JPH0443422Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] This invention relates to an improvement of a flip-up steering column.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, in order to improve the ease of getting on and off the vehicle, there is a flip-up steering column in which the steering wheel (steering wheel) is tilted up to the highest position so that it does not get in the way when getting on and off the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 7, the conventional flip-up type steering column includes, for example, a fixed bracket 103 integrated with a lower arch tube 101, and a tilt bracket 10 integrated with an upper arch tube 105.
7, and the fixed bracket 103 is fixed to the vehicle body side. Tilt bracket 107
is rotatably and lockably connected to a fixed bracket 103 via a shaft 109. An upper tooth 11 is provided at one end of the tilt bracket 107.
1 is integrally formed, while the fixed bracket 103 has a ratchet 115 having a lower tooth 113 that meshes with the upper tooth 111.
is rotatably attached by a pin 117. One end of this ratchet 115 has a substantially U-shaped engagement groove 115a and a cam surface 115b continuous with the engagement groove 115a.
is formed. Further, an operating lever 119 is rotatably attached to the shaft 109,
The free end of this operating lever 119 has the engagement groove 1
A roller 121 that can be engaged with and disengaged from 15a is provided.

Tilt bracket 107 is fixed bracket 10
3, the coil spring 123 is biased counterclockwise around the shaft 109 as the center of rotation. Further, the operating lever 119 is connected to the coil spring 1 stretched between it and the bracket 103.
25, it is biased counterclockwise around the shaft 109 as the center of rotation. As a result, the upper teeth 111 and the lower teeth 113 are brought into a state of engagement and restraint. Further, as the operating lever 119 is biased counterclockwise by the coil spring 125, the roller 121 comes into contact with the cam surface 115b, and the ratchet 115 moves against the tilt bracket 10.
7, so it's hot perch 10
5 is fixed and the steering wheel is held in place.

In FIG. 8, reference numeral 127 denotes a steering shaft, and the shaft 127 consists of an upper shaft 129 and a lower shaft 131, which are connected by a universal joint 130. The lower shaft 131 is connected to a steering gear (not shown) through a universal joint 133. There is. Further, a steering wheel 135 is attached to the upper shaft 129.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] In such a flip-up steering column,
To perform the tilt operation, when the operating lever 119 is pushed down, the roller 121 engages in the engagement groove 115a and rotates the ratchet 115 clockwise about the pin 117, thereby causing the upper tooth 111 and The engagement with the lower tooth 113 is disengaged and the restraint is released. As a result, the tilt bracket 107 can freely rotate. Therefore, after rotating the tilt bracket 107 to determine the drive position, the operating lever 119 is
When released, the operating lever 119 is biased counterclockwise by the coil spring 125, the ratchet 115 is pressed against the tilt bracket 107, and the upper teeth 111 and lower teeth 1
13 engages again and maintains the desired drive position.

On the other hand, when a passenger gets on or off the vehicle, for example, if the restraint of the tilt bracket 107 is released by operating the operating lever 119, the steering wheel 135 (handle) is suddenly raised by the coil spring 123. This steering wheel 135
There was a risk of vibration occurring when the upper limit stopper came into contact with the vehicle when the vehicle was lifted up, and there was also a risk of hitting the occupants.

Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to provide a flip-up steering column that is favorable from the viewpoint of safety while ensuring ease of getting on and off the vehicle.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the flip-up steering column of the present invention includes a fixed bracket that is integrally fixed to the vehicle body with the lower tube, and a fixed bracket that is integrally fixed to the upper tube. and a tilt bracket rotatably connected to the fixed bracket, a lock mechanism for fixing the tilt bracket at an arbitrary position relative to the fixed bracket, and a tilting mechanism for always biasing the tilt bracket toward the tilt-up side. In the flip-up steering column having a biasing means, a damping force acts between the fixed bracket and the tilt bracket when the tilt bracket is rotated upward, and the tilt bracket is rotated downward. The present invention is characterized by the provision of a jump damping device whose damping force is extremely small.

[Function] In such a flip-up steering column,
When the upper tube lifts up, the upper tube rises to the highest position with its lifting speed suppressed by the lift damping device.

[Embodiment] Hereinafter, an embodiment of this invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings of FIGS. 1 to 6.

The steering column A has a fixed bracket 3 integrated with the lower arch tube 1 and a tilt bracket 7 integrated with the upper arch tube 5. The tilt bracket 7 is a fixed bracket 3 fixed to the vehicle body side.
It is rotatably and lockably connected to the shaft 9 via a shaft 9. That is, as a locking mechanism, an upper tooth 11 is formed on the edge of the tilt bracket 7, while a lower tooth 13 that engages with the upper tooth 11 is formed on the fixed bracket 3.
A ratchet 15 having a diameter is rotatably mounted by a pin 17. A substantially U-shaped engagement groove 15a and a cam surface 15b continuous with the engagement groove 15a are formed at one end of the ratchet 15. Further, an operating lever 19 is rotatably attached to the shaft 9, and a roller 21 that can engage and disengage from the engagement groove 15a is provided at the free end of the operating lever 19. The tilt bracket 7 is biased counterclockwise about the shaft 9, that is, in the tilt-up direction, by a coil spring 23 serving as a tilt biasing means stretched between the tilt bracket 7 and the fixed bracket 3. Further, the operating lever 19 is urged counterclockwise by a coil spring 25 with the shaft 9 as the center of rotation, and one end of the coil spring 25 is engaged with the fixed bracket 3 and the other end is engaged with the operating lever 19. is supported. Therefore, the upper teeth 11 and the lower teeth 13 are engaged, and the fixed bracket 3 and the tilt bracket 7 are locked.

Furthermore, a steering shaft 27 is inserted into the steering column A. The steering shaft 27 includes an upper shaft 29 and a lower shaft 31 that are connected by a universal joint 30, and one end of the lower shaft 31 is connected to a steering gear (not shown) via a universal joint 33. Further, a steering wheel 37 is attached to one end of the upper shaft 29.

On the other hand, a jump damping device 39 is provided on the opposite side of the fixed bracket 3 to which the ratchet 15 and the like are attached.

The jump damping device 39 is of the single-acting type, consisting of a piston rod 43 sliding in a cylinder 41 connected to the fixed bracket 3, and said cylinder 41 connected to the tilt bracket 7.

The piston 45 of the piston rod 43 has a first passage 51 communicating with the first chamber 47 and the second chamber 49;
A passage 53 is provided. The second passage 53 is
The second passage 53 is formed to have a larger diameter than the passage 51, and the second passage 53 has a diameter larger than that of the passage 51.
A valve 55 that can be opened and closed to close the second passage 53 is provided at the arrow in the figure.

The hole diameter of the first passage 51 is set to such a size that resistance is applied to the piston 45 when the fluid flows from the second chamber 49 to the first chamber 47 when the piston rod 43 is extended when the second passage 53 is closed. There is. This makes it possible to suppress the rate of extension of the piston rod 43. The hole diameter of the second passage 53 is such that when the second passage 53 is opened, large resistance is not applied to the piston 45 when the fluid flows from the first chamber 47 to the second chamber 49 when the piston rod 43 is contracted. is set to .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, when the piston rod 43 of the jump damping device 39 is connected to the fixed bracket 3 side below the shaft 9 and used in so-called compression in which the contraction speed of the piston rod 43 is suppressed, As shown in FIG. 6, the valve 55 provided in the second passage 53 is located on the first chamber 47 side, and closes off the second passage 53 when the piston rod 43 is contracted.

In the steering column A configured in this manner, when the operating lever 19 is operated to disengage the upper tooth 11 and the lower tooth 13, the steering wheel 37 is lifted upward by the coil spring 23. At this time,
When the piston rod 43 of the jump damping device 39 extends, resistance is applied to the piston 43 and the speed of the jump is suppressed, so that the steering wheel 3
There is no danger when 7 jumps up. When the tilt bracket 7 is rotated from the flip-up position to the drive position, the damping force of the flip-up damping device 39 becomes minute, allowing for speedy operation and excellent operability. .

Further, when releasing the restraint of the tilt bracket 7, if the steering wheel 37 is set to a desired position and then the operating lever 19 is released, the lower teeth 13 and the upper teeth 11 are engaged and the steering wheel 37 is positioned at the above-mentioned position. It becomes like this.

The jump damping device of this embodiment is arranged on the opposite side of the fixed bracket 3 to which the ratchet 15 and the like are attached, so that it does not get in the way. Also, the damping device 39 is attached to the fixed bracket 3.
It is also possible to provide it on the bottom side. In this case, the amount of lateral protrusion is eliminated, making it possible to make it more compact.

[Effects of the invention] As explained above, according to the flip-up type steering column of this invention, the flip-up speed is suppressed by the flip-up damping device when the steering column is lifted, so that
Not only is safety improved because there is no danger of contact with the occupants, but the collision energy is also small, which is favorable in terms of vibration. moreover,
When the tilt bracket is rotated from the flip-up position to the drive position, the damping force of the flip-up damping device becomes minute, allowing for speedy operation and excellent operability.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a side view of the main part of the steering column in which the jump damping device according to this invention is implemented;
The figure is a side view of the same as above, Figure 3 is a side view similar to Figure 1 seen from the jump damping device side, and Figure 4 shows another embodiment in which the mounting device of the jump damping device is changed. 5 is a sectional view of the jump damping device implemented in FIG. 3; FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the jump damping device implemented in FIG. 4;
The figure is a side view similar to Figure 1 showing the conventional example, and Figure 8.
The figure is a side view similar to FIG. 2 showing the conventional example. Explanation of main drawing symbols, 1... Lower arch, 3... Fixed bracket, 7... Tilt bracket, 5... Upper tube, 23... Tilt biasing means, 37... Steering wheel, 39
... Jump damping device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A fixed bracket integrally fixed to the lower tube and fixed to the vehicle body, a tilt bracket integrally fixed to the upper tube and rotatably connected to the fixed bracket, and a tilt bracket fixed to the fixed bracket. A flip-up steering column having a lock mechanism for fixing the steering column at an arbitrary position, and a tilt biasing means for constantly biasing the tilt bracket toward the tilt-up side,
Jump damping in which a damping force acts between the fixed bracket and the tilt bracket when the tilt bracket is rotated upward, and the damping force is minute when the tilt bracket is rotated downward. A flip-up steering column characterized by the installation of a device.