JP6515673B2 - Steering column device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering column device.

  Conventionally, a steering shaft having a steering wheel fixed at its end, a steering column rotatably supporting the steering shaft, and a lock mechanism for fixing the steering column to the vehicle body are provided. There is known a steering column apparatus which enables tilt adjustment of a wheel and supports a steering column at a tilt adjusted position with a lock mechanism in a locked state (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The steering column apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a column-side bracket fixed to the steering column, a vehicle-side bracket fixed to the vehicle body having a pair of side plates facing each other across the column-side bracket, and a column-side bracket And a tilt spring disposed between the column side bracket and the vehicle body side bracket to prevent the steering column from falling due to its own weight.

  The lock mechanism includes a tilt elongated hole formed in the vehicle body side bracket and a tilt bolt inserted through the telescopic elongated hole formed in the column side bracket and an operation lever supported by the tilt bolt and operated by the driver. A cam mechanism including a second cam member generating a cam thrust by relative rotation between a first cam member rotated about the central axis of the tilt bolt by operation of the control lever, and a vehicle body; A friction plate for generating a frictional force between one side plate of the side bracket and the second cam member of the cam mechanism.

  The second cam member is arranged to be axially movable with respect to the tilt bolt. On a surface of the second cam member opposite to the first cam member, there are formed a high portion and a low portion, which have mutually different axial heights, and an inclined portion formed between the high portion and the low portion. . The surface of the first cam member facing the second cam member is provided with a plurality of protrusions for pressing the above-described high portion, bottom portion, and inclined portion.

  When the driver adjusts the position of the steering wheel, the control lever is rotated to rotate the first cam member so that the projection of the first cam member faces the bottom of the second cam member. As a result, the cam thrust of the cam mechanism is released, and the column side bracket is released from being held by the pair of side plates of the vehicle body side bracket. As a result, it becomes possible to move the tilt bolt along the shape of the long hole in the side plate of the side plate of the vehicle body side bracket, and tilt adjustment becomes possible.

JP 2012-11837 A

  By the way, the further weight reduction of a vehicle is required from the rise of environmental awareness in recent years. In addition, particularly in the case of a steering column device mounted on a small car, excellent mountability that can be mounted in a narrow space is required. It is conceivable to reduce parts as a measure for such weight reduction and improvement in mountability.

  Here, among the components of the steering column device, the tilt spring exerts its function only at the time of tilt adjustment, so it is conceivable to eliminate this tilt spring. However, when the tilt spring is simply abolished, when the lock mechanism is released, the steering column device moves together with the steering wheel in the falling direction by its own weight, and the driver itself does not sufficiently support the steering wheel. Also, there is a risk that the steering column device or the steering wheel may hit the driver's knee or the like.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the steering column apparatus which can suppress the movement to the fall direction by dead weight, even if a tilt spring is abolished.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a steering column rotatably supporting a steering shaft having a steering wheel fixed to an end, a column side bracket fixed to the steering column, and the column side bracket The vehicle comprises: a vehicle-side bracket having a pair of side plates sandwiching and opposed to each other and fixed to the vehicle body; and a lock mechanism for fixing the column-side bracket to the vehicle-side bracket, the lock mechanism comprising the column-side bracket A shaft-like member inserted into a vehicle-body-side bracket, an operation lever operated to rotate about the central axis of the shaft-like member, a cam mechanism for producing a cam thrust by the rotation operation of the operation lever, and operation of the cam mechanism And a friction plate compressed and elastically deformed by the cam mechanism, the cam mechanism Therefore, the friction plate is compressed to generate a frictional force between the vehicle body side bracket and the column side bracket to fix the column side bracket to the vehicle body side bracket, and the friction plate is the cam A steering column device is provided, which generates a frictional force that suppresses the movement of the steering column and the column side bracket in the falling direction by the restoring force when the thrust is released.

  According to the present invention, even if the tilt spring is eliminated, it is possible to suppress the movement in the falling direction due to its own weight.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is sectional drawing which shows typically the principal part of the steering column apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view showing an example of composition of an upper bracket and its peripheral part. The upper bracket is shown, (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view. The steering column and the column side bracket fixed to the outer tube of a steering column are shown, (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view. The tilt bolt is shown, (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view. A friction plate is shown, (a) is an end elevation, (b) is a top view. It is a perspective view showing an example of composition of a cam mechanism. It is an external view which shows an operation lever. The 1st cam member is shown, (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, (c) is a rear view. The 2nd cam member is shown, (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, (c) is a rear view. It is explanatory drawing which shows the inoperative state of a cam mechanism. It is an explanatory view showing the operation state of a cam mechanism.

Embodiment
A steering column apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12. The steering column apparatus is capable of adjusting the position of the steering wheel of the vehicle in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction according to the physical constitution and the driving posture of the driver. In the following description, left, right, upper and lower, and front and rear mean the left, right, upper and lower, and front and rear of the vehicle on which the steering column device is mounted.

(Whole structure of steering column device)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a main part of a steering column device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The steering column device 1 includes a steering shaft 2 with a steering wheel 100 fixed at an end, a steering column 3 rotatably supporting the steering shaft 2, and a steering assist device 4 applying steering assist force to the steering shaft 2. The lower bracket 5 rotatably supports the steering column 3 via the housing 40 of the steering assist device 4 and the upper bracket 6 supports the steering column 3 on the steering wheel 100 side of the lower bracket 5 . The upper bracket 6 corresponds to the vehicle body side bracket of the present invention.

  The steering shaft 2 has an upper shaft 20 and a lower shaft 21 disposed so as to be relatively non-rotatable and axially movable with respect to the upper shaft 20. The steering shaft 2 is rotatably supported around its axis in the steering column 3, and is connected to a steering mechanism (not shown) formed of, for example, a rack and pinion mechanism via a universal joint 22 or the like. Then, the steering shaft 2 transmits the rotational force of the steering wheel 100 as a steering force to the steering mechanism to steer the steered wheels (not shown) of the vehicle.

  The upper shaft 20 is disposed on the steering wheel 100 side of the steering shaft 2, and the steering wheel 100 is fixed to the end exposed to the outside of the steering column 3. The upper shaft 20 is a cylindrical member that accommodates part of the lower shaft 21.

  The lower shaft 21 is disposed on the lower side (steering mechanism side) of the steering shaft 2, and one end on the lower side is connected to the steering assist device 4. The lower shaft 21 is connected to the upper shaft 20 so as to be relatively movable along its axis. The lower shaft 21 and the upper shaft 20 are non-rotatably coupled, for example, by spline fitting.

  The steering column 3 has an outer tube 30 on the steering wheel 100 side and an inner tube 31 on the housing 40 side. The outer tube 30 is disposed on the inner tube 31 so as to be relatively movable along its axial direction. A column side bracket 32 is attached to the outer tube 30, and the column side bracket 32 is supported by an upper bracket 6 fixed to the vehicle body 9. The upper capsule 6 is attached with a locking capsule 63 which can be detached by an impact when the vehicle collides, and the locking capsule 63 is fixed to the vehicle body 9 by a bolt 92. In FIG. 1, the steering shaft 2 and the steering column 3 are illustrated in a cross section cut along the respective central axes.

  The steering assist device 4 includes an electric motor receiving supply of motor current from a controller (not shown), a reduction gear for decelerating the output of the electric motor, and a torque sensor for detecting a steering torque applied to the steering wheel 100 by the driver of the vehicle. In a housing 40. The steering assist device 4 supplies a motor current having a magnitude corresponding to the steering torque detected by the torque sensor from the controller to the electric motor, and assists the driver's operation of the steering wheel 100.

  The lower bracket 5 has a vehicle body mounting flange 50 fastened to the vehicle body 9 via a bolt 91 and is fixed to the vehicle body 9. The lower bracket 5 is formed with a through hole 5a through which a support shaft 41 fixed to the housing 40 of the steering assist device 4 is inserted, and the housing 40 is swingably supported by the lower bracket 5 via the support shaft 41. ing.

  The upper shaft 20 and the outer tube 30 are axially immovable and relatively rotatable. The lower shaft 21 and the inner tube 31 can not move in the axial direction and can relatively rotate. The upper shaft 20 is rotatably supported by the outer tube 30 by a bearing 23, and the lower shaft 21 is rotatably supported by the inner tube 31 by a bearing 24. Thus, the upper shaft 20 and the outer tube 30 are integrally movable in the axial direction with respect to the lower shaft 21 and the inner tube 31.

  The upper bracket 6 is formed with a vertically elongated hole 621a as a first through hole through which the tilt bolt 33, which rotates in accordance with the swing of the operation lever 36 operated by the driver, is inserted. Further, the column side bracket 32 is formed with a horizontally elongated hole 321 a as a second through hole through which the tilt bolt 33 is inserted. The tilt bolt 33 passes through the horizontally elongated hole 321 a of the column side bracket 32 and the vertically elongated hole 621 a of the upper bracket 6. With this configuration, the column side bracket 32 is supported by the upper bracket 6 via the tilt bolt 33.

  The column side bracket 32 is sandwiched between a pair of side plates of the upper bracket 6 by the cam thrust of the cam mechanism 7 when the cam mechanism 7 (see FIG. 2) to be described later operates in response to the operation of the operation lever 36. Fixed relative to the On the other hand, when the cam mechanism 7 is inactivated in response to the operation of the control lever 36, the cam thrust of the cam mechanism 7 is released, and the column side bracket 32 becomes movable relative to the upper bracket 6. As a result, the column side bracket 32 can be displaced in the front-rear direction according to the length of the laterally elongated hole 321 a with respect to the upper bracket 6, and vertically displaced according to the length of the longitudinally elongated hole 621 a.

  According to the steering column apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, the steering shaft 2 and the steering column 3 extend and contract in the axial direction, whereby the position of the steering wheel 100 in the front-rear direction is adjusted (telescopic adjustment). The shaft 2 is rotated about the support shaft 41 to adjust the position of the steering wheel 100 in the vertical direction (tilt adjustment).

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the upper bracket 6, the column side bracket 32, and the periphery thereof.

  The upper bracket 6 is fixed to a central portion of a vehicle body mounting portion 61 attached to the vehicle body 9 and extending in a lateral direction (vehicle width direction of the vehicle) orthogonal to the axial direction of the steering column 3 The main body portion 62 includes first and second side plates 621 and 622 as a pair of side plates hanging downward from the vehicle body attachment portion 61 and facing in the left-right direction. The main body portion 62 is joined to the vehicle body attachment portion 61 by welding, for example.

  The vehicle body attachment portion 61 integrally includes a joint portion 610 joined to the main body portion 62 and a pair of attachment stays 611 which respectively protrude from both ends of the joint portion 610 in the left-right direction. A notch groove 611a cut in a U-shape is formed in the pair of attachment stays 611, and a locking capsule 63 (shown in FIG. 1) is fitted in the notch groove 611a.

  The main body portion 62 integrally includes a substrate 620 fixed to the joint portion 610 of the vehicle body attachment portion 61, and a first side plate 621 and a second side plate 622 which are formed to descend downward from both ends of the substrate 620. doing. The first side plate 621 and the second side plate 622 face each other with the column side bracket 32 interposed therebetween.

  The first side plate 621 is formed with vertically elongated holes 621 a extending in the vertical direction. Similarly, the second side plate 622 is formed with a vertically elongated hole 622 a extending in the vertical direction. A tilt bolt 33 as a shaft-like member is inserted through the vertically elongated holes 621 a of the first side plate 621 and the vertically elongated holes 622 a of the second side plate 622.

  The column side bracket 32 is disposed between the first and second side plates 621 and 622 in the upper bracket 6. The column side bracket 32 includes a first plate portion 321 pressed by the first side plate 621 of the upper bracket 6, a second plate portion 322 pressed by the first side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6, and a first plate portion 321. And the connection part 320 formed by connecting the edge parts on the opposite side with the outer tube 30 of the 2nd board part 321, 322 is integrally provided. The first and second plate portions 321 and 322 are fixed to the outer tube 30 at the tip end opposite to the connecting portion 320 side.

  In the first plate portion 321, a laterally elongated hole 321a (see FIG. 1) extending in the front-rear direction is formed as an insertion hole through which the tilt bolt 33 is inserted. Similarly, a laterally elongated hole 322 a extending in the front-rear direction is formed in the second plate portion 322 as an insertion hole through which the tilt bolt 33 is inserted.

  The horizontally elongated holes 321 a of the first plate portion 321 in the column side bracket 32 intersect the vertically elongated holes 621 a of the first side plate 621 in the upper bracket 6. Similarly, the horizontally elongated holes 322 a of the second plate portion 322 in the column side bracket 32 intersect the vertically elongated holes 622 a of the second side plate 622 in the upper bracket 6.

  The tilt bolt 33 is disposed to pass through the vertically elongated holes 621a and 622a of the upper bracket 6 and the horizontally elongated holes 321a and 322a (only the horizontally elongated hole 322a is shown in FIG. 2) of the column side bracket 32. The tilt bolt 33 is vertically displaceable with respect to the first and second side plates 621 and 622 of the upper bracket 6 along the vertically elongated holes 621 a and 622 a when the cam mechanism 7 is not in operation. The first and second plate portions 321 and 322 are axially displaceable along the laterally elongated holes 321 a and 322 a of the side bracket 32.

The end of the upper bracket 6 of the tilt bolt 33 exposed from the second side plate 622 is
A cam mechanism 7 for generating a fastening force for fastening the upper bracket 6 and the column side bracket 32 and an operation lever 36 pivotally supported by the tilt bolt 33 to operate the cam mechanism 7 are provided. A hexagonal nut 34 for fixing the control lever 36 and the cam mechanism 7 to the end of the tilt bolt 33 is attached to the end of the tilt bolt 33.

  FIG. 3 shows the upper bracket 6, (a) is a front view, and (b) is a side view.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the first side plate 621 of the main body 62 of the upper bracket 6 has a second inner surface facing the inner side (the column side bracket 32 side shown in FIG. 2) of the upper bracket 6. An end surface 621 c which is formed as an opposing surface 621 b facing the side plate 622 and opposite to the opposing surface 621 b points outward of the upper bracket 6. Similarly, the second side plate 621 is formed such that the inner surface facing the inward of the upper bracket 6 is an opposing surface 622 b facing the first side plate 621, and the end surface 622 c opposite to the opposing surface 622 b is the upper bracket 6. It is directed to the outside of the

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the vertically elongated holes 622a of the second side plate 622 have a substantially rectangular shape in a side view, and the short sides are arc-like with respect to the long sides linearly extending in the vertical direction It is formed. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the first side plate 621 is also formed with vertically elongated holes 621 a (shown in FIG. 1) having the same shape as the vertically elongated holes 622 a of the second side plate 622. Further, in the second side plate 622, a pair of rectangular through holes 622d are formed in the lower part of the vertically elongated holes 622a.

  FIG. 4 shows the column side bracket 32 fixed to the outer tube 30 of the steering column 3, (a) is a front view, and (b) is a side view.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the facing surface 321b of the first plate portion 321 of the column side bracket 32 with the first side plate 621 (shown in FIG. 3A) of the upper bracket 6 is the outer tube 30. Except for the tip fixed to the first wall portion 621, and is formed in a plane parallel to the first wall portion 621. Similarly, the opposite surface 322 b of the second plate portion 322 of the column side bracket 32 with the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6 is parallel to the second side plate 622 except for the tip fixed to the outer tube 30. It has a flat shape.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the first plate portion 321 of the column side bracket 32 is formed with a horizontally long hole 321a through which the tilt bolt 33 (shown in FIG. 2) is inserted. Further, the second plate portion 322 is formed with a horizontally elongated hole 322 a through which the tilt bolt 33 is inserted.

  FIG. 5 shows the tilt bolt 33, where (a) is a front view and (b) is a side view. The tilt bolt 33 integrally includes the shaft portion 331, the flange portion 332 provided at one end of the shaft portion 331 in the longitudinal direction, and the screw portion 333 provided at the other end of the shaft portion 331 in the longitudinal direction. doing. The outer diameter of the shaft portion 331 is slightly smaller than the vertical width (vertical width) of the horizontally elongated holes 321a and 322a (shown in FIG. 4) of the first and second plate portions 321 and 322 of the column side bracket 32. While being formed in dimensions, it is slightly smaller than the lateral width (axial direction width) of the vertically elongated holes 621a, 622a (shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4B) of the first and second side plates 621, 622 of the upper bracket 6. Are formed in small dimensions.

  The outer diameter of the flange portion 332 is formed larger than the width dimension of the vertically elongated holes 621 a and 622 a of the first and second side plates 621 and 622 of the upper bracket 6. Further, the flange portion 332 is formed with an oval boss portion 332 a fitted to the vertically elongated hole 621 a of the first side plate 621 of the upper bracket 6. The rotation of the upper bracket 6 with respect to the first side plate 621 is restricted by the engagement of the boss portion 332 a with the vertically elongated hole 621 a of the first side plate 621. A hexagonal nut 34 (shown in FIG. 2) is screwed into the screw portion 333.

  FIG. 6 is an external view showing the operation lever 36. As shown in FIG. The operation lever 36 is formed to be bent in an L-shape, and a rectangular fitting hole 360 a is formed at the base end portion 360 thereof. Further, a screw hole 360 b is formed at the base end portion 360 of the operation lever 36. A distal end side opposite to the proximal end portion 360 of the operating lever 36 is formed as an operating portion 361 operated by the driver.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the cam mechanism 7. FIG. 7 shows an operating state in which the cam mechanism 7 operates to generate a cam thrust.

  The cam mechanism 7 generates a cam thrust by the relative rotation between the first cam member 71 rotating around the central axis of the tilt bolt 33 in conjunction with the operation of the operation lever 36 and the first cam member 71. And 72. The cam thrust generates a frictional force between the upper bracket 6 and the column side bracket 32 to restrict the relative movement of the column side bracket 32 with respect to the upper bracket 6.

  The first cam member 71 is connected non-rotatably to the proximal end portion 360 of the control lever 36. The second cam member 72 is non-rotatably connected to the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6. The first cam member 71 and the second cam member 72 are arranged concentrically with respect to the central axis of the tilt bolt 33.

  A plate-like friction plate 8 is disposed between the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6 and the second cam member 72. In the friction plate 8, a pair of locking pieces 811, 812 (only the locking piece 811 is shown in FIG. 7) of the locking portion 81 provided on the lower end side is inserted into the pair of through holes 622d of the upper bracket 6, It is supported by the upper bracket 6. Thus, the vertical movement of the friction plate 8 with respect to the upper bracket 6 is restricted. Although FIG. 7 shows the friction plate 8 compressed and flattened by the cam thrust of the cam mechanism 7, the friction plate 8 is curved in the natural state where the cam thrust is released as described later. It is a shape.

  The tilt bolt 33 is inserted through the proximal end portion 360 of the first cam member 71, the second cam member 72, and the control lever 36. The base end portion 360 of the control lever 36 is fixed to the tilt bolt 33 by a hexagonal nut 34 screwed to the screw portion 333 of the tilt bolt 33.

  A stopper plate 35, which is formed by bending in a step-like manner, is non-rotatably fitted to the hexagonal nut 34. The stopper plate 35 has a hexagonal fitting hole 35a to be fitted to the hexagonal nut 34, and an arc groove 35b formed at a position displaced in the radial direction of a virtual circle centered on the central axis of the tilt bolt 33. Have. The stopper bolt 38 screwed into the screw hole 360 b of the operation lever 36 is inserted into the arc groove 35 b. The control lever 36 is allowed to rotate about the central axis of the tilt bolt 33 within the range in which the stopper bolt 38 can move in the arc groove 35 b.

  The above-described tilt bolt 33, the operation lever 36 rotating around the central axis of the tilt bolt 33, the cam mechanism 7 operated according to the operation of the operation lever 36, and the cam thrust are compressed and elastically The flattening friction plate 8 constitutes the "lock mechanism" in the present invention.

  FIG. 8 shows the first cam member 71, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a rear view. The first cam member 71 has a disc-like base 710, a cylindrical projection 711 formed to project from the central portion of the base 710 toward the second cam member 72, and an outer side of the cylindrical projection 711 in the base 710. A plurality of (four in the present embodiment) protrusions 712 formed to project to the second cam member 72 side, and the opposite side of the cylindrical protrusion 711 from the central portion of the base 710 (the operation lever 36 shown in FIG. 7) And a rectangular fitting projection 713 projecting integrally with the base end portion 360).

  In the first cam member 71, an insertion hole 71a through which the tilt bolt 33 is inserted is formed through the base portion 710, the cylindrical projection 711 and the fitting projection 713. Further, the first cam member 71 rotates integrally with the operation lever 36 by fitting the fitting projection 713 into the fitting hole 360 a (shown in FIG. 6) of the operation lever 36.

  FIG. 9 shows the second cam member 72, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a rear view.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, the second cam member 72 has a disk-shaped base portion 720 having a flat surface 720a facing the second side plate 622 (shown in FIG. 7) of the upper bracket 6, and And a pair of arc-shaped engaging portions 721 protruding from the flat surface 720a to the second side plate 622 side. At the central portion of the second cam member 72, an accommodation hole 72a for accommodating the cylindrical projection 711 (shown in FIG. 8B) of the first cam member 71 is formed. Thus, the first cam member 71 is rotatable relative to the second cam member 72 coaxially.

  The engaging portions 721 are formed at two locations facing each other across the housing hole 72a, and engage with the vertically elongated holes 622a in the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6 and the through holes 80a in the elastic portion 80 of the friction plate 8. Thereby, the relative rotation of the second cam member 72 with respect to the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6 and the friction plate 8 is restricted.

  As shown in FIG. 9B, on the surface of the second cam member 72 opposite to the flat surface 720a, a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) cam grooves 723 are formed. The bottom surfaces of the respective cam grooves 723 are formed between the first flat surface 723a and the second flat surface 723b, and the first flat surface 723a and the second flat surface 723b different in axial depth from each other. As a result, an inclined surface 723c whose axial depth gradually changes is arranged side by side in the circumferential direction.

  The base portion 720 has a thickness (a distance in the axial direction between the flat surface 720a and the first flat surface 723a) on the first flat surface 723a and a thickness (the flat surface 720a and the second flat surface 723b) on the second flat surface 723b. Distance in the axial direction) of the The thickness of the base portion 720 in the inclined surface 723c is formed so as to gradually increase from the end on the first flat surface 723a side toward the end on the second flat surface 723b side.

  As shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C, between the two adjacent cam grooves 723 there is provided a locking projection 724 which protrudes further toward the first cam member 71 than the second flat surface 723b. It is done. The locking projection 724 locks the projection 712 of the first cam member 71 to restrict the rotation of the first cam member 71 with respect to the second cam member 72.

  FIG. 10 shows the friction plate 8, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of (a), and (c) is a front view. The friction plate 8 is a plate-like member made of spring steel such as SUP or SK5.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the friction plate 8 is disposed between the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6 and the second cam member 72, and the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6 and the The rectangular elastic portion 80 which can be elastically deformed by being sandwiched between the two cam members 72, extends further downward from the lower end side of the elastic portion 80, and the lateral dimension is smaller than that of the elastic portion 80 It integrally has the formed locking portion 81.

  In the elastic portion 80, a rectangular through hole 80a formed by punching in the thickness direction is formed. The through hole 80a corresponds to the third through hole of the present invention. The tilt bolt 33 and the projection 712 of the second cam member 72 are inserted through the through hole 80a. The through holes 80 a are in communication with the vertically elongated holes 622 a of the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6.

  In the present embodiment, the friction plate 8 is disposed between the upper bracket 6 and the second cam member 72. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6 It may be disposed between the second plate portion 322 of the column side bracket 32. In this case, the through holes 80 a of the friction plate 8 communicate with the vertically elongated holes 622 a of the second side plate of the upper bracket 6 and communicate with the horizontally elongated holes 322 a of the second plate portion 322 of the column side bracket 32. Still further, the friction plate 8 may be disposed between the first side plate 621 of the upper bracket 6 and the first plate portion 321 of the column side bracket 32. In this case, the through holes 80 a of the friction plate 8 communicate with the vertically elongated holes 621 a of the first side plate of the upper bracket 6 and communicate with the horizontally elongated holes 321 a of the first plate portion 321 of the column side bracket 32.

  As shown in FIG. 10 (b), the elastic portion 80 of the friction plate 8 is curved in a wave shape in which peaks and valleys are formed in the vertical direction in the natural state where the cam thrust is not received from the cam mechanism 7. It receives a cam thrust from the cam mechanism 7 and is elastically deformed so as to flatten when compressed.

  More specifically, the elastic portion 80 of the friction plate 8 has a plurality of (two in the present embodiment) first projecting portions as ridges projecting toward the second cam member 72 (see FIG. 12 described later). A plurality of (two in the present embodiment) second protrusions 802 as valleys protruding toward the second side plate 622 (see FIG. 12) of the upper bracket 6 are provided. In the present embodiment, the chevron shape formed by the first protrusion 801 and the valley shape formed by the second protrusion 802 coincide with each other, and the heights of the protrusions are equal.

  When the cam mechanism 7 is in the non-operating state, the elastic portion 80 of the friction plate 8 contacts the top portion 801 a of the first protrusion 801 having the highest protrusion height with the flat surface 720 a of the second cam member 72, The top 802 a having the highest protrusion height in the second protrusion 802 contacts the end face 622 c of the upper bracket 6 (see FIG. 12).

  As shown in FIGS. 10 (b) and 10 (c), the locking portion 81 of the friction plate 8 extends from the lower end of the elastic portion 80 and has a rectangular flat portion 810, and both ends of the flat portion 810. And a pair of locking pieces 811 and 812 respectively formed to project along the thickness direction. As shown in FIG. 10B, the pair of locking pieces 811 and 812 have a rectangular shape in a side view, and the width thereof is formed slightly smaller than the through hole 622 d in the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6 It is done.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing the periphery of the cam mechanism 7 in the operating state, and FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing the periphery of the cam mechanism 7 in the inactive state.

  When the driver fixes the position of the steering wheel 100, when the operation lever 36 is rotated and the first cam member 71 of the cam mechanism 7 is rotated, as shown in FIG. 11, the protrusion of the first cam member 71 When the second flat surface 723 b of the second cam member 72 contacts the second flat surface 723 b of the second cam member 72, the base 710 of the first cam member 71 and the base 720 of the second cam member separate in the axial direction of the tilt bolt 33. As a result, a cam thrust is generated. Then, the friction plate 8 receives the cam thrust and is flattened, and the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6 is pressed to the second plate portion 322 side of the column side bracket 32 via the friction plate 8. Thereby, a frictional force is generated between the upper bracket 6 and the column side bracket 32, and between the friction plate 8 and the upper bracket 6, and the movement of the column side bracket 32 with respect to the upper bracket 6 is restricted. That is, the steering column 3 is fixed to the upper bracket 6. In the operating state of the cam mechanism 7, the frictional force between the upper bracket 6 and the column side bracket 32 is increased through the friction plate 8, whereby the holding force of the steering column 3 is improved.

  On the other hand, when the driver adjusts the position of the steering wheel 100, when the control lever 36 is rotated and the first cam member 71 of the cam mechanism 7 is rotated, as shown in FIG. The protrusion 712 moves and contacts the first flat surface 723a of the second cam member 72, and the base 710 of the first cam member 71 and the base 720 of the second cam member 72 approach each other, and the cam thrust is generated. Is released. With the release of the cam thrust, the frictional force between the first and second side plates 621 and 622 of the upper bracket 6 and the first and second plate portions 321 and 322 of the column side bracket 32 is released. Ru. As a result, the movement of the column side bracket 32 in the vertical direction and the front and rear direction with respect to the upper bracket 6 is permitted. That is, position adjustment (tilt adjustment) in the vertical direction of the steering wheel 100 and position adjustment (telescopic adjustment) in the front-rear direction become possible.

  Here, in the non-operating state where the cam thrust of the cam mechanism 7 described above is released, the friction plate 8 is non-flattened, and the elastic force (restoring force of the first projecting portion 801 and the second projecting portion 802 of the elastic portion 80). , The second cam member 72 and the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6 are respectively pressed in the direction away from each other in the axial direction of the tilt bolt 33.

  More specifically, in the friction plate 8, the top 801 a of the first protrusion 801 is in contact with the end face 622 c of the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6, and the top 802 a of the second protrusion 802 is the second cam member A friction force is generated between the upper bracket 6 and the second cam member 72 in contact with the flat surface 720 a of 72. That is, in the non-operating state where the cam mechanism 7 is released, the column side bracket 32 and the second cam member 72 are allowed to move relative to the friction plate 8, but at this time the first of the friction plate 8 The projecting portion 801 and the base portion 720 of the second cam member 72, and the second projecting portion 802 of the friction plate 8 and the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6 elastically contact each other to form the column side bracket 32 and the second side. It becomes frictional resistance at the time of the cam member 72 moving. That is, a frictional force is generated between the upper bracket 6 and the second cam member 72 by the restoring force of the friction plate 8. As a result, the movement of the steering column 3 in the falling direction due to its own weight when the cam mechanism 7 changes from the operating state to the non-operating state is suppressed.

  Here, if the driver applies an operating force to the steering column 3 when, for example, the operation of the cam mechanism 7 is released, the friction force generated by the above-described friction plate 8 causes the column side bracket 32 to move to the upper bracket 6 The frictional force is such that the position of the column side bracket 32 with respect to the upper bracket 6 can be maintained in a state where it is possible to move and the driver does not apply the operation force to the steering column 3. The elastic force (restoring force) of the friction plate 8 is the distance between the top 801 a of the first protrusion 801 and the top 802 a of the second protrusion 802 in a natural state where no external force is acting on the friction plate 8 ( It is suitably set by adjustment of a free length, board thickness dimension, etc.

[Effect of the embodiment]
According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) Since the friction plate 8 is an elastic body which is compressed and elastically flattened in the operating state of the cam mechanism 7 and released and non-flattened in the operating state, the second of the upper bracket 6 The frictional force can be generated between the side plate 622 of the second cam member 72 and the movement of the steering column 3 in the dropping direction due to its own weight. That is, as in the steering column device described in Patent Document 1, the tilt spring for buffering the impact at the time of free fall becomes unnecessary. That is, according to the present embodiment, even if the tilt spring is eliminated, the movement of the steering column 3 in the falling direction due to its own weight can be suppressed.

(2) The friction plate 8 has a wave-like curved shape in which the first protrusion 801 and the second protrusion 802 are formed, and is disposed between the second cam member 72 and the upper bracket 6. Thus, when the cam mechanism 7 is in the inoperative state, the first projection 801 presses the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6 and the second projection 802 presses the second cam member 72. Then, the second cam member 72 is elastically supported in the axial direction of the tilt bolt 33. For this reason, rattling of the cam mechanism 7 is suppressed. Specifically, if the friction plate 8 has a flat plate shape, the second cam member 72 moves toward the first cam member 71 when the cam thrust of the cam mechanism 7 is released. There is a gap between the member 72 and the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6, and the gap may cause the second cam member 72 to tilt in the axial direction of the tilt bolt 33 due to the gap. According to the embodiment, such backlash can be suppressed.

(3) The friction plate 8 has a through hole 80a communicating with the vertically elongated hole 622a of the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6, and the tilt bolt 33 is inserted into the through hole 80a. It is supported between the side plate 622 and the base 720 of the second cam member 72. Thereby, the first projecting portion 801 of the friction plate 8 contacts the base portion 720 of the second cam member 72 on both sides sandwiching the tilt bolt 33, and the second projecting portion 802 of the friction plate 8 is the second of the upper bracket 6. The side plate 622 of 2 is contacted. Therefore, the second cam member 72 can be pressed toward the first cam member 71 without being inclined to the tilt bolt 33, and the operation of the cam mechanism 7 when the control lever 36 is operated is stabilized. Can be

  As mentioned above, although the steering column apparatus of this invention was demonstrated based on said embodiment, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, It implements in various aspects in the range which does not deviate from the summary. It is possible.

  Moreover, although the above-mentioned embodiment demonstrated the case where the single friction plate 8 was arrange | positioned, it is not limited to this, The several friction plate 8 may be arrange | positioned. In this case, one friction plate 8 is disposed between the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6 and the base 720 of the second cam member 72, and the other friction plate 8 is the first side plate 621 of the upper bracket 6. And the first plate portion 321 of the column side bracket 32 may be disposed. In addition, a plurality of friction plates 8 are disposed between the first side plate 621 of the upper bracket 6 and the first plate portion 321 of the column side bracket 32, and the second side plate 622 of the upper bracket 6 and the column side bracket It may be disposed on both sides of the second plate portion 322, respectively.

  Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the 1st projection part 801 and the 2nd projection part 802 of friction plate 8 were formed two places at a time, the number of the 1st projection parts 801 and the 2nd projection parts 802 is the same. For example, the first and second protrusions 801 and 802 may be formed at one place or three places or four places, for example.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Steering column apparatus, 2 ... Steering shaft, 3 ... Steering column, 4 ... Steering auxiliary apparatus, 5 ... Lower bracket, 5a ... Through-hole, 6 ... Upper bracket, 7 ... Cam mechanism, 8 ... Friction plate, 9 ... Vehicle body 20: Upper shaft, 21: Lower shaft, 22: Universal joint, 23: Bearing, 30: Outer tube, 31: Inner tube, 32: Column side bracket, 33: Tilt bolt, 34: Hexagon nut, 35: Stopper plate , 35a: fitting hole, 35b: arc groove, 36: control lever, 38: stopper bolt, 40: housing, 41: support shaft, 50: vehicle body mounting flange, 61: vehicle body mounting portion, 62: main body portion, 71 ... 1st cam member, 71a ... insertion hole, 72 ... 2nd cam member, 72a ... accommodation hole, 80 ... elastic part, 80a ... penetration hole, 81 ... Stop part 91, 92 Bolts 100 Steering wheel 320 Coupling part 321 First plate part 321a 322a Horizontal elongated hole 321b 322b Opposite surface 322 Second plate part 331 ... shaft portion 332 flange portion 332 a boss portion 333 screw portion 360 base end portion 360 a fitting hole 360 b screw hole 361 operation portion 610 joint portion 611 mounting stay , 611a: fitting groove, 620: substrate, 621: first side plate, 621a, 622a: vertically elongated hole, 621b: opposing surface, 621c: end surface, 622: second side plate, 622b: opposing surface, 622c: end surface, 622 d: through hole, 630: main body, 710: base, 711: cylindrical projection, 712: projection, 713: fitting projection, 720: base, 720a: plane, 721: engaging portion, 723: cam 723a: first flat surface, 723b: second flat surface, 723c: inclined surface, 724: locking projection, 801: first projection, 801a: top, 802: second projection, 802a: top, 810 flat plate portion 811 locking piece

Claims (4)

A steering column rotatably supporting a steering shaft fixed at its end to the steering wheel;
A column side bracket fixed to the steering column;
A vehicle-side bracket having a pair of side plates facing each other across the column-side bracket, and fixed to the vehicle body;
A lock mechanism for fixing the column side bracket to the vehicle body side bracket;
The lock mechanism includes a shaft-like member inserted into the column side bracket and the vehicle body side bracket, an operation lever rotated about the central axis of the shaft-like member, and a cam thrust by the rotation operation of the operation lever. And a friction plate compressed and elastically deformed by the operation of the cam mechanism.
The cam mechanism fixes the column side bracket to the vehicle body side bracket by compressing the friction plate by the cam thrust to generate a frictional force between the vehicle body side bracket and the column side bracket. ,
When the cam thrust is released, the friction plate generates a frictional force that suppresses the movement of the steering column and the column side bracket in the falling direction by the restoring force.
Steering column device. The cam mechanism is disposed between a first cam member rotating with the operation lever, the first cam member and the vehicle body side bracket, and a second rotation restricted with respect to the vehicle body side bracket. And a cam member of
The friction plate is disposed between the second cam member and the vehicle body side bracket.
The steering column device according to claim 1. The vehicle body side bracket has a first through hole extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle in the pair of side plates,
The column side bracket has a pair of plate portions respectively facing the pair of side plates, and the pair of plate portions is formed with a second through hole communicating with the first through hole.
The friction plate has a third through hole communicating with the first through hole or the second through hole.
A steering column device according to claim 1 or 2. The friction plate has a wave-like curved shape in which a peak and a valley are formed, and is elastically flattened by the cam thrust of the cam mechanism.
The steering column apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

Images