JPS6125580B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a fixing device for a tilt handle that can be automatically returned from a flipped-up position to an original setting position.

[Conventional technology]

The conventional general tilt handle fixing device is
For example, as shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 52-79448, a movable bracket of a column tube that rotatably supports a steering wheel shaft is tilted up and down by a pin with respect to a fixed bracket of a steering column fixed to the vehicle body. Possibly connected. Then, at the overlapping part of the fixed bracket and the movable bracket, one end of the bolt inserted into the arc-shaped long hole of the fixed bracket is screwed into the threaded hole of the movable bracket, and the movable bracket is fixed to the fixed bracket by pressure contact. ing. A lock lever attached to the bolt screws the bolt into a threaded hole in the movable bracket. Also, a rack is fixedly supported on the fixed bracket, while a latch that engages the rack is supported on the movable bracket.

In such a conventional tilt handle fixing device, by releasing the engagement between the rack and the latch and loosening the bolt, the inclination of the movable bracket with respect to the fixed bracket can be adjusted as desired. However, in order to return to the original tilt, the driver must rely on his memory and readjust the tilt, which takes time and effort.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In view of such problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel that can be adjusted to a large number of inclinations (angles), but even if the driver flips up the steering wheel to make it convenient for the driver to get on and off the vehicle, the steering wheel cannot be moved from this flipped up position. To provide a tilt handle fixing device that can easily and automatically return the handle to its original adjustment position (tilt) with a single touch.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a configuration in which a first bracket that rotatably supports a steering wheel shaft and a second bracket that fixes an adjustment plate to a steering column are rotatably and slidably connected by a common connecting pin. The coupling pin can be inserted into one set of first and second pin holes provided in large numbers in the first and second brackets, respectively, by the force of a spring, and one of the first and second pin holes is inserted. A setting memory pin is inserted into a groove provided in the adjustment plate via the coupling pin by the force of the spring, and the setting memory pin is pushed through the groove of the adjustment plate against the force of the spring. An operating body for removing the coupling pin to the other of the first and second pin holes is supported on the adjustment plate, and one of the first and second brackets and the adjustment plate are provided with relative rotational sliding movement between the two. It is provided with locking means for holding the position at a plurality of selected positions.

[Effect]

The second bracket 47 is movable relative to the first bracket 47 which is stationary.
A coupling pin 70 for fixing the bracket 48 at a predetermined inclination is inserted from the pin hole 77 of the first bracket 47 into the second bracket 4 by the force of the spring 72.
It is inserted into one of the eight pin holes 76 selected in advance.

The selected pin hole 76 is connected to the second bracket 48.
and the adjustment plate 67 relative rotational position around the coupling pin 66, that is, the pin hole 76 aligned with the operating body 68
It is. This relative rotational position is between the groove 75 and the ball 73.
It is set by a locking means (detent mechanism) consisting of.

A setting memory pin 69 is inserted through each pin hole 76, and the selected memory setting pin 69 can be partially removed from the pin hole 76 into a split groove (a pin hole may be used) of the adjustment plate 67 as a coupling pin. When aligned axially with bracket 70, coupling pin 70 projects into pin hole 76, fixing first bracket 48 at a selected angle relative to second bracket 47.

According to the present invention, by providing the adjustment plate 67 and the setting memory pin 69, even if the inclination of the handle is changed to a temporary position, the handle can be returned to its original position among the many adjustable positions by simply pushing the handle back. automatically fixed to the adjusted position.

[Embodiments of the invention]

The configuration of the present invention will be explained below based on the illustrated embodiments. First, as shown in FIG. 1, the steering device is connected at the lower end to an intermediate shaft 64 via, for example, a ball screw shaft 42 or a shaft coupling 43 in a known steering gear mechanism 41, and this intermediate shaft 64 is fixed. device 46
Steering column 45 fixed to the vehicle body with
is rotatably supported. A bracket 47 is fixed to the upper end of the steering column 45, and a bracket 48 that rotatably supports the handle shaft 49 of the steering wheel 51 is connected to the bracket 47 so as to be able to bend up and down as shown by the chain line.
At this part, the upper end of the intermediate shaft 64 and the handle shaft 4
9 is connected to the lower end via a universal joint.

A fixing device 50 for fixing the bracket 48 at an arbitrary inclination is constructed as shown in FIG.
Mounting flange 8 at the upper end of the steering column 45
2 is fixed by welding or the like, and a bracket 47 having a connecting piece 47a divided into two stages at the upper end of the flange 82 is fixed with a bolt 87.
On the other hand, a bolt 94 is attached to an upper column (not shown) that supports the handle shaft 49 with bearings 57 and 56.
A bracket 48 having a connecting piece 48a branched downward into two branches is fixed thereto. The connecting piece 47a is stacked on the inner side of the connecting piece 48a, and is rotatably connected to each other by connecting pins 65 and 66 that are aligned in a straight line. Bracket 48,4
A bifurcated yoke 53 fixed to the upper end of the intermediate shaft 64 protrudes to the joint portion 7, and the handle shaft 49
A bifurcated yoke 62 fixed to the lower end of the yoke 62 protrudes, and these are rotatably connected by a known cross-shaped universal joint 63. One connecting piece 47a, 48a of each bracket 48, 47 is overlapped with each other with a flat surface, and an adjustment plate 67 is overlapped on the outer surface of the connecting piece 48a, and can be rotated by the above-mentioned connecting pin 66. is combined with A locking means for selectively holding the relative rotational position of the adjusting plate 67 and the connecting piece 48a around the connecting pin 66 is provided on the rotating sliding portion of the adjusting plate 67 and the connecting piece 48a. That is, a plurality of conical grooves 75 are provided on the surface of the connecting piece 48a at regular intervals (pitch) in the circumferential direction around the connecting pin 66. A pair of balls 73 that engage with these grooves 75 are housed inside pin holes 96 provided in the adjustment plate 67, and are attached to a spring 74 interposed between a presser plate 92 that closes the pin holes 96. It is biased.

As is clear from Figures 3 and 4, a pair of balls 7
The interval 3 corresponds to the pitch of the plurality of grooves 75 described above.
They are placed at 1.5 times the spacing. The aforementioned presser plate 92
is fixed to the outer surface of the adjustment plate 67 by a pair of bolts 93.

As is clear from FIG. 2, the brackets 47,
48 and the adjustment plate 67, a pin 97 is attached to the connecting piece 48a of the bracket 48.
The central part of the is fixed, and one end of the connecting piece 47a is fixed.
The other end is engaged with an arcuate groove 98 formed on the inner surface of the adjustment plate 67.

In order to hold the bracket 48 at a constant inclination with respect to the bracket 47, a pin hole 77 is provided in the bracket 47 in a direction perpendicular to the sliding surface described above.
The connecting piece 48 is inserted into the pin hole 77 by the force of the spring 72.
A coupling pin 70 that is biased toward the a side is accommodated. The tip of the coupling pin 70 is tapered, and a pin hole 76 whose one end is tapered is provided in the coupling piece 48a in correspondence with the coupling pin 70. The pin hole 76 is engaged with the pin hole 76, thereby maintaining the relative rotational position of the two.

In order to remove the coupling pin 70 from the pin hole 76, a setting memory pin 69 having the same plate thickness as the connecting piece 48a is accommodated in the pin hole 76, and the operating body 68 facing the split groove 83 of the adjustment plate 67 is accommodated in the pin hole 76. It is designed to be pushed by The operating body 68 is integrated with an operating lever 81, and the operating lever 81 is connected to a pair of brackets 91 provided on the outer surface of the adjusting plate 67.
It is rotatably supported with a pin 85 between them. The operating lever 81 is normally urged outward from the split groove 83 by a spring 71 interposed between the adjusting plate 67 and the operating lever 81, and a stopper bolt 90 screwed into and fixed to the adjusting plate 67
are collided with.

As is clear from FIG. 4, the plurality of coupling pins 70 are arranged at intervals of a predetermined angle of rotation about the coupling pin 66 so that the bracket 48 can be adjusted to various inclinations with respect to the bracket 47. and are arranged at different distances from the connecting pin 66. Further, a plurality of corresponding pin holes 76 and setting memory pins 69 accommodated therein are arranged on the same circumference as each coupling pin 70, and the mutual angle α of each setting memory pin 69 is set in the groove described above. 75
are arranged at an angle that is half the mutual rotation angle β.

As shown in FIG. 3, the bracket 47 has a recess 89 in which one end of the coil spring 60 is locked. The other end of the coil spring 60 is inserted into the coil spring 60 and engaged with an end flange of a rod 59 that suppresses the bending of the coil spring 60.
A spherical recess is formed at the end of the rod 59, and is engaged with a spherical tip of a pin 61 fixed to the bracket 48. And bracket 4
When the coupling pin 70 that regulates the relative rotational position between the coil spring 6 and the bracket 48 is released, the coil spring 6
With zero force, the bracket 48 supporting the handle 51 is lifted upward about the connecting pins 65 and 66 as shown by chain lines in FIG. 97 (FIGS. 2 and 4) abuts against the end of the arcuate groove 98 of the bracket 47, so that the rotation angle is controlled.

Next, the operation of the tilt handle fixing device according to the present invention will be explained. In the position of the handle 51 shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, the ball 73 on the right side engages with the groove 75 on the rightmost side as shown in FIG. It engages with a pin hole 76 on the circumference and abuts against a setting memory pin 69. The grooves 83 of the adjusting plate 67 are aligned with the connecting pins 70 and the memory setting pins 69. As shown in FIG. 6, the connecting pin 70 has a tapered portion on the distal end that matches the tapered portion of the pin hole 76 by the spring 72, and is connected to the setting memory pin 6.
9 is pushed out from the pin hole 76, and the operating body 68 is pressed. Since the operating lever 81 having the operating body 68 is prevented from rotating by the stopper bolt 90 as shown in FIG. 2, the setting memory pin 69 will not come off. In addition, since the right half of the pin hole 76 just matches the outer diameter of the setting memory pin 69, the setting memory pin 69 will not wobble.
The coupling pin 70 also tightly engages the pin hole 76 to prevent rattling between the brackets 47 and 48. In this state, the connecting pin 70 is connected to the connecting piece 47a.
and 48a are locked to prevent rotation of both about the connecting pin 66. At the same time, setting memory pin 69
is engaged with the connecting piece 48a and the adjusting plate 67, thereby preventing the adjusting plate 67 from rotating about the connecting pin 66.

Now, when the driver turns the operating lever 81 clockwise about the pin 85 in FIG.
9 is pushed into the pin hole 76 of the connecting piece 48a, and the coupling pin 70 is pushed into the pin hole 77 against the spring 72. The operating body 68 is connected to the connecting piece 4
At the point where they meet the surface of 8a, brackets 47 and 48
The rotational connection with is released. However, the adjustment plate 67
is held in the previous position relative to the connecting piece 48a by the engagement between the ball 73 and the groove 75.

When the bracket 48 is uncoupled from the bracket 47, the force of the coil spring 60 causes the bracket 48 to be attached to the connecting pin 6, as shown in FIG.
5 and 66 in the direction of the arrow x, and the pin 97 supported on the bracket 48
It stops when it abuts the end of the arcuate groove 98. That is, the bracket 48, the handle shaft 49
The handle 51 is then flipped up relative to the steering column 45, and the handle 51 is in the state shown by the chain line in FIG. 1, allowing the driver to get on and off the vehicle easily. During the upward movement of the bracket 48, the adjusting plate 67 maintains its previous coupling relationship with the bracket 48 by the engagement of the ball 73 and the groove 75, so that one of the setting memory pins 69 is connected to the coupling pin 70. Even if they match, the setting memory pin 69 is suppressed by the adjusting plate 67, and the connecting pin 70 does not cause a new connection between the brackets 47 and 48.

Next, when returning the handle 51 to its original position suitable for driving, push down the handle 51 and the bracket 48 will move around the connecting pins 65 and 66.
The setting memory pin 69 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow x (FIG. 3) against the force of the coil spring 60, and faces the slot 83 of the adjustment plate 67, that is, the second setting from the left in FIG. When the memory pin 69 is aligned with the coupling pin 70 arranged on the same circumference, the coupling pin 70 is projected into the pin hole 76 by the spring 72, and the setting memory pin 69 is split. The handle 51 is caused to protrude into the groove 83 and return to its original state as shown in FIG. 3, and the handle 51 can no longer be pushed down and is fixed at that position.

When adjusting the inclination of the handle 51 to a different angle, first, as described above, the setting memory pin 69 is pushed in by the operating body 68 of the operating lever 81, and the handle 51 is flipped up. At this time, all the setting memory pins 69 are pushed into the pin holes 76, so the adjusting plate 67 can rotate around the connecting pins 66. For example, when tilting the handle 51 upward from the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1, by slightly rotating the adjusting plate 67 in the direction of arrow x in FIG. The ball 73 engages with the groove 75 on the left side. Adjustment plate 6
7 is moved relative to the bracket 48 by half the pitch of the groove 75, and the split groove 83 coincides with the third setting storage pin 69 from the left in FIG. Therefore, when the handle 51 is pushed down, the connecting piece 48a and the adjusting plate 67 are integrally rotated about the connecting pin 66 in the direction opposite to the arrow x, and the third setting memory pin 69 from the left is th coupling pin 70
, the coupling pin 70 is projected into the pin hole 76 by the spring 72, and the setting memory pin 69 is inserted into the pin hole 76.
is pushed out into the groove 83 of the adjustment plate 67, and the operating body 6
Hits 8. Therefore, the handle 51 cannot be pushed down any further, and the handle 51 is fixed at that inclination.

Conversely, if the handle 51 is to be tilted slightly downward from the position shown in FIG. 1, the adjustment plate 67 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow
7 should be aligned with the setting memory pin 69 on the left end, and then, while moving the handle 51, the setting memory pin 69 may be aligned with the coupling pin 70 on the left end.

Such an adjustment operation can be carried out by releasing the coupling pin 70 using the operation lever 81, without lifting up the handle 51, and rotating the adjustment plate 67 relative to the connecting piece 48a while gently pushing down the handle 51 to the desired position. If so, the handle 51 is fixed at the location where the coupling pin 70 and the selected setting storage pin 69 match.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the present invention connects the first bracket supporting the steering wheel shaft and the adjustment plate to the second bracket fixed to the steering column by a common connecting pin so as to be able to rotate and slide.
The coupling pin can be inserted by the force of a spring into one set of a plurality of first and second pin holes provided in each of the brackets, and one of the first and second pin holes is inserted into a split groove provided in the adjustment plate. The setting memory pin is inserted through the coupling pin by the force of the spring, and the setting memory pin is pushed through the groove of the adjustment plate against the force of the spring to remove the coupling pin to the other of the first and second pin holes. The operating body to be operated is supported on the adjustment plate, and one of the first and second brackets and the adjustment plate are provided with locking means for holding the relative rotational sliding positions of both at a plurality of selected positions. The relative rotational position between the bracket and the adjusting plate about the connecting pin is set by a locking means consisting of a groove and a ball, thereby fixing the first bracket at a predetermined inclination with respect to the second bracket. A coupling pin is selected for the first
one of the pin holes of the first bracket and one of the pin holes of the second bracket. The selected pin hole is the pin hole that is aligned with the operating body facing the dividing groove of the adjustment plate.

In this way, if the operating body removes the coupling pin from the pin hole of the first bracket via the setting memory pin, the first bracket supporting the handle shaft can be tilted freely, but the first bracket and adjustment Unless the relative rotational position with the plate is changed, the connecting pin will engage with the pin hole of the first bracket using the previously set pin hole, so if you push the handle down from the flipped up position, it will automatically be set in advance. The handle is fixed at the tilt.

Since the coupling pins that couple the rotational position of the first bracket to the second bracket are arranged at different distances from the coupling pin of the first bracket, the mutual spacing (angle) of the coupling pins can be arranged to be small. The handle can be adjusted to numerous inclinations.

In order to actuate setting memory pins arranged at different distances from the coupling pin, the adjustment plate is provided with a slot on a line extending radially from the coupling pin, the width of this slot being greater than the diameter of the setting memory pin. Even if there is a slight manufacturing error in the engagement position between the groove of the locking means and the ball due to the large size, the operating body facing the split groove will have an abutting surface of sufficient width against the setting memory pin. Because of this, the dividing groove and the setting memory pin can be easily brought into alignment by rotating the adjusting plate, and the releasing action of the setting memory pin can be smoothly achieved.

The tip of the connecting pin is tapered, so
When returning the handle from the flip-up position to the operating position, the coupling pin is smoothly engaged into the pin hole in the bracket.

Since the tapered portion of the coupling pin matches the tapered portion of the pin hole, the coupling pin is tightly engaged with the pin hole without any gap, and the handle is fixed at a predetermined inclination without wobbling.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side view showing an outline of a tilt handle fixing device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the fixing device, Fig. 3 is a side view of the same, and Fig. 4 is a pair of brackets and adjustment. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the relationship between the locking means provided on the plate, the coupling pin, the setting memory pin, and the operating body; FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the locking means expanded in the circumferential direction; FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the relationship among the coupling pin, the recording memory pin, and the operating body expanded in the circumferential direction. 45: Steering column, 47, 48: Bracket, 49: Handle shaft, 50: Fixing device, 5
1: Handle, 60: Coil spring, 63: Universal joint, 65, 66: Connection pin, 67: Adjustment plate, 6
8: Operating body, 69: Setting memory pin, 70: Coupling pin, 73: Ball, 75: Groove, 76, 77: Pin hole, 81: Operating lever, 83: Division groove.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A first bracket that rotatably supports a steering wheel shaft and an adjustment plate are rotatably and slidably connected to a second bracket fixed to a steering column by a common connecting pin, and One of the first and second pin holes provided in the second bracket, respectively.
A coupling pin is inserted into the assembly by the force of a spring, and a setting memory pin is inserted into one of the first and second pin holes and a groove provided in the adjustment plate through the coupling pin by the force of the spring. An operating body is inserted into the adjustment plate and pushes the setting memory pin through the groove of the adjustment plate against the force of the spring to remove the coupling pin to the other of the first and second pin holes. Fixing of a tilt handle, characterized in that it is provided with locking means for supporting one of the first and second brackets and the adjustment plate and holding the relative rotational sliding positions of both at a plurality of selected positions. Device. 2. The tilt according to claim 1, wherein the tip of the coupling pin is tapered toward the adjustment plate, and the pin hole of the bracket is tapered in correspondence with the coupling pin. Handle fixing device. 3. A plurality of combinations of pin holes provided in the first and second brackets and the coupling pin,
The tilt handle fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the tilt handle fixing device is disposed on circumferences having different radii around the rotation center of the adjustment plate. 4. A groove in which the locking means are arranged at a constant pitch on a circumference centered on the rotation center of the adjustment plate;
The tilt handle fixing device according to claim 1, comprising two balls arranged on the circumference at an interval of 1.5 times the pitch.