JP6717045B2 - Steering device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a steering device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some steering devices for vehicles include a column tube supported by a vehicle body and a column shaft rotatably supported in the column tube via bearings. Normally, a steering wheel fixed to a column shaft is provided with electrical components such as an operating portion of a horn (alarm). Among the energization paths of such electrical components, there is a path using the constituent parts of the steering device as a path on the ground side (low potential side).

For example, in the steering device described in Patent Document 1, the column tube and the column shaft are made of metal, and a rolling bearing in which a conductive ring is incorporated is used, and the electrical components are mounted via the column shaft, the rolling bearing, and the column tube. It is connected to the car body. That is, the column shaft, the rolling bearing, and the column tube constitute a ground-side energization path.

JP-A-2000-38140

By the way, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, since the rolling bearing is included in the energization path, it is preferable to use the bearing provided with the energization ring as disclosed in the document in order to secure stable energization performance. However, since such a rolling bearing has a complicated structure, it becomes expensive, resulting in an increase in cost.

An object of the present invention is to provide a steering device that can secure stable energization performance with a simple configuration.

A steering device that solves the above problems includes a column tube supported by a vehicle body, and a column shaft to which a steering wheel is fixed and which is rotatably supported in the column tube via a bearing. A conductive member that is fixed and is in sliding contact with the column shaft is provided.

According to the above configuration, a grounding side energization path is formed from the steering wheel to the vehicle body via the column shaft, the conductive member and the column tube. Since the current-carrying path that does not pass through the bearing can be configured in this manner, stable current-carrying performance can be ensured with a simple configuration that does not use a bearing provided with a conductive ring.

In the steering device described above, it is preferable that the conductive member is made of an elastic material and slidably contacts the column shaft in a pressed state.
According to the above configuration, the conductive member is slidably brought into contact with the column shaft while being pressed against the column shaft by using the elastic force, so that the contact state between the conductive member and the column shaft can be kept good.

In the above steering device, it is preferable that a sliding contact surface of the conductive member with the column shaft is formed in a shape along the outer peripheral surface of the column shaft.
According to the above configuration, the conductive member comes into surface contact with the column shaft, so that the contact area with the column shaft can be increased and the electrical resistance of the energizing path can be reduced, thereby improving the energizing performance.

In the above steering apparatus, the column tube includes a lower tube supported by a vehicle body and an upper tube fitted to an inner circumference of the lower tube so as to be axially movable, and the column shaft has an upper tube to which a steering wheel is fixed. It is preferable that the shaft includes a shaft and a lower shaft fitted to the inner circumference of the upper shaft so as to be movable in the axial direction, and the conductive member is fixed to the lower tube and slidably contacts the upper shaft.

According to the above configuration, in the steering device having the telescopic function capable of expanding and contracting the column tube and the column shaft in the axial direction, it is preferable to reduce the number of parts up to the vehicle body rather than slidingly contacting the conductive member with the lower shaft. It is possible to configure various energization paths.

According to the present invention, stable energization performance can be secured with a simple configuration.

The schematic side view of a steering device. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along the axial direction near a conductive member in the steering device. Sectional drawing which shows the sliding contact part of an upper shaft and a conductive member (III-III sectional view).

An embodiment of a steering device will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the steering device 1 includes a column tube 2 fixed to the vehicle body S and a column shaft 3 rotatably supported in the column tube 2. A steering wheel 4 is connected to the vehicle rear side (right side in FIG. 1) end of the column shaft 3. The steering wheel 4 is provided with electrical components 5 such as a horn (alarm) operation unit. On the other hand, an intermediate shaft 7 is connected to a vehicle front side (left side in FIG. 1) end of the column shaft 3 via a universal joint 6, and a rack and pinion is connected to the intermediate shaft 7 via a universal joint 8. A steering mechanism 9 such as a mechanism is connected. The steering angle of the steered wheels (not shown) is changed by transmitting the rotation of the column shaft 3 associated with the steering operation to the steered mechanism 9.

The steering device 1 also has a tilt function for adjusting the height position of the steering wheel 4 and a telescopic function for adjusting the front-rear position.
Specifically, the column shaft 3 can be relatively moved in the axial direction with respect to the cylindrical upper shaft 11 to which the steering wheel 4 is connected, and by spline-fitting the inner circumference of the upper shaft 11. And a cylindrical lower shaft 12. That is, the column shaft 3 can be expanded and contracted in the axial direction. The upper shaft 11 and the lower shaft 12 are made of a conductive material such as metal. The upper shaft 11 is connected to a ground-side terminal (not shown) of the electrical component 5.

The column tube 2 includes a cylindrical upper tube 14 that rotatably supports the upper shaft 11 via a rolling bearing 13, and a lower tube 16 that rotatably supports the lower shaft 12 via a rolling bearing 15. There is. The upper tube 14 is fitted to the inner circumference of the lower tube 16 so as to be movable in the axial direction, and the column tube 2 is expandable and contractable in the axial direction. The upper tube 14 and the lower tube 16 are made of a conductive material such as metal.

A support portion 21 projecting upward of the vehicle is formed in a vehicle front side portion of the lower tube 16, and a through hole 22 penetrating in the vehicle width direction (the direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 1) is formed in the support portion 21. ing. Further, the lower tube 16 is provided with an elongated hole-shaped opening 23 that opens downward in the vehicle and extends in the axial direction thereof (see FIG. 2 ). The lower tube 16 has a pair of fastening portions 24, which project downward in the vehicle and are arranged at intervals in the vehicle width direction, and a portion between the pair of fastening portions 24, and penetrate the inside and the outside of the lower tube 16 on the vehicle rear side. The slit 25 is formed.

A lower bracket 31 is fixed to the vehicle front side of the vehicle body S. The lower bracket 31 is connected to the lower tube 16 via a tilt support shaft 32 that is inserted through the through hole 22, and supports the lower tube 16 rotatably around the tilt support shaft 32. An upper bracket 33 is fixed on the vehicle rear side of the vehicle body S. The upper bracket 33 is formed in a substantially U shape having a pair of side plates that sandwich the pair of tightening portions 24 from both sides in the vehicle width direction. Then, the upper bracket 33 can relatively move the lower tube 16 in a predetermined range in a substantially vertical direction of the vehicle (strictly, a rotation direction around the tilt support shaft 32, a substantially vertical direction in FIG. 1) via the tightening shaft 34. Support.

As a result, the height position of the steering wheel 4 is adjusted by changing the position of the steering wheel 4 in the tilting direction (tilt direction) around the tilt support shaft 32. In addition, the upper tube 14 and the upper shaft 11 are moved relative to the lower tube 16 and the lower shaft 12 in the axial direction to change the position of the steering wheel 4 in the axial direction of the column shaft 3 (the telescopic direction). The front-back position is adjusted.

The upper bracket 33 has a known lock mechanism (not shown) for tightening the tightening portion 24 via the side plate of the upper bracket 33 according to the turning position of the operation lever 35 that turns around the tightening shaft 34. It is provided. Then, the position of the steering wheel 4 is maintained by the frictional force between the upper tube 14 and the lower tube 16 and the frictional force between the side plate of the upper bracket 33 and the tightening portion 24.

Here, the steering device 1 of the present embodiment is configured as a ground side (low potential side) path of the energization path of the electrical component 5.
More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the steering device 1 includes a conductive member 41 that is fixed to the lower tube 16 and is in sliding contact with the upper tube 14. The conductive member 41 is made of a conductive elastic material such as spring steel and is formed in a rectangular plate shape. The conductive member 41 is fixed to the lower tube 16 by inserting the base end portion 42 on the vehicle front side into the groove 23a formed in the inner periphery of the opening portion 23 of the lower tube 16. The sliding contact portion 43 on the vehicle rear side of the conductive member 41 is disposed inside the lower tube 16 through the opening 23 and is in sliding contact with the vehicle lower side outer peripheral surface of the upper shaft 11. The conductive member 41 is curved so that the sliding contact portion 43 interferes with the upper shaft 11 in a natural state (two-dot chain line in FIG. 2), and the sliding contact portion 43 is pressed against the upper shaft 11 by a spring force. Are in sliding contact with each other.

As shown in FIG. 3, the sliding contact surface 43a of the sliding contact portion 43 with the upper shaft 11 is formed in an arc shape (having substantially the same curvature) along the outer peripheral surface 11a of the upper shaft 11, and has a sliding contact. The portion 43 is in surface contact with the upper shaft 11. The length of the conductive member 41 along the axial direction of the column shaft 3 is set so that the sliding contact between the sliding contact portion 43 and the upper shaft 11 is maintained in the entire telescopic adjustable range. ..

Next, the function and effect of the steering device 1 will be described.
(1) The electric current of the electrical component 5 reaches the vehicle body S (ground) from the upper bracket 33 via the upper shaft 11, the conductive member 41 and the lower tube 16. That is, in the steering device 1, a grounding side energization path is formed that reaches the vehicle body S via the upper shaft 11 (column shaft 3), the conductive member 41, and the lower tube 16 (column tube 2). As described above, since the current-carrying path not including the rolling bearing 13 can be configured, the stable current-carrying performance can be ensured with a simple structure that does not use the rolling bearing including the conductive ring.

(2) Since the conductive member 41 is made of an elastic material, and the sliding contact portion 43 is pressed against the upper shaft 11 using the elastic force to make sliding contact, the conductive member 41 and the upper shaft 11 are in contact with each other. Can be kept good.

(3) Since the sliding contact surface 43a of the conductive member 41 is formed in an arc shape along the outer peripheral surface 11a of the upper shaft 11, the conductive member 41 makes a surface contact with the upper shaft 11 to reduce the contact area with the upper shaft 11. It can be increased to reduce the electric resistance of the energizing path and improve the energizing performance.

(4) Since the conductive member 41 is fixed to the lower tube 16 and slidably contacts the upper shaft 11, in the steering device 1 having a telescopic function, the number of parts up to the vehicle body S rather than slidably contacting the lower shaft 12. Therefore, it is possible to configure a suitable energization path by reducing the number.

(5) Since the base end portion 42 of the conductive member 41 is fixed by being inserted into the groove 23a of the lower tube 16, the conductive member 41 can be fixed to the upper tube 14 without increasing the number of parts.

The above-described embodiment can be implemented in the following modes, which are appropriately modified.
In the above embodiment, the conductive member 41 is made of an elastic material, but the material is not limited to this, and may be made of a rigid body having conductivity such as a metal thick plate.

In the above embodiment, the sliding contact surface 43a of the sliding contact portion 43 is formed in an arc shape along the outer peripheral surface 11a of the upper shaft 11, but the invention is not limited to this and may be another shape such as a flat shape.
-In the said embodiment, although the base end part 42 of the electroconductive member 41 was fixed by inserting in the groove 23a of the lower tube 16, it is not restricted to this, and the electroconductive member 41 may be fixed by another fitting shape. Good. Further, the conductive member 41 may be fixed to the lower tube 16 by using a member such as a bolt.

In the above embodiment, the sliding contact portion 43 of the conductive member 41 is brought into sliding contact with the lower shaft 12, and the grounding side reaching the vehicle body S through the upper shaft 11, the lower shaft 12, the conductive member 41 and the lower tube 16 is provided. You may comprise an electricity supply path. Further, the base end portion 42 of the conductive member 41 is fixed to the upper tube 14, and a grounding side energization path reaching the vehicle body S through the upper shaft 11, the conductive member 41, the upper tube 14 and the lower tube 16 is formed. May be.

-In the above-mentioned embodiment, you may form the upper tube 14 in the outer periphery of the lower tube 16 so that the upper tube 14 may be fitted so that axial movement is possible.
In the above embodiment, the column tube 2 and the column shaft 3 may not be expanded and contracted, and the steering device 1 may not have the telescopic function.

Next, the technical ideas that can be understood from the above-described embodiments and other examples will be added below.
(A) A steering device in which the conductive member is formed in a plate shape, and a part of the conductive member is fixed by being inserted into a groove formed in the column tube. According to the above configuration, the conductive member can be fixed to the column tube without increasing the number of parts.

1... Steering device, 2... Column tube, 3... Column shaft, 4... Steering wheel, 5... Electrical equipment, 11... Upper shaft, 11a... Outer peripheral surface, 12... Lower shaft, 14... Upper tube, 16... Lower tube, 41... Conductive member, 42... Base end part, 43... Sliding contact part, 43a... Sliding contact surface, S... Vehicle body.

Claims (4)

A column tube supported by the vehicle body,
A steering shaft is fixed and a column shaft rotatably supported in the column tube via a bearing,
The column tube includes a lower tube supported by a vehicle body and an upper tube fitted to an inner circumference of the lower tube so as to be axially movable,
The column shaft includes an upper shaft to which a steering wheel is fixed, and a lower shaft fitted to an inner circumference of the upper shaft so as to be axially movable.
A conductive member fixed to the lower tube and slidingly contacting the upper shaft in the axial direction,
The conductive member extends in the axial direction by a length capable of maintaining sliding contact with the upper shaft in the entire range in which the column shaft is movable in the axial direction, and a portion fixed to the lower tube, A steering device configured such that a portion slidingly contacting the upper shaft is displaced in the axial direction . The steering device according to claim 1,
The lower tube is provided with an elongated hole-shaped opening extending in the axial direction,
A steering device configured such that a portion of the conductive member that is in sliding contact with the upper shaft is in sliding contact with the upper shaft in a state of being arranged in the lower tube through the opening. In the steering device according to claim 1 or 2 ,
A steering device in which the conductive member is made of an elastic material and comes into sliding contact with the upper shaft while being pressed against the upper shaft. The steering apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A steering device in which a sliding contact surface of the conductive member with the upper shaft is formed in a shape along an outer peripheral surface of the upper shaft.

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