JPS61125963A - Tilt steering column device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce a peak loading, to which a driver is subjected, at a time of collision by allowing a notch to be formed so as to have its opening toward the direction, in which it does not come in contact with a fastening bolt. CONSTITUTION:A hole 8 in a form of an ellipse is arranged, and a notch 9, which is arranged in a side plate 4a of an adjustable bracket that is placed on a side plate 6a of a stationary bracket 6 fixed on a body, have its opening toward the direction, in which it does not come in contact with a fastening bolt 7 when a steering column 2 is displaced by an impact force from a driver at a time of collision.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application] This invention relates to the improvement of tilt steering column devices used in automobiles, and particularly to tilt steering columns that can efficiently absorb peak loads during energy absorption during collisions. Concerning a column device.

[Conventional technology]

Figure 8 shows a tilt steering column device with a simple structure that has an energy absorption mechanism that absorbs the impact of a car collision and that allows the position of the steering wheel to be adjusted according to the driver's driving posture. have been traditionally used.

To explain the structure of the tilt steering column device shown in FIG. 8, a steering handle 3 is fixed to the upper end of a steering shaft 1 rotatably supported by a steering column 2.
An adjustment bracket 4 is fixed to an intermediate portion of the vehicle body 5, and the adjustment bracket 4 is tightened and fixed to a fixing bracket 6 attached to the vehicle body 5 by a tightening bolt 7.

A long hole 8 is provided in the side plate 6a of the fixed bracket 6 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the steering shaft 1, and a long hole 8 is provided in the side plate 4a of the adjustable bracket 4 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the long hole 8 of the fixed bracket. A U-shaped notch 9 opening in the direction is provided, and the relative position of the adjusting bracket 4 with respect to the fixed bracket 6 can be adjusted. The steering column 2 is supported so that its inclination relative to the vehicle body can be adjusted around a fulcrum provided below the steering column 2. An energy absorption device 10 that collapses and absorbs energy in the event of a collision is provided at the lower part of the steering column 2.

In this steering column device, when an impact from the driver is applied to the steering handle 3 at the time of a collision, the adjustment bracket 4 separates from the fixed bracket 6, the steering handle 3 is compressed, and the energy absorption device absorbs the energy at the time of the collision. It is meant to be absorbed.

The steering column device shown in Fig. 8 is an example in which the adjustment bracket separates from the fixed bracket.
The figure shows an example of a type in which the fixed bracket 6 is detachable from the vehicle body. In this case, the fixed bracket 6 is attached to the surface 5a of the vehicle body 5.
It is designed to span downwards along the .

[The gap that the invention attempts to solve]

The tilt steering column device shown in FIG. 9 above is as follows:
Since the fixing bracket 6 slides by a predetermined amount of 11L along the mounting surface 5a of the vehicle body in the event of a collision, the mounting surface of the vehicle body fixing bracket 6 to the vehicle body must be made flat over a range L. However, there were problems with the free design of the car body.

In the tilt steering column device shown in Fig. 8, the fixed bracket is immovably fixed, so the driver can adjust the bracket in the event of a car collision.
When is subjected to a horizontal force F, the axial component force of the steering column 2 with respect to the horizontal force F becomes a force that tends to collapse the steering column 2 in the axial direction, and the component force perpendicular to the coaxial direction causes the steering column 2 to collapse in the axial direction. At the joint between the fixed bracket and the adjustment bracket, frictional force that prevents the steering column 2 from collapsing is generated between the notch 9 of the adjustment bracket and the tightening bolt 7, which makes it difficult for the steering column 2 to collapse and reduces the peak energy absorption. There is a problem in that the load increases and the load acting on the driver increases.

Furthermore, when the notch 9 of the adjustment bracket 4 separates from the tightening bolt T, the top surface of the adjustment bracket 4 moves along the vehicle body part 5, so it is necessary to provide the flat surface 5a mentioned above, which poses a problem in the free design of the vehicle body. there were.

[Means for solving problems]

This invention was made to solve this problem, and when the steering column is displaced due to the force of a collision of a car, the adjustment column is overlapped with the long hole provided in the fixing bracket and fastened with a tightening bolt. The notch in the bracket is opened in a direction that prevents the adjustment bracket from coming into contact with the tightening bolt, and the fixed bracket on the vehicle body mounting surface is provided with a sliding surface that the top surface of the steering column comes into contact with after the steering column has been displaced by a predetermined amount. [Function] In this invention, when the steering column is displaced during a car collision, the notch provided in the adjustment bracket moves in a direction where it does not come into contact with the tightening bolt, and after the steering column is displaced by a predetermined amount, the top surface of the column is Since it moves along the sliding surface of the fixed bracket, it can be smoothly displaced and the peak load acting on the driver can be reduced.

〔Example〕

Fig. 1 is a -g longitudinal cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional side view of the fixing bracket and adjusting bracket portion, and Fig. 3 is a view taken along the line ■-■ in Fig. 2. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken by cutting, and numerals 1 to 10 are completely the same as the conventional device. A notch 9 provided in the side plate 4a of the adjustable bracket 4, which is overlapped with the side plate 6a of the fixed bracket 6 fixed to the vehicle body 5 and provided with the elongated hole 8, allows the steering column 2 to be placed in the driver's impact position in the event of a collision. The opening is opened in a direction in which it does not come into contact with the tightening pole (7) if it is displaced.

A flat portion 7a for preventing rotation is provided at one end of the tightening bolt 7, and a tilt lever 11 is attached to the af4. When the tilt lever 11 is rotated, the adjustment bracket 4 and the fixed bracket 6 are fastened together by the tightening bolt 7, and when the tilt lever 11 is rotated in the opposite direction, the adjustment bracket 4 and the fixed bracket 6 are fastened together by the tightening bolt T.
The tightening between the steering column 2 and the steering column 2 is loosened, the steering flamm 2 is displaced around the fulcrum 12, and the mounting angle of the steering column 2 can be adjusted.

Further, the facing side plates 6a of the fixed bracket 6 are connected by a connecting part 13, and the central part of this connecting part 13 is bent and a sliding part 14 is provided, so that the steering flamm 2 is displaced in the event of a collision, and the adjusting bracket 4 is When the notch 9 separates from the tightening bolt 7, the top surface of the steering column comes into contact with the slide part 14, and the steering flamm 2 moves into the slide part 14.
It slides downward along the .

Furthermore, a reinforcing plate 15 is provided on the side plate 4a of the adjusting bracket 4 to prevent the adjusting bracket 4 from being deformed by the tightening bolts T.

As configured as described above, in the tilt steering column device according to one embodiment of the present invention, in the event of a collision of a car, the driver can use the steering column device as shown in FIG. When the force F acts on the steering column 2 as shown in FIG.

Along with this displacement of the steering column 2, the notch 9 of the adjustment bracket 4 fixed to the steering column 2 is opened in a direction that does not come into contact with the tightening bolt 7, so that there is a gap between the notch 9 and the tightening bolt 7. Since the adjustment bracket 4 is separated from the tightening bolt T without causing friction resistance, the peak load acting on the driver is reduced.

After this separation, the upper surface of the first steering column 2 comes into contact with the slide s14 of the fixed bracket 6, and due to the component force FaMθ of the force F in the axial direction of the steering column 2, the upper surface of the first steering column 2 It slides downward smoothly, and the energy from the collision is efficiently absorbed by the energy absorbing device 10.

FIG. 4 shows an example of actually measuring the column stroke waveform of the tilt steering device according to the present invention during a car collision, and shows the generated load during a car crash for a conventional chilled steering column device and the device according to the present invention. It is a graph showing an example of actual measurement.

Regarding the generated load, the peak load is 950<Q for conventional products.
f, but with the device of this invention, it is low at 730klife, and in both cases, the peak load of 1134 according to MVSS203 and Ministry of Transport standards is less than 9f. In this respect, it is also superior to conventional products.

FIG. 11115 is a graph showing an example of experimental results regarding the tilt sliding load with respect to the tightening torque in the tilt steering column device. In this experiment, the mounting angle α of the steering column was 25°, the distance from the tightening bolt 7 to the fulcrum 12 was 260-1, the distance from the tightening bolt 7 to the steering handle was 328 m, and the tilt lever 11
It is shown that the tilt sliding load was about 100 Kff only when the tightening torque was changed and the load W was applied to the steering handle 3 in the vertical direction. In the fifth step, the measured values of the tilt sliding loads for the three devices are each 0. It is expressed as Δ,・.

In the tilt steering column device of the present invention, the adjustment bracket 4 does not move in normal use with respect to the fixed bracket 6, but has a load that allows it to slide only in the event of a collision. It can be seen that the adjustment bracket 4 must be removed from the attached bolt T.

Note that if a tongue portion 16 is provided on the side plate 4a of the adjustment bracket 4 as shown in FIG. 6, or a tongue portion 17 is provided by bending the reinforcing plate 15 as shown in FIG. Convenient for positioning bolts. In this case, the tongue portions 16 and 17 can be easily deformed so as not to impede movement of the steering flamm 2 in the event of a collision. Furthermore, there is no fear that the relative positions of the fixed bracket 6 and the steering column 2 will shift during handling up to vehicle assembly.

〔effect〕

Since this invention is configured as described above, when the steering column is displaced due to the impact of the driver during a car collision, the notch is opened in a direction where the adjustment bracket does not come into contact with the tightening bolt and fixed. A simple structure in which the bracket is provided with a sliding surface against which the top surface of the steering column rests has the effect of reducing the peak load acting on the driver in the event of a collision.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal side view of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a partial longitudinal side view of the fixing bracket and the adjusting bracket, and Fig. 3 is a cut along the line ■-■ in Fig. 2. 84 is a graph showing an actual measurement example of the waveform of the column stroke of the steering column and the generated load with respect to the elapsed time at the time of a car collision; FIG. 6 and 7 are partial vertical sectional side views of a fixing bracket and an adjusting bracket of another embodiment of the present invention, respectively, and FIG.
The figure is a partially longitudinal side view showing a conventional tilt steering column device, and FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of another conventional steering column device. 2...Steering column 4...
...Adjust bracket 4a... side Plate 6... Fixed bracket 6a... side Plate T... Tightening bolt 8 ......Long hole 9...Notch In each figure, the same reference numerals represent the same or equivalent parts. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 aXS renal interval (ms)

Claims (1)

[Claims] A fixed bracket having a long hole in the side plate and fixed to the vehicle body,
The adjusting bracket has a side plate that is fixed to the steering column and overlaps the side plate of the fixing bracket, and has a cutout in the side plate, and the fixing bracket and the adjuster are fixed to each other by a tightening bolt inserted through the elongated hole and the cutout. In a tilt steering column device in which the mounting angle of the steering column can be adjusted by fastening the steering column to a bracket, the notch is arranged so that when the steering column is displaced by a driver's impact during a car collision, the adjustment bracket 1. A tilt steering column device characterized by having a sliding surface that is opened in a direction that does not come into contact with a bolt, and that the top surface of the steering column can come into contact with at the top of a fixing bracket after the steering column has been displaced by a predetermined amount.