WO2011021509A1

WO2011021509A1 - Position adjustable steering device

Info

Publication number: WO2011021509A1
Application number: PCT/JP2010/063272
Authority: WO
Inventors: 英治田中
Original assignee: 株式会社ジェイテクト
Priority date: 2009-08-20
Filing date: 2010-08-05
Publication date: 2011-02-24
Also published as: JP2011042203A; JP5382438B2

Abstract

Provided is a position adjustable steering device which has a high freedom of layout and which is silent. When a driver operates a tilting operation member, a drive gear (49) displaced by a solenoid meshes with a first driven gear (51). When an electric motor (42) is driven, the rotation of a rotating shaft (44) of the electric motor (42) is transmitted to a tilt pulley (53) through a gear (45), the drive gear (49), and the first driven gear (51). A tilt wire (55) raises or lowers a guide member (38) which is displaceable together with a steering member (2) in the tilt direction X, in accordance with the rotation direction of the tilt pulley (53). Thus, the tilt adjustment is achieved.

Description

Position-adjustable steering device

The present invention relates to a position-adjustable steering apparatus.

Patent Document 1 proposes a wire-type power steering device for an outboard motor. In the power steering apparatus, hydraulic oil to the hydraulic cylinder unit that swings the steering arm is supplied from a spool valve that is interlocked with the steering operation. Specifically, the outer cover of the operation member that connects the handle and the power steering apparatus is integrally coupled to the spool valve via a connecting member.

In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a steering shaft that is divided into three parts, a lower shaft, a center shaft, and an upper shaft. In this steering shaft, an engine that moves to the rear of the vehicle in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle pulls the end of the wire toward the front of the vehicle, and separates the center shaft fixed to the end of the wire from the upper shaft. .

JP-A-5-131987 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-60983

On the other hand, the feed screw shaft that is rotationally driven by the electric motor engages with a nut that can move along with the steering column, and tilt adjustment can be performed using the axial relative movement between the nut and the feed screw shaft. Proposed.
However, the electric motor needs to be arranged near the feed screw shaft, and the degree of freedom in layout is low. In addition, an operating noise (mechanical roaring noise) is generated between the feed screw shaft and the nut, which makes the driver uncomfortable.

Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a position-adjustable steering apparatus that has a high degree of freedom in layout and is quiet.

One of the features of the present invention is a position-adjustable steering device, in a linear or belt-like manner that is wound around a rotating member that can be driven by an electric motor as a single actuator for tilt adjustment and telescopic adjustment. The apparatus includes a transmission member and a device that can easily change between a tilt adjustment and a telescopic adjustment by easily changing a transmission path from the electric motor.

It is a mimetic diagram showing a schematic structure of a position adjustment type steering device of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the position-adjustable steering device when viewed from the axial direction of the upper tube, and shows a state when tilt adjustment is performed. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the position-adjustable steering device when viewed from the axial direction of the upper tube, and shows a state when telescopic adjustment is performed. It is sectional drawing which follows the 3A-3A line | wire of FIG. 2A. FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the position-adjustable steering apparatus 1, showing a state in which the upper tube is displaced downward in the tilt direction X by tilt adjustment from the state of FIG. 3A. It is sectional drawing which follows the 4A-4A line | wire of FIG. 2B. FIG. 4B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the position adjustment type steering device 1, showing a state in which the upper tube is displaced downward in the telescopic direction from the state of FIG. 4A by telescopic adjustment. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part of the electrical constitution of a position adjustment type steering device. It is a flowchart which shows the control flow of ECU at the time of tilt adjustment and telescopic adjustment.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a position adjustment type steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, this position adjustment type steering apparatus 1 has a steering shaft 3, an intermediate shaft 5, a pinion shaft 7 and a rack shaft 8. The steering shaft 3 is connected to a steering member 2 such as a steering wheel. The intermediate shaft 5 is a spline telescopic shaft connected to the steering shaft 3 via a universal joint 4. The pinion shaft 7 is connected to the intermediate shaft 5 via a universal joint 6. The rack shaft 8 is a steered shaft having a rack 8 a that meshes with a pinion 7 a provided near the end of the pinion shaft 7.

The steered mechanism 100 is constituted by a rack and pinion mechanism including a saddle pinion shaft 7 and a rack shaft 8. The rack shaft 8 is supported by a housing 10 fixed to the vehicle body side member 9 so as to be movable in an axial direction along the left-right direction of the vehicle (a direction orthogonal to the paper surface). Although not shown, each end of the rack shaft 8 is connected to a corresponding steered wheel via a corresponding tie rod and a corresponding knuckle arm.

The steering shaft 3 has a first steering shaft 11 and a second steering shaft 12 that are connected coaxially. The first steering shaft 11 has an upper shaft 13 and a lower shaft 14 that are fitted so as to be able to rotate together and to be slidable relative to each other in the axial direction using spline coupling. One of the upper shaft 13 and the lower shaft 14 constitutes an inner shaft, and the other constitutes a cylindrical outer shaft.

The second steering shaft 12 includes an input shaft 15 connected to the lower shaft 14 so as to be able to rotate together, an output shaft 16 connected to the intermediate shaft 5 through the universal joint 4, and the input shaft 15 and the output shaft 16 And a torsion bar 17 for connecting the two in a relatively rotatable manner.
The steering shaft 3 is rotatably supported by a steering column 20 fixed to the vehicle

body side members

18 and 19 via a bearing (not shown).

The steering column 20 has a cylindrical upper tube 21 and a cylindrical lower tube 22 that are fitted so as to be relatively movable in the axial direction, and a housing 23 that is connected to the lower end of the lower tube 22 in the axial direction. A deceleration mechanism 25 that decelerates the power of the steering assisting electric motor 24 and transmits it to the output shaft 16 is housed in the housing 23.
The speed reduction mechanism 25 has a drive gear 26 connected to a rotating shaft (not shown) of the electric motor 24 so as to be able to rotate together, and a driven gear 27 that meshes with the driving gear 26 and rotates together with the output shaft 16. The drive gear 26 is composed of, for example, a worm shaft, and the driven gear 27 is composed of, for example, a worm wheel.

The steering column 20 is fixed to the vehicle

body side members

18 and 19 via an upper fixing bracket 28 on the vehicle rear side and a lower fixing bracket 29 on the vehicle front side. The upper fixing bracket 28 includes a fixing bolt (stud bolt) 30 that protrudes downward from the vehicle body side member 18, a nut 31 that is screwed into the fixing bolt 30, and a capsule 32 that is detachably held by the upper fixing bracket 28. Is fixed to the vehicle body side member 18.

The lower column bracket 33 is fixed to the housing 23 of the steering column 20. The lower column bracket 33 is supported by a lower fixing bracket 29 fixed to the vehicle body side member 19 so as to be rotatable around a tilt center axis 34 as a pivot axis. As a result, the entire steering column 20 is rotatable about the tilt center axis 34.

In other words, the position-adjustable steering device 1 adjusts the position of the steering member 2 in the tilt direction X that is substantially in the vertical direction (substantially equivalent to the swing direction about the tilt center axis 34). And a telescopic adjustment function for adjusting the position of the steering member 2 in a telescopic direction Y corresponding to the axial direction of the steering shaft 3.
2A and 2B are schematic cross-sectional views of the position-adjustable steering device 1 when viewed from the axial direction of the upper tube 21. FIG. 2A shows a state when the tilt adjustment is performed, and FIG. 2B shows a state when the telescopic adjustment is performed.

3A is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line 3A-3A in FIG. 2A. FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the position-adjustable steering apparatus 1, and shows a state where the upper tube 21 is displaced downward in the tilt direction X from the state of FIG.
4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4A-4A in FIG. 2B. FIG. 4B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the position-adjustable steering device 1, in which the upper tube 21 is displaced downward in the telescopic direction Y (corresponding to the left in FIG. 4B) by telescopic adjustment from the state of FIG. 4A. Is shown.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the upper fixing bracket 28 has a groove shape that opens downward, and has a top plate 35, a first side plate 36, and a second side plate 37. Further, a guide member 38 that supports the upper tube 21 so as to be slidable in the telescopic direction Y (a direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 2A) is supported by the upper fixing bracket 28 so as to be displaceable in the tilt direction X.

That is, the guide member 38 has a support hole 39 through which the upper tube 21 is inserted along the axial direction (telescopic direction Y. The direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2A). The support hole 39 functions as a guide hole for guiding the movement of the upper tube 21 in the telescopic direction Y.
The pair of side surfaces 38 a and 38 b of the guide member 38 are in sliding contact with the inner side surfaces 36 a and 37 a of the

corresponding side plates

36 and 37 of the upper fixing bracket 28. In addition, guided projections 40 are provided on the pair of

side surfaces

38a and 38b of the guide member 38, respectively. Each guided projection 40 is guided in the tilt direction X by a vertically long guide groove 41 provided in the

corresponding side plate

36, 37 of the upper fixing bracket 28. Thereby, the guide member 38 and the upper tube 21 are guided in the tilt direction X. That is, the guide member 38 functions as a movable member that can be displaced in the tilt direction together with the steering member 2 during tilt adjustment. The guide groove 41 may be an arc groove centered on the tilt center axis 34.

The main feature of this embodiment is that tilt adjustment and telescopic adjustment are performed by an electric motor 42 as a single actuator.
Specifically, referring to FIG. 2A and FIG. 3A, an electric motor 42 as an actuator is inserted through a motor housing 43 fixed to the outer surface 36 b of the first side plate 36 and the first side plate 36. A rotation shaft 44 extends between the first and

second side plates

36 and 37.

The saddle gear 45 is provided on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 44. On the other hand, the solenoid 48 has a fixed main body 46 and a telescopic shaft 47 extending in parallel with the rotating shaft 44. The solenoid 48 is provided on the outer side surface 36 b of the first side plate 36. A drive gear 49 as a first drive member that can move in the axial direction Z (corresponding to a predetermined direction) of the telescopic shaft 47 is rotatably supported at the tip of the telescopic shaft 47 of the solenoid 48.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2A, the first driven gear 51 as the first driven member and the second driven gear 52 as the second driven member are the first and second of the upper fixing bracket 28. Each is supported rotatably by a support shaft 50 supported between the

side plates

36 and 37. The first driven gear 51 and the second driven gear 52 are separated in the axial direction.
The drive gear 49 displaced with the expansion / contraction of the expansion / contraction shaft 47 of the solenoid 48 is selected from either the first driven gear 51 or the second driven gear 52 as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Are connected to each other. As a result, the first and second driven gears 51 and 52 are driven alternatively. The solenoid 48 functions as a second drive member that drives a drive gear 49 as a first drive member in the axial direction Z of the telescopic shaft 47 (corresponding to a predetermined direction).

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 3A, the first driven gear 51 is connected to a tilt pulley 53 as a first rotating member so as to be able to rotate together. Further, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 4A, the second driven gear 52 is coupled to a telescopic pulley 54 as a second rotating member so as to be able to rotate together. The tilt pulley 53 and the telescopic pulley 54 are rotatably supported by the support shaft 50 as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B.

The scissors transmission mechanism 70 alternatively transmits the rotation of the rotating shaft 44 of the electric motor 42 as an actuator to the tilt pulley 53 as the first rotating member and the telescopic pulley 54 as the second rotating member. The transmission mechanism 70 includes a gear 45 provided on the rotation shaft 44, a drive gear 49 as a first drive member meshing with the gear 45, a first driven gear 51 as a first driven member, and a second driven gear. It has the 2nd driven gear 52 as a member.

As shown in FIG. 2B in FIG. 2A, a tilt wire 55 (linear member) as a first transmission member is wound around a tilt pulley 53 as a first rotation member so as to be capable of transmission. Further, a telescopic wire 56 (linear member) as a second transmission member is wound around a telescopic pulley 54 as a second rotation member so as to be able to be transmitted.
As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the tilt wire 55 has one end 55a and the other end 55b. One end 55a of the guide member 38 is engaged with an engaging portion 57 provided on the upper surface 38c of the guide member 38 as the movable member so that the guide member 38 can be lifted. Further, the other end 55b of the tilt wire 55 is engaged with an engaging portion 58 provided on the lower surface 38d of the guide member 38 so that the guide member 38 can be pulled down.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2A, a guide pulley 59 is rotatably supported on the inner side surface 37 a of the second side plate 37 of the upper fixing bracket 28. As shown in FIG. 3A, the tilt wire 55 sequentially reaches the other end 55b through an engagement region from one end 55a to the upper portion of the guide pulley 59 and an engagement region to the lower portion of the tilt pulley 53.
As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the telescopic wire 56 has one end 56a and the other end 56b. A pair of

brackets

60 and 61 are fixed at positions separated in the axial direction of the upper tube 21. Each

bracket

60, 61 is provided with

arc grooves

62, 63 as a pair of engaging portions for engaging one end 56a and the other end 56b of the telescopic wire 56, respectively. The

arc grooves

62 and 63 as a pair of engaging portions function to allow relative movement between the upper tube 21 that is displaced in the tilt direction X during tilt adjustment and the one end 56 a and the other end 56 b of the telescopic wire 56. .

2A, a pair of guide pulleys 64 and 65 are rotatably supported on the inner side surface 36a of the first side plate 36 of the upper fixing bracket 28. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the pair of guide pulleys 64 and 65 are separated by a predetermined distance in the telescopic direction Y, and are disposed, for example, above the telescopic pulley 54. The telescopic wire 56 extends from one end 56a to the guide pulley 64, further to the engagement region with the telescopic pulley 54, and to the other end 56b via the guide pulley 65.

Next, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the main part of the electrical configuration of the position-adjustable steering apparatus 1. An operation signal from the tilt operation member 81 for the driver to perform a tilt operation is input to the ECU 80 serving as a drive control unit. An operation signal from the telescopic operation member 82 for the driver to perform a telescopic operation is also input to the ECU 80. A drive circuit 83 for driving the electric motor 42 and a drive circuit 84 for driving the solenoid 48 are connected to the ECU 80, respectively. The ECU 80 controls the drive of the electric motor 42 via the drive circuit 83. Further, the ECU 80 excites the solenoid via each drive circuit 84 or releases the excitation (that is, de-energizes).

Next, the actual tilt adjustment operation and telescopic adjustment operation will be described based on the control flow shown in the flowchart of FIG.
First, in step S <b> 1, the presence / absence of a tilt operation is determined based on the input of an operation signal from the tilt operation member 81. If it is determined in step S1 that the tilt operation is being performed (YES in step S1), the process proceeds to step S2, and if it is determined that the tilt operation is not being performed (NO in step S1). In step S5, the presence or absence of a telescopic operation is determined based on the input of an operation signal from the telescopic operation member 82.

In step S2, the telescopic shaft 47 is extended by exciting the solenoid 48, for example, and the drive gear 49 is engaged with the first driven gear 51 as shown in FIGS. 2A and 3A.
Next, in step S <b> 3, the electric motor 42 is driven and controlled so as to rotate in the rotation direction corresponding to the operation direction of the tilt operation member 81. The rotation of the rotating shaft 44 of the electric motor 42 is transmitted to the tilt pulley 53 via the drive gear 49 and the first driven gear 51 of the transmission mechanism 70. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, tilt adjustment is achieved. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2A, the second driven gear 52 that is not engaged with the drive gear 49 is not driven, and the telescopic pulley 54 does not rotate. That is, only tilt adjustment is achieved.

Next, when it is determined in step S4 that the tilt adjustment as described above is completed based on a signal from the tilt operation member 81 (YES in step S4), the process returns to step S1 and the process is repeated. .
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S5 that the telescopic operation is performed (YES in step S5), the telescopic shaft 47 is shortened by de-energizing the solenoid 48 in step S6, for example, As shown in FIGS. 2B and 4A, the drive gear 49 is engaged with the second driven gear 52.

Next, in step S7, the electric motor 42 is driven and controlled so as to rotate in the rotation direction corresponding to the operation direction of the telescopic operation member 82. The rotation of the rotating shaft 44 of the electric motor 42 is transmitted to the telescopic pulley 54 via the drive gear 49 and the second driven gear 51 of the transmission mechanism 70. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, telescopic adjustment is achieved. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2B, the first driven gear 51 that is not engaged with the drive gear 49 is not driven, and the tilt pulley 53 does not rotate. That is, only telescopic adjustment is achieved.

Next, when it is determined in step S7 that the telescopic adjustment as described above is completed based on a signal from the tilt operation member 81 (YES in step S7), the process returns to step S1 and the process is repeated. It is.
According to the present embodiment, the tilt pulley 53 is driven by the electric motor 42. Depending on the rotation direction of the tilt pulley 53, the tilt wire 55 as the first transmission member lifts the guide member 38 as a movable member that can be displaced in the tilt direction X together with the steering member 2, as shown in FIG. Pull down as shown in 3B. Thereby, tilt adjustment is achieved. Since the tilt wire 55 is used, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the electric motor 42 as an actuator can be increased. In addition, since it is possible to prevent the operation noise (beat sound) of the screw shaft and nut, which has occurred when the tilt adjustment is performed using the conventional screw shaft and nut, it is quiet.

A guide member that guides the upper tube 21 in the telescopic direction Y is used as a movable member that can be displaced in the tilt direction X together with the steering member 2 during tilt adjustment. This substantially enables telescopic adjustment in addition to tilt adjustment.
The telescopic pulley 54 can be driven by the electric motor 42 described above. One end 56 a and the other end 56 b of the telescopic wire 56 are engaged with

arc grooves

62 and 63 as a pair of engaging portions that are separated in the axial direction of the upper tube 21. Thereby, when the telescopic pulley 54 is driven by the electric motor 42, the telescopic wire 56 moves the upper tube 21 in the axial direction (the telescopic direction Y as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B) according to the rotation direction of the telescopic pulley 54. ). Thereby, telescopic adjustment becomes possible. Since the telescopic wire 56 is used, the freedom degree of arrangement | positioning of the electric motor 42 can be made high.

As shown in FIG. 4A,

arc grooves

62 and 63 are used as a pair of engaging portions that engage one end 56a and the other end 56b of the telescopic wire 56. Thus, even if the guide member 38 as a movable member that supports the upper tube 21 is displaced in the tilt direction X along with the tilt adjustment, the telescopic wire 56 does not hinder the tilt adjustment. In particular, since the tilt adjustment and the telescopic adjustment are performed by the common electric motor 42, the structure of the position adjustment type steering apparatus 1 can be greatly simplified. Moreover, since the operation sound (beat sound) of the screw shaft and the nut, which has occurred when performing telescopic adjustment using the conventional screw shaft and nut, can be prevented, it is quiet.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2A, a first driven gear that can be rotated together with a tilt pulley 53 by a drive gear 49 as a first drive member displaced in a predetermined direction Z by a solenoid 48 as a second drive member. When engaged with 51 (first driven member), the tilt adjustment described above becomes possible. On the other hand, when the drive gear 49 displaced in the predetermined direction Z is engaged with the second driven gear 52 (second driven member) that can rotate with the telescopic pulley 54 as shown in FIG. Adjustment is possible. With a simple configuration in which the drive gear 49 is moved in the predetermined direction Z by the solenoid 48, the transmission path from the electric motor 42 can be easily changed to easily switch between tilt adjustment and telescopic adjustment.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, by using a pair of tilt wires disposed on both sides sandwiching the upper tube 21 from side to side, the guide member 38 is lifted in a both-end state, In this case, a smooth tilt motion can be realized.
Further, as the first and second transmission members, belt-like members such as belts and chains may be used instead of wires (linear members). When a chain is used for the first and second transmission members, a sprocket is used instead of the pulley as the first and second rotating members. In addition, various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Position adjustment type steering device, 2 ... Steering member, 3 ... Steering shaft,
20 ... Steering column, 21 ... Upper tube,
22 ... Lower tube, 28 ... Upper fixing bracket,
34 ... tilt center axis, 38 ... guide member (movable member),
39 ... support hole, 42 ... electric motor (actuator),
43 ... motor housing, 44 ... rotary shaft, 45 ... gear,
46 ... main body, 47 ... telescopic shaft, 48 ... solenoid (second drive member),
49 ... Drive gear (first drive member), 50 ... Support shaft,
51 ... 1st driven gear (1st driven member),
52 ... second driven gear (second driven member),
53... Tilt pulley (first rotating member),
54 ... Telescopic pulley (second rotating member),
55 ... Tilt wire (first transmission member), 55a ... One end,
55b ... the other end, 56 ... a telescopic wire (second transmission member),
56a ... one end, 56b ... the other end, 57, 58 ... locking part,
59 ... guide pulley, 60, 61 ... bracket,
62, 63 ... arc grooves (a pair of engaging portions), 64, 65 ... guide pulleys,
70 ... Transmission mechanism, 80 ... ECU, 81 ... Tilt operation member,
82: Telescopic operation member, X: Tilt direction,
Y ... Telescopic direction, Z ... Axial direction (predetermined direction)

Claims

A movable member that can be displaced together with the steering member during tilt adjustment;
A fixed bracket for movably supporting the movable member in the tilt direction;
A first rotating member that can be driven by an actuator;
A linear or belt-shaped first transmission member wound around the first rotation member so as to be capable of transmission;
With
The first transmission member has one end and the other end,
The one end of the first transmission member is engaged with the movable member so that the movable member can be lifted, and the other end of the first transmission member is engaged with the movable member so that the movable member can be pulled down. Combined position adjustment type steering device.
The steering shaft connected to the steering member according to claim 1,
A cylindrical upper tube and a cylindrical lower tube that are slidably fitted to each other and rotatably support the steering shaft;
A guide member as the movable member, supported by the upper fixing bracket so as to be displaceable in the tilt direction, supporting the upper tube so as to be slidable in the telescopic direction, and guiding the upper tube in the telescopic direction; A position-adjustable steering device.
The second rotating member that can be driven by the actuator according to claim 2,
A linear or belt-like second transmission member wound around the second rotating member so as to be capable of transmission;
With
The second transmission member has one end and the other end,
The one end and the other end of the second transmission member are respectively engaged with a pair of engaging portions separated in the axial direction of the upper tube so as to be able to move in the telescopic direction with the upper tube,
The position-adjustable steering device, wherein the pair of engaging portions includes an arc groove that allows relative movement between the one end and the other end of the second transmission member and the upper tube during tilt adjustment.
The transmission mechanism according to claim 3, which selectively transmits power of the actuator to the first rotating member and the second rotating member,
The transmission mechanism is displaced in a predetermined direction by a first driven member that can rotate together with the first rotating member, and a second driven member that can rotate together with the second rotating member. A first drive member that can be selectively engaged with the first driven member and the second driven member and is rotationally driven by the actuator, and drives the first drive member in the predetermined direction. A position-adjustable steering device including a second drive member that is possible.