JPH11301518A - Steering wheel support - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering wheel support stable in strength and capable of improving productivity. SOLUTION: The steering support is composed of a lower member 3 suspended by a reinforcement 4 and a upper member 2 connected to the car body. The lower member 3 is integrally formed of a body portion 30 to which the upper member 2 is attached, a first engagement portion 31, a second engagement portion 32, and a third engagement portion 33, which join with the reinforcement 4. Reinforcement flanges 51, 53 and 52, 54 which connect with the upper end of the body portion 30 are provided at the upper end of the first engagement portion 31 and the second engagement portion 32, respectively. A bent portion with a downward bend is provided at the tip of each of these reinforcement flanges. The steering support is able to achieve sufficient resistance with respect to torsional stress generated between the reinforcements 4 because of the high rigidity gained from the reinforcement flanges.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering support which is mounted on a reinforcement which is mounted on a vehicle and holds various members, and which supports a steering column.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a steering support for a vehicle, for example, a steering support disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-183462 has been known. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the steering support 101 has one upper member 1.
02, two lower members 103 and 104, and a reinforcing member 1
05. The upper member 102 has a body mounting portion 121 and an arc-shaped upper concave portion 122. The first lower member 103 includes a bottom part 131 and both side parts 132 and 13.
3, flange portions 132a, 133a extending in the longitudinal direction are provided on both side portions 132, 133, and arc-shaped lower concave portions are formed in the flange portions 132a, 133a. This configuration is the same for the second lower member 104. The first lower member 103 is welded in surface contact with the upper member 102, and its lower concave portion and the upper member 102 are welded.
The upper concave portion 122 fixes the entire periphery of the reinforcement 106.

[0003] Since the above-mentioned configuration is divided into an upper member and a lower member, the degree of freedom in the order of assembling the other members and the steering support is not limited. As a result, an effect that an assembling order with high productivity can be adopted is obtained. In addition, when assembling the steering support, it is sufficient to weld the lower member and the upper member at predetermined positions, so that quick assembly has been achieved.

[0004]

However, in recent vehicles, in order to improve driver safety, an airbag function is provided in the steering, and various instruments and the like due to high performance are provided in the steering system. It is installed. For this reason, the shape of the reinforcement must be partially bent in consideration of these mounting areas. That is, in the conventional example in FIG.
Although the reinforcement is conceptually shown and its shape is shown as straight, it is actually bent locally, so that there is a greater distance between the steering support and the reinforcement than when the shape is straight. , Torsional stress is likely to be applied. Therefore, there is a problem in terms of strength that each of the two divided lower members is easily displaced or deformed by the torsional stress.

Further, in order to prevent the vibration of the vehicle body from causing resonance in accordance with the natural frequency of the steering system, it is generally necessary to set the steering support rigidity to a relatively high level. However, when the joint between the reinforcement and the lower member is performed in a surface contact state as in the conventional example, the rigidity of the reinforcement in the steering support structure is reduced. It is difficult to set it high. This is because, when considering the section modulus of the entire steering support structure, the distance from the center of gravity to the cross section of the reinforcement is small, so that the section modulus covered by the reinforcement is small.
As a result, there is also a problem in terms of vibration that it is difficult to set a high natural frequency of the steering system.
As a countermeasure, it has been practiced to increase the rigidity of the reinforcement by setting the diameter of the reinforcement itself to some extent, but this makes it difficult to bend the reinforcement at the time of molding. This raises the problem and the problem of increased material costs.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a steering support having stable strength and capable of improving productivity.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention In order to solve the above problems, a steering support according to claim 1 is mounted on a reinforcement that is mounted on a vehicle and holds various members, and a steering column is mounted. In the supporting steering support, a lower member assembled to the reinforcement, and a lower member,
An upper member that is attached so as to sandwich the reinforcement and that can be attached to the body of the vehicle, wherein the lower member has a main body on which the upper member is mounted, and extends laterally from the main body. An extended body having a U-shaped cross section, wherein an inner peripheral surface of the extended body is partially engaged with and welded to an outer peripheral surface of the reinforcement; A U-shaped cross-section extending from the portion in a direction opposite to the first engagement portion, wherein an inner peripheral surface of the extension partially engages an outer peripheral surface of the reinforcement. A main body, a first engaging part and a second engaging part are integrally formed, and the first main body, the first main body and the second main body are welded from the main body. It is characterized in that a reinforcing flange is provided in an outer peripheral region extending to the engaging portion.

In the above structure, the main body, the first engaging portion, and the second engaging portion constituting the lower member are integrally formed by press working or the like. For this reason, the effect that the working cost can be reduced in mass production can be obtained. In addition, a reinforcing flange is provided in an outer peripheral region of a boundary portion between the main body portion and the both engaging portions where stress tends to be particularly concentrated, so that the generated stress can be effectively dispersed. As a result, even when a bent reinforcement that easily causes torsional stress is used, local damage to the steering support due to stress concentration does not occur.

The lower member may be a main body on which the upper member is mounted, and an extended body having a U-shaped cross section extending laterally from the main body. hand,
A first engaging portion in which an edge of an inner peripheral surface of the extension body is engaged with and welded to an outer peripheral surface of the reinforcement, and extending from the main body in a direction opposite to the first engaging portion; An extended body having a U-shaped cross section, wherein a second engaging portion is welded by engaging an edge of an inner peripheral surface of the extended body with an outer peripheral surface of the reinforcement. A third surface protruding substantially at the center of the bottom surface of the portion and having a curved surface engageable with the outer peripheral surface of the reinforcement, the curved surface being partially engaged with and welded to the outer peripheral surface of the reinforcement. And the main body, the first engaging portion, the second engaging portion, and the third engaging portion are integrally formed, and the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are formed from the main body portion. A reinforcing flange may be provided in an outer peripheral region extending to the portion.

[0010] In the above structure, the joint between the steering support and the reinforcement is formed by connecting the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion provided on the lower member of the steering support to the outer peripheral surface of the reinforcement. The edge of the inner peripheral surface is engaged with the curved surface of the third engaging portion, and welding is performed along the engaging portion in a substantially line contact state. As described above, the joint between the reinforcement and each engagement portion is performed in a line contact state instead of in a surface contact state as in the related art, so that the steering support rigidity is increased.
That is, the line contact state increases the position of the reinforcement with respect to the lower member, and increases the section modulus of the reinforcement in the steering support structure, thereby increasing the rigidity of the entire steering support structure. As a result, the natural frequency of the steering system can be set higher than in the case of the conventional contact type in a surface contact state, which is convenient for avoiding resonance with the vehicle body vibration. In addition, since the rigidity of the steering support itself is increased to some extent by providing the first engaging portion, the second engaging portion, and the third engaging portion, the rigidity of the reinforcement is reduced by each engaging portion of the steering support. Can be covered by the rigidity of For this reason, the rigidity of the reinforcement itself can be set small. This leads to a reduction in the diameter of the reinforcement pipe, and it is possible to reduce material costs.

Further, as described in claim 3, an L-shaped bent portion may be provided at a tip of the reinforcing flange. That is, by providing a bent portion bent downward or upward at the tip of each of the horizontally extending reinforcing flanges, the section modulus of the reinforcing flange is increased. (2) The strength of the engagement portion is further increased. As a result, the joint between the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion with the reinforcement is
There is no problem of deformation due to a torsional moment generated between the reinforcement and the reinforcement.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a use state of the steering support, FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the steering support, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

As is well known, the steering support 1 of the present embodiment is attached to a reinforcement 4 that is mounted on a vehicle and supports a steering column (not shown). The steering support 1 is
As shown in FIG. 1, particularly, the reinforcement 4 has a bent portion 4 a in a longitudinal direction thereof, and has a configuration suitable for a case where a torsional stress is easily generated at a joint portion with the steering support 1. The configuration will be described below in detail.

As shown in FIG. 2, the steering support 1 includes a lower member 3 suspended on a reinforcement 4.
And an upper member 2 that connects the vehicle body and the lower member 3 and reinforces the support of the lower member 3. In the upper member 2, an arcuate engaging recess 22 is formed at the center of the lower part of the upright plate-like body, which matches the upper part of the outer periphery of the reinforcement 4.
A body mounting flange 21 for connecting to the vehicle body extends at a right angle at the upper side edge. The body mounting flange 21 has a through hole for inserting a bolt, and is bolted to the vehicle body through the through hole.

The lower member 3 is formed by pressing a mild steel plate by press working.
And a first engaging portion 31, a second engaging portion 32, and a third engaging portion 33, which form a joint in the longitudinal direction with the reinforcement 4. The first engagement portion 31 and the second engagement portion 32 are provided to extend from the main body 30 in opposite directions, and the third engagement portion is provided to protrude upward at the center of the main body 30. . Reinforcing flanges 51, 53 and 52, 54 connected to the upper end of the main body 30 are provided at the upper ends of the first engaging portion 31 and the second engaging portion 32, respectively. The stress generated at the boundary between each of the first and second engagement portions 32 and the main body 30 can be dispersed. Further, plate-shaped front flanges 35 and 36 are provided upright on the front side of the main body 30 to maintain strength.

The first engaging portion 31 and the second engaging portion 32 are formed so as to conform to the shape of the reinforcement 4.
It is configured to be shifted in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. First
The engaging portion 31 has a substantially U-shaped cross section as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and a bottom surface 31 a thereof is provided in a manner one step lower than the bottom surface 30 a of the main body 30. Reinforcement flanges 51 and 53 extend horizontally from the upper end of the first engagement portion 31, and the former is provided on the side wall 30 b of the main body 30.
The latter is connected to the front flange 35, respectively. The reinforcing flanges 51 and 53 are located at positions where the stress tends to concentrate when the lower member 3 receives the torsional stress from the reinforcement 4, that is, at the boundary between the main body 30 and the first engaging portion 31. It is formed so that the wall thickness is particularly large. For this reason, even if it receives a torsional stress from the reinforcement 4, it does not lead to breakage from the above-mentioned boundary.

Further, bent portions 51a and 53a which are bent downward are provided at the tips of the reinforcing flanges 51 and 53, respectively. The bent portions 51a, 53
By providing a, the section modulus at the upper end of the first engagement portion 31 is increased and the rigidity is increased, so that the resistance to the torsional moment generated between the first engagement portion 31 and the reinforcement 4 is further increased.

The second engaging portion 32 has a substantially U-shaped cross section similarly to the first engaging portion 31, and its bottom surface 32a is provided in a manner one step lower than the bottom surface 30a of the main body portion 30. Have been. Reinforcing flanges 52 and 54 extend horizontally from the upper end of the second engaging portion 32, and the former is the main body 3
0, and the latter is connected to the front flange 36, respectively. The reinforcing flanges 52 and 54 are located at positions where the stress tends to concentrate when the lower member 3 receives torsional stress from the reinforcement 4, that is, at the boundary between the main body 30 and the second engaging portion 32. It is formed so that the wall thickness is particularly large. For this reason, even if it receives a torsional stress from the reinforcement 4, it does not lead to breakage from the above-mentioned boundary.

At the tip of each of the reinforcing flanges 52 and 54, a bent portion similar to the above-mentioned reinforcing flanges 51 and 53 is provided. By providing the bent portion, the section modulus at the upper end of the second engagement portion 32 is increased and the rigidity is increased, so that the resistance to the torsional moment generated between the second engagement portion 32 and the reinforcement 4 is further increased.

The third engaging portion 33 is provided so as to protrude upward at the front center portion of the main body portion 30, and has a joining surface 33a joined to the reinforcement 4 and an insertion portion 33b through which a steering shaft can be inserted. And The joining surface 33a
Is a curved surface having a curvature equal to or somewhat larger than the outer diameter of the reinforcement 4, so that the outer surface of the reinforcement 4 can be flexibly coped with mounting on the outer peripheral surface.

Next, the manner of joining the steering support 1 and the reinforcement 4 according to the present embodiment will be described by taking the manner of joining the first engagement portion 31 and the reinforcement 4 as an example. The joining between the steering support 1 and the reinforcement 4 is performed by joining the edges 31 b and 31 c of the inner peripheral surface of the first engaging portion 31 and the edges 32 of the inner peripheral surface of the second engaging portion 32.
b, 32c, and an upper edge 33c of the third engagement portion 33;
This is done by welding the joint with the outer peripheral surface of the reinforcement 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first engaging portion 31 having a substantially U-shaped cross section is formed such that the width of the upper end thereof is substantially equal to or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the reinforcement 4. The first engaging portion 31 is attached such that the edges 31b and 31c of the inner peripheral surface thereof are in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the reinforcement 4, and the welding W is applied along the substantially linear contact portion. Is done. At this time, the reinforcement 4 is connected to the first engagement portion 3.
1 is floating from the bottom surface 31a. This joining mode is the same in the joining between the second engagement portion 32 and the reinforcement 4.

The joint between the reinforcement 4 and the third engaging portion 33 is substantially carried out with the upper edge 33c of the third engaging portion 33 abutting against the outer peripheral surface of the reinforcement 4. The welding W is performed along the contact portion in the line contact state. In this way, the connection between each engagement portion and the reinforcement 4 is performed in a line contact state by increasing the position of the reinforcement with respect to the lower member, thereby reducing the section modulus of the reinforcement in the steering support structure. This is to increase the rigidity of the entire steering support structure. As a result, the natural frequency of the steering system can be set higher than in the case of the conventional example in which the surfaces are in contact with each other, which is convenient for avoiding resonance with the vibration of the vehicle body.

According to the steering support 1 according to the embodiment described above, the number of parts can be reduced by integrally molding the lower member 3 and the processing steps can be simplified, so that the production cost can be effectively reduced. . Further, the strength and rigidity of the steering support 1 are effectively increased by the reinforcing flange provided on the lower member 3 and the bent portion provided at the tip of the reinforcing flange, and various stresses generated in the steering system are also prevented. We can respond stably.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment at all, and does not depart from the technical scope of the present invention.
It goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various modes. For example, the detailed shape of the lower member 3 is not limited to the above-described one, and is an integral type. Of course can be selected.

In the above embodiment, the joint between the reinforcement 4 and the third engaging portion 33 is formed by the third engaging portion 3.
3 is made along the upper edge 33c.
The bonding may be performed in a state of being in contact with any position on 3a.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a use state of a steering support.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a steering support.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... steering support, 2 ... upper member,
3 Lower member, 4 Reinforcement, 4
a: bent portion, 30: body portion, 31: first
Engagement part, 31b ... edge of inner peripheral surface, 32 ... second
Engagement part, 32b ... edge of inner peripheral surface, 33 ... third
Engaging portion, 33c: upper edge, 51, 53: reinforcing flange, 51a, 53a: bent portion, 5
2, 54 ... reinforcing flange, 52a, 54a ...
Bent part, W ... welding

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A steering support that is mounted on a reinforcement that is mounted on a vehicle and holds various members, and supports a steering column, wherein: a lower member that is mounted on the reinforcement; An upper member attached so as to sandwich the reinforcement, the upper member being attachable to the body of the vehicle, wherein the lower member has a main body on which the upper member is mounted, and extends laterally from the main body. A first engaging portion welded by partially engaging an inner peripheral surface of the extended member with an outer peripheral surface of the reinforcement, and the main body portion; And a U-shaped cross-section extending in a direction opposite to the first engagement portion, wherein an inner peripheral surface of the extension partially engages an outer peripheral surface of the reinforcement. Welded A second engaging portion, wherein the main body, the first engaging portion, and the second engaging portion are integrally formed, and the portion extending from the main body to the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion. A steering support characterized in that a reinforcing flange is provided in an outer peripheral area. 2. A steering support for supporting a steering column mounted on a reinforcement that is mounted on a vehicle and holds various members, the lower member being mounted on the reinforcement and the lower member having An upper member attached so as to sandwich the reinforcement, the upper member being attachable to the body of the vehicle, wherein the lower member has a main body on which the upper member is mounted, and extends laterally from the main body. A first engagement portion welded by engaging an edge of an inner peripheral surface of the extended body with an outer peripheral surface of the reinforcement, and the main body portion; And a U-shaped cross-section extending in a direction opposite to the first engagement portion, wherein an edge of an inner peripheral surface of the extension is engaged with an outer peripheral surface of the reinforcement. Second welded An engaging portion, comprising a curved surface protruding substantially at the center of the bottom surface of the main body portion and capable of engaging with the outer peripheral surface of the reinforcement, wherein the curved surface partially engages with the outer peripheral surface of the reinforcement. A main body, a first engaging section, a second engaging section, and a third engaging section are integrally formed, and the first engaging section is formed from the main body section. A steering support, wherein a reinforcing flange is provided in an outer peripheral region extending to the joining portion and the second engaging portion. 3. The steering support according to claim 1, wherein an L-shaped bent portion is provided at a tip of the reinforcing flange.