JPH06329032A - Steering column device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a steering column device which reduces the initial load in the collision, and reduces the effect on the human body. CONSTITUTION:Projecting ribbon-shaped deformable parts 16b which are bent in an approximately circular shape are respectively provided on the steering wheel side (rear side) to the right and left side of a deformable bracket 16. L-shaped locking parts 16c which are projecting rearward in the inversed L- shape are provided on each end of a U-shaped part 16a, and a U-shaped groove 16d is provided where a collar member is locked. In addition, a fixed hole 16f where a bolt is inserted is provided in a fixed plate 16e. A column tube is mounted on the vehicle body side by this deformable bracket 16 and the fixed bracket.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering column device mounted on an automobile or the like, and more particularly to a steering column device capable of mitigating an impact at the time of a collision.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a steering column device for an automobile, for example, a steering column which supports a steering shaft on which a steering wheel is attached is rotatably supported, and the steering column is attached to a vehicle body side through a fixing bracket. It is installed.

In this type of steering column device, various impact force mitigating mechanisms have been proposed in order to reduce the impact force that a human body receives from the steering wheel during a vehicle collision. For example, in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 60-36508, as shown in FIG. 10, a slide block P3 made of aluminum die-cast is fitted into a flange portion P2 of a substantially Ω-shaped upper bracket P1.
A technique is described in which the steering column P5 is fixed to the vehicle body by fixing the steering column P5 to the vehicle body side with the resin-made shear pin P4.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional steering column device, the sheer pin P4 is used.
There are the following problems due to the use of. That is, when a large force is applied to the steering wheel (due to the pressing force from the human body) at the time of a collision, the shear pin P4
9 is sheared, and the entire steering column device moves forward. At this time, the shearing load of P5 of the sheer pin (the vertical axis represents the shearing load F and the horizontal axis represents the moving distance S).
As shown in (b), the initial peak load occurs, so there is a problem that if it is too large, it may affect the human body.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a steering column device capable of reducing the initial load at the time of a collision and reducing the influence on the human body.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to a steering shaft to which a steering wheel is attached, a steering column rotatably supporting the steering shaft, and the steering column. In a steering column device that is axially deformable when the steering wheel is pressed, one end is fixed to the steering column side so as to connect the steering column and the fixing bracket. A deformable bracket having the other end fixed to the fixed bracket side is provided, and when the pressure is applied to the steering wheel, the steering column is moved between the one end and the other end of the deformable bracket. Along with that, it deforms in the moving direction The deformable portion to relax, and the gist of the steering column device is characterized in that protrudes on the steering wheel side.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering column device in which the deformable brackets are provided on the left and right sides of the steering column, and a member for fixing the other end of each of the left and right deformable brackets to a fixed bracket. A steering column device according to claim 1, wherein a collar member that connects the other end portions of the left and right deformation brackets to each other and a screw member that is fitted into the collar member are used.

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the tilt lever is held and pressed and fixed at the other end of the one deformable bracket by the collar member and the screw member. The main point is the steering column device.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, an annular groove is formed in the end portion of the collar member in the circumferential direction, and one end portion of the deformable bracket extends from the front side to the rear side of the steering shaft. The steering column device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a locking portion that locks on the upper portion of the annular groove is provided.

The steering column device of the present invention can be applied to a device for performing a tilt operation or a device for performing a telescope operation, but is particularly preferably applied to a device for performing a tilt operation by a tilt lever. In addition, the deformable bracket may be integrated into the left and right, or may be a separate body.

[0011]

In the steering column device of the present invention having the above-described structure, at the normal time, one end of the deformable bracket is fixed to the steering column side, the other end is fixed to the fixed bracket side, and further between the both ends. The deformed part is protruding toward the steering wheel. At the time of a collision, the human body pushes the steering wheel to move the steering shaft and the steering column forward, but at that time, the deformed portion is also deformed and drawn in along with the movement of the steering column. When the deformed portion is deformed, the force (corresponding to the shear load) F applied to the deformed portion gradually increases without generating an initial peak value, as shown in FIG. It is possible to relax the power.

[0012]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be described below. here,
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a steering column device 1 of an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the same. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the steering column device 1 of the present embodiment is a device having a tilt function, and includes a steering shaft 11 to which a steering wheel W is attached, and a steering shaft 1.
1, a column tube 12 that rotatably supports the column tube 1, a first attachment portion 13 that attaches the column tube 12 to the vehicle body side so that the column tube 12 can be tilted in the center of the column tube 12, and a column tube 12 that can be tilted in front of the column tube 12 And a second mounting portion 14 mounted on the side.

Of these, the first mounting portion 13, which is a main portion of this embodiment, is a fixed bracket 15 mounted on the vehicle body side.
A deformable bracket 16 attached to the column tube 12, a screw portion 17 connecting and fixing the deformable bracket 16 and the fixed bracket 15, a tilt lever 18 attached to the screw portion 17, the fixed bracket 15 and the column tube 12. It is composed of a pair of suspended springs 19.

As shown in FIG. 3, the fixing bracket 15 has a substantially U-shaped fixing member 1 on the lower surface of the upper fixing plate 15a.
5b is attached, and a pair of projecting plates 15c projecting downward of the fixing member 15b are mounted in a rectangular shape long in the vertical direction in order to insert a bolt 22 (see FIG. 5) described later. A hole 15d is provided. The reason why the mounting hole 15d is rectangular is to secure a tilting range for performing a tilting operation described later.

The deformable bracket 16 is a left-right symmetrical member made of a hot-rolled steel plate, and has a U-shape bent in a U-shape at its center according to the outer shape of the column tube 12, as shown in FIG. The portion 16a is provided, and the U-shaped portion 16a
Is joined to the column tube 12 by welding. Further, to the left and right of the deformable bracket 16, a ribbon-shaped deformed portion (width 15.0 mm × thickness 2.0 mm) 16 which is bent and protrudes toward the steering wheel W side (rearward) in a substantially oval shape is provided.
b are provided respectively. Further, at both ends of the U-shaped portion 16a, an L-shaped locking portion 16c protruding backward in an inverted L-shape is provided, and a U-shaped groove 16d in which a collar member 21 (see FIG. 5) described later is locked. Are formed. In addition, each deformation unit 1
A fixing plate 16e protruding upward is provided on the outer front side of 6b, and a fixing hole 16f into which the bolt 22 is fitted is provided in the fixing plate 16e.

As shown in FIG. 5, the screw portion 17 has a collar member 21 arranged to connect both L-shaped engaging portions 16c of the deformable bracket 16 and a bolt fitted into the collar member 21. 22 and a nut 23 screwed onto the bolt 22. In addition, both ends 21a of the collar member 21
Has a large diameter and is thick, and annular grooves 22b are formed in the circumferential direction at both ends 21a.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the bolt 22 is provided on one side of the column tube 12 (downward in the figure).
The fixing hole 18a at the end of the tilt lever 18, the mounting hole 15d of the protruding plate 15c of the fixing bracket 15, and the fixing hole 16f of the fixing plate 16e of the deformable bracket 16 penetrate through the head 22a of the bolt 22. The tilt lever 18, the fixed bracket 15, and the deformable bracket 16 are sandwiched and fixed by one end 21a1 of the collar member 21. On the other hand, on the other side of the column tube 12, similarly,
The fixed bracket 15 and the deformable bracket 16 are clamped and fixed by the nut 23 screwed to the bolt 22 and the other end 21a2 of the collar member 21. At this time, the L-shaped locking portion 16c of the deformable bracket 16, more specifically, the inner peripheral end of the U-shaped groove 16d (see FIG. 5) formed by the L-shaped locking portion 16c is aligned with the annular groove 22b of the collar member 21. It is pressed in and fixed from the front.

The tilt lever 18 and the bolt 22 are
The bolt 22 is mounted so as to rotate in synchronization with the rotation of the tilt lever 18, that is, the unevenness (not shown) provided in the fixing hole 18a of the tilt lever 18 and the unevenness (not shown) provided in the bolt 22 engage with each other. Has been.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the second mounting portion 1
2 is a vehicle body side mounting portion 12a and a column tube mounting portion 12
b, which are connected to each other by a shaft portion 12c so as to be tiltable. Therefore, during the tilting operation, the steering column device 1 tilts in the directions of the arrows C and D with the shaft portion 12c as a fulcrum.

Next, the operation of the steering column device 1 of the present embodiment having the above structure will be described in detail. i) Tilt Operation As shown in FIG. 2, the tilt operation is fixed or executable by the rotation of the tilt lever 18 in the directions of arrows A and B. For example, when the tilt lever 18 is rotated in the direction of arrow A, the fixed bracket 15 and the deformable bracket 16 are strongly tightened, so that the column tube 12 is fixed. On the other hand, when the tilt lever 18 is turned in the direction of arrow B, the fastening between the fixed bracket 15 and the deformable bracket 16 becomes weaker, so the bolt 22 fitted into the rectangular mounting hole 15d of the protruding plate 15c is Mounting hole 1
The column tube 12 can be moved by the vertical dimension of 5d, and as a result, the column tube 12 is released from the fixed state and can be tilted in the directions of arrows C and D. ii) Impact mitigation operation At normal time (before a collision), as shown in FIG. 7, the protruding plate 15c of the fixed bracket 15 and the fixed plate 16 of the deformable bracket 16 are provided.
The e and the L-shaped locking portion 16c are arranged in a substantially straight line along the threaded portion 17. The deformable bracket 16 is fixed to the fixed bracket 15 by the projecting plate 15c of the fixed bracket 15 and the fixed plate 16e of the deformable bracket 16 being pressed by the screw portion 17. Further, since the L-shaped locking portion 16c is press-fitted into the annular groove 21b of the collar member 21, the deformation bracket 15 is also fixed by this, and the deformation bracket 15 is prevented from descending.

At the time of a collision, as shown in FIG. 8, the driver pushes the steering wheel W, whereby the steering shaft 11 and the column tube 12 are pushed.
Is pushed forward (in the direction of arrow E). Along with that, the U-shaped portion 16a of the deformable bracket 16 is pulled out in the direction of the arrow E, so that the collar member 21 of the L-shaped locking portion 16c.
Is disengaged and moves in the direction of arrow E, and the deformable portion 16b is also pulled out, and the rear portion thereof becomes smaller.

That is, the L-shaped locking portion 16c that has been press-fitted
The collision force is slightly mitigated when the lock is released, and at the same time, the deformation portion 16b is deformed when it is pulled out, so that the collision force is largely mitigated. As shown in FIG. 9, the relaxation of the collision force by the deforming portion 16b does not cause a large peak load as in the conventional case, but increases once to a certain degree and then gradually increases. The impact force exerted on the person can be suitably alleviated.

As described above, the steering column apparatus 1 of this embodiment uses the deformable bracket 16 having the L-shaped engaging portion 16c and the deformable portion 16b protruding rearward in a belt shape to move the column tube 12 to the vehicle body side. Since it is attached, the impact force can be suitably mitigated without generating a peak load at the time of a collision, and a remarkable effect of improving safety is exhibited.

Further, in this embodiment, the tilt lever 18
Has a structure in which it is fixed to the fixed bracket 15 and the deformable bracket 16 on the outer side of the deformable bracket 16 by using the collar member 21 and the bolts 22, so that the tightening pressure of the tilt lever 18 fixes the column tube 12. It is completely separate from power. That is, the tilt lever 18
No matter how tightly tightened, there is nothing to do with the pressure required to move the column tube 12 forward, so when tightening the tilt lever 18, it is sufficient to consider only the point where the tilt lever 18 is tightened. The advantage is that the work is greatly simplified.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above.
The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and it goes without saying that it can be implemented in various modes. For example, it can be applied to a device that performs both the tilt operation and the telescopic operation, or can be applied to a device that does not perform both operations.

[0026]

As described above, in the steering column device according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the deformable bracket having the deformable portion is used, it is possible to prevent the peak load from being generated in the event of a collision. Therefore, the safety for the driver can be improved. According to the second aspect of the invention, since the other ends of the deformable brackets are connected to each other by using the collar member and the screw member, there is an advantage that the steering column can be fixed with a simple configuration.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the tilt lever is sandwiched and pressed and fixed by the collar member and the screw member, so that the tilt lever is fixed when the tilt lever is fixed, in addition to the structure for relaxing the impact force in the event of a collision. The tightening force can be set. In the invention of claim 4, since the annular groove is formed at the end of the collar member and the engaging portion for engaging with the annular groove is provided on the deformable bracket, the steering column can be prevented from being lowered and the engaging portion is provided. When the is pressed into the annular groove, the impact force can be mitigated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a steering column device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the steering column device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a fixing bracket.

FIG. 4 shows a modified bracket, (a) is a plan view thereof, (b) is a front view thereof, and (c) is a side view thereof.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a screw part and its periphery.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view showing a first mounting portion.

FIG. 7 shows a main part of a steering column device before a collision, (a) is a plan view thereof, and (b) is a front view thereof.

FIG. 8 shows a main part of a steering column device after a collision, (a) is a plan view thereof, and (b) is a front view thereof.

FIG. 9 is a graph illustrating the difference between the present invention and the prior art.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Steering column device 11 ... Steering shaft 12 ... Column tube 15 ... Fixed bracket 16 ... Deformation bracket 16b ... Deformation part 17 ... Screw part W ... Steering wheel

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A steering shaft to which a steering wheel is attached, a steering column that rotatably supports the steering shaft, and a fixing bracket that attaches the steering column to the vehicle body side. The steering shaft is axially pressed when the steering wheel is pressed. In the deformable steering column device, a deformation bracket having one end fixed to the steering column side and the other end fixed to the fixed bracket side is provided so as to connect the steering column and the fixed bracket. Between the one end and the other end of the deformable bracket, there is a deformable portion that deforms in the moving direction of the steering column when the pressure is applied to the steering wheel and relieves the pressure, Protruding to the steering wheel side Steering column apparatus, characterized in that digit. 2. A steering column device, wherein the deformable brackets are provided on the left and right of the steering column, wherein the left and right deformable brackets serve as a member for fixing the other end of each of the left and right deformable brackets to a fixed bracket. The steering column device according to claim 1, wherein a collar member that connects the other ends of the deformable brackets to each other and a screw member that is fitted into the collar member are used. 3. The steering column device according to claim 2, wherein the tilt member is sandwiched and pressed and fixed at the other end of the one deformable bracket by the collar member and the screw member. 4. An annular groove is formed in an end portion of the collar member in a circumferential direction, and one end portion of the deformable bracket extends from the front side of the steering shaft to the rear side of the annular groove. The steering column device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a locking portion for locking the upper portion is provided.