JPH0234143Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a tilt-type steering device that can adjust the mounting angle of a steering wheel.

Conventionally, the support part that rotatably supports the steering shaft to which the steering wheel is attached is fixed to the fixed part fixed to the vehicle body by operating a tilt lever to tighten or loosen the screw part. 2. Description of the Related Art A tilt-type steering device is known in which the mounting angle of a steering wheel can be adjusted depending on the state or the configuration that allows the tilting state.

However, this type of tilt steering device has the following problems.

First, by tightening the threaded part, the fixing part and the support part are pressed against each other in the overlapping part, and the latter is fixed to the former by frictional engagement, so that the threaded part can be tightened securely. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the lead angle to some extent.
In this case, the screw will not loosen, but the advance will be smaller compared to the rotation of the screw part,
The operating range between tightening and unfastening of the operating member that rotates the threaded portion becomes larger. As a result, the operating member may hit the body or objects, making it extremely difficult to perform the tightening and/or releasing operations.

In order to solve the above problem, if the lead angle of the threaded portion is increased, the operating range of the operating member becomes smaller, but on the other hand, the threaded portion becomes more likely to loosen. This is not only inconvenient but also poses a safety problem.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved tilting device that satisfies the above-mentioned problems that are originally incompatible with each other, so that the operating range of the operating member is small and the threaded portion does not loosen inadvertently. The objective is to obtain a type steering device.

In the configuration of the present invention to achieve the above object, an upper bracket 1 is fixed to the lower end of an upper column 3 that rotatably supports an upper steering shaft 2 to which a steering wheel 1 is fixed.
0 is a tilt axis relative to a lower bracket 8 fixed to the upper end of a lower column 7 rotatably supporting a lower steering shaft 6 fixed to the vehicle body part 9 and connected to the upper steering shaft via a universal joint. The present invention is based on a tilt type steering device in which the upper bracket and the lower bracket are connected in a tiltable manner by a tilt lever 20, and a connecting portion between the upper bracket and the lower bracket is tightened by a tilt lever 20 so that the upper bracket cannot be tilted relative to the lower bracket.

In this tilt type steering device, a first stopper 29 is provided on the upper bracket and engages when the tilt lever is tightened in one direction to its tightening end to prevent over-tightening of the connecting portion. a second stopper 30, which is provided on the upper bracket and engages with the tilt lever to prevent it from hanging down when the tilt lever is loosened in the other direction by a required amount; It has a top part 33 at the part corresponding to the position immediately before the tightening end of the lever, and on both sides of the top part 33,
A steep slope 32 corresponding to the tightening end position of the tilt lever, and a gentle slope 31 corresponding to the intermediate tightening position
and a bridge member 25 which is provided on the tilt lever and is biased by the elastic member 24 so as to be able to protrude and retract from the end face of the tilt lever and to be able to engage with the lock plate.
and;

Thus, the bridge member is displaced integrally with the tilt lever, engages with the gentle slope at a position in the middle of tightening the tilt lever, engages with the top portion at a position just before the tightening end, and engages with the top part at the tightening end position. It will engage a steep slope.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, an upper steering shaft 2 with a steering wheel 1 attached to its upper end is rotatably supported by an upper column 3, and a lower steering shaft 6 connected to a steering gear 4 via a universal joint 5 is supported by a lower column 3. 7 and is rotatably supported. The lower column 7 is adhesively fixed to the instrument panel 9 on the vehicle body side by means of a lower bracket 8 fixed to the upper part thereof, and the upper steering shaft 2
and the lower steering shaft 6 are tiltably connected by a universal joint (not shown).

An upper bracket 10 is fixed to the lower part of the upper column 3, and the upper bracket 10 is connected to the lower bracket 8 as described below.

In FIG. 2, the upper bracket 10 has a left bent portion 15 extending parallel to the tilt direction (parallel to the paper surface) from both sides of the base 14 and a right bent portion (in FIG. 2, the right bent portion is beyond the left bent portion 15). the lower bracket 8 has a base 1
A left bending part 17 and a right bending part (also hidden in FIG. (see Figure 3). And upper bracket 1
0 is rotated around this center line by a pair of tilt shafts 18 (only the one on the near side is visible in Fig. 2) attached to the lower bracket 8 along the center line of the above-mentioned universal joint at this overlapping part. It is connected so that it can be tilted.

Next, both left and right bent portions 1 of both brackets 8 and 10 are
A tightening nut (none of which is shown) is screwed onto the bolt extending through 5 and 17, and the tilt lever 20 is attached to this nut by a mounting bolt 19. When the tilt lever 20 is rotated around the bolt, the tightening nut also rotates integrally with it, and the tightening nut advances and retreats along the threaded portion of the bolt, thereby removing spacers, support tubes, etc. (not shown). ), the left and right bent portions 15 and 17 of both brackets 8 and 10 are pressed against each other and loosened. This makes the upper bracket 10 fixed or tiltable relative to the lower bracket 8.

Here, the threaded portion and the tightening nut have a multi-start thread structure and have a relatively large lead angle. Further, a set of elongated holes 12 are formed in both left and right bent portions 17 of the lower bracket 8, and a set of elongated holes 13 are formed in both left and right bent portions 15 of the upper bracket 10. Hole 13 is the elongated hole 1 above.
2 and obliquely intersect with each other at an acute angle of intersection. Long hole 1 on both sides
2 and 13, the bolt moves into the elongated hole 12 when the upper bracket 10 is tilted about the tilt axis 8, so that the tilt lever 20 etc. can move together with the upper bracket 10. becomes.

Another arm (not shown) is provided in a direction that makes an acute angle with the arm on which the handle portion 21 of the tilt lever 20 is attached. As shown in the figure, a stopper bolt 23 is attached parallel to the tilt axis 18 by a nut 23, a steel ball (piece member) 25 is disposed inside the stopper bolt 23, and is biased to the right in FIG. 3 by a coil spring 24. stoppa bolt 23
It is possible to appear and disappear from the end face.

On the other hand, a lever stopper 26 is fixed to the upper bracket 10 with a screw 27 and extends parallel to a set of long holes 13 provided in the left and right bent portions 15.
A lock plate 28 is disposed on the lever stopper 26 and has a constant width overall and a mountain-shaped cross section. The steel ball 25 is always urged by the coil spring 24 so as to be pressed against the surface of the lock plate 28.

Both ends of the lever stopper 26 become rising portions (stopper portions) 29 and 30, and when the tilt lever 20 is tightened, the stopper bolt 23 of the tilt lever 20 becomes the upper rising portion (first stopper portion) 29.
By coming into contact with the tilt lever 20, the rotation range of the tilt lever 20 in the tightening direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2) is limited.
This prevents the tilt lever 20 from being overtightened. On the other hand, when the tilt lever 20 is loosened by the necessary amount, the stopper bolt 23 comes into contact with the lower rising part (second stopper) 30, and the tilt lever 20 is rotated in the tightening release direction (clockwise in FIG. 2). The range is limited, thereby preventing the tilt lever 20 from drooping.

The lock plate 28 will be described in detail as follows.
As shown in FIG. 3, this plate has a mountain-like shape with steep slopes 31 and 32 at the middle part in the width direction and one side edge, and a peak 33 at the boundary. That is, the tilt lever 20 is located in the middle of the plate 28.
A gentle slope 31 is formed at a portion corresponding to the intermediate tightening position of the tilt lever 20, and a top portion 33 that pushes down the steel ball 25 the most is formed at a portion immediately before the tightening end of the tilt lever 20. Furthermore, a steep slope 3 is provided at a portion corresponding to the tightening position of the tilt lever (the position where the lever 20 contacts the stopper 29).
2 is formed.

Therefore, during the tightening of the tilt lever 20, the steel ball 25 engages with the gentle slope 31, and the increase in operating force caused by the steel ball 25 being pushed down by the gentle slope 31 is extremely small, and the tilt lever 20 is It is rotated in the tightening direction with a torque greater than or equal to a relatively small first predetermined value.

Then, the tilt lever 20 further moves to the stopper 29.
When operated while in contact with the steel ball 2
5 climbs over the top portion 33 and engages with the steep slope 32 side.

Therefore, when the tilt lever 20 is operated in the release direction, the steel ball 25 hits the steep slope 32 and a kind of slope action is obtained, thereby preventing the tilt lever 20 from loosening inadvertently. That is, the tilt lever 20 will not be rotated in the release direction unless the torque is greater than or equal to the second predetermined value, which is greater than the first predetermined value.

This situation is shown in the graphs of FIGS. 4 and 5.

That is, in FIG. 4, the horizontal axis is the tilt lever 20.
As shown by the thick solid line, the tilt lever 20 is completely rotated in the tightening direction with a torque equal to or greater than the first predetermined value _T1 . The thin solid line indicates the degree of increase in torque when the lock plate 28, bridge member 25, etc. of the present invention are not provided. As can be seen by comparing the two solid lines, the effect of providing the lock plate 28 as in the above embodiment is that when the tilt lever is tightened, the steel ball 25 is
When you get past 3, the torque decreases a little, so you can feel the tightening in your hands and feel the control of tilt lever operation.

In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis represents the rotation angle of the tilt lever 20 in the tightening release direction, and as shown by the thick solid line, the peak of the second predetermined value _T2 is high, so that the tilt lever 20 may become unintentionally loosened. thwarted. On the other hand,
In the case where the lock plate 28 or the like is not provided, the peaks are low as shown by the thin solid line, so loosening is likely to occur.

In addition, a coil spring 3 is installed between both brackets 8 and 10.
When the upper bracket 10 is tilted by turning the tilt lever 20 with a large force in the release direction to loosen the tightening and bring the upper bracket 10 into a tiltable state, the force of the spring 35 will cause the upper bracket to rotate around the tilt axis 18. 10 is flipped up, and the wheel 1 assumes the jumping position shown by the two-dot chain line in the upper part of FIG. If the steering wheel 1 is pushed down from this jump position to a desired position and the tilt lever 20 is turned in the tightening direction, the upper bracket 10 is tightened and becomes fixed. In this way, the steering wheel 1 is set at a desired mounting angle.

Further, in the above embodiment, the tilt lever 20
The releasing force, that is, the second predetermined value _T2 , can be easily adjusted by turning the nut 22 to move the set position of the stopper bolt 23 up or down, or by changing the load of the built-in coil spring 24.

By the way, in the above embodiment, the present invention divides the steering shaft into upper and lower parts and tilts only the upper steering shaft around the joint, which is the so-called "oscillation tilt".
Although this is an example applied to a vehicle, the present invention can also be applied to a so-called ``hip tilt'' in which the steering shaft is tilted relative to the vehicle body with the universal joint that connects the lower part of the steering shaft and the steering gear as the center of rotation.

As described above, according to the present invention, in the tilt type steering device, the lever is provided on the upper bracket and engages with the tilt lever when the tilt lever is tightened to its tightening end in one direction, thereby preventing over-tightening of the connecting portion. a first stopper provided on the upper bracket and engaged with the tilt lever to prevent it from drooping when the tilt lever is loosened in the other direction by a required amount; a second stopper fixed to the upper bracket; A lock plate having an apex at a portion corresponding to a position immediately before the tightening end of the tilt lever, and having a steep slope corresponding to the tightening end position of the tilt lever and a gentle slope corresponding to an intermediate tightening position on both sides thereof; A bridge member is provided on the lever and is biased by an elastic member so as to be freely retractable from the end face of the tilt lever and can be engaged with the lock plate.

The bridge member is displaced integrally with the tilt lever, so that it engages with a gentle slope when the tilt lever is in the middle of tightening, engages with the top when it is just before the tightening end, and engages with a steep slope when it is at the tightening end. did.

As a result, the lead angle of the tightening screw can be selected to be large, making it possible to reduce the operating range of the tilt lever, while preventing the tilt lever from loosening inadvertently once it has been tightened, resulting in excellent operability and operational reliability. A tilt type steering device is obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the entire embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a soybean cube showing the main part of the above embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are graphs for explaining the effects of the above embodiment, respectively. Explanation of the codes of the main parts, 1...Steering wheel, 2...Upper steering shaft, 3...Upper column, 7...Lower column, 8...Lower bracket, 10...Upper bracket, 20...Tilt lever, 25... Bridge member, 28... Lock plate, 29... First stopper, 30... Second stopper, 31... Gentle slope, 32... Steep slope, 33
...Top.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] An upper bracket fixed to the lower end of an upper column that rotatably supports an upper steering shaft having a steering wheel fixed to its upper end is fixed to a vehicle body part, and is attached to the upper column via a universal joint. A lower bracket fixed to an upper end of a lower column that rotatably supports a lower steering shaft connected to a steering shaft is tiltably connected to a lower bracket by a tilt shaft, and a connecting portion between the upper bracket and the lower bracket is connected to the lower bracket. In a tilt type steering device in which the upper bracket cannot be tilted with respect to the lower bracket by tightening with a tilt lever, a tilt type steering device is provided on the upper bracket and engages the tilt lever when the tilt lever is tightened in one direction to its tightening end position. a first stopper for preventing over-tightening of the connecting portion; and a first stopper provided on the upper bracket that engages with the tilt lever to prevent the tilt lever from sagging when the tilt lever is loosened by a required amount in the other direction. a second stopper fixed to the upper bracket, having an apex at a position immediately before the tightening end of the tilt lever, and steep slopes on both sides thereof corresponding to the tightening end position of the tilt lever; a lock plate each having a gentle slope corresponding to a position in the middle of tightening; and a lock plate provided on the tilt lever so that the lock plate can be freely protruded and retracted from an end surface of the tilt lever by being biased by an elastic member and can be engaged with the lock plate. a bridge member; the bridge member is integrally displaced with the tilt lever, engages with the gentle slope at a position halfway through tightening the tilt lever, and engages with the top at a position immediately before the tightening end; A tilt type steering device, characterized in that the tilt type steering device is adapted to engage with the steep slope at a tightening end position.