JP6401645B2 - Steering column device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering column device capable of telescopic operation.

  As a steering column device of this type, as shown in FIG. 7, the steering column device 101 of Patent Document 1 has a cylindrical shape, an outer column 103 fixed to the vehicle body side, and an axial direction in the outer column 103. An inner column 104 that is movably inserted and has a cylindrical shape is provided.

  The outer column 103 is provided with a slit 131 penetrating the cylindrical wall along the axial direction and a pair of clamp portions 132 along the slit 131, and the interval between the slits 131 is set via the clamp portion 132. A tightening means 105 for reducing the diameter of the outer column 103 is provided by narrowing. The tightening means 105 includes an operation shaft 151 that passes through the pair of clamp portions 132 and a cam means 152 that is disposed on the operation shaft 151 located outside the clamp portion 132. The cam means 152 includes a fixed cam 152a and a moving cam 152b. By rotating the operation shaft 151 around the axis, the cam crest of the moving cam 152b rides on the cam crest of the fixed cam 152a. 151 is pulled, the interval between the slits 131 is narrowed, and the outer column 103 is reduced in diameter. The outer column 103 is reduced in diameter by the tightening means 105 so that the outer column 103 and the inner column 104 are pressed against each other, and the inner column 104 is held at an arbitrary position by the frictional force between the outer column 103 and fastened. doing.

Patent No. 5545355

  By the way, in such a tightening means 105, when the inner column 104 is tightened more firmly with respect to the outer column 103, the operation force of the tightening means 105 is also increased.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a steering column device capable of strongly fastening an inner column to an outer column with a small operating force.

  The invention of claim 1 has a cylindrical shape, an outer column disposed along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a slit penetrating the cylindrical wall of the outer column along the cylindrical axis direction, and a cylindrical axis of the slit A pair of clamps erected on both edges along the direction, a cylindrical shape, an inner column inserted into the outer column movably in the axial direction of the cylinder, and an axial shape, one end Is engaged with the outer surface of one clamp part, and is disposed through the pair of clamp parts, and the one clamp part side is located at a position between the pair of clamp parts from the other clamp part side. The operation shaft provided with a step portion set to a large diameter and the operation lever arranged on the operation shaft located on the outer surface side of the other clamp portion are operated to rotate around the shaft in the fastening direction. The axial dimension increases, the space between the clamps is reduced, The outer column is reduced in diameter and is composed of a cam means that press-contacts the inner column and a plate-like member. The movable friction plate arranged on the inner column and the plate-like member are arranged on the outer column. And a portion of the operation shaft between the clamp portions that is smaller in diameter than the stepped portion passes through the laminate in the laminating direction, and the operation shaft of the cam means is disposed between the clamp portions. When the dimension of the direction increases and the operating shaft moves to the cam means side, the movable friction plate and the fixed friction plate are pressed against each other between the stepped portion and the inner surface of the other clamp portion. And a friction lock means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the steering column device according to the first aspect, the slit is inserted from the rear end edge of the outer column from the rear end of the outer column, and is positioned at an intermediate position in the telescopic position adjustment range. The outer column corresponding to the front end of the inner column is cut into a portion.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the steering column device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the steering column device is disposed at a position on the outer peripheral surface of the inner column located in the slit, and one end of the movable friction plate is disposed on the steering column device. It is characterized by including a support member that supports the support pins that pass therethrough.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the steering column device according to the third aspect, the pair of clamp portions are positioned on the rear end side of the slit, and the slits extend from the front ends of the pair of clamp portions to the front end portions of the slits. A pair of protrusions extends along the line.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the steering column device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, one of the protrusions opens along the cylinder axis direction of the outer column, and the support pin is movable along the cylinder axis direction. It is characterized by having a telescopic long hole penetrating into.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the steering column device according to the fifth aspect, the other projection is provided with an assembly hole that opens larger in diameter than the end surface of the support pin.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the frictional force between the outer column and the inner column can be increased by providing the friction locking means, the fastening force of the inner column can be increased with a small operating force on the outer column. Can do.

  In addition, the outer column is elastically restored and the gap between the pair of clamp members is widened, and at the same time, a clearance between the movable side friction plate and the fixed side friction plate is secured in the fastening release holding. As a result, the fastening is released and the frictional resistance generated when the telescopic position adjustment of the inner column is performed can be suppressed, and excellent operability can be exhibited.

  In the invention of claim 2, since the slit is cut to a portion corresponding to the front end of the inner column located at the intermediate position in the telescopic position adjustment range, sufficient rigidity is obtained when the inner column moves in the cylinder axis direction. The outer column can be reduced in diameter with a small operating force.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the support member is disposed in the slit, so that the rotation can be prevented without separately providing a rotation preventing member for the direction around the axis of the inner column.

  In the invention of claim 4, by extending the protruding portion from the clamp portion along the slit, it is possible to increase the rigidity of the outer column without impairing the ease of diameter reduction.

  In the invention of claim 5, the telescopic position adjustment range can be set without providing a separate member by providing the telescopic elongated hole in one of the protruding portions and penetrating the support shaft movably through the elongated telescopic hole. it can.

  In the invention of claim 6, the assembly work of the support pin can be easily performed by providing the assembly hole in the other protrusion.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a left view which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a right view which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a bottom view showing one embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing along the VV line of FIG. It is sectional drawing along the VI-VI line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows a prior art.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the present embodiment is a manual steering column apparatus 1. Further, the steering column device 1 of the present embodiment includes a mounting bracket 2 for fixing to the vehicle body, an outer column 3 supported by the mounting bracket 2 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction of the vehicle (tilt position can be adjusted), a vehicle An inner column 4 supported by the outer column 3 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction (adjustable telescopic position) and a fastening means 5 for fastening the mounting bracket 2, the outer column 3 and the inner column 4 together are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the mounting bracket 2 includes an upper fixing portion 21 that is fixed to a ceiling surface (not shown) of the vehicle body, and a pair of hanging portions that hang down from the left and right edge measuring portions of the upper fixing portion 21. 22. The mounting bracket 2 includes a lower fixing portion 21a that is fixed to the vehicle body from the lateral direction with a bolt (not shown) and a shaft support portion 23 that pivotally supports the outer column 3 at the front end portion thereof. In the pair of hanging portions 22, a tilt elongated hole 24 that defines a tilt position adjustment range along the vehicle vertical direction (tilt direction) is opened. The tilt long hole 24 is an arc-shaped long hole centered on the shaft support portion 23.

  The outer column 3 has a cylindrical shape, and is disposed between the pair of hanging portions 22 along the vehicle front-rear direction. The outer column 3 is provided with a shaft support portion 30 at the upper edge portion on the front end side, and the shaft support portion 30 is supported by the shaft support portion 23 of the mounting bracket 2 via a bolt 23a. 3 swings in the vehicle vertical direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the outer column 3 is provided with a slit 31 that extends from the rear end edge along the cylinder axis direction while penetrating the lower surface of the cylinder wall 3 a. The dimension of the slit 31 in the cylinder axis direction is such that the inner column 4 inserted from the rear end of the outer column 3 is positioned at the intermediate position in the telescopic position adjustment range along the vehicle longitudinal direction. It is set to cut up to the corresponding outer column 3 part.

  In addition, a pair of clamp portions 32 and a pair of protrusions 33 are continuously provided on both edge portions of the slit 31 along the cylinder axis direction. The clamp portion 32 is located on the rear end side of the slit 31 and is erected along the vehicle vertical direction at a portion facing the hanging portion 22. The protruding portion 33 extends along the slit 31 from the front end of each clamp portion 32 to the front end portion of the slit 31. As shown in FIG. 2, a telescopic elongated hole 33 a that extends along the cylinder axis direction and penetrates in the vehicle width direction is opened in the left protruding portion 33 </ b> L that is one protruding portion 33. The telescopic position adjustment range is defined by the dimension of the telescopic elongated hole 33a in the cylinder axis direction. A support pin 33b, which will be described later, is inserted into the telescopic elongated hole 33a so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 3, an assembly hole 33c having a larger diameter than the end face of the support pin 33b passes through the right protrusion 33R, which is the other protrusion 33, penetrating in the vehicle width direction. The assembly hole 33c is used when the support pin 33b is assembled to the support member 41 described later.

  The inner column 4 has a cylindrical shape, and is inserted in the cylinder of the outer column 3 so as to be movable in the cylinder axis direction. A steering shaft 11 is supported in the cylinders of the inner column 4 and the outer column 3. The steering shaft 11 includes a lower shaft 11L that is pivotally supported in the outer column 3 and an upper shaft 11U that is pivotally supported in the inner column 4. By connecting the upper shaft 11U and the lower shaft 11L by spline, the upper shaft 11U and the lower shaft 11L rotate integrally around the axis, and the upper shaft 11U can move relative to the lower shaft 11L in the axial direction. Has been.

  The fastening means 5 includes an operation shaft 51, cam means 52, and friction lock means 53.

  The operation shaft 51 has a stepped shaft shape in which one end side is set to have a larger diameter than the other end side by a step portion 51a. The operation shaft 51 is disposed along the vehicle width direction, passes through the tilt long holes 24 of the pair of hanging portions 22 and the pair of clamp portions 32 of the outer column 3, and does not rotate around the shaft. In addition, the large diameter side is formed in a deformed shape (in this case, a quadrangle), and is fitted to the deformed hole of the right clamp portion 32R. The operation shaft 51 has a washer that is engaged with the outer surface of the right hanging part 22R at one end thereof by a nut, and the other end protrudes toward the outer surface of the left hanging part 22L. And an operation lever 54 are installed. That is, one end of the operation shaft 51 is engaged with the outer surface of the right clamp part 32R, which is one clamp part 32, via the right hanging part 22R. In addition, cam means 52 is arranged at a position on the operation shaft 51 located between the operation lever 54 and the left hanging part 22L. That is, the cam means 52 is disposed on the outer surface side of the left clamp portion 32L, which is the other clamp portion 32.

  The cam means 52 includes a fixed cam 52a and a rotating cam 52b.

  The fixed cam 52a has a wide annular shape through which the operation shaft 51 penetrates the center, and the fixed cam surface is arranged facing the operation lever 54 side. Further, the fixed cam 52a is arranged such that the back surface side of the fixed cam surface is fitted in the tilt long hole 24, does not rotate around the operation shaft 51, and is movable up and down in the tilt long hole 24. On the fixed cam surface, crests and troughs are alternately formed in the circumferential direction.

  The rotary cam 52b is integrally coupled to the operation lever 54, has a wide annular shape through which the operation shaft 51 passes, and is arranged so that the rotary cam surface faces the fixed cam surface. Further, a nut is screwed to the end of the operation shaft 51 that passes through the rotary cam 52 b and is assembled to the operation shaft 51 so as to rotate around the operation shaft 51. On the rotating cam surface, crests and troughs are alternately formed in the circumferential direction. The nut screwed to both ends of the operation shaft 51 is provided with a locking structure.

  In the cam means 52, the crests of the fixed cam 52a and the crests of the rotating cam 52b overlap, so that the axial dimensions of the fixed cam 52a and the rotating cam 52b are expanded. As a result, the distance between the pair of drooping portions 22L and 22R is narrowed, so that the outer column 3 is reduced in diameter, and the inner peripheral surface of the outer column 3 is pressed and fastened to the outer peripheral surface of the inner column 4. Further, the cam means 52 has the axial dimension of the cam means 52 narrowed by overlapping the peak portion of the fixed cam 52a and the valley portion of the rotating cam 52b. As a result, the distance between the pair of hanging portions 22L and 22R increases, so that the inner column 4 can move in the cylinder axis direction with respect to the outer column 3.

  The friction locking means 53 is composed of a laminated body 53s in which fixed-side friction plates 53a and movable-side friction plates 53b, both of which are plate members, are alternately laminated. Further, the friction locking means 53 is disposed at a portion corresponding to the slit 31 between the clamp portions 32 so that a portion on the operation shaft 51 on the smaller diameter side than the step portion 51a penetrates the stacked body 53s in the stacking direction. Is done. Note that fixed side friction plates 53a are stacked on the outermost side of the stacked body 53s. The number of movable friction plates 53b and fixed friction plates 53a depends on the operating force of the operating lever that is set and the fastening force that is set between the inner column 4 and the outer column 3 by the fastening means 5. Is set.

  The fixed friction plate 53 a is made of a thin plate material having a washer-like wide annular shape, and an operation shaft 51 (described later) passes through the center hole, and is disposed on the outer column 3 via the operation shaft 51.

  The movable friction plate 53b is made of a thin plate material having a rectangular frame shape that is long in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the operation shaft 51 is movable in the longitudinal direction in the telescopic long hole 53c that opens along the cylinder axis direction. To penetrate. The movable friction plate 53b has a mounting hole in the front short side frame portion 53d, and is supported by the support member 41 via a support pin 33b penetrating the mounting hole. The support member 41 is located in the slit 31 and is erected downward from a lower edge portion that is a portion on the outer peripheral surface of the inner column 4. That is, the movable friction plate 53 b is arranged on the inner column 4 via the support member 41. The dimension of the telescopic long hole 53c along the cylinder axis direction is set to be slightly wider than the telescopic position adjustment range while overlapping the entire telescopic position adjustment range set by the telescopic long hole 33a. Has been.

  Next, the assembly procedure of the steering column device 1 of this embodiment will be described. First, the inner column 4 is inserted into the cylinder of the outer column 3 while the support member 41 of the inner column 4 is inserted into the slit 31 of the outer column 3. A resin collar 3 a is interposed between the outer column 3 and the inner column 4. The resin collar 3 a is locked to the inner surface of the outer column 3.

  Next, the outer column 3 is disposed between the hanging portions 22 of the mounting bracket 2, and the outer column 3 is supported using the suspension spring 14 while supporting the shaft support portion 30 of the outer column 3 on the shaft support portion 23 of the mounting bracket 2. 3 is suspended from the mounting bracket 2.

  Further, the movable friction plate 53 b and the fixed friction plate 53 a are laminated to assemble the friction lock means 53, the assembled friction lock means 53 is disposed between the clamp portions 32, and the operation shaft 51 penetrates the friction lock means 53. Assembling, the mounting bracket 2 and the outer column 3 are assembled. The operation shaft 51 includes a tilt elongated hole 24 of the right hanging part 22R, a right clamping part 32R, friction locking means 53 (telescopic elongated hole 53c of the movable friction plate 53b), a left clamping part 32L, and a tilt length of the left hanging part 22L. The cam means 52 and the operating lever 54 are assembled outside the left hanging part 22L through the holes 24 in this order. A nut is screwed to each end of the operation shaft 51 to generate a necessary axial force and is fixed by a locking member.

  Next, in a state where the front short side frame portion 53d of the movable friction plate 53b is disposed on the support member 41, the support pin 33b is inserted from the assembly hole 33c of the right protrusion 33R, and the support member 41 and the front short side are inserted. The front end portion of the support pin 33b is passed through the telescopic elongated hole 33a of the right protruding portion 33R while penetrating through the attachment hole of the frame portion 53d. Then, the collar 51b is inserted into the tip of the support pin 33b, and the C-shaped clip 51c is used to prevent the collar 51b from coming off. Then, the upper shaft 11U is splined to the lower shaft 11L and inserted from the front end side of the outer column 3, and the lower shaft 11L is pivotally supported in the cylinder of the outer column 3 via the outer bearing 12, and two The upper shaft 11U is pivotally supported in the cylinder of the inner column 4 via the inner bearing 13.

  Next, an operation procedure of the steering column device 1 of the present embodiment will be described. In order to fix the inner column 4 to a desired position, first, the inner column 4 is moved in the tilt direction (vehicle up-down direction) and the telescopic direction (vehicle front-back direction), and the operation lever 54 is swung upward. Next, when the operating lever 54 is swung upward, the rotating cam 52b of the cam means 52 provided integrally with the operating lever 54 rotates, and the peak portion of the fixed cam 52a and the peak portion of the rotating cam 52b. Are overlapped, the dimension in the operation axis direction is increased, and the operation shaft 51 is pulled to the left in FIG. By pulling the operating shaft 51 to the left side, the dimension between the pair of hanging parts 22 is narrowed, and the dimension between the pair of clamp parts 32 is narrowed, thereby reducing the diameter of the outer column 3. Then, when the outer column 3 is reduced in diameter, the inner peripheral surface of the outer column 3 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the inner column 4.

  In the friction lock means 53, the operation shaft 51 is pulled to the left in FIG. 5 via the cam means 52, so that the stepped portion 51a of the operation shaft 51 is on the left clamp portion 32L (the other clamp portion 32) side. Move to. As a result, the movable friction plate 53b and the fixed friction plate 53a are pressed against each other between the step portion 51a and the inner surface of the left clamp portion 32L.

  The inner column 4 is fastened to the outer column 3 by the inner peripheral surface of the outer column 3 being pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the inner column 4 and the movable friction plate 53b and the fixed friction plate 53a being pressed.

  Further, in order to adjust the position of the inner column 4, the fastening between the inner column 4 and the outer column 3 is released. For this purpose, first, the operation lever 54 is swung downward. By swinging the operating lever 54 downward, the rotating cam 52b of the cam means 52 provided integrally with the operating lever 54 rotates, and the crest of the fixed cam 52a and the trough of the rotating cam 52b overlap. The dimension in the operation axis direction contracts and the operation axis 51 is loosened. Thereby, the outer column 3 is elastically restored, the interval between the pair of clamp portions 32 is expanded, and the fastening between the inner peripheral surface of the outer column 3 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner column 4 is released.

  Further, since the operation shaft 51 is loosened and the pair of clamp portions 32 are elastically restored, the operation shaft 51 is pulled to the right side in FIG. 5, so that the friction lock means 53 has the movable friction plate 53b and the fixed friction plate 53a. Is released, and a gap is secured between the movable friction plate 53b and the fixed friction plate 53a.

  The pressure contact between the inner peripheral surface of the outer column 3 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner column 4 is released, and the movable side friction plate 53b and the fixed side friction plate 53a are separated, so that the tilt direction and the telescopic direction of the inner column 4 are achieved. Can be easily adjusted.

  As described above, according to the embodiment, since the frictional force between the outer column 3 and the inner column 4 can be increased by providing the friction locking means 53, the inner column 4 is attached to the outer column 3 with a small operating force. It can be concluded with.

  In addition, the outer column 3 is elastically restored and the gap between the pair of clamp portions 32 is widened, and at the same time, a gap between the movable side friction plate 53b and the fixed side friction plate 53a is ensured for releasing the fastening. Thereby, the fastening is released, the frictional resistance generated when the position of the inner column 4 is adjusted can be suppressed, and excellent operability can be exhibited. In addition, it is not necessary to separately provide a means for urging the operation shaft 51 in the release direction (right side in FIG. 5), so that the number of parts can be reduced.

  Since the slit 31 is cut to a portion corresponding to the front end of the inner column 4 located at the intermediate position in the telescopic position adjustment range, the outer column 3 has sufficient rigidity when the inner column 4 moves in the cylinder axis direction. The outer column 3 can be reduced in diameter with a small operating force.

  By disposing the support member 41 in the slit 31, it is possible to prevent rotation without separately providing a rotation prevention member with respect to the direction around the axis of the inner column 4.

  By extending the protruding portion 33 from the clamp portion 32 along the slit 31, the rigidity of the outer column 3 can be increased without impairing the ease of diameter reduction.

  The telescopic position adjustment range can be set without providing a separate member by providing the telescopic long hole 33a in the left protrusion 33L and penetrating the support pin 33b so as to be movable in the telescopic long hole 33a.

  By providing the assembly hole 33c in the right protrusion 33R, the assembly work of the support pin 33b can be easily performed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the inner column 4 is configured by press-fitting two cylindrical members and is capable of contracting in the axial direction due to a secondary collision of an occupant. good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Steering column apparatus 3 ... Outer column 3a ... Cylindrical wall 4 ... Inner column 31 ... Slit 32 ... Clamp part 33 ... Protruding part 33a ... Telescopic long hole 33b ... Support pin 33c ... Assembly hole 51 ... Operation shaft 51a ... Step part 52 ... Cam means 53 ... Friction lock means 53a ... Fixed side friction plate 53b ... Movable side friction plate 53s ... Laminated body 55 ... Support member

Claims (6)

An outer column having a cylindrical shape and disposed along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle;
A slit that penetrates the cylindrical wall of the outer column along the cylindrical axis direction;
A pair of clamp portions erected on both edges along the cylindrical axis direction of the slit;
An inner column having a cylindrical shape and inserted into the outer column so as to be movable in the cylinder axis direction;
It has an axial shape and is arranged through the pair of clamp parts with one end engaged with the outer surface of one clamp part, and the one clamp part side is located between the pair of clamp parts. An operating shaft provided with a step portion set to have a larger diameter than the other clamp portion side;
By rotating the operation lever arranged on the operation shaft located on the outer surface side of the other clamp part in the fastening direction around the axis, the dimension in the operation axis direction is increased, and the space between the clamp parts is increased. Cam means for narrowing, reducing the diameter of the outer column, and press-contacting the inner column;
The clamp portion is made of a laminate in which a movable friction plate arranged on the inner column and a movable friction plate arranged on the inner column and a fixed friction plate arranged on the outer column are laminated. The portion on the operation shaft between the step portion on the smaller diameter side passes through the laminate in the stacking direction, the dimension of the cam means in the operation shaft direction increases, and the operation shaft moves to the cam means side. Thus, a steering column device comprising: friction lock means for pressing the movable friction plate and the fixed friction plate between the stepped portion and the inner surface of the other clamp portion. In the steering column device according to claim 1,
The slit is
From the rear edge of the outer column,
A steering column device, which is inserted from a rear end of the outer column and cuts to a portion of the outer column corresponding to a front end of the inner column located at an intermediate position in a telescopic position adjustment range. In the steering column device according to claim 1 or claim 2,
A steering column device, comprising: a support member that is disposed at a position on the outer peripheral surface of the inner column located in the slit and supports a support pin that penetrates one end of the movable friction plate. In the steering column device according to claim 3,
The pair of clamp portions are located on the rear end side of the slit,
A steering column device, wherein a pair of projecting portions are extended along the slit from the front ends of the pair of clamp portions to the front end portion of the slit. In the steering column device according to claim 4,
A steering column device comprising: a telescopic elongated hole that opens in one of the projecting portions along the cylinder axis direction of the outer column and through which the support pin movably passes along the cylinder axis direction. In the steering column device according to claim 5,
A steering column device, wherein the other protrusion is provided with an assembly hole that opens to a larger diameter than the end surface of the support pin.

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