JP5119862B2 - Telescopic steering column device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an improvement of a telescopic steering column device for adjusting the front-rear position of a steering wheel constituting a steering device for an automobile. Specifically, the telescopic steering column device equipped with a detent mechanism for preventing the rattling in the rotation direction at the fitting portion between the outer column and the inner column can be realized at low cost. Is intended.

  In order to adjust the front / rear position of the steering wheel in accordance with the physique and driving posture of the driver, a telescopic steering column device called a telescopic steering device is widely known. The basic structure of the telescopic steering column apparatus will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 1 showing an example of an embodiment of the present invention. The telescopic steering column device 1 is formed by combining an outer column 2 and an inner column 3 each having a cylindrical shape (circular tubular shape) so as to be extendable and contractible (in a telescope shape). In the illustrated example, the outer column 2 is made of an aluminum alloy die-cast product, and the inner column 3 is made of an aluminum alloy plate or a steel plate. Further, in the illustrated example, the front half of the inner column 3 in the axial direction is fitted into the rear half of the outer column 2 in an axially displaceable manner. Further, the fitting portion between the columns 2 and 3 is provided with a detent mechanism 4 for preventing relative rotation while allowing mutual axial displacement, which is a characteristic part of the present invention.

  Inside the telescopic steering column device 1, an telescopic steering shaft 8 in which an inner shaft 5 and an outer shaft 6 are telescopically combined by a serration engaging portion 7 is provided with a pair of front and rear rolling bearings 9 a, 9b is rotatably supported. In the case of the illustrated example, it is intended that the vertical position of the steering wheel can be adjusted in addition to the front and rear position of the steering wheel, so that the front end of the telescopic steering column device 1 is located with respect to the front support bracket 10. While supporting so that rocking | fluctuation, the intermediate part is supported with respect to the rear part support bracket 11 so that raising / lowering is possible. When adjusting the position of the steering wheel, the fastening structure provided at the lower end of the rear support bracket 11 is loosened. On the other hand, when the steering wheel is fixed at the adjusted position, the fastening structure is tightened. A slit 12 is provided in the lower portion of the rear end portion of the outer column 2 so that the inner diameter of the rear end portion of the outer column 2 is elastically expanded and contracted as the fastening structure is tightened and released.

  In the telescopic steering column device 1 as described above, in order not to give a sense of incongruity to the driver who operates the steering wheel, the rotational direction rattling is caused by the fitting portion between the columns 2 and 3. It is necessary to prevent it from occurring. For this purpose, a detent mechanism 4 is provided between the columns 2 and 3 so as to prevent relative rotation while allowing the axial displacement of the columns 2 and 3. Conventionally, for example, a mechanism described in Patent Document 1 is known as a detent mechanism having such a function. The anti-rotation mechanism described in Patent Document 1 has a synthetic resin sleeve installed in a fitting portion between an outer column and an inner column, and fitted into a locking hole provided in the outer column. A structure is adopted in which a pair of pressing members made of resin are pressed against the sleeve by a leaf spring supported by the outer column. In the case of such a conventional structure described in Patent Document 1, it is considered that the effect of preventing rattling in the rotational direction is difficult to obtain sufficiently at a rate where the structure is complicated and the cost is increased.

JP 2006-205956 A

  In view of the circumstances as described above, the present invention can reliably prevent rattling in the rotational direction at the fitting portion between the outer column and the inner column, and smoothly adjust the front-rear position of the steering wheel. The present invention has been invented to realize a telescopic steering column device having a detent mechanism that can be performed at low cost.

  In the telescopic steering column apparatus of the present invention, a part of the cylindrical inner column is attached to a part of the cylindrical outer column in the axial direction in the same way as a conventionally known telescopic steering column apparatus. It is fitted to allow relative displacement. Further, a rotation preventing mechanism is provided between the outer column and the inner column to prevent relative rotation while allowing mutual axial displacement.

In particular, in the telescopic steering column apparatus of the present invention, the detent mechanism includes an axially long guide hole formed in a part of the outer column in the axial direction, and the shaft inside the guide hole. And a synthetic resin guide block supported and fixed to a part of the outer peripheral surface in the axial direction of the inner column in a state in which the displacement in the direction is possible.
In addition, when the direction perpendicular to the axial direction is the width direction of the guide block, an elastic deformation portion that reduces the width of the guide block based on elastic deformation is provided on at least one side of the guide block in the width direction. ing.
In order to provide this elastically deformable portion, in the case of the present invention, a slit is provided on the side surface in the width direction of the guide block in a direction inclined with respect to the width direction. And the part which exists between the inner surface of this slit and the width direction side surface of the said guide block, and a thickness dimension becomes small as it goes to the front-end | tip is made into the said elastic deformation part.
Furthermore, the width dimension in the free state of the guide block in which the elastic deformation portion is not elastically deformed is slightly larger than the width dimension of the guide hole.
And the said guide block is integrated in the inside of the said guide hole in the state which reduced the width dimension elastically by making the said elastic deformation part elastically deform.

When the telescopic steering column apparatus of the present invention as described above is implemented, for example, as in the invention described in claim 2, the portion including the elastically deforming portion on the side surface in the width direction of the guide block is compared with other portions. Also, a protrusion protruding outward in the width direction is provided. Preferably, the protrusion has a shape that is long in the thickness direction of the guide block, which is a direction that substantially coincides with the radial direction of both the outer and inner columns.
When the invention described in claim 2 is carried out, preferably, the elastically deformable portion and the protrusion are provided at at least two positions separated in the axial direction as in the invention described in claim 3. .

According to the present invention configured as described above, it is possible to reliably prevent rattling in the rotational direction at the fitting portion between the outer column and the inner column, and to smoothly adjust the front-rear position of the steering wheel. A telescopic steering column device equipped with a detent mechanism that can be implemented can be realized at low cost.
That is, in the case of the detent mechanism incorporated in the telescopic steering column device of the present invention, the guide block supported and fixed to a part of the outer peripheral surface of the inner column is inside the guide hole formed in the outer column, The width dimension is held in an elastically contracted state. Since the width dimension in the free state of the guide block is larger than the width dimension of the guide hole, both side surfaces in the width direction of the guide block are in the state where the guide block is held inside the guide hole. The both inner edges in the width direction of the guide hole are elastically pressed (this guide block stretches in the width direction inside the guide hole). In this way, rattling in the rotational direction that coincides with the width direction is suppressed. In addition, since excessive resistance does not occur at the sliding contact portion between the guide block and the guide hole, the front / rear position of the steering wheel can be adjusted smoothly.
In addition, since the number of components of the anti-rotation mechanism for preventing rattling is reduced, the manufacturing cost of the telescopic steering device incorporating the anti-rotation mechanism can be kept low.

Moreover, in the case of the present invention, an elastic deformation portion having an appropriate restoring force (elasticity) can be easily formed on the guide block, and a guide block having appropriate performance can be manufactured at low cost.
Further, if the structure of the invention described in claim 2 is adopted, it becomes easier to obtain a structure in which the guide block is easily stretched inside the guide hole.
In particular, if the structure of the invention described in claim 3 is adopted, the guide block can be stretched in a stable state inside the guide hole, and the effect of preventing rattling can be more reliably achieved.

[First example of embodiment]
1 to 9 show a first example of an embodiment of the present invention corresponding to all claims. The feature of the present invention including this example is that it is provided in the fitting portion between the outer column 2 and the inner column 3 to prevent relative rotation while allowing the axial displacement of both the columns 2 and 3. The anti-rotation mechanism 4 has a structure. The structure and operation of the other parts are the same as those of the conventionally known telescopic steering column device 1, and the structure of the telescopic steering column device 1 has already been described, and therefore overlaps. The description will be omitted, and the following description will focus on the features of this example.

  The detent mechanism 4 includes a guide hole 13 and a guide block 14. Of these, the guide hole 13 is formed in the axial direction of the outer column 2 on the lower surface of the intermediate portion of the outer column 2 in the axial direction, and is long in the axial direction. The guide block 14 is formed by injection molding a synthetic resin having a low coefficient of friction such as a polyamide resin. The main block part 16 which provided the attachment hole 15 penetrated in the up-down direction of -7, the front-back direction of FIG. In the illustrated example, in order to be able to use the guide block 14 in any direction in the vertical direction (so that the assembly direction is not restricted with respect to the vertical direction), the upper and lower end surfaces of the main block portion 16 are Annular projections 17 and 17 are formed at portions surrounding the opening of the mounting hole 15, respectively, and linear projections 18 and 18 are formed at the center portions in the width direction of both end surfaces, respectively. Among these protrusions 17 and 18, the height dimension of the annular protrusions 17 and 17 is larger than the height dimension of the linear protrusions 18 and 18.

Further, the central portions in the length direction of both side surfaces in the width direction of the main block portion 16 are flat surface portions 19 and 19 that are parallel to each other. Protrusions 20 and 20 that are long in the vertical direction are provided at four positions. The width W ₁₆ (see FIG. 4) in the free state of the main block 16 including these protrusions 20 and 20 is from the width (inner dimension) W _{13 of the} guide hole ₁₃ (see FIG. 2). Is also big. Furthermore, slits 21 and 21 are opened at two positions spaced apart in the length direction of one side surface of the main block portion 16 in the width direction. Each of the slits 21 and 21 is formed in a direction inclined with respect to the width direction and the length direction of the main block portion 16, and in the case of this example, in a direction in which the mutual distance increases as the distance from the opening portion increases. ing. And the part which exists between the inner surface of both the said slits 21 and 21 and the width direction one side surface of the said main block part 16 and becomes thin as the front end is made into the elastic deformation parts 22 and 22 respectively. . Of the projections 20 and 20, the projections 20 and 20 on one side in the width direction are provided at the tip portions of both elastic deformation portions 22 and 22, respectively.

  The guide block 14 as described above is incorporated inside the guide hole 13 in a state where the width dimension is elastically contracted by elastically deforming both the elastic deformation portions 22, 22. It is supported and fixed at the lower end of the outer peripheral surface of the front end. In order to perform this support and fixing, a bolt 23 is inserted into the mounting hole 15 from below, a nut plate 24 is assembled to the inner diameter side of the inner column 3, and the upper end of the bolt 23 is screwed into the nut plate 24. And tightened further. On the lower surface of the nut plate 24, a circular convex portion 26 having an outer diameter that can be fitted into the through hole 25 formed in the inner column 3 without rattling is formed. In addition, a circular concave portion 27 is formed in the central portion of the circular convex portion 26. The circular concave portion 27 has an inner diameter that allows the annular protrusion 17 formed on the upper surface of the main block portion 16 to be fitted without rattling.

  When the guide block 14 is fixed to the inner column 3 using the nut plate 24 as described above, the circular convex portion 26 is inserted into the through hole 25 from the inner diameter side of the inner column 3 to the annular shape. The protrusions 17 are fitted into the circular recesses 27 without rattling from the outer diameter side of the inner column 3. In this state, the main block portion 16 is engaged with the guide hole 13 in a state where the width dimension is elastically reduced. Next, the upper end portion of the bolt 23 inserted through the mounting hole 15 is screwed into a screw hole 28 formed in the central portion of the nut plate 24 and further tightened. In this state, the upper edge of the linear protrusions 18, 18 on the upper surface of the main block portion 16 abuts against the portion of the lower surface of the inner column 3 that sandwiches the mounting hole 15 from the front and rear sides. Further, the guide block 14 is supported and fixed to the inner column 3 without rattling, and the guide block 14 can be displaced in the length direction in the guide hole 13 and has a backlash in the width direction. It will be in the engaged state without sticking. The wobbling in the width direction is suppressed by the elasticity of the both elastic deformation portions 22 and 22, but this elasticity can be freely adjusted by changing the shape and dimensions of the both elastic deformation portions 22 and 22. .

According to the structure of this example configured as described above, the anti-rotation mechanism 4 that can reliably prevent rattling in the rotational direction at the fitting portion between the outer column 2 and the inner column 3 is provided. The telescopic steering column device can be realized at low cost. That is, in the case of the rotation preventing mechanism 4, the guide block 14 formed in the outer column 2 is supported by the lower end of the outer peripheral surface of the front end portion of the inner column 3. Is held in a state where the width dimension is elastically contracted based on the elastic deformation of both the elastic deformation portions 22 and 22. Since the width dimension W ₁₆ in the free state of the guide block 14 is larger than the width dimension W ₁₃ of the guide hole 13, the guide block 14 is held inside the guide hole 13. The tip edges of the protrusions 20 and 20 formed on both sides in the width direction of the elastic member 14 elastically press both inner edges in the width direction of the guide hole 13 (the guide block 14 is located inside the guide hole 13). To stretch in the width direction). In this way, rattling in the rotational direction that coincides with the width direction is suppressed. Further, since excessive friction does not act on the sliding portion between the guide block 14 and the guide hole 13, the front / rear position of the steering wheel can be adjusted smoothly. The anti-rotation mechanism 4 requires fewer components than the structure described in Patent Document 1 described above. For this reason, the manufacturing cost of the telescopic steering device incorporating the rotation preventing mechanism 4 can be kept low.
In the case of this example, both the elastically deformable portions 22 and 22 are formed by the both slits 21 and 21, and a pair of protrusions 20 and 20 are formed on both side surfaces in the width direction of the main block portion 16, respectively. Therefore, a structure capable of stably imparting an appropriate restoring force (elasticity) in the width direction to the guide block 14 can be manufactured at a low cost.

[ Example of Reference Example of the Present Invention ]
FIG. 10 shows an example of a reference example related to the present invention . In the case of this reference example, the slit 21 in the first example of the above-described embodiment is located at two positions near one side in the width direction and both ends in the length direction of the main block portion 16 constituting the guide block 14a. , 21 (for example, see FIG. 4), hollow portions 29 and 29 are formed through the vertical direction, respectively. And the part between these hollow parts 29 and 29 and the width direction one side surface of the said main block part 16 is made into the elastic deformation parts 22a and 22a, respectively. According to such a structure of the present reference example , the restoring force of the elastic deformation portions 22a and 22a can be made larger than in the case of the first example of the above-described embodiment. Since the configuration and operation of other parts are the same as in the case of the first example of the embodiment described above, overlapping illustrations and descriptions are omitted.

[ Second Example of Embodiment]
11 to 12 show a second example of an embodiment of the present invention corresponding to all claims. In the case of this example, slits 21 and 21 are respectively formed at a total of four positions, two positions on both sides in the width direction of the main block portion 16 constituting the guide block 14b. The four positions between the inner surface of each of the slits 21 and 21 and both side surfaces in the width direction of the main block portion 16 are set as elastic deformation portions 22 and 22, respectively. In the case of such a structure of this example, the amount of elastic deformation of the width dimension of the guide block 14b can be sufficiently increased. For this reason, even if the dimensional accuracy is somewhat deteriorated, the guide block 14b can be engaged with the inside of the guide hole 13 in an appropriate state. Since the configuration and operation of the other parts are the same as in the case of the first example of the embodiment described above, overlapping illustrations and descriptions are omitted.

[ Third example of embodiment]
FIG. 13 also shows a third example of the embodiment of the present invention corresponding to all claims. In the case of this example, a screw hole 28a for screwing the upper end portion of the bolt 23 is provided in the lower portion of the front end portion of the inner column 3, and the nut plate 24 (see, for example, FIG. 3) is omitted. Correspondingly, a circular recess 27a for fitting the annular protrusion 17 provided on the upper surface of the guide block 14 is formed in a portion surrounding the lower end opening of the screw hole 28a on the outer peripheral surface of the inner column 3. ing. When the thickness of the inner column 3 is sufficient, if such a structure of this example is adopted, the nut plate 24 can be omitted, and parts production, parts management, and assembly work can be simplified. Since the configuration and operation of the other parts are the same as in the case of the first example of the embodiment described above, overlapping illustrations and descriptions are omitted.

[ Fourth Example of Embodiment]
14 to 16 also show a fourth example of the embodiment of the present invention corresponding to all claims. In the case of this example, the length dimension of the main block portion 16a of the guide block 14c is increased, and the mounting holes 15 and 15 for inserting the bolts 23 and 23 into the two positions of the main block portion 16a, respectively. Is forming. In accordance with this, the length dimension of the nut plate 24a is also increased, and screw holes 28, 28 are formed at two locations. According to such a structure of this example, the support rigidity of the guide block 14c with respect to the inner column 3 is further improved, and rattling in the rotational direction between the inner column 3 and the outer column 2 is more reliably suppressed. It is done. Since the configuration and operation of the other parts are the same as in the case of the first example of the embodiment described above, overlapping illustrations and descriptions are omitted.

Sectional drawing which shows the 1st example of embodiment of this invention. The A arrow directional view of FIG. The B section enlarged view of FIG. The figure which took out the guide block and was seen from the same direction as FIG. The figure seen from the lower part of FIG. The figure seen from the side of FIG. CC sectional drawing of FIG. The D section enlarged view of FIG. The perspective view of a nut plate. The figure similar to FIG. 4 which shows an example of the reference example regarding this invention . The figure similar to FIG. 2 which shows the 2nd example of embodiment of this invention . The figure which took out the guide block and was seen from the same direction as FIG. The figure similar to FIG. 3 which shows the 3rd example of embodiment of this invention. The figure similar to FIG. 2 which shows the 4th example . EE sectional drawing of FIG. The figure which took out the guide block and was seen from the same direction as FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Telescopic steering column apparatus 2 Outer column 3 Inner column 4 Anti-rotation mechanism 5 Inner shaft 6 Outer shaft 7 Serration engaging part 8 Telescopic steering shaft 9a, 9b Rolling bearing 10 Front support bracket 11 Rear support bracket 12 Slit 13 Guide Hole 14, 14a, 14b, 14c Guide block 15 Mounting hole 16, 16a Main block portion 17 Annular protrusion 18 Linear protrusion 19 Flat surface portion 20 Protrusion portion 21 Slit 22, 22a Elastic deformation portion 23 Bolt 24, 24a Nut plate 25 Through hole 26 Circular convex part 27, 27a Circular concave part 28, 28a Screw hole 29 Hollow part

Claims (3)

A part of the cylindrical inner column is fitted into a part of the cylindrical outer column in the axial direction so as to allow relative displacement in the axial direction, and the axial direction between the outer column and the inner column is mutually In a telescopic steering column device provided with a detent mechanism for preventing relative rotation while allowing displacement, the detent mechanism is provided in an axial direction formed in a part of the outer column in the axial direction. A long guide hole, and a synthetic resin guide block supported and fixed to a part of the outer peripheral surface of the inner column in the axial direction while being engaged with the axial displacement inside the guide hole. It is as hereinbefore, when the width direction of the guide block a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, a slit at least in the width direction on one side face of the guide block is provided in a direction inclined with respect to the width direction Cage, present between the width direction side of the inner surface and the guide block of the slit, the portion where the thickness increases toward the tip decreases, the elastic deformation portion to reduce the width of the guide block on the basis of the elastic deformation and to have, the elastic deformation portion is not elastically deformed, the width of the free state of the guide block is larger than the width of the guide hole, the guide block, it is elastically deformed the elastic deformation portion The telescopic steering column device is incorporated into the inside of the guide hole in a state where the width dimension is elastically reduced by the above. The telescopic steering column apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a protrusion that protrudes outward in the width direction from the other part is provided at a part including the elastically deforming part on the side surface in the width direction of the guide block. The telescopic steering column device according to claim 2 , wherein the elastically deforming portion and the protruding portion are provided at at least two positions spaced apart in the axial direction.

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