JP2014144761A - Steering device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering device capable of inhibiting tooth tip locking between gear teeth without reducing the number of teeth of the respective gear teeth, in a structure where the attitude of column jacket is locked by making the gear teeth be engaged with each other.SOLUTION: In a steering device 1, in the case of tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A, an idle gear 53 is arranged with play between a first tooth 51 connected to a movable bracket 23 fixed to an outer jacket 17 of a column jacket 6 and a second tooth 52 connected to a fixed bracket 22 at the side of a vehicle body 100. The attitude of the column jacket 6 can be locked by making first rack teeth 54 of the first tooth 51 and the idle gear 53 be engaged with each other and making second rack teeth 62 of the second tooth 52 and the idle gear 53 be engaged with each other. The lock can be canceled by canceling the engaging state between the rack teeth.

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering device.

  For example, in the steering column device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the tilt mechanism is locked and unlocked and the telescopic mechanism is locked and unlocked by a single operation lever. The steering column device includes a jacket constituted by an upper jacket and a lower jacket, a pair of side brackets for sandwiching the jacket from the left and right sides, and a distance bracket coupled to the upper jacket.

  Further, the steering column device is provided with a cam mechanism for fixing the distance bracket to the pair of side brackets and a tooth lock mechanism for strengthening the connection between the distance bracket and the side bracket in the telescopic direction. The tooth lock mechanism includes a lock tooth formed with rack teeth and attached to the distance bracket, and an engagement tooth provided on a fixed cam of the cam mechanism. When the rack teeth and the meshing teeth mesh with each other, the distance bracket is firmly fixed to the side bracket in the telescopic direction, and the posture of the jacket is locked. Therefore, safety can be improved.

JP 2008-239111 A

  In the steering column device of Patent Document 1, the tip locks of the rack teeth and the meshing teeth (referred to being locked to the halfway while the tooth tips ride on each other, sometimes called half-lock or half-fitting) The structure to prevent is adopted. Specifically, every other tooth is thinned out in the rack teeth and / or the mesh teeth, and the tip pitch in at least one of the rack teeth and the mesh teeth is set to n times. However, in this configuration, since the rack teeth and the meshing teeth have fewer teeth that mesh with each other, there is a limit to firmly fixing the distance bracket to the side bracket. Further, if both the rack teeth and the meshing teeth are n times m times, a slight slip occurs.

  The present invention has been made under such a background. In the configuration in which the posture of the column jacket is locked by meshing the gear teeth, the number of teeth in each gear tooth can be reduced without reducing the number of teeth. An object of the present invention is to provide a steering device capable of suppressing the tooth tip lock.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a steering shaft (2) having a steering member (7) attached to one end (2A), a hollow inner jacket (18), and the inner jacket are inserted into the inner jacket. A hollow outer jacket (17) that is relatively movable in the axial direction (X) of the steering shaft, and accommodates and rotatably supports the steering shaft, so that at least one of telescopic adjustment and tilt adjustment is possible. A possible column jacket (6), a movable bracket (23) fixed to the outer jacket, a fixed bracket (22) fixed to the vehicle body (100) and movably supporting the movable bracket, and the movable bracket And movable teeth (51, 52), which are connected to be movable together with the first rack teeth (54), and the fixed bracket A fixed tooth (52, 51) formed with second rack teeth (62) and a first surface (72, 71) opposite to the movable tooth and formed with the first rack teeth. And a second surface (71, 72) on which the second rack teeth are formed, facing the fixed tooth, and arranged with play (J) between the movable tooth and the fixed tooth. The idle gear (53) and the movable tooth and the first rack teeth on the first surface are meshed with each other, and the fixed tooth and the second rack teeth on the second surface are meshed with each other, so that the column jacket is positioned. The steering device (1) includes a lock / release mechanism (40) that locks the column jacket and unlocks the column jacket by releasing the meshed state of the rack teeth.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the tooth tip (54A, 62A) and the tooth bottom (54B, 62B) of the first rack tooth of the movable tooth and the second rack tooth of the fixed tooth coincide with each other. The idle gear is in a neutral position, and the play is within a range of ± 1/2 of the pitch (P1, P2, P) of the first rack tooth or the second rack tooth from the neutral position. The steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the steering apparatus is provided.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the deviation between the tooth tip (54A) of the first rack tooth on the first surface and the tooth bottom (54B) of the first rack tooth of the movable tooth is determined by the pitch of the first rack tooth ( P1) is suppressed to less than one half of the second rack tooth, and the second rack tooth is displaced from the tip (62A) of the second rack tooth of the second surface and the root (62B) of the second rack tooth of the fixed tooth. The steering apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising holding means (81, 82) for holding the idle gear so as to suppress the pitch (P2) to less than one half.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the holding means includes an arc-shaped first recess (77, 74) formed in one of the first surface and the movable tooth, and the other of the first surface and the movable tooth. A first protrusion (57, 66) that fits in the first recess and a first biasing member (56, 65) that biases the first protrusion toward the first recess. A holding portion (81); an arcuate second recess (74, 77) formed on one of the second surface and the fixed tooth; and the other of the second surface and the fixed tooth, A second holding portion (82) having a second convex portion (66, 57) that fits into two concave portions, and a second biasing member (65, 56) that biases the second convex portion to the second concave portion; The steering apparatus according to claim 3, comprising:

A fifth aspect of the present invention is the steering apparatus according to the fourth aspect, wherein the first urging member and the second urging member are integrally formed.
A sixth aspect of the present invention is the steering apparatus according to any one of the second to fifth aspects, wherein the tooth tips (54A, 62A) of the idle gear are flat.
The invention according to claim 7 is the steering apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6, further comprising a return member (96) for returning the idle gear to the neutral position.

  In addition, in the above, the numbers in parentheses represent reference numerals of corresponding components in the embodiments described later, but the scope of the claims is not limited by these reference numerals.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the movable tooth on the movable bracket (outer jacket) side and the fixed tooth on the fixed bracket (vehicle body) side are indirectly engaged with each other through the idle gear by meshing with the idle gear. This locks the posture of the column jacket. Here, the idle gear is arranged with play between the movable tooth and the fixed tooth. Therefore, even if the first rack tooth of the movable tooth and the idle gear tries to lock the tooth tip, or the second rack tooth of the fixed tooth and the idle gear tries to lock the tooth tip, the idle gear does not lock the tooth tip. Can move. Thereby, the tip lock | rock between 1st rack teeth and between 2nd rack teeth can be suppressed, without reducing the number of teeth in each of a 1st rack tooth and a 2nd rack tooth.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, if the idle gear play is within a range of ± 1/2 of the pitch of the first rack tooth or the second rack tooth from the neutral position, The tip lock between two rack teeth can be effectively suppressed.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, in each of the first rack teeth and the second rack teeth, the tooth tip lock occurs when the deviation between the tooth tip and the tooth bottom reaches one half of the pitch. Although it becomes easy, since the holding | maintenance means holding an idle gear has restrained the said shift to less than 1/2 of a pitch, a tooth top lock | rock can be suppressed reliably.

According to invention of Claim 4, a holding means can be simply comprised by the 1st holding | maintenance part and 2nd holding | maintenance part which each have a recessed part, a convex part, and an urging | biasing member.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the number of parts can be reduced by integrally forming the first urging member of the first holding part and the second urging member of the second holding part.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the idle gear having a flat tooth tip can move so that the tooth tip lock does not occur.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, even if the idle gear deviates from the neutral position, the idle gear can be returned to the neutral position by the return member, so that it is effective to lock the tooth tips between the first rack teeth and between the second rack teeth. Can be suppressed.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the steering device. 4 (a) and 4 (b) are perspective views of the idle gear as seen from two different directions, and FIG. 4 (c) is a side view of the idle gear. FIG. 5 is a side view of the main part of the steering device in the unlocked state. FIG. 6 is a side view of the main part of the steering device in the locked state. FIG. 7 is a diagram in which a modification is applied to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram in which a modification is applied to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram in which a modification is applied to FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a tooth lock mechanism according to another configuration. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the engagement of the rack teeth. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram for explaining the engagement of the rack teeth. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining the engagement of the rack teeth. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram for explaining the engagement of the rack teeth. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram for explaining the engagement of the rack teeth. FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram for explaining the engagement of the rack teeth. FIG. 17 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of relative movement between the rack teeth and the amount of deviation.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, steering apparatus 1 mainly includes a steering shaft 2, an intermediate shaft 3, a pinion shaft 4, a rack shaft 5, and a column jacket 6.
The steering shaft 2 extends rearward and upward so as to be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. Therefore, the axial direction X of the steering shaft 2 is a direction toward the rear upper side or the front lower side. A steering member 7 such as a steering wheel is attached to one end (upper rear end) 2A in the axial direction X of the steering shaft 2.

  The steering shaft 2 and the intermediate shaft 3 are connected via a universal joint 8. The intermediate shaft 3 and the pinion shaft 4 are connected via a universal joint 9. A pinion 10 is provided in the vicinity of the end of the pinion shaft 4 opposite to the universal joint 9 (the lower end in FIG. 1). The rack shaft 5 extends in the left-right direction Y (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1) of the vehicle body 100 of the automobile. The rack shaft 5 is supported in a rack housing 11 fixed to the vehicle body 100 so as to be linearly reciprocable in the left-right direction Y via a bearing (not shown). A rack 12 that meshes with the pinion 10 is formed on the rack shaft 5. The pinion shaft 4 and the rack shaft 5 constitute a rack and pinion mechanism. Although not shown, the rack shaft 5 is coupled with a pair of tie rods. Each tie rod is connected to a corresponding steered wheel via a corresponding knuckle arm. When the steering member 7 is operated to rotate the steering shaft 2, this rotation is converted into a linear motion of the rack shaft 5 along the left-right direction Y by the pinion 10 and the rack 12. Thereby, the turning of a steered wheel is achieved.

  The steering shaft 2 has an upper shaft 13 and a lower shaft 14. In this embodiment, the lower part of the upper shaft 13 is hollow, and the lower shaft 14 is coaxially inserted into the hollow part of the upper shaft 13 from the front lower side. The upper shaft 13 and the lower shaft 14 are, for example, spline-fitted, can rotate together with each other, and are relatively movable in the axial direction X.

The column jacket 6 has a cylindrical shape extending along the axial direction X. The steering shaft 2 is accommodated coaxially with respect to the column jacket 6, and is rotatably supported by the column jacket 6 via a plurality of bearings 15 and 16.
The column jacket 6 includes an outer jacket 17 that is an upper jacket and an inner jacket 18 that is a lower jacket. The outer jacket 17 and the inner jacket 18 are hollow, and in this embodiment, are thick tubes. The inner jacket 18 has a smaller diameter than the outer jacket 17 and is coaxially inserted into the hollow portion of the outer jacket 17 from the front lower side. Thus, the outer jacket 17 and the inner jacket 18 are fitted so as to be capable of relative sliding in the axial direction X of the steering shaft 2.

The outer jacket 17 rotatably supports the upper shaft 13 via a bearing 15 at the upper end portion thereof. Further, the outer jacket 17 is connected to the upper shaft 13 via the bearing 15, and can move integrally with the upper shaft 13 along the axial direction X.
The inner jacket 18 rotatably supports the lower shaft 14 via a bearing 16 at the lower end thereof. A lower column bracket 19 extending upward is fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the inner jacket 18. The lower column bracket 19 is rotatably supported via a tilt center shaft 21 by a lower fixing bracket 20 fixed to the vehicle body 100. Thus, the entire column jacket 6 (including the steering shaft 2) can be rotated around the tilt center shaft 21. Hereinafter, the rotation of the column jacket 6 may be expressed as “tilt”, and the rotation amount of the column jacket 6 may be expressed as “tilt amount”.

The entire column jacket 6 is rotated (tilted) about the tilt center axis 21 to adjust the inclination of the entire column jacket 6 with respect to the horizontal direction. By such adjustment (tilt adjustment), the position of the steering member 7 in the height direction Z (corresponding to the tilt direction of the column jacket 6) can be adjusted.
In the column jacket 6, the position of the inner jacket 18 (in the axial direction X) supported by the lower fixing bracket 20 is fixed, and the outer jacket 17 is attached to the inner jacket 18 in the axial direction along with the upper shaft 13. It can move relative to X (slidable). As the outer jacket 17 moves relatively, each of the column jacket 6 and the steering shaft 2 can expand and contract in the axial direction X. Hereinafter, the expansion / contraction here may be expressed as “telescopic”, and the expansion / contraction amount here may be expressed as “telescopic amount”. Telescopic adjustment (telescopic adjustment) is possible by adjusting the amount of expansion and contraction of the column jacket 6 (including the steering shaft 2). By the telescopic adjustment, the position of the steering member 7 in the axial direction X and the position in the height direction Z can be adjusted.

Thus, the column jacket 6 can be adjusted in telescopic and tilt.
2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the steering device.
Here, FIG. 2 is a diagram when viewed from the user operating the steering member 7. The vertical direction (height direction Z) in FIG. 1 is the same as the vertical direction in FIG. In the following description, the vertical and horizontal directions in FIG. 2 will be used as a reference in addition to the vertical and backward directions in FIG.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, steering device 1 includes a fixed bracket 22 fixed to vehicle body 100 and a movable bracket 23 that is displaced together with steering member 7 during tilt adjustment or telescopic adjustment.
The fixed bracket 22 is also called a tilt bracket, and integrally includes a first side plate 24, a second side plate 25, a connection plate 26, and a pair of left and right mounting stays 27.

  The first side plate 24 and the second side plate 25 have a plate shape that is thin in the left-right direction Y and extends in the axial direction X (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2) and the height direction Z, and is spaced apart in the left-right direction Y. Opposite. The first side plate 24 is located on the left side of the second side plate 25. A tilt guide groove 29 is formed in each of the first side plate 24 and the second side plate 25. The tilt guide groove 29 is a long hole that penetrates the first side plate 24 and the second side plate 25 in the left-right direction Y and is long in the height direction Z. The tilt guide groove 29 has a linear shape that substantially follows the rotation trajectory of the column jacket 6 (see FIG. 1), but may have an arc shape that matches the rotation trajectory. When viewed from the left-right direction Y, the tilt guide groove 29 of the first side plate 24 and the tilt guide groove 29 of the second side plate 25 completely coincide. The connection plate 26 is thin in the height direction Z, extends in the left-right direction Y, and connects the upper ends of the first side plate 24 and the second side plate 25 to each other. Thereby, the cross section of the group of the 1st side board 24, the 2nd side board 25, and the connection board 26 becomes the substantially U shape where the upper and lower sides were reversed. The pair of left and right mounting stays 27 are thin plate-shaped in the height direction Z, the left mounting stay 27 extends to the left from the upper end of the first side plate 24, and the right mounting stay 27 is the second mounting stay 27. The side plate 25 extends from the upper end to the right side.

  The fixing bracket 22 is fixed to the vehicle body 100 via an attachment body 30 connected to each attachment stay 27. Each attachment stay 27 and attachment body 30 are connected by a breakable synthetic resin pin 31 that penetrates the attachment stay 27 in the height direction Z. Each attachment body 30 is fixed to the vehicle body 100 by a fixing bolt 32. It is fixed. The pin 31 connects the fixed bracket 22 and the vehicle body 100 so as to be detachable at the time of a secondary collision.

The movable bracket 23 is also referred to as a telescopic bracket, and is a groove-shaped (U-shaped cross section) member that opens downward. The movable bracket 23 is integrally provided with a third side plate 33, a fourth side plate 34, and a connecting plate 35.
The third side plate 33 and the fourth side plate 34 are plate-like shapes that are thin in the left-right direction Y and extend in the height direction Z, and are opposed to each other with an interval in the left-right direction Y. The third side plate 33 is located on the left side of the fourth side plate 34. A telescopic guide groove 36 that is long in the axial direction X is formed in each of the third side plate 33 and the fourth side plate 34 so as to penetrate in the left-right direction Y. When viewed from the left-right direction Y, the telescopic guide groove 36 of the third side plate 33 and the telescopic guide groove 36 of the fourth side plate 34 completely coincide with each other.

  The third side plate 33 and the fourth side plate 34 are disposed between the first side plate 24 and the second side plate 25 of the fixed bracket 22. Specifically, the third side plate 33 is along the inner side surface (right side surface) 24A of the first side plate 24, and the fourth side plate 34 is along the inner side surface (left side surface) 25A of the second side plate 25 of the fixing bracket 22. ing. The tilt guide groove 29 of the first side plate 24 and the telescopic guide groove 36 of the third side plate 33 intersect and partially overlap when viewed from the left-right direction Y (see also FIG. 1). Similarly, the tilt guide groove 29 of the second side plate 25 and the telescopic guide groove 36 of the fourth side plate 34 intersect and partially overlap when viewed from the left-right direction Y.

  The outer jacket 17 of the column jacket 6 is disposed below the first side plate 24, the second side plate 25, the third side plate 33, and the fourth side plate 34. The lower ends of the third side plate 33 and the fourth side plate 34 of the movable bracket 23 are fixed to the upper portion of the outer peripheral surface of the outer jacket 17 by welding or the like. The outer jacket 17 in this state is separated downward from the first side plate 24 and the second side plate 25 and is not in contact with the fixed bracket 22.

Further, the steering device 1 includes a lock / release mechanism 40. The lock / release mechanism 40 includes a tightening shaft 41 extending in the left-right direction Y, an operation lever 42, a cam 43, a cam follower 44, and a boss member 88.
The fastening shaft 41 is formed in substantially the same shape as the hexagon bolt. The axial direction of the fastening shaft 41 coincides with the left-right direction Y. The fastening shaft 41 integrally includes a columnar shaft portion 45 extending along the left-right direction Y and a head portion 46 provided at the right end portion of the shaft portion 45.

  The shaft portion 45 is a portion where the tilt guide groove 29 of the first side plate 24 and the telescopic guide groove 36 of the third side plate 33 overlap (intersection K, see also FIG. 1), and the telescopic guide groove of the fourth side plate 34. 36 and the tilt guide groove 29 of the second side plate 25 are inserted from the left in this order. That is, the fastening shaft 41 is inserted through both the tilt guide groove 29 and the telescopic guide groove 36 on the left side (first side plate 24 and third side plate 33 side), and on the right side (second side plate 25 and fourth side plate). 34 side) of the tilt guide groove 29 and the telescopic guide groove 36 are also inserted.

  The head 46 is located on the right side of the second side plate 25. The left end portion of the shaft portion 45 protrudes to the left side of the first side plate 24. A male screw 45 </ b> A is formed at the left end portion of the shaft portion 45. A nut-shaped female screw member 47 provided on the operation lever 42 is screwed into the male screw 45A. Thereby, the operation lever 42 can be rotated around the fastening shaft 41.

The cam 43, the cam follower 44, and the boss member 88 are hollow bodies and are externally fitted to the shaft portion 45 of the fastening shaft 41.
The cam 43 has a ring shape, is disposed on the outer side (left side) of the first side plate 24, and is attached to the operation lever 42. The cam 43 can rotate around the fastening shaft 41 together with the operation lever 42.

  The cam follower 44 integrally includes a ring-shaped ring portion 44A and a boss portion 44B extending from the ring portion 44A in the left-right direction Y (right side in FIG. 2). The outline (cross section) of the outer peripheral surface of the boss portion 44B is a quadrangle (square) (see FIG. 3). The hollow portions of the ring portion 44 </ b> A and the boss portion 44 </ b> B are connected to each other and have a cylindrical shape that can be inserted just through the shaft portion 45 of the fastening shaft 41. The cam follower 44 moves (slides) in the left-right direction Y with respect to the tightening shaft 41 without rotating together with the tightening shaft 41 in a state of being fitted to the left side portion of the tightening shaft 41. (Details will be described later). On the other hand, the fastening shaft 41 inserted through the cam follower 44 can rotate relative to the cam follower 44.

  The boss member 88 integrally includes a ring-shaped ring portion 88A and a boss portion 88B extending in the left-right direction Y (left side in FIG. 2) from the ring portion 88A. The outline (cross section) of the outer peripheral surface of the boss portion 88B is a quadrangle (square) (see FIG. 3). The hollow portions of the ring portion 88 </ b> A and the boss portion 88 </ b> B are connected to each other and have a cylindrical shape that can be inserted through the shaft portion 45 of the fastening shaft 41. The boss member 88 is configured not to rotate together with the fastening shaft 41 in a state of being fitted on the right side portion of the fastening shaft 41 (details will be described later). The ring portion 88A of the boss member 88 is along the head 46 of the fastening shaft 41 from the left side.

Here, cam protrusions 48 are formed on the mutually facing surfaces of the cam 43 and the cam follower 44 (the right side surface of the cam 43 and the left side surface of the ring portion 44A of the cam follower 44). The cam protrusion 48 of the cam 43 protrudes rightward toward the cam follower 44, and the cam protrusion 48 of the cam follower 44 protrudes leftward toward the cam 43.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the cam 43 and the cam projections 48 of the cam follower 44 face each other in the left-right direction Y, the cam follower 44 is separated from the cam 43 to the right side. Thereby, the space | interval of the ring part 44A of the cam follower 44 and the head part 46 (ring part 88A of the boss member 88) of the clamping shaft 41 in the left-right direction Y is narrowed.

  If the operating shaft 42 is operated in this state to rotate the fastening shaft 41 in one direction, the cam projections 48 of the cam 43 and the cam follower 44 do not face each other in the left-right direction Y, unlike the case of FIG. The cam follower 44 is shifted to the left so as to approach the cam 43. Thereby, the space | interval of the ring part 44A of the cam follower 44 in the left-right direction Y and the head part 46 (ring part 88A of the boss | hub member 88) of the clamping shaft 41 spreads.

  When the operating lever 42 is operated to rotate the tightening shaft 41 in the direction opposite to the one direction, the cam projections 48 of the cam 43 and the cam follower 44 face each other in the left-right direction Y as shown in FIG. Then, the cam follower 44 moves away from the cam 43 to the right side. Thereby, the space | interval of the ring part 44A of the cam follower 44 and the head part 46 (ring part 88A of the boss member 88) of the clamping shaft 41 in the left-right direction Y narrows again. Thus, since the first side plate 24 is pressed against the third side plate 33 and the second side plate 25 is pressed against the fourth side plate 34, the attitude of the steering device 1 is fixed by the frictional force between the side plates.

  The steering device 1 includes a pair of tooth lock mechanisms 50. With the tooth lock mechanism 50, the steering device 1 can lock the posture of the column jacket 6 and unlock the column jacket 6 for telescopic adjustment and tilt adjustment. Here, “locking” refers to fixing the posture of the steering device 1 with a force stronger than the frictional force described above.

  Of the pair of tooth lock mechanisms 50, one is a tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A disposed between the first side plate 24 of the fixed bracket 22 and the cam follower 44, and the other is the third side plate 33 of the movable bracket 23. This is a telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> B disposed between the fourth side plate 34 (near the third side plate 33). The tilt-side tooth lock mechanism 50A and the telescopic-side tooth lock mechanism 50B have different sizes, but the basic structure is almost the same. Therefore, the tooth lock mechanism 50 will be described below mainly focusing on the tilt-side tooth lock mechanism 50A. As for the telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50B, only the difference from the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A will be described. The steering device 1 may include two pairs of tooth lock mechanisms 50 as a whole by providing two sets of the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A and the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50B.

  Referring to FIG. 3, each tooth lock mechanism 50 includes a first tooth 51, a second tooth 52, and an idle gear 53. In the tilt-side tooth lock mechanism 50A, the first tooth 51 functions as a movable tooth, and the second tooth 52 functions as a fixed tooth. In the telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50B, the first tooth 51 functions as a fixed tooth, and the second tooth 52 functions as a movable tooth.

The first tooth 51 has a thin plate shape in the left-right direction Y. The first tooth 51 of the tilt-side tooth lock mechanism 50A is arranged so as to be vertically long. The left side surface 51L of the first tooth 51 (the surface on the right front side in FIG. 3) is flat in the axial direction X and the height direction Z.
Each first tooth 51 is formed with an insertion hole 58 that penetrates the first tooth 51 in the left-right direction Y. The insertion hole 58 has a square cross section and is formed at the approximate center of the first tooth 51. As described above, the boss portion 44B having a square cross section in the cam follower 44 is fitted into the insertion hole 58, the tilt guide groove 29 and the telescopic guide groove 36 of each first tooth 51, so that the cam follower 44 is tightened as described above. Co-rotation with the attached shaft 41 is prevented (see also FIG. 2). The cam follower 44 and the first tooth 51 of the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A may be integrally formed. Further, the boss member 88B having the square cross section of the boss member 88 described above is fitted into the tilt guide groove 29 and the telescopic guide groove 36, so that the boss member 88 and the fastening shaft 41 are co-located as described above. Rotation is prevented (see also FIG. 2).

  A large number of first rack teeth 54 are formed on the right side surface 51R of the first tooth 51 of the tilt-side tooth lock mechanism 50A. Each of the first rack teeth 54 has a substantially triangular cross section that narrows toward the right side (the back left side in FIG. 3). In the first tooth 51 of the tilt-side tooth lock mechanism 50A, the individual first rack teeth 54 extend in a streak shape along the axial direction X, and all the first rack teeth 54 are located on the entire right side surface 51R. They are arranged along the height direction Z (specifically, the longitudinal direction of the tilt guide groove 29).

  The first tooth 51 of the telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50B is disposed so as to be long in the axial direction X. A large number of second rack teeth 62 are formed on the left side surface 51 </ b> L of the first tooth 51. Each of the second rack teeth 62 has a substantially triangular cross section that is pointed toward the left side (the right front side in FIG. 3). The individual second rack teeth 62 extend in a streak shape along a direction orthogonal to the axial direction X (a direction close to the height direction Z), and all the second rack teeth 62 are formed on the left side surface 51L. The entire region is aligned along the axial direction X (specifically, the longitudinal direction of the telescopic guide groove 36).

In this embodiment, the first rack teeth 54 and the second rack teeth 62 have the same shape and dimensions, and the pitch of the first rack teeth 54 (the tooth tips 54A of adjacent teeth or the tooth bases 54B). ) P1 is equal to the pitch P2 of the second rack teeth 62 (see FIG. 5). Hereinafter, the pitches P1 and P2 may be collectively referred to as “pitch P”.
In each of the right side surface 51R of the first tooth 51 of the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A and the left side surface 51L of the first tooth 51 of the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50B, there are one recess 55 at two positions on both sides of the insertion hole 58. (See FIG. 5 for the depression 55 of the first tooth 51 of the tilt-side tooth lock mechanism 50A). Each recess 55 accommodates an urging member 56 configured as a coil spring extending in the depth direction (same as the left-right direction Y) (see FIG. 5). A spherical convex portion 57 is attached to the tip of the biasing member 56 that protrudes from the recess 55. That is, the convex portion 57 is provided on the first tooth 51 via the biasing member 56.

  The second tooth 52 has a rectangular plate shape that is thin in the left-right direction Y. The second tooth 52 of the tilt-side tooth lock mechanism 50A is vertically arranged, and the second tooth 52 of the telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50B is arranged to be long in the axial direction X. Further, the right side surface (the left back side surface in FIG. 3) 52R of the second tooth 52 of the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A and the left side surface 52L of the second tooth 52 of the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50B have an axial direction X and a high height. It is flat in the vertical direction Z.

  An insertion hole 60 that penetrates the second tooth 52 in the left-right direction Y is formed in the approximate center of each second tooth 52. The insertion hole 60 of the second tooth 52 in the tilt-side tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> A is a long hole that is larger than the tilt guide groove 29 and long in the height direction Z (longitudinal direction of the tilt guide groove 29). The insertion hole 60 of the second tooth 52 in the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50B is a long hole that is larger than the telescopic guide groove 36 and longer in the axial direction X (longitudinal direction of the telescopic guide groove 36).

  A large number of second rack teeth 62 are formed on the left side surface 52L of the second tooth 52 of the tilt-side tooth lock mechanism 50A. Each of the second rack teeth 62 has a substantially triangular cross section that narrows toward the left side (the right front side in FIG. 3). In the second tooth 52 of the tilt-side tooth lock mechanism 50A, the individual second rack teeth 62 extend in a streak shape along the axial direction X, and all the second rack teeth 62 extend over the entire left side surface 52L. They are arranged along the height direction Z (specifically, the longitudinal direction of the tilt guide groove 29).

  A large number of first rack teeth 54 are formed on the right side surface 52R of the second tooth 52 of the telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50B. Each of the first rack teeth 54 has a substantially triangular cross section that is pointed toward the right side (the left back side in FIG. 3). In the second tooth 52 of the telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50B, the individual first rack teeth 54 extend in a streak shape along the direction orthogonal to the axial direction X (the direction close to the height direction Z). The one rack tooth 54 is aligned along the axial direction X (specifically, the longitudinal direction of the telescopic guide groove 36) in the entire area of the right side surface 52R.

  On the left side surface 52L of the second tooth 52 of the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A and the right side surface 52R of the second tooth 52 of the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50B, on both sides of the insertion hole 60 in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the second tooth 52. Two recesses 64 are formed side by side in the longitudinal direction (the recesses 64 on the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50B side are not shown). Each depression 64 accommodates an urging member 65 configured as a coil spring extending in the depth direction (same as the left-right direction Y) (see FIG. 5). A spherical convex portion 66 is attached to the tip of the urging member 65 that protrudes from the recess 64 (see FIG. 5). That is, the convex portion 66 is provided on the second tooth 52 via the biasing member 65.

Next, the idle gear 53 will be described. 4A and 4B are perspective views of the idle gear 53 viewed from two different directions, and FIG. 4C is a side view of the idle gear 53. FIG. 5 is a side view of the main part of the steering device in the unlocked state. FIG. 6 is a side view of the main part of the steering device in the locked state.
Referring to FIG. 4, idle gear 53 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in a predetermined direction. In the following, the vertical direction in FIG. 4A is defined as the longitudinal direction L of the idle gear 53 with reference to the attitude of the idle gear 53 in FIG. A direction S and a thickness direction T perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction N and the short direction S are defined. The idle gear 53 has an A surface 71 and a B surface 72 that form both end surfaces in the thickness direction T. In the idle gear 53 of the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A, the B surface 72 functions as the first surface, and the A surface 71 functions as the second surface. In the idle gear 53 of the telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50B, the A surface 71 functions as a first surface, and the B surface 72 functions as a second surface.

In FIG. 4A, the B surface 72 is located on the near side of the A surface 71, and in FIG. 4B, the A surface 71 is located on the near side of the B surface 72.
Referring to FIG. 4 (b), one fitting groove 73 is formed on both sides of the A surface 71 in the short direction S (a region slightly inward of both end edges) over the entire region in the longitudinal direction L ( 2 in total). Each fitting groove 73 passes through the idle gear 53 in the longitudinal direction L. The bottom surface 73 </ b> A of each fitting groove 73 is configured by a plurality of (here, 9 to 10) concave portions 74 arranged in the longitudinal direction L. Each concave portion 74 extends in the short side direction S while being depressed toward the B surface 72 side, and has an arcuate (strictly semicircular arc) cross section when viewed from the short side S. The pitch of the adjacent recesses 74 (the interval between the deepest positions of the recesses 74) is the same size as the pitch P described above (see FIG. 5). That is, the recessed part 74 is provided for every pitch P.

  In the case of the idle gear 53 of the tilt-side tooth lock mechanism 50A, the entire area of the A surface 71 that avoids the fitting groove 73 (the area inside and outside the pair of fitting grooves 73 in the short direction S). In the case of the idle gear 53 of the telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50B, a number of first rack teeth 54 are formed (see also FIG. 3).

  Referring to FIG. 3, in the case of tilt-side tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> A, each second rack tooth 62 in idle gear 53 has the same shape as second rack tooth 62 of second tooth 52, and is generally pointed outward. It has a triangular cross section. The individual second rack teeth 62 extend in a line shape along the short direction S, and all the second rack teeth 62 are arranged along the longitudinal direction L. The second rack teeth 62 at positions facing the short direction S across the fitting groove 73 are completely overlapped when projected from the short direction S.

  In the case of the telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50B, each first rack tooth 54 in the idle gear 53 has the same shape as the first rack tooth 54 of the second tooth 52, and has a substantially triangular cross-section that points outward. ing. The individual first rack teeth 54 extend in a streak shape along the short-side direction S, and all the first rack teeth 54 are arranged along the longitudinal direction L. The first rack teeth 54 at positions facing the short direction S across the fitting groove 73 are completely overlapped when projected from the short direction S.

  Referring to FIG. 4, an insertion hole 68 that penetrates the idle gear 53 in the thickness direction T is formed in the approximate center of the B surface 72 in both the longitudinal direction L and the short direction S. The insertion hole 68 is formed between the pair of fitting grooves 73 (see FIG. 4B). Referring to FIG. 4C, the insertion hole 68 has a quadrangular cross section. The dimension in the longitudinal direction L of the insertion hole 68 is less than one of the pitches P (less than 1P) than the boss portion 44B of the cam follower 44 (the distance between two opposing sides in the rectangular cross section of the boss portion 44B). Great in range. Referring to FIG. 4A, on the B surface 72, on each side of the insertion hole 68 in the longitudinal direction L, there is one recess 77 that is recessed in an arc shape (strictly hemispherical) toward the A surface 71 side. Is formed. Further, in the case of the idle gear 53 of the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A, a large number of first rack teeth 54 are formed in the entire area of the B surface 72 excluding the insertion hole 68 and the recess 77, and the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism is formed. In the case of the 50B idle gear 53, a large number of second rack teeth 62 are formed (see also FIG. 3).

  Referring to FIG. 3, in the case of tilt-side tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> A, each first rack tooth 54 in idle gear 53 has the same shape as first rack tooth 54 of first tooth 51, and is generally pointed outward. It has a triangular cross section. The individual first rack teeth 54 extend in a streak shape along the short-side direction S, and all the first rack teeth 54 are arranged along the longitudinal direction L. The first rack teeth 54 located at positions facing the short direction S across the insertion hole 68 and the recess 77 are completely overlapped when projected from the short direction S.

  In the case of the telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50B, each of the second rack teeth 62 in the idle gear 53 has the same shape as the second rack teeth 62 of the first tooth 51, and has a substantially triangular cross section that points outward. ing. The individual second rack teeth 62 extend in a line shape along the short direction S, and all the second rack teeth 62 are arranged along the longitudinal direction L. The second rack teeth 62 located at positions facing the short direction S across the insertion hole 68 and the recess 77 are completely overlapped when projected from the short direction S.

  If the tip 54A of the first rack tooth 54 is sharp as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, it is effective for reducing the tip lock, but it is a flat surface as shown in FIG. May be. In addition, in the 1st rack tooth | gear 54, the tooth root 54B is also a flat surface according to the tooth tip 54A being a flat surface. In this case, the center of the flat surface in the tooth tip 54A in the width direction (corresponding to the longitudinal direction L described above) is referred to as the tooth tip center A of the first rack tooth 54, and the center in the width direction of the flat surface in the tooth bottom 54B. Is the root center B of the first rack tooth 54.

  Similar to the first rack tooth 54, the tooth tip 62A of the second rack tooth 62 may be a flat surface as shown in FIG. 5, and in this case, the tooth bottom 62B is also a flat surface. Yes. In this case, the center of the flat surface in the tooth tip 62A in the width direction (corresponding to the longitudinal direction L described above) is referred to as the tooth tip center C of the second rack tooth 62, and the center in the width direction of the flat surface in the tooth bottom 62B. Is the root center D of the second rack tooth 62.

  Referring to FIG. 3, in the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> A, the second tooth 52, the idle gear 53, the first side between the first side plate 24 and the ring portion 44 </ b> A of the cam follower 44 from the side closer to the first side plate 24. The teeth 51 are arranged in the left-right direction Y in this order. The second tooth 52 is fixed (coupled so as not to be relatively movable) to the first side plate 24 (fixed bracket 22) in a state where the insertion hole 60 and the tilt guide groove 29 overlap with each other when viewed from the left-right direction Y. Yes. Note that the second tooth 52 and the first side plate 24 may be integrally formed. In the idle gear 53 disposed between the second tooth 52 and the first tooth 51, the longitudinal direction L is along the longitudinal direction (height direction Z) of the tilt guide groove 29. In the idle gear 53, the first rack teeth 54 on the B surface 72 face the first rack teeth 54 of the first tooth 51 in the left-right direction Y, and the second rack teeth 62 on the A surface 71 are in the left-right direction Y. 2 is opposed to the second rack teeth 62 of the second tooth 52. Then, referring to FIG. 5, each convex portion 57 of the first tooth 51 becomes a plunger and fits in any one of the concave portions 77 (the concave portion 77 at the same position when viewed from the left-right direction Y) in the idle gear 53. ing. Further, each convex portion 66 of the second tooth 52 becomes a plunger, and is formed in any one of the concave portions 74 (the concave portion 74 at the same position when viewed from the left-right direction Y) in any one of the fitting grooves 73 of the idle gear 53. It fits. In this state, the biasing member 56 to which the convex portion 57 is attached biases the convex portion 57 to the concave portion 77, and the biasing member 65 to which the convex portion 66 is attached to the convex portion 66 to the concave portion 74. Energized. The idle gear 53 is elastically supported from both sides by the urging member 56 and the urging member 65. Here, in the tilt-side tooth lock mechanism 50A, the concave portion 77 (as the first concave portion), the convex portion 57 (as the first convex portion), and the biasing member 56 (as the first biasing member) are the first The holding part 81 is configured. Further, the convex portion 66 (as the second convex portion), the concave portion 74 (as the second concave portion), and the urging member 65 (as the second urging member) constitute the second holding portion 82. . The first holding part 81 and the second holding part 82 constitute holding means included in the steering device 1.

  Referring to FIG. 3, in telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> B, second tooth 52, idle gear 53, and first tooth 51 are arranged between third side plate 33 and fourth side plate 34 from the side closer to third side plate 33. Are arranged in the left-right direction Y in this order. In the second tooth 52, the left side surface 52L extends along the third side plate 33 (movable bracket 23) in a state where the insertion hole 60 and the telescopic guide groove 36 overlap each other when viewed from the left-right direction Y. At this time, in the idle gear 53 disposed between the second tooth 52 and the first tooth 51, the longitudinal direction L is along the longitudinal direction (axial direction X) of the telescopic guide groove 36. In the idle gear 53, the first rack teeth 54 of the A surface 71 are opposed to the first rack teeth 54 of the second tooth 52 in the left-right direction Y, and the second rack teeth 62 of the B surface 72 are aligned in the left-right direction Y. 2 is opposed to the second rack teeth 62 of the first tooth 51. Similarly to the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> A, the convex portion 57 of the first tooth 51 is fitted into any concave portion 77 of the idle gear 53, and the convex portion 66 of the second tooth 52 is fixed to the idle gear 53. It fits into the recess 74 in any of the fitting grooves 73 (see FIG. 5). Thereby, the idle gear 53 is elastically supported by the urging member 56 to which the convex portion 57 is attached and the urging member 65 to which the convex portion 66 is attached. Here, in the telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50B, the convex portion 66 (as the first convex portion), the concave portion 74 (as the first concave portion), and the biasing member 65 (as the first biasing member) are the first The holding part 81 is configured. Further, the concave portion 77 (as the second concave portion), the convex portion 57 (as the second convex portion), and the urging member 56 (as the second urging member) constitute the second holding portion 82. .

  As described above, in the fastening shaft 41, the shaft portion 45 is inserted into both the tilt guide groove 29 and the telescopic guide groove 36 on the first side plate 24 and the third side plate 33 side, and the second side plate 25 and It is also inserted through both the tilt guide groove 29 and the telescopic guide groove 36 on the fourth side plate 34 side. The shaft portion 45 is inserted into the hollow portion of the boss portion 44B of the cam follower 44 in each of the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A and the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50B, and the insertion hole 58 and the second tooth of the first tooth 51 are provided. 52 is inserted through the insertion hole 60 of the idle gear 53 and the insertion hole 68 of the idle gear 53. As described above, the dimension of the insertion hole 68 in the longitudinal direction L is larger than the boss portion 44B of the cam follower 44 in the range of the pitch P (less than 1P) described above. Therefore, in each of the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> A and the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> B, the idle gear 53 has a play (backlash) of less than ½ pitch between the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52. Arranged (supported by the boss 44B). Therefore, the idle gear 53 of the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A can freely move in the longitudinal direction of the tilt guide groove 29 within a range where the play is one way (a range smaller than ± 1 / 2P). Further, the idle gear 53 of the telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50B can freely move in the longitudinal direction of the telescopic guide groove 36 within a range where the play is one way (a range smaller than ± 1 / 2P).

Here, a retaining ring 89 having a C-shaped cross section is fixed to the shaft portion 45 between the third side plate 33 and the fourth side plate 34. The retaining ring 89 is adjacent to the first tooth 51 of the telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50B from the fourth side plate 34 side, and positions the first tooth 51 in the left-right direction Y (see also FIG. 2).
As described above, when the distance between the ring portion 44A of the cam follower 44 and the head portion 46 of the fastening shaft 41 (ring portion 88A of the boss member 88) in the left-right direction Y is widened, as shown in FIG. In the side tooth lock mechanism 50A, the first tooth 51 and the first rack teeth 54 of the idle gear 53 are separated from each other in the left-right direction Y and do not mesh with each other. Further, the second tooth 52 of the second tooth 52 and the second rack teeth 62 of the idle gear 53 are also separated in the left-right direction Y and are not engaged with each other. Similarly, in the telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50B (see FIG. 3), the second teeth 52 and the first rack teeth 54 of the idle gear 53 are separated from each other in the left-right direction Y and do not mesh with each other. Further, the first tooth 51 and the second rack teeth 62 of the idle gear 53 are also separated in the left-right direction Y and are not engaged with each other. Therefore, the posture of the column jacket 6 is not locked. In this state, referring to FIG. 1, the tightening shaft 41 (strictly speaking, the boss portion 44B of the cam follower 44 and the boss portion 88B of the boss member 88 through which the tightening shaft 41 is inserted) is inserted into the tilt guide groove 29. It can move in the height direction Z along. 2 and 3, when the fastening shaft 41 moves in the height direction Z, the movable bracket 23 moves the first tooth 51 of the fastening shaft 41, the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> B, and the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> A. And together with the idle gear 53, it moves relative to the fixed bracket 22 in the height direction Z. Accordingly, in the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A, each convex portion 66 of the second tooth 52 is fitted to the concave portion 74 on the upstream side in the movement direction among the concave portions 74 of the idle gear 53 while being shifted one by one ( (See FIG. 5).

As a result, the entire column jacket 6 is tilted. Therefore, the tilt adjustment described above can be performed. The longitudinal dimension of the tilt guide groove 29 is within a range in which the column jacket 6 can be tilted.
On the other hand, referring to FIG. 3, the boss portion 44 </ b> B of the cam follower 44 (with the tightening shaft 41 inserted) and the boss portion 88 </ b> B of the boss member 88 appear to move in the axial direction X along the telescopic guide groove 36. As described above, the movable bracket 23 moves relative to the boss portion 44B and the boss portion 88B in the axial direction X. Then, the movable bracket 23 moves relative to the fixed bracket 22 in the axial direction X together with the second tooth 52 of the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50B. As a result, the movable bracket 23 and the outer jacket 17 move along the longitudinal direction (axial direction X) of the telescopic guide groove 36. At this time, in the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> B, each convex portion 66 of the second tooth 52 moves along the axial direction X, and the convex portion 66 of the idle gear 53 is 1 Fit while shifting one by one.

As described above, since the entire column jacket 6 telescopically, the telescopic adjustment described above becomes possible. The longitudinal dimension of the telescopic guide groove 36 is within a range where the column jacket 6 can be telescopic.
As described above, the fixed bracket 22 supports the movable bracket 23 so as to be movable via the boss portion 44B of the cam follower 44 (through which the fastening shaft 41 is inserted) and the boss portion 88B of the boss member 88. Further, in the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A, the first tooth 51 is connected to the movable bracket 23 so as to be integrally movable, and in the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50B, the second tooth 52 is connected to be movable together with the movable bracket 23. Has been.

  Here, referring to FIG. 5, in each tooth lock mechanism 50, the idle gear 53 can move within a range smaller than ± 1 / 2P as described above. Here, even if the idle gear 53 elastically supported from both sides of the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52 by the biasing member 56 of the first tooth 51 and the biasing member 65 of the second tooth 52 moves, The biasing member 56 and the biasing member 65 are moved to a position where the biasing forces of the biasing member 56 and the biasing member 65 are balanced. Therefore, the idle gear 53 is actually (finally) held at a position that is less than half (less than 1 / 2P) of the phase difference of the pitch (the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52). Therefore, in the state immediately after the telescopic adjustment and the tilt adjustment (that is, the column jacket 6 is stationary), in the tilt-side tooth lock mechanism 50A, the first rack teeth 54 of the idle gear 53 and the first tooth 51 are ± 1. The phase difference is generated within a range smaller than / 2P, and the idle rack 53 and the second rack teeth 62 of the second tooth 52 generate a phase difference within a range smaller than ± 1 / 2P. Further, in the telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50B (see FIG. 3), the idle gear 53 and the first rack teeth 54 of the second tooth 52 generate a phase difference within a range smaller than ± 1 / 2P, and the idle gear 53 and The second rack teeth 62 of the first tooth 51 generate a phase difference within a range smaller than ± 1 / 2P.

  As described above, in each tooth lock mechanism 50, the biasing member 56 of the first tooth 51 elastically holds the idle gear 53 via the convex portion 57 fitted into the concave portion 77 of the idle gear 53. In each tooth lock mechanism 50, the biasing member 65 of the second tooth 52 elastically holds the idle gear 53 via a convex portion 66 fitted in the concave portion 74 of the idle gear 53. Thereby, in each tooth lock mechanism 50, the biasing member 56 and the biasing member 65 are connected to the tooth tip 54A (tooth tip center A) of the first rack tooth 54 of the idle gear 53 and the first tooth 51 (tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A). Or the second tooth 52 (the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50B) is less than half the pitch P1 of the first rack tooth 54 with respect to the root 54B (bottom center B) of the first rack tooth 54. It is suppressed to. Further, the urging member 56 and the urging member 65 are the tooth tip 62A (tooth tip center C) of the second rack tooth 62 of the idle gear 53 and the second tooth 52 (in the case of the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A) or the first tooth. 51 (the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> B) is prevented from shifting from the bottom 62 </ b> B (the bottom center D) of the second rack tooth 62 to less than half of the pitch P <b> 2 of the second rack tooth 62.

  With this configuration, it can be said that the urging member 56 and the urging member 65 determine the relative position between the first tooth 51 and the idle gear 53 and the relative position between the second tooth 52 and the idle gear 53. . Further, the urging member 56 and the urging member 65 have a phase difference between the first rack tooth 54 of the first tooth 51 and the second rack tooth 62 of the second tooth 52 (the tooth tip of one rack tooth and the other rack tooth). It can be said that the deviation of the tooth bottom) is equally allocated to the phase difference between the first tooth 51 and the idle gear 53 and the phase difference between the second tooth 52 and the idle gear 53. Thereby, the phase difference between the first tooth 51 and the idle gear 53 and the phase difference between the second tooth 52 and the idle gear 53 are both suppressed to less than half of the pitch P.

  Referring to FIG. 2, after the telescopic adjustment and the tilt adjustment are completed, the operation lever 42 is operated as described above to operate the ring portion 44A of the cam follower 44 and the head portion 46 ( The distance between the boss member 88 and the ring portion 88A) is reduced. Then, in the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A, the first tooth 51 and the first rack teeth 54 of the idle gear 53 are engaged with each other when the first tooth 51 is pressed toward the second tooth 52 by the cam follower 44. The second rack teeth 62 of the tooth 52 and the idle gear 53 mesh with each other (see FIG. 6). Referring to FIG. 3, the cam follower 44 presses the first side plate 24 toward the third side plate 33 through the entire tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> A. Thus, in the telescopic tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> B, the second tooth 52 is pressed toward the first tooth 51 (positioned on the retaining ring 89) by the third side plate 33, whereby the first tooth 51 and the idle gear 53. The second rack teeth 62 mesh with each other, and the second tooth 52 and the first rack teeth 54 of the idle gear 53 mesh with each other. Thereby, the posture of the column jacket 6 is locked.

  That is, the lock / release mechanism 40 having the tightening shaft 41 and the cam follower 44 meshes the first tooth 51 and the first rack teeth 54 on the B surface 72 of the idle gear 53 in the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A, and The second tooth 52 and the second rack teeth 62 of the A surface 71 of the idle gear 53 are engaged with each other. Further, the lock / release mechanism 40 meshes the second rack teeth 62 of the B surface 72 of the first tooth 51 and the idle gear 53 with each other in the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> B, and the second tooth 52 and the idle gear 53. The first rack teeth 54 of the A surface 71 are engaged with each other. As a result, the lock / release mechanism 40 locks the posture of the column jacket 6.

  As shown in FIG. 2, with the column jacket 6 in the locked position, the operation lever 42 is operated in the opposite direction to the previous one, and the cam follower 44 and the head 46 of the fastening shaft 41 in the left-right direction Y are moved. Increase the spacing. Then, in both the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A and the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50B, the first tooth 51 and the idle gear 53 do not mesh with each other, and the second tooth 52 and the idle gear 53 do not mesh with each other. As a result, telescopic and tilt readjustments are possible.

As described above, the lock / release mechanism 40 releases the lock of the column jacket 6 by releasing the meshing state between the rack teeth (the first rack teeth 54 and the second rack teeth 62).
In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the convex portion 57 provided on the first tooth 51 is fitted into the concave portion 77 of the idle gear 53 by the urging force of the urging member 56, and is provided on the second tooth 52. The convex portion 66 is fitted into the concave portion 74 of the idle gear 53 by the biasing force of the biasing member 65.

  Instead, the configurations shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 can be used. In the idle gear 53 shown in FIG. 7, a groove 85 penetrating the idle gear 53 along the longitudinal direction L is provided in the center in the short direction S of each of the A surface 71 and the B surface 72. In the case of the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> A (see FIG. 3), the first rack teeth 54 are formed in the region other than the groove 85 on the B surface 72, and the second rack teeth are formed in the region other than the groove 85 on the A surface 71. Rack teeth 62 are formed.

An urging spring 86 is attached to the idle gear 53 and is a part of the idle gear 53.
The biasing spring 86 is a leaf spring configured by bending a plate having elasticity into a substantially V shape. The aforementioned urging member 56 and urging member 65 (see FIG. 5) are integrally formed as part of the urging spring 86 in FIG. Thereby, the number of parts can be reduced. The urging member 56 forms one straight portion of the V-shape of the urging spring 86, and the urging member 65 forms the other straight portion of the V-shape. The base end portion 56 </ b> A of the biasing member 56 and the base end portion 65 </ b> A of the biasing member 65 are connected to each other. It is curved in the direction (see FIG. 8). The convex portion 57 described above is provided at the distal end portion 56 </ b> B of the biasing member 56 as a part of the biasing spring 86. The convex portion 66 described above is provided at the distal end portion 65 </ b> B of the biasing member 65 as a part of the biasing spring 86. The convex portion 57 and the convex portion 66 bulge in an arc shape in a direction away from each other, and are formed by bending the distal end portion 56B of the urging member 56 and the distal end portion 65B of the urging member 65 into an arc shape. Note that two convex portions 66 are provided in series (see FIG. 7B). By integrally forming the urging member 56 and the urging member 65, the urging force can be made the same between the convex portion 57 and the convex portion 66.

  The biasing spring 86 sandwiches the idle gear 53 from the thickness direction T. In this state, the urging member 56 and the convex portion 57 are fitted in the groove 85 of the B surface 72 of the idle gear 53 (see FIG. 7A), and the urging member 65 and the convex portion 66 are idle. It fits into the groove 85 of the A surface 71 of the gear 53 (see FIG. 7B). That is, in the case of the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> A (see FIG. 3), the convex portion 57 is provided on the B surface 72 of the idle gear 53, and the convex portion 66 is provided on the A surface 71. A part of the convex part 57 protrudes to the outside of the idle gear 53 from the tooth tip 54 A of the first rack tooth 54 of the B surface 72, and a part of each convex part 66 is a second rack tooth of the A surface 71. It protrudes outside the idle gear 53 from the tooth tip 62A of 62.

  The recess 77 described above is formed not in the idle gear 53 but in the first tooth 51 as shown in FIG. The concave portion 77 is formed in a region avoiding the first rack teeth 54 on the surface facing the B surface 72 of the first tooth 51. The recess 74 is formed not in the idle gear 53 but in the second tooth 52. A plurality of recesses 74 are provided in a region that avoids the second rack teeth 62 on the surface of the second tooth 52 that faces the A surface 71. In the state where the idle gear 53 is disposed between the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52, the urging spring 86 of the idle gear 53 has the convex portion 57 fitted into the concave portion 77 of the first tooth 51. The part 66 is fitted in any one of the recesses 74 in the second tooth 52. In the urging spring 86, the urging member 56 urges the convex portion 57 to the concave portion 77, and the urging member 65 urges the convex portion 66 to the concave portion 74.

  Here, referring to FIG. 7A, in the groove 85 of the B surface 72 of the idle gear 53, there is one positioning plate 94 on both sides in the short direction S of the biasing member 56 of the biasing spring 86. It is provided one by one. Each positioning plate 94 is thin in the lateral direction S and long in the longitudinal direction L, and protrudes beyond the tooth tip 54 </ b> A of the first rack tooth 54. 8, in the first tooth 51, a concave space 63 is formed at the approximate center (in the axial direction X and the height direction Z) of the portion where the first rack teeth 54 are formed. . The concave space 63 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped space that is long along the arrangement direction of the first rack teeth 54, and is recessed into the first tooth 51 along the left-right direction Y. The concave portion 77 described above is formed on the bottom surface 63A of the concave space 63 (the portion that defines the bottom surface 63A in the first tooth 51). Each positioning plate 94 of the idle gear 53 is accommodated in the concave space 63 with play in the longitudinal direction L. As a result, the idle gear 53 has the tilt guide groove 29 within the range where the play is one way (within a range smaller than ± 1 / 2P), as in the above-described embodiment (see FIGS. 1 to 6). It can move freely in the longitudinal direction.

  When telescopic or tilt adjustment is performed, the idle gear 53 moves relative to the second tooth 52 in each tooth lock mechanism 50. At this time, the convex portion 66 of the idle gear 53 is fitted to the concave portion 74 on the upstream side in the movement direction among the concave portions 74 of the second tooth 52 while being shifted one by one. In the case of the tilt-side tooth lock mechanism 50 </ b> A, as shown in FIG. 9, the first rack teeth 54 of the first tooth 51 and the idle gear 53 are engaged with each other, and the second rack teeth of the second tooth 52 and the idle gear 53 are engaged. When the two 62 are engaged with each other, the posture of the column jacket 6 is locked. The telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50B is the same in operation as the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A, although the configuration is opposite.

In the idle gear 53, it is not necessary to provide the concave portion 74 and the concave portion 77 together (see FIG. 4) or the convex portion 57 and the convex portion 66 together (see FIG. 7). One of them may be omitted, and the idle gear 53 may be provided with the corresponding one in the convex portion 57 and the convex portion 66 instead.
Then, in order to arrange the idle gear 53 between the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52 with play within a range smaller than ± 1 / 2P as described above, the configuration shown in FIG. 10 is used. be able to.

  In the case of FIG. 10, for example, extending portions 95 (two in total) extending to the first tooth 51 side are provided at both ends of the second tooth 52 in the longitudinal direction L. These extending portions 95 are part of the second tooth 52 and are located on both outer sides of the idle gear 53 in the longitudinal direction L. A gap in the longitudinal direction L is set between the stopper surface 95 </ b> A facing the idle gear 53 and the idle gear 53 in each extending portion 95. As a result, the idle gear 53 has a tilt guide groove 29 (tilt) within the range where the gap is one way (within a range smaller than ± 1 / 2P), as in the above-described embodiment (see FIGS. 1 to 9). The side tooth lock mechanism 50A) or the telescopic guide groove 36 (in the case of the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50B) can be freely moved in the longitudinal direction.

  Further, a return member 96 is provided as a part of the steering device 1 on the stopper surface 95 </ b> A of each extending portion 95. The return member 96 includes a biasing member 98 such as a coil spring housed in a recess 97 provided on the stopper surface 95 </ b> A, and a pressing member 99 attached to the tip of the biasing member 98. The pressing member 99 is urged toward the idle gear 53 by the urging member 98.

  Here, taking the configuration of FIG. 10 as an example, the details of the operation of the tooth lock mechanism 50 of the present application will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 16, taking the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A as an example. In FIG. 11B to FIG. 16B, the first tooth 51 is provided with two convex portions 57, and each convex portion 57 can be fitted on the B surface 72 side of the idle gear 53. A plurality of recesses 77 are formed. Further, the second tooth 52 is provided with two convex portions 66, and on the A surface 71 side of the idle gear 53, concave portions 74 into which the respective convex portions 66 can be fitted are provided. Here, the respective tips of the convex portion 57, the concave portion 77, the convex portion 66, and the concave portion 74 have a triangular cross section. Further, the biasing member 56 that biases the convex portion 57 toward the concave portion 77 includes a first spring 561 having a function of causing the convex portion 57 to stroke toward the concave portion 77, and when the convex portion 57 is fitted into the concave portion 77. And a second spring 562 having a function of closing the backlash. A part of the second spring 562 is fitted in a recess 57B provided on the end surface of the convex portion 57 opposite to the tip 57A. Further, the urging member 65 that urges the convex portion 66 toward the concave portion 74 includes a first spring 651 having a function of causing the convex portion 66 to stroke toward the concave portion 74, and when the convex portion 66 is fitted into the concave portion 74. And a second spring 652 having a function of closing the backlash. A part of the second spring 652 is fitted in a recess 66B provided on the end surface of the convex portion 66 opposite to the tip 66A. Further, the illustration of the fastening shaft 41 in FIG. 11B is omitted from FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 11A, a basic state is defined when the first tooth 51, the second tooth 52, and the idle gear 53 are not shifted (in the same phase). In the basic state, the tooth tips and the tooth bottoms of the first rack teeth 54 of the first tooth 51 and the second rack teeth 62 of the second tooth 52 coincide with each other. Specifically, the center A of the tooth tip 54A and the center D of the tooth bottom 62B are at the same position in the longitudinal direction L, and the center C of the tooth tip 62A and the center B of the tooth bottom 54B are at the same position in the longitudinal direction L. It is in. In addition, the first tooth 51 and the idle gear 53 cause the tooth tip 54A and the tooth bottom 54B of the first rack teeth 54 to coincide with each other (the center A of the tooth tip 54A and the center B of the tooth bottom 54B are aligned). In the longitudinal direction L). Further, the second tooth 52 and the idle gear 53 are such that the tooth tip 62A and the tooth bottom 62B of the second rack teeth 62 coincide with each other (the center C of the tooth tip 62A and the center D of the tooth bottom 62B are aligned). In the longitudinal direction L). The position in the longitudinal direction L of the idle gear 53 at this time is referred to as a “neutral position”. As shown in FIG. 11B, there is a play J (described above) of less than 1 / 2P in the longitudinal direction L between the idle gear 53 in the neutral position and the stopper surface 95A of each extending portion 95. The idle gear 53 can move from the neutral position on both sides in the longitudinal direction L within a range smaller than 1 / 2P. That is, the play J is within a range of ± 1/2 of the pitch P (the pitch P1 of the first rack teeth 54 or the pitch P2 of the second rack teeth 62) from the neutral position. Further, in the basic state, the tip 57A of each convex portion 57 of the first tooth 51 is completely fitted into the corresponding concave portion 77 (at the same position in the longitudinal direction L) on the B surface 72 of the idle gear 53. It is out. Further, the tip 66A of each convex portion 66 of the second tooth 52 is completely fitted into the corresponding concave portion 74 (located at the same position in the longitudinal direction L) on the A surface 71 of the idle gear 53.

In the basic state, the first rack teeth 54 of the first tooth 51 and the idle gear 53 can mesh properly without locking the tooth tips, and the second rack teeth 62 of the second tooth 52 and the idle gear 53 are It can mesh properly without locking the tooth tips.
From such a basic state, it is assumed that the first tooth 51 is displaced by 1/4 P in the longitudinal direction L with respect to the second tooth 52 as shown in FIG. FIG. 12A shows a state where the first tooth 51 is shifted by 1/4 P to the right. The idle gear 53 is slightly shifted to the right from the neutral position (see FIG. 11) described above by being dragged to the tip 57A of each convex portion 57 of the first tooth 51 (see FIG. 12 (b)). In this state, the idle gear 53 is shifted by １ ／ P with respect to each of the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52. Thus, there is a slight phase shift between the idle gear 53 and each of the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52, and the tip 57 </ b> A of each convex portion 57 is completely fitted into the concave portion 77. In addition, the tip 66A of each convex portion 66 is not completely fitted into the concave portion 74 (see FIG. 12B). However, at this level, the first tooth 51 and the first rack teeth 54 of the idle gear 53 can mesh with each other without locking the tooth tip due to the action of the second spring 562 and the second spring 652 described above. The second teeth 52 and the second rack teeth 62 of the idle gear 53 can mesh with each other without locking the tooth tips.

  Then, as illustrated in FIG. 13A, it is assumed that the first tooth 51 is displaced by 1/2 P in the longitudinal direction L with respect to the second tooth 52 from the basic state. FIG. 13A shows a state where the first tooth 51 is shifted by ½ P to the right. The idle gear 53 is shifted to the right from the neutral position (see FIG. 11) described above by being dragged to the tip 57A of each convex portion 57 of the first tooth 51, and contacts the pressing member 99 of the nearest return member 96. (See FIG. 13B). In this state, the idle gear 53 is shifted by 1/4 P with respect to each of the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52. The phase shift between the idle gear 53 and each of the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52 is larger than in the case of FIG. 12A, and the tip 57 </ b> A of each convex portion 57 is in relation to the concave portion 77. It is not completely fitted, and the tip 66 </ b> A of each convex portion 66 is not completely fitted to the concave portion 74. However, at this level, the first tooth 51 and the first rack teeth 54 of the idle gear 53 can mesh with each other without locking the tooth tip due to the action of the second spring 562 and the second spring 652 described above. The second teeth 52 and the second rack teeth 62 of the idle gear 53 can mesh with each other without locking the tooth tips.

  14A, it is assumed that the first tooth 51 is displaced by 3 / 4P in the longitudinal direction L with respect to the second tooth 52 from the basic state. FIG. 14A shows a state in which the first tooth 51 is shifted by 3 / 4P to the right side. The idle gear 53 is shifted to the right from the neutral position (see FIG. 11) described above by being dragged to the tip 57A of each convex portion 57 of the first tooth 51, and contacts the pressing member 99 of the nearest return member 96. (See FIG. 14B). In this state, the idle gear 53 is shifted by 3 / 8P with respect to each of the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52. The phase shift between the idle gear 53 and each of the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52 is larger than in the case of FIG. 13A, and the tip 57 A of each convex portion 57 is almost fitted in the concave portion 77. The tip 66 </ b> A of each convex portion 66 is hardly fitted in the concave portion 74. In this state, the meshing between the idle gear 53 and each of the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52 is severe. However, due to the action of the second spring 562 and the second spring 652 described above, the first rack teeth 54 of the first tooth 51 and the idle gear 53 can be engaged with each other without being locked. Similarly, the second teeth 52 and the second rack teeth 62 of the idle gear 53 can be engaged with each other without being locked. Further, the return member 96 (on the right side in FIG. 13B) in contact with the idle gear 53 is in a state where it has started to generate an urging force for returning the idle gear 53 to the neutral position side.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 15A, it is assumed that the first tooth 51 is displaced by 4 / 4P in the longitudinal direction L with respect to the second tooth 52 from the basic state. FIG. 15A shows a state in which each convex portion 57 gets over the boundary 78 (see FIG. 15B) between two adjacent concave portions 77 and the first tooth 51 is shifted to the right by 4 / 4P. ing. The idle gear 53 is returned to the neutral position by the urging force of the return member 96 when the convex portion 57 gets over the boundary 78 (see FIG. 15B). Therefore, the deviation between the idle gear 53 and each of the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52 is zero P (none), and these phases are aligned.

  As shown in FIG. 16A, from the basic state, the first tooth 51 is deviated by 4 / 4P in the longitudinal direction L with respect to the second tooth 52, and the idle gear 53 is moved to the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52. If the tooth 52 is deviated by 1/2 P, the tip 57A of each convex portion 57 is not fitted into the concave portion 77, and the tip 66A of each convex portion 66 is also fitted into the concave portion 74 at all. Absent. In this state, it is impossible to engage the idle gear 53 with each of the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52, and the tooth tip locks between the idle gear 53 and each of the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52. May occur.

  Here, at the tip 78A of the boundary 78 between the two adjacent recesses 77, a sharp portion is removed, and the tip 78A is flat along the longitudinal direction L. Therefore, only the lateral force (force directed in the longitudinal direction L) to the neutral position side by the convex portion 66 of the second tooth 52 acts on the idle gear 53. Further, the return member 96 (on the right side in FIG. 16B) in contact with the idle gear 53 generates a biasing force for returning the idle gear 53 to the neutral position. Thereby, it is avoided that the idle gear 53 is shifted by ½P or more with respect to each of the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52.

  In each of the above embodiments, for example, in the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A, the first tooth 51 on the movable bracket 23 (outer jacket 17) side and the second tooth 52 on the fixed bracket 22 (vehicle body 100) side are idle. By meshing with the gear 53, it meshes indirectly via the idle gear 53, thereby locking the posture of the column jacket 6 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Here, as described above with reference to FIG. 5, the idle gear 53 is arranged with play J between the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52. Therefore, even if the first tooth 51 of the first tooth 51 and the idle gear 53 tries to lock the tooth tip, or the second rack tooth 62 of the second tooth 52 and the idle gear 53 tries to lock the tooth tip, the tooth The idle gear 53 can move so as not to lock first. Accordingly, the tooth tip lock between the first rack teeth 54 and between the second rack teeth 62 can be suppressed without reducing the number of teeth in each of the first rack teeth 54 and the second rack teeth 62. Therefore, safety can be improved.

Here, the play J of the idle gear 53 is within a range of ± 1/2 of the pitch P (the pitch P1 of the first rack teeth 54 or the pitch P1 of the second rack teeth 62) from the neutral position (FIG. 11). (See (b)), tooth tip locking between the first rack teeth 54 and between the second rack teeth 62 can be effectively suppressed.
Further, in the first rack teeth 54, when the deviation between the tooth tip and the tooth bottom reaches a half of the pitch, the tooth tip lock is likely to occur (the same applies to the second rack teeth 62). Since the holding means (the first holding part 81 and the second holding part 82) suppresses the shift to less than one half of the pitch, the tooth tip lock can be reliably suppressed. Such a holding means can be simply configured by the first holding portion 81 and the second holding portion 82 each having a concave portion, a convex portion, and an urging member. Even if the idle gear 53 deviates from the neutral position, the idler gear 53 can be returned to the neutral position by the return member 96, so that the tip lock between the first rack teeth 54 and the second rack teeth 62 is effectively suppressed. (See FIGS. 15 and 16). The return member 96 is applicable to each embodiment other than the configuration of FIG.

  FIG. 17 shows a case where the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A is taken as an example, and the movement amount of the first tooth 51 (corresponding to the tilt amount described above) is taken as the horizontal axis, and the rack teeth (the first rack teeth 54 or the second rack teeth) The rack teeth 62) are graphs with the deviation amount as the vertical axis. The amount of deviation refers to the difference between one rack tooth (the first rack teeth 54 to each other) in order to match the center of the tooth tip and the center of the root of each rack tooth (the first rack teeth 54 or the second rack teeth 62). This corresponds to an amount (movement amount) that one first rack tooth 54) must move at a minimum. When the rack teeth (first rack teeth 54) of the first tooth 51 and the rack teeth (second rack teeth 62) of the second tooth 52 are directly meshed without providing the idle gear 53, FIG. And (b), as indicated by a thick broken line, a situation in which the amount of deviation between the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52 exceeds ¼ P and reaches ½ P (a situation where tooth tip locking is likely to occur). ) May occur.

  However, in the case of the present invention, an idle gear 53 is provided between the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52, and each of the first rack teeth 54 and the second rack teeth 62 that mesh with each other, The deviation from the root is maintained at less than half the pitch. Therefore, as shown by a thick solid line in FIG. 17A, the amount of deviation between each of the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52 and the idle gear 53 (each of the first rack teeth 54 and each of the second rack teeth 62). Phase difference) can always be suppressed to less than ½ (in this graph, further less than ¼ P) regardless of the amount of movement, and the occurrence of tooth tip lock can always be suppressed.

  Further, the tooth tip 54A of the first rack tooth 54 and the tooth tip 62A of the second rack tooth 62 (particularly, the tooth tip 54A and the tooth tip 62A of the idle gear 53) may be flat as described above. (See FIG. 5). In this case, as shown in FIG. 17B, even if the first tooth 51 moves relative to the second tooth 52 in one direction (when moving right as indicated by a solid line), the direction is opposite to the one direction. Even if they move relatively (when moving in the left direction indicated by a one-dot chain line), the tooth tip lock occurs before the amount of deviation between each of the first tooth 51 and the second tooth 52 and the idle gear 53 reaches 1 / 4P. The idle gear 53 moves so as not to. As a result, the amount of deviation sharply decreases before reaching 1 / 4P. Therefore, generation | occurrence | production of a tooth tip lock | rock can be suppressed more reliably.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.
For example, in the embodiment described above, both the tilt and telescopic adjustment of the column jacket 6 can be performed by moving the tightening shaft 41 along the longitudinal direction of each of the tilt guide groove 29 and the telescopic guide groove 36. ing. However, by making either the tilt guide groove 29 or the telescopic guide groove 36 (see FIG. 3) a round hole (or a square square hole) instead of a long hole, only one of the tilt and the telescopic adjustment can be adjusted. It may be a configuration. That is, it is only necessary that at least one of tilt and telescopic adjustment of the column jacket 6 is possible. In this case, the unnecessary one of the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A and the telescopic side lock mechanism 50B is omitted.

In the above-described embodiment, the first rack teeth 54 and the second rack teeth 62 have the same shape and dimensions, and the pitch P1 and the pitch P2 are equal (see FIG. 5). The shapes and dimensions of the first rack tooth 54 and the second rack tooth 62 may be different.
Further, in the tilt side tooth lock mechanism 50A and the telescopic side tooth lock mechanism 50B, the dimensions of the first rack teeth 54 (the dimensions and pitch of the cross-sectional shape) may differ from each other, and the dimensions of the second rack teeth 62 of each other. May be different.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Steering device, 2 ... Steering shaft, 2A ... One end, 6 ... Column jacket, 7 ... Steering member, 17 ... Outer jacket, 18 ... Inner jacket, 22 ... Fixed bracket, 23 ... Movable bracket, 40 ... Lock and release mechanism 51 ... 1st tooth, 52 ... 2nd tooth, 53 ... Idle gear, 54 ... 1st rack tooth, 54A ... Tooth tip, 54B ... Tooth bottom, 56 ... Biasing member, 57 ... Convex part, 62 ... 2nd Rack teeth, 62A ... tooth tip, 62B ... tooth bottom, 65 ... biasing member, 66 ... convex portion, 71 ... A surface, 72 ... B surface, 74 ... concave portion, 77 ... concave portion, 81 ... first holding portion, 82 ... Second holding part, 96 ... Return member, 100 ... Car body, J ... Play, P ... Pitch, P1 ... Pitch of first rack tooth, P2 ... Pitch of second rack tooth, X ... Axial direction

Claims (7)

A steering shaft with a steering member attached to one end;
A hollow inner jacket, and a hollow outer jacket into which the inner jacket is inserted and which can move relative to the inner jacket in the axial direction of the steering shaft. The steering shaft is received and supported rotatably. A column jacket capable of adjusting at least one of telescopic and tilt,
A movable bracket fixed to the outer jacket;
A fixed bracket fixed to a vehicle body and movably supporting the movable bracket;
A movable tooth coupled to the movable bracket so as to be movable together and having a first rack tooth;
A fixing tooth connected to the fixing bracket and formed with a second rack tooth;
A first surface facing the movable tooth and formed with the first rack teeth, and a second surface facing the fixed tooth and formed with the second rack teeth, the movable tooth and the An idle gear arranged with play between the fixed tooth and
The movable tooth and the first rack teeth on the first surface are engaged with each other, and the posture of the column jacket is locked by engaging the fixed tooth and the second rack teeth on the second surface. A steering apparatus comprising: a lock / release mechanism that releases the lock of the column jacket by releasing the meshing state. The idle gear is in a neutral position when the tooth tip and the tooth bottom of the first rack tooth of the movable tooth and the second rack tooth of the fixed tooth coincide with each other,
2. The steering device according to claim 1, wherein the play is in a range of ± 1/2 of a pitch of the first rack teeth or the second rack teeth from the neutral position.   The shift between the tooth tip of the first rack tooth on the first surface and the tooth bottom of the first rack tooth of the movable tooth is suppressed to less than one half of the pitch of the first rack tooth, and the second surface A holding means for holding the idle gear so as to suppress a deviation between a tooth tip of the two rack teeth and a bottom of the second rack tooth of the fixed tooth to less than half of the pitch of the second rack teeth; The steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The holding means is
An arc-shaped first concave portion formed on one of the first surface and the movable tooth, a first convex portion provided on the other of the first surface and the movable tooth, and fitted in the first concave portion; A first holding portion having a first urging member for urging one convex portion to the first concave portion;
An arc-shaped second concave portion formed on one of the second surface and the fixed tooth, a second convex portion provided on the other of the second surface and the fixed tooth, and fitted in the second concave portion; The steering device according to claim 3, further comprising: a second holding portion having a second urging member that urges two convex portions to the second concave portion.   The steering apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first urging member and the second urging member are integrally formed.   The steering device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein a tooth tip of the idle gear is flat.   The steering apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6, further comprising a return member for returning the idle gear to the neutral position.

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