JP2007083879A - Steering column device - Google Patents

Abstract

【Task】
A steering column device having excellent durability and good operation feeling is provided.
[Solution]
At the time of tilt / telescopic adjustment, the contact plate portions 21b and 21b are in contact with the side surface of the column main body 2 including the ear portion 2a and the side surface of the surface pushing block 4, so Since direct contact between the metal of the face-pressing block 4 and the arm portion 1b can be avoided and an appropriate sliding resistance can be given, thereby improving the operation feeling and excessive operating noise (for example, metal Generation of rubbing sound) can be suppressed. Since the contact plate portions 21b and 21b are backed up by the spring member 22 and are projected to the outside of the arm portion 1b with the aid of the biasing force, the elasticity that is insufficient with only the resin is compensated, Even when the resin material itself is deformed or worn, the initial performance can be maintained.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering column device that supports a steering shaft so as to be adjustable with respect to at least one of a tilt direction and a telescopic direction.

  The steering column device is an important safety and security component of the vehicle, and it is very important how to control the behavior at the time of the collision in order to ensure the safety of the passenger at the time of the collision. Normally, the steering column device itself is provided with an impact energy absorbing mechanism, and also plays an important role as a support member for an air bag accommodated in the steering wheel.

  On the other hand, in order to optimize the driver's driving posture, a general steering column device can adjust the tilt angle of the steering wheel according to the driver's physique and driving posture, and adjust the axial direction position of the steering wheel It can be done.

Here, in Patent Document 1, in tilt telescopic adjustment provided as a position adjustment mechanism of a steering device, a slide guide slot is provided in a column body or a bracket, and a clamp shaft is released along the slide guide slot when the clamp is released. It is described that it is moved and adjusted. Further, Patent Document 2 describes that a resin material guide is provided in the slide guide long hole portion to provide spring properties.
JP 2004-338549 A US Pat. No. 5,596,907

  However, in the slide guide function described in Patent Document 1, if the gap is adjusted to be small in order to reduce backlash, the sliding operation resistance increases, and the feeling of sliding between metals remains, so that the operation feeling during adjustment deteriorates. . On the other hand, if the gap is adjusted to a large extent (the amount of looseness is insufficient), there will naturally be a sense of backlash, and a hitting sound or a feeling of slipping between metals will occur. There is.

  On the other hand, as shown in Patent Document 2, if resin is used for the slide guide long hole portion, contact between metals can be avoided, but if the surface pressure of the resin material is increased when the steering column is fixed, it can be used for a long time. As a result, the resin material may be deformed, sag, etc., which may cause looseness during adjustment and deteriorate the operation feeling. In addition, when adjusting the gap in consideration of the settling and deformation of the resin material, it may be difficult to make a fine setting or the steering column may be loose.

  The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a steering column device having excellent durability and good operation feeling.

A steering column device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a steering column device that supports a steering shaft so that the position of the steering shaft can be adjusted with respect to at least one of a tilt direction and a telescopic direction.
A bracket attached to the vehicle body;
A column body that rotatably supports the steering shaft;
A pressing member arranged to interpose at least a part of the bracket between the column body;
At the time of fixing, the column main body and the pressing member are brought close to each other to grip at least a part of the bracket, and at the time of position adjustment, the column main body and the pressing member are separated from each other so as to be relative to at least a part of the bracket. A drive member that drives to allow movement;
A buffer guide attached to the bracket,
The buffer guide is provided with a sliding member that abuts against at least one of the column main body and the pressing member, and a spring member that biases the sliding member toward the at least one. And

A steering column device according to a second aspect of the present invention is a steering column device that supports a steering shaft so that the position of the steering shaft can be adjusted in at least one of a tilt direction and a telescopic direction.
A bracket attached to the vehicle body;
A column body that rotatably supports the steering shaft;
A pressing member arranged to interpose at least a part of the bracket between the column body;
At the time of fixing, the column main body and the pressing member are brought close to each other to grip at least a part of the bracket, and at the time of position adjustment, the column main body and the pressing member are separated from each other so as to be relative to at least a part of the bracket. A drive member that drives to allow movement;
A buffer guide attached to the column body,
The buffer guide is provided with a sliding member that abuts against at least one of the bracket and the pressing member, and a spring member that biases the sliding member toward the at least one. To do.

  According to the steering column device of the first aspect of the present invention, the buffer guide includes a sliding member that contacts at least one of the column main body and the pressing member, and the sliding member faces the at least one. A biasing spring member, and at the time of position adjustment, at least a part of the bracket, at least one of the column body and the pressing member by the sliding member biased by the spring member; Direct contact can be suppressed and an appropriate sliding resistance can be provided, thereby improving the operational feeling and suppressing the generation of excessive operating noise. Further, since the sliding member is stably pressed against the adjusting member for a long period of time by the urging force of the spring member, the initial performance can be maintained even when the resin material itself is deformed or set. In the present specification, the “telescopic direction” refers to the axial direction of the steering shaft, and the “tilt direction” refers to the direction (particularly the vertical direction) intersecting with it.

  Further, a pair of the sliding members are provided along an edge of an opening of the bracket provided for inserting a shaft that supports the column main body, and the spring member is disposed between the pair of sliding members. Preferably. In this case, by making the biasing force of the spring member smaller than the driving force of the driving member, the sliding member can be retracted into the opening at the time of fixing, so that at least a part of the bracket, Since at least one of the column main body and the pressing member can be brought into direct contact, or the contact area can be increased, the holding force can be further increased, which is preferable.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the groove of the sliding member has a blocking portion that prevents the spring member from falling off.

  According to the steering column device of the second aspect of the present invention, the buffer guide is provided with a sliding member that comes into contact with at least one of the bracket and the pressing member, and the sliding member is attached to the at least one side. And a spring member for biasing, and at the time of position adjustment, at least a part of the column main body and at least one of the bracket and the pressing member by the sliding member biased by the spring member. Direct contact can be suppressed and appropriate sliding resistance can be provided, thereby improving the operational feeling and suppressing the generation of excessive operating noise. Further, since the sliding member is stably pressed against the adjusting member for a long period of time by the urging force of the spring member, the initial performance can be maintained even when the resin material itself is deformed or set.

  Further, a pair of the sliding members are provided along an edge of the opening of the column main body provided for inserting a shaft that supports the column main body, and the spring member is interposed between the pair of sliding members. It is preferable that they are arranged.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the groove of the sliding member has a blocking portion that prevents the spring member from falling off.

  Hereinafter, a tilt / telescopic steering device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the steering column device according to the present embodiment.

  A bracket 1 for bolting the top plate 1a to a vehicle body (not shown) with respect to a vehicle body (not shown) has a pair of arm portions 1b, 1b extending downward from both side edges. Between the pair of arms 1b and 1b, a columnar column main body 2 that rotatably supports a steering shaft S that connects a steering wheel (not shown) and a steering mechanism is disposed. Each arm portion 1b has a rectangular opening 1c extending in a direction intersecting the axis of the steering shaft S, and a buffer guide 20 is attached to the inner periphery thereof. The column body 2 has ears 2a and 2a extending downward from both side surfaces so as to face the arm parts 1b and 1b. Each ear 2a has an axis of the steering shaft S. A long hole 2b extending in the extending direction is formed.

  The lever shaft 3 passes through the elongated hole 2a of the column body 2 and the buffer guide 20 in the rectangular opening 1c in a direction crossing the steering shaft S. In the figure, the left end of the lever shaft 3 protruding from the left arm portion 1b passes through a rectangular plate-like surface pushing block 4 and a thrust roller bearing 5 arranged so as to face the outer surface of the arm portion 1b. And screwed into the nut 6. On the other hand, the right end of the lever shaft 3 protruding from the right arm portion 1b in the figure has a rectangular plate-shaped surface pushing block 4 disposed so as to face the outer surface of the arm portion 1b, cam members 8 and 9, And is fixed to the end of the operation lever 10. The cam member 8 is fixed integrally with the surface pushing block 4, whereas the cam member 9 rotates integrally with the operation lever 10, and both protrude from the opposite axial direction. Department. The surface pressing block 4 constitutes a pressing member. The lever shaft 3, the cam members 8 and 9, and the operation lever 10 constitute a drive member.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the buffer guide 20 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the buffer guide 20 according to the present embodiment. In the figure, the buffer guide 20 includes a rectangular frame-like sliding member 21 having an opening for allowing the lever shaft 3 to pass therethrough, and wavy elongated spring plates 22 and 22. The sliding member 21 molded from resin is provided with a groove portion 21a extending in the longitudinal direction on each of both outer side surfaces. By fitting the edge of the rectangular opening 1c of the arm portion 1b into the groove portion 21a, the sliding member 21 is rectangular. It can be attached to the opening 1c. A pair of abutting plate portions 21b and 21b extending in the longitudinal direction are formed along the edges of the openings which are both inner side surfaces. The contact plate portions 21b and 21b can pivot or tilt with respect to the frame-shaped main body of the sliding member 21, respectively. A spring plate 22 having an overall shape shown in FIG. 3 is arranged between the contact plate portions 21b and 21b. In the free state due to the biasing force, the contact plate portions 21b and 21b as shown in FIG. It pushes outward from the arm 1b. In the figure of the frame-shaped main body of the sliding member 21, holes 21c and 21c into which the spring plate 22 can be inserted from the longitudinal direction are formed in the upper part and the lower part (only one is sufficient).

  The operation of this embodiment will be described. 4 is a view of the steering column device of the present embodiment as viewed in the direction of the arrow IV in FIG. 1, wherein (a) shows a tilt adjustment and (b) shows a locked state. In the locked state, the convex portion of the cam member 9 faces the convex portion of the cam member 8 in the axial direction, and an axial force is generated in the lever shaft 3. When the operator wants to adjust the tilt / telescopic position by releasing the lock from such a state, when the operator rotates the operation lever 10, the lever shaft 3 that has been double-sided rotates integrally. When the lever shaft 3 rotates, the cam member 9 rotates with respect to the cam member 8.

  When the cam member 9 rotates with respect to the cam member 8, the opposing portions of the convex portions are disengaged, so that the axial force of the lever shaft 3 decreases. Thereby, the column main body 2 and the surface pressing block 4 are separated from each other and the distance therebetween increases, and a gap Δ is generated between the column main body 2 and the surface pressing block 4 and the arm portion 1b. Therefore, when the position is adjusted, the column main body 2 is displaced with respect to the bracket 1 so that the tilt / telescopic adjustment can be appropriately performed.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 4A, the contact plate portions 21b and 21b are stretched outward beyond the thickness of the arm portion 1b by the biasing force of the spring member 22 so as to fill the gap Δ. It comes out. In this state, the contact plate portions 21b and 21b contact the side surface of the column main body 2 including the ear portions 2a and the side surface of the surface pressing block 4, so that the column main body 2 and the surface Since direct contact between the metal of the block 4 and the arm portion 1b can be avoided and an appropriate sliding resistance can be given, the operation feeling is thereby improved, and an excessive operating sound (for example, a sound of metal rubbing) ) Can be suppressed.

  When the steering column device is locked after the tilt / telescopic adjustment, when the operator rotates the operation lever 10 in the opposite direction, the cam member 9 is moved with respect to the cam member 8 together with the lever shaft 3 which is double-sided. Rotate in the same direction. When the cam member 9 rotates with respect to the cam member 8, the convex portions ride on each other, so that the axial force of the lever shaft 3 increases. As a result, a force is applied (driven) in the direction in which the column main body 2 and the surface pushing block 4 and the arm portion 1b are close to each other, so that the force is applied against the urging force of the spring member 22 as shown in FIG. The contact plate portions 21b and 21b are accommodated in the rectangular opening 1c of the arm portion 1b, and finally the column main body 2 and the face pressing block 4 and the arm portion 1b are brought into close contact with each other, and are generated between them. The steering column device is locked by the friction force.

  When the tilt / telescopic adjustment is performed again, the contact plate portions 21b and 21b are backed up by the spring member 22 and bulge outward from the arm portion 1b with the aid of the biasing force. Even if it compensates for insufficient elasticity by itself or the resin material itself is deformed or sag, the initial performance can be maintained.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a buffer guide 20 'according to a modification of the present embodiment. The sliding member 21 ′ according to the present modification is different only in the shape of the contact plate portion 21 b ′. More specifically, claw portions 21d 'and 21d' extending so as to face each other are provided at the ends of the pair of contact plate portions 21b 'and 21b'. The claw portions 21 d ′ and 21 d ′ that are blocking portions can prevent the spring member 22 disposed between the contact plate portions 21 b ′ and 21 b ′ from dropping off even if excessive vibration occurs.

  FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a steering column device according to another embodiment. In the present embodiment, the buffer guide 20 is provided in the rectangular opening 2 b ′ formed in the ear portion 2 a of the column body 2. The lever shaft 3 passes through the buffer guide 20 and the long hole 1c ′ formed in the arm portion 1b of the bracket 1, and a surface pushing block (not shown) is connected to the back side of the buffer guide 20 and the arm portion 1b. They are arranged on the front side. Other configurations including the buffer guide 20 are the same as those in the embodiment shown in FIG.

  At the time of tilt / telescopic adjustment, the abutting plate portions 21b and 21b protrude outward beyond the thickness of the ear portion 2a by the biasing force of the spring member 22. In this state, the abutting plate portions 21b and 21b abut against the side surface of the arm portion 1b and the side surface of the surface pressing block (not shown). Since direct contact between metals can be avoided and an appropriate sliding resistance can be given, the operation feeling can be improved thereby, and the generation of excessive operating noise (for example, noise that metal rubs) can be suppressed.

  As described above, the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately changed and improved without departing from the spirit thereof. Of course there is. For example, as the spring plate 22, it is desirable to use a corrugated spring using spring steel, but the material and shape are not particularly limited as long as a stable function can be realized. Further, the buffer guide 20 composed of the sliding member 21 and the spring plate 22 may be provided on either one of the arm portions 1b depending on the configuration of the steering column device or the tilt / telescopic adjustment mechanism, or the surface pushing block 4 May be provided.

It is an exploded view of the steering column apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the buffer guide 20 concerning this Embodiment. It is an exploded view of the buffer guide 20 concerning this Embodiment. It is the figure which looked at the steering column apparatus of this Embodiment in the arrow IV direction of FIG. It is a section perspective view of buffer guide 20 'concerning a modification of this embodiment. It is a partial expansion perspective view of the steering column apparatus concerning another embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bracket 1a Top plate 1b Arm part 1c Rectangular opening 2 Column main body 2a Ear part 2b Long hole 3 Lever shaft 4 Face pushing block 5 Thrust roller bearing 6 Nut 8, 9 Cam member 10 Operation lever 20 Buffering guide 21 Sliding member 21a Groove part 21b Contact plate part 21c Hole 21d 'Claw part S Steering shaft

Claims (6)

In the steering column device that supports the steering shaft so that the position of the steering shaft can be adjusted in at least one of the tilt direction and the telescopic direction.
A bracket attached to the vehicle body;
A column body that rotatably supports the steering shaft;
A pressing member arranged to interpose at least a part of the bracket between the column body;
At the time of fixing, the column main body and the pressing member are brought close to each other to grip at least a part of the bracket, and at the time of position adjustment, the column main body and the pressing member are separated from each other so as to be relative to at least a part of the bracket. A drive member that drives to allow movement;
A buffer guide attached to the bracket,
The buffer guide is provided with a sliding member that abuts against at least one of the column main body and the pressing member, and a spring member that biases the sliding member toward the at least one. Steering column device.   A pair of the sliding members are provided along an edge of an opening of the bracket provided for inserting a shaft that supports the column main body, and the spring member is disposed between the pair of sliding members. The steering column device according to claim 1, wherein   The steering column device according to claim 2, wherein the groove of the sliding member has a blocking portion that prevents the spring member from falling off. In a steering column device that supports a steering shaft so that the position of the steering shaft can be adjusted in at least one of a tilt direction and a telescopic direction
A bracket attached to the vehicle body;
A column body that rotatably supports the steering shaft;
A pressing member arranged to interpose at least a part of the bracket between the column body;
At the time of fixing, the column main body and the pressing member are brought close to each other to grip at least a part of the bracket, and at the time of position adjustment, the column main body and the pressing member are separated from each other so as to be relative to at least a part of the bracket. A drive member that drives to allow movement;
A buffer guide attached to the column body,
The buffer guide is provided with a sliding member that abuts against at least one of the bracket and the pressing member, and a spring member that biases the sliding member toward the at least one. Steering column device.   A pair of the sliding members are provided along an edge of an opening of the column main body provided for inserting a shaft that supports the column main body, and the spring member is disposed between the pair of sliding members. The steering column device according to claim 4, wherein the steering column device is provided. The steering column device according to claim 5, wherein the groove of the sliding member has a blocking portion that prevents the spring member from falling off.

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