JPH0555345B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a steering device for automobiles, etc., and particularly relates to a steering device in which a pad portion at the center of a steering wheel maintains a non-rotating state. .

(Prior art) In recent years, steering wheels have come into use in which the operating parts of various operating mechanisms are arranged on the pad part in the center of the steering wheel. need to be kept in state.

Conventionally, as a device for rendering the pad portion in a non-rotating state in this manner, for example, the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 60-203549 has been proposed.

This conventional device has a boss fixed to the steering shaft at the center of the steering wheel, and an upper cylindrical member having an internal gear on the inside of the outer periphery and a pad on the top is rotatably fitted around the outer periphery of the boss. Further, a lower cylindrical member having an internal gear on the inside outer periphery is rotatably fitted in a lower position of the upper cylindrical member, and the lower cylindrical member is connected to a steering column through which the steering shaft is inserted. It is stuck to etc.

Furthermore, a planetary gear meshing with the internal gears of the upper and lower cylindrical members is rotatably mounted on a support frame fixed to the boss.

Then, when the steering wheel is rotated, the planetary gear rotates and revolves through engagement with the internal gear of the lower cylindrical member, which is stationary, and the planetary gear and the internal gear of the upper cylindrical member engage with each other. The upper cylindrical member is held stationary through engagement.

In addition, the planetary gear has a portion of the upper cylindrical member and the lower cylindrical member that meshes with the internal gear with a soft gear portion that is always in contact with the internal gear and is made of a soft synthetic resin or rubber material, and has a gap therebetween. The inner gear is placed in parallel with a hard gear made of hard synthetic resin or metal, and usually the soft gear part meshes with the internal gear to prevent the generation of abnormal noise due to meshing.
Even if the soft gear part deforms when a sudden handle operation or an external force is applied to the pad in the rotational direction, the hard gear part meshes with the internal gear, preventing tooth skipping and ensuring a non-rotating state. is now being maintained.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in manufacturing the planetary gear with the above structure, for example, a hard gear part is integrally molded with the rotating shaft, and a soft gear part is attached to this. However, since the soft gear part is integrally molded alongside the hard gear part and separately from the hard gear part, molding is difficult and the structure is not suitable for mass production.

In addition, when the handle is suddenly operated or an external force is applied to the pad in the rotational direction, the hard gear portion directly contacts the internal gear, causing the gears to mesh and generate abnormal noise.

The present invention was developed in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is intended to make the structure of a planetary gear easier to mold and suitable for mass production, and to prevent sudden handle operation and external force acting on the pad in the direction of rotation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a steering device that can prevent the occurrence of abnormal noise due to gear meshing even in cases where gears mesh with each other.

[Structure of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) The steering device of the present invention includes a steering wheel body 1 which has a rim portion 4, spoke portions 7 and bosses 8 and is fixed to a steering shaft 14 by the bosses 8, The upper cylindrical member 20 is rotatably fitted on the outer periphery of 8 and has an internal gear 23 inside the outer periphery and a pad 54 on the upper part.
, a lower cylindrical member 25 that is fixed in a substantially non-rotating state below the upper cylindrical member 20 and has an internal gear 28 on the inside of its outer periphery;
0 and the internal gears 23 and 25 of the lower cylindrical member 25 and rotate together with the boss 8.
The upper cylindrical member 20 and the lower cylindrical member 25 have internal gears 23, 28 formed of small module teeth 23a, 28a with small modules and large module teeth 23b, 28b with large modules. , the planetary gear 38 is connected to the internal gears 23 and 28 of the upper cylindrical member 20 and the lower cylindrical member 25.
The small module gear portion 39 of the module that always meshes with the small module tooth portions 23a, 28a of the internal gears 23, 28, and the large module gear portion 39 that has a gap between the large module tooth portions 23b, 28b. Large module gear part 40
and are integrally formed from soft synthetic resin or rubber material.

(Function) The steering device of the present invention has a small modular gear portion 39 and a large modular gear portion 4 of the planetary gear 38.
0 is integrally formed from a soft synthetic resin or rubber material, it is easy to mold the planetary gear 38, and it also prevents external force in the rotational direction from being applied to the pad 54 when the handle is suddenly operated. Even when the gear is activated, the large module gear portion 40, which has a large module and high rigidity, meshes with the large module tooth portions 23b and 28b of the internal gears 23 and 28.

(Example) Hereinafter, the configuration of an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 to 5, 1 is a steering wheel body, and this steering wheel body 1 includes an annular rim portion 4 whose outer side is covered with a covering material 3 of a rim core metal 2, and which is welded to the rim core metal 2. It has a plate-shaped spoke part 7 in which the outer side of the connected plate-shaped spoke core metal 5 is covered with a covering material 6, and a boss 8 fixedly welded to the center part of the spoke core metal 5. This boss 8 is integrally provided with an annular flange portion 9 at its intermediate portion, and cylindrical portions 10 and 11 are provided at the upper and lower portions of this flange portion 9, and the outer periphery of the outer ends of both cylindrical portions 10 and 11. Ring grooves 12 and 13 are formed in the portion. Then, the center portion of the boss 8 is fitted into the upper end portion of the steering shaft 14 and fixed by a nut 15.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a cylindrical upper cylindrical member integrally formed from a hard synthetic resin. An internal gear 23 is formed on the inner side thereof, and includes a small module tooth portion 23a having a small module and a large module tooth portion 23b having a slightly smaller diameter module above the small module tooth portion 23a. The inner fitting cylindrical portion 21 is rotatably fitted to the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 10 of the boss 8, and a retainer is provided in the ring groove 12 of the boss 8 to abut against the upper surface of the fitting cylindrical portion 21. A snap spring 24 for use is fitted.

25 is a cylindrical lower cylindrical member integrally formed of hard synthetic resin, and this lower cylindrical member 25 has an inner fitting tube part 26 and an outer annular part 27; An internal gear 28 is formed inside the portion 27 and includes a small module tooth portion 28a having a small module and a large module tooth portion 28b having a slightly small diameter and a large module below the small module tooth portion 28a. The inner fitting cylindrical portion 26 is rotatably fitted to the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 11 of the boss 8, and a retainer is provided in the ring groove 13 of the boss 8 in contact with the lower surface of the fitting cylindrical portion 26. A snap spring 29 for use is fitted. Further, a fixing mechanism 31 is provided on the lower cylindrical member 25 to substantially fix it to the steering column 30 through which the steering shaft 14 is inserted. This fixing mechanism 31 includes the lower cylindrical member 2
A combination switch case 33 is integrally provided with a plurality of protrusions 32 for preventing rotation on the lower surface of the combination switch case 5 and is fixed to the steering column 30.
An engagement hole 34 corresponding to each projection 32 is formed in the lower cylindrical member 25, and each projection 32 is fitted into each engagement hole 34 to prevent rotation of the lower cylindrical member 25.

A substantially U-shaped support frame 35 is fixed near the center of the spoke core metal 5 with a screw 37 via a mounting piece 36, and a planetary gear 38 is rotatably mounted on this support frame 35. This planetary gear 38 has small module tooth portions 23a, 2 of the internal gears 23, 28 of the upper and lower cylindrical members 20 and 25 in the upper and lower portions that mesh with the internal gears 23, 28, respectively.
8b, a small module gear portion 39 and a large module tooth portion 23 are always meshed with each other.
b, 28b, and a modular gear part 40 which has a smaller diameter than the small modular gear part 39 and has a larger module and higher rigidity, and both gear parts 39, 40 are made of, for example, nylon, polyester elastomer, It is integrally formed from soft synthetic resin or rubber material. Note that both gear portions 39 and 40 are formed in an involute tooth profile.

In manufacturing this planetary gear 38, both gear parts 39, 4 are formed by injection molding onto a support shaft 41 whose upper and lower ends protrude from the upper and lower end surfaces of the planetary gear 38.
0 is molded into one piece.

Note that both upper and lower ends of the support shaft 41 are rotatably fitted into bearings 42 fitted to the support frame 35, so that the planetary gear 38 is rotatably supported with respect to the support frame 23.

An electric unit 50 is mounted on the upper cylindrical member 20 with screws 52 via a mounting piece 51, and a plurality of operation buttons 5 are mounted on the upper surface of the electric unit 50.
3 are installed in parallel. A pad 54 is fitted over the electric unit 50 with each operation button 53 protruding.

Then, when the steering wheel main body 1 is rotated, the planetary gear 38 rotates and revolves through engagement with the internal gear 28 of the stationary lower cylindrical member 25, and the planetary gear 38 and the upper cylindrical member Through the engagement of the member 20 with the internal gear 23, the upper cylindrical member 20, the electric unit 50, and the pad 54 are held stationary.

At this time, the small module gear part 3 of the planetary gear 38
9 is the small module tooth portion 23 of the internal gears 23 and 28
a, 28a and mesh with each other, and during normal operation, only the small module gear portion 39 maintains a non-rotating state as shown in FIG. Therefore, no abnormal noise is generated due to gear meshing.

In addition, even if the small module gear part 39 is greatly deformed when the handle is suddenly operated or an external force is applied to the pad 54 in the rotational direction, the large module gear part 40, which has a large module and high tooth rigidity, will not move the internal gear 23. , 28 large module teeth 23b, 28b
Since the large modular gear part 40 and the small modular gear part 39 are integrally formed from a soft synthetic resin or rubber material, the large modular gear part 40 and the small modular gear part 39 are made of a soft synthetic resin or rubber material.
No abnormal noise occurs due to gear meshing.

In the above embodiment, an involute tooth profile is used for the large module gear portion 40 of the planetary gear 38, and the large module tooth portions 23b, 2 of the internal gears 23, 28 are
8b, however, as shown in FIG. The rigidity of the modular gear portion 40 is further increased, and tooth skipping can be reliably prevented.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, the planetary gear has a structure in which the small modular gear part and the large modular gear part are integrally formed from soft synthetic resin or rubber material, so that the planetary gear can be easily molded, making it suitable for mass production. In addition, even when the handle is suddenly operated or an external force is applied to the pad in the direction of rotation, the large modular gear part, which has a large module and high rigidity, meshes with the large modular tooth part of the internal gear. It is possible to prevent tooth skipping and also to prevent abnormal noise from occurring due to gear meshing.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of essential parts showing an embodiment of the steering device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the entirety, Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of a part thereof, and Fig. 4 is its longitudinal cross-sectional view. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part showing another embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Steering wheel body, 4... Rim part, 7... Spoke part, 8... Boss, 14... Steering shaft, 20... Upper cylindrical member, 2
3...Internal gear, 23a...Small module tooth section, 2
3b...Large module tooth portion, 25...Lower cylindrical member, 28...Internal gear, 28a...Small module tooth portion, 28b...Large module tooth portion, 38...Planetary gear, 39...Small module Gear part, 40... Large module gear part, 54... Padded.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A steering wheel body having a rim portion, spoke portions, and a boss and fixed to the steering shaft by the boss; and an internal gear rotatably fitted on the outer periphery of the boss and having an internal gear inside the outer periphery. and an upper cylindrical member provided with a pad on the upper part; a lower cylindrical member fixed in a substantially non-rotating state below the upper cylindrical member and having an internal gear on the inside of its outer periphery; a planetary gear that meshes with the internal gear of the lower cylindrical member and rotates together with the boss;
The upper cylindrical member and the lower cylindrical member each have an internal gear formed of a small module tooth portion and a large module tooth portion, and the planetary gear is formed of the upper cylindrical member and the lower cylindrical member. The part of the lower cylindrical member that meshes with the internal gear is always meshed with the small module tooth part of the internal gear, and the large module has a large module that has a gap between the small module gear part and the large module tooth part. A steering device characterized in that a gear part and a gear part are integrally formed from a soft synthetic resin or a rubber material.