JP4955333B2 - Steering column cover - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering column cover that is integrally coupled in a state where end edges of an upper cover and a lower cover are butted together.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a steering column cover that is integrally coupled in a state in which end edges of an upper cover and a lower cover are abutted with each other is used as a cover that covers a front end portion of a steering column of an automobile.

As this type of steering column cover, an engagement mechanism that engages the edges of the upper cover and the lower cover with each other is provided at a plurality of locations along the edges, and the upper cover and the lower cover are engaged by engaging each engagement mechanism. Is known (for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-8-332961

  However, in the configuration in which a plurality of engagement mechanisms are engaged and integrated as in Patent Document 1 above, the upper cover and the lower cover are moved back and forth and left and right to adjust the position so that they are brought close to each other in the vertical direction. There is a problem in that it takes time to integrate the parts by positioning the whole mechanism and engaging each part one by one.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to obtain a steering column cover that can more easily perform an operation of integrating the upper cover and the lower cover.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the steering column cover is integrally coupled in a state where the end edges of the upper cover and the lower cover are in contact with each other, and projects to the inner surface of one of the upper cover and the lower cover. A substantially U-shaped rotation shaft portion and a substantially L-shaped engagement piece which is provided on the other side and is rotatably engaged with the rotation shaft portion, and the upper cover and the lower cover are A hinge mechanism that enables relative rotation around the rotation shaft portion, and at least a position around the rotation shaft portion between the upper cover and the lower cover at a position spaced apart from the rotation shaft portion in the radial direction of the rotation shaft portion. An engagement mechanism that engages in a direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the guide portion for guiding the rotation of the engagement piece around the rotation shaft portion is provided on the inner surface of the upper cover and the lower cover where the rotation shaft portion is provided. It is provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a stopper portion for restricting the movement of the rotating shaft portion in the axial direction of the engaging piece is provided on the upper cover and the lower cover where the rotating shaft portion is provided. It is characterized by that.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the engagement mechanism has a fitting recess formed in one of the upper cover and the lower cover, and a fitting projection formed in the other. The fitting direction between the mating recess and the fitting projection is substantially along the radial direction of the pivot shaft.

According to the invention of claim 5, the fitting convex portion is provided with a female screw hole or an insertion hole for a fastener for fastening the upper cover and the lower cover.

According to the invention of claim 6, the engagement mechanism is provided on the handle facing surface side facing the handle attached to the steering column, and the hinge mechanism is separated from the handle facing surface in the steering shaft axial direction. It is characterized by being provided in.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the upper cover and the lower cover can be guided to a state in which the engagement mechanism is engaged by relatively rotating the upper cover and the lower cover on the rotation path around the rotation shaft portion by the hinge mechanism. The positioning operation of the upper cover and the lower cover, and hence the integration operation can be performed more easily. Further, according to the present invention, the engagement piece can be easily engaged with the rotation shaft portion with a relatively simple configuration, and can be made difficult to come off from the rotation shaft portion .

According to invention of Claim 2 , it can suppress that an engagement piece shifts | deviates to the radial direction of a rotating shaft part, and can relatively rotate an upper cover and a lower cover along a desired track | orbit. .

According to invention of Claim 3 , it can suppress that an engagement piece shifts | deviates to the axial direction of a rotating shaft part, and can relatively rotate an upper cover and a lower cover along a desired track | orbit.

According to the invention of claim 4, the engagement state in the engagement mechanism can be more reliably maintained by fitting, and the positional deviation in the radial direction of the rotating shaft portion between the upper cover and the lower cover can be suppressed. .

According to the invention of claim 5, the upper cover and the lower cover can be more reliably integrated by the fastener, and the configuration can be further simplified as compared with the case where the female screw hole or the insertion hole is provided other than the fitting convex portion. Can do.

According to the invention of claim 6 , the deviation between the upper cover and the lower cover on the handle facing surface can be further reduced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is a perspective view of a steering column cover according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the steering column cover, and FIG. 3 is a side view of a part of the upper cover constituting the steering column cover as viewed from the inner cavity side. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a part of the upper cover as viewed from the upper side, and FIG. 5 is a side view of a part of the lower cover that forms the steering column cover as viewed from the inner cavity side. 6 is a plan view of a part of the lower cover as viewed from below, and FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state in which a hinge mechanism is formed by engaging the engaging piece and the rotating shaft portion, FIG. Is an exploded front view of the engagement mechanism as seen from the handle side, FIG. 9 is a side view showing a state before the engagement mechanism is engaged by relatively rotating the upper cover and the lower cover, and FIG. FIG. 11 is a side view showing a state where the engagement mechanism is engaged. FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of the mechanism, showing a state before engagement, FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of the engagement mechanism, showing a state after engagement, and FIG. 13 is a state of screwing FIG. In the following, for convenience, the vertical direction is defined with reference to the attitude of the steering column cover attached to the automobile, and the steering wheel side in the steering shaft axial direction (S in each figure) is defined as the front and the other side is defined as the rear. . The left-right direction is defined based on the up-down direction with respect to the line of sight along the steering shaft axial direction S.

  A steering column cover 1 according to this embodiment covers a steering column including a steering shaft that is rotationally driven by a handle 2, and includes a lower end edge (end edge portion) 3a of an upper cover 3 that covers the steering column from above. The upper cover 4 is covered with the upper end edge (end edge portion) 4a of the lower cover 4 that is covered from below, and is integrally coupled. A substantially circular opening 1b in which the semicircular cutouts 3b and 4b are abutted with each other is formed on the handle facing surface 1a facing the handle 2, and the steering column passes through the opening 1b. ing. Both the upper cover 3 and the lower cover 4 are configured by appropriately molding a synthetic resin.

  The upper cover 3 includes a front wall portion 3c located on the handle 2 side, and a curved peripheral wall portion 3d covering the upper side of the steering column at the rear side.

  On the lower end edge 3a of the peripheral wall portion 3d, an inner flange portion 3e is protruded partially with a substantially constant width toward the inside of the cavity substantially perpendicular to the peripheral wall portion 3d. A lower surface 3 f of the inner flange portion 3 e is in contact with an upper surface 4 f of the inner flange portion 4 e of the lower cover 4. And the nail | claw part 3g protrudingly provided on this lower surface 3f is inserted in the through-hole 4g formed in the inner side flange part 4f of the lower cover 4, so that the shift | offset | difference of edge 3a, 4a is suppressed. It has become.

  Further, a hook-shaped engagement piece 5U that extends downward and bends in a substantially L shape rearward is provided at the rear end portion of the lower end edge 3a of the peripheral wall portion 3d. In the present embodiment, the engagement piece 5U protrudes from the rear end portion of the lower surface 3f of the inner flange portion 3e. Further, it is appropriately reinforced with ribs (not shown).

  Since a force acts upward on the inner flange portion 3e from the inner flange portion 4e of the lower cover 4, ribs 3h are provided at the corners of the inner flange portion 3e and the peripheral wall portion 3d, and the inner flange portion 3e is bent. Deformation is suppressed. In the present embodiment, the rib 3h is provided on the opposite side of the claw portion 3g and the engagement piece 5U with respect to the inner flange portion 4e.

  Further, a substantially band-plate-like engagement arm portion 6U that protrudes downward from the lower end edge 3a is provided on the cavity inner side (the back surface side of the handle facing surface 1a) of the front wall portion 3c. The engaging arm portion 6U is disposed at a position shifted rearward from the front wall portion 3c by the gap of the opening 6d. The front surface 6f on the handle 2 side has a substantially cylindrical fitting protrusion. The part 6a is projected.

  3 and 4, only the structure on the left and right sides (left side as viewed from the handle 2 side) is shown, the inner flange portion 3e and the engagement piece 5U are lower end edges on both the left and right sides of the peripheral wall portion 3d. 3a and 3a are provided, and the engaging arm portions 6U are provided on both the left and right sides of the cutout portion 3b.

  On the other hand, the lower cover 4 includes a front wall portion 4c positioned on the handle 2 side, and a curved peripheral wall portion 4d that covers the lower side and the side of the steering column.

  On the upper edge 4a of the peripheral wall portion 4d, an inner flange portion 4e is protruded with a substantially constant width partially toward the inside of the cavity substantially perpendicular to the peripheral wall portion 4d. As described above, the upper surface 4f of the inner flange portion 4e is in contact with the lower surface 3f of the inner flange portion 3e of the upper cover 3, and the through hole 4g formed in the inner flange portion 4f. The claw portion 3g of the upper cover 3 is inserted into the upper cover 3. And this inner side flange part 4e is also reinforced by the rib 4h standingly arranged by the corner with the surrounding wall part 4d, and the downward bending deformation is suppressed.

  And in the position which leaves the gap 7 with respect to the inner side flange part 4e and is the back, the rotating shaft part 5L which has the semi-cylindrical part bulging ahead on the inner surface in the vicinity of the upper end edge 4a of the peripheral wall part 4d It protrudes toward the inside of the cavity substantially perpendicularly to the peripheral wall portion 4d. In addition, a guide portion 5a that extends obliquely downward and rearward is provided at the rear end of the inner flange portion 4e, and a flange-like stopper portion 5b is provided at the inner end in the axial direction of the rotating shaft portion 5L. ing. The rotating shaft portion 5L has a substantially U-shaped cross section as a whole including the upper and lower flat portions and is formed as a wall-like portion standing on the peripheral wall portion 4d. The central axis of the rotating shaft portion 5L (semi-cylindrical portion) is indicated by C in FIGS.

  Further, a substantially cylindrical receiving portion 6L that receives the engaging arm portion 6U protrudes from the inside of the cavity of the front wall portion 4c (the back surface side of the handle facing surface 1a). In the receiving portion 6L, a fitting recess 6b is formed as a through hole penetrating the front and back of the front wall portion 4c. Further, a blade-like protrusion 6c that protrudes upward from the upper portion of the receiving portion 6L with a constant width protrudes from the inside of the cavity of the front wall portion 4c. The blade-like protrusion 6c protrudes above the upper end edge 4a.

  In FIGS. 5 and 6, only the structure on the left and right sides (left side as viewed from the handle 2 side) is shown, but the inner flange portion 4e, guide portion 5a, rotating shaft portion 5L, and stopper portion 5b are shown in FIG. These are provided on the upper edge 4a, 4a on both the left and right sides of the peripheral wall 4d, respectively, and the receiving part 6L is provided on each of the left and right sides of the notch 4b. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the left and right rotation shaft portions 5L are provided so as to protrude in directions opposite to each other, and their central axes C are substantially coincident with each other.

  In assembling the upper cover 3 and the lower cover 4, first, the engaging piece 5U is inserted into the gap 7 and engaged with the rotating shaft portion 5L. At this time, the stopper 5b prevents the engaging piece 5U from moving in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 5L, and the guide 5a moves the engaging piece 5U in the radial direction of the rotating shaft 5L. Be blocked. Thus, the hinge mechanism 5 is constructed in which the engagement piece 5U is pivotally supported by the rotation shaft portion 5L. The guide portion 5a also functions as a guide when the engagement piece 5U is inserted into the gap 7 so as to be locked to the rotation shaft portion 5L.

  Next, the upper cover 3 is rotated in a direction in which the front wall portion 3c approaches the front wall portion 4c of the lower cover 4 (counterclockwise in FIG. 7). Here, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, an opening 6d penetrating in the vertical direction is formed at the base of the engagement arm 6U of the upper cover 3, and the blade of the lower cover 4 is formed in the opening 6d. The projection 6c is configured to be inserted. And the guide wall part 6e which contacts the blade-shaped protrusion 6c and guides it in the opening part 6d is provided in the root part of the engagement arm part 6U. Therefore, when the upper cover 3 is rotated, the blade-like protrusion 6c is inserted into the opening 6d while being guided by the guide wall 6e, and therefore the front wall 3c and the front wall 3c meet each other at the portion where the front walls 3c and 4c meet. The right and left positional deviation is suppressed.

  FIG. 9 shows a state in which the edges 3 a and 4 a of the upper cover 3 and the lower cover 4 are abutted with each other. In this state, the claw portions 3g are inserted into the corresponding through holes 4g. However, as shown in FIG. 1a (the back side of 1a) is shifted and is not engaged with the receiving portion 6L.

  In the state of FIG. 9, when the front end portion of the engaging arm portion 6U is pushed forward (to the front wall portion 4c side), as shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, the fitting convex portion 6a of the engaging arm portion 6U and The fitting recess 6b of the receiving portion 6L is fitted to each other, and the engagement mechanism 6 including the engaging arm portion 6U and the receiving portion 6L is engaged. In this state, the upper cover 3 and the lower cover 4 are engaged with each other in the circumferential direction of the rotation shaft portion 5L. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, in this state, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the front surface 6f of the engaging arm portion 6U and the rear surface 6g of the receiving portion 6L come into contact with each other, and the front wall of the upper cover 3 The handle facing surface 1a is positioned so that the lower end edge 3a of the portion 3c and the upper end edge 4a of the front wall portion 4c of the lower cover 4 just collide with each other, and there is almost no step at the boundary between the end edges 3a, 4a. Is formed. Further, according to such a configuration, the fitting convex portion 6a and the fitting concave portion 6b are fitted to each other, so that the engagement state between the engagement arm portion 6U and the receiving portion 6L in the engagement mechanism 6 is more reliable. Can be maintained.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the fitting convex portion 6a is formed with a female screw hole 6h, and the fitting concave portion 6b is formed with a countersunk portion 6i on the handle facing surface 1a side. A portion in which the mating convex portion 6a and the fitting concave portion 6b are fitted to each other is screwed by a screw 8 from the handle facing surface 1a side. With this configuration, the engagement state (the engagement state between the fitting convex portion 6 a and the fitting concave portion 6 b) by the engagement mechanism 6 can be more reliably maintained, and at a position different from the engagement mechanism 6. The configuration can be simplified as compared with the case of screwing.

  According to the present embodiment described above, the upper cover 3 and the lower cover 4 are provided with the rotation shaft portion 5L and the engagement pieces 5U that are rotatably engaged with the rotation shaft portion 5L. At least the upper cover 3 and the lower cover 4 are pivoted at a position separated from the pivot shaft portion 5L in the radial direction of the pivot shaft portion 5L. Since the engagement mechanism that engages in the circumferential direction of the shaft portion 5L is provided, the upper cover 3 and the lower cover 4 are relatively rotated by the hinge mechanism 5 on the rotation track around the rotation shaft portion 5L and engaged. Since the mechanism 6 can be guided to the engaged state, the positioning operation of the upper cover 3 and the lower cover 4 and the integration operation can be performed more easily.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, since the engaging piece 5U is formed in an approximately L shape, the engaging piece 5U is easily engaged with the rotating shaft portion 5L with a relatively simple configuration and is not easily detached from the rotating shaft portion 5L. be able to.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the guide portion 5a for guiding the rotation of the engagement piece 5U around the rotation shaft portion 5L is provided on the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 4d of the lower cover 4, the engagement piece 5U rotates. The shaft portion 5L can be prevented from shifting in the radial direction, and the upper cover 3 and the lower cover 4 can be relatively rotated along a desired track. In addition, when the engaging piece 5U is engaged with the rotation shaft portion 5L, the engaging piece 5U can be guided to a predetermined position, and there is an advantage that the engaging operation can be performed more easily.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the lower cover 4 is provided with the stopper portion 5b that restricts the movement of the rotation shaft portion 5L of the engagement piece 5U in the axial direction. The upper cover 3 and the lower cover 4 can be relatively rotated along a desired trajectory while suppressing the shift in the axial direction.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, the engaging mechanism 6 has the fitting recessed part 6b and the fitting convex part 6a which are mutually fitted, and fitting of the said fitting recessed part 6b and the fitting convex part 6a Since the alignment direction is made to substantially follow the radial direction of the rotation shaft portion 5L, the engagement state in the engagement mechanism 6 can be maintained more reliably, and the rotation shaft portion 5L of the upper cover 3 and the lower cover 4 can be maintained. It is possible to suppress displacement in the radial direction (the front-rear direction in the present embodiment; the steering shaft axial direction S).

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the female screw hole 6h for the screw 8 for screwing the upper cover 3 and the lower cover 4 is formed in the fitting convex portion 6a, the engagement state in the engagement mechanism 6 is achieved by screwing. The upper cover 3 and the lower cover 4 can be more reliably integrated while being more reliably maintained, and the configuration can be further simplified as compared with the case where the female screw hole 6h is formed other than the fitting convex portion 6a.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the engagement mechanism 6 is provided on the handle facing surface 1a side, and the hinge mechanism 5 is provided at a position separated from the handle facing surface 1a in the steering shaft axial direction S. The shift between the upper cover 3 and the lower cover 4 on the handle facing surface 1a that is easily noticeable from the viewpoint of the passenger can be made smaller.

  Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

  For example, with respect to the hinge mechanism, the upper cover may be provided with a rotation shaft portion, the lower cover may be provided with an engagement piece, or may be provided at a position different from the above embodiment.

  As for the engagement mechanism, the lower cover may be provided with an engagement arm, the upper cover may be provided with a receiving portion, the fitting convex portion may be provided on the receiving portion side, and the fitting concave portion may be provided on the engaging arm side. Also good. Further, instead of the female screw hole, an insertion hole for simply inserting the fastener may be formed in the fitting convex portion, and the inserted fastener may be separately fastened. As a fastener, besides a screw, a bolt nut, a rivet, a clip, or the like can be used as appropriate.

The perspective view of the steering column cover concerning one Embodiment of this invention. The disassembled perspective view of the steering column cover concerning one Embodiment of this invention. The side view which looked at a part of upper cover which comprises the steering column cover concerning one Embodiment of this invention from the internal cavity side. The top view seen from the upper part of a part of upper cover. The side view which looked at a part of lower cover which comprises the steering column cover concerning one Embodiment of this invention from the internal cavity side. The top view which looked at a part of lower cover from the lower side. The side view which shows the state which engaged the engaging piece and rotation shaft part of the steering column cover concerning one Embodiment of this invention, and formed the hinge mechanism. The disassembled front view which looked at the engagement mechanism of the steering column cover concerning one Embodiment of this invention from the handle | steering-wheel side. The side view which shows the state before rotating an upper cover and a lower cover relatively and engaging an engagement mechanism. The side view which shows the state which engaged the engagement mechanism. It is a sectional side view of an engaging mechanism, Comprising: The figure which shows the state before engagement. It is a sectional side view of an engagement mechanism, Comprising: The figure which shows the state after engagement. The side view which shows a mode that an upper cover and a lower cover are screwed.

Explanation of symbols

1 Steering column cover 1a Handle facing surface 2 Handle 3 Upper cover 3a Lower edge (edge)
4 Lower cover 4a Upper edge (edge)
5 Hinge mechanism 5U Engagement piece 5L Rotating shaft part 5a Guide part 5b Stopper part 6 Engagement mechanism 6a Fitting convex part 6b Fitting concave part 6h Female screw hole

Claims (6)

A steering column cover that is integrally coupled with the end edges of the upper cover and the lower cover butting each other;
A substantially U-shaped pivot shaft projecting from the inner surface of one of the upper cover and the lower cover, and a substantially L-shaped engagement provided on the other and pivotably engaged with the pivot shaft. A hinge mechanism that allows the upper cover and the lower cover to rotate relative to each other around the rotation shaft portion,
An engagement mechanism for engaging the upper cover and the lower cover at least in the circumferential direction of the rotation shaft portion at a position spaced apart from the rotation shaft portion in the radial direction of the rotation shaft portion;
A steering column cover characterized by comprising: Claims, characterized in that the pivot shaft portion of the upper cover and lower cover within the peripheral wall inner surface of the person who provided and a guide portion for guiding the rotation shaft portion about the pivot of said engagement piece steering column cover according to 1. Claim 1, characterized in that the pivot shaft portion of the upper cover and lower cover are those who provided, provided stopper portion for regulating the movement in the axial direction of the rotary shaft portion of the engaging piece Or the steering column cover of 2. The engagement mechanism has a fitting concave portion formed in one of the upper cover and the lower cover, and a fitting convex portion formed in the other,
The steering column cover according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a fitting direction between the fitting concave portion and the fitting convex portion is substantially along a radial direction of the rotation shaft portion. The steering column cover according to claim 4 , wherein a female screw hole or an insertion hole for a fastener for fastening the upper cover and the lower cover is provided in the fitting convex portion. The engagement mechanism is provided on the handle facing surface side facing the handle attached to the steering column,
The steering column cover according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the hinge mechanism is provided at a position spaced apart from the handle facing surface in the steering shaft axial direction.

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