JP6355534B2 - Electric steering lock device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric steering lock device for electrically locking the rotation of a steering wheel when a vehicle is parked.

  In recent years, some vehicles are equipped with an electric steering lock device for electrically locking the rotation of a steering wheel during parking for the purpose of preventing theft. This electric steering lock device detects, for example, when the driver operates the engine start switch OFF while the engine is operating, drives the electric motor, and moves the lock shaft by the electric motor to engage the steering shaft. Thus, the rotation of the steering wheel is locked, and when the driver turns on the engine start switch while the engine is stopped, this is detected to drive the electric motor, and the electric motor moves the lock shaft to move the lock shaft. The steering operation is released by releasing the engagement with the steering shaft and unlocking the steering wheel. Here, an example of a conventional electric steering lock device is shown in FIG. 8 (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  That is, FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional electric steering lock device. The electric steering lock device 101 shown in FIG. 8 has a lock position (position shown in FIG. 8) for engaging with a steering shaft (not shown) of the vehicle and its engagement. A lock shaft 107 that can move between unlock positions where the engagement is released, an electric motor 103 that is a drive source for operating the lock shaft 107, and a rotational force of an output shaft of the electric motor 103. A drive mechanism for converting to 107 forward / backward force is included.

  Here, the drive mechanism includes a worm gear 104 coupled to the output shaft of the electric motor 103, a substantially cylindrical gear wheel 105 in which a gear 105a meshing with the worm gear 104 is engraved on the outer peripheral surface, and the gear. A male screw 106a meshing with a female screw 195b engraved on the inner peripheral surface of the wheel 105 is composed of a substantially cylindrical driver 106 engraved on the outer peripheral surface, and the driver 106 is provided with the lock shaft 107. The pins 115 are connected. The lock shaft 107 is formed with a long hole 107a through which the pin 115 is inserted. The lock shaft 107 is always urged upward (in the lock position direction) by a spring 112, and the pin 115 is normally a long hole. Since it is engaged with 107a, the lock shaft 107 and the driver 106 move up and down integrally. Further, a female screw 105 b engraved on the inner peripheral surface of the gear wheel 105 and a male screw 106 a engraved on the outer peripheral surface of the driver 106 are a feed screw mechanism that converts the rotation of the gear wheel 105 into the vertical movement of the driver 106. Is configured.

Thus, the electric motor 103 is driven from the locked state shown in FIG. 8 (the state where the lock shaft 107 is engaged with the engaging groove of the steering shaft (not shown)), and the rotation thereof is performed via the worm gear 104 and the gear 105a. When transmitted to the gear wheel 105, the gear wheel 105 rotates about the vertical axis. When the gear wheel 105 rotates in this way, the rotation is caused by a feed screw constituted by a female screw 5b engraved on the inner peripheral surface of the gear wheel 105 and a male screw 106a engraved on the outer peripheral surface of the driver 106. It is converted into a linear movement of the driver 106 by the mechanism. As a result, the driver 106 moves down together with the lock shaft 107 and moves to the unlock position where the engagement of the lock shaft 107 with the engagement groove of the steering shaft is released, so the steering shaft is unlocked and the steering shaft is released. Operation becomes possible. If the electric motor 103 is reversely rotated from the unlocked state, the lock shaft 107 moves upward and moves to the lock position shown in FIG. 8, so that the rotation of the steering shaft is locked.

Japanese Patent No. 5586342

  However, in the conventional electric steering lock device 101 shown in FIG. 8, since the lock shaft 107, the driver 106, and the gear wheel 105 are arranged in a straight line in the vertical direction, the axial length of the lock shaft 107 increases. In particular, the lock shaft 107 cannot be disposed directly below the steering shaft, and there is a layout restriction that the lock shaft 107 must be disposed at a predetermined angle offset from the axis center of the steering shaft. .

Further, in the electric steering lock device 101 shown in FIG. 8 , it is desirable to apply a large operating force to the lock shaft 107 with a small driving force, but the lock shaft 107 is engaged in the engagement groove of the steering shaft, particularly in the locked state. In a state where the lock shaft 107 is in a stationary state, the lock shaft 107 does not come out of the engagement groove of the steering shaft during the unlocking operation, and the lock shaft 107 cannot be moved to the unlock position.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to reduce the axial length of the lock shaft so that the lock shaft can be disposed directly under the steering shaft and has a small driving force. It is another object of the present invention to provide an electric steering lock device that can apply a large operating force to a lock shaft.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1
An electric steering lock device having a lock mechanism housed in a body,
The locking mechanism is
An electric motor;
A worm gear bound to the output shaft of the electric motor;
A substantially cylindrical gear wheel having a gear meshing with the worm gear on the outer peripheral surface and having a screw engraved on the inner peripheral surface;
A rod-shaped cam member in which a screw engraved on the outer peripheral surface is screwed into the screw of the gear wheel and moves forward and backward in a linear direction;
A lock shaft that is linearly movable between a lock position where a part protrudes from the body and engages a steering shaft of the vehicle and an unlock position where the engagement is released;
A link mechanism that moves the lock shaft to a locked position or an unlocked position in conjunction with the forward and backward movement of the cam member;
Equipped with a,
The link mechanism is configured to include a lock link whose center in the longitudinal direction is pivotally supported by a support shaft, one end in the longitudinal direction of the lock link is connected to the cam member, and the other end in the longitudinal direction is Connected to the lock shaft,
Further, a slide member that is urged toward the steering shaft by the urging member and is held so as to be movable in the same direction as the movement direction of the lock shaft and the cam member is provided on the body.
The central portion of the lock link in the longitudinal direction is pivotably supported on the slide member by the support shaft .

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1 , a guide groove for guiding the slide member so as to be able to advance and retract is formed in the body.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, a long long hole in the longitudinal direction in which the support shaft is loosely fitted is formed at the longitudinal center of the lock link. Features.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the lock shaft, the cam member, and the gear wheel can be arranged side by side without being arranged in a line, the axial length of the lock shaft can be reduced. It can be shortened and placed directly under the steering shaft. In addition, a link mechanism is arranged between the electric motor and the lock shaft, and the driving force of the electric motor can be increased by the lever principle of the link mechanism and transmitted to the lock shaft. It can act on the lock shaft.

In addition , since one end in the longitudinal direction of the lock link whose pivot in the center in the longitudinal direction is pivotally supported by the support shaft is connected to the cam member and the other end in the longitudinal direction is connected to the lock shaft, the forward and backward movement of the cam member is locked. To the lock shaft to move the lock shaft between a locked position and an unlocked position.

Further , when the lock shaft does not engage with the engaging groove of the steering shaft during the locking operation and comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface other than the engaging groove of the steering shaft, the slide member moves while compressing the biasing member. Since the driving force from the electric motor is absorbed, the electric motor and the link mechanism are not overloaded. When the lock shaft matches the engaging groove of the steering shaft, the slide member returns to the original position by the biasing force of the biasing member, so that the lock shaft is moved to the lock position by the lock link, and the steering shaft The locked state is maintained by engaging with the engaging groove.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the slide member can move smoothly along the guide groove formed in the body, the lock shaft does not engage with the engagement groove of the steering shaft during the locking operation. At the time of occurrence, the slide member can move against the urging force of the urging member to absorb the driving force of the electric motor.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the amount of protrusion of the lock shaft from the body is adjusted by changing the position of the slide member within a range in which the movement of the support shaft is allowed within the long hole formed in the lock link. can do. For this reason, it is possible to meet various requirements of automobile manufacturers by changing the position of the slide member with respect to the body, and it is possible to share parts for various products.

It is a perspective view which shows the locking mechanism of the electric steering lock apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which fractures | ruptures and shows a part of locking mechanism of the electric steering lock apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a fracture front view showing the unlocking state of the lock mechanism of the electric steering lock device concerning the present invention. It is a fracture front view showing the state in the middle of changing from the unlocked state of the lock mechanism of the electric steering lock device concerning the present invention to the locked state. It is a fracture front view showing the lock state of the lock mechanism of the electric steering lock device concerning the present invention. It is a fracture front view showing the state where abnormality occurred during the lock state shift of the lock mechanism of the electric steering lock device concerning the present invention. It is a fracture front view showing the state in the middle of changing from the locked state of the lock mechanism of the electric steering lock device concerning the present invention to the unlocked state. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the conventional electric steering lock device.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
{Configuration of electric steering lock device}
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a locking mechanism of an electric steering lock device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the locking mechanism in a broken state, and the electric steering device according to the present invention includes a locking mechanism 1. Is housed in a body 2 (only part of which is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2).

Here, the lock mechanism 1 includes an electric motor 3 as a driving source, a worm gear 4 coupled to an output shaft 3a of the electric motor 3, and a substantially cylindrical gear wheel 5 that can rotate around a vertical axis. A rod-shaped cam member 6 partly housed in the gear wheel 5, a lock position where the tip protrudes from the body 2 and engages the steering shaft 20 of the vehicle, and the engagement is released. The lock shaft 7 can be linearly moved (up and down) between the unlock position and the cam member 6 is moved forward and backward (up and down), and the lock shaft 7 is moved to the lock position or the unlock position. And a link mechanism 8 to be made. Note that a plurality (10 in the illustrated example) of spline- like engagement grooves 20a penetrating in the axial direction are formed on the outer periphery of the steering shaft 20 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

  A helical gear 5a meshed with the worm gear 4 is engraved on the outer peripheral surface of the gear wheel 5, and a plurality of female screws 5b (see FIG. 2) are engraved on the upper inner peripheral surface of the gear wheel 5. It is installed. A plurality of male screws 6a (see FIG. 2) that mesh with the female screw 5b formed on the inner peripheral surface of the gear wheel 5 are engraved on the outer peripheral surface of the cam member 6, and mesh with each other. The female screw 5b and the male screw 6a, which perform rotation, constitute a feed screw mechanism that converts the rotation of the gear wheel 5 into the linear movement of the cam member 6 (up and down movement). The gear wheel 5 only rotates about the vertical axis, and its vertical movement is prevented.

  The link mechanism 8 is disposed in the middle of the gear wheel 5 and the cam member 6 and the lock shaft 7 in the lateral direction, and is a slider 9 that is a slide member that is held by the body 2 so as to be movable up and down. A lock link 11 that is pivotally supported by a support shaft 10 and a spring 12 that is a biasing member that biases the slider 9 upward (in the direction of the steering shaft 20).

  Here, a recess 2A that forms a space for the slider 9 to move up and down is formed in a part of the body 2, and a rectangular guide groove is formed at the center in the width direction of the vertical wall that forms the recess 2A. 2a is formed along the up-down direction. The upper wall forming the recess 2A of the body 2 constitutes a stopper portion 2b for restricting the upper limit of the slider 9.

  Block-shaped guide projections 13 and 14 are fitted on the upper and lower ends of the slider 9, respectively, and these guide projections 13 and 14 are fitted in the guide grooves 2 a formed in the body 2, respectively. . Therefore, the slider 9 can move up and down along the guide groove 2 a of the body 2.

A rectangular notch 11a through which a part of the body 2 penetrates in the vertical direction is formed at the longitudinal center of the lock link 11, and the cam member 6 is disposed at both longitudinal ends of the lock link 11. And notches 11b and 11c through which the lock shaft 7 penetrates in the vertical direction. A long hole 11d that is long in the longitudinal direction (lateral direction) is formed at the center in the longitudinal direction of the lock link 11, and the support shaft 10 protruding from the slider 9 is loosely fitted into the long hole 11d. The lock link 11 is pivotally supported on the slider 9 by a support shaft 10 at the center in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the slider 9 is moved in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 (left-right direction) with respect to the body 2 within a range in which the support shaft 10 can move within the long hole 11d formed in the lock link 11, and the position thereof is adjusted. Can do.

Thus, a notch groove 11e is formed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the lock link 11, and the upper end portion of the cam member 6 is connected to one end in the longitudinal direction of the lock link 11 by a pin 15 engaged with the notch groove 11e. ing. Also, the other longitudinal end of the lock link 11, the lower end of the locking shafts bets 7 is connected by a pin 16. In the present embodiment, the spring 17 is provided as a biasing member that biases the lock shaft 7 upward (in the lock position direction). However, the spring 17 is not necessarily required.
{Operation of electric steering lock device}
Next, the operation of the electric steering lock device configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 is a cutaway front view showing the unlocked state of the lock mechanism of the electric steering lock device according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a cutaway front view showing a state during the transition from the unlocked state to the locked state of the lock mechanism. 5 is a cutaway front view showing a locked state of the lock mechanism, FIG. 6 is a cutaway front view showing a state where an abnormality occurs during the lock state transition of the lock mechanism, and FIG. 7 is an unlocked state from the locked state of the lock mechanism. It is a fracture | rupture front view which shows the state in the middle of shifting to a locked state.

(Lock operation)
In the traveling vehicle, the electric steering lock device is in an unlocked state as shown in FIG. 3, and the steering shaft 20 is free because the lock shaft 7 is not engaged with the engaging groove 20a of the steering shaft 20. Therefore, the driver can perform a required steering operation by rotating a steering wheel (not shown). Normally, as shown in FIG. 3, the slider 9, which is always urged upward by the spring 12, moves upward when the guide protrusion 13 fitted to the upper end of the slider 9 abuts against the stopper portion 2 b of the body 2. Therefore, the slider 9 is held at the upper limit position shown in the figure.

  Next, when the driver stops driving the vehicle and parks the engine start switch (not shown), the electric motor 3 is driven, and the output shaft 3a rotates through the worm gear 4 and the helical gear 5a. Since it is transmitted to the gear wheel 5, the gear wheel 5 rotates in a predetermined direction about the vertical axis. When the gear wheel 5 rotates in this way, the action of the feed screw mechanism constituted by the female screw 5b engraved on the inner peripheral surface of the gear wheel 5 and the male screw 6a engraved on the outer peripheral surface of the cam member 6 is achieved. As a result, the cam member 6 moves downward as indicated by an arrow in FIG.

  At this time, since the slider 9 is urged upward in FIG. 4 by the spring 12, the slider 9 functions as a swing shaft in a state where the slider 9 is fixed without moving from the upper limit position. When the cam member 6 moves downward as described above, the lock link 11 having one end in the longitudinal direction connected to the upper end of the cam member 6 swings about the support shaft 10 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 11 is moved upward as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 4, and when the lock shaft 7 is moved to the lock position as shown in FIG. Is engaged with one of the engaging grooves 20 a of the steering shaft 20. When the front end of the lock shaft 7 is engaged with one of the engaging grooves 20a of the steering shaft 20 in this way, the steering shaft 20 is locked in which the rotation of the steering shaft 20 is locked. In this steering lock state, the steering wheel is rotated. This ensures that the vehicle is not stolen because it cannot be operated.

  By the way, depending on the rotational position of the steering shaft 20, the tip of the lock shaft 7 does not engage with the engaging groove 20a of the steering shaft 20 as shown in FIG. There may be contact. In such a case, since the electric motor 3 continues to rotate, the cam member 6 moves downward as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 6, but the slider 9 compresses the spring 12 and guides the body 2. It moves down by δ shown in FIG. 6 along 2a. For this reason, the driving force of the electric motor 3 is absorbed by the downward movement of the slider 9, and no troubles such as an overload acting on the electric motor 3 or the link mechanism 8 to damage them occur.

  Thereafter, when the steering shaft 20 is slightly rotated and the tip end portion of the lock shaft 7 matches one of the engaging grooves 20a of the steering shaft 20 as shown in FIG. In order to return to the upper limit position where the guide protrusion 13 abuts against the stopper portion 2 b of the body 2, the lock shaft 7 is pushed up to the lock position by the lock link 11. Then, the front end portion of the lock shaft 7 is normally engaged with one of the engagement grooves 20a of the steering shaft 20, and the rotation of the steering shaft 20 is locked and the steering operation is impossible.

(Unlock operation)
When the electric steering lock device is in the locked state shown in FIG. 5, when the driver turns on an engine start switch (not shown), the electric motor 3 is driven and the rotating shaft 3 a is reversely rotated. Is transmitted to the gear wheel 5 via the helical gear 5a, and the gear wheel 5 rotates in the reverse direction about the vertical axis. When the gear wheel 5 reverses in this way, the action of the feed screw mechanism constituted by the female screw 5b engraved on the inner peripheral surface of the gear wheel 5 and the male screw 6a engraved on the outer peripheral surface of the cam member 6 is achieved. As a result, the cam member 6 moves upward as indicated by an arrow in FIG.

  When the cam member 6 moves upward as described above, the lock link 11 having one end in the longitudinal direction connected to the upper end of the cam member 6 swings around the support shaft 10 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. The lock shaft 7 connected to the other end in the longitudinal direction of the link 11 moves downward as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 7, and the tip of the lock shaft 7 comes out of the engagement groove 20a of the steering shaft 20 and Since the engagement is released, the rotation of the steering shaft 20 is unlocked. In this unlocked state, the driver can freely rotate the steering wheel, so that the vehicle can travel.

  By the way, even when the state where the lock shaft 7 is caught in the engagement groove 20a of the steering shaft 20 (a stationary state) occurs, the driving force of the electric motor 3 is the lock link during the unlocking operation. 11 is increased by the lever principle of 11 and transmitted to the lock shaft 7, so that the lock shaft 7 does not come out of the engagement groove 20 a of the steering shaft 20, so that it is impossible to shift to the unlocked state. Occurrence is prevented. Further, since the unlocking operation is in a direction in which the slider 9 is pressed against the stopper portion 2b of the body 2, the driving force of the electric motor 3 is transmitted without loss, and a large operating force can be obtained.

  As described above, according to the electric steering lock device according to the present invention, the lock shaft 7, the cam member 6, and the gear wheel 5 can be arranged side by side without being arranged in a row, The length of the lock shaft 7 in the axial direction can be shortened and disposed directly under the steering shaft 20. Since a link mechanism is arranged between the electric motor 3 and the lock shaft 7 and the driving force of the electric motor 3 can be increased by the lever principle of the link mechanism 8 and transmitted to the lock shaft 7, a small driving force can be obtained. Thus, a large operating force can be applied to the lock shaft 7.

  In the present embodiment, one end in the longitudinal direction of the lock link 11 whose longitudinal center is pivotally supported by the support shaft 10 is connected to the cam member 6, and the other longitudinal end of the lock link 11 is connected to the cam member 6. Since the cam member 6 is connected to the lock shaft 7, the forward / backward movement of the cam member 6 can be transmitted to the lock shaft 7 via the lock link 11 to move the lock shaft 7 between the locked position and the unlocked position.

  Furthermore, according to the electric steering lock device according to the present invention, the lock shaft 7 does not engage with the engaging groove 20a of the steering shaft 20 during the locking operation, but abuts on the outer peripheral surface of the steering shaft 20 other than the engaging groove 20a. In this case, the slider 9 moves while compressing the spring 12 to absorb the driving force from the electric motor 3, so that the electric motor 3 and the link mechanism 8 are not overloaded. When the lock shaft 7 matches the engagement groove 20 a of the steering shaft 20, the slider 9 returns to the original position by the biasing force of the spring 12, so that the lock shaft 7 is moved to the lock position by the lock link 11. Then, the locked state is maintained by engaging with the engaging groove 20a of the steering shaft 20.

  In this embodiment, since the slider 9 can move smoothly along the guide groove 2a formed in the body 2, the lock shaft 7 is engaged with the engagement groove 20a of the steering shaft 20 during the locking operation. When an abnormality does not occur, the slider 9 can move against the urging force of the spring 12 to absorb the driving force of the electric motor 3.

  Further, according to the electric steering lock device of the present invention, the position of the slider 9 is changed by changing the position of the slider 9 within the long hole 11d formed in the lock link 11 within a range in which the movement of the support shaft 10 is allowed. The amount of protrusion from the body 2 can be adjusted. For this reason, only by changing the position of the slider 9 with respect to the body 2, it is possible to meet various requirements of automobile manufacturers and to share parts for various products.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lock mechanism 2 Body 2a Body guide groove 2b Body stopper 3 Electric motor 3a Output shaft of electric motor 4 Worm gear 5 Gear wheel 5a Helical gear (gear) of worm gear
5b Worm gear female screw
6 Cam member 6a Cam member male screw
7 Lock shaft 8 Link mechanism 9 Slider (sliding member)
10 Support shaft 11 Lock link 11d Long hole of lock link 12 Spring (biasing member)
13, 14 the guide projections 15, 16 pins 17 spring 20 steering shaft 20a engaging groove of the steering shaft

Claims (3)

An electric steering lock device having a lock mechanism housed in a body,
The locking mechanism is
An electric motor;
A worm gear bound to the output shaft of the electric motor;
A substantially cylindrical gear wheel having a gear meshing with the worm gear on the outer peripheral surface and having a screw engraved on the inner peripheral surface;
A rod-shaped cam member in which a screw engraved on the outer peripheral surface is screwed into the screw of the gear wheel and moves forward and backward in a linear direction;
A lock shaft that is linearly movable between a lock position where a part protrudes from the body and engages a steering shaft of the vehicle and an unlock position where the engagement is released;
A link mechanism that moves the lock shaft to a locked position or an unlocked position in conjunction with the forward and backward movement of the cam member;
Equipped with a,
The link mechanism is configured to include a lock link whose center in the longitudinal direction is pivotally supported by a support shaft, one end in the longitudinal direction of the lock link is connected to the cam member, and the other end in the longitudinal direction is Connected to the lock shaft,
Further, a slide member that is urged toward the steering shaft by the urging member and is held so as to be movable in the same direction as the movement direction of the lock shaft and the cam member is provided on the body.
An electric steering lock device characterized in that a central portion in the longitudinal direction of the lock link is pivotally supported on the slide member by the support shaft . To the body, the electric steering lock device according to claim 1, characterized in that the formation of the guide groove for guiding the slide member forward and backward movement can be. 3. The electric steering lock device according to claim 1, wherein a long hole in the longitudinal direction in which the support shaft is loosely fitted is formed at the center in the longitudinal direction of the lock link.

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