KR950010539B1 - Adjustment device of length for telescopic steering column - Google Patents

Abstract

The telescopic column length controller includes an upper housing consisting of a first conic portion having a sloped screw therein and having a slot in circular direction, and a cylindrical portion having the same diameter as that of the conic portion; a sliding tube inserted into the upper housing to be able to slide along the inner wall of the cylindrical portion, and rotatably fixed around a lower column by first and second bearings, a spiral sleeve which is screw-jointed with the sloped screw, and comes into contact with the outer wall of the sliding tube, and a lever inserted through the slot of the upper housing to be fixed on one side of the spiral sleeve.

Description

Telescopic Steering Column Length Adjuster

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a length adjusting device of a conventional telescopic steering column.

2 is a side view of a telescopic steering column length adjusting device according to the present invention.

3 is a half sectional view of the length adjusting device of FIG.

4 is a perspective view showing a spiral sleeve used in the length adjusting device of the present invention.

5 is a perspective view showing a C-ring used in the length adjusting device of the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

32: upper housing 34: sliding tube

36: lower column 38: spiral sleeve

40: slot 42: lever

52: C-ring 58: annular fixture

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for adjusting the length of a telescopic steering column of a motor vehicle, and more particularly, by using a truncated cone-shaped spiral sleeve to prevent the inner column from being deformed by frictional contact thereof over the entire circumference of the inner column. The present invention relates to a telescopic steering column length adjusting device having improved tightening force due to an increase in area.

The steering column of the vehicle steering wheel is usually provided with a device for appropriately adjusting the length of the column according to the driver's body shape and driving habits. In the case of the conventional typographic column, a column length adjusting device including an upper housing, a sliding tube, a pressing piece, a wedge member, a connecting member, first and second fastening bolts, and a telescopic lever is used. There is a bar. However, the column length adjusting device has a problem that the circular shape of the cross section of the tube is deformed because the arcuate surface of the pressing piece is compressed with a part of the outer surface of the sliding tube, so that the thickness of the tube must be maintained above a certain value, and thus the product The weight of the whole will increase. In addition, since the fixing point is located on only one side, the center of the upper housing and the sliding tube can be fixed in an eccentric state.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a steering column length adjusting device employing a spiral sleeve frictionally contacting the entire circumferential surface of the sliding tube so that the circular shape of the tube cross section is not deformed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a C-ring that can compensate for the eccentricity of each other by abrasion of the upper housing and the sliding tube due to repeated movement of the sliding tube so that the upper housing and the sliding tube are always coaxial. To be fixed.

An object of the present invention as described above is a telescopic column length adjusting device for adjusting an axial length between an upper column and a lower column: a first truncated cone portion having an inclined screw portion formed on an inner surface thereof and having a circumferential slot; And, the upper housing consisting of a cylindrical portion having the same inner diameter; A sliding tube slidably inserted along an inner surface of the cylindrical portion of the upper housing and rotatably fixed around the lower column by first and second bearings; A truncated cone spiral screw screwed with an inclined screw portion formed on an inner surface of the first truncated cone portion of the upper housing and in frictional contact with an outer surface of the sliding tube; It is achieved by a telescopic column length adjusting device including a lever inserted through a circumferential slot of the upper housing and fixed to one side of the spiral sleeve.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 1 shows a conventional telescopic column length adjusting device in cross section. As shown, the conventional column length adjusting device includes an upper housing 12, a sliding tube 14, a pressing piece 16, a wedge portion 20, a connecting member 20, first and first 2 fastening bolts 22 and 24, and a telescopic lever 26. The upper housing 12 is formed integrally with the outer column of the telescopic column, and has a cylindrical portion with a thread formed therein. The sliding tube 14 is positioned in the upper housing 12, and the pressing piece 16 is positioned at one side of the sliding tube 14. The pressing piece 16 is in frictional contact with the wedge member 18, and the wedge member 18 is fixed to the second fastening bolt 24 by the connecting member 20. The second fastening bolt 24 is inserted into the first fastening bolt 22 and screwed, and the first fastening bolt 22 is coupled to the thread of the housing 12. The telescopic lever 26 is fixed to the first fastening bolt by the nut 28.

Accordingly, when the telescopic lever 26 is rotated in the fastening direction, the first fastening bolt 22 moves forward along the housing 12 thread line, whereby the second fastening bolt 24 also moves forward to move the wedge member 18. The wedge member 18 is in frictional contact with the pressing piece 16 and presses it against the sliding tube 14 to fasten the housing 12 to the sliding tube 14. On the contrary, when the telescopic lever 26 is rotated in the release direction, it is operated in the opposite manner as described above to release the housing 12 from the sliding tube 14. However, in the column length adjusting device of such a structure, since the arcuate surface of the pressing piece 16 contacts only one side of the outer surface of the sliding tube, a portion of the tube may be squeezed and the circular shape of the tube cross section may be deformed, and the fixed point is one side. Since only the center of the upper housing and the sliding tube can be fixed in an eccentric state.

2, there is shown a side view of a telescopic steering column length adjusting device according to the present invention. The telescopic steering column 30 consists of an upper housing 32, a sliding tube 34 (FIG. 3) and a lower column 36, and the spiral sleeve 38 comprises an upper housing 32 and a sliding tube 34. Is inserted between). On one side of the upper housing 32 is formed a slot 40 along its circumferential direction, the lever 42 is fixed to the spiral sleeve 38 through the slot (40). Since the lever 42 is movable along the slot 40, the driver can adjust the length of the telescopic steering column 30 by manipulating the lever 42 to rotate the spiral sleeve 38 forward and backward. have.

FIG. 3 shows a half sectional view of the telescopic steering column length adjusting device of FIG. As shown, the upper housing 32 is inserted into the first truncated cone portion 48, the sliding tube 34, which is formed with an inclined thread 46 to engage the thread 44 of the spiral sleeve 38, It has a cylindrical part 50 which slides. In the distal end 50 of the upper housing 32, a second truncated cone portion 54 into which the C-ring 52 is inserted, and a fixture 58 for pressing and fixing the C-ring 52 with the spring 56. The threaded portion is formed. The spiral sleeve 38 screwed to the first truncated cone portion 48 is a truncated cone-shaped member having a threaded line on the outside thereof, the inner surface of which has the same radius as the outer surface of the sliding tube 34. The C-ring 52 is a frustoconical member having smooth surfaces on both sides, and its inner surface also has the same radius as the outer surface of the sliding tube 34. An annular fixture 58 having the same inner diameter as the C-ring 52 is screwed into the distal end 50 of the upper housing 32 and a spring 56 between the C-ring 52 and the annular fixture 58. Is installed, and presses the C-ring 52 toward the cylindrical part 50. As shown in FIG. Since the spiral sleeve 38, the cylindrical portion 50, and the inner surfaces of the C-ring 52 and the annular fixture 58 are thus aligned side by side in this manner, the sliding tube 34 with the spiral sleeve 38 released is It may slide back and forth along the upper housing 32. The sliding tube 34 is fixed with the lower column 36, but the lower column 36 can be rotated in the sliding tube 34 by the first and second bearings 60, 62. The lower column 36 consists of a hollow shaft 64 and an inner shaft 66, the hollow shaft 64 meshes with the first bearing 60 and the inner shaft 66 with the second bearing 62, respectively. . The hollow shaft 64 is spliced with the upper column shaft 68 so that not only can it transmit the rotational force of the handle, but also allow the hollow shaft to be moved along its longitudinal direction.

Referring to FIG. 4, a spiral sleeve used in the telescopic column length adjusting device of the present invention is shown in perspective view. As shown, the outer surface of spiral sleeve 38 has a truncated cone shape, and the inner surface has a cylindrical shape with the same inner diameter. A thread is formed on the outer surface of the spiral sleeve, and a plurality of elongated grooves 70 are formed at both ends so that they can be contracted radially inward. The number of grooves formed at each end is equally formed so that the entire spiral sleeve 38 can be uniformly contracted radially inward, and is preferably arranged alternately with respect to each other. The lever 42 is fixed to the hole formed between the grooves 70.

Referring to FIG. 5, a C-ring for use in the telescopic column length adjusting device of the present invention is shown in perspective view. Like the spiral sleeve 38, the C-ring 52 also has a truncated cone shape, and the inner surface has a cylindrical shape with the same inner diameter. Since the C-ring is partially cut as shown, the entire C-ring can be radially inward, as with the spiral sleeve 38. Since the C-ring 52 has a relatively smaller width and thickness than the spiral sleeve 38, a plurality of grooves 70 are not formed like the spiral sleeve 38, and a predetermined shrinkage is achieved with only one cutout. Effect can be achieved.

Now, the operation of the telescopic column length adjusting device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. First, when the lever 42 shown in FIG. 2 is raised to the upper branch of the slot 40, the first truncated cone portion of the upper housing 32 is rotated by rotating the lever 42 and the fixed spiral sleeve 38. It moves in the direction of an arrow 72 along the inclined screw part 46 formed in 48. As shown in FIG. Accordingly, the radius of the spiral sleeve 38 that has been reduced is expanded to its original state, whereby the outer surface of the sliding tube 34 that is press-fitted to the inner surface of the spiral sleeve 38 is released freely and is movable along the axial direction of the column. Done. Then, after the driver moves the handle (not shown) back and forth to set the position, and then moves the lever 42 back to the lower end of the slot 40, the spiral sleeve 38 is the upper housing 32 By moving in the opposite direction of the arrow 72 along the inclined screw portion of the), the radius of the spiral sleeve is reduced so that the inner surface thereof compresses the entire circumference of the circumference of the sliding tube 34. At this time, the C-ring 52 which is installed at the distal end of the upper housing 32 is pressed by the compression spring 56 to be in close contact with the sliding tube 34 to form a radial play between the housing 32 and the tube 34. Compensation assists the sliding tube 34 to have the same axis as the upper housing 32. In addition, as the sliding tube 34 is repeatedly decoded, when the clearance occurs due to the wear of the tube 34, the clearance may also be compensated for.

As described above, the fixing force is increased by changing the manner of fixing the sliding tube to the upper housing from the conventional eccentric fixing method to the circumferential whole fixing method of the present invention, by increasing the rigid efficiency of the tube to reduce its thickness The thickness and weight of the tube are reduced, and the problem that the upper housing and the sliding tube are eccentric can also be solved because the fixed points are distributed throughout the circumference.

Claims (3)

In the telescopic column length adjusting device for adjusting the axial length between the upper column 68 and the lower column 36: a first thread having a circumferential slot 40 formed with an inclined screw portion 46 formed on an inner surface thereof. An upper housing 32 composed of a truncated cone portion 48 and a cylindrical portion 50 having the same inner diameter; It is slidably inserted along the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 50 of the upper housing 32, and is rotatably fixed by first and second bearings 60 and 62 around the lower column 36. A sliding tube 34; And a truncated cone-shaped spiral sleeve 38 screwed with an inclined screw portion 46 formed on an inner surface of the first truncated cone portion 48 of the upper housing 32 and in frictional contact with an outer surface of the sliding tube 34. ; Telescopic column length adjusting device including a lever (42) is inserted through the circumferential slot (40) of the upper housing (32) is fixed to one side of the spiral sleeve (38). According to claim 1, wherein the distal end 50 of the upper housing 32 is formed with a second truncated cone portion 54, the C-ring 52 is inserted into the second truncated cone portion 54 and And telescopic column length adjusting device further comprises an annular fixture 58 screwed to the distal end 50, and a compression spring 56 installed between the C-ring 52 and the annular fixture 58 . The telescopic column length adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the spiral sleeve (38) has a plurality of grooves (70) formed at both ends thereof, and the grooves (70) at both ends are alternately arranged with respect to each other. .