JP5569382B2 - Vehicle steering device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle steering apparatus that electrically tilts a steering wheel.

Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle steering apparatus that is tilted electrically. In this vehicle steering device, the vehicle (vehicle body) and the steering column main body are constituted by two parts of a link member (first link L1) and a bell crank member (second link L2), and are pivoted by a tilt motor. The steering column can be tilted by adjusting the distance between P4 and the pivot P5.

On the other hand, Patent Document 2 also discloses a vehicle steering device that is tilted electrically. The steering device of Patent Document 2 discloses a vehicle steering device that performs a tilt operation with a simple configuration with a reduced number of parts by reducing the number of link nodes used for the tilt operation (see FIG. 1 of Patent Document 2). .

JP 2006-7756 A JP 2009-6743 A

  As described above, the vehicle steering apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 needs to be configured with two parts, that is, a link member and a bell crank member, between the vehicle (vehicle body) and the steering column main body. Furthermore, since the link member is set on both the left and right sides, there is a problem that the number of parts increases and the cost increases. Moreover, in order to couple | bond the said link member so that rotation is possible, since components, such as a volt | bolt and a bush, are required, this also became a factor which becomes expensive.

  On the other hand, the vehicle steering device of Patent Document 2 is excellent in that it can be tilted with a simple configuration with a small number of parts. However, the range of movement of the drive mechanism during the tilting operation is relatively large, and depending on the arrangement relationship with the surrounding components, there is a possibility of interference with surrounding components, which may reduce the mountability to the vehicle.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle steering apparatus that is inexpensive and excellent in mountability.

  The technical means taken to solve the above problem is to adjust the distance between the first pivot shaft and the second pivot shaft, and the swing mechanism that swingably supports the steering column with respect to the vehicle body. A vehicle steering apparatus comprising: a drive mechanism; and a link mechanism coupled to the drive mechanism at the first pivot shaft and the second pivot shaft, the steering device for a vehicle capable of adjusting an operation position of a steering wheel, wherein the link The mechanism is a bell crank member having one end rotatably supported with respect to the vehicle body and the other end rotatably supported by the first pivot shaft, the mechanism being pivotable with respect to the steering column. The rocker comprising: the bell crank member supported movably; and a link member having one end fixed to the steering column and the other end rotatably supported by the second pivot shaft. Is a vehicle that supports the steering column pivotably about a column pivot point, and pivotally supports the column pivot point with a pivot point on the vehicle body fixed to the vehicle body as a fulcrum. This is the configuration of the steering device.

  In contrast to the technical means described above, the swing mechanism includes a first collar member, the steering column is disposed on the outer periphery of the first collar member, and the central axis of the first collar member is set to the column. More preferably, it is configured as a pivot point. Further, the swing mechanism further includes a second collar member fixed to the vehicle body, the first collar member is disposed on an outer periphery of the second collar member, and the second collar member It is more preferable that the center axis is configured as the vehicle body side turning point.

  By providing the swing mechanism according to the technical means described above, it is possible to eliminate the link members that are conventionally disposed between the vehicle (vehicle body) and the steering column main body and disposed on both sides of the steering column. Furthermore, with the abolition of the link member, parts such as bolts and bushes for rotatably connecting the link member can be reduced. Therefore, a vehicle steering device that electrically tilts the steering wheel can be realized at low cost.

1 is a side view showing an external appearance of a vehicle steering device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view explaining the structure of the rocking | fluctuation mechanism 50 in one Embodiment of this invention. It is AA sectional drawing in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the positional relationship of the main member in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the upward tilt operation state by the steering device of the vehicle in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the downward tilt operation state by the steering device of the vehicle in one Embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a side view showing an appearance of a vehicle steering apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A vehicle steering apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 mainly includes a steering column (steering column main body) 2 disposed obliquely upward with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and an end portion of an upper shaft 11 of the steering column 2. A steering wheel 3 attached to 12 (simply referred to as an end portion), on which a driver performs a steering operation, a drive mechanism 20, a link mechanism 30, and a swing mechanism 50 are provided.

  The fixed bracket 90 is a bracket that is fixed to the vehicle body. The fixed bracket 90 has holding portions 91 and 92 that extend downward from the vehicle and are provided in a pair in the vehicle left-right direction. In FIG. 1, a holding portion 91 provided in the left side direction of the vehicle is illustrated. Further, the holding portions 91 and 92 are configured such that a pivot shaft Pa is disposed.

  In the vehicle steering apparatus 1, a motor 21 of a drive mechanism 20 described later is operated by a switch operation by a driver, and the end 12 of the steering column 2 to which the steering wheel 3 is attached is moved in the vertical direction via the link mechanism 30. By doing so, a tilting operation is performed. By this tilt operation, the driver can position the steering wheel 3 at a position suitable for him.

  In FIG. 1, the tilt operation state of the vehicle steering device 1 is in the neutral position (intermediate position). FIGS. 5 and 6 show the states (the states of the drive mechanism 20, the link mechanism 30, and the swing mechanism 50) when the vehicle steering apparatus 1 is tilted upward and downward in the present embodiment, respectively.

  Hereinafter, the drive mechanism 20, the link mechanism 30, and the swing mechanism 50 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the drive mechanism 20 mainly includes a motor 21, a screw shaft 22, a slider 23, and a tilt holder 24. The tilt holder 24 is provided with, for example, a motor 21 as a drive mechanism 20, a worm gear, a wheel gear (not shown), and the like. The detailed structure of the drive mechanism 20 is substantially the same as that disclosed in JP-A-2005-153849, JP-A-2006-7956, and the like. Accordingly, although detailed description is omitted here, for example, when the motor 21 rotates forward, the slider 23 moves on the screw shaft 22 in a direction approaching the tilt holder 24 (left direction in FIG. 1). When the motor 21 rotates in the reverse direction, the slider 23 moves on the screw shaft 22 in a direction away from the tilt holder 24 (right direction in FIG. 1). Here, the slider 23 is rotatably supported on the end of the bell crank member 31 by the pivot shaft Pb. On the other hand, the tilt holder 24 is rotatably supported on the end of the link member 32 by the pivot shaft Pd. Therefore, the drive mechanism 20 can adjust the distance between the pivot axis Pb (first pivot axis) and the pivot axis Pd (second pivot axis).

  In the vehicle steering apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the slider 23 moves in a direction approaching the tilt holder 24, the steering wheel 3 is tilted upward (see FIG. 5). On the other hand, when the slider 23 moves away from the tilt holder 24, the steering wheel 3 is tilted downward (see FIG. 6).

  Next, the link mechanism 30 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The link mechanism 30 includes a bell crank member 31 and a link member 32.

  The bell crank member 31 has a substantially L shape in a side view. Three pivot shafts Pa, Pb, and Pc are inserted into the bell crank member 31. One end of the bell crank member 31 (above the bell crank member 31 in FIG. 1) is rotatably supported by the holding portions 91 and 92 of the fixed bracket 90 and the pivot shaft Pa. The other end of the bell crank member 31 (below the bell crank member 31 in FIG. 1) is rotatably supported by the slider 23 and the pivot shaft Pb. Further, the bell crank member 31 is supported by the pivot shaft Pc so as to be rotatable with respect to the steering column 2 at the bent position of the L-shape.

  On the other hand, one end of the link member 32 (above the link member 32 in FIG. 1) is fixed to the steering column 2 integrally (non-rotatably). The other other end of the link member 32 (below the link member 32 in FIG. 1) is rotatably supported by the tilt holder 24 of the drive mechanism 20 and the pivot shaft Pd.

  Next, the swing mechanism 50 provided on the front side of the vehicle will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle front side of the steering column 2 has a guide hole 2a through which a circular shape passes in a side view. As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle front side of the steering column 2 is provided in a pair with respect to the left and right direction of the vehicle, and further has a shape extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle toward the front of the vehicle. Yes. The aforementioned guide holes 2a are formed in the vehicle front side of the steering column 2 provided in a pair with respect to the left-right direction of the vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the collar member 52 is disposed in the guide hole 2 a via a resin bush 62. Therefore, the steering column 2 is rotatable with respect to the collar member 52. That is, the steering column 2 is rotatable with respect to the collar member 52 around the central axis (column rotation point Ts) of the collar member 52 that is the center of the circle that is the outer shape of the collar member 52. .

  Further, the collar member 52 is provided with a circular insertion hole 52 a centered at a position shifted from the central axis of the collar member 52 by a predetermined distance RS. In other words, the collar member 52 is a cylindrical (disk-shaped) member having a circular shape penetrating in the cylindrical direction (insertion hole 52a). Inside the insertion hole 52a, the collar member 51 is disposed via a resin bush 61. Accordingly, the collar member 52 is rotatable with respect to the collar member 51. In other words, the collar member 52 is rotatable about the central axis (vehicle body side rotation point Tc) of the collar member 51 that is the center of the circle that is the outer shape of the collar member 51.

  The collar member 51 is provided with an insertion hole 51a for inserting a bolt 101 described later. The insertion hole 51a has a long hole shape. With this long hole shape, when the steering column 2 is attached to the vehicle side bracket 100 described later, the attachment position with respect to the vehicle body can be adjusted. The insertion hole 51a will be described later.

  Next, a method of fixing the swing mechanism 50 to the vehicle side will be described with reference to FIG.

  A vehicle side bracket 100 that is fixed to the vehicle body is provided on the vehicle side. The vehicle side bracket 100 has a guide hole 100a through which a bolt 101 described later is inserted, and extends to the vehicle lower side. Further, the vehicle side bracket 100 is provided as a pair in the vehicle left-right direction.

  And as shown in FIG. 3, the rocking | swiveling mechanism 50 is arrange | positioned between the vehicle side brackets 100 extended in the left-right pair.

  The bolt 101 is inserted in the order of the guide hole 100 a of the left vehicle side bracket 100, the insertion hole 51 a of the collar member 51, and the guide hole 100 a of the right vehicle side bracket 100, and finally fastened by the nut 102.

  By fastening the bolt 101 and the nut 102, the collar member 51 is fixed by being sandwiched between the left and right vehicle side brackets 100. That is, the collar member 51 is fixed to the vehicle body (the vehicle side bracket 100) so as not to rotate. Here, since the collar member 52 is shorter in the left-right direction of the vehicle (lateral direction in FIG. 3) than the length of the collar member 51 in the left-right direction of the vehicle, the collar member 52 is fixed rotatably with respect to the vehicle body. It will be.

  With the above configuration, the central axis of the collar member 52 rotates about the central axis (vehicle body side rotation point Tc) of the collar member 51 fixed to the vehicle body side. In other words, the collar member 52 is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the vehicle body about a position different from the central axis of the collar member 52.

  By configuring as described above, the steering column 2 can be rotated around the column rotation point Ts. The column rotation point Ts is configured to be movable on an arc (radius: RS) centered on the vehicle body side rotation point Tc that is separated by a predetermined distance RS.

Next, the tilting operation of the vehicle steering apparatus 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the simplified configuration diagram of the vehicle steering apparatus 1 according to the present invention shown in FIG. Note that the reference numerals used in FIG. 4 and the following description correspond to the reference numerals used in the description of the above-described embodiment.

  The vehicle steering apparatus 1 according to the present invention can be replaced with a link mechanism having six pivot points Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd, Ts, and Tc shown in FIG. Here, Pa and Tc are pivot points fixed to the vehicle side.

  Here, the pivot points Pa, Pb, and Pc are all pivot points on the bell crank member 31. Accordingly, the distances between the points Pa-Pb, the points Pb-Pc, and the points Pc-Pa are constant (fixed). That is, the shape of the triangle PaPbPc is fixed. The pivot points Ts, Pc, Pd are all fixed to the steering column 2 so as to be rotatable. Accordingly, the distances between the points Ts-Pc, the points Pc-Pd, and the points Pd-Tc are constant (fixed). That is, the shape of the triangle TsPcPd is also fixed.

  Note that the distance between the points Ts and Tc is also constant (fixed), and the distance is RS.

  Under the above conditions, when the distance x between Pb and Pd is changed by the drive mechanism 20, the triangle PaPbPc and the triangle TsPcPd rotate according to the above-mentioned constrained conditions. Here, paying attention to the point Pc and the point Ts, the distance between the points Pc and Ts is kept constant by the change of the distance x, and the points Pc and Tc provided on the vehicle body are respectively rotated as fulcrums. . By this turning operation, the inclination of the straight line connecting the point Pc and the point Ts changes with respect to the vehicle body (shaded portion in FIG. 4). That is, since the point Pc and the point Ts are arranged on the steering column 2, the tilting operation of the steering column 2 can be realized by changing the distance x between Pb and Pd by the drive mechanism 20.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, by providing the swing mechanism 50 according to the present invention disposed on the axis of the steering column, it is conventionally disposed between the vehicle (vehicle body) and the steering column 2. The link members arranged on the left and right sides of the steering column 2 can be eliminated. Furthermore, with the abolition of the link member, parts such as bolts and bushes can be reduced. Therefore, the vehicle steering apparatus 1 that electrically tilts the steering wheel 3 can be realized at low cost.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible. Examples of such modifications (different embodiments) will be described below.

(1) In the above embodiment, the swing mechanism 50 is configured using the collar member 51 and the collar member 52. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to configure the swing mechanism 50 so as to achieve the same effect as the link structure corresponding to the swing mechanism 50 as shown in FIG. For example, the column rotation point Ts and the vehicle body side rotation point Tc may be pivot shafts, and the column rotation point Ts and the vehicle body side rotation point Tc may be connected by a link member.

(2) The present invention is not limited to the embodiment of the drive mechanism 20 and the link mechanism 30 as shown in FIG. 1, but can be applied to various types of configurations. For example, by applying the present invention to the vehicle steering device disclosed in FIG. 1 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-153849, the third link 32 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-153849 can be eliminated. The same effect can be achieved.

  In addition, it is also possible to deform | transform combining the modification of (1) and (2) mentioned above.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle steering device 2 Steering column 3 Steering wheel 11 Upper shaft 12 End part 20 Drive mechanism 21 Motor 22 Screw shaft 23 Slider 24 Tilt holder 30 Link mechanism 31 Bell crank member 32 Link member 50 Swing mechanism 51 Collar member (second member Color material)
52 Color member (first color member)
61 Bush 62 Bush 90 Fixed bracket 91, 92 Holding part 100 Vehicle side bracket Pa Pivot shaft Pb Pivot shaft (first pivot shaft)
Pc Pivot shaft (third pivot shaft)
Pd pivot axis (second pivot axis)
Ts Column rotation point Tc Car body side rotation point

Claims (3)

A swing mechanism for swingably supporting the steering column with respect to the vehicle body; a drive mechanism for adjusting a distance between the first pivot shaft and the second pivot shaft; the first pivot shaft and the second pivot shaft; And a pivot mechanism connected to the drive mechanism to adjust the operation position of the steering wheel.
The link mechanism is a bell crank member having one end rotatably supported with respect to the vehicle body and the other end rotatably supported by the first pivot shaft. The bell crank member rotatably supported; and a link member having one end fixed to the steering column and the other end pivotally supported by the second pivot shaft,
The swing mechanism supports the steering column so as to be rotatable around a column rotation point, and supports the column rotation point so that the column rotation point is fixed to the vehicle body as a fulcrum. A vehicle steering device. The swing mechanism is
A first collar member;
2. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the steering column is disposed on an outer periphery of the first collar member, and a central axis of the first collar member is configured as the column rotation point. The swing mechanism is
And a second collar member fixed to the vehicle body,
The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first collar member is disposed on an outer periphery of the second collar member, and a center axis of the second collar member is configured as the vehicle body side turning point.

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