WO2011122748A1

WO2011122748A1 - Impact absorbing apparatus of vehicle steering column

Info

Publication number: WO2011122748A1
Application number: PCT/KR2010/006678
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sung Jong Hong; Kang Seok Song; Seung Hee Noh
Original assignee: Namyang Ind.Co.,Ltd
Priority date: 2010-03-31
Filing date: 2010-09-30
Publication date: 2011-10-06
Also published as: CN102395503A; KR20110109297A; CN102395503B

Abstract

The present invention provides the steering column can be smoothly buckled in the axial direction of the column in the event of a vehicle crash, and thus it is possible to prevent the vehicle crash performance from being degraded and to ensure the driver's safety.

Description

IMPACT ABSORBING APPARATUS OF VEHICLE STEERING COLUMN

The present invention relates to an impact absorbing apparatus of a vehicle steering column, and more particularly, to an impact absorbing apparatus of a vehicle steering column, which can stably absorb an impact applied to the steering column.

Typically, a vehicle steering column is mounted in a vehicle in such a manner that it rises from the bottom to the top toward a driver. Accordingly, in the event of a vehicle crash, the steering column itself acts as a factor that damages the driver. In order to solve this problem, the steering column is configured to be buckled when more than a predetermined load is applied to the steering column, thus minimizing the damage of the driver.

It is possible to minimize the damage of the driver when the above-described buckling action of the steering column should be properly performed depending on the situation. That is, a very small buckling load (i.e., collapse load) of the steering column can be of little help to the driver in the event of a serious crash, whereas, a very large buckling load of the steering column cannot properly reduce the damage of the driver even in the event of a relatively minor crash due to non-smooth buckling action.

Therefore, it is preferred that the steering column be buckled in the axial direction of the column in the event of an accident such as a vehicle crash.

However, in a vehicle crash test which is performed to establish and examine a proper buckling load, the steering column is buckled in a direction other than the axial direction, and thus the crash performance of the steering column is degraded or a retest should be performed due to the interference with peripheral components of the steering column such as a key set, a knee bolster, etc. caused by an external force in the right and left direction because of the nature of the crash, which makes it difficult to ensure the crash performance.

When the peripheral components interfere with the steering column in the event of a vehicle crash, the chest injury value and the head injury value of the driver are much increased due to the occurrence of a peak.

Moreover, when a lower portion of the steering column is bent because an engine room is pushed due to the vehicle crash, it prevents the steering column from being smoothly buckled, thus increasing the buckling load of the steering column.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an impact absorbing column structure of a vehicle steering. In particular, the object of the present invention is to provide an impact absorbing apparatus of a vehicle steering column including a buckling guide, which can prevent the steering column from interfering with peripheral components due to lateral displacement during buckling of the steering column and allow the steering column to be smoothly buckled in the axial direction of the column, thereby preventing the vehicle crash performance from being degraded and ensuring a driver’s safety.

To accomplish the above objects of the present invention, there is provided an impact absorbing apparatus of a vehicle steering column including an outer tube and an inner shaft, the impact absorbing apparatus including: a mounting bracket located at the bottom of the top of the outer tube and having first and second guide portions bent from both sides thereof to the bottom; an upper support bracket mounted on the top of the mounting bracket to be slidably moved and having first and second support portions bent from both sides thereof to the bottom; and first and second curling members each bonded to one side of the first and second support portions.

The mounting bracket of the present invention may include first and second holding portions protruding downward from the bottom of the mounting bracket to guide the uncurling of the curling portions of the first and second curling members and, at the same time, to form first and second holding holes together with the first and second support portions.

The first and second curling members may be made of wire.

The first and second curling members may be made of strip.

The first and second guide portions of the mounting bracket may include first and second slits formed in the longitudinal direction, and first and second connection members passing through the first and second support portions of the upper support bracket may be fixed to the first and second slits.

A reinforcing cover plate may be fixed to the top of the upper support bracket.

With this, the steering column can be smoothly buckled in the axial direction of the column in the event of a vehicle crash, and thus it is possible to prevent the vehicle crash performance from being degraded and to ensure the driver’s safety.

Moreover, as the first and second long hollow slits are formed at the first and second guide portions of the mounting bracket in the longitudinal direction such that the steering column can be smoothly buckled in the axial direction of the column in the event of a vehicle crash through the connection of the first and second connection members fixed to the first and second slits together with the first and second support portions of the upper support bracket.

According to the impact absorbing apparatus of the steering column of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the steering column from interfering with peripheral components due to lateral displacement during buckling of the steering column and allow the steering column to be smoothly buckled in the axial direction of the column, thereby preventing the vehicle crash performance from being degraded and ensuring a driver’s safety.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are a perspective view and an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of an impact absorbing apparatus of a vehicle steering column in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an impact absorbing apparatus of a vehicle steering column in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the impact absorbing apparatus of the vehicle steering column of FIG. 3, viewed in the reverse direction.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing the impact absorbing apparatus of the vehicle steering column of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the impact absorbing apparatus of the vehicle steering column taken along line A-A of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the constituent components of the impact absorbing apparatus of the vehicle steering column of FIG. 2.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the impact absorbing apparatus of the vehicle steering column includes an outer tube 10 and an inner shaft 20 internally connected to the outer tube 10 to rotate in the outer tube 10, a mounting bracket 110 located at the bottom of the top of the outer tube 10 and having first and

second guide portions

111 and 113 bent from both sides thereof to the bottom, an upper support bracket 120 mounted on the top of the mounting bracket 110 to be slidably moved and having first and

second support portions

121 and 123 bent from both sides thereof to the bottom, and first and

second curling members

130 and 140 each bonded to one side of the first and

second support portions

121 and 123.

The first and

second curling members

130 and 140 are fixed to first and second

concave portions

121b and 123b formed on the inner surfaces of the first and

second support portions

121 and 123.

First and

second curling portions

131 and 141 of the first and

second curling members

130 and 140 are curled in a direction toward a decelerator 100, which is located in front of the first and

second curling portions

131 and 141.

Meanwhile, the impact absorbing apparatus of the vehicle steering column may further include first and

second holding portions

115 and 117 protruding downward from the bottom of the mounting bracket 110 to guide the uncurling of the first and

second curling portions

131 and 141 of the first and

second curling members

130 and 140 and, at the same time, to form first and

second holding holes

115a and 117a together with the first and

second support portions

121 and 123.

The first and

second curling members

130 and 140 are made of wire or strip.

The first and

second guide portions

111 and 113 of the mounting bracket 110 include first and

second slits

111a and 113a formed in the longitudinal direction.

First and second connection members F1 and F2 passing through the first and

second support portions

121 and 123 of the upper support bracket 120, respectively, are fixed to the first and

second slits

111a and 113a.

A reinforcing cover plate 150 is fixed to the top of the upper support bracket 120.

The outer tube 10 in accordance with the present invention located outside the inner shaft 20 to absorb the impact is supported by a vehicle body through the mounting bracket 110 and an upper bracket 30. A capsule 31 is provided between the upper bracket 30 and the vehicle body to support the vehicle body through the upper bracket 30 and, at the same time, to be separated from the upper bracket 30 during buckling of the steering column.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the connection structure of lateral connection components of the mounting bracket 110 and the upper support bracket 120, in which an impact absorbing structure of the vehicle steering column including buckling sliding components located at the side of the mounting bracket 110 is shown.

Referring to FIG. 7, the steering column in accordance with the present invention has a structure in which the outer tube 10 and the inner shaft 20 are connected together in the axial direction. The mounting bracket 110 integrally connected to the decelerator 100 of an electric power steering device is provided at the bottom of the top of the outer tube 10 and the inner shaft 20. As the lateral connection components of the mounting bracket 110 such as a pair of buckling sliders, the uncurling force of the first and

second curling portions

131 and 141 in a curled shape of the

curling members

130 and 140, which are fixed to the first and second

concave portions

121b and 123b of the first and

second support portions

121 and 123 or the outside of the first and

second support portions

121 and 123, is generated by the pushing force generated when the mounting bracket 110 protrudes to the rear with respect to the upper support bracket 120, thus performing the buckling sliding operation in a flexible manner.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 4, as the lateral connection components of the mounting bracket 110 such as a pair of buckling sliders, the neck portions of the first and

second curling portions

131 and 141 in a curled shape of the

curling members

130 and 140, which extend to the inner side of the first and

second holding portions

115 and 117 of the mounting bracket 110, are supported and installed in a bent state, and the first and

second curling portions

131 and 141 are located inside the first and

second holding portions

115 and 117.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, the first and

second curling members

130 and 140 for the buckling sliding operation in accordance with the present invention include the first and

second curling portions

131 and 141, which extend from both sides of the mounting bracket 110 located at the bottom of the top of the outer tube 10 and the upper support bracket 120 slidably guided in the longitudinal direction with respect to the mounting bracket 110 and are curled in a spiral shape.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, first and second through

holes

121a and 123a are formed in the first and

second support portions

121 and 123 of the upper support bracket 120 disposed in contact with both sides of the first and second long

hollow slits

111a and 113a at the lateral portion of the mounting bracket 110, and the buckling sliding movement is performed by the means of the connection members F1 and F2 including a bolt, a rivet, or a connection pin, which are caulked in the first and second through

holes

121a and 123a and the first and

second slits

111a and 113a.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the impact absorbing apparatus of the vehicle steering column in accordance with the present invention, FIG. 5 is a front view showing the impact absorbing apparatus of the vehicle steering column, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the impact absorbing apparatus of the vehicle steering column taken along line A-A of FIG. 5.

As shown in the figures, the first and

second curling portions

131 and 141 of the first and

second curling members

130 and 140 are curled and fixed by passing through the first and

second holding holes

115a and 117a, which are formed by removing a predetermined space of the first and

second holding portions

115 and 117 and bent downward, such that during buckling of the steering column, the first and

second curling portions

131 and 141 are uncurled by the first and

second holding holes

115a and 117a, and thus the steering column is buckled and moved.

Accordingly, during buckling of the steering column in the event of a vehicle crash, the first and

second curling portions

131 and 141 of the first and

second curling members

130 and 140 are held by the first and

second holding portions

115 and 117 and, at the same time, the

curling portions

131 and 141 are uncurled such that the mounting bracket 110 moves along the upper support bracket 120 and is buckled.

It can be understood that the uncurling force of the first and

second curling portions

131 and 141 is that the distal ends of the first and

second guide portions

111 and 113 of the mounting bracket 110 push the

curling portions

131 and 141 out. Here, the uncurling operation is guided and performed by the first and

second holding holes

115a and 117a as the space between the first and

second holding portions

115 and 117.

Accordingly, the buckling sliding operation of the steering column caused by the external force applied to the lower part of the steering column is absorbed by the mounting bracket 110, thus preventing the deformation of the tube portion corresponding to the buckling region of the steering column, which has a favorable effect on the buckling of the steering column.

Moreover, the mounting bracket 110 of the present invention may be integrally formed in the outer tube 10 and, in this case, it is possible to increase the support force of the steering column and, at the same time, to prevent the stiffness of the steering column from being reduced. Since each of the

curling members

130 and 140 is arranged on both sides, the curling does not occur in a random direction but occurs in a constant direction, and thus it is possible to ensure a reliable buckling sliding operation.

As mentioned above, in the structure of the impact absorbing apparatus of the steering column including a pair of buckling sliders in accordance with the present invention, it is possible to prevent the steering column from moving in the left and right direction of the outer tube 10 during buckling of the steering column.

Furthermore, it is possible to minimize the lateral displacement caused by the deformation of the mounting bracket 110 located at the bottom of the steering column. With the addition of a pair of

curling members

130 and 140, it is possible to prevent the variation of the buckling load of the steering column caused by the displacement.

In addition, it is possible to prevent the steering column from interfering with the peripheral components due to the lateral displacement during buckling of the steering column and to allow the steering column to be smoothly buckled in the axial direction of the column, thereby preventing the vehicle crash performance from being degraded and ensuring a driver’s safety.

That is, the above-described impact absorbing apparatus of the steering column has a structure in which the outer tube 10 and the inner shaft 20 slide with each other to absorb the impact and two capsule portions of the upper bracket 30 are molded.

Moreover, as the first and second long

hollow slits

111a and 113a are formed at the first and

second guide portions

111 and 113 of the mounting bracket 110 in the longitudinal direction such that the steering column can be smoothly buckled in the axial direction of the column in the event of a vehicle crash through the connection of the first and second connection members F1 and F2 fixed to the first and

second slits

111a and 113a together with the first and

second support portions

121 and 123 of the upper support bracket 120.

As such, the impact absorbing apparatus of the vehicle steering column can maintain the initial state thereof, and thus it is possible to efficiently the impact absorbing operation.

While the impact absorbing apparatus of the vehicle steering column of the present invention has been shown and described mainly with respect to certain shapes and directions with reference to attached drawings, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

An impact absorbing apparatus of a vehicle steering column including an outer tube and an inner shaft, the impact absorbing apparatus comprising:

a mounting bracket located at the bottom of the top of the outer tube and having first and second guide portions bent from both sides thereof to the bottom;

an upper support bracket mounted on the top of the mounting bracket to be slidably moved and having first and second support portions bent from both sides thereof to the bottom; and

first and second curling members each bonded to one side of the first and second support portions,

wherein the impact absorbing apparatus is configured to guide the uncurling of first and second curling portions of the first and second curling members.
The impact absorbing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second curling members are fixed to first and second concave portions formed on the inner surfaces of the first and second support portions.
The impact absorbing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mounting bracket comprises first and second holding portions protruding downward from the bottom of the mounting bracket to guide the uncurling of the curling portions of the first and second curling members and, at the same time, to form first and second holding holes together with the first and second support portions.
The impact absorbing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second curling members are made of wire or strip.
The impact absorbing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second guide portions of the mounting bracket comprise first and second slits formed in the longitudinal direction, and first and second connection members passing through the first and second support portions of the upper support bracket are fixed to the first and second slits.
The impact absorbing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a reinforcing cover plate fixed to the top of the upper support bracket.
The impact absorbing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second curling portions of the first and second curling members are curled in a direction toward a decelerator.