JPH0137312B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a tilt steering device for a vehicle, and in particular, once the driver adjusts the steering wheel to an arbitrary optimal angle, the driver can flip the steering wheel up for convenience when getting on and off. This invention relates to a tilt steering device with a so-called memory mechanism, which returns to its original position simply by pulling down the steering wheel when riding a vehicle.

In general, tail steering devices are roughly divided into types that allow stepless adjustment and types that feature stepped adjustment, depending on the adjustment method. Of these two types, the former allows fine adjustment of the steering wheel in principle, but in reality, when the lock is released for adjustment, the steering wheel immediately moves from its initial position, and when a certain setting Even if you want to adjust the position a certain amount above or below, it is actually difficult to make fine adjustments. On the other hand, the latter has a sense of moderation in each stage and is easy to adjust, and has been used for a long time because of its ease of use.

By the way, many drivers use such tail steering devices to avoid the trouble of interference between the lower end of the steering wheel grip and the driver's knees when getting on and off the vehicle, and to avoid interference between the two. To avoid the hassle of getting in and out of the vehicle while holding the steering wheel, the steering wheel is tilted up (tilt away) by operating a manual lever to get off the vehicle, and after getting back in the vehicle, it is adjusted to any position desired by the driver.

Therefore, with such a tail steering device, the same driver does not frequently adjust the steering wheel to different positions, but rather frequently adjusts the steering wheel in order to find the same adjustment position. ing.

Therefore, once the driver adjusts the steering wheel to the specified position, even if the driver lifts up the steering wheel when getting out of the car to facilitate getting on and off, the driver can simply pull the steering wheel back down when getting back on the car. There has been a demand for a tilt steering device with a so-called memory mechanism that can automatically return to its original position and at the same time reliably lock the steering wheel.

In order to meet such demands, the present applicant proposed an example of a tail steering device with a memory mechanism equipped with the above function in Utility Application No. 126940/1984 (see Utility Model Application No. 30570/1983). are doing. The tail steering device includes a fixed bracket fixed to a part of the vehicle body, a rotating bracket fixed to a column tube and rotatably connected to the fixed bracket, and interposed between the rotating bracket and the vehicle body. a first spring means that applies an upward biasing force to the rotating bracket; and a pawl that is rotatably assembled to one of the two brackets and releasably meshes with a toothed portion provided on the other of the two brackets. a first manual lever that is rotatably assembled to the one bracket and includes a stopper that restricts the swinging of the pole and maintains engagement between the teeth of the pole and the teeth of the bracket; a second spring means for biasing the first manual lever to maintain engagement between the pawl and the teeth of the bracket; and a second spring means provided between the first manual lever and the pawl for biasing the first manual lever. A vehicle tail steering device comprising a first cam means that swings the pawl to disengage the engagement with the teeth of the bracket when the pole is rocked against the second spring means, A second manual lever having a locking pawl that releasably engages with a portion of the teeth of the bracket and a shielding portion that covers a portion of the teeth of the bracket is rotated in the vertical direction about the pivots of both the brackets. The second manual lever is assembled so as to be movable and slidable in a direction perpendicular to the pivot, and the second manual lever is spring-biased so that its locking pawl engages a portion of the teeth of the bracket. That is.

However, in the tail steering device, when the swing bracket and the steering wheel integrated therewith are lifted upward by the swinging operation of the first manual lever and the operation of the first manual lever is released, Due to the action of the shielding part of the second manual lever, the teeth of the pole and bracket do not mesh with each other, and when the steering wheel is pulled down in this state, the teeth of the pole and bracket do not mesh due to the action of the shielding part. Mesh at original position. Therefore,
With this tilt steering device, even if the driver flips the steering wheel upwards (tilt away) by swinging the first manual lever, the driver can restore it by simply pulling the steering wheel back when re-boarding. It has the advantage of being able to be fixed in position.

However, when adjusting the position of the steering wheel in the tail steering device, the second manual lever must first be pushed to disengage the locking pawl from part of the teeth of the bracket. At the same time, the locking claw is swung to a desired angle to engage the locking pawl with the other part of the bracket again, and then
The first manual lever must be swung to release the engagement between the pole and the teeth of the bracket. Therefore, although the tail steering device has excellent functionality, it cannot necessarily be said that its operability is fully satisfactory.

Therefore, in order to deal with this problem, the applicant
We are introducing the following tail steering devices. The tail steering device is the above-mentioned vehicle tail steering device, and includes a locking pawl that releasably engages with a part of the teeth of the bracket and a shielding part that covers a part of the teeth. an actuating plate rotatably attached to the pivot shaft and slidable in a direction perpendicular to the pivot axis; and a third spring biasing the actuating plate to engage the locking pawl with the teeth of the bracket. and an engaging portion that engages with and swings integrally with the first manual lever when the lever is swung by a predetermined angle in the swiveling direction of the first manual lever, and is rotatable to the one bracket. a second manual lever assembled to the second manual lever; a fourth spring means that urges the second manual lever to move a predetermined angle away from the first manual lever; a second cam means provided between the plates that, when the second manual lever is swung by a predetermined angle, causes the actuating plate to slide and disengage the locking pawl from the tooth portion of the bracket; , an engagement having an engagement recess provided in one of the brackets, in which an engagement protrusion provided on the outer periphery of the shielding portion engages when the actuation plate slides, thereby restricting rotation of the actuation plate; It is equipped with members.

As a result, in the tail steering device, if the first manual lever is swung,
The engagement between the pole and the teeth of the bracket can be released with a part of the teeth of the bracket covered by the shielding part of the actuating plate, and then the swinging operation of the first manual lever can be released. It is also possible to keep a portion of the teeth of the bracket covered by the shielding portion of the actuating plate. Therefore, by swinging the first manual lever, the steering wheel integrated with the rotating bracket can be flipped upward, and by pulling the steering wheel downward, it can be fixed at its original position.
Furthermore, when the second manual lever is swung, the actuating plate is first swung to disengage the locking pawl of the shielding portion from a part of the teeth of the bracket, thereby locking the bracket against the actuating plate. The teeth of the bracket can be rotated in the vertical direction, and then the first manual lever can be swung together to release the engagement between the teeth of the pole and the bracket. As a result, the first manual lever can be swung by the swiveling operation of the second manual lever to adjust the position of the rotating bracket and the steering wheel integrated therewith, so that when adjusting the position of the steering wheel, The operability can be improved.

As described above, the tilt steering device has excellent operability, but it is desirable that the tilt steering device has a compensation function in case of erroneous operation as described below. That is, in the tail steering device,
If the steering wheel is flipped up by swinging the first manual lever, and you accidentally push down the steering wheel by swinging the second manual lever, the locking pawl on the actuating plate and the teeth of the bracket will The other bracket rotates downward relative to the actuating plate. Therefore, when the second manual lever is subsequently released, the locking pawl of the actuating plate engages at or near the end of the teeth of the bracket, and the shielding portion covers the end of the teeth of the bracket, causing the arcuate teeth to close. Otherwise, the teeth of the pole may become unable to engage, and the actuating plate may rotate back to its normal position with its engagement protrusion facing the engagement recess of the guide plate assembled to one of the brackets. There is a risk that it will not work. Therefore, in the tail steering device,
If such an erroneous operation is performed, there is a risk that the function of the tail steering device may be impaired.

In order to deal with this problem, the applicant has also devised the following tail steering device. In the above-mentioned vehicle tail steering device, the tail steering device is provided on the other bracket and engages with the actuating plate when the relative downward rotation of the bracket with respect to the actuating plate reaches a predetermined angle. It is provided with an engaging portion that restricts further rotation. As a result, in the tail steering device, when the downward rotation of the other bracket reaches a predetermined angle in the case of the above-mentioned erroneous operation, the actuation plate is rotated integrally with the other bracket in the rotation direction. This prevents the shielding portion of the actuating plate from covering the end of the teeth of the bracket or its vicinity, and allows the actuating plate to be rotated back to its normal position. Therefore, the function of the tilt steering device at the time of the above-mentioned erroneous operation can be appropriately compensated for.

However, in such a tail steering device, since the actuating plate is rotated and returned to its original position while the actuating plate is sliding toward the engaging member in the event of the above-mentioned erroneous operation, the actuating plate is provided on the outer periphery of the shielding portion of the actuating plate. There is a risk that the engagement protrusion caught on the lower edge protrusion of the engagement recess of the engagement member may damage the plate and the engagement member. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent damage caused by the above-mentioned plate and engagement member being caught in such a tail steering device.

In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides such a tail steering device in which the engagement member is provided at the lower edge of the engagement recess and extends downward at a predetermined interval along the outer periphery of the teeth of the bracket. Its structural feature is that it includes a protrusion extending a predetermined length. Therefore, in the present invention, when the second manual lever is erroneously operated, the engagement protrusion of the actuation plate comes into contact with the inner periphery of the downward protrusion of the engagement member, causing the actuation plate to slide further forward. The movement is restricted, and when the actuating plate returns to rotation, the actuating plate returns with its engagement protrusion slidingly in contact with the inner periphery of the downwardly protruding portion of the engaging member. This reliably prevents damage caused by the plate and the engagement member being caught.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a tail steering device according to the present invention. This embodiment is an example in which the steering wheel is implemented in a telescopic type tilt steering device whose position can be adjusted in the axial direction of the steering shaft. Therefore,
In this tail steering device, the tilt angle of the steering wheel can be adjusted by swinging a manual lever of a tail mechanism (described later) (see the two-dot chain line in Fig. 1), and a telescopic mechanism (not shown) can be adjusted by a manual lever L. The steering wheel is configured so that the axial position of the steering wheel can be adjusted by releasing the lock (first
(See the dashed-dotted line in the figure).

In this tail steering device, the steering shaft is composed of a first steering shaft 11, a second steering shaft 12, and a third steering shaft 13, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. The first steering shaft 11 is connected at its lower end to a steering gear (not shown) via a flexible coupling 14, and at its upper end is capable of transmitting torque to the lower end of the second steering shaft 12 and slides in the axial direction. movably connected. This second steering shaft 12 is connected to a third steering shaft 13 via a universal joint 15. The third steering shaft 13 is inserted into the inner hole of a cylindrical body 16 fixed to the upper end of the universal joint 15 so as to be able to transmit torque and to be slidable in the axial direction. 16. Note that the above-mentioned locking device is designed to be unlocked by rotating the manual lever L. Furthermore, a steering wheel 17 is fixed to the upper end of the third steering shaft 13.

The column tube is the first column tube 21,
It is composed of a second column tube 22 and a third column tube 23 (upper bracket). The first column tube 21 has a first column tube inside it.
It houses the steering shaft 11, is fixed to the toe board B1 at its lower end, and is connected to the second column tube 22 at its upper part via a known energy absorbing member (not shown). The second column tube 22 has a fixing bracket 31 fixed to its upper outer periphery with bolts, and is assembled to a pedal bracket B3 fixed to the toe board B1 below the instrument panel B2 by means of the fixing bracket 31.
The third column tube 23 has a fixed bracket 31
It is integrally formed with the base of the pivot bracket 32 connected to the pivot bracket 32. This third column tube 23
The cylindrical body 16 is rotatably supported via a bearing.

The fixed bracket 31 is one of the main components of the tail mechanism together with the rotating bracket 32, and is provided with a pair of left and right arms 31a and 31b extending upward from a U-shaped main body. Capsule 3 is attached to both flanges provided at the upper end of the
3 and 33 are fixed. Fixed bracket 31
is attached to the pedal bracket B3 at the capsule 33, 33 part so that it can be removed only in the forward direction,
The main body portion supports the second column tube 22. The left arm portion 31 of this fixed bracket 31
An arcuate pole 41, which is a component of a locking device 40 to be described later, is pivotably supported in the arm portion 31b so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. .

The rotation bracket 32 has a pair of left and right arm portions 32.
a, 32b, and locking holes 32c, 32c are provided at the base thereof. A ratchet 42, which is a component of a locking device 40, is fixed to the left arm 32a of the rotating bracket 32.
In addition, a stopper bolt 34 is inserted into the right arm portion 32b of the rotating bracket 32 and inserted into an oblong hole 31c provided in the arm portion 31b of the fixed bracket 31.
is fixed. This stopper bolt 34 is
As shown in FIG. 4, it engages with both the upper and lower ends of the oblong elongated hole 31c to regulate the tilting angle of the rotating bracket 32 to a required angle, and when the rotating bracket 32 is assembled to the fixed bracket 31. Later Natsuto 3
4a or the like. In addition, a cushion rubber 34b is attached to the tip of the stopper bolt 34, and the stopper bolt 34 and the oval slot 3
This is aimed at alleviating the impact and preventing the generation of abnormal noises when the two end portions 1c come into contact with each other.

The rotating bracket 32 overlaps the fixed bracket 31 from the outside of both arm portions 31a, 31b, and attaches a pair of left and right bolts 35a, 35b and nuts 3.
6a, 36b, etc., to both arms 31a, 31b so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and locked to the fixed bracket 31 by a locking device 40, which will be described later. Furthermore, a pair of left and right first tension springs 37, 37 are interposed between the fixed bracket 31 and the rotating bracket 32. In both of these first tension springs 37, 37, one end thereof is locked to a spring liner 38 fixed to the fixed bracket 31, and a wire 37a, 37a connected to the other end thereof is connected to the rotating bracket 32. It is locked in the locking holes 32c, 32c. As a result, both first tension springs 37, 37 bias the rotating bracket 32 in the counterclockwise direction in FIGS. 1 and 2 to rotate it upward. Note that the wires 37a, 37a
is the wire guide 3 fixed to the fixed bracket 31
9,39.

The lock device 40 cooperates with a storage mechanism 50, which will be described later, and includes a pawl 41, a ratchet 42, a first manual lever 43, a second tension spring 44, and a first release pin 4 constituting the first cam means.
5 is the main component.

The pawl 41 is pivotally supported by the left arm 31a of the fixed bracket 31 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and the toothed portion 41a of the pawl 41 is an arc-shaped toothed portion provided on a ratchet 42 that is integrated with the rotating bracket 32. 42a, and is adapted to be releasably engaged with a portion thereof. A first release pin 45 is implanted outside the lower end of the pawl 41 to be inserted into and engaged with a cam hole 43a provided in the first manual lever 43.

The first manual lever 43 is formed into a bent shape as shown in FIG.
b is formed at the locking portion of the second tension spring 44. Further, a roller 43c is rotatably supported inside near the front end 43b of the first manual lever 43, and an operation knob 43d is provided at the rear end of the rear arm. . The first manual lever 43 has both brackets 3 at its substantially central portion.
Bolt 35a and nut 36a connecting 1 and 32
It is attached to the brackets 31 and 32 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. Further, a second tension spring 4 latched to the fixed bracket 31 at one end is attached to the front end 43b of the first manual lever 43.
The other end of 4 is locked. As a result, the second tension spring 44 urges the first manual lever 43 in the clockwise direction in FIG.
The engagement between the teeth 41a of the first manual lever 43 and the teeth 42a of the ratchet 42 is maintained, and the operation knob 43d of the first manual lever 43 is made to protrude downward from the elongated hole 24a of the column cover 24. In addition, the first manual lever 4
The cam hole 43a of No. 3 constitutes a first cam means together with the first release pin 45, and when the first manual lever 43 is operated to swing by a predetermined angle, the cam surface 43a
1, the pawl 4 engages with the first release pin 45.
1 in the clockwise direction shown in FIG.
The first tooth 41a is separated from the tooth 42a of the ratchet 42. This allows the ratchet 42 and the pivot bracket 32 integral therewith to pivot relative to the fixed bracket 31.

In this embodiment, the memory mechanism 50 includes an actuation plate 51, a leaf spring 52, a second manual lever 53, a third
The main components are a tension spring 54, a guide plate 55 which is an engaging member of the present invention, and a second release pin 56 which constitutes a second cam means.

As shown in FIG. 6, the actuating plate 51 includes a pair of front and rear arm portions, and has a longitudinally long elongated hole 51a for assembly formed approximately in the center thereof. The operating plate 51 has an arcuate shielding part 51b formed at the front end of its front arm to cover a part of the teeth 42a of the ratchet 42 from the outer periphery.
A locking pawl 51c that releasably engages with one of the teeth 42b is formed on the inner periphery of the shielding portion 21.
An engaging protrusion 51b is provided on the outer periphery of b to protrude forward. Further, a second release pin 56 is provided at the middle portion of the rear arm portion of the actuating plate 51 to protrude outward, and an arcuate plate spring 52 is fixed to the rear end with a rivet. Such actuating plate 5
1 is a bolt 35a on the outside of the ratchet 42,
It is attached to both brackets 31 and 32 by a nut 36a so that it can rotate vertically and swing a predetermined amount in a direction perpendicular to the pivot axis. In this state, both ends 52a and 52b of the leaf spring 52 are elastically and slidably abutted against the arcuate back surface of the ratchet 42. As a result, the actuating plate 51
The locking claw 51c provided on the shielding portion 51b of the leaf spring 5
1 of the teeth 42a of the ratchet 42 with the urging force of 2.
As shown in FIG. 2, the upper part of the toothed portion 42a is covered by a shielding portion 51b. Also,
In the state shown in FIG. 2, the lower end of the shielding part 51b and the upper end of the toothed part 41a of the pole 41 are in contact with each other.

The second manual lever 53, as shown in FIG.
It is composed of an arm extending vertically, and has a circular hole 53a for assembly formed in the middle front part thereof, and a cam hole 53b into which the second release pin 56 is inserted in the rear part thereof. Further, an engagement pin 53c is provided at the lower intermediate portion of the second manual lever 53 to protrude outward, and an operating knob 53d is provided at the lower end thereof. The second manual lever 53 is attached to the outside of the actuating plate 51 by a bolt 35a and a nut 36a so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction relative to the brackets 31 and 32. Also, the second
The manual lever 53 is biased clockwise in FIG. 2 by a third tension spring 54 whose one end is locked to the rear end of a plate-shaped retainer 25 disposed outside the first manual lever 43. The retainer 25 comes into contact with the mounting bolt 25a of the retainer 25, and further rotation in the clockwise direction is restricted. As a result, the operation knob 53d of the second manual lever 53 is located a predetermined amount ahead of the operation knob 43d of the first manual lever 43, and protrudes downward from the elongated hole 24a of the column cover 24. When the lever is swung by a predetermined angle, the engagement pin 53c engages with the first manual lever 43, and then the first manual lever 43
oscillate as a unit. In addition, the second manual lever 5
The cam hole 53b of No. 3 constitutes a second cam means together with the second relay pin 56, and when the second manual lever 53 is swung by a predetermined angle, the cam surface 5
3b1, the actuating plate 51 is engaged with the second release pin 56 and slid forward, and the locking pawl 51c of the shielding portion 51b of the actuating plate 51 is disengaged from the tooth portion 42a of the ratchet 42. This results in
The ratchet 42 is released from the actuating plate 51 and can rotate relative to the actuating plate 51.

The guide plate 55 is a main part of the present invention, and as shown in FIG.
An engagement recess 55a into which the engagement protrusion 51d can enter and exit.
and an arcuate protrusion 55b extending downward from the lower end along the outer periphery of the teeth 42a of the ratchet 42.
(downward extending part). The guide plate 55 is fixed to the outside of the fixed bracket 31 inside the pawl 41 with a predetermined distance maintained in the front and back relative to the ratchet 42 and the actuation plate 51, and its engagement recess 55a is fixed to the outside of the fixed bracket 31.
facing the engagement protrusion 51d of No. 1 with a predetermined distance therebetween;
The arcuate projection 55b faces the lower part of the tooth 42a of the ratchet 42 with a predetermined distance therebetween. As a result, when the actuating plate 51 slides forward, its engaging protrusion 51d engages with the engaging recess 55a of the guide plate 55, and the vertical rotation of the actuating plate 51 is restricted. Further, when the actuating plate 51 rotates integrally with the ratchet 42, the engaging protrusion 51d of the actuating plate 51 rotates within the range along the inner circumference of the arc-shaped protrusion 55b of the guide plate 55.

Note that in this embodiment, the first manual lever 4
3 and the second manual lever 53, the external shapes of the operating knobs 43d and 53d are changed as shown in FIGS. 9a and 9b. That is, the operation knob 43d of the first manual lever 43 has a large number of protrusions 4 extending in the left-right direction on both the front and rear surfaces.
3d1, and the operation knob 53d of the second manual lever 53 is provided with a large number of protrusions 53d1 extending in the vertical direction on the front surface.

In this embodiment configured as described above, when both manual levers 43 and 53 are in the position shown in FIG. 44 in the clockwise direction in the drawing, the roller 43c presses against the back of the pawl 41 and reliably maintains the meshing state between the teeth 41a of the pawl 41 and the teeth 42a of the ratchet 42. As a result, the rotating bracket 32 is fixed at that position, and the third steering shaft 13, which is pivotally supported by the third column tube 23 fixed to the rotating bracket 32, is held at a predetermined angle of inclination. Therefore, the steering wheel 17 is positioned and fixed at a predetermined inclination angle.

Incidentally, in order for the driver to flip the steering wheel 17 upwards for convenience when getting out of the vehicle, the first manual lever 43 of the locking device 40 must be moved counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG. 2 by grasping its operation knob 43d. Operate the swing in the direction. As a result, the roller 43c of the first manual lever 43 separates from the back of the pawl 41, and then the cam surface 43c of the first manual lever 43
3a1 engages with the first release pin 45 of the pawl 41, and the pawl 41
Rotate clockwise as shown. Therefore, the teeth 41a of the pawl 41 and the teeth 42a of the ratchet 42
By the action of the pair of tension springs 37, 37 interposed between the fixed bracket 31 and the rotating bracket 32, the rotating bracket 32 is moved to the latch 42 and the operating plate 51.
The stopper bolt 34 provided on the right arm portion 32b rotates integrally with the stopper bolt 34 until it comes into contact with the lower end of the elongated hole 31c of the fixed bracket 31. As a result, the rotating bracket 32 is lifted upward as shown in FIG. 10, and the steering wheel 17 integrated therewith is lifted up.
is completely lifted upwards. Thereafter, when the first manual lever 43 is released, the first manual lever 43 is rotated clockwise in the drawing by the action of the second tension spring 44, and the roller 43c is brought into pressure contact with the back of the pawl 41. In this case, the teeth 41 of the pawl 41 on the teeth 42a of the ratchet 42
As shown in FIG. 10, the portion facing a is covered by the shielding portion 51b of the actuating plate 51, so the teeth 41a of the pawl 41 only come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the shielding portion 51b, and the ratchet 42 It does not mesh with the tooth portion 42a. Note that if the first manual lever 43 is released during rotation of the rotation bracket 32, the roller 43c comes into pressure contact with the back of the pawl 41 by the action of the second tension spring 44 and moves it counterclockwise. The pawl 41 is rotated so that the toothed portion 41a of the pawl 41 is brought into engagement with the toothed portion 42a of the ratchet 42. However, in this state, the locking pawl 51c of the actuating plate 51 is engaged as one of the teeth 42a of the ratchet 42, and the shielding portion 51b is engaged with the tooth 42a of the ratchet 42.
2a, the teeth 41a of the pawl 41 only make sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the shielding portion 51b, and do not mesh with the teeth 42a of the ratchet 42. In this way, the driver operates the first manual lever 4
Steering wheel 17 with only the rocking operation of step 3.
can be thrown upwards very easily.

When the steering wheel 17 is raised upward, the teeth 41a of the pawl 41 and the teeth 4 of the ratchet 42 are engaged, as shown in FIG.
2a remains dissociated, and the rotating bracket 3
2 and the steering wheel 17 integrally connected thereto are in a state in which they can rotate downward. Therefore, when the driver pulls down the steering wheel 17 against the first tension springs 37, 37 when re-boarding the vehicle, the steering wheel 17 is easily rotated downward. In this case, when the steering wheel 17 comes to a position rotated by exactly the same angle as the angle at which it was tilted when it was raised, the outer peripheral surface of the shielding portion 51b of the actuating plate 51, which is rotating integrally with the ratchet 42, and the pawl 41 Tooth portion 41a of
The engagement (sliding contact) with the For this reason, Paul 4
1 is pushed counterclockwise in the drawing by the action of the second tension spring 44, and its teeth 41a and teeth 42a of the ratchet 42 mesh with each other. In this case, since the angle at which the steering wheel 17 is rotated downward is equal to the angle at which it is raised, the pole 41
The teeth 41a of the ratchet 42 and the teeth 42a of the ratchet 42 mesh with each other at exactly the same peaks and valleys as before. Therefore, by simply pulling down the steering wheel 17, it can be returned to the predetermined position before it was raised, and it can be reliably fixed at that position.

When the driver adjusts the position of the steering wheel 17 according to his/her physique, for example, the driver moves the second manual lever 53 of the memory mechanism 50 in the state shown in FIG. Operate the swing in the direction. As a result, the cam surface 53b1 of the cam hole 53b of the second manual lever 53 engages with the second release pin 56 provided on the actuation plate 51, and the actuation plate 51 is moved against the leaf spring 52 via the second release pin 56. and slide it forward. At the same time, the engagement pin 53c of the second manual lever 53 engages with the first manual lever 43, and the first manual lever 43
is made to swing integrally with the second manual lever 53. Therefore, in the actuating plate 51, the locking pawl 51c dissociates from the tooth portion 42a of the ratchet 42, and the engaging protrusion 51d enters the engaging recess 55a of the guide plate 55 and engages therewith. . As a result, the operating plate 51 is restricted from vertical rotation with the ratchet 42 released, and the ratchet 4 relative to the operating plate 51 is restricted from rotating in the vertical direction.
2 relative rotation is allowed. Further, in the first manual lever 43, the cam surface 43a1 of the cam hole 43a engages with the first release pin 45 of the pawl 41, and the pawl 41 is moved clockwise in the figure, as in the case of flipping up the steering wheel 17. and rotate the teeth 41a of the pawl 41 to the ratchet 42.
from the tooth portion 42a. As a result, the ratchet 42 and the rotating bracket 32 integral therewith
and a steering wheel 17 connected to this
is rotatable in the vertical direction relative to the fixed bracket 31 and the actuating plate 51, as shown in FIG. Therefore, by moving the steering wheel 17 up and down while maintaining the swinging state of the second manual lever 53, the steering wheel 17 can be moved to a desired tilt angle position. When the second manual lever 53 is released after this movement, the first manual lever 43 first returns to the non-operating position by the action of the second tension spring 44, and presses the pawl 41 via the roller 43c, causing its teeth to 41a is engaged with the teeth 42a of the ratchet 42. As a result, the ratchet 42 and the rotating bracket 32 integral therewith are locked with respect to the fixed bracket 31, and the steering wheel 17 connected to the rotating bracket 32 is adjusted to a desired tilt angle position. Thereafter, the second manual lever 53 returns to the non-operating position by the action of the third tension spring 54, and the actuation plate 51 returns to the non-operation position, and the locking pawl 51c of the actuation plate 51 is moved by the action of the leaf spring 52. It engages with one of the teeth 42a of the ratchet 42. In this case, the locking pawl 51c has a tooth portion 42a that is shifted by the adjustment angle of the steering wheel 17 from the tooth portion 42a of the ratchet 42 that was engaged before the position adjustment of the steering wheel 17.
engage with. This means that the memory mechanism 50 has been set to the tilt angle position after the position adjustment of the steering wheel 17. Note that the flip-up operation and position adjustment operation after adjusting the position of the steering wheel 17 are performed in exactly the same manner as described above. As described above, in this embodiment, the first manual lever 43 is also integrally swung by the swiveling operation of the second manual lever 53, so that the position of the steering wheel 17 can be adjusted. Operability is significantly improved compared to when the levers are individually swung.

By the way, in this embodiment, an engaging pin 57 is provided protrudingly on the outside of the ratchet 42 so that the engaging pin 57 is actuated when the ratchet 42 rotates by a predetermined angle relative to the operating plate 51 clockwise in the drawing. Engagement step portion 51 provided at the upper edge of the intermediate portion of the plate 51
e to restrict further relative rotation of the ratchet 42 in the same direction. Therefore, the engagement pin 57 functions as follows. That is, in the tail steering device of this embodiment, when the steering wheel 17 is flipped upward as shown in FIG. 10, the second manual lever 53 is erroneously operated to swing counterclockwise in the figure. When the steering wheel 17 is pushed downward, the locking pawl 51c of the actuating plate 51 and the ratchet 42
The engagement with the tooth portion 42a is released, and the ratchet 4
2 and a rotating bracket 32 integral therewith rotate clockwise in the drawing relative to the operating plate 51. Therefore, in the absence of the engagement pin 57, when the second manual lever 53 is subsequently released, the engagement claw 51c of the actuating plate 51 will engage at or near the lowermost portion 42a1 of the teeth 42a of the ratchet 42. This part is the shielding part 5 of the actuating plate 51.
1b, and the teeth 42 of the ratchet 42
This may cause the tooth portion 41a of the pawl 41 to become unable to engage with the tooth portion 41a of the pawl 41, and the actuation plate 51 may be rotated back to its normal position where its engagement protrusion 51d faces the engagement recess 55a of the guide plate 55. There is a risk that you will not be able to do so. However, in this embodiment, when the ratchet 42 rotates relative to the actuation plate 51 by a predetermined angle clockwise in the drawing, the engagement pin 57 engages with the engagement step 51e on the upper edge of the intermediate portion of the actuation plate 51. do. Therefore, after that, the ratchet 42 integrally rotates the actuation plate 51 in the clockwise direction in the figure via the engagement pin 57, and brings the actuation plate 51 into contact with the upper step 55c of the engagement recess 55a of the guide plate 55. is rotated back to its normal position where its engagement protrusion 51d faces the engagement recess 55a. Therefore, the engagement pin 5
7 properly compensates for the functions of the lock device 40 and storage mechanism 50 in the event of an erroneous operation.

In addition, in this embodiment, the guide plate 5
An arcuate protrusion 55b is provided at the lower end of the engagement recess 55a of No. 5, and extends downward for a predetermined length along the outer periphery of the teeth 42a of the ratchet 42. Therefore, if the second manual lever 53 is erroneously swung in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing when the steering wheel 17 is raised, the outer periphery of the engagement protrusion 51d of the actuating plate 51 will be shifted to the inner periphery of the arcuate protrusion 55b. , and further sliding of the actuating plate 51 is restricted. In addition, when the steering wheel 17 is pushed downward in this state, the actuation plate 51 engages with the engagement pin 57 and rotates integrally with the ratchet 42, so that the engagement protrusion 51d engages with the guide plate. 55 and returns to the normal position facing the engagement recess 55a. At the time of this return, the actuating plate 51 returns with the outer periphery of the engagement protrusion 51d in sliding contact with the inner periphery of the arc-shaped protrusion 55b of the guide plate 55.
There is no possibility that the actuating plate 51 gets caught on the lower end of the guide plate 55 and damages both 51 and 55.

In this embodiment, in particular, the shapes of the operating knobs 43d and 53d of both manual levers 43 and 53 are made different as shown in FIGS. 9a and 9b. Therefore, the driver can distinguish between the manual levers 43 and 53 by the touch of his fingers, which is extremely convenient for selecting the manual levers 43 and 53.

Further, in the present embodiment, the present invention has been shown as an example in which the present invention is implemented in a telescopic steering device whose position is adjustable in the axial direction of the steering shaft, but the present invention is not limited to such a tilt steering device. a fixed bracket fixed to a part of the vehicle body; a rotating bracket fixed to a column tube rotatably supporting a tiltable steering shaft and a steering wheel; a first spring means interposed between the rotating bracket and the fixed bracket or the vehicle body to bias the rotating bracket upward; and a first spring means on one side of one of the two brackets. A pawl is assembled so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction and removably engages with the arc-shaped teeth provided on the other bracket of the two brackets, and a pawl that is releasably engaged with the back of this pawl and engages with the sliding portion of the pole. A first manual lever is provided with a stopper that restricts movement and maintains engagement between the teeth and the arcuate teeth, and is assembled to the one bracket so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and the stopper is attached to the pole. second spring means for biasing said first manual lever into engagement with the back of said first manual lever; A first cam means is provided for swinging the pawl to release the engagement between the teeth of the pawl and the arcuate teeth when the pawl is swung by a predetermined angle against the movement of the first manual lever. The present invention can be implemented in various types of tail steering devices in which the rotating bracket is lifted upward by the action of the first spring means when the pivot bracket is operated. Furthermore, when implementing the present invention in these various types of tail steering devices, it is preferable to provide an arc-shaped tooth portion corresponding to the tooth portion 42a of the ratchet 42 in the above embodiment directly on the free end of the rotating bracket. You may also do so. Further, in carrying out the present invention, the pawl 41 that locks one end of the first tension spring 37 in the above embodiment to a part of the vehicle body is pivotally supported on the rotation bracket 32 side, and the arc-shaped tooth Bracket 31 to fix the part
Both manual levers 43, 53 and guide plate 5 provided on the side
5 can be pivoted on the side of the bracket on which the pole 41 is pivoted.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing one embodiment of the tilt steering device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the main part of the same device, FIG. 3 is an enlarged partially cutaway plan view of the main part, and FIG. The figure is a side view showing the right arm of both brackets, Figure 5 is a side view of the first manual lever, Figure 6 is a side view of the actuation plate, Figure 7 is a side view of the second manual lever, and Figure 8 is a side view of the second manual lever. The figure is a side view of the guide plate, Figure 9a is an enlarged perspective view of the operating knob of the first manual lever, Figure 9b is an enlarged perspective view of the operating knob of the second manual lever, and Figure 10 is when tilted away. FIG. 11 is an enlarged side view of the main part during tilt adjustment. Explanation of symbols 13...Third steering shaft, 17...Steering wheel, 31...Fixed bracket, 32...Rotating bracket, 37...
...First tension spring, 40...Lock device, 41...Pole, 42...Ratchet, 43
...First manual lever, 43a...Cam hole, 43c
...Roller, 43d...Operation knob, 44...Second
Tension spring, 45...first release pin, 50...memory mechanism, 51...operating plate,
51b...shielding part, 51c...locking claw, 51b...
...Engagement protrusion, 51e...Lock step, 52...Plate spring, 53...Second manual lever, 53b...Cam hole, 53c...Engagement pin, 53d...Operation knob,
54...first tension spring, 55...guide plate (engaging member), 55a...engaging recess,
55b...Circular protrusion, 56...Engagement pin, 5
7... Engagement pin.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A fixed bracket fixed to a part of the vehicle body, a rotating bracket fixed to a column tube and rotatably connected to the fixed bracket, and a rotating bracket interposed between the rotating bracket and the vehicle body and extending upward to the rotating bracket. a first spring means for applying a biasing force to the first spring; a pawl that is rotatably assembled to one of the brackets and removably meshes with a tooth provided on the other of the brackets; a first manual lever that is rotatably assembled to the one bracket and includes a stopper that restricts the engagement between the teeth of the pole and the teeth of the bracket; and the teeth of the pole and the bracket. a second spring means for biasing the first manual lever to maintain engagement with the first manual lever; and a second spring means provided between the first manual lever and the pawl to force the first manual lever to In the vehicle tail steering device, the vehicle tail steering device is provided with a first cam means that swings the pawl to release the engagement with the teeth of the bracket when the pawl is operated to swing against the shaft. an actuating plate that includes a locking pawl that is releasably engaged with a portion of the bracket and a shielding portion that covers a portion of the tooth portion, and is assembled to be rotatable about the pivot axis of the bracket and slidable in a direction perpendicular to the pivot axis; a third spring means that biases the actuating plate to engage the locking pawl with a part of the teeth of the bracket; a second manual lever rotatably assembled to the one bracket, the second manual lever having an engaging portion that engages with the lever and swings it integrally when the lever is operated; a fourth spring means provided between the second manual lever and the actuating plate and configured to bias the second manual lever so as to separate the lever from the first manual lever by a predetermined angle; a second cam means for sliding the actuating plate to release the engagement between the locking pawl and the teeth of the bracket; and a shielding portion provided on the one bracket when the actuating plate slides. an engaging member provided with an engaging recess that is engaged with an engaging protrusion provided on the outer periphery of the actuating plate to restrict the rotation of the actuating plate; an engaging portion that engages with the operating plate to restrict further rotation when the relative rotation of the bracket reaches a predetermined angle; 1. A vehicle tail steering device, comprising a protrusion that extends a predetermined length at a predetermined interval along the outer periphery of a toothed portion of the vehicle.