JPH02234878A - Support structure of tilt steering - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To increase the safety at the time of collision by providing a rotation regulating means between the upper part of a steering column and an upper bracket so that the rotation of the steering column can be regulated when a determined or more external force acts on a vehicle body. CONSTITUTION:The lower end part 2A of a steering column 2 supporting a steering wheel 1 is supported by a lower bracket 4 fixed to a vehicle body 3 side in such a manner as to be capable of vertically tilting. The upper part 2B of the steering column 2 is supported by a shaft 7 inserted through a tilt regulating hole 5a of long channel form formed on an upper bracket 5 in such a manner as to be capable of regulating the tilt angle. In this case, a rotation regulating means 8 formed of a round bar is provided between the upper part 2B of the steering column 2 and the upper bracket 5. Namely, the front edge part 5b of the upper bracket 5 is formed into a circle with radial R having a support shaft 10 as the center, and the round bar 8 is fixed to the top end of a lower bracket 16 in face to the front edge part 5b with a certain space.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a support structure for a tilt-type steering wheel in a vehicle such as an automobile. This relates to the support structure of the tilt-type steering wheel. [Prior Art] Conventionally, the support structure of a tilt-type steering wheel in a vehicle such as an automobile is such that the lower end of the steering column is pivotally attached to a frame on the vehicle body side so that it can tilt up and down or forward and backward. There is a known structure in which the upper part is attached to the vehicle body through a locking means that engages in a variable position, and the tilt angle of the steering column can be adjusted by changing the locking position. For example, in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 59-99867, as a locking means for adjusting the tilt angle, one support piece attached to the vehicle body side or the column side has a plurality of locks connected to each other by grooves. A stop hole is formed in the front and back direction, and the other support piece has a
A pin mounting hole is formed, and a stepped pin corresponding to the groove and locking hole is provided so that it can be inserted and removed.
An example is described in which the large diameter portion of the stepped pin is biased by a spring so as to engage with the locking hole ζ.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

By the way, it is known that when a driver leans forward due to a collision or the like, the impact is effectively alleviated by having his or her upper body caught by the steering wheel. For example, when the driver's chest hits the wheel, the impact is most effectively mitigated because the wheel is circular and supported by the column via the rim.

In order for the driver's upper body to be received by the steering wheel in the event of a collision, it is desirable that the steering column be fixedly supported by the vehicle body so as not to rotate upward. However, in the conventional tilt-type steering support structure as described above, the upper part of the steering column is supported so as to be able to adjust the tilt angle, while the lower end of the steering column is attached to the lower part of the vehicle body and is connected via tie rods, etc. and is connected to the wheels. Therefore, in the event of a collision, the lower end of the steering column is pushed backwards and rotates to stand up, causing the steering wheel to move upwards. There is a concern that the vehicle may not be able to receive the driver in such a situation. The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tilt-type steering support structure that prevents the steering column from rotating upward in the event of a collision.

[Means to solve the problem]

In the present invention, the lower end of the steering column is supported by a lower bracket fixed to the vehicle body so as to be tiltable up and down, and the upper end of the steering column is supported by the tilt adjustment hole of the upper bracket fixed to the vehicle body. In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, there is a support structure for a tilt-type steering wheel that is supported by a shaft inserted through the steering column so that the tilt angle can be adjusted. A rotation restriction means is provided for restricting upward rotation.

[For production]

When an external force exceeding a certain level is applied to the vehicle body during a collision, etc., the lower end of the steering column is pushed rearward and tries to rotate, but the gap between the upper part of the steering column and the upper bracket is Since the rotation of the steering column is restricted by the rotation restriction means provided in the steering wheel, the driver's upper body is supported by the steering wheel.

〔Effect of the invention〕

In the present invention, the lower end of the steering column is supported by a lower bracket fixed to the vehicle body so as to be able to move up and down, while the upper part of the steering column is tilted by the upper bracket fixed to the vehicle body. The tilt-type steering support structure is supported so that the tilt angle can be adjusted by a shaft inserted through an adjustment hole, and a rotation restriction means is provided between the upper part of the steering column and the upper bracket to prevent collisions. At times, upward rotation of the steering column is restricted. As a result, the driver's upper body is supported by the steering wheel, effectively mitigating the impact and improving safety.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be explained in detail below based on examples thereof. The tilt type steering support structure shown in this embodiment is designed to restrict upward rotation of the steering column in the event of a collision in order to improve safety, and is configured as follows.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lower end 2A of the steering column 2 that supports the steering wheel 1 is
It is supported by a lower bracket 4 fixed to the vehicle body 3 so as to be tiltable up and down.

On the other hand, the upper part 2B of the steering column 2 is supported so as to be able to adjust the tilt angle by a shaft 7 inserted through a long tilt adjustment hole 5a formed in an upper bracket 5 fixed to the vehicle body 3 side. . In order to improve safety, a rotation restriction step 8 is provided between the upper part 2B of the steering column 2 and the upper bracket 5 to prevent the steering column 2 from rotating upward in the event of a collision. There is,
More specifically, the steering column 2 consists of a main shaft 2a and a main tube 2b that covers and rotatably supports the main shaft 2a. , transmits rotational force to a steering gear 2C attached to the lower end portion 2A, and steers the front wheels via a tie rod or the like (not shown). Although not shown, an energy absorption mechanism is incorporated to prevent the main shaft 2a from flying into the passenger compartment due to the primary impact, and to reduce the impact on the driver due to the secondary impact. A column-side bracket 9 formed in a substantially U-shape is attached to the lower end portion 2A of the main tube 2b, and both sides of the column-side bracket 9 are connected to lower brackets 41 and 42 fixed to the vehicle body 3 side. It is rotatably supported via a support shaft 10.10.

In addition, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, 41a, 4lb, 42a
, 42b are mounting flanges for the vehicle body 3 side. On the other hand, a tilt lock lever 12 as shown in FIG. 4 is provided on the upper part 2B of the steering column 2, and the tilt angle of the steering column 2 can be adjusted as desired by the driver's operation. ing. That is, the upper flange 5 of the approximately U-shaped upper bracket 5
C is fixedly supported at the lower part of the instrument panel 11 (see FIG. 5) of the three vehicle bodies, and one end of the shaft 7 on the outside is inserted into the tilt adjustment hole 5a formed on both sides of the upper bracket 5. The tilt opening lever 12 is attached to a nut l5 that is screwed into the opening. on the other hand,
Inside the upper bracket 5, there is a main tube 2b.
A substantially M-shaped lower bracket 16 (
(see FIG. 3) is fitted and supported through the shaft 7. In addition, in Fig. 4, 13 indicates the sleeve. With this configuration, when the tilt lever 12 is rotated downward [see the dashed line in FIG. The steering column 2 becomes tiltable within the range in which it can move, and when the tilt lock lever 12 is returned to the upper position shown by the solid line, the steering column 2 is fixed at that position.

The front edge portion 5b of the upper bracket 5 is a support shaft }1 that supports the lower end portion of the main tube 2b.
It is formed in an arc shape (radius R) centered at 0, and is attached to the lower side of the main tube 2b so that the round bar serving as the rotation regulating means 8 faces the front edge 5b with a slight gap. It is fixedly supported at the tip of a fixed lower bracket 16. This lower bracket 16, as shown in FIG.
A curved back portion 16a of the base formed in a substantially M-shape is used as a mounting surface for the main tube 2b, and a shaft hole 16b through which the shaft 7 is inserted is formed in the lower part of the back portion 16a.
A rod hole 16c for inserting and fixing the round rod 8 is formed in both arm portions 16d, 16d extending forward.

With this configuration, regardless of the tilt angle, the round bar 8 can always be exposed to the front edge 5b of the upper bracket 5 with a predetermined gap, thereby preventing upward rotation of the steering column 2 in the event of a collision. can be reliably prevented. That is, in the event of a collision, the lower end 2A of the steering column 2 is pushed rearward (in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 1), so that the upper bracket 5 stably fixed to the vehicle body 3 side
It attempts to rotate counterclockwise with respect to the plane of the paper so as to stand upwards about the shaft 7 which is supported through the shaft. Then, the round bar 8, which corresponds to the front edge 5b of the upper bracket 5 with a slight gap, comes into contact with the front edge 5b, and rotation of the steering column 2 is prevented.

In this way, the upward rotation of the steering column 2 due to the primary impact at the time of a collision is prevented by the rotation restricting means 8, so that the position of the steering wheel 1 is maintained, and for example, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. As shown in the figure, the entire steering wheel 1 catches the upper body of the driver 25, which jumps forward, thereby making it possible to most effectively alleviate the so-called secondary impact, thereby improving safety.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention; the first construction drawing is a front view showing the support structure of the steering column, the second drawing is a plan view thereof, and the third drawing is a perspective view of a bracket that supports a round bar that is a rotation regulating means. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV--IV in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the driver's upper body is supported by the steering wheel at the time of a collision. 2-Steering column, 2A-lower end, 2B-upper part, 3--car body, 4, 41.42-lower bracket, 5-1 upper bracket, 5a-tilt adjustment hole, 7 -・Shaft, 81 rotation regulating means (round bar).

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) The lower end of the steering column is supported by the lower bracket fixed to the vehicle body so that it can tilt up and down, while the upper part of the steering column is supported by the tilt adjustment hole of the upper bracket fixed to the vehicle body. In a support structure for a tilt-type steering wheel that is supported by an inserted shaft so that the tilt angle can be adjusted, there is a rotation mechanism between the upper part of the steering column and the upper bracket that restricts the upward rotation of the steering column. A tilt-type steering support structure characterized by being provided with a motion regulating means.