitted to the connected driven pulley 80.

The drive pulley 30 has a spiral pulley groove 31 and is accommodated in the drive pulley case 12, and the driven pulley 80 has a spiral pulley groove 81 and is accommodated in the driven pulley case 14.
The two operation cables 15 and 15 are flexible wire cables in which the inner cables 42 and 42 are slidably passed through the outer tubes 41 and 41 and curved in the middle of the longitudinal direction. The two outer tubes 41 and 41 are obtained by attaching one end portions 41 a and 41 a to the drive pulley case 12 and attaching the other end portions 41 b and 41 b to the driven pulley case 14. The two inner cables 42 and 42 are obtained by winding one end 42 a and 42 a around the pulley groove 31 of the drive pulley 30 and winding the other end 42 b and 42 b around the pulley groove 81 of the driven pulley 81.

The torque adjusting mechanism 60 of the first embodiment is configured such that when one inner cable 42 is pulled by the drive pulley 30 of the two inner cables 42, 42, one outer cable 42 is passed by the tensile force. A moving member 61 fixed to one outer tube 41 and movable by a certain amount δ (see FIG. 4) in the same direction as the outer tube 41 in order to pull and displace the tube 41 in the same direction as the inner cable 42; And an elastic member 62 that can be elastically deformed in accordance with a tensile force when the moving member 61 moves.
Therefore, the torque adjusting mechanism 60 is only a combination of a moving member 61 fixed to the outer tube 41 and movable by a fixed amount δ, and an elastic member 62 that can be elastically deformed by a tensile force when the moving member 61 moves. Simple configuration.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, when the moving member 61 moves, it does not directly contact the tube connecting portion 51 or the holding member 65, but hits the first and second cushioning members 63 and 64. Is buffered, so that the occurrence of collision noise can be suppressed. Therefore, the collision sound is not heard by the passenger in the vehicle interior. In addition, since the shock is buffered by the first and second buffer members 63 and 64, the initial steering torque can be smoothly changed to the next steering torque. Therefore, the steering feeling of the wire type steering device 10 can be further enhanced.

According to such a wire-type steering device 10, the steering handle 11 is maintained in a neutral state by winding the both end portions 42a, 42a, 42b, 42b of the inner cables 42, 42 around the drive pulley 30 and the driven pulley 80. can do. Further, by turning the steering handle 11 from the neutral state to the left or right and winding up one inner cable 42 around the drive pulley 30, the driven pulley 80 is rotated via the inner cable 42, and the steering mechanism 13 rotates the steering pulley 11. The rudder wheels 17, 17 (see FIG. 1) can be steered.
When one inner cable 42 is wound around the drive pulley 30, the other inner cable 42 is simultaneously rewound (drawn out) from the drive pulley 30.

Next, the operation of the torque adjusting mechanisms 60, 60 of the first embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 4 shows the drive pulley 30 and the torque adjustment mechanism 60 when the steering handle 11 (see FIG. 1) is in a neutral state, that is, in a steering state in which the vehicle goes straight. When the steering handle 11 is steered to the left or right in this neutral state, the drive pulley 30 rotates in the direction of the arrow R1 from the neutral position Nu by the steering torque (hereinafter referred to as “initial steering torque”). At this time, the drive pulley 30 is pulled in the direction of the arrow R2 by winding one inner cable 42.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the operation cable 15 is curved in the middle of its length. When the inner cable 42 is pulled by the drive pulley 30, the tensile force (hereinafter referred to as “initial tensile force”) acts on the outer tube 41 via the inner cable 42 in a curved portion of the operation cable 15. To do. That is, the initial tensile force acts on the outer tube 41 curved through the inner cable 42 in the same direction as the inner cable 42 (in the direction of arrow R2). The initial tensile force is a relatively small force corresponding to the initial steering torque.

For this reason, the moving member 61 fixed to the outer tube 41 tends to move by a certain amount δ in the same direction as the inner cable 42 (in the direction of arrow R2). At this time, the elastic member 62 can be elastically deformed (contracted) according to the magnitude of the initial tensile force when the moving member 61 moves, and can be elastically deformed until the tip of the moving member 61 hits the first buffer material 63.
As the elastic member 62 is elastically deformed, the moving member 61 and the outer tube 41 are pulled and displaced in the same direction as the inner cable 42 (arrow R2 direction). The result is shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is an operation diagram of the torque adjustment mechanism of the first embodiment according to the present invention, and shows the result of the drive pulley 30 rotating by a fixed angle β1 (steering angle β1) in the initial stage of steering.
As a result of the displacement of the moving member 61 and the outer tube 41, the attachment position P1 (see FIG. 4) of the one end portion 41a of the outer tube 41 is shifted by a certain amount δ (see FIG. 4) toward the drive pulley 30 side. This constant amount δ corresponds to a constant angle β1 at which the drive pulley 30 rotates initially. From the mounting position P2 to the one end 42a (locking pin 43) of the inner cable 42 by the amount the mounting position of the outer tube 41 approaches the drive pulley 30 from P1 (see FIG. 4), that is, by a fixed amount δ. The length of the inner cable 42 is reduced.

  The initial tensile force generally corresponds to a force that elastically deforms the elastic member 62 by a certain amount δ. For this reason, the initial tensile force can be reduced by setting the elastic force of the elastic member 62 small. The initial steering torque corresponds to the initial tensile force. As a result, the initial steering torque required to rotate the drive pulley 30 by the predetermined angle β1 at the beginning of steering from the neutral state of the steering handle 11 can be small.

Thereafter, when the steering handle 11 (see FIG. 1) is subsequently steered in the same direction, the drive pulley 30 further rotates in the direction of the arrow R1 by the steering torque (hereinafter referred to as “next steering torque”). At this time, the drive pulley 30 is pulled in the direction of the arrow R2 by further winding one inner cable 42.
In this state, since the tip of the moving member 61 is in contact with the first buffer material 63, the elastic member 62 is not further elastically deformed. For this reason, the attachment position P2 of the outer tube 41 does not approach the drive pulley 30 side any more. The pulling force that pulls the inner cable 42 with the drive pulley 30 (hereinafter referred to as “next pulling force”) is larger than the initial pulling force. The next steering torque is a relatively large value corresponding to the next tensile force.

  On the other hand, in the state shown in FIG. 7, when the hand is released from the steering handle 11 (see FIG. 1), the moving member 61 and the outer tube 41 are pulled in the direction of the arrow L1 by the elastic force of the elastic member 62, and FIG. It automatically returns to the original position shown. Then, the flange 61a of the moving member 61 comes into contact with the second cushioning material 64 and stops. The inner cable 42 shown in FIG. 7 moves together with the outer tube 41 in the direction of the arrow L1. As a result, the drive pulley 30 and the steering handle 11 are automatically returned to the neutral position.

  As described above, the torque adjustment mechanism 60 has an initial steering torque required to rotate the drive pulley 30 by a predetermined angle β1 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7 at the initial stage when the steering handle 11 is started from the neutral state. It can be adjusted to be smaller.

The operation of the torque adjusting mechanisms 60, 60 of the first embodiment described above will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.
As described above, the inner cables 42, 42 are wire ropes produced by twisting a large number of steel strands. When such inner cables 42 and 42 are pulled, the inner cables 42 and 42 are stretched to some extent with respect to the tensile force. It is generally known that the elongation at this time is a so-called elastic elongation that returns to the original when the tensile force is eliminated, and the amount of elongation is approximately proportional to the tensile force.
The inner cables 42 and 42 are obtained by winding the one end portions 42 a and 42 a around the pulley groove 31 of the drive pulley 30 and winding the other end portions 42 b and 42 b around the pulley groove 81 of the driven pulley 80.

  Here, a case where the driving pulley 30 is rotated with the driven pulley 80 fixed, that is, a case where the driving pulley 30 is rotated relative to the driven pulley 80 will be considered. The characteristic of the degree of increase in torque with respect to the increase in rotation angle of the drive pulley 30 is referred to as torque characteristic. This torque characteristic will be described based on FIG. 8 with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG.

FIG. 8 is a torque characteristic diagram between the driven pulley and the driving pulley according to the present invention, in which the horizontal axis is the relative rotation angle α of the driving pulley 30 with respect to the driven pulley 80, and the vertical axis is the torque Tr for rotating the driving pulley 30. The characteristics of the torque Tr with respect to the relative rotation angle α are shown. However, this characteristic is based on the condition that the driving pulley 30 and the driven pulley 80 are connected by the two inner cables 42 and 42.
A broken line is a torque characteristic line st1 indicating a torque characteristic of a comparative example, which has a general configuration not including a torque adjustment mechanism. A solid line is a torque characteristic line st <b> 2 showing the torque characteristic of the embodiment (the present invention) having a configuration including the torque adjustment mechanism 60.

  The relative rotation angle α of the drive pulley 30 when the drive pulley 30 is in the neutral position is 0 °. An initial fixed angle at which the drive pulley 30 is rotated from the neutral state to the left or right is defined as an initial relative rotation angle α1. Subsequently, the fixed angle at which the drive pulley 30 is rotated in the same direction is set as the next relative rotation angle α2.

  Here, the inner cable 42 is assumed to generate elastic stretch over at least the entire range obtained by adding the next relative rotation angle α2 to the initial relative rotation angle α1. This range (α1 + α2) is a rotation angle of about 5 ° and is relatively small. The rotation angle of the drive pulley 30 and the steering angle of the steering handle 11 (see FIG. 1) are the same.

The torque Tr when the relative rotation angle α of the drive pulley 30 is 0 ° is 0 (zero) which is the minimum in both the comparative example and the example.
Since the torque characteristic line st1 of the comparative example is a characteristic of a configuration that does not include a torque adjustment mechanism, the torque characteristic line st1 has a linear (straight line) characteristic in which the torque Tr is proportional to the relative rotation angle α. That is, when the drive pulley 30 is rotated relative to the driven pulley 80, one inner cable 42 is pulled. The inner cable 42 is stretched to some extent against the tensile force. The amount of elongation is generally proportional to the tensile force. Since the tensile force is proportional to the torque Tr, the amount of elongation is generally proportional to the torque Tr.

The initial torque (initial torque) necessary to rotate the drive pulley 30 from 0 ° by the initial relative rotation angle α1 is Tr1. Next, the torque (next torque) necessary to rotate the drive pulley 30 by the next relative rotation angle α2 is Tr2.
According to the torque characteristic line st1 of the comparative example, the torque Tr is proportional to the relative rotation angle α, so the initial torque Tr1 for the initial relative rotation angle α1 and the next torque Tr2 for the next relative rotation angle α2 are the same. (Tr1 = Tr2).
Therefore, according to the torque characteristic line st1 of the comparative example, the increase degree (G1 = Tr1 / α1) of the initial torque Tr1 required at the initial stage of rotating the drive pulley 30 from the neutral state causes the drive pulley 30 to rotate thereafter. It can be seen that the degree of increase in the next torque Tr2 required for the same (G2 = Tr2 / α2) is the same.

  On the other hand, the torque characteristic line st2 of the embodiment has a characteristic that the torque Tr is nonlinear with respect to the relative rotation angle α. Specifically, the torque characteristic line st2 of the example is a broken line bent downward from the torque characteristic line st1 of the comparative example, which is a straight line rising to the right in the figure. This broken line includes a straight line portion st21 (initial characteristic line st21) having a gentle gradient over the range of the initial relative rotation angle α1 and a straight line portion st22 (next characteristic line st22) having a tight gradient over the range of the next next relative rotation angle α2. , With continuous characteristics. The next characteristic line st22 has the same gradient characteristic as the torque characteristic line st1 of the comparative example.

Therefore, the initial torque (initial torque) required to rotate the drive pulley 30 from 0 ° by the initial relative rotation angle α1 is Tr11. Next, the torque (next torque) necessary to rotate the drive pulley 30 by the next relative rotation angle α2 is Tr12.
The torque characteristic line st2 of the embodiment has a non-linear characteristic with a gentle initial gradient and a tight next gradient. The initial torque Tr11 for the initial relative rotation angle α1 is smaller than the next torque Tr12 for the next relative rotation angle α2 (Tr11 <Tr12).

According to the torque characteristic line st2 of such an embodiment, the increase degree (G11 = Tr11 / α1) of the initial torque Tr11 required at the initial stage of rotating the drive pulley 30 from the neutral state causes the drive pulley 30 to rotate thereafter. It can be seen that the degree of increase in the next torque Tr12 necessary for the above (G12 = Tr12 / α2) is smaller.
On the other hand, the increase degree G12 of the next torque Tr12 is the same as the increase degrees G1 and G2 of the initial / next torques Tr1 and Tr2 in the comparative example.

  As is clear from the above description, in order to rotate the drive pulley 30 by the initial relative rotation angle α1, only the initial torque Tr1 is required in the comparative example, whereas in the embodiment, only an initial torque Tr11 smaller than that is required. Small torque is required (Tr1> Tr11).

This is because, in order to rotate the driving pulley 30 by the initial relative rotation angle α1, in the comparative example, the inner cable 42 is extended, and therefore a relatively large initial torque Tr1 is required.
In contrast, in the embodiment, the torque adjustment mechanism 60 includes an elastic member 62 that is elastically deformed by the initial torque Tr11, which is smaller than the initial torque Tr1 required for extending the inner cable 42. Therefore, in this embodiment, the inner cable 42 is not stretched, but only a small initial torque Tr11 that only elastically deforms the elastic member 62 is required.

In summary, the torque adjusting mechanism 60 is an elastic member 62 that can be elastically deformed by a certain amount by a pulling force that is smaller than the pulling force required to elastically stretch the inner cable 42 by a certain amount. Is provided.
That is, the deformation resistance of the elastic member 62 with respect to the load applied to the elastic member 62, that is, the rigidity of the elastic member 62 is greater than the deformation resistance of the operation cable 15 with respect to the load applied to the operation cable 15, the so-called rigidity of the operation cable 15. It can be said that it is small.
The deformation resistance of the operation cable 15 is a combined deformation resistance of the tensile deformation resistance of the inner cable 42 and the compression deformation resistance of the outer tube 41.

  Next, a steering torque characteristic obtained by providing the wire type steering apparatus 10 with the torque adjusting mechanism 60 of the first embodiment will be described based on FIG. 9 with reference to FIGS. The driven pulley 80 is assumed to be in a normal rotatable state.

FIG. 9 is a steering torque characteristic diagram of the wire type steering apparatus according to the present invention. The horizontal axis represents the steering angle β of the steering wheel, the vertical axis represents the steering torque Ts of the steering wheel, and the characteristic of the steering torque Ts with respect to the steering angle β. Indicates.
A broken line is a steering torque characteristic line C1 indicating the steering torque characteristic of the comparative example, which has a general configuration not provided with a torque adjustment mechanism. A solid line is a steering torque characteristic line C2 which shows the steering torque characteristic of an Example (this invention) which consists of a structure provided with the torque adjustment mechanism 60. FIG. The steering torque characteristic line C2 is a curve having substantially the same shape with respect to the steering torque characteristic line C1.

First, the steering torque characteristic line C1 of the comparative example will be described.
The steering angle β when the steering handle 11 (see FIG. 1) is in the neutral position is 0 °. The steering torque required to start steering the steering handle 11 in the neutral position is the minimum Ts2 (minimum steering torque Ts2).
As described above, when the steering handle 11 starts to be steered from the neutral position to the left or right, the drive pulley 30 pulls one inner cable 42 and loosens the other inner cable 42. One of the pulled inner cables 42 rotates the driven pulley 80 while generating an elastic stretch by a substantially constant stretch amount.

Therefore, according to the steering torque characteristic line C1 of the comparative example, it can be seen that the following characteristics (1) to (3) are obtained.
(1) The minimum steering torque Ts2 is a relatively large value necessary for one of the inner cables 42 to start turning the driven pulley 80 while causing elongation.
(2) After the steering is started, while one of the inner cables 42 is rotating and the driven pulley 80 is being rotated, that is, when the steering angle β is in the range from 0 ° to β2, it is loose almost horizontally. It becomes a characteristic line C11 rising upward in the figure of the gradient. The steering angle β2 is about 60 °, for example.
(3) When the steering angle β is larger than that, the characteristic line C12 increases with a steep slope.
Thus, the steering torque characteristic line C1 of the comparative example has a curved (non-linear) characteristic in which the characteristic line C11 having a gentle slope and a rising characteristic line C12 is connected to the characteristic line C12 having a strong gradient and the straight line. Have

  In general, a constant tension is applied to the inner cables 42, 42 in order to suppress a delay time of torque transmission of the inner cables 42, 42 with respect to the driving / driven pulleys 30, 80. As a result, the inner cables 42 and 42 can be wound around the driving and driven pulleys 30 and 80 with an appropriate frictional force. However, the minimum steering torque Ts2 is slightly larger by that amount.

Next, the steering torque characteristic line C2 of the embodiment will be described.
As described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 8, the elastic member 62 according to the embodiment is elastically deformed by the initial torque Tr <b> 11 which is smaller than the initial torque Tr <b> 1 necessary for extending the inner cable 42. Therefore, as shown by the steering torque characteristic line C2 of the embodiment, the minimum steering torque required to start steering the steering handle 11 in the neutral position is only the minimum Ts1 (minimum steering torque Ts1). This minimum steering torque Ts1 is smaller than the minimum steering torque Ts2 of the comparative example.

Therefore, according to the steering torque characteristic line C2 of the embodiment, it can be seen that the following characteristics (11) to (14) are obtained.
(11) The minimum steering torque Ts1 may be smaller than the minimum steering torque Ts2 of the comparative example.
(12) While the steering is started, one inner cable 42 is pulled, so that the elastic pulley 62 is elastically deformed while the driven pulley 80 is being rotated, that is, the steering angle β is from 0 ° to β1. In the range, the characteristic line C21 rises to the right with a gentler slope than the characteristic line C11.
(13) After that, while the inner cable 42 is rotating and the driven pulley 80 is being rotated, that is, when the steering angle β is in the range from β1 to β2, the slope is gentle as in the characteristic line C11 of the comparative example. The characteristic line C22 rises to the right.
(14) At a steering angle β larger than that, the characteristic line C23 of a steeply rising slope is obtained in the same manner as the characteristic line C12 of the comparative example.

As described above, the steering torque characteristic line C2 of the embodiment has a curved line shape (non-linear) in which the characteristic lines C21 and Q22 having a gentle slope and the rising characteristic line C23 are continuous. It has the following characteristics.
Therefore, according to the embodiment, the steering handle 11 can be steered with a steering torque (initial steering torque) smaller than that of the comparative example at the beginning of steering.

As is apparent from the above description, the wire type steering device 10 of the first embodiment is a case where the drive pulley 30 is rotated relative to the driven pulley 80 as shown by the torque characteristic line st2 of FIG. In addition, when the characteristic of the degree of increase in torque Tr with respect to the increase in rotation angle α is defined as a torque characteristic, a torque adjustment mechanism 60 for adjusting the torque characteristic is provided.
This torque adjustment mechanism 60 is based on the degree of increase (G11 = Tr11 / α1) of the initial torque Tr11 required at the initial stage for rotating the drive pulley 30 from the neutral state, and the subsequent torque Tr12 required for rotating the drive pulley 30 thereafter. The non-linear torque characteristic that is smaller than the increase degree (G12 = Tr12 / α2) is adjusted as much as possible.

According to the wire type steering apparatus 10 of the first embodiment as described above, the steering torque Ts at the neutral position of the steering handle 11 and in the vicinity thereof can be small as shown by the steering torque characteristic line C2 of FIG. Since the initial steering torque Ts at which the steering handle 11 in the neutral state starts to be steered is small, the steering feeling of the wire type steering device 10 can be further enhanced.
Further, since the steering torque Ts at and near the neutral position of the steering handle 11 is small, even when the steering handle 11 is returned to the neutral position, it can be surely and quickly returned to the neutral position. Therefore, the steering feeling of the wire type steering device 10 can be further enhanced.

  Next, the wire type steering apparatus 10 provided with the torque adjustment mechanisms 100, 100 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 to 6 is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the torque adjustment mechanism 60 of the first embodiment is changed to the torque adjustment mechanism 100 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. The same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a wire type steering apparatus provided with a torque adjusting mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and is shown corresponding to FIG. The torque adjustment mechanisms 100, 100 of the second embodiment also have a function of adjusting the torque Tr that rotates the drive pulley 30 so as to have the characteristics of the torque characteristic line st2 of the embodiment shown in FIG.

As described above, the inner cable 42 is a wire rope produced by twisting a large number of steel strands. As described above, it is known that when the inner cable 42 is pulled, the inner cable 42 is elastically stretched with respect to the tensile force.
Further, it is known that the inner cable 42 has a deformation resistance with respect to a bending load applied to the inner cable 42, that is, a property (bending rigidity) of maintaining the original straight linear shape. It is also known that the bending rigidity of the inner cable 42 is smaller than the tensile rigidity of the inner cable 42. The tensile rigidity of the inner cable 42 is a deformation resistance of the inner cable 42 with respect to a tensile load applied to the inner cable 42.

  Since the inner cable 42 has inherent bending rigidity, when the inner cables 42 and 42 are wound around the drive pulley 30, the inner cables 42 and 42 are not tensioned with a certain tensile force. 42 is slack.

The torque adjustment mechanisms 100 and 100 of the second embodiment are skillfully utilizing such characteristics, and the inner cables 42 and 42 have a certain amount of slackness with respect to the pulley groove 31 of the drive pulley 30. It is characterized by comprising a structure that is loosely wound around.
Since the slack is present, the inner cables 42, 42 can be wound around the driving / driven pulleys 30, 80 with a small frictional force. That is, the frictional force of the inner cables 42 and 42 with respect to the drive / driven pulleys 30 and 80 has a magnitude corresponding to a certain amount of slack.

However, the slack amount of the inner cables 42, 42 is set so as to have a frictional force that is small enough to pull one inner cable 42 with the driving pulley 30 and turn the driven pulley 80 (see FIG. 6). Will be.
That is, the slack amount is set so that the following conditions (1) and (2) can be achieved when the drive pulley 30 is rotated. (1) The frictional force of the inner cables 42, 42 against the drive pulley 30 is such that one of the inner cables 42 is wound around the drive pulley 30 while slipping. (2) The frictional force of the inner cables 42, 42 against the driven pulley 80 is such that the driven pulley 80 can be rotated while being slipped by one of the inner cables 42.

It should be noted that there may be a slight delay in the torque transmission of the inner cables 42 and 42 with respect to the driving / driven pulleys 30 and 80 by having a certain amount of slack.
The setting operation of the slack amount is easily performed by adjusting the tension of the inner cables 42 and 42 by adjusting the mounting positions of the outer tubes 41 and 41 by the adjusting mechanisms 95 and 95 shown in FIG. be able to.

Further, this constant amount of slack is such that when the inner cable 42 is pulled by rotating the driving pulley 30 at the neutral position Nu by the initial constant angle β1, the inner cable 42 is free of slack. Amount.
When the slack disappears, a constant tension is applied to the inner cables 42 and 42 so as to suppress a delay time of torque transmission of the inner cables 42 and 42 with respect to the driving and driven pulleys 30 and 80. . As a result, the inner cables 42 and 42 can be wound around the drive / driven pulleys 30 and 80 with a greater frictional force.

  By the way, as a matter of course, the driving pulley from the end portions Q1 and Q1 of the fixing mechanisms 110 and 110 for fixing the outer tubes 41 and 41 to the driving pulley case 12 out of the one end portions 42a and 42a side of the inner cables 42 and 42. The portions 101 and 101 up to the winding end ends Q2 and Q2 to 30 also have a slight slack.

Here, a case where the driving pulley 30 is rotated with the driven pulley 80 fixed, that is, a case where the driving pulley 30 is rotated relative to the driven pulley 80 will be considered.
In this case, the torque adjusting mechanism 100 has an initial torque required to extend one inner cable 42 with elasticity when the torque characteristic line st2 of the embodiment shown in FIG. The slack of one inner cable 42 is eliminated by the initial torque Tr11 smaller than Tr1. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, it is not necessary to extend the inner cable 42, but only a small initial torque Tr11 that eliminates the slackness of one inner cable 42 is sufficient.

  As is apparent from the above description, the wire type steering device 10 of the second embodiment has the case where the drive pulley 30 is rotated relative to the driven pulley 80 as shown by the torque characteristic line st2 of FIG. Further, when the characteristic of the degree of increase in torque Tr with respect to the increase in rotation angle α is a torque characteristic, torque adjusting mechanisms 100 and 100 for adjusting the torque characteristic are provided.

  As is apparent from the torque characteristic line st2 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the torque adjusting mechanism 100 has an increase degree (G11 = Tr11 / α1) of the initial torque Tr11 required at the initial stage of rotating the drive pulley 30 from the neutral state. Then, the non-linear torque characteristic is adjusted as much as possible, which is smaller than the increase degree (G12 = Tr12 / α2) of the next torque Tr12 necessary for rotating the drive pulley 30 thereafter.

  For this reason, when the driven pulley 80 is in a normal rotatable state, the wire type steering device 10 has the steering torque characteristic of the steering torque characteristic line C2 of the embodiment shown in FIG.

According to the wire type steering apparatus 10 including the torque adjusting mechanisms 100 and 100 of the second embodiment, as shown by the steering torque characteristic line C2 in FIG. The steering torque Ts can be small. Since the initial steering torque Ts at which the steering handle 11 in the neutral state starts to be steered is small, the steering feeling of the wire type steering device 10 can be further enhanced.
Further, since the steering torque Ts at and near the neutral position of the steering handle 11 is small, even when the steering handle 11 is returned to the neutral position, it can be surely and quickly returned to the neutral position. Therefore, the steering feeling of the wire type steering device 10 can be further enhanced.
In addition, the torque adjustment mechanisms 100 and 100 are configured by simply winding the inner cables 42 and 42 loosely around the pulley groove 31 of the drive pulley 30 so as to have a certain amount of slack, so that the number of parts is small and simpler. Simple configuration is sufficient.

Incidentally, the fixing mechanism 110 includes a tube mounting member 111 and a nut 112. The tube attachment member 111 is a long pipe member that is fixed to the one end portion 41a of the outer tube 41 and through which the inner cable 42 is slidably passed. The tube connecting portion 51 has a through hole 51 a penetrating into the drive pulley case 12.
By inserting the tube attachment member 111 into the through hole 51 a and sandwiching the tip portion between the step of the through hole 51 a and the nut 112, the one end 41 a of the outer tube 41 can be attached to the drive pulley case 12.
The tube mounting member 111 includes a guide bush 113 inside. The guide bush 113 is a protective member that prevents the inner cable 42 from rubbing directly against the tube mounting member 111.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the torque adjusting mechanisms 60, 60 of the first embodiment may be provided in the middle of the outer tubes 41, 41 in the longitudinal direction.
Further, in the torque adjustment mechanisms 100 and 100 of the second embodiment, the inner cables 42 and 42 are loosely wound around the pulley groove 81 of the driven pulley 80 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 so as to have a certain amount of slack. It may be a configuration.
In addition, the nonlinear torque characteristic includes a polygonal or curved torque characteristic.

  The torque adjusting mechanisms 60 and 100 of the present invention are suitable for the wire type steering apparatus 10 of an automobile.

1 is an overall view of a wire type steering apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2. It is a principal part enlarged view of the operation cable attachment part which concerns on this invention, and the torque adjustment mechanism of 1st Example. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. It is an effect | action figure of the torque adjustment mechanism of 1st Example which concerns on this invention. It is a torque characteristic figure between a driven and a drive pulley concerning the present invention. It is a steering torque characteristic figure of the wire type steering device concerning the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the wire type steering apparatus provided with the torque adjustment mechanism of 2nd Example which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram of the conventional wire type steering device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Wire-type steering apparatus, 11 ... Steering handle, 12 ... Drive pulley case, 13 ... Steering mechanism, 14 ... Driven pulley case, 15 ... Operation cable, 17 ... Steering wheel, 30 ... Drive pulley, 31 ... Pulley groove 41 ... Outer tube, 41a, 41b ... End of outer tube, 42 ... Inner cable, 42a, 42b ... End of inner cable, 60 ... Torque adjustment mechanism, 61 ... Moving member, 62 ... Elastic member, 80 ... Follower Pulley, 81 ... pulley groove, 100 ... torque adjustment mechanism, 110 ... fixing mechanism, G11 ... increase in initial torque required to rotate the drive pulley from the neutral state, G12 ... necessary to rotate the drive pulley thereafter The degree of increase in the next torque.

Claims (1)

A wire-type steering device that transmits steering torque generated by a steering handle from a driving pulley connected to the steering handle to a driven pulley connected to a steering mechanism via two operation cables drawn in opposite directions. And
The drive pulley has a spiral pulley groove and is housed in a drive pulley case, the driven pulley has a spiral pulley groove and is housed in a driven pulley case, and the two operation cables are outer tubes. A flexible wire cable that is slidably bent through an inner cable, and the two outer tubes have one end attached to the drive pulley case and the other end attached to the driven pulley case, The two inner cables are wire-type steering devices in which one end is wound around the pulley groove of the drive pulley and the other end is wound around the pulley groove of the driven pulley.
When the drive pulley is rotated relative to the driven pulley, the wire-type steering device has a torque characteristic that is a degree of increase in torque with respect to an increase in rotation angle. A torque adjustment mechanism that adjusts the torque characteristics
This torque adjustment mechanism is a non-linear torque characteristic in which the increase degree of the initial torque necessary for rotating the drive pulley from the neutral state is smaller than the increase degree of the next torque required for rotating the drive pulley thereafter. When one inner cable is pulled by the drive pulley of the two inner cables, the one outer tube through which the inner cable is passed is pulled by the pulling force. A moving member that is fixed to one outer tube and can move by a certain amount in the same direction as the outer tube to be displaced in the same direction as the inner cable, and according to the tensile force when the moving member moves And an elastic member that can be elastically deformed,
The drive pulley case has two through holes,
These two through holes are respectively a wire hole connected to the case inner wall of the drive pulley case, a buffer material storage hole having a diameter larger than that of the wire hole, and an elastic member storage hole having a diameter larger than that of the buffer material storage hole. And a female screw part having a diameter larger than that of the elastic member housing hole and having the inlet of the through-hole, in this order from the case inner wall side to the inlet side.
The moving member is slidably fitted into the cushioning material accommodation hole and the elastic member accommodation hole, and has a flange on an outer peripheral surface,
This flange fits into the elastic member storage hole,
The elastic member is stored in the elastic member storage hole between the step surface of the elastic member storage hole and the buffer material storage hole and the flange,
A first cushioning material is attached to the step surface between the wire hole and the cushioning material storage hole,
A wire type steering apparatus , wherein the second cushioning material is interposed between a holding member screwed into the female screw portion and the flange .

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