KR100962804B1 - a tilt and telescopic steering column system of Motor Driven Power Steering vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a steering column tilt and a telescopic device of an electric power steering vehicle, comprising a moving shaft (4) integrally mounted with a moving gear (8) on a motor shaft (3) of an MDPS motor (2), Tilt and telescopic gears 12 are installed on the lower steering shaft 10 through bearings, and telescopic housings 14 which are slidably moved above the column tube 13 are installed, and the tilt housings are mounted on the telescopic housings 14. (16) is rotatably installed, and the guide block (18) is rotatably installed in the tilt housing (16), while one end of the tilt and telescopic bar (19) is engaged with the tilt and telescopic gear (12) The other end is screwed with the guide block 18 (coupling method of lead screw and lead nut).

Therefore, the MDPS operation is normally performed or the tilt and telescopic operation is performed according to the switching of the engagement state of the mobile gear 8 and the driving gear 11 or the mobile gear 8 and the tilt and telescopic gear 12. . That is, since the tilt and telescopic device can be configured using the MDPS motor (2), it is not necessary to have separate motors for the tilt and telescopic operation, thereby reducing the weight and cost, and the electric tilt and telescopic device even in a small vehicle. There is an effect that becomes possible to install.

Electric Power Steering, Electric Tilt, Electric Telescopic

Description

Tilt and telescopic steering column system of motorized power steering vehicle

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering column tilt and telescopic device of an automobile, and more particularly to a steering column tilt and telescopic device of a vehicle to which an electric power steering system is applied.

Tilt and telescopic devices are applied to the steering column of the vehicle so that the inclination angle and the front and rear positions of the steering wheel can be variously adjusted according to the driver's physical condition and preferred driving posture.

In general, the tilt is installed so that the upper part of the column equipped with the steering wheel and the multi-function switch can be rotated up and down about the hinge axis, and the telescopic operation is made by the telescopic method being installed in a telescopic manner.

The tilt and telescopic device of the steering column is configured in a manual manner mainly operated by lever operation in a small and medium-sized vehicle, and is configured in an electric system using a motor in a large luxury vehicle.

By the way, as the convenience devices of small and medium-sized vehicles are increasingly advanced, electric tilt and telescopic devices are required to be installed in small and medium-sized cars, but the electric tilt and telescopic devices are equipped with a motor for tilt and telescopic operation, respectively. Since it has to be a lot of installation space, as well as the resulting cost and weight increase is difficult to apply to small and medium-sized vehicles.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, by using an electric power steering system that has been recently increased in the installation amount of small and medium-sized vehicles, it is possible to secure the installation space even in small and medium-sized vehicles, excessive cost and weight increase It is an object of the present invention to provide a steering column tilt and telescopic device of an electric power steering vehicle that can be avoided.

Steering column tilt and telescopic device of the electric power steering vehicle of the present invention for achieving the above object, the driving gear integrally mounted on the lower steering shaft; A tilt and telescopic gear mounted to the lower steering shaft via a bearing while being spaced apart from the driving gear; A telescopic housing installed on the upper end of the column tube to be slidable; A tilt housing in which the telescopic housing is rotatably mounted via a hinge pin and a multifunction switch and a steering wheel are mounted on the telescopic housing; A guide block rotatably mounted to a lower portion of the tilt housing by a hinge pin, the guide block having a through hole having a lead screw groove formed on an inner circumferential surface of the steering column in an axial direction; A tilt and a telescopic bar, one end of which is engaged with the tilt and telescopic gear, and the other end of which is formed with a lead thread, which is screwed into the through hole of the guide block; A hinge installed in the telescopic housing to be pulled into or protruded out of the telescopic housing and inserted into a stopper groove formed in the tilt housing when protruded outward to prevent the tilt housing from rotating about the hinge pin. With a stopper; An MDPS motor having a motor shaft rotating in the forward or reverse direction; A moving shaft which is installed to rotate with the motor shaft by the power of the MDPS motor and is spline-coupled with the motor shaft so as to move along the longitudinal direction of the motor shaft when the switch installed on the column cover is operated; A moving gear which is integrally coupled to the moving shaft and meshes with the driving gear or the tilt and telescopic gear in accordance with the movement of the moving shaft; And an MDPS electronic control unit having a function of controlling the operation of the MDPS motor and the operation of the hinge stopper by receiving the operation signal of the switch.

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Therefore, when the moving gear and driving gear, tilt and telescopic gear are engaged with each other and the driving gear is engaged, normal MDPS operation is performed, and when the tilt and telescopic gear are engaged, the MDPS motor is driven. The tilt and telescopic bar can move the guide block up and down, and the tilt housing is constrained or released from the telescopic housing depending on whether the hinge stopper protrudes, thereby enabling tilt and telescopic operation.

As such, since the tilt and telescopic operation is possible by using the MDPS motor in the vehicle to which the electric power steering system is applied, it is not necessary to have separate motors for the tilt and telescopic operation, thereby greatly reducing the weight and cost.

In addition, since there is no problem in securing the installation space of the MDPS motor even in a small vehicle, it is possible to install the electric tilt and telescopic device in the small vehicle without the interference problem on the layout.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention will be described in detail.

1 is a perspective view of a steering column of an electric power steering system to which a tilt and a telescopic device according to the present invention are applied.

Motor Driven Power Steering (MDPS) system transmits the power of a motor (hereinafter referred to as MDPS motor) to the steering shaft so that steering force can be generated. According to the information, the MDPS electronic control unit 1 controls the operation of the MDPS motor 2 so that appropriate steering force is generated according to steering wheel steering.

Thus, as shown, the MDPS electronic control unit 1 and the MDPS motor 2 are provided close to the steering column.

The motor shaft 3 of the MDPS motor 2 is coupled to the motor shaft 3 in a spline manner as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. Thus, the moving shaft 4 is integrally rotated with the motor shaft 3 and can move in the axial direction on the motor shaft 3.

The motor shaft 3 is supported by a bearing 6 provided on one side of the mobile gear housing 5, and a spring for supporting the moving shaft 4 between the bearing 6 and the moving shaft 4. (7) is provided. In order to secure the support surface of the spring (7) is formed a spring sheet (4a) of the circular flange shape at the end of the moving shaft (4).

In addition, the moving shaft 4 is provided with a moving gear (8). The moving gear 8 is rotated integrally with the coaxial 4 and is fixed to be immovable on the moving shaft 4. Thus, the moving gear 8 is integrally moved when the moving shaft 4 moves along the motor shaft 3.

On the other hand, a driving gear 11 is integrally installed on the lower steering shaft 10 inside the driving gear housing 9 installed under the steering column.

In addition, the lower steering shaft 10 is provided with a tilt and a telescopic gear 12 spaced apart from the driving gear 11 by a predetermined distance. The tilt and telescopic gears 12 are mounted on bearings installed on the lower steering shaft 10 and rotate independently of the lower steering shaft 10.

On the other hand, the upper part of the column tube 13 connected to the driving gear housing (9) is provided with a telescopic housing (14) which is moved on the column tube 13 by receiving the column tube 13 as a through hole formed therein. (See Figure 5)

In addition, the tilt housing 16 is rotatably installed in the telescopic housing 14 via a hinge pin 15. The multifunction switch and the steering wheel are installed on the upper end of the tilt housing 16.

The lower portion of the tilt housing 16, the guide block 18 is rotatably installed via another hinge pin 17. The guide block 18 has a through hole formed in the axial direction of the steering column, and a lead screw groove is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the through hole. That is, the guide block 18 is a kind of lead nut.

Meanwhile, the tilt and telescopic gear 12 and the guide block 18 are connected to the tilt and telescopic bar 19.

One end of the tilt and telescopic bar 19 is inserted into the driving gear housing 9, and a gear is formed at the end thereof and is engaged with the tilt and telescopic gear 12.

In addition, the tilt and telescopic bar 19 are screwed to the guide block 18 through the lower body 14a of the telescopic housing 14. That is, the other end of the tilt and telescopic bar 19 is formed of a kind of lead screw having a lead screw thread formed on an outer circumferential surface thereof. At this time, the through hole formed in the lower body 14a of the telescopic housing 14 is a simple hole in which a lead screw groove is not formed on the inner circumferential surface and serves as a guide during telescopic operation.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 6, a stopper groove 16a is formed at the end of the tilt housing 16 on the same line as the hinge pin 15, and the telescopic housing 14 protrudes from the inside thereof. A hinge stopper 20 is inserted into the stopper groove 16a.

The hinge stopper 20 is configured to protrude out of the surface of the telescopic housing 14 or to be pulled inward by a solenoid-type actuator embedded in the telescopic housing 14.

The operation of the apparatus of the present invention is performed by operating the switch 22 provided on the side of the column cover 21 as shown in FIG.

The switch 22 is composed of a rectangular head portion located outside the column cover 21 and a straight body portion extending from the bottom of the head portion and inserted into the column cover 21, in particular the body. The end of the portion is formed of the inclined surface 22a. Both ends of the inclined surface 22a are rounded.

Meanwhile, an upper end of the moving shaft 4 penetrates the upper surface of the moving gear housing 5 and extends upward to abut on the inclined surface 22a of the switch 22. The silver is formed of the inclined surface 4b having the same inclination angle as the inclined surface 22a of the switch 22. That is, the inclined surface 4b of the moving shaft 4 and the inclined surface 22a of the switch 22 contact each other. The inclined surface 4b of the moving shaft 4 may be a conical surface formed over the entire upper circumference of the moving shaft 4.

Therefore, when the switch 22 is pressed as shown in FIG. 7 (a), the moving shaft 4 moves in a direction (falling) in which the spring 7 compresses by the action of the inclined surfaces 22a and 4b, and FIG. 7. As shown in (b), when the switch 22 protrudes one step, the moving shaft 4 moves upward by the restoring force of the spring 7. When the moving shaft 4 moves upward, the moving gear 8 is engaged with the driving gear 11 as shown in FIG. 2 and is engaged with the tilt and telescopic gear 12.

In addition, the switch 22 may be protruded one step further (as shown in FIG. 7C), which is to allow the MDPS electronic control unit 1 to distinguish the tilting operation from the telescopic operation. On the side of the switch 22, a position sensor 23 for detecting the position of the switch 22 is installed and connected to the MDPS electronic control unit 1, and is detected from the position sensor 23. The signal enables the MDPS electronic control unit 1 to recognize the (a) non-projected state, (b) one-stage protrusion state, and (c) two-stage protrusion state of the switch 22.

At this time, as can be seen in (b) and (c) of Figure 7, even if the switch 22 is further protruded from the first stage protruding state to the second stage protruding state, the position of the moving shaft 4 does not change. This is to maintain the engagement state of the moving gear 8 and the tilt and telescopic gear 12 in both the first and second stage protruding states. For this purpose, the spring 7 is fully extended in the first stage protruding state of the switch 22. (Uncompressed) has a length. Alternatively, the mobile gear housing 5 may be provided with a stopper for preventing further movement (rising) of the mobile gear 8 or the moving shaft 4.

In addition, the MDPS electronic control unit 1 maintains the hinge stopper 20 in a pulled-in state when the switch 22 is in a non-projection and one-stage protrusion state as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. In the case of the two-stage protruding state as shown in FIG. 7C, the solenoid actuator connected to the hinge stopper 20 is controlled to switch the hinge stopper 20 to the protruding state.

On the other hand, the switch 22 is to be able to move a small amount up, down, left and right, each direction is provided with an operation direction detection sensor (24a, 24b, 24c, 24d) for detecting the operation direction of the switch 22, These operation direction detection sensors 24a, 24b, 24c and 24d are connected to the MDPS electronic control unit 1 so as to inform the operation direction of the switch 22.

The MDPS electronic control unit 1 operates the MDPS motor 2 in the forward direction when the switch 22 is operated in the up and out directions in FIG. 8 and in the reverse direction when the switch 22 is operated in the down and in directions. Let's do it.

The operation of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 13.

In the non-projection state in which the switch 22 is fully pressed as shown in FIG. 7A, the inclined surface 4b of the moving shaft 4 is pressed against the inclined surface 22a of the switch 22 so that the moving shaft 4 is the axis of the steering column. It is pushed downward in the direction. At this time, since the moving gear 8 integrally moved with the moving shaft 4 is engaged with the driving gear 11 and the lower steering shaft 10 can be rotated according to the operation of the MDPS motor 2, normal MDPS operation is performed. This is done.

As shown in FIG. 7B, when the switch 22 protrudes one step, the compressed spring 7 is extended to its original state and the moving shaft 4 is pushed upward to move the tilting and telescopic gears ( 12) is fitted.

The MDPS electronic control unit 1 which recognizes that the switch 22 is in the first stage protruding state through the position sensor 23 controls the actuator connected to the hinge stopper 20 so that the hinge stopper 20 is telescopic housing ( 14) so that the hinge stopper 20 is not inserted into the stopper groove 16a of the tilt housing 16. As a result, the tilt housing 16 is in a state capable of freely rotating up and down about the hinge pin 15.

In the above state, when the driver operates the switch 22 in the up direction, the MDPS electronic control unit 1 operates the MDPS motor 2 in the forward direction.

The forward rotational force of the MDPS motor (2) rotates the tilt and telescopic bars (19) via the shifting gear (8) and the tilt and telescopic gears (12), with the lead threads and guides at the ends of the tilt and telescopic bars (19). The guide block 18 is moved toward the upper end of the tilt and telescopic bar 19 by the screw action of the lead screw groove of the block 18 so that the tilt housing 16 is rotated counterclockwise with respect to the hinge pin 15. Thus, the steering wheel 25 mounted on the upper end of the tilt housing 16 is rotated upward. ((A), (b), (c) of Figure 9).

On the other hand, when the switch 22 is operated in the down direction, the MDPS electronic control unit 1 rotates the MDPS motor 2 in the reverse direction so that the guide block 18 moves downward of the tilt and telescopic bar 19. The tilt housing 16 is rotated in the clockwise direction based on the hinge pin 15, and the steering wheel 25 mounted on the upper end of the tilt housing 16 is rotated downward. ), (b), (c))

In this way, by pushing the switch 22 in one step and operating in the up or down direction, the inclination angle of the steering wheel can be adjusted as desired.

On the other hand, if the switch 22 is protruded in two stages in the state of FIG. 7 (c), the MDPS electronic control unit 1 recognizes this through the position detecting sensor 23, and operates the actuator of the hinge stopper 20 to hinge. The stopper 20 protrudes.

Therefore, the hinge stopper 20 is inserted into the stopper groove 16a of the tilt housing 16 such that the tilt housing 16 cannot be rotated about the hinge pin 15 (except for the steering wheel). Without tilt operation)

 In this state, when the driver operates the switch 22 in the in direction, the MDPS electronic control unit 1 operates the MDPS motor 2 in the reverse direction, so that the guide block 18 tilts and telescopic bars 19. In this case, since the tilt housing 16 is fixed to the non-rotatable state by the hinge stopper 20, the telescopic housing 14 along with the tilt housing 16 is downward along the column tube 13. Will be moved to.

Thus, the steering wheel 25 is moved in a direction away from the driver ((a), (b) and (c) in FIG. 11).

On the other hand, when the driver operates the switch 22 in the out direction, the MDPS motor 2 is operated in the forward direction, and the guide block 18 moves upward of the tilt and telescopic bars 19 so that the tilt housing 16 is moved. The telescopic housing 14 is moved upwardly of the column tube 13 so that the steering wheel 25 is moved toward the driver (FIG. 12 (a), (b), (c)).

As described above, the front and rear positions of the steering wheel can be adjusted as desired by operating in the in or out direction while the switch 22 is protruded in two stages.

When the tilt and telescopic operation of the steering wheel is completed, the switch 22 is completely pushed to the non-projection state as shown in FIG. 7 (a), and the moving shaft 4 returns to its original position (down) by the switch 22. The mobile gear 8 is again engaged with the driving gear 11 to enable normal MDPS operation.

1 is a perspective view of a steering column of an electric power steering (MDPS) system to which a tilt and telescopic apparatus are applied according to the present invention;

2 is a gear engagement state diagram of the MDPS operating state;

3 is a gear engagement state diagram of the tilt and telescopic operating state,

4 is a cross-sectional view of the coupling state of the motor shaft and the moving shaft,

5 is an enlarged view of the steering column,

6 is an enlarged view of the hinge stopper installation unit,

(A), (b) and (c) of FIG. 7 are diagrams showing a moving shaft operating relationship in a non-protruding state, a first-stage protruding state, a two-stage protruding state and each protruding state;

8 is a view showing a relationship between a switch, its four-way operation direction sensor and the MDPS electronic control unit;

9A, 9B, and 9C illustrate a tilt up operation;

(A), (b) and (c) of FIG. 10 illustrate a tilt down operation;

(A), (b) and (c) of FIG. 11 illustrate a telescopic in operation;

12A, 12B, and 12C illustrate a telescopic out operation;

13 is a flowchart schematically illustrating the operation of the present invention.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

1: MDPS electronic control unit 2: MDPS motor

3: motor shaft 4: moving shaft

5: mobile gear housing 6: bearing

7: spring 8: shifting gear

9: Driving Gear Housing 10: Lower Steering Shaft

11: Driving Gear 12: Tilt and Telescopic Gear

13 column tube 14 telescopic housing

15,17 Hinge pin 16: Tilt housing

18: guide block 19: tilt and telescopic bar

20: hinge stopper 21: column cover

22: switch 23: position detection sensor

24a, 24b, 24c, 24d: operation direction sensor 25: steering wheel

Claims (5)

A driving gear 11 integrally mounted to the lower steering shaft 10; A tilt and telescopic gear (12) mounted on the lower steering shaft (10) via a bearing while being spaced apart from the driving gear (11); A telescopic housing 14 installed on the top of the column tube 13 so as to be slidable; A tilt housing (16) rotatably mounted to the telescopic housing (14) via a hinge pin (15) and a multifunction switch and a steering wheel (25) mounted thereon; A guide block (18) rotatably mounted at a lower portion of the tilt housing (16) by a hinge pin (17), and having a through hole having a lead screw groove formed on an inner circumferential surface of the steering column in an axial direction; A tilt and telescopic bar 19, one end of which is engaged with the tilt and telescopic gear 12, and the other end of which is formed with lead threads, which are screwed into the through holes of the guide block 18; Is installed in the telescopic housing 14 is drawn to the inside of the telescopic housing 14 or protrudes to the outside, is inserted into the stopper groove (16a) formed in the tilt housing 16 when protruded outside the tilt housing ( A hinge stopper 20 for preventing the rotation of the hinge pin 15 about the hinge pin 15; An MDPS motor (2) having a motor shaft (3) rotating in the forward or reverse direction; It is installed so as to rotate together with the motor shaft 3 by the power of the MDPS motor (2) while moving along the longitudinal direction of the motor shaft (3) during the operation of the switch 22 installed in the column cover (21) A moving shaft (4) spline-coupled with the motor shaft (3) so as to be splined thereon; A moving gear (8) integrally coupled to the moving shaft (4) and engaged with the driving gear (11) or the tilt and telescopic gear (12) in accordance with the movement of the moving shaft (4); An MDPS electronic control unit (1) having a function of controlling the operation of the MDPS motor (2) and the operation of the hinge stopper (20) by receiving an operation signal of the switch (22); Steering column tilt and telescopic device of the electric power steering vehicle comprising a. The motor shaft (3) is provided with a spring (7) for supporting the moving shaft (4) upward, and the end of the switch (22) is formed with an inclined surface (22a). An inclined surface 4b is formed at the upper end of the switch 4 so as to be in contact with the inclined surface 22a of the switch 22. When the switch 22 is pressed in a non-projected state with respect to the surface of the column cover 21, the moving shaft 4 When the lower gear is engaged with the driving gear 11 and the switch 22 is pulled in the protruding state, the movable shaft 4 is lifted by the spring 7 to move the movable gear 8. ) Is a steering column tilt and telescopic device of an electric power steering vehicle, characterized in that is meshed with the tilt and telescopic gear (12). The position sensor 23 of claim 2, further comprising a position sensor 23 on the side of the switch 22 for detecting the position of the switch 22 and transmitting the position to the MDPS electronic control unit 1. In the telescopic housing 14 is provided a solenoid type actuator controlled by the MDPS electronic control unit 1 to operate the hinge stopper 20, The MDPS electronic control unit 1 judges the non-protrusion state, the first stage protruding state and the second stage protruding state according to the position of the switch 22, and controls the actuator when the non-protruding state and the first stage protruding state are controlled and hinged. Steering column tilt and telescopic device of an electric power steering vehicle, characterized in that the stopper 20 is kept in the inlet state and the hinge stopper 20 is protruded and inserted into the stopper groove 16a when the stopper 20 is protruded. 4. The steering column tilt and telescopic device according to claim 3, wherein the spring (7) is fully elongated when the switch (22) is pulled in the first stage protruding state. 4. The switch according to claim 3, wherein the operation direction detecting sensors 24a, 24b, 24c, and 24d are provided at the up, down, left, and out portions of the switch 22, respectively. The operation direction information of (22) is transmitted to the MDPS electronic control unit (1), The MDPS electronic control unit 1 pushes the guide block 18 by operating the MDPS motor 2 in the forward direction when the switch 22 is operated in the up and out directions. When the steering wheel 22 is operated in the down and left directions, the steering column tilt of the electric power steering vehicle, characterized in that to pull the guide block 18 by operating the MDPS motor 2 in the reverse direction. Telescopic device.

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