JP2001278065A - Steering device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering device including an EA mechanism capable of obtaining compound shock energy absorbing(EA) effect by combination with a plastic deformation energy absorbing means. SOLUTION: This steering device for a vehicle is provided with a steering shaft 12 and a steering wheel 14, and the steering wheel 14 is assembled through a boss part fitting part 16 formed at the tip of the steering shaft 12. A spring elastic body 38 such as a coil spring is mounted at the root side of the boss part fitting part 16 of the steering shaft 12. When the steering wheel 12 and an occupant interfere with each other, the boss part 22 of the steering wheel 14 compresses the spring elastic body 38 to absorb shock energy.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle steering apparatus having a steering shaft and a steering wheel, wherein the steering wheel is mounted via a boss mounting portion formed at the tip of the steering shaft. More specifically, the present invention relates to a steering apparatus provided with a novel EA means that can easily achieve a combined EA effect in combination with other energy absorption (EA) means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are the following occupant protection means incorporated in a steering device to protect an occupant from an impact load. ("New Edition Automobile Engineering Handbook", Japan Society of Automotive Engineers, October 10, 1984, Vol. 5-5
P).

As a first type, there is an occupant restricting device, such as a seat belt or an airbag device, which restricts a collision (secondary collision) of a driver with a steering device (mainly a steering wheel) by inertia at the time of collision.

[0004] As a second type, there is an EA device (plastic deformation EA means) which absorbs energy due to damage (plastic deformation) at the time of collision, such as a column type EA means or a wheel self-aligning EA means in a steering device. .

However, before the occupant hits the steering wheel and the EA function (EA means) of the column type or the wheel self-aligning works, the occupant (driver)
As far as the present inventors know, there is no steering device provided with EA means for reducing the impact on the human body.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a plastic deformation E
It is an object of the present invention to provide a steering device provided with a novel EA means capable of combining EA absorption in combination with the A means.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems The present inventors have made intensive efforts to solve the above-mentioned problems, and as a result, have arrived at a steering device having the following structure.

In a vehicle steering apparatus having a steering shaft and a steering wheel, the steering wheel being mounted via a boss mounting portion formed at the tip of the steering shaft, a base portion side of the boss mounting portion of the steering shaft. A spring elastic body is attached to the steering wheel boss,
When an impact load acts on the steering wheel, the steering wheel is supported so as to compress the spring elastic body and absorb impact energy.

[0009] The steering device having the above configuration is used by being mounted on a driver's seat portion of a vehicle. When an impact load is applied to the vehicle, for example, when the vehicle is running, the driver's body interferes with the steering wheel. Then, the spring elastic body disposed below the boss portion of the wheel is displaced in the load acting direction to absorb the impact energy. As a result, the impact on the body of the occupant (driver) can be reduced before the column type or wheel self-aligning type EA means operates. That is, when the impact load acting on the vehicle is small, the impact load based on the interference between the steering wheel and the occupant until the column type EA means and the wheel self-aligning are not activated or before the activation can be reduced.

The EA means using spring elasticity of the present invention is preferably combined with an impact energy absorbing means (plastic deformation EA means) due to secondary damage (plastic deformation). Plastic deformation E with relatively high set load for starting plastic deformation
This is because the impact can be effectively absorbed in the low load region below the A means.

The plastic deformation EA means is preferably combined with a column type EA and / or a wheel self-aligning EA. This is because the composite EA effect can be easily achieved.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a vehicle steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Originally, the steering device is a concept including a steering wheel, a shaft, and a column arranged inside the vehicle, as well as a steering gear link disposed outside the vehicle. Here, since the present invention relates to a portion arranged inside the vehicle such as a wheel shaft column, only those portions are illustrated and described.

As shown in FIG. 1, a steering shaft (hereinafter, “shaft”) 12 and a steering wheel (hereinafter, “wheel”) 14 are provided, and the steering wheel is provided via a boss mounting portion 16 formed at the tip of the shaft 12. The configuration in which 14 is assembled is a basic configuration.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wheel body 18 includes a ring portion 20, a boss portion 22, and a ring portion 20.
Or a plurality of bosses 22 and bosses 22 (in the illustrated example, 3
And the spokes 24 of the book. The wheel main body 18 of the wheel 12 is formed by covering a wheel core 26 made of aluminum die-cast or the like with a synthetic resin molded covering 28 made of polyurethane or the like.

The boss mounting portion 16 of the shaft 12
As shown in FIG. 3, a boss fitting portion 32 formed of a serration shaft via a stopper step portion 30 and a boss fitting portion 3
And a male screw portion 34 formed at the tip of the second. Here, the boss portion 22 has a serration hole corresponding to the serration of the mounting shaft portion 20 in order to secure the coupling strength with the shaft 12, and is formed by embedding a boss hole forming ring 36 made of hardened steel or the like. Have been. Further, the boss portion 22 is fixed (fastened) to the boss mounting portion 16 by screwing a nut (female screw member) 35 into the male screw 34.

In the present embodiment, a spring elastic body (a coil spring 38 in the illustrated example) is attached to the base of the boss attachment portion 16 of the steering shaft 12, and the boss (made of metal) 22 of the wheel 14 is provided. When an impact load acts on the steering wheel, the coil spring (spring elastic body) 38 is compressed so as to be able to absorb impact energy.

The spring elastic body 38 is not limited to a coil spring but may be a leaf spring, a disc spring or the like.

At this time, the spring constant and the tightening torque (of the nut 35) are determined when an impact load is applied to the vehicle.
It is assumed that a support load that can be displaced and cannot be displaced (compressed) by a normal human force (a strong adult male arm force: about 1000 N) is generated.

The steering device of this embodiment includes a column-type EA means and a wheel self-aligning mechanism as means for absorbing impact energy (plastic deformation EA means) due to secondary damage (plastic deformation).

Here, the column type EA means means for absorbing or absorbing energy by moving or deforming the steering shaft at the column portion. As the column type EA means, either a so-called mesh type or a ball type may be used (see P5-4.5).
3145.11-48989.11-48990, 11
No. 59439, furthermore DE-199 18713-
What is disclosed in A1 etc. can be adopted suitably.

In this embodiment, FIG. 4 described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-53145, which can disperse and absorb the impact load sequentially and minimize the impact load applied to the occupant.
The following column type EA means as shown in FIGS.

On the inner surface of the steering column 40, a number of ball fixing grooves 42 are formed, while on the outer periphery of the steering shaft 12, starting from a position corresponding to the ball fixing grooves 42, the depth is multi-stepped in the axial direction. A plurality of ball guide grooves 44 are formed, and a ball fixing groove 42 and a shock absorbing ball 46 provided at one end of the ball guide groove 44 are provided. The shock absorbing ball 46 moves along the ball guide groove 44 having a multi-stage depth when the shock load is applied to the vehicle, while moving the steering column 40 and the steering shaft 1.
A frictional force (including plastic deformation or wear) is generated between the two to exert the EA function.

Further, as a wheel self-aligning mechanism, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-273059 / 11-15735
Although what is described in No. 6 public information etc. can be adopted, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a configuration in which an easily deformable rib 48 which is easily plastically deformed is formed in the spoke portion 24 is adopted.

Further, an airbag device A and a horn switch device S are incorporated in the steering wheel 14 in the steering device of the present embodiment.

The airbag device A includes an inflator 50,
The airbag 52 and the pad cover 54 are attached to the device case 5.
6 are assembled. Attachment of the airbag device A is performed using the spoke portions 26 of the wheel core 26.
a supporting flange 58a of a supporting plate 58 screwed (not shown) to the mounting flange 5 of the device case 56;
Horn switch device S is arranged at three places between
Performed by point support. The switch device S
Is a conventional one in which a coil spring 64 is disposed between a fixed contact 60 fixed to the support flange 58a and a movable contact 62 fixed to the mounting flange 56a, and therefore detailed description is omitted. 66 is a guide post (stepped bolt) for moving the movable contact 62 in the axial direction, and 68 is a pressing rib.

The steering apparatus according to the present embodiment is used by being mounted on a vehicle. When an impact load is applied to the vehicle, for example, when the vehicle is running, the driver's body interferes with the upper surface of the wheel 14. Then, the spring elastic body disposed below the boss portion 22 of the wheel 14 is displaced in the load acting direction to absorb the impact energy. At this time, the EA function of the column-type EA means 41 or the wheel self-aligning mechanism 48 operates before or simultaneously with the EA function to reduce the impact load based on the interference between the body of the occupant (driver) and the steering wheel 12. can do.

[0028]

According to the steering apparatus of the present invention, a spring elastic body is attached to the base side of the boss attaching portion of the steering shaft, and the spring elastic body is attached to the steering wheel boss when an impact load acts on the steering wheel. To reduce the impact on the body of the occupant (driver) before or at the same time that the column-type EA means and the EA function of the wheel self-aligning function by supporting the EA function by compressing the EA. And a complex EA absorption becomes possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of a steering device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view taken along line 2-2 in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of a novel EA mechanism in one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an essential part showing an embodiment in which an example of the column-type EA means is similarly incorporated.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Steering shaft 14 Steering wheel 16 Boss attaching part 22 Boss part of steering wheel 30 Stopper step part 38 Coil spring (spring elastic body) 40 Steering column 41 Column type EA means mechanism 48 Easy deformation rib (Wheel self-aligning mechanism)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Nao Yamamoto 1 Nagahata, Ochiai, Kasuga-machi, Nishi-Kasugai-gun, Aichi Prefecture Inside Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) in Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. 3D030 DA82 DE02 DE26 DE33 3D054 AA02 AA13 AA26 BB06 BB26 DD09

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle steering apparatus comprising a steering shaft and a steering wheel, wherein the steering wheel is mounted via a boss mounting portion formed at a tip of the steering shaft, wherein the boss mounting of the steering shaft is performed. A spring elastic body is attached to the base side of the portion, and the boss portion of the steering wheel is supported so as to compress the spring elastic body and absorb impact energy when an impact load is applied to the steering wheel. Characteristic vehicle steering device. 2. The vehicle steering system according to claim 1, further comprising means for absorbing impact energy by plastic deformation (hereinafter referred to as "plastic deformation EA means"). 3. A vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said plastic deformation EA means is a column type EA means for moving a steering shaft in an axial direction. 4. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said plastic deformation EA means is a wheel self-aligning EA means.