JPH076061Y2 - Car steering support structure - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial field of application> The present invention relates to a steering support structure for an automobile with a tilt mechanism capable of fixing a vertically swingable steering shaft at an arbitrary position.

<Prior Art> Conventionally, as a steering support structure for a vehicle with a tilt mechanism, a case that rotatably supports a steering shaft is housed in a vehicle body via a lower support bracket on the lower end side near the steering gear. Side so that the upper end side close to the steering wheel can be swung up and down, while the upper end side can be fixed at any vertical position via the upper support bracket. A structure for supporting the vehicle body side is well known.

That is, in this structure, the upper support bracket is fixed to the upper steering support member on the vehicle body side and is provided on both sides of the steering shaft, and the upper support bracket is provided with an engagement groove that allows the steering shaft to swing. Has been formed. An engaging pin that is engaged with the engaging groove and integrally fixed to the case side of the steering shaft is provided in the engaging groove, and the rocking range of the case is defined by the engaging pin and the engaging groove. It is regulated.

In addition, the upper support brackets on both sides of the steering shaft are provided with tightening means which are hung on them to reduce the span, and by tightening the support brackets with this tightening means, the left and right support brackets are The steering shaft can be clamped and clamped to be fixed in any vertical position. (Actual development 61-9146
(Gazette No. 4, etc.) << Problems to be solved by the device >> By the way, in the case of a steering wheel with a tilt mechanism, the vertical position of the steering wheel (steering shaft) is adjusted to an optimal position as appropriate for the physique of the driver. However, in the case of the above steering support structure, the upper end side of the case of the steering shaft is held by the pressure contact force due to the tightening of the upper support brackets on both sides of the case. When a thrust force is applied to the case, the tightening of the upper support bracket is loosened and the case is supported within the adjustable swing range in the vertical direction where the engagement groove and the engagement pin are engaged. There is a possibility that a gap may occur between the bracket and the bracket.

Therefore, there is no guarantee that the steering wheel (case) can be reliably held in its adjusted vertical position in the event of a collision,
Therefore, if the driver is small and adjusts the vertical position of the steering wheel to the position of the lower end of the engagement groove and fixes it, that position may shift to the position of the upper end, or vice versa. When a person has a large handle and adjusts the vertical position of the steering wheel to the position of the upper end of the engagement groove and fixes the position, the position may shift to the position of the lower end.

On the other hand, it is conceivable that a safety device such as a shock absorbing member is provided in the steering wheel portion to reduce the impact at the time of the collision of the driver with the steering wheel portion and to ensure the safety of the driver. , If such a safety device is provided, the upper body of the driver who falls forward due to inertial force when the vertical position of the steering wheel is misaligned as described above. There is a problem that it becomes difficult to receive the steering wheel in a highly safe state.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to apply a thrust force to the case of the steering shaft at the time of a collision to cause a shift in the vertical position thereof.
The amount of deviation can be made as small as possible and the vertical position of the steering wheel can be restricted to a fixed position. Therefore, regardless of the size of the driver's physique, the upper body of the steering wheel can be kept safer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a steering support structure for a vehicle with a tilt mechanism that can be received by the.

<Means for Solving the Problems> In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention has a case in which a steering shaft is rotatably supported and is housed, and a lower end portion of the case is vertically rotated toward a vehicle body. A lower support bracket that freely supports and fixedly arranged on the vehicle body side on both left and right sides on the upper end side of the case that can swing up and down, and are pressed against the case by tightening means to move the case. An upper support bracket that is fixed and sandwiched at an arbitrary position, an engagement groove formed in the upper support bracket along the swing direction to regulate the swing range of the case, and the engagement groove. The engaging pin provided on the case side by being engaged with each other is formed on the upper support bracket, and one end of the engaging groove is opened so as to face substantially the central portion of the engaging groove and the other end is substantially in the axial direction of the steering shaft. Along And a locking groove extending toward the steering wheel, the steering support structure of the automobile is configured.

<Operation> According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, when a thrusting force is applied to the case of the steering shaft at the time of a collision and a vertical shift occurs between the case and the upper support bracket, the engagement pin is When the case slides in the engaging groove and reaches almost the center position of the swingable range of the case, the engaging pin drops into the engaging groove side and is locked by this, and the vertical movement thereafter is restricted. To be done. Therefore, the shift amount is restricted to about half of the adjustable vertical swing range even at the maximum. Therefore,
It is possible to prevent the vertical position of the steering wheel, which was adjusted according to the driver's physique, from shifting significantly during a collision,
Therefore, regardless of the size of the driver's physique, the upper body of the driver can be received by the steering wheel with the highest possible safety.

<< Embodiment >> A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 5 show a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a vehicle body portion in front of a driver's seat showing a schematic configuration of the whole, and FIG. 2 is a main portion thereof. Is a side view of the steering shaft and the support bracket, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a side view of the upper support bracket, and FIG. It is a VV line arrow sectional view.

As shown, the steering shaft 12 is rotatably housed in a cylindrical case 14, and the steering wheel 16 is mounted on the upper end exposed from the case 14, while the lower end exposed from the case 14 is also installed. Is connected to a steering gear 20 via a universal joint 18.

The case 14 is supported by a lower steering support member 24 on the vehicle body side on the lower end side close to the steering gear 20 side via a lower support bracket 22. The lower support bracket includes a U-shaped body side bracket member 22a fixed to the lower steering support member and a U-shaped case side bracket member 22 fixed to the lower end of the case 14.
The vehicle body side bracket member 22a and the case side bracket member 22b are vertically rotatably coupled to each other by a connecting pin 22c, whereby the case 14 has its upper end side swingable vertically. ing.

On the other hand, the upper end portion side of the case 14 near the steering wheel 16 is supported by an upper steering support member 28 on the vehicle body side via an upper support bracket 26. The upper support bracket 26 includes side plate portions 26a, 26a arranged on both left and right sides of the case 14 so as to sandwich the side plate portions 26a, 26a, and left and right side plate portions 26a, 26a.
And a bottom plate portion 26b that connects the upper and lower sides of the side plate portions 26a, 26a to the upper steering support member 28 with the bolts 32 through the bushes 30 and the flange portions 26c and 26c formed by being folded back to the left and right. Fastened and fixed.

The bottom plate portion 26b is formed only on a part of the rear side close to the steering wheel 16, and the bottom plate portion 26b
The bottom of most of the front part of b is open.
Then, in the side plate portions 26a, 26a at the boundary between the rear side portion having the bottom plate portion 26b and the front side portion where the bottom portion is opened, the notch 34 is formed upward from the bottom portion, and this notch is formed.
The left and right side plate portions 26a, 26a on the front side of 34 are easily bent.

On the other hand, a case-side bracket 36 having a U-shaped cross section which is pressed and held from both sides thereof by the side plate portions 26a, 26a is integrally welded and fixed to the case 14 on the lower side thereof. This and above the upper support bracket
Bolts 40 of tightening means 38 are inserted through right and left side plate portions 26a, 26a of 26.

The tightening means 38 is composed of the bolt 40, a sleeve 42 screwed to one end of the bolt 40, and a lever 44 integrally fixed to the sleeve 42, and the bolt 40 includes the left and right side plate portions 26a. , 26a are positioned and inserted through the portion in front of the notch 34, and the other end has one side plate portion 26a.
The rotation of the left and right side plate portions 26 is restricted by operating the lever 44 and tightening the sleeve 42.
The case-side bracket 36 is pressed and held between the left and right side plate portions 26a, 26a by bending the a and 26a inward.

Further, the side plate portions 26a, 26a are formed with a locking groove 46 along the swinging direction for allowing the swinging of the case 14 in the vertical direction and for limiting the swinging range to a predetermined range. Has been done. The bolt 40 of the tightening means 38 is inserted into the engaging groove 46, and the bolt 40 engages the engaging groove 46.
Is an engaging pin 48 that engages with the to regulate the swing range of the case 14. That is, the case 14 can be fixed at any vertical position within the swing range by tightening the tightening means 38.

By the way, one end of each of the side plate portions 26a, 26a is opened so as to face the engagement groove 46, and the other end thereof is formed to extend rearward along substantially the axial direction of the steering shaft 12 so as to form a locking groove 50. Is provided. Opening at one end of this locking groove 50
The case 50a is located substantially in the center of the swing range of the case 14 and has an opening formed in the engagement groove 46.

Further, the side plate portions 26a, 26a are provided with auxiliary locking grooves 52, one end of which is opened at the front end portion thereof and the other end of which is formed so as to extend rearward along substantially the axial direction of the steering shaft 14. The opening 52a is formed over the entire swing range of the case 14, and the width of the other end of the auxiliary locking groove 52 is successively reduced. On the other hand, on the case 14 side, an auxiliary engaging pin 54 is fixedly provided in front of the auxiliary locking groove 52 via a case side auxiliary bracket 56.

Therefore, in the steering support structure thus configured, the thrust force is applied to the case 14 at the time of a vehicle collision,
When the engagement pin 48 on the case 14 side and the engagement groove 46 on the upper support bracket 26 side engage with each other, a force for swinging the case 14 upward or downward acts on the upper end side of the case 14 A vertical shift occurs between 14 and the upper support bracket 26, and the engagement pin 48 slides in the engagement groove 46 and moves upward or downward.

At this time, when the engaging pin 48 is moved upward, and when the engaging pin 48 is initially positioned in the engaging groove 46 of the lower portion than the opening 50a of the locking groove 50. First, the engaging pin 48 drops upward to the side of the locking groove 50 where it slides up to the height position of the opening 50a of the locking groove 50, and the upward movement thereafter cannot occur. Regulated. Further, when the engaging pin 48 is initially located in the engaging groove 46 in the upper part of the height position of the opening 50a of the engaging groove 50, the engaging pin 48 is the upper end of the engaging groove 46. When it slides to the part, the upward movement thereafter is restricted.

On the other hand, on the contrary, when the engaging pin 48 is moved downward, and when the engaging pin 48 is initially positioned in the engaging groove 46 in the upper portion of the engaging groove 50, When the engaging pin 48 slides downward in the engaging groove 46 and slides to the height position of the opening 50a of the engaging groove 50, the engaging pin 48 drops to the engaging groove 50 side, and thereafter downward. Movement is restricted. Further, when the engaging pin 48 is initially located in the engaging groove 46 in a portion lower than the height position of the opening 50a of the engaging groove 50, the engaging pin 48
When 48 slides to the lower end of the engaging groove 46, the downward movement thereafter is restricted.

That is, in the case 14, the engagement pin 48 provided on the case 14 is the locking groove.
Will not be moved upwards or downwards beyond 14,
The movement amount at the time of the collision is suppressed to almost half of the swingable range of the case 14 even at the maximum. If the thrust force applied to the case 14 at the time of collision does not act as a moment for vertically swinging the upper end side of the case 14, the case 14 remains held at the initially fixed height position.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent the steering wheel 16 that has been adjusted to an appropriate height position according to the physique of the driver 58 from being largely moved downward or upward in the event of a collision. When the upper body of the vehicle collapses forward due to inertial force, the upper body can be received by the steering wheel 16 in a state of high safety regardless of the size of the driver 58, Further, when an air bag is attached to the steering wheel 16, the receiving position of the upper body of the driver 58 by the air bag can be maintained in an appropriate state as much as possible.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the engaging pin 48 falls into the locking groove 50, the auxiliary engaging pin 54 also drops into the auxiliary locking groove 52 to regulate the vertical movement of the case 14. Therefore, at this time, since the case 14 is restricted from moving in the vertical direction at two points, the rotation of the case 14 around the engagement pin 48 can be restricted as much as possible.

<< Effect >> In summary, according to the present invention, when a thrust force is applied to the case of the steering shaft at the time of a collision and a vertical shift occurs between the case and the upper support bracket, the engagement pin is When it slides in the engagement groove and reaches almost the center position of the swingable range of the case, the engagement pin drops into the engagement groove side and is locked by this, and the vertical movement thereafter is restricted. Therefore, the shift amount can be restricted to about half the range in which the vertical swing can be adjusted even at the maximum. Therefore, the vertical height position of the steering wheel, which is appropriately adjusted according to the physique of the driver, can be prevented from being largely displaced in the event of a collision, and the upper body thereof can be moved regardless of the size of the physique of the driver. Can be received by the steering wheel in a highly safe state.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 5 show a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a vehicle body portion in front of a driver's seat showing a schematic configuration of the whole, and FIG. 2 is a main portion thereof. Is a side view of the steering shaft and the support bracket, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a side view of the upper support bracket, and FIG. It is a VV line arrow sectional view. 12 …… Steering shaft 14 …… Case 16 …… Steering wheel 22 …… Lower support bracket 24 …… Lower body steering support member 26 …… Upper support bracket 28 …… Upper body steering support member 38 …… Tightening Attaching means 46 …… Engaging groove 48 …… Engaging pin 50 …… Locking groove

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A case for rotatably rotatably supporting a steering shaft, a lower support bracket for rotatably supporting a lower end portion of the case toward a vehicle body in a vertical direction, and a vertically swingable body. An upper support bracket that is fixedly disposed on the vehicle body side on both left and right sides on the upper end side of the case, and is pressed against the case by a fastening means to fix the case at an arbitrary position and hold it between the case and the case. An engaging groove formed in the upper support bracket along the swinging direction of the upper supporting bracket to restrict the swinging range of the, and an engaging pin provided on the case side and engaged with the engaging groove, and the upper portion. A locking groove formed in the support bracket, having one end facing the substantially central portion of the engaging groove and having the other end extending toward the steering wheel along substantially the axial direction of the steering shaft; Steering support structure of a motor vehicle, characterized in that was example.