JP4586720B2 - Steering joint cover - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering joint cover that covers a connecting portion between a steering shaft on a steering column side and a steering shaft on a steering gear box side in a vehicle or the like.

  In a vehicle or the like, a steering shaft on a steering column side installed in a passenger compartment and a steering shaft on a steering gear box side provided outside a passenger compartment are provided in an opening provided in a dash panel (hereinafter simply referred to as a panel). It is inserted and connected. Generally, a steering joint cover (hereinafter also simply referred to as a joint cover) that covers the connecting portion is provided at the connecting portion of the steering shaft on the steering column side and the steering gear box side. The joint cover has a waterproof, dustproof, and soundproofing action on, for example, the steering gear box, the connecting portion, and the vehicle interior.

  Conventionally, such a joint cover is provided with a flange on the periphery of the upper opening, and this flange is pressed against the lower surface (outside of the passenger compartment) of the opening edge of the panel, and the above-mentioned flange is There is one that covers the connecting portion from the steering gear box to the panel by fastening the portion and the panel (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-261036

  On the other hand, for a joint cover provided outside the passenger compartment described in Patent Document 1, for example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a fitting type fitted into the panel 02 by being fitted into the panel opening 021. A joint cover 01 is conceivable.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the joint cover 01 includes a lip portion 011, a lower cover portion 012, a bellows portion 013, and a seal portion 014. The lip portion 011 is substantially cylindrical, the outer diameter of the upper portion is substantially equal to the diameter of the panel opening 021, and the lower portion has a slightly larger diameter than the upper portion. The lip portion 011 is continuously provided with the upper edge of the opening of the lower cover portion 012. The lower cover part 012 has a smaller diameter as the lower part goes downward, and the bellows part 013 is connected thereto. Below the bellows part 013, a thick cylindrical seal part 014 is provided. The seal portion 014 is fitted into the steering gear box 03.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the upper end edge of the lip portion 011 is provided with an extension portion 0115 formed in substantially the same width and extending in the center direction. Further, a groove portion 015 is provided between the lip portion 011 and the lower cover portion 012 in the circumferential direction. The diameter of the groove 015 is substantially equal to the diameter of the panel opening 021. The lower surface of the lip 011 and the upper surface of the lower cover 012 that are opposed to each other above and below the groove 015 are larger in outer diameter than the diameter of the panel opening 021. Is formed.

  Such a joint cover 01 elastically deforms the lip part 011 and is inserted into the panel opening part 021 from the outside of the passenger compartment. By providing the extension portion 0115 at the upper end of the lip portion 011, the extension portion 0115 can be pulled from the vehicle interior side, so that workability is improved. Then, the groove 015 is fitted and fitted to the edge of the panel opening 021. Therefore, it is not necessary to fasten with bolts or the like, and can be easily attached to the panel 02.

  However, as shown in FIG. 9, when the position of the connecting bolt 05 provided on the yoke 041 of the gear-side steering shaft 04 used for connection is arranged in the vicinity of the panel opening 021, the joint cover 01 is connected to the panel opening. After attaching to the part 021, the work space is shielded by the lip part 011 when the connecting bolt 05 is fastened by a fitting tool (not shown). As a result, for example, one person elastically deforms the lip portion 011 to secure a work space, and another person needs to perform the work of fastening the bolt 05 while supporting the steering shaft 06 on the steering column side. There is a risk that the assembly work becomes complicated.

  For this reason, the present invention improves the workability related to the mounting and enables the steering joint cover to smoothly perform the work related to the connection between the steering shaft on the steering column side and the steering shaft on the steering gear box side. The purpose is to provide.

A steering joint cover according to a first aspect of the present invention for solving the above-described problems is attached to a panel opening at the front of a vehicle compartment, and is inserted through the panel opening so that a steering shaft and a steering gear box on the steering column side are inserted. In the cylindrical steering joint cover that covers the connecting portion with the steering shaft on the side, a lower cover portion that covers the connecting portion outside the casing of the panel, and a casing of the panel that is connected to the lower cover portion. A lip portion that covers the connecting portion on the inner side, a groove portion that is formed between the lower cover portion and the lip portion and is fitted into and fitted to the peripheral edge of the panel opening portion, and a circumferential wall of the lip portion. and a slit formed in the lip portion so as to divide the direction, the lip than the first peripheral wall and said round wall by the slit It is divided into a shorter second wall lengths, characterized in Rukoto.

A steering joint cover according to a second aspect of the present invention is the steering joint cover according to the first aspect , wherein the second peripheral wall is formed to have a lower upper end than the first peripheral wall.

Steering joint cover according to claim 3 of the present invention is a steering joint cover according to claim 2, wherein the second peripheral wall, while holding the steering wheel at a predetermined steering angle, a linkage is provided in the connecting portion It arrange | positions in the position facing a volt | bolt, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

A steering joint cover according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the steering joint cover according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the lip portion includes an extension portion extending toward the center of the upper end portion. It is characterized by that.

  According to the above-described steering joint cover according to the present invention, by providing the slit in the lip portion, the connecting bolt provided at the connecting portion between the steering shaft on the steering column side and the steering shaft on the steering gear box side is fastened. At this time, since the outfitting tool can be entered from the slit portion to the inside of the lip portion and the fastening operation can be performed, the fastening operation can be easily performed even by one person. Furthermore, when the lip portion is inserted into the panel opening portion, the slits are provided so that the lip portion is easily elastically deformed, so that the mounting operation can be performed more smoothly.

  Further, since the peripheral wall of the lip portion is divided into the first peripheral wall and the second peripheral wall having a shorter peripheral length than the first peripheral wall by the slit, the second peripheral wall is easily tilted in the concentric direction. Therefore, when fastening the connecting bolt of the connecting portion of the steering shaft on the steering column side and the steering gear box side, it is possible to easily secure the work space by tilting the second peripheral wall in the concentric direction by the fitting tool. Therefore, it becomes possible to perform the work concerning bolt fastening more smoothly. Further, when the steering joint cover is attached to the panel opening, the lip portion is easily deformed by pulling the portion of the second peripheral wall having a short circumference from the vehicle interior side, so that the attachment becomes easier.

  In addition, by setting the height of the second peripheral wall lower than the height of the first peripheral wall, when the second peripheral wall is tilted in the center direction by the fitting tool, the extension portion or the like may come into contact with the yoke of the steering shaft. Since there is no, there is more preferable.

  Further, by arranging the second peripheral wall at a position facing the connecting bolt in a state where the steering is held at a predetermined rudder angle, it becomes possible to perform a work related to the fastening of the connecting bolt more smoothly.

  In addition, if an extension is provided at the upper edge of the lip, it will prevent foreign objects from entering the connecting part, and when attaching the joint cover to the panel, put the hand on the extension from the vehicle interior side. Since the lip portion can be pulled out, the mounting operation can be performed more smoothly.

  As described above, according to the steering joint cover according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the mountability and smoothly perform the work related to the connection between the steering column on the steering column side and the steering shaft on the steering gear box side. It becomes possible.

  An example of the embodiment of the present invention is shown below. The steering joint cover according to the present embodiment covers a connection portion between a steering column side steering shaft and a steering gear box side steering shaft inserted through the panel opening. In addition, the yoke (connection part) of the steering shaft used for connection shall be bolted by the connection bolt slightly above the panel opening.

  The joint cover includes a lip portion, a lower cover portion, and the like. The lip portion is continuously provided above the lower cover portion, and two slits that divide the peripheral wall into two in the circumferential direction are formed. By these slits, the peripheral wall of the lip portion is divided into a first peripheral wall and a second peripheral wall. The second peripheral wall is shorter in both peripheral length and vertical width than the first peripheral wall. Furthermore, a groove portion is provided between the lower cover portion and the lip portion so as to be fitted to the periphery of the panel opening.

  The second peripheral wall of the lip portion is disposed at a position facing the connecting bolt of the connecting portion in a state where the steering is held at a predetermined steering angle (for example, a neutral state or a maximum steering angle state).

  In the first peripheral wall and the second peripheral wall divided by the slit, an extension portion extending toward the center of the circle is formed at each upper end portion. The slit has a gap between the tip and the groove, and the height of the slit does not interfere with the fastening operation of the connecting bolt, for example, the height equivalent to the lower end of the working range of the fitting tool. It is preferable that

  According to the above-described embodiment, when the lip portion is inserted into the panel opening portion, the lip portion can be easily elastically deformed by providing the slit, so that the mounting operation can be performed smoothly. .

  Furthermore, after attaching the joint cover to the panel opening, when the bolt of the yoke of the steering shaft is tightened, the second peripheral wall is placed at a position facing the bolt, and the second peripheral wall can be easily tilted by a fitting tool. A work space can be secured and bolt fastening work can be performed. Further, since the vertical width of the second peripheral wall is reduced, the upper end portion does not interfere with the yoke even if the second peripheral wall is tilted by the fitting tool.

  Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to improve the mountability of the joint cover to the panel and to smoothly perform the work related to the connection between the steering column on the steering column side and the steering shaft on the steering gear box side. Become.

  The detailed configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a side view of a steering joint cover 1 according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of the steering joint cover 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. FIG. 2 and FIG. 2C are enlarged views of a portion B in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the steering joint cover 1 (hereinafter referred to as the joint cover 1) according to this embodiment includes a lip portion 11 that covers the connecting portion on the vehicle interior side, and a lower cover portion 12 that covers the connecting portion on the vehicle exterior side. The bellows portion 13 and the seal portion 14 attached to the steering gear box 3 are integrally formed. Such a joint cover 1 includes a steering column side steering shaft 6 (see FIG. 3, hereinafter referred to as a column side shaft 6) connected through an opening (hereinafter referred to as a panel opening) 21 provided in the dash panel 2. And the connecting portion of the steering shaft 4 on the side of the steering gear box 3 (see FIG. 3, hereinafter referred to as the gear box side shaft 4).

  The lip portion 11 is substantially cylindrical, and has a slightly smaller diameter in the upper part than in the lower part. The lip portion 11 is provided with two slits 111 and 112. The slits 111 and 112 are formed in parallel to the axial direction from the upper end of the lip part 11 downward. The lengths of the slits 111 and 112 are equal to each other, and the ends of the slits 111 and 112 are spaced from the lower end of the lip portion 11. The height of the ends of the slits 111 and 112 is desirably set to a level that does not hinder the fastening operation of the connecting bolt 5, for example, a height equivalent to the lower end of the working range of the outfitting tool described later.

  The upper portion of the lip portion 11 is divided into a first peripheral wall 113 and a second peripheral wall 114 by these slits 111 and 112. The second peripheral wall 114 is formed to have a shorter peripheral length and a lower height than the first peripheral wall 113, and the central angle of the second peripheral wall 114 is, for example, an acute angle. The upper opening of the lower cover portion 12 is connected to the lip portion 11.

  The upper portion of the lower cover portion 12 is substantially cylindrical, and has an inner diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the panel opening 21. The lower portion of the lower cover portion 12 is gradually reduced in diameter and connected to the bellows portion 13. A seal portion 14 is provided below the bellows portion 13. The seal portion 14 is thick in order to ensure the rigidity and sealability of the joint cover 1, and the steering gear box 3 is inserted and fitted into the seal portion 14.

  As shown to Fig.2 (a), the extension parts 115 and 116 formed toward the circular center are provided in the upper end edge of the 1st surrounding wall 113 and the 2nd surrounding wall 114, respectively. Further, between the lip portion 11 and the lower cover portion 12, an annular groove portion 15 is formed that is recessed in the center direction along the circumference. The groove 15 has a shape that is fitted into the periphery of the panel opening 21. The diameter of the groove 15 is substantially the same as the diameter of the panel opening 21, and the groove 15 is fitted into the panel opening 21 to seal the vehicle interior side and vehicle interior side. Further, an annular rib 121 protruding upward (in the vehicle interior side) along the inner edge is provided inside the lower end portion (the boundary portion with the bellows portion 13) of the lower cover portion 12, and the steering gear 3 is provided. This prevents water droplets and dust from entering the vehicle side.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), a plurality of annular protrusions 117 are concentrically provided on the upper end surface of the lower cover portion 12 that comes into contact with the dash panel 2 when the joint cover 1 is attached to the dash panel 2. As shown in FIG. 2C, the inner wall of the seal portion 14 has a shape that fits with the steering gear box 3, and an annular protrusion 141 is provided along the circumference. Since these annular protrusions 117 and 141 prevent water from entering the interior of the vehicle interior or the steering gear box 3 in multiple ways, further effects such as waterproofing and dustproofing can be obtained. 2 (b) and 2 (c), the dash panel 2 and the steering gear box 3 are omitted in order to clarify the shape of the joint cover 1.

  Hereinafter, the operation and effect of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing an example of a vehicle interior side in which a steering joint cover according to this embodiment is mounted on a dash panel, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view showing an example of fastening a bolt with a fitting tool. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the outside of the passenger compartment where the steering joint cover according to this embodiment is mounted on the dash panel.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a yoke 41 that constitutes a connecting portion between the column side shaft 6 and the gear box side shaft 4 is inserted through the panel opening 21. The yoke 41 is provided with a connecting bolt 5 slightly above the panel opening (inside the vehicle compartment).

  In the joint cover 1, the groove portion 15 is fitted into the panel opening 21, and the seal portion 14 is fitted into the steering gear box 3 to cover the connecting portion between the column side shaft 6 and the gear box side shaft 4. As shown in FIG. 3A, when the steering is held at a predetermined steering angle (for example, a neutral state or a maximum steering angle), the second peripheral wall 114 and the connecting bolt 5 face each other. The 2nd surrounding wall is arrange | positioned so that it may become a position to do.

  The joint cover 1 is configured such that the lip portion 11 is inserted into the panel opening 21 from the outside of the vehicle interior by pulling the extension portions 115 and 116 from the vehicle interior side, and the groove portion 15 is fitted to the peripheral edge of the panel opening 21. Is attached to the dash panel 2. At this time, since the diameter of the lower portion of the lip portion 11 is larger than that of the panel opening portion 21, the panel opening portion 21 is inserted through elastic deformation.

  Since the joint cover 1 according to this embodiment can be easily deformed at the upper part of the lip part 11 by providing the slits 111 and 112 in the lip part 11, the lip part 11 is inserted into the panel opening 21. Easy to make. Therefore, the joint cover 1 can be more smoothly attached to the dash panel 2.

  Further, when the fastening bolt 5 of the yoke 41 of the gear box side shaft 4 is tightened, as shown in FIG. 3B, the second peripheral wall 114 is elastically tilted to the center side by the fitting tool 7. The work space can be secured easily. Therefore, the operation | work which concerns on the bolt 5 for a connection can be performed easily, and time, cost, etc. can be reduced. In addition, since the height of the second peripheral wall 114 is set lower than that of the first peripheral wall 113, the second peripheral wall 114 can be tilted even when the second peripheral wall 114 is tilted when the connecting bolt 5 is fastened. Or there is no possibility that the extension part 116 interferes with the yoke 4 and the connecting bolt 5, and the workability is further improved. When the bolt fastening operation is completed and the fitting tool 7 is removed, the second peripheral wall 114 elastically returns to its original shape.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, while maintaining the sealing performance, the workability related to the mounting is improved, and the work at the time of connecting the column side shaft 6 and the gear box side shaft 4 is smoothly performed. It became possible to do.

  The details of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the joint cover 1 according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are used for the configurations similar to those of the first embodiment described above, and the description will be omitted while focusing on the different configurations.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the joint cover 1 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which a lip portion 11, a lower cover portion 12, a bellows portion 13, and a seal portion 84 are integrally formed. The lip portion 11 is substantially cylindrical, and has a slightly smaller diameter in the upper part than in the lower part. The lip portion 11 is provided with two slits (not shown), and a first peripheral wall 113 and a second peripheral wall 114 are formed.

  The lower cover portion 12 is substantially cylindrical and has an inner diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the panel opening 21. The lower part gradually becomes a small diameter and is connected to the bellows part 13. A cylindrical seal portion 84 attached to the steering gear box 3 is provided below the bellows portion 13.

  The seal portion 84 has an inner diameter that is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the steering gear box 3 and is thick to ensure the rigidity and sealing performance of the joint cover 1. Further, the seal portion 84 is provided with a slope on the lower end surface 842 so that the axial center side has an acute angle in cross section. The inner wall of the seal portion 84 is fitted to the outer peripheral shape of the steering gear box 3, and a plurality of annular protrusions 141 are provided on the inner wall of the seal portion 84 along the circumference. By this annular protrusion 141, further effects such as waterproofing and dustproofing can be obtained. The lip part 11 and the lower cover part 12 are connected via a groove part 15. The groove 15 has a shape that fits around the periphery of the panel opening 21.

  Hereinafter, based on FIG. 6, the effect by a present Example is demonstrated. According to the present embodiment, when the joint cover 1 receives high-pressure water discharge indicated by an arrow in the drawing from the lower side, for example, at the time of car washing, by providing an inclination on the lower end surface 842 of the seal portion 84, the lower end surface 842 is It is pressed toward the steering gear box 3 by water pressure. For this reason, there is no fear that the seal portion 84 is turned over by the water pressure, and the sealing performance of the seal portion 84 can be further improved.

  As described above, according to the joint cover according to the present embodiment, it is possible to further improve the sealing performance, particularly the waterproof performance, in addition to the improvement of the mounting performance and workability in the above-described first embodiment.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the configuration in which the lip portion 11 includes the two slits 111 and 112 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when there is one slit, the fitting tool is removed from the slit portion. It is possible to secure the work space by elastically pushing the peripheral walls on both sides of the slit to the left and right to perform bolt fastening work.

  The present invention is applicable to a steering joint cover that covers a connecting portion that connects a steering shaft on a steering column side of a vehicle or the like and a steering shaft on a steering gear box side.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the steering joint cover according to the first embodiment. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a steering joint cover in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the example of the vehicle interior side which attached the steering joint cover in Example 1 to the panel. It is a perspective view which shows the example of the vehicle compartment outer side which mounted | wore the panel with the steering joint cover in Example 1. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a steering joint cover in Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the example of the vehicle compartment outer side which mounted | wore the steering joint cover in Example 2 with the panel. It is a side view which shows an example of a fitting type steering joint cover. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of a fitting type steering joint cover. It is a perspective view which shows the example of the vehicle interior side which attached the fitting type steering joint cover to the panel.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steering joint cover 2 Dash panel 3 Steering gear box 4 Gear box side shaft 41 Yoke (connection part)
5 Connecting bolt 6 Column side shaft 11 Lip portion 12 Lower cover portion 15 Groove portion 21 Panel opening portion 111, 112 Slit 113 First peripheral wall 114 Second peripheral wall 115, 116 Extension portion 121 Rib

Claims (4)

In a cylindrical steering joint cover that is attached to a panel opening at the front of the passenger compartment, is inserted through the panel opening, and covers a coupling portion between the steering shaft on the steering column side and the steering shaft on the steering gear box side, A lower cover portion that covers the connecting portion on the outside of the vehicle casing of the panel; a lip portion that is connected to the lower cover portion and covers the connecting portion on the vehicle interior side of the panel; and the lower cover portion and the lip portion. A groove portion that is fitted between and fitted to the periphery of the panel opening, and a slit formed in the lip portion so as to divide the peripheral wall of the lip portion in the circumferential direction ,
The steering joint cover according to claim 1, wherein the lip portion is divided into a first peripheral wall and a second peripheral wall having a shorter peripheral length than the first peripheral wall by the slit . The second peripheral wall, the steering joint cover according to claim 1, wherein the height of the upper end than the first peripheral wall is formed lower. The steering joint cover according to claim 2, wherein the second peripheral wall is disposed at a position facing a connecting bolt provided in the connecting portion in a state where the steering is held at a predetermined steering angle. The steering joint cover according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the lip portion includes an extension portion extending toward the center of the upper end portion.

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