KR102146754B1 - Steering column apparatus of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The steering column device of a vehicle according to the present invention includes a mounting bracket fixed to a vehicle body to support the steering column, a tilting bracket integrally fixed with the steering column and having a tilting guide slit formed therein, and penetrating through the tilting guide slit of the tilting bracket. A tilt bolt coupled to the tilt bolt, a cam member coupled to the tilt bolt for forward and backward movement of the tilt bolt when the operation lever rotates, and rotation of the operation lever to increase the wheel fixing force by being fastened to the end of the tilt bolt It has a clutch assembly that increases the frictional force during operation.

Description

Steering column device of automobile {STEERING COLUMN APPARATUS OF VEHICLE}

The present invention relates to a steering column device for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a steering column device having a ratchet structure capable of increasing a holding force for fixing a steering wheel while having the advantage of a frictional structure.

In general, the steering system of a vehicle is a device that allows the driving direction of the vehicle to be changed at the will of the driver, and is a device that assists the driver to advance the vehicle in the desired direction by arbitrarily changing the rotation center of the vehicle's front wheel. .

In such a steering system of an automobile, the steering force generated by the driver manipulating the steering wheel is transmitted to the rack pinion mechanism through the steering shaft, and finally the direction of both wheels is changed.

In general, such a steering device is added with a telescope or tilt function to adjust the height and front and rear distances of the steering wheel according to the driver's physical condition or posture. Depending on these functions, it is divided into a telescopic type or a tilt type steering device, and in some cases, there is a steering device in which a telescopic type and a tilt type are simultaneously implemented. Through this function, the driver can steer smoothly by adjusting the degree of protrusion or inclination of the steering wheel according to his height or body shape.

Such a tilting device includes a bracket for supporting the steering column, a cam provided in the bracket, and an operating lever, and is fixed to the bracket by pressing the steering column by the operating principle of the cam by operating the operating lever.

However, in the simple friction type tilt device as described above, if an impact load greater than the frictional force fixing the steering column is applied by an accident, the steering column is tilted upward due to the impact force (hereinafter referred to as'Pop-up) phenomenon. '), causing injury to the driver.

Accordingly, in order to solve the above problems, a tilt device has been developed that can adjust and fix the inclination of the steering column device by applying a pair of gears in the configuration of the conventional tilt device.

A general tilt-type or telescopic steering column according to the prior art includes an outer tube for accommodating the steering shaft, a housing into which the outer tube is inserted, a mounting bracket that fixes the housing to the vehicle body, and a steering column to adjust the tilt angle of the steering wheel. A tilting bracket that is integrally fixed with and has a tilt hole, a fixed gear formed on the outer surface of the tilting bracket, a movable gear that engages or separates from the fixed gear, a tilt bolt through the tilt hole, a cam that is combined with the movable gear, and It is composed of a bush and a nut to fix the operating lever.

The fixed gear and the movable gear are formed at the same pitch and height so that they can engage with each other. When the operation lever is locked, the fixed gear and the movable gear are engaged and the outer tube and steering shaft are fixed, but when the operation lever is released, it is actuated by the cam. The gear is separated from the fixed gear so that the steering column can rotate.

However, in the case of such a conventional tilt-type or telescopic steering column, when an overrun occurs when the operating lever is operated or an overrun occurs in which the movable gear exceeds the original tilt operating distance, the movable gear engages with the fixed gear. As a result of this failure, there is a problem in that the steering column is not fixed and a pop-up phenomenon occurs in which the steering column device bounces toward the driver.

Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1083938 (Registration Date: 2011.11.09)

The present invention is to solve the above problems, and provides a steering column device capable of increasing a wheel fixing force, which is a disadvantage of a frictional structure.

In addition, it provides a steering column device without a tooth jamming phenomenon occurring in the gear mesh structure.

A steering column device of a vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention includes a mounting bracket fixed to a vehicle body to support the steering column, a tilting bracket integrally fixed with the steering column and having a tilting guide slit, and a tilting guide slit of the tilting bracket A tilt bolt coupled to the tilt bolt, a cam member that is coupled to the tilt bolt to move the tilt bolt forward and backward when the operation lever is rotated, and the manipulation to increase the wheel fixing force by being fastened to the end of the tilt bolt It may be provided with a clutch assembly that increases the friction force during the rotation of the lever.

In addition, the clutch assembly includes an internal clutch that is in close contact with a side surface of the tilting bracket to generate a friction force, a central clutch through which the tilt bolt passes and is guided by the internal clutch to move up and down, and is accommodated in the internal clutch and An external clutch for pressing the clutch may be provided.

In addition, the inner clutch has a vertically long through-hole so that the tilt bolt penetrates, a meshing portion meshing with the side of the tilting bracket, and accommodating the central clutch, the central portion has a rounded shape that is thinner than the edge. A guide portion for guiding the movement of the central clutch may be provided, and a limiting portion provided at an upper portion and a lower portion of the guide portion to limit movement of the central clutch may be provided.

In addition, the central clutch has a through hole through which the tilt bolt passes, and a hole forming part spaced apart from the guide part, a friction part protruding from the hole forming part and rubbing against the guide part of the inner clutch, and the friction It is provided outside the unit may have a close contact portion to be in close contact with the external clutch.

In addition, the external clutch has a vertically long through hole so that the tilt bolt penetrates, the pressing portion protruding convexly in the center so as to be in close contact with the contact portion, and a rib portion formed to protrude in the vertical direction from both sides of the pressing portion. Can be equipped.

According to the steering column device of a vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention, it is possible to increase the wheel fixing force, which is a disadvantage of the frictional structure.

In addition, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of the tooth jamming phenomenon occurring in the gear meshing structure.

1 is a perspective view of a steering column device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exploded perspective view of a clutch assembly in the steering column device shown in FIG. 1;
3 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 1.
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of portion A in Figure 1;
5 is an operation diagram showing the operation of the clutch assembly while the steering wheel is tilted.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and may be modified in various forms.

In the drawings, in order to clearly and briefly describe the present invention, the illustration of parts not related to the description is omitted, and the same reference numerals are used for identical or extremely similar parts throughout the specification. In addition, in the drawings, the thickness and width are enlarged or reduced in order to clarify the description. However, the thickness and width of the present invention are not limited to those shown in the drawings.

In addition, when a certain part "includes" another part throughout the specification, the other part is not excluded, and other parts may be further included unless specifically stated to the contrary.

Hereinafter, a shock absorbing steering apparatus for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a steering column device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a clutch assembly in the steering column device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. Is also.

1 to 3, the steering column device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a hollow outer tube 200 surrounding the steering shaft 100 and a hollow outer tube 200 to be inserted. A pair of housing 300, a mounting bracket 400 provided on one side of the housing 300 and fixed to itself, and one end of each of which is fixed to the mounting bracket 400 and a tilting guide slit 510 is formed. It includes a tilting bracket 500 and a ratchet structure 600 penetrating the pair of tilting brackets and performing tightening and releasing operations to perform a telescopic or tilting operation of the steering device.

The outer tube 200 surrounds the steering shaft 100 coupled with the steering wheel to support the rotation of the steering shaft 100. The outer tube 200 may implement a telescope function due to a relative motion with the housing 300.

Meanwhile, according to the manipulation of the ratchet structure 600, the housing 300 and the outer tube 200 are tightened and released, and the housing 300 and the mounting bracket 500 are tightened and released. When the tightening is released according to the rotation of the ratchet structure 600, the steering column device may perform a telescope function and a tilt function.

Hereinafter, a ratchet structure 600 capable of performing a telescope function and a tilt function will be described.

Referring to FIG. 2, the ratchet structure 600 includes a rotating operation lever 610, one end coupled with an operation lever 610, and the other end of a tilting guide slit 510 formed on the tilting bracket 500. It is fastened to the end of the tilt bolt 620 and the cam member 630 for moving the tilt bolt 620 forward and backward when the tilt bolt 620 passes through and the operation lever 610 rotates to increase the wheel fixing force. A clutch assembly 700 that increases friction when the operation lever 610 rotates so that the operation lever 610 is rotated, and a fixing member 630 that is coupled to an end of the tilt bolt 620 to prevent separation of the clutch assembly 700. . Meanwhile, a washer 640 is provided between the clutch assembly 700 and the fixing member 630.

The clutch assembly 700 includes an inner clutch 710 that is in close contact with the side surface of the tilting bracket 500 to generate friction, and a central clutch through which the tilt bolt 620 passes and is guided by the inner clutch 710 to move up and down. 720), and an external clutch 730 that is accommodated in the inner clutch 710 and presses the central clutch 720.

Hereinafter, structures of the inner clutch 710, the central clutch 720, and the outer clutch 730 will be described in more detail.

The inner clutch 710 has a vertically long through hole 711a so that the tilt bolt 620 penetrates, and an engaging portion 711 meshing with an opening 510 formed on the side of the tilting bracket 500, and a central clutch A guide portion 712 that accommodates 720 and has a rounded shape having a thickness thinner than that of the edge of the center portion, and is provided at the upper and lower portions of the guide portion 712, respectively. It includes a limiting portion 713 that restricts the movement of the 730.

Since the engaging portion 711 has a vertically elongated through hole 711a, the tilt bolt 620 can move in the vertical direction while passing through the through hole 711a formed in the engaging portion 711. A portion of the guide portion 712 to which the central clutch 720 touches has a round shape having a concave center and a constant curvature. Accordingly, in a state in which the central clutch 720 is in close contact with the guide part 712, it is guided to move in the vertical direction. The limiting portion 713 limits the range in which the central clutch 720 can move by supporting the end of the central clutch 720 when the central clutch 720 moves in the vertical direction.

The central clutch 720 has a through hole 721a through which the tilt bolt 620 passes, and a hole forming portion 721 spaced apart from the guide portion 712 of the inner clutch 710, and a hole forming portion 721 A friction portion 722 protruding from and rubbing against the guide portion 712 of the inner clutch 710, and a contact portion 723 provided outside the friction portion 722 and in close contact with the outer clutch 730. . The central clutch 720 is smaller in size than the inner clutch 710, and the size of the through hole 721a through which the tilt bolt 620 passes is also large enough for the tilt bolt 620 to pass through. .

The external clutch 730 has a vertically long through hole 731a so that the tilt bolt 620 penetrates, and a pressing portion 731 protruding convexly at the center so as to be in close contact with the contact portion 723 of the central clutch 720 And, it includes a rib portion 732 formed to protrude in the longitudinal direction from both sides of the pressing portion 731. Since the pressing part 731 has a vertically elongated through hole 731a, the tilt bolt 620 can move in the vertical direction while passing through the through hole 731a formed in the pressing part 731.

The tilt bolt 620 sequentially passes through the through hole 711a formed in the inner clutch 710, the through hole 721a formed in the central clutch 720, and the through hole 731a formed in the external clutch 730, and then a washer. After the 640 is inserted, the fixing member 630 is fastened to the end, thereby preventing the clutch assembly 700 from being separated from the tilt bolt 620.

4 is a cross-sectional view of portion A in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, an inner clutch 710, a central clutch 720, and an outer clutch 730 are sequentially inserted and coupled to the tilt bolt 620.

When the user operates the ratchet structure 600 while placing the steering wheel in the center, the tilt bolt 620 presses the central clutch 720 while the central clutch 720 is located at the center of the inner clutch 710 , The friction portion 722 of the central clutch 720 is in close contact with the inner clutch 710, and the contact portion 723 of the central clutch 720 is in close contact with the outer clutch 730. At this time, the hole forming part 721 of the central clutch 720 is spaced apart from the guide part 712 of the inner clutch 710, and is also spaced apart from the pressing part 731 of the external clutch 730, so that the friction part 722 and close contact. The pressing force is concentrated on the part 723. Therefore, the friction force of the ratchet structure 600 can be increased, and the steering wheel can be stably fixed.

5 is an operation diagram showing the operation of the clutch assembly while the steering wheel is tilted.

Referring to FIG. 5, when the user pulls the steering wheel downward while releasing the ratchet structure 600 to tilt the steering wheel, the tilt bolt 620 moves downward.

At this time, the tilt bolt 620 moves to the lower side of the through hole 711a formed in the inner clutch 710 and the through hole 731a of the outer clutch 730. However, since the through hole 721a of the central clutch 720 has a size that the tilt bolt 620 can barely pass through, the central clutch 720 moves to the lower side together with the tilt bolt 620.

As such, the central clutch 720 has a size smaller than that of the inner clutch 710 and the outer clutch 730, so the lower end of the central clutch 720 is supported by the limiting portion 713 of the inner clutch 710. . This is because the guide portion 712 of the inner clutch 710 has a round shape with a concave center. In this way, when the ratchet structure 600 is operated while the central clutch 720 is located at the lower end of the inner clutch 710, the central clutch 720 is positioned at the lower end of the inner clutch 710, and the tilt bolt 620 Depresses the central clutch 720. At this time, since the central clutch 720 has a rounded shape, the friction portion 722 of the central clutch 720 is in close contact with the inner clutch 710, and the contact portion 723 of the central clutch 720 is an external clutch. It adheres to (730).

As described above, since the central clutch 720 has a rounded shape, even when the steering wheel is tilted, frictional force can be increased, so that the steering wheel can be stably fixed. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a phenomenon in which the steering column is tilted upward or a jamming phenomenon that occurs when a gear meshing structure is used.

In the above, a steering column device according to an embodiment of the present invention has been described. However, the features, structures, effects, etc. according to the above are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to only one embodiment. Furthermore, the features, structures, effects, and the like illustrated in each embodiment may be combined or modified for other embodiments by a person having ordinary knowledge in the field to which the embodiments belong. Accordingly, contents related to such combinations and modifications should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

100: outer tube 200: outer tube
300: housing 400: mounting bracket
500: tilting bracket 600: ratchet structure

Claims (5)

A mounting bracket that is fixed to the vehicle body and supports the steering column,
A tilting bracket integrally fixed with the steering column and having a tilting guide slit,
A tilt bolt coupled to pass through the tilting guide slit of the tilting bracket,
A cam member coupled to the tilt bolt and for moving the tilt bolt forward and backward when the operation lever rotates,
A clutch assembly that is fastened to an end of the tilt bolt and increases a frictional force when the operation lever is rotated to increase a wheel fixing force,
The clutch assembly includes an internal clutch that is in close contact with a side surface of the tilting bracket to generate a friction force, a central clutch through which the tilt bolt passes and is guided by the internal clutch to move up and down, and is accommodated in the internal clutch and holds the central clutch. It has an external clutch to pressurize,
The inner clutch has a vertically long through hole through which the tilt bolt penetrates, and a meshing portion that meshes with the side of the tilting bracket, and the central clutch accommodates the central clutch and has a rounded shape whose thickness is thinner than that of the edge. A guide portion for guiding the movement of the clutch, and a limiting portion provided at an upper and a lower portion of the guide portion to limit the movement of the central clutch,
The central clutch has a through hole through which the tilt bolt passes, and a hole forming part spaced apart from the guide part, a friction part protruding from the hole forming part and rubbing against the guide part of the inner clutch, and a friction part more than the friction part. A steering column device for a vehicle, characterized in that it has an outer contact portion provided in close contact with the external clutch. delete delete delete The method of claim 1,
The external clutch
A pressing part having a vertically long through hole so that the tilt bolt penetrates and protruding in a convex center so as to be in close contact with the contact part,
And a rib portion formed to protrude in a longitudinal direction from both side surfaces of the pressing portion.

Images