JP2008087583A - Steering device and method for assembling steering device - Google Patents

Abstract

A steering apparatus is provided that can be connected to a connecting portion of a first housing and a second housing without causing a twist.
An inlay recess 71 of an outer column 12a is inserted into an inlay recess 72 of a cylinder 67, and a flange 73 of the outer column 12a is inserted into a screw hole 73 provided in the cylinder while sliding the inlay protrusion and the inlay recess. The bolt insertion hole 70b provided in 70 is matched, and the connecting bolt 74 inserted through the bolt insertion hole is temporarily screwed into the screw hole 73 of the cylindrical portion. Then, the tilt bracket 24 of the outer column 12 a is attached to the vehicle body side member 21, and the vehicle front side of the power steering gear housing 61 is attached to the vehicle body side member 21 via the vehicle body side bracket 63. Finally, the connecting bolt that has been temporarily screwed into the screw hole of the tube portion is screwed into the screw hole, and the flange and the tube portion are fastened by the connecting bolt.
[Selection] Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering device including a tilt mechanism that tilts and tilts a housing that rotatably supports a steering shaft, and an electric power steering device that transmits a steering assist force to the steering shaft, and a method for assembling the steering device.

As a conventional steering device including a tilt mechanism and an electric power steering device, for example, a device described in Patent Document 1 is known.
The housing that rotatably supports the steering shaft of the device of Patent Document 1 includes a first housing disposed on the front side of the vehicle body, and a second housing connected to an end of the first housing on the rear side of the vehicle body. ing. The first housing includes a first bracket that is attached to the vehicle body side member so as to rotate in the vertical direction about a tilt pivot shaft provided at an end portion on the vehicle body front side, and an electric power steering device housed in the first housing The speed reduction mechanism is connected to the end of the steering shaft. Further, a tilt mechanism portion is provided on the rear side of the second housing with respect to the vehicle body, and a second bracket of the tilt mechanism portion is attached to the vehicle body side member.
JP 2006-56430 A (FIG. 1)

  By the way, the above-mentioned patent document 1 requires that the mounting position of the vehicle body side member for mounting the first bracket of the first housing and the second bracket of the second housing, for example, the mounting bolt position of the vehicle body side member be formed with high accuracy. When the first housing and the second housing are connected, there is a possibility that the connecting portion between the first housing and the second housing may be twisted or the first housing and the second housing may be misaligned. As described above, in a housing in which the connecting portion between the first housing and the second housing is twisted or misaligned, the tilt tilt operability by the tilt mechanism may be deteriorated.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made paying attention to the unsolved problems of the above-described conventional example, and the first housing and the second housing constituting the housing can be formed without forming the mounting position of the vehicle body side member with high accuracy. To provide a steering device and a method of assembling the steering device that can connect the first housing and the second housing without causing a twist in the connecting portion of the housing, and do not affect the operability of tilt tilting by the tilt mechanism. It is an object.

  In order to achieve the above object, a steering device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a tilt mechanism that tilts and tilts a cylindrical housing that rotatably supports a steering shaft, and an electric motor that transmits a steering assist force to the steering shaft. A power steering device, and the housing includes a first housing disposed on the front side of the vehicle body and a second housing connected to an end portion of the first housing on the vehicle body rear side and extending to the vehicle rear side. The first housing is integrally provided with the electric power steering device, and is attached to the vehicle body side member so that the housing can be rotated in the vertical direction about the tilt pivot shaft at the end portion on the front side of the vehicle. The second housing includes a second bracket for attaching the tilt mechanism to a vehicle body side member. In the steering apparatus, when the first bracket and the second bracket are attached to the vehicle body side member, the first housing and the second housing are connected to each other. The steering device is characterized in that it is temporarily connected so that the position of the end surface with which it comes into contact is relatively adjustable.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the steering apparatus according to the first aspect, an axial center provided on one end surface of the first housing and the second housing opposite to each other in the connecting portion is centered on a circle. An annular spigot convex part, and a circular spigot concave part provided on the other end surface and centered on the shaft core fitted into the spigot convex part, and the first bracket and the second bracket are provided. When attached to the vehicle body side member, the spigot protrusion and the spigot recess are slidable in the circumferential direction.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the steering apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the connecting portion includes a screw hole provided on one end face of the first housing and the second housing, and the first housing. And at least two bolt insertion holes formed in a flange provided on the outer periphery of the other end of the second housing and having a long axis extending in the circumferential direction, and inserted into these bolt insertion holes. A connecting bolt that is screwed into the screw hole, and the connecting bolt is temporarily screwed into the screw hole when the first bracket and the second bracket are attached to the vehicle body side member. .

  On the other hand, the invention according to claim 4 is the method for assembling the steering device according to any one of the above items 1 to 3, wherein first, the first housing and the second housing are aligned with each other. The end surfaces of the first housing and the second bracket of the second housing are connected to each other on the side of the vehicle body so that the end surfaces of the first housing and the second bracket of the first housing are connected to each other. After attaching the first bracket and the second bracket to the vehicle body side member, the connecting portion is connected so that the first housing and the second housing are relatively non-rotatable. A method for assembling a steering device.

  According to the steering device of the present invention, when the first housing and the second bracket are attached to the vehicle body side member, the connecting portion of the first housing and the second housing is attached to the first housing and the second housing. Since the end surfaces of the housings that are in contact with each other are temporarily connected so that the positions can be adjusted relative to each other, the first housing and the second housing can be connected without causing a twist in the connecting portion of the first housing and the second housing. They can be connected, and the operability of tilt tilting by the tilt mechanism is not affected.

  Further, according to the steering device assembly method of the present invention, first, the first housing and the second housing are brought into contact with each other so as to be relatively rotatable while aligning the axis of each other. Temporarily connected, and then, the first bracket of the first housing and the second bracket of the second housing are attached to the vehicle body side member, and the vehicle body side members of the first bracket and the second bracket are attached. Since the first housing and the second housing are connected to each other so that the first housing and the second housing are relatively non-rotatable after the mounting to the first housing and the second housing is completed. It is possible to easily assemble a housing in which the shaft centers coincide without causing twisting.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a vehicle assembled with a steering device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part showing a first embodiment of the steering device according to the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a first embodiment of a steering apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 5 is a side view showing an outer column constituting the second housing of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line D-D in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the main part in the axial direction showing the connection structure between the cylindrical portion of the gear housing constituting the first housing of the present invention and the outer column, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a view showing a structure for supporting a tilt pivot shaft provided in the cylindrical portion of the housing, FIG. 9 is a view taken along the line AA in FIG. 4, FIG. 10 is a view taken along the line BB in FIG. It is a CC line arrow directional view of 2.

  In FIG. 1, a steering column device 10 includes a steering column 12 that supports a steering shaft 11 so as to be rotatable. A steering wheel 13 is mounted at the rear end of the steering shaft 11, and an intermediate shaft 15 is connected to the front end of the steering shaft 11 via a universal joint 14. A steering gear 17 composed of a rack and pinion mechanism or the like is connected to the intermediate shaft 15 via a universal joint 16 at its front end. The output shaft of the steering gear 17 is connected to the steered wheel 19 through a tie rod 18.

When the driver steers the steering wheel 13, the rotational force is transmitted to the steering gear 17 via the steering shaft 11, the universal joint 14, the intermediate shaft 15, and the universal joint 16, and the rack and pinion mechanism rotates the vehicle. The steered wheel 19 is steered through the tie rod 18 after being converted into a linear motion in the width direction.
In addition, peripheral parts P such as a control switch, a combination switch, a column cover, and the like for driving an electric tilt mechanism 30 and an electric telescopic mechanism 50 described later are disposed at a rear portion of the steering column 12 in the vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the steering column device 10 is disposed so as to be inclined backward by a predetermined angle θ with respect to the horizontal direction of the vehicle. The steering shaft 11 of the steering column device 10 includes an outer shaft 11a to which a steering wheel 13 is attached, and an inner shaft 11b that is slidably engaged with the outer shaft 11a by spline coupling or serration coupling. ing.

  The steering column 12 of the steering column device 10 includes an outer column 12a as a second housing, and an inner column 12b that is slidably held by the outer column 12a. The steering shaft 11 is rotatably supported by a rolling bearing 12f disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the portion and a rolling bearing (not shown) disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the vehicle front side end portion of the outer column 12a. .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a cylindrical portion 67 of a power steering gear housing 61 as a first housing of the electric power steering device 60 is provided at an end of the outer column 12 a on the vehicle front side (universal joint 14 side). Coaxially connected. The outer column 12a and the cylindrical portion 67 constitute the housing of the present invention.
The electric power steering device 60 includes a power steering gear housing 61 having a built-in worm reduction mechanism, an electric motor 65 connected to the power steering gear housing 61, and a drive control unit that controls the driving of the electric motor 65. The worm reduction mechanism is connected to the end side of the steering shaft 11 (inner shaft 11b).

Here, the connection structure of the outer column 12a and the cylindrical portion 67 of the power steering gear housing 61 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a flange 70 is integrally formed on an outer periphery of an end portion of the outer column 12 a facing the vehicle front side. As shown in FIG. 6, the flange 70 is provided with two bulging portions 70a that bulge outward in the radial direction at equally spaced positions in the circumferential direction. An elongated hole insertion hole 70b having a shaft extending in the circumferential direction is formed. An annular spigot projection 71 centering on the axis P1 of the outer column 12a is formed to project from an end surface of the outer column 12a facing the vehicle front side.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a circular inlay recess 72 centering on the axis P <b> 2 of the cylindrical portion 67 is formed on the end surface of the cylindrical portion 67 of the power steering gear housing 61 facing the vehicle rear side. The inner diameter of the recessed portion is set to be approximately the same as the outer diameter of the recessed portion 71 formed on the outer column 12a. Moreover, the screw hole 73 is formed in the end surface which faces the vehicle rear side of the cylinder part 67 in the position corresponding to the two bolt insertion holes 70b provided in the outer column 12a.

  And the bolt insertion hole 70b provided in the outer column 12a is aligned with the screw hole 73 provided in the cylindrical portion 67, and the inlay convex portion 71 of the outer column 12a can be relatively rotated with the inlay concave portion 72 of the cylindrical portion 67. By inserting the connecting bolt 74 inserted into the bolt insertion hole 70b into the screw hole 73 of the cylindrical portion 67, the outer column 12a and the cylindrical portion 67 of the power steering gear housing 61 are connected coaxially.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an insertion hole 61 a through which the tilt pivot shaft 62 is inserted is formed on the vehicle front side of the power steering gear housing 61. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the insertion hole 61a of the power steering gear housing 61 is provided with a flanged bush 61b made of synthetic resin and having elastic elasticity, and left and right vehicle body side brackets are attached to the inner peripheral surface of the flanged bush 61b. A cylindrical collar 61c reaching between 63 is inserted. The tilt pivot shaft 62 has a configuration in which a bolt head 62a is formed at one end and a male screw portion 62b is formed at the other end. The tilt pivot shaft 62 is inserted into one of the insertion holes 63a formed in the vehicle body side bracket 63 and the cylindrical collar 61c mounted in the insertion hole 61a of the power steering gear housing 61 in a state where the axes are aligned. The male screw 62b is inserted from the hole 63a through the cylindrical collar 61c so as to protrude from the other insertion hole 63a, and the nut 62c is screwed into the protruded male screw 62b, whereby the vehicle body side as the first bracket is inserted. The bracket 63 is attached.

Further, the vehicle rear side of the outer column 12a on the steering wheel 13 side is supported by the vehicle body side member 21 via a tilt bracket 24 as a second bracket.
As shown in FIG. 9, the tilt bracket 24 includes a mounting plate portion 24b having a bulging portion 24a in which a central portion that is mounted on the vehicle body side member 21 as viewed from the front is bulged upward, and the mounting plate portion 24b. The guide plate portions 24c and 24d extending downward from the left and right positions of the bulging portion 24a and the bottom plate portion 24e connecting the lower end portions of the guide plate portions 24c and 24d are formed in a rectangular frame shape. .

  The outer column 12a is inserted into a guide space 24f surrounded by the mounting plate portion 24b, the guide plate portions 24c and 24d, and the bottom plate portion 24e of the tilt bracket 24. The outer column 12a has a protruding portion that protrudes in the horizontal direction, and is formed with guide plate portions 12d and 12e having end portions that have vertical guide surfaces 12c that are close to and opposed to the guide plate portions 24c and 24d. The guide plate portion 12e is held by the electric tilt mechanism 30 so as to be movable in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the electric tilt mechanism 30 is fixedly disposed by a restraining member 32 in a substantially square frame-shaped tilt gear housing 31 formed integrally with the lower end portion of the guide plate portion 24d of the tilt bracket 24. The screw shaft 35 extended in the vertical direction along the guide plate portion 24d and rotatably supported by the rolling bearing 33 and the rolling bearing 34 disposed on the lower surface of the mounting plate portion 24b of the tilt bracket 24 described above. Have

  A worm wheel 36 is mounted on the screw shaft 35 in the vicinity of the rolling bearing 33 in the tilt gear housing 31, and a worm 37 is engaged with the worm wheel 36. The worm 37 is rotatably held by rolling bearings 38 a and 38 b disposed in the tilt gear housing 31, and one end of the worm 37 is fixed to a mounting plate portion 24 g formed in the tilt gear housing 31. The output shaft 40a is coupled via a coupling 39.

  A cylindrical cover 41 that covers the screw shaft 35 is disposed in an insertion hole 31 a through which the screw shaft 35 of the tilt gear housing 31 is inserted, and the tip of the cylindrical cover 41 is in large contact with the outer peripheral surface of the screw shaft 35. A lip 42 made of a synthetic resin such as polyurethane having elasticity is disposed. Similarly, a lip 43 slidably contacting the outer peripheral surface of the screw shaft 35 is also provided on the lower end surface of the rolling bearing 34.

  A nut 45 held by a nut holder 44 having a square cross section is screwed between the lips 42 and 43 of the screw shaft 35. The nut holder 44 engages in a guide groove 46 formed in the guide plate portion 24d of the tilt bracket 24 and extending in the vertical direction, so that the rotational movement around the axis of the screw shaft 35 of the nut holder 44 is restricted. The nut holder 44 is moved in the vertical direction by forward and reverse rotation of the screw shaft 35. An engaging pin 47 protruding from the nut holder 44 is engaged with a long hole 24h extending in the axial direction of the outer column 12a formed at the tip of the outer column 12a.

Accordingly, when the worm 37 is driven forward / reversely by the electric motor 40, the screw shaft 35 is driven forward / reversely via the worm wheel 36, whereby the nut holder 44 is moved up and down, and the integrated outer column 12a and power steering are moved. The gear housing 61 can be swung up and down about the tilt pivot shaft 62 to exert a tilt function.
An electric telescopic mechanism 50 is provided between the outer column 12 a and the inner column 12 b of the steering column 12.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electric telescopic mechanism 50 has a telescopic gear housing 51 fixed to the steering wheel 13 side of the outer column 12 a of the steering column 12. On the telescopic gear housing 51, a worm wheel 54 is rotatably supported by rolling bearings 52 and 53 that are arranged to face each other at a predetermined distance in the axial direction of the steering column 12. The worm wheel 54 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a large-diameter outer peripheral surface at the center and small-diameter outer peripheral surfaces fitted with rolling bearings 52 and 53 on both ends sandwiching the large-diameter outer peripheral surface. In addition, a helical gear 54a is formed, and a female screw 54b is formed on the inner peripheral surface.

A worm 56 connected to an output shaft of an electric motor 55 fixed to the telescopic gear housing 51 via a coupling is engaged with the worm teeth 54a of the worm wheel 54, similarly to the tilt mechanism 30 described above.
As shown in FIG. 11, the worm 56 connected to the output shaft of the electric motor 55 attached to the telescopic gear housing 51 is engaged with the helical gear 54 a of the worm wheel 54. The worm 56 is rotatably supported by rolling bearings 81a and 81b disposed in the gear housing 51. The worm wheel 54 and the worm 56 constitute a speed reducer. Further, a linear motion mechanism is constituted by a connecting rod 58 and a female threaded portion 54b of the worm wheel 54 described later.

Further, a connecting plate 57 extending in the same direction as the telescopic gear housing 51 and disposed at a distance from the end surface of the outer column 12a is attached in the vicinity of the end of the inner column 12b of the steering column 12 on the steering wheel 13 side. A connecting rod 58 is disposed between the plate 57 and the telescopic gear housing 51.
The connecting rod 58 includes an outer rod 58a having one end rotatably attached to the lower end of the connecting plate 57, and an inner rod 58b slidably engaged with the other end of the outer rod 58a.

  The engaging portion between the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b restricts the relative movement in the axial direction between the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b depending on human power such as a normal driver. A connecting member 80 is provided that allows relative movement between the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b when transmitted to the outer rod 58a via the steering wheel 13, the inner column 12b, and the connecting plate 57.

The connecting member 80 has a configuration in which a thin leaf spring material formed in a ring shape in which the cross section is uneven in the circumferential direction is formed in a ring shape, and a collapse load that allows relative movement of the outer rod 58a and the inner rod 58b is, for example, It is set to about 2 kN or more.
The inner rod 58b is formed with a male screw 58c on the side opposite to the outer rod 58a side. The male screw 58c is screwed into a female screw 54b of a worm wheel 54 rotatably supported by the telescopic gear housing 51, thereby connecting rods. 58 is arranged so as to be parallel to the axial direction of the steering column 12.

Accordingly, the electric motor 55 is driven forward and backward to drive the worm wheel 54 forward and backward through the worm 56, and the inner rod 58b moves forward and backward in the axial direction of the steering column 12, thereby causing the outer rod 58a and the connecting plate 57 to pass through. As a result, the inner column 12b is driven to extend and contract in the axial direction so that a telescopic function can be exhibited.
Next, operation | movement of the steering column apparatus 10 of this embodiment is demonstrated.

  Now, in order for the driver to adjust the tilt of the steering column 12 of the steering column device 10, the control for the tilt mechanism provided in the peripheral part P provided in the rear part of the steering column 12 shown in FIG. When the switch is operated in the tilt-up direction (or tilt-down direction), the electric motor 40 of the electric tilt mechanism 30 is driven forward (or reverse), for example.

  In response to this, by driving the screw shaft 35 in reverse (or forward) via the worm 37 via the worm 37, the nut 45 moves upward (or downward) as viewed in FIG. Since the engaging pin 47 formed on the nut holder 44 is engaged with the long hole 24 h formed on the outer column 12 a of the steering column 12, the outer column 12 a moves upward (downward) about the tilt pivot shaft 63. It can be rotated to perform tilt up (or tilt down) adjustment.

In addition, in order for the driver to perform telescopic adjustment of the steering column of the steering column device 10, a control switch for a telescopic mechanism provided on a peripheral part P disposed in the rear portion of the steering column 12 shown in FIG. When operated in the extension direction (or the contraction direction), the electric motor 55 of the electric telescopic mechanism 50 is driven forward (or reverse), for example.
That is, when the telescopic mechanism combination switch is operated in the extending direction, the electric motor 55 is driven to cause the worm wheel 54 to rotate forward via the worm 56, whereby the inner rod 58b moves to the vehicle rear side. When the inner rod 58b moves to the vehicle rear side, the outer rod 58a that is integrally connected to the inner rod 58b by the connecting member 80 so as not to slip is also moved to the vehicle rear side. When the outer rod 58a moves to the vehicle rear side, the inner column 12b fixed to the outer rod 58a via the connecting plate 57 is pulled out from the outer column 12a, and the steering column 12 extends. At this time, as the inner column 12b moves, the outer shaft 11a of the steering shaft 11 also moves toward the vehicle rear side, and telescopic adjustment is performed so that the steering wheel 13 also moves toward the vehicle rear side.

  Further, when the telescopic mechanism control switch is operated in the contracting direction, the electric motor 55 is driven to reverse the worm wheel 54 via the worm 56, whereby the inner rod 58b moves to the front side of the vehicle. When the inner rod 58b moves to the vehicle front side, the outer rod 58a also moves to the vehicle front side. When the outer rod 58a moves to the front side of the vehicle, the inner column 12b is inserted into the outer column 12a and the steering column 12 contracts. At this time, as the inner column 12b moves, the outer shaft 11a of the steering shaft 11 also moves to the front side of the vehicle, and telescopic adjustment is performed so that the steering wheel 13 also becomes the front side of the vehicle.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, when an impact load F directed toward the front of the vehicle acts on the steering wheel 13, a column axial component force Fx of the impact load F acts on the inner column 12b of the steering column device 10. When the column axial component force Fx is transmitted to the connecting rod 58 via the connecting plate 57 and exceeds the set collapse load, the outer rod 58a and the inner rod are allowed to contract relative to each other. Since the connecting member 80 slides to the front side of the vehicle while being elastically contacted with 58b, the impact energy is reliably absorbed.

Next, a procedure for attaching the cylindrical portion 67 of the outer column 12a and the power steering gear housing 61 to the vehicle body side member 21 and connecting the cylindrical portion 67 of the outer column 12a and the power steering gear housing 61 will be described.
First, the spigot convex part 71 of the outer column 12a is inserted into the spigot concave part 72 of the cylindrical part 67, and the outer column 12a is inserted into the screw hole 73 provided in the cylindrical part 67 while sliding the spigot convex part 71 and the spigot concave part 72. The bolt insertion hole 70b provided in the flange 70 is matched. Then, the connecting bolt 74 inserted into the bolt insertion hole 70b is temporarily screwed into the screw hole 73 of the cylindrical portion 67 so that the connecting bolt 74 can be moved in the long axis direction of the bolt insertion hole 70b having a long hole shape. And the outer column 12a and the cylinder part 67 are temporarily connected, making the inlay recessed part 72 relatively rotatable.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the tilt bracket 24 connected to the vehicle rear side of the outer column 12 a is attached to the vehicle body side member 21 and tilted to the insertion hole 61 a provided on the vehicle front side of the power steering gear housing 61. By inserting the pivot shaft 62, the vehicle front side of the power steering gear housing 61 is attached to the vehicle body side member 21 via the vehicle body side bracket 63.
At this time, when the mounting bolt positions of the tilt bracket 24 of the outer column 12a and the vehicle body side member 21 are aligned, the insertion hole 61a of the power steering gear housing 61 and the axis of the tilt pivot shaft 62 are aligned, The inlay recess 72 rotates relatively and moves the connecting bolt 74 and the bolt insertion hole 70b relatively in the major axis direction.

Finally, the connecting bolt 74 that has been temporarily screwed into the screw hole 73 of the cylindrical portion 67 is screwed into the screw hole 73, and the flange 70 and the cylindrical portion 67 are fastened by the connecting bolt 74, whereby the outer column 12a and the power steering gear housing. The connection of the 61 cylindrical portions 67 is completed.
By connecting the outer column 12a and the cylindrical portion 67 of the power steering gear housing 61 and attaching the outer column 12a and the cylindrical portion 67 to the vehicle body side member 21 in such a procedure, for example, the mounting bolt position of the vehicle body side member 21 is set. Even if it is not formed with high precision, the outer column 12a and the cylindrical portion 67 that are temporarily connected to each other rotate the inlay convex portion 71 of the outer column 12a and the inlay concave portion 72 of the cylindrical portion 67 that are mutually engaged with each other. Since the elongated hole insertion hole 70b and the connecting bolt 74 are relatively moved in the major axis direction, errors in the mounting bolt position of the vehicle body side member 21 can be absorbed, and the shaft core P1 of the outer column 12a and The axial center P2 of the cylindrical portion 67 of the power steering gear housing 61 is made to coincide with each other, and the connecting portion between the outer column 12a and the cylindrical portion 67 is not twisted. It is possible to sintering, it is possible to perform attachment to the vehicle body side member 21 of the outer column 12a and the cylindrical portion 67 easily.

Since the shaft cores P1 and P2 coincide with each other, and the cylindrical portion 67 of the outer column 12a and the power steering gear housing 61 is attached without generating a twist at the connecting portion, the integrated outer column 12a and power steering gear housing 61 are integrated. Thus, the tilting operation of swinging up and down around the tilt pivot shaft 62 can be performed normally.
In the first embodiment described above, the outer column 12a and the cylinder are formed by forming the flange 70 on the outer column 12a and fastening the cylindrical portion 67 of the power steering gear housing 61 with the connecting bolt 74 via the flange 70. Although the structure which connects the part 67 was demonstrated, the flange which provided the bolt insertion hole with which the long axis extended in the circumferential direction was formed in the cylinder part 67, and the outer column 12a is connected with a connection bolt via this flange. You may make it connect the outer column 12a and the cylinder part 67 by fastening.

In the first embodiment, the case where the outer column 12a of the steering column 12 is fixed to the vehicle body side member 21 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and although not shown, the power steering gear housing 61 is connected to the inner column 12b. The cylindrical portion 67 may be connected coaxially, and the steering wheel 13 may be attached to the outer column 12a.
In the first embodiment, the case where the connecting rod 58 is disposed on the lower side of the steering column 12 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. If the connecting rod 58 is parallel to the steering column 12, the steering is performed. It can be arranged in any direction on the circumference of the column 12.

  In the first embodiment, only the electric telescopic mechanism 50 is provided with a mechanism for absorbing the impact load at the time of the secondary collision. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the nut holder 44 and the nut of the electric tilt mechanism 30 are not limited thereto. A contraction portion that contracts when the component force Fy in the direction perpendicular to the column axis of the impact load F at the time of a secondary collision exceeding a predetermined collapse load may be formed between the first and second collapse loads.

Furthermore, although the case where the electric telescopic mechanism 50 is provided has been described in the first embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the steering column device 10 including the electric tilt mechanism 30 and the electric power steering device 60 is used. May be.
In the first embodiment, the structure in which the outer column 12a and the cylindrical portion 67 of the power steering gear housing 61 are connected by the connecting bolt 74 via the flange 70 has been described. However, the gist of the present invention is limited to this. is not. That is, a perfect circular bolt insertion hole is formed in the flange 70 and the connection bolt 74 is inserted to connect the outer column 12a and the cylindrical portion 67 so that they cannot be relatively rotated. The portion into which the insertion hole 61a for inserting the tilt pivot shaft 62 is formed and the portion including the cylindrical portion 67 are divided, and a flange is integrally formed on one of them, and the long axis extends in the circumferential direction on the flange. An elongated hole-shaped bolt insertion hole is formed, and a connecting bolt is inserted into the elongated hole-shaped bolt insertion hole, so that the portion where the insertion hole 61a is formed and the portion including the cylindrical portion 67 are relative to each other. May be connected so as to be rotatable.

1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a vehicle in which a steering device according to the present invention is assembled. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows 1st Embodiment of the steering device by this invention. 1 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of a steering device according to the present invention. 1 is a side view showing a first embodiment of a steering device according to the present invention. It is a side view which shows the outer column which comprises the 2nd housing of this invention. FIG. 6 is a view taken along line DD in FIG. 5. It is principal part sectional drawing of the axial direction which shows the connection structure of the cylinder part of the gear housing which comprises the 1st housing of this invention, and an outer column. It is a figure which shows the structure which supports the tilt pivot axis | shaft provided in the cylinder part of the gear housing. It is an AA arrow directional view of FIG. It is a BB line arrow directional view of FIG. FIG. 3 is a view taken along line CC in FIG. 2.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Steering column apparatus, 11 ... Steering shaft, 11a ... Outer shaft, 11b ... Inner shaft, 12 ... Steering column, 12a ... Outer column (2nd housing), 12b ... Inner column, 12d, 12e ... Guide plate part, 12f DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS Rolling bearing, 13 Steering wheel, 14 Universal joint, 15 Intermediate shaft, 16 Universal joint, 17 Steering gear, 18 Tie rod, 19 Steering wheel, 21 Car body member, 24 Tilt bracket 2 bracket), 24a ... bulging portion, 24b ... mounting plate portion, 24c, 24d ... guide plate portion, 24 ... e bottom plate portion, 24f ... guide space, 24g ... mounting plate portion, 24h ... long hole, 30 ... electric tilt Mechanism, 31 ... tilt gear housing, 32 ... restraining member, 33 ... rolling Bearing, 34 ... Rolling bearing, 35 ... Screw shaft, 36 ... Worm wheel, 37 ... Worm, 38a, 38b ... Rolling bearing, 39 ... Coupling, 40 ... Electric motor, 40a ... Output shaft, 41 ... Cylindrical cover, 42 ... Lip, 43 ... Lip, 44 ... Nut holder, 45 ... Nut, 47 ... Engagement pin, 50 ... Electric telescopic mechanism, 51 ... Telescopic gear housing, 52, 53 ... Rolling bearing, 54 ... Worm wheel, 54a ... Helical gear, 54b ... Female screw, 55 ... Electric motor, 56 ... Worm, 57 ... Connection plate, 58 ... Connection rod, 58a ... Outer rod, 58b ... Inner rod, 60 ... Electric power steering device, 61 ... Power steering gear housing, 61a ... Insertion hole, 61b ... bush, 61c ... cylindrical collar, 62 tilt pivot shaft, 63 ... body side bush Ket (first bracket), 67 ... cylindrical portion (first housing), 70 ... flange, 70a ... bulge portion, 70b ... bolt insertion hole, 71 ... inlay projection, 72 ... inlay recess, 73 ... screw hole, 74 ... Connection bolt, 80 ... Connection member, P ... Peripheral parts, P1 ... Outer column axis, P2 ... Cylinder part axis

Claims (4)

A tilt mechanism that tilts and tilts a cylindrical housing that rotatably supports the steering shaft, and an electric power steering device that transmits a steering assist force to the steering shaft, the housing being disposed on the front side of the vehicle body A first housing; and a second housing connected to an end of the first housing on the vehicle body rear side and extending to the vehicle rear side. The first housing is provided integrally with the electric power steering device. A first bracket that is attached to a vehicle body side member so that the housing can be pivoted up and down around a tilt pivot shaft at an end portion on the vehicle front side, and the second housing has the tilt mechanism attached to the vehicle body side. In the steering device including the second bracket attached to the member,
When the connecting portion of the first housing and the second housing is attached to the vehicle body side member with the connecting portion of the first housing and the second housing, the end surfaces of the first housing and the second housing that contact each other are A steering apparatus characterized by being temporarily connected so as to be relatively position-adjustable.   The connecting portion is provided with an annular spigot projection centered on one of the opposing end surfaces of the first housing and the second housing, and an inlay convex portion provided on the other end surface. When the first bracket and the second bracket are attached to the vehicle body side member, the spigot convex part and the spigot concave part are 2. The steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the steering apparatus is slidable in a circumferential direction.   The connecting portion is formed in a screw hole provided on one end face of the first housing and the second housing and a flange provided on the outer periphery of the other end of the first housing and the second housing. Including at least two bolt insertion holes having a long hole shape extending in the circumferential direction, and connecting bolts that are inserted through the bolt insertion holes and screwed into the screw holes, the first bracket and the second bracket The steering apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the bracket is attached to the vehicle body side member, the connecting bolt is temporarily screwed into the screw hole. The method for assembling a steering device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
First, the first housing and the second housing are temporarily connected to each other so as to be relatively rotatable while aligning the axis of each other,
Next, the first bracket of the first housing and the second bracket of the second housing are attached to the vehicle body side member,
After the attachment of the first bracket and the second bracket to the vehicle body side member is completed, the connecting portion is connected so that the first housing and the second housing are relatively non-rotatable. Assembling method of steering apparatus.

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