JPH059980Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a steering support device for an automobile.

(Prior Art) As a conventional steering support device, for example, one described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 163467/1983 is known.

In this conventional device, the upper part of a steering shaft connected to a steering wheel is supported by a mount member horizontally suspended between left and right side walls of the vehicle body, a stay is provided between the mount member and the vehicle floor, and the stay is connected to the steering wheel. The upper end of the stay is fixed to the mount member, and the lower end of the stay is attached to the vehicle floor at two locations, front and rear. In this case, notch grooves are formed at the lower end of the stay at two locations, front and rear, and the lower end of the stay was attached to the vehicle floor with bolts, and the lower part of the steering shaft was supported by a bracket attached to the dash panel.

Therefore, in the event of a frontal collision of a car, if the power unit moves and an input is applied to the lower end of the steering shaft, the steering shaft will rotate to move the steering wheel upward.
This can prevent the driver's face from colliding with the steering wheel. At this time, since the stay is free upwardly relative to the floor, the stay does not separate from the floor and interfere with the above-mentioned rotation of the steering shaft.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, depending on the relationship between the position of the steering wheel and the driver's driving posture, when the steering wheel flips up in the event of a frontal collision, it may end up hitting the driver's face. There is a problem in that the above-mentioned conventional technology cannot be applied to such vehicles because they may be prone to collisions.

In addition, in the event of a frontal collision of a car, the engine moves backward, which causes the dash panel and the vehicle floor to move backwards, and as the dash panel and the vehicle floor move backwards, the steering shaft moves backwards via the stay, causing an impact that hits the occupants against the steering wheel. There was also the problem of increased power.

The present invention focuses on the above-mentioned problem, and is designed to move the steering wheel downward in the event of a frontal collision of a car, and to prevent the steering wheel from moving backwards with the movement of the car body floor.
The purpose is to provide a novel steering support device that has never existed before.

(Means for Solving the Problem) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the steering support device of the present invention has a steering shaft connected to a steering wheel supported by a mount member horizontally suspended between left and right side walls of the vehicle body. A stay is provided between the mount member and the vehicle body floor to support the mount member in the vertical direction, and the stay has an upper end fixed to the mount member and a lower end arranged front and rear. The front mounting portion is attached to the vehicle floor by a front mounting portion and a rear mounting portion, the front mounting portion is rotatable to allow relative rotation between the stay and the vehicle floor, and the rear mounting portion is attached to the vehicle floor. , one side of the stay and the vehicle body floor so as to be engaged to support downward input from the stay to the vehicle body floor, and to be disengaged when the stay is rotated forward about the front mounting portion. A shaft member is provided on one side, and a groove is formed on the other side.

(Function) Normally, the mount member is supported at both ends by the side walls of the vehicle body and at the middle by the stay. In addition, since the stay is supported at two points, the front mounting part and the rear mounting part, sufficient support is achieved without rotating against the load input downward from the mount member. .

When a vehicle is involved in a frontal collision, the floor of the vehicle body moves rearward as the power unit and other components move backward.

As the vehicle floor moves rearward, the lower end of the stay also moves rearward, but the front attachment part of the lower end of the stay is pivoted so that it can rotate, while the rear attachment part is attached to the stay. Since the stay is formed so that it can be disengaged by rotating forward around the front attachment part between the stay and the vehicle floor, the stay moves backward while rotating around the front attachment part. Then, the stay pulls the mount member backward and downward while tilting forward. That is, the amount of backward movement of the vehicle floor at the lower end of the stay is decomposed into a backward movement component and a downward movement component at the stay upper end.

Therefore, the mount member is moved rearward and downward, and the steering shaft supported by this mount member is also moved rearward and downward, and the steering wheel at the tip does not jump up, but on the contrary,
Move backward while moving downward.

Note that due to the rotation of the stay in this manner, the amount of backward movement of the steering wheel is reduced by the downward movement component.

(Example) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, the configuration of the embodiment will be explained.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a steering support device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the support device according to the embodiment.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle body floor, in which a floor tunnel 10 is formed in the central part extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and left and right vehicle body side walls 2 are formed at both left and right ends.
2, and its front end is connected to a dash panel 3, which defines an engine room 4 and a passenger compartment 5, as shown in FIG. In addition, 40 is an engine.

A mount member 6 made of a pipe extending in the width direction of the vehicle body is horizontally suspended above the floor tunnel 10 between the left and right side walls 2 of the vehicle body, and a steering wheel is attached to this mount member 6 via a bracket 70. A shaft 7 is attached, and a steering wheel 71 is provided at the upper end of the steering shaft 7.

The mount member 6 has such strength and rigidity that it can be bent and deformed when a predetermined load is applied downward. In addition, steering shaft 7
is attached at a small angle of inclination with respect to the horizontal, and is provided with a collapsible mechanism (not shown) that can absorb impact force in the axial direction.

Further, stays 8, 8 are provided between the mount member 6 and the floor tunnel 10.
This stay 8 is a channel-shaped member with a U-shaped cross section, the upper end is fixed to the mount member 6 by welding, and the lower end is attached to the front mounting part 81 as shown in FIG.
The floor tunnel 1 is installed at two locations: and the rear mounting portion 82.
It is attached to the side of 0.

The front side attachment part 81 has a bolt hole 83 formed in the lower end front part of the stay 8, and is fastened to the floor tunnel 10 through this bolt hole 83 with a bolt 84,
It is rotatably mounted.

On the other hand, in the rear mounting portion 82, a notch groove 85 is formed at the rear of the lower end of the stay 8 from the lower end edge, and a bolt 86 is connected to the floor tunnel 10 through this notch groove 85.
In other words, in this installed state, the bolt 86 is engaged with the upper end of the notch groove 85, and the downward load input to the stay 8 can be supported by the floor tunnel 10. However, when the stay 8 rotates forward with respect to the floor tunnel 10 around the front mounting portion 81, the engagement is disengaged and the engagement notch groove 85 is inserted into the bolt 8.
It is formed so that it can be detached from 6.

Next, the operation of the embodiment will be explained.

(a) Normal condition In normal condition, the notch groove 85 of the rear mounting part 82
and the bolt 86 are in an engaged state, so that the downward load of the stay 8 can be supported by the floor tunnel 10.

Therefore, the lower end of the stay 8 is connected to the front mounting portion 81.
The stay 8 is supported at two points: the stay 8
supported by the floor tunnel 10 via the
At this time, the lower end of the stay 8 is supported at two points,
Stay 8 never rotates.

(b) At the time of a frontal collision When a car collides head-on, the engine 40 collides with the retreated darts panel 3, and the vehicle body floor 1 moves rearward accordingly.

Along with this, the lower end of the stay 8 also moves rearward, but the upper end of the stay 8 is fixed to the mount member 6 and tries to stay there, so a rotational force is generated in the stay 8, which causes The stay 8 rotates in the forward direction around the bolt 84 of the front mounting part 81, and in the rear mounting part 82, the notch groove 85 is detached from the bolt 86 and the stay 8 is disengaged.
gradually tilts forward as the floor 1 moves backward.

When the stay 8 inclines in this manner, the height of the upper end of the stay 8 gradually decreases, and as a result, the mount member 6 is pulled rearward and downward, causing it to bend and deform.

Therefore, due to the bending deformation of the mount member 6, the steering shaft 7 supported by the mount member 6 is pulled down and rearward, and the steering wheel 71 is lowered without being flipped up, and the steering wheel 71 is lowered without being flipped up. 71
The amount of backward movement decreases by the amount that moves downward. Thereby, the impact force of the steering wheel 71 on the driver can be alleviated.

Therefore, if the steering wheel 71 is flipped up in the event of a frontal collision, there is a risk of collision with the driver's face.By applying this to a type of vehicle in which the steering shaft 7 has a small angle of inclination with respect to the horizontal, This has the effect of improving safety.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment. However, the grooves may be formed as long grooves, or the grooves may be formed on the floor side.

Further, although bolts are used in the embodiment for the pivoting of the front mounting portion and the engagement of the rear mounting portion, other means such as pins may be used.

(Effects of the invention) As explained above, the steering support device of the invention can
Because the steering shaft is moved downward, it can be applied to types of vehicles where the risk of the steering wheel hitting someone in the face increases when the steering wheel flips up like in the past, improving safety in the event of a collision. You can get the effect that you can. Further, since the rear mounting portion is normally in an engaged state, the stay can firmly support the mount member without rotating, and there is no problem with normal performance.

In addition, by moving the steering wheel downward in this manner, the amount of rearward movement is reduced, so that the impact force on the occupant can be alleviated.

Furthermore, in this invention, when the vehicle floor is moved backwards, the stay is actively tilted, so a large force is not applied in the shearing direction of the stay, making it difficult for the stay to be damaged, and achieving the above-mentioned effects. The effect is that it is easy to use.

In this way, the present invention has developed a novel steering support system that can improve safety in the event of a collision in a type of vehicle where the steering wheel flips up in the event of a frontal collision. The effect is that the device can be provided.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a steering support device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the embodiment device, and FIG. 3 is a side view showing the lower end of the stay. 1... Vehicle floor, 2... Vehicle side wall, 6... Mount member, 7... Steering shaft, 7
1...Steering wheel, 8...Stay, 8
1...Front mounting part, 82...Rear mounting part, 85...
...Notch groove (groove), 86... Bolt (shaft member).

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A steering shaft connected to a steering wheel is supported by a mount member installed horizontally between the left and right side walls of the vehicle body, and between the mount member and the vehicle floor, the mount member is A stay is provided to support the stay in the direction, the upper end of the stay is fixed to the mount member, and the lower end is attached to the vehicle body floor with a front attachment part and a rear attachment part arranged in the front and back, The front mounting portion is pivotably mounted to allow relative rotation between the stay and the vehicle floor, and the rear mounting portion is engaged to support downward input from the stay to the vehicle floor. In addition, a shaft member is provided on one side of the stay and the vehicle body floor, and a groove is formed on the other side, so that this engagement is released when the stay is rotated forward about the front mounting portion. Steering support device for automobiles.