JPH0540341Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) This invention relates to a spring assembly.

(Prior Art) FIGS. 6 and 7 show a well-known tail mechanism of a tail steering for an automobile. As shown in these figures, recently there have been an increasing number of vehicles that allow the steering wheel to be held in the uppermost flip-up position when adjusting the tail angle.

A simple explanation of its structure based on both figures is:
20 is a column attachment tube, and 21 is a support bracket fixed to the body side, and these are connected by a tail steering bolt 23 inserted almost coaxially with a joint part (not shown) of a steering main shaft 22. Connected so that they can move up and down. Also Column Atsupachi Yubu 2
A pawl 24 is rotatably suspended from the upper side of the pawl 24, and a toothed portion 24a is formed at the tip of the pawl 24, which engages with a ratchet 25 formed opposite to the support bracket 21 side. It's starting to fit. Further, a tail cam 28 and a pole stopper 29 are coaxially attached to the lower side of the column attachment tube 20 and rotate around a mounting shaft 27 in conjunction with the tail lever 26. And of these, pole stopper 2
A tension spring 31 is stretched between the retainer 30 that connects the mounting shaft 27 and the tail steering bolt 23, and the tension spring 31 allows the pole stopper 29 to be held against the back of the pole 24. is being imposed. As a result, the teeth 24a of the pawl 24 and the ratchet 25 mesh with each other, and the column attachment tube 20
becomes a fixed tail lock state.

On the other hand, to release the tail lock state, when the tail lever 26 is pulled up, the pole stopper 29 rotates in conjunction with this, and the pressing of the pole 24 against the back surface is released. At the same time, the pin 32 attached to the tip side of the pawl 24 is displaced along the guide hole 33 formed in the tail cam 28, so that the pawl 24 rotates in the backward direction and latches with the teeth 24a of the pawl 24. The engagement with 25 is released. In this manner, the column attachment tube 20 is flipped up to the uppermost position by the spring force of the compression spring 34 with the tailst steering bolt 23 as the center of rotation.

By the way, this compression spring 34 is assembled between the column attachment tube 21 and the support bracket 21 below the column attachment tube 20, and a synthetic resin tube is attached to both ends of the tube in order to avoid metal-to-metal contact. A bushing 35 is interposed.

Both bushes 35 are attached to the seat 4 as shown in FIG.
It has a configuration in which a hollow shaft portion 36 is erected from the bottom, and the shaft portion 36 is inserted into and integrated with the compression spring 34. In this state, one end is inserted into the insertion pin 37 (see FIG. 4, the insertion pin is indicated by 37) protruding from the support bracket 21, and the other end is inserted into the lower surface of the column attachment tube 20. Attachment piece 38 protruding from
The entire assembly is completed by tightening the tightening bolts 39.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, in the assembly work of the compression spring 34,
It is necessary to integrate the compression spring 34 and the bush 35 before starting the work.

However, even though they are integrated, the bushes 35 do not have any hooking means for the compression spring 34, and the operator must hold both bushes 35 with two fingers during assembly. They are simply sandwiched together and integrated. For this reason, if it is separated from the finger during work, it will immediately fall off, causing a reduction in work efficiency. In particular, with the tail structure, as shown in FIG. 7, the part where the compression spring 34 is to be assembled is difficult for the operator to access, as the mounting bracket 41 protrudes from both sides of the lower surface of the support bracket 21. ing. However, this mounting bracket 41 becomes a hindrance and makes it easy to remove the finger from the bush 35.

Also, when assembling to the tail mechanism,
Both bushes 35 are supported and compressed, and in this state, one bush 35 must be inserted into the aforementioned insertion pin 37, and the other bush 35 must be adjusted to the hole position from which the tightening bolt 39 will protrude. Since springs with a large force are used because the entire steering wheel is to be flipped up, this work while compressing the spring 34 has become extremely difficult.

There are also the following problems.

As is well known, the compression spring 34 has greater manufacturing variation than resin products such as the bush 35. For example, the inner diameter of the compression spring 34 varies widely compared to the outer diameter of the shaft 36 of the bush 35 inserted therein. In this case, the shaft portion 36 of the bush 35 is tapered to facilitate insertion into the compression spring 34, but if the inner diameter of the compression spring 34 is smaller than the set dimension, the bush 35 may be When inserted, the shaft portion 36
It may not be possible to insert it all the way to the base (see Figure 8). In this case, the total length in the set state with the bushes 35 attached to both sides becomes smaller than the set dimension, and the operating range of the compression spring 34 changes. This caused a problem in which the steering wheel could not be pushed up to the specified flip-up position.

In view of these problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a spring assembly that can obtain a proper assembly relationship with the compression spring while preventing the bush from falling off.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the spring assembly of the present invention is a spring assembly in which a bushing is attached to at least one end of a compression spring, wherein the bushing is It is formed of a seat portion formed to have a larger diameter than the inner diameter of the compression spring, and a shaft portion that is erected on the axis of the seat portion and inserted into the inside of the compression spring, and this shaft portion has a recess for the compression spring. It is configured to include a stop means and a slit cut into the seat portion to bend and deform the shaft portion in the direction of reducing the diameter.

Further, as the retaining means, the elastic force of the shaft portion may be used to impact the compression spring.

Similarly, a protrusion may be formed on the outer surface of the shaft portion and the protrusion may be engaged with the gap between the lines of the compression spring to prevent it from coming off.

(Operation) When attaching the bush to the compression spring, grasp the seat of the bush and insert it into the compression spring while reducing the diameter of the shaft. By doing so, even if there is a dimensional error in the inner diameter of the compression spring, this can be absorbed and the entire shaft portion of the compression spring can be inserted up to the seat portion.

Further, the bush is attached to the compression spring in a state in which it is prevented from coming off by means of the elastic force of the shaft portion or a slip-off preventing means such as a protrusion, and the bush constitutes a spring assembly as a whole.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.The spring assembly of this example is used in the support bracket 21 and the column attachment in the above-mentioned automobile tail mechanism. What is assembled between the tube 20 and the tube 20 will be explained.

The bush 1 is integrally formed of a synthetic resin material, contacts the inner wall surface of the support bracket 21 or the opposing wall surface of the mounting piece 38 of the column attachment tube 20, and is formed to have a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the compression spring 2. a disc-shaped seat 3; and a shaft 4 coaxially erected from the seat 3 and inserted into the compression spring 2.
It is made up of.

However, the tip end of the shaft portion 4 is cut parallel to the seat portion 3, and is formed into a slightly tapered truncated cone shape in order to facilitate insertion into the compression spring 2. Specifically, the outer diameter of the root portion of the shaft portion 4 in its natural state is set to be approximately equal to the inner diameter of the compression spring 2, but the outer diameter of the tip portion is set to be appropriately smaller than the inner diameter of the compression spring 2. The dimensions are set.

Further, an insertion hole 5 is formed through the axis of the bush 1 to allow insertion of an insertion pin 37 on the support bracket 21 side or a shaft of a tightening bolt 39 on the column attachment tube 20 side. Further, in order to facilitate insertion thereof, the opening of the insertion hole 5 on the seat portion 3 side is formed into a tapered surface 6 that widens outward.

Further, a pair of slits 7 for narrowing the base side of the shaft portion 4 are arranged in the bush 1 at symmetrical positions. Both slits 7 are cut along the radial direction from the outer peripheral edge of the seat portion 3 to the shaft portion 4, and are further cut vertically upright to a predetermined height along the wall surface of the shaft portion 4. The slit width of the slit 7 is such that when the bush 1 is bent and deformed by pinching the seat 3 to close the slit 7, the outer diameter of the base of the shaft 4 is approximately equal to the inner diameter of the spring 2, or To make it a little smaller,
Its dimensions have been set.

Furthermore, a pair of protrusions 8 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 4 at positions perpendicular to the axis connecting both the slits 7.
is located. Both protrusions 8 are formed at positions that match the line gaps of the compression springs 2 in a range where the flexural deformation of the shank 4 is relatively large, and their heights are such that they can be compressed when the shank 4 is flexurally deformed. Avoid interference with spring 2, and when it returns, compression spring 2
The setting is such that it is caught on the winding.

When attaching the bush 1 configured as described above to the compression spring 2, the operator firmly grasps the seat 3 with his fingers and inserts the shaft 4 into the compression spring 2 (the third
(see figure). In this case, bush 1 has both slits 7
As a result, the end portion of the compression spring 2 can be reliably inserted to the position where it contacts the seat portion 3. After the shaft portion 4 is inserted into the compression spring 2 in this manner, the force applied to the seat portion 3 is relaxed and the shaft portion 4 is elastically returned to its original position. Along with this, since both protrusions 8 engage with the line gaps of the compression spring 2, the bush 1 is attached to the compression spring 2 in a state where it is prevented from coming off. If you install the other bushing 1 using this procedure,
A spring assembly integrated with the bush 1 can be obtained.

According to the spring assembly of this example, the bush 1 is
Since it can be handled while attached, it is convenient to carry, and the operation of integrating it during work can be omitted, which improves work efficiency accordingly. Further, in this example, the protrusion 8 is provided to prevent the spring from falling off from the compression spring 2, which is particularly advantageous when working at an assembly location where it is difficult to insert the hand, such as the tail structure shown in this example.

Furthermore, since the bush 1 is designed to be able to flex and deform in the direction in which the shaft portion 4 is reduced in diameter, even if there are manufacturing variations in the inner diameter of the compression spring 2, this can be absorbed and the bush 1 can be moved to its normal position (in contact with the seat portion 3). It can be reliably inserted into the compression spring 2 up to the desired position. Therefore, the set length of the compression spring 2 is obtained, and the operating range of the compression spring 2 is thereby maintained within the normal range, so that the steering wheel can be pushed up to the normal flip-up position. becomes possible.

In this example, the protrusion 8 is used to prevent the spring from coming off the compression spring 2, but instead of providing the protrusion 8, the elastic force of the shaft portion 4 is used to engage the compression spring 2. Good too. Moreover, it goes without saying that if this point is used in combination, the slip-off prevention effect will be further enhanced.

Further, the slit 7 provided in the bush 1 may be provided at only one location, and in this case, as shown in FIG. Conceivable. Conversely, the slits 7 may be provided in more than two locations, and the same applies to the projections 8.

Further, the bush 1 does not necessarily need to be attached to both the left and right sides of the compression spring 2, and may be attached only to one side depending on the location of the spring assembly.

In any case, the spring assembly according to the present invention is highly versatile and can be expected to be widely used for purposes other than the tail mechanism.

(Effect of idea) The effects of the present invention are as follows.

Since the shaft part of the bushing is deformed by bending in the direction of diameter reduction, even if there is a dimensional error in the inner hole of the compression spring, it can be absorbed and integrated when inserted to the correct position. . For this reason, when the spring assembly is incorporated into any mechanism, the operating range of the compression spring is within the set operating range, so the set spring action may hinder the operation of the mechanism. Things like this can be avoided.

In addition, by utilizing the elastic force of the shaft or by using the protrusion provided on the shaft, the bush can be integrated with the compression spring while being prevented from falling off, thereby preventing the bush from falling off or being lost. This greatly contributes to improving work efficiency, especially when installation is required in areas that are difficult to access.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a half-sectional view showing the front of the bushing;
The figure is a side view of the bushing, Fig. 3 is a side view showing how the bushing is inserted into the compression spring, Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the assembled state of the spring assembly, and Fig. 5 is another embodiment of the bushing. 6 is a side view showing a known tailing mechanism for an automobile, FIG. 7 is a rear view of the same, and FIG. 8 is a side view showing one of the problems of the conventional vehicle. 1, 35... Bush, 2, 34... Compression spring, 3... Seat, 4... Shaft, 7... Slit,
8... Protrusion.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) A spring assembly including a bushing attached to at least one end of a compression spring, wherein the bushing includes a seat portion having a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the compression spring. , a shaft part that stands upright on the shaft of the seat part and is inserted into the inside of the compression spring, and this shaft part has a means for preventing the compression spring from coming off, and a shaft part that is cut from the seat part. A spring assembly characterized in that it is provided with a slit that bends and deforms in a direction that reduces the diameter of the spring assembly. (2) The spring assembly according to claim 1, wherein the shaft portion is anchored to the compression spring by its elastic force so as to be prevented from coming off. (3) The spring assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the retaining means is a protrusion that protrudes from a part of the outer surface of the shaft and can be engaged with the line gap of the compression spring.