JPS6036514Y2 - Tilt steering fixing device - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an improvement of a tilt steering fixing device that allows adjustment of the mounting angle of a steering shaft of an automobile.

(Prior art) Conventionally, this type of tilt steering fixing device has a first
As shown in the figure, a steering shaft 2 that can swing freely around a universal coupling 1 provided at the front end is held by a steering column 3, and the steering column 3 is fixed to a vehicle body 4 via bolts 5. The fixed bracket 6 is penetrated through the fixed bracket 6 supported by the fixed bracket 6.
An arcuate guide groove 7 is bored in the guide groove 7.
A lock bolt 8 (see Fig. 2) passing through the lock bolt 8 is supported on the steering column 3, and the steering shaft 2 is fixed to the fixing bracket by tightening the lock bolt 8 by operating a tilt lever 9 provided at one end of the lock bolt 8. 6, while loosening the lock bolt 8, the lock bolt 8 is inserted into the guide groove 7.
The inside of the steering shaft 2 is slidable, and by sliding the lock bolt 8, the steering shaft 2 can be vertically swung so that the mounting angle of the steering shaft 2 can be adjusted (Utility Model Application No. 51-135324). (see official bulletin).

Note that 10 is a steering wheel attached to the rear end of the steering shaft 2.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, in the above conventional device, the guide groove 7
is simply set to a width slightly wider than the outer diameter of the lock bolt 8, so when the fixing bracket 6 is pre-assembled on the steering side and attached to the vehicle body 4, it may be difficult to assemble it incorrectly or cause damage to the vehicle body. If a deviation occurs between the rotation center of the steering shaft 2 and the arc center of the guide groove 7 due to tolerances of the parts, the sliding trajectory of the lock bolt 8 and the side wall of the guide groove 7 may become misaligned as shown in FIG. cross,
There was a problem in that the lock bolt 8 and the guide groove 7 interfered, resulting in poor tilt operation of the steering wheel 10.

On the other hand, in order to absorb the above-mentioned deviation, it is conceivable to make the width of the guide groove 11 extremely wider than the outer diameter of the lock bolt 8 as shown in FIG. If the fixing bracket 6 is not assembled so that it is located at the center of the guide groove 11 in the width direction, the above-mentioned interference cannot be effectively prevented.
There is a problem that the contact area of the head of the lock bolt 8 that comes into contact with the lock bolt 8 is reduced, and the fixing force of the lock bolt 8 is weakened.

The present invention has been developed in view of these points, and by appropriately setting the width of the guide groove of the fixing bracket at the preset position on the steering side and at other parts, the lock bolt and the guide groove can be connected. In addition to preventing interference with the steering wheel and tilting the steering wheel, the fixing bracket can be assembled without adjusting the position of the fixing bracket, improving ease of assembly. The purpose is to

(Means for solving the problem) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the solution of the present invention is to provide an arc-shaped guide groove in a fixed bracket that is fixedly supported on the vehicle body, and to A penetrating lock bolt is supported on a steering column that holds a steering shaft, and the lock bolt slides in a guide groove to allow the steering shaft to slide freely, making it possible to adjust the mounting angle of the steering shaft within this sliding range. In the tilt steering fixing device, the width of the guide groove of the fixing bracket is set to be approximately equal to the outer diameter of the lock bolt at an appropriate location in the adjustable sliding range of the mounting angle, and the width of the groove is set to be approximately equal to the outer diameter of the lock bolt at an appropriate location within the adjustable sliding range of the mounting angle, and the width of the guide groove is set to be approximately equal to the outer diameter of the lock bolt at an appropriate location within the adjustable sliding range of the mounting angle, and the width of the guide groove is set to be approximately equal to the outer diameter of the lock bolt at an appropriate location within the sliding range where the mounting angle can be adjusted. For example, the groove is configured to expand gradually in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body (radially outward and inward of the arc of the guide groove).

Here, the guide groove may be constructed so that its upper end width is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the lock bolt, and its lower width is gradually expanded. The fixing force of the lock bolt can be increased, which is advantageous and preferable in terms of ensuring fixed support of the steering shaft.

(Function) With the above configuration, in the present invention, the width of the guide groove of the fixing bracket is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the lock bolt at an appropriate location in the sliding range where the mounting angle of the steering shaft can be adjusted, excluding such locations. Due to the expanded range, when assembling the lock bolt by positioning it at a location approximately equal to the outer diameter of the lock bolt in the guide groove,
The position of the fixing bracket is determined automatically, and there is no need to adjust the position of the fixing bracket.

Furthermore, even if there is a misalignment between the center of rotation of the steering shaft and the center of the arc of the guide groove due to poor adjustment during assembly or tolerances of vehicle body parts during steering tilt operation, this misalignment will cause the guide groove to expand. Because it is absorbed partially,
The above tilt operation can be performed satisfactorily without interference between the lock bolt and the guide groove.

Furthermore, the width of the guide groove is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the lock bolt at appropriate points, and only the portions excluding those points have been enlarged, so the contact area of the head of the lock bolt and the nut that comes into contact with the fixing bracket is as large as possible. This means that the lock bolt can be secured with a large amount of locking force.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.The basic structure of the tilt steering fixing device has already been described in FIG. , and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

4 to 7 show an embodiment of the present invention, in which the lock bolt 8 is positioned at the upper end of the guide groove 7 and preset.

Corresponding parts on both sides of the fixed bracket 6 fixedly supported on the vehicle body 4 are provided with arc-shaped guide grooves 12, 12 through which the lock bolts 8 supported on the steering column 3 holding the steering shaft 2 are passed. is drilled so that the center of rotation of the steering shaft 2 and the center of the arc of the guide groove 12 are aligned.

The width of the guide groove 12 is set to be approximately equal to the outer diameter of the lock bolt 8 at the upper end, which is an appropriate position in the sliding range in which the mounting angle of the steering shaft 2, which will be described later, can be adjusted, and as it moves downward from that position, the width of the guide groove 12 increases. It is formed to gradually expand outward and inward in the radial direction of the arc.

As a result, the width of the guide groove 12 other than the upper end position is expanded.

Further, the lock bolt 8 passing through both guides i12, 12 is attached to the column bracket 13 on the steering column 3.
It is supported via a tilt lever 9 at one end.
A nut 14, which is integrally fixed with, is screwed together.

Therefore, by rotating the tilt lever 9 in the forward direction and tightening the nut 14, the steering column 3 is fixedly supported on the fixed bracket 6, and on the other hand, by rotating the tilt lever 9 in the reverse direction and loosening the tightening of the nut 14, the lock bolt 8 is fixedly supported. The steering shaft 2 is made slidable by the sliding of the lock bolt 8, and the mounting angle of the steering shaft 2 can be adjusted within this sliding range.

In addition, 15 is a spacer interposed between the vehicle body 4 and the fixing bracket 6, and 16 is fitted onto the lock bolt 8 to restrict the tightening of the lock bolt 8 to reduce the distance between both sides of the fixing bracket 6. This is a spacer for keeping the steering column constant, and 17 is a balance spring that urges the steering column 3 upward through the spacer 16.

Therefore, in the above embodiment, the width of the guide groove 12 is made approximately equal to the outer diameter of the lock bolt 8 at the upper end, which is the position where the fixing bracket 6 is preset to the steering side, and as it moves downward from that position, the radius of the circular arc increases. Due to the gradual expansion outward and inward, when assembling the lock bolt 8 by positioning it at the upper end of the guide groove 12, the rotation of the steering shaft 2 may occur due to poor adjustment or tolerances of the vehicle body parts during the installation. Even if a deviation occurs between the center of motion and the center of the arc of the guide groove 12, this deviation can be absorbed by the enlarged lower part of the guide groove 12. The tilt operation of the steering wheel 10 can be performed satisfactorily without any interference.

In addition, since the lock bolt 8 is positioned at the upper end of the guide groove 12 and assembled as described above, the position of the fixed bracket 6 is automatically determined, and the position of the fixed bracket 6 is adjusted to prevent interference as in the conventional case. There is no need for adjustment, and ease of assembly can be improved.

Further, since the width of the upper end of the guide groove 12 is slightly wider than the outer diameter of the lock bolt 8, the head of the lock bolt 8 and the nut 1 that come into contact with the fixing bracket 6 are slightly wider than the outer diameter of the lock bolt 8.
The lock bolt 8 has a large contact area and the lock bolt 8 has a large fixing force, that is, the lock bolt 8 has a large fixing force at the position where it is necessary to support the weight of the steering shaft 2, so the lock bolt 8 fixes the steering shaft 2. Support can be ensured, and the steering shaft 2 will not rotate downward against the fixing force of the lock bolt 8.

In the above embodiment, when the lock bolt 8 is positioned and set at the upper end of the guide groove 12, the guide groove 12
The width of the lock bolt 8 is made approximately equal to the outer diameter of the lock bolt 8 at the upper end, and gradually increases as it moves downward from that position.However, if the lock bolt is set at the lower end of the guide groove, As shown in FIG. 8, the width of the guide groove 18 may be made approximately equal to the outer diameter of the lock bolt 8 at the lower end, and gradually widened as it moves upward from that position. The outer diameter of the lock bolt is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the lock bolt at an appropriate location where it is preset on the steering side, and is enlarged in a range excluding the location.

(Effects of the invention) As explained above, according to the invention, an arcuate guide groove is formed in the fixed bracket that is fixedly supported on the vehicle body, and a lock bolt passing through the guide groove is used to hold the steering shaft. supported on the steering column,
In a tilt steering fixing device in which the steering shaft is slidable by the sliding of the lock bolt and the mounting angle of the steering shaft can be adjusted within this sliding range, the guide groove of the fixing bracket is arranged so that the width of the groove is By setting the outer diameter of the lock bolt to be approximately equal to the outer diameter of the lock bolt at appropriate points in the sliding range where the mounting angle can be adjusted, and expanding it in the range excluding these points, the distance between the center of rotation of the steering shaft and the center of the circular arc of the guide groove is increased. The enlarged part of the guide groove can absorb the misalignment of the lock bolt and the guide groove, preventing interference between the lock bolt and the guide groove.
If you can properly tilt the steering wheel and set the lock bolts at the appropriate locations above,
Since the mounting position of the fixed bracket is determined, position adjustment of the fixed bracket can be omitted, and ease of assembly can be improved.

Further, the fixing force of the lock bolt can be ensured as large as possible.

In addition, if the guide groove is configured so that its upper end width is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the lock bolt and its lower width is gradually expanded, the upper end of the guide groove that needs to support the weight of the steering shaft in particular This has the advantage that the fixing force of the lock bolt can be increased, and the steering shaft can be securely supported by the lock bolt.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 3 show a conventional example, with FIG. 1 being a schematic side view, and FIGS. 2 and 3 being explanatory diagrams showing the positional relationship between the lock bolt and the guide groove, respectively. 4 to 8 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the main part, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line ■-V of FIG. 4, and FIGS. Each figure is an explanatory view showing the positional relationship between the lock bolt and the guide groove, and FIG. 8 is a view corresponding to FIG. 7 showing a modification of the guide groove. 1...Universal coupling, 2...
... Steering shaft, 3 ... Steering column, 4 ... Vehicle body, 5 ... Bolt, 6 ... Fixing bracket, ? , 11, 12, 1
8... Guide groove, 8... Lock bolt, 9... Tilt lever, 10... Steering, 13... Column bracket, 14・
...Natsuto, 15,16...Spacer,
17...Balance spring.

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] (1) An arc-shaped guide groove is bored in a fixed bracket that is fixedly supported on the vehicle body, and a lock bolt passing through the guide groove is supported on a steering column that holds a steering shaft. In a tilt steering fixing device in which the steering shaft is slidable and the mounting angle of the steering shaft can be adjusted within this sliding range, the guide groove of the fixing bracket has a width that allows adjustment of the mounting angle. A fixing device for a tilt steering, characterized in that the outer diameter of a lock bolt is set to be approximately equal to the outer diameter of a lock bolt at an appropriate location in a sliding range, and is enlarged in a range other than the location. (2) The tilt steering according to claim 1, wherein the guide groove is configured such that the width at the upper end thereof is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the lock bolt, and the width at the lower end gradually increases. fixation device.