JP6480177B2 - Steering column device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering column device having at least a telescopic function.

  In recent years, a steering column apparatus having a telescopic function and a tilt function has been found in order to adjust the front-rear position and height (or tilt) of a steering wheel (steering wheel). The telescopic function of the steering column device is, for example, the lower jacket with a built-in lower shaft is fitted to the upper jacket with a built-in upper shaft so that the upper shaft can be moved forwards and backwards. Is realized by a configuration in which the position of the upper jacket is constrained relative to the lower jacket or the advancement / retraction is made possible by turning the operation lever attached to the support bracket that supports the vehicle body (Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). ).

  A steering column device (tilt / telescopic steering device) disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a lower jacket (lower tube) that is slidably assembled to a vehicle body, and an upper jacket (upper) that is movably assembled to the lower jacket. The upper jacket is supported by a support bracket (upper support bracket) supported by a vehicle body, and a rotating shaft (bolt) of an operation lever (operator) attached to the support bracket. A restraint cam (backlash removal cam) is assembled to the upper jacket, and the upper jacket is positionally restrained with respect to the lower jacket by pressing the restraint cam against the lower jacket by rotating the operation lever (Patent Document 1 [claim] Item 1] and others).

  The steering column device disclosed in Patent Document 2 is supported by the vehicle body, is supported by the vehicle body by a lower jacket that incorporates a lower shaft (lower shaft), and a support bracket (clamp), and incorporates an upper shaft (upper shaft). The upper jacket is provided with a restraining cam (eccentric cam) on a rotation shaft (clamping bolt) of an operation lever attached to a support bracket. The upper jacket is restrained in position relative to the lower jacket by pressing the restraining cam against the lower jacket by rotating the lever (Patent Document 2, [Claim 1] and others).

JP 2001-322552 A JP 2010-030579 A

  In each of the steering column devices disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a restraining cam is provided on a rotation shaft of an operation lever attached to a support bracket that supports the upper jacket on the vehicle body, and the operation lever is rotated. This is common in that the upper jacket is restrained in position relative to the lower jacket by pressing the rotating restraining cam directly against the lower jacket. However, the configuration that restrains the position of the upper jacket by pressing the rotating restraint cam against the lower jacket has the following problems.

  Normally, the restraining cam is rotated backwards (handle side) by rotating the operation lever down to relieve or release the pressure contact with the lower jacket, and conversely, the restraining cam is moved forward (engine side) by rotating the operation lever. And press against the lower jacket. This means that if the upper jacket moves forward and downward relative to the lower jacket for some reason, the restraining cam will be rotated by friction with the lower jacket that moves relatively rearward and upward, and the pressure contact may be released. To do.

  The steering column device having a telescopic function is configured such that when the upper jacket whose position is restrained with respect to the lower jacket by the restraining cam collides with the steering wheel when a driver swung forward by a vehicle collision, for example, hits the steering wheel. It is expected that the upper jacket moves forward and downward against friction to exert an impact absorbing function. However, as described above, if the restraining cam is driven by friction with the lower jacket that moves relatively rearward and the pressure contact is released, the shock absorbing function cannot be expected at all, but rather the movement of the upper jacket. Is no longer regulated, and the driver who collides with the steering wheel is shocked and dangerous.

  Here, if the turning direction of the operation lever is reversed, even if the upper jacket moves forward and downward and the lower jacket moves relatively rearward and upward, the restraining cam that is rotated by friction with the lower jacket The above-mentioned danger does not arise. However, due to the relationship with other members around the handle, it is difficult to change the direction of rotation of the operation lever. Therefore, in a steering column device that realizes a telescopic function with a configuration in which a restraining cam is pressed against the lower jacket by rotating the operation lever, the upper jacket moves forward and downward due to a vehicle collision or the like, and the lower jacket moves relative to the lower jacket. In particular, when moving rearward and upward, a structure in which the restraining cam is not moved by friction with the lower jacket was studied.

As a result of the study, we developed a lower jacket with a built-in lower shaft that fits the upper jacket with a built-in upper shaft so that it can move forward and backward. A restraint cam provided on a rotation shaft of an operation lever attached to a support bracket supported by the vehicle body is pressed against the lower jacket by the rotation operation of the operation lever, and the upper jacket is positionally restrained with respect to the lower jacket, In the steering column device having a telescopic function of moving away from the lower jacket by the turning operation and making the upper jacket advanceable and retreatable with respect to the lower jacket, the steering column device is cut out from the upper jacket and configured integrally with the upper jacket, Upper jacket To a supported spacer cantilevered, by interposing between the outer jacket and the restraining cam, said restraining cam to lower jacket is indirectly pressed configuration. The present invention can be applied to any steering column device having a telescopic function for restraining the position of the upper jacket by pressing the restraining cam against the lower jacket, regardless of the presence or absence of the tilt function.

  The steering column device of the present invention does not press the restraining cam directly against the lower jacket, but indirectly pushes the restraining cam against the lower jacket via the spacer. Accordingly, when the upper jacket moves forward and downward due to a vehicle collision or the like and the lower jacket moves relatively rearward and upward, the lower jacket that moves rearward and upward relative to the upper jacket is a spacer. Since the restraining cam is not brought only by sliding on the contact, the pressure contact by the restraining cam is not changed. Even if the lower jacket moves relatively forward and downward relative to the upper jacket, the lower jacket simply slides on the spacer and does not bring the restraining cam, and the lower jacket via the spacer by the restraining cam. Does not change the pressure contact.

  The spacer of the present invention is supported by the upper jacket in a cantilevered manner while being restrained by the upper jacket so that it does not move along with the lower jacket. I am trying to communicate. The spacer to be cantilevered may have a fixing portion for the upper jacket on a straight line including the rotation surface of the restraining cam. Usually, since the restraining cam has a rotational surface aligned in the extending direction of the upper jacket, the cantilevered spacer extends in the extending direction of the upper jacket from the fixed portion of the upper jacket. As a result, the deformation or displacement of the spacer starting from the fixed part occurs in a plane including the rotation surface of the restraint cam, and a lateral load is not applied to the restraint cam (no drooling). It can be rotated stably.

Spacer be configured integrally with the upper jacket cut from A Tsu par jacket, said attachment means is not required, contrivance not necessary of course the attachment means does not interfere with the outer jacket. The spacer cut out from the upper jacket may be formed by providing a slit in the upper jacket so as to be cantilevered.

  Specifically, the spacer includes a pair of side slits that extend in the advancing and retreating direction of the upper jacket, and whose opposing side edges are parallel to each other in a width where the restraining cam is pressed, and the edge of the side slit is defined as the advancing and retreating direction of the upper jacket. The structure cut out from an upper jacket can be illustrated by the edge part slit tied orthogonally to. The spacer cut out from the upper jacket by the U-shaped slit is cantilevered by the upper jacket, and deformation or displacement starting from a fixed portion with respect to the upper jacket does not interfere with the rotation of the restraining cam.

  Since the upper jacket has a circular cross section, the spacer cut out from the upper jacket becomes closer to a flat plate as the width is narrower, and is smoothly deformed or displaced. However, if the width of the spacer is narrower than that of the restraining cam, the pressing force of the restraining cam cannot be sufficiently transmitted to the lower jacket, and the side edges of the spacer may be rubbed and the surface of the restraining cam may be damaged. From this, the width of the spacer is set to a width where the restraining cam is pressed. Here, the “width in which the restraining cam is in pressure contact” means the width in which the restraining cam pressed against the spacer is actually in contact with the spacer. The width of the spacer and the width with which the restraining cam is pressed may not exactly coincide with each other, even if there is a difference between the two as long as the deformation or displacement of the spacer is not hindered and the surface of the restraining cam is not damaged. Good.

  The steering column device according to the present invention stabilizes the position constraint of the upper jacket with respect to the lower jacket realized by pressing the restraining cam by preventing the restraining cam from being brought about by friction with the lower jacket, and the collision of the vehicle. Due to the above, the upper jacket moves forward and downward, and the lower jacket moves relatively rearward and upward, so that the effect of stabilizing the shock absorbing performance is obtained. The effects of the present invention can be obtained with a steering column device having a telescopic function that restrains the position of the upper jacket by the press contact of the restraining cam regardless of the presence or absence of the tilt function.

  If the spacer is cut out from the upper jacket and integrated with the upper jacket, interference between the mounting means for attaching the spacer to the upper jacket and the lower jacket will not be a problem, No adjustment work is required. This means that there is an effect of suppressing or preventing an increase in manufacturing cost, and the effect of facilitating the application of the present invention to the steering column device is brought about.

  The spacer which is cut out from the upper jacket by the side slit and the end slit and is equal in width to the pressure contact of the restraining cam is deformed or displaced within the necessary and sufficient range by being pushed by the restraining cam, and is pressed against the lower jacket. Since the fixed part of the cantilever support is positioned on a straight line including the rotation surface of the restraining cam, that is, in the extending direction of the lower jacket, the deformation or displacement does not interfere with the rotation of the restraining cam. Become.

It is a side view showing the principal part in an example of the steering column apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a bottom view showing the principal part in the steering column apparatus of this example. It is a partially broken bottom view of the main part in the steering column device of the present example excluding the bottom surface of the mounting bracket fixed to the upper jacket. It is a partial front view showing the relationship between a spacer and a restraint cam. It is sectional drawing of the principal part in the steering column apparatus of this example made into the adjustment state by dropping the operation lever. It is sectional drawing of the principal part in the steering column apparatus of this example made the operation lever lowered and used. It is a side view of the principal part in the steering column apparatus of this example showing a state in which the lower jacket is relatively inserted into the upper jacket due to a vehicle collision or the like. It is a bottom view of the principal part in the steering column apparatus of this example showing a state in which the lower jacket is relatively inserted into the upper jacket due to a vehicle collision or the like. It is sectional drawing of the principal part in the steering column apparatus of this example showing the state by which the lower jacket was relatively inserted in the upper jacket by the collision etc. of the vehicle.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention, for example, as seen in FIGS. 1 to 3, an upper jacket 2 incorporating an upper shaft (not shown) is movably fitted to a lower jacket 1 incorporating a lower shaft (not shown); Applicable to the steering column device in which the upper shaft is connected to the lower shaft so as to be able to advance and retract, and the restraining cam 42 is provided on the rotating shaft 41 of the operating lever 4 attached to the support bracket 3 that supports the upper jacket 2 to the vehicle body. Is done. The steering column device of this example has a tilt function and a telescopic function.

  In each figure below FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, the main part of the steering column device in which the lower jacket 1 and the upper jacket 2 are fitted is shown horizontally. 1 and the upper jacket 2 is supported by the vehicle body (not shown) in an oblique posture with a downward slope toward the front of the vehicle as a whole so as to protrude rearward and upward (upper right in FIG. 1). . For this reason, the advancing / retreating direction of the lower jacket 1 or the upper jacket 2 will be described as a front lower side and a rear upper side with reference to the front, rear, left, and right sides of the vehicle.

  The lower jacket 1 is a metal cylinder having an annular flange at the front end. The lower jacket 1 is fitted into the upper jacket 2 from the front lower side, and a lower shaft (not shown) held inside is held by the upper jacket 2. Connected to the upper shaft. The lower jacket 1 of the present example is pivotally attached to the vehicle body with a swing shaft (not shown), and the upper jacket 3 loosened from the support bracket 3 is swingable to realize a tilt function. In addition, the lower jacket 1 of the present example is provided with a retainer 11 that is a resin-made cylindrical cover on the outer peripheral surface so that the lower jacket 1 can move forward and backward without rattling, and the inner peripheral surface of the upper jacket 2. And filling the gap.

  The upper jacket 2 is a metal cylinder supported by a support bracket 3 fixed to the vehicle body via a fixed mounting bracket 22, and is externally fitted to the lower jacket 1 from the rear upper side and is held inside. Further, the upper shaft (not shown) is connected to the lower shaft held by the lower jacket 1 so as to freely advance and retract. In the upper jacket 2 of this example, a rectangular spacer 21 in plan view separated by a U-shaped slit 211 extending in the advancing and retracting direction is provided on the bottom side facing the restraining cam 42 attached to the rotating shaft 41 of the operating lever 4. ing. Thus, the spacer 21 of this example is provided integrally with the upper jacket 2 with the rear side being cantilevered by the upper jacket 2.

  The spacer 21 of this example has a rectangular shape in plan view (see FIG. 3) equal to the width of the cam surface 421 to which the restraining cam 42 is pressed, and easily deforms into the upper jacket 2 in response to the pressing of the restraining cam 42. However, the outer surface of the spacer 21 cut out from the upper jacket 2 having a circular cross section is necessarily curved. For this reason, the cam surface 421 of the restraint cam 42 of this example is formed in a concave section so that the pressing of the restraint cam 42 does not concentrate on one point (FIG. 4). As a result, the restraining cam 42 can be pushed up straight, that is, toward the inside of the upper jacket 2 without twisting the spacer 21. This means that the spacer 21 pushed by the restraining cam 42 is in wide contact with the outer surface of the lower jacket 1 and can be transmitted to the lower jacket 1 without being pushed.

  The upper jacket 2 of the present example is a metal mounting bracket having a U-shaped cross section composed of a flat plane and a pair of parallel side surfaces bent from both side edges of the plane so as to cover the spacer 21 22 is fixed to the bottom side by welding. The mounting bracket 22 is provided with a pair of left and right telescopic elongated holes 221 extending in the advancing and retreating direction of the upper jacket 2. In the upper jacket 2 of this example, a mounting bracket 22 and a support bracket 3 fixed to a vehicle body are connected by a rotating shaft 41 of an operation lever 4 and supported by the support bracket 3 via the mounting bracket 22.

  The support bracket 3 includes a metal bracket body 33 with capsules 31, 31 attached to a pair of left and right, and a pair of parallel metal sandwich plates 32 lowered from the bracket body 33 in a pair of left and right. The capsule 31 is a resin block that is attached to a mounting portion of the bracket body 33 that is cut out in a wedge shape in plan view, and is a member that is also found in a steering column device of the same type. The capsule 31 is separated from the mounting portion of the bracket body 33 when the upper jacket 2 in a use-constrained position is forcibly moved forward and downward in response to an impact from the outside, and the use-restrained use state The upper jacket 2 in the position is made movable.

  In the support bracket 3 of this example, a pair of left and right clamping plates 32 are provided with arc-shaped tilt slots 321 centered on a swing shaft (not shown) provided in the lower jacket 1. Thus, the mounting bracket 22 is passed through the rotating shaft 41 of the operation lever 4 in a state where the telescopic elongated hole 221 of the mounting bracket 22 fixed to the upper jacket 2 and the elongated elongated slot 321 communicate with each other in the left-right direction. 22 and the support bracket 3 are connected, and the upper jacket 2 is supported on the vehicle body via the mounting bracket 22 and the support bracket 3.

  The operation lever 4 is an operation member for rotating the rotation shaft 41 communicating with the telescopic long hole 221 of the mounting bracket 22 and the tilt long hole 321 of the support bracket 3. In the operation lever 4 of this example, a resin interlocking collar 422 provided with a restraining cam 42 is externally fitted between the telescopic long holes 221 of the mounting bracket 22. The interlocking collar 422 is provided with a spline hole 423 in the extending direction, and the spline 411 provided on the rotating shaft and the spline hole 423 are spline-fitted to rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 41. The restraining cam 42 has a cam surface 421 that is eccentric from the center of rotation of the interlocking collar 422 and changes the radius gradually. The restraint cam 42 of this example is a cam surface 421 having a small diameter portion on the front and a large diameter portion on the rear. The cam surface 421 is a concave surface following the outer surface of the spacer 21 provided on the upper jacket 2 (see FIG. 4).

  The operation lever 4 of this example is disposed on the left side (the front side in FIG. 1 and the upper side in FIG. 2), and a pressing cam mechanism 412 is provided between the operation lever 4 and the left clamping plate 32. The pressing cam mechanism 412 is composed of a pair of cam plates that change the facing relationship of the concavities and convexities according to the rotation operation of the operation lever 4, and when the convexes of the pair of cam plates face each other, the cam plate is sandwiched on the left side. When the plate 321 is pressed to tighten the side surface of the mounting bracket 221 and the clamping plate 32 of the support bracket 3 and the convex and concave portions of the pair of cam plates face each other, the cam plate does not press the left clamping plate 321, The tightening between the side surface and the clamping plate 32 of the support bracket 3 is loosened.

  The steering column device of this example realizes a tilt function and a telescopic function as follows. When the operation lever 4 is pushed down forward and downward, when the pressing cam mechanism 412 loosens the fastening between the side surface of the mounting bracket 22 and the holding plate 32 of the support bracket 3, the rotation of the tilting hole 31 and the telescopic slot 221 communicates. The communication position of the moving shaft 41 can be freely changed. At the same time, the restraining cam 42 makes the small diameter portion of the cam surface 421 face the spacer 21 of the upper jacket 2 and slightly separates from the outer surface of the spacer 21, so that the upper jacket 2 can move forward and backward with respect to the lower jacket 1. .

  Thus, the lower jacket with respect to the swinging shaft of the lower jacket 1 is moved up and down so that the communication position of the rotating shaft 31 with respect to the long slot for tilt 321 is moved up and down while the upper jacket 2 is movable back and forth with respect to the lower jacket 1. If the inclination of 1 and the upper jacket 2 is adjusted, a tilt function can be realized. Further, in this state, the telescopic function can be realized by adjusting the overlapping length of the upper jacket 2 with respect to the lower jacket 1 so that the communication position of the rotating shaft 41 with respect to the telescopic long hole 221 is advanced and retracted (see FIG. 5). ).

  When the lowered operating lever 4 is lifted rearward and upward, the pressing cam mechanism 412 tightens the side surface of the mounting bracket 22 and the holding plate 32 of the support bracket 3 and communicates with the long slot 31 for tilt and the long hole 221 for telescopic. The communication position of the rotating shaft 41 is fixed. At the same time, the restraining cam 42 presses the outer surface of the spacer 21 with the large diameter portion of the cam surface 421 facing the spacer 21 of the upper jacket 2, so that the position of the upper jacket 2 is fixed with respect to the lower jacket 1. . Thus, the adjusted inclination of the lower jacket 1 and the upper jacket 2 and the overlapping length of the upper jacket 2 with respect to the lower jacket 1 are maintained.

  The feature of the present invention is that the upper jacket 2 is cantilevered between the lower jacket 1 and the restraining cam 42, unlike the conventional case where the cam surface 421 of the restraining cam 42 is directly pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the lower jacket 1. By interposing the spacer 21, the restraint cam 42 is indirectly pressed against the lower jacket 1 (see FIG. 6). Since the spacer 21 is cantilevered by the upper jacket 2, when the restraining cam 42 presses the large-diameter portion of the cam surface 421, the spacer 21 is displaced into the upper jacket 2 in response to the pressing, and the lower jacket is the same as in the prior art. Since the outer peripheral surface of 1 is pressed, the function of the restraining cam 42 to fix the position of the upper jacket 2 with respect to the lower jacket 1 remains the same.

  However, as seen in FIGS. 7 to 9, for example, when the driver collides with the handle at the rear end of the upper shaft in the event of a vehicle collision or the like, the upper jacket 2 moves forward and downward (see the white arrow), When the lower jacket 1 moves rearward and upward relatively (see the black arrow), the lower jacket 1 that moves rearward and upward relative to the upper jacket 2 simply slides on the spacer 21, and the restraint cam 42 is moved. Since it is not carried around, the pressure contact of the lower jacket 1 via the spacer 21 by the restraining cam 42 is not changed.

  For the telescopic function, the position of the upper jacket 2 with respect to the lower jacket 1 is maintained by pressing the restraining cam 42 against the lower jacket 1 and fixing the position of the upper jacket 2 with respect to the lower jacket 1. As described above, the upper jacket 2 is forcibly moved with respect to the lower jacket 1 to absorb the impact applied to the driver colliding with the steering wheel (impact absorbing function). The present invention prevents the lower jacket 1 that moves relatively rearward and upward as a result of the upper jacket 2 moving forward and downward in response to an impact so that the restraining cam 42 does not rotate. The pressing of 1 is maintained and the necessary and sufficient impact absorbing function is exhibited.

1 Lower jacket
11 Retainer 2 Upper jacket
21 Spacer
22 Mounting bracket 3 Support bracket
31 capsules
32 Nipping plate
33 Bracket body 4 Control lever
41 Rotating axis
42 Restraint cam

Claims (2)

The lower jacket with a built-in lower shaft is fitted to the upper jacket with a built-in upper shaft so that it can move forward and backward, and the upper shaft is connected to the lower shaft so that it can move forward and backward. The restraining cam provided on the rotating shaft of the operating lever is pressed against the lower jacket by rotating the operating lever to restrain the position of the upper jacket relative to the lower jacket, or from the lower jacket by the rotating operation. In a steering column device having a telescopic function to move the upper jacket forward and backward with respect to the lower jacket away,
The restraint cam is indirectly connected to the lower jacket by interposing a spacer cut out from the upper jacket and integrally formed with the upper jacket and cantilevered by the upper jacket between the lower jacket and the restraint cam. Steering column device, characterized in that it is pressed against the steering column device. The spacer extends in the advancing and retreating direction of the upper jacket, a pair of side slits whose opposing side edges are parallel to each other with a width where the restraining cam is pressed, and an edge of the side slit is orthogonal to the advancing and retreating direction of the upper jacket by the end slit connecting Te, steering column apparatus according to claim 1 Symbol placement is cut from the upper jacket.

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