JPH1029543A - Cab-over vehicle steering system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To protect a driver from impact resulting from the backward movement of a steering column with a simple structure. SOLUTION: An upper steering shaft 6 is bendable with respect to a lower steering shaft by means of a joint 10, and an upper tube 5 of an upper column 2 in a steering column 1 is joined to a reinforcement 16. When an impact is applied to a front panel 11 due to a collision or the like, the upper column 2 is bent forward or toward the front panel 11 over the reinforcement 16 by means of a joint part 4 by the pressure of a lower column 3 at its upper end by a pipe stay 22. The bending of the upper column 2 toward the front panel 11 thus requires no effects of a shift rod or the like, which permits the structure itself to be applied even to cab-over vehicles employing either of shift modes including a column-shift mode and a floor-shift mode.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cab-over vehicle in which a driver's seat space is relatively small and a steering column is disposed at a large angle with respect to a cab floor. The present invention relates to a steering device that prevents an impact from a steering column from being applied to a driver when it is applied, and particularly to a steering device that has a simple structure even in a cab-over vehicle that adopts any shift form such as a column shift or a floor shift. The present invention relates to a steering device for a cab-over vehicle capable of protecting a driver from an impact due to movement of a column.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a cab-over vehicle has a relatively small space in a driver's seat, whereby a steering column is disposed at a large angle with respect to a cab floor. In such a cab-over vehicle, when an impact is applied to the front panel due to a collision or the like, the impact transmitted from the front panel to the steering column is given to the driver in consideration of the small space in the driver's seat. Various steering devices have been proposed to prevent this.

For example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-11858 discloses a steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle which employs an impact transmission preventing structure so that even when an impact is applied to a front panel, the impact is not transmitted to an occupant. . In such a steering device, when the front panel is deformed rearward due to an impact, the support stay also moves rearward according to the deformation of the front panel, and the shift rod and the steering column are brought into contact with the shift rod existing on the corner surface of the support stay. Push the lower half backward to bend the shift rod into a "C" shape. At this time, tension is generated in the shift rod in accordance with the bending thereof, so that the upper half of the steering column fixed to the upper end of the shift rod is bent forward in the shape of a "K" with respect to the lower half. This prevents the steering column from leaning backward.

[0004]

However, in the steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei 6-11858, when the front panel receives an impact at the time of a collision or the like, the upper half of the steering column is moved forward. In order to bend, the upper half of the steering column is rotated forward using the tension acting on the shift rod existing on the corner surface of the support stay. Therefore, in such a steering device, a shift rod is indispensable to rotate the upper half portion of the steering column. From this, among cab-over vehicles having various shift configurations, only a cab-over vehicle employing a column shift is used. There is a problem that it cannot be applied.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems. Even if a cab-over vehicle adopts any shift form such as a column shift or a floor shift, the rear of the steering column has a simple structure. It is an object of the present invention to provide a steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle that can protect the driver's chest from an impact due to movement to the cab.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle.
A steering column in which an upper column having a steering wheel and a lower column fixed to the cab floor are connected via a joint portion, and the upper column is provided to be able to bend in the front-rear direction with respect to the lower column; A stay member is provided between the upper end of the lower column and a stay member interposed between the upper end of the lower column and the upper end of the steering column. When the upper end of the lower column is pressed by the stay member, the lower column is turned around the reinforcing member toward the front panel via the joint portion when the upper end is pressed by the stay member.

In the steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle according to the first aspect, since the upper column of the steering column is connected to the reinforcing member, when an impact is applied to the front panel, the upper column has the upper end of the lower column. It is rotated in the direction of the front panel around the reinforcing member via the joint part based on being pressed by the stay member. In such a steering device, the action of the shift rod is not required at all for rotating the upper column in the direction of the front panel. Therefore, the present invention is applied to a cab-over vehicle that adopts any shift form such as a column shift or a floor shift. This makes it possible to protect the driver from an impact due to the rearward movement of the steering column with a simple structure.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle, one end of the stay member is fixed to an upper end of a lower column, and the other end of the stay member is provided with a predetermined gap. And is opposed to the front panel. In the steering device according to the second aspect, one end of the stay member is fixed to the upper end of the lower column, while the other end of the stay member is opposed to the front panel with a predetermined gap, that is, free. Has been in a state,
Therefore, when the impact applied to the front panel is smaller than the predetermined value, the steering device is not operated. Accordingly, when the other end of the stay member is directly fixed to the front panel, there is a problem that vibrations and the like from the front panel are transmitted to other members such as the steering column via the stay member. According to the steering device of the second aspect, it is possible to reliably deal with such a problem.

Further, a steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle according to a third aspect is characterized in that, in the steering apparatus according to the second aspect, the stay member is formed of a pipe-shaped member. In the steering device according to the third aspect, since a pipe-shaped member is used as the stay member, it is possible to reduce a space for disposing the stay member. It is possible to reduce the number and cost.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle, wherein the stay member is formed of a flat plate-like member, and buckles when a predetermined load or more is applied. Features.
In the steering device according to the fourth aspect, since the buckling is configured when a predetermined load or more is applied to the stay member, the stay member may enter the driver side by a certain amount or more under the driver's seat. However, this makes it possible to secure a space for the lower limbs of the driver.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings based on an embodiment embodying the present invention. First, a steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. here,
1 is a schematic side view of a steering device according to a first embodiment, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the steering device, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a connection structure between a pipe stay and a lower column of a steering column, and FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the steering device rotates when an impact is applied to the panel.

1 and 2, a steering column 1 is erected from a cab floor F in a space S of a driver's seat of a cab-over vehicle. This steering column 1 is composed of two upper columns 2 divided into upper and lower parts, a lower column 3, and a joint 4 connecting the upper column 2 to the lower column 3 so as to be able to bend in the front-rear direction.

The upper column 2 has an upper steering shaft 6 disposed in an upper tube 5, and a steering wheel 7 is fixed to an upper end of the upper steering shaft 6. The lower column 3 is provided with a lower steering shaft (not shown). Furthermore, the joint part 4 has a joint cover 9, and a joint 10 that flexibly connects the lower end of the upper steering shaft 6 and the upper end of the lower steering shaft is disposed in the joint cover 9.

A pedal bracket 12 is provided between the steering column 1 and a front panel 11 of the cab-over vehicle. Such a pedal bracket 12
Is a pair of bracket boards 12A, as shown in FIG.
And a connecting portion 12B for connecting each bracket board 12A. Each of the bracket boards 12A includes a fixing panel 13A of the cowl portion 13 and a cab floor F.
Are connected and fixed by screws 15. A high rigidity instrument panel reinforcement (hereinafter abbreviated as “reinforcement”) 16 is provided above a rear end (right end in FIGS. 1 and 2) of each bracket board 12A of the pedal bracket 12 with a screw 15. The upper tube 5 of the steering column 1 is connected and fixed to the rear end of each bracket board 12A of the pedal bracket 12 via two fixing brackets 17, 18 and screws 15. Have been.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a bracket member 1 constituting a part of the pedal bracket 12 is provided between each bracket board 12A of the pedal bracket 12.
The reinforcement 9 is arranged so as to overlap the bracket board 12A, and the reinforcement 16 is connected and fixed to the bracket member 19 by screws 15. In addition, the brake booster 20 is arrange | positioned between each bracket board 12A.

A fixing member 21 is fixed to the upper end of the lower column 3 of the steering column 1. The fixing member 21 is used to fix one end of a pipe stay 22 formed in a pipe shape to the lower column 3. It is a member. The fixing member 21 has a forked portion 21A having one end formed in a forked shape, and a connecting portion 21B in which the other end is converged and a screw hole is formed. Bifurcated part 2
1A is fixed around the lower column 3, and the connecting portion 21B is connected to one end of the pipe stay 22 via the screw 15.

The pipe stay 22 has a connecting portion 22A having one end formed flat and connected to the connecting portion 21B of the fixing member 21, and a load receiving portion having the other end formed in a flat plate shape. 22B. In a state where the pipe stay 22 is connected to the connecting portion 21B of the fixing member 21 by the screw 15 via the connecting portion 22A, the load receiving portion 22B is located between the front stay 11 and the load receiving portion 22B as shown in FIG. The front panel 11 is separated and opposed so that a predetermined gap A is formed. As described above, when the load receiving portion 22B is opposed to the front panel 11 via the gap A, that is, in a free state, when the impact applied to the front panel 11 is smaller than a predetermined value, , The steering device 1 is not operated, so that the pipe stay 22 is connected to the front panel 1.
1 due to being directly fixed to the front panel 11.
The problem that vibrations and the like are transmitted to other members such as the steering column 1 via the pipe stay 22 can be reliably avoided.

The pipe stay 22 has a relatively large strength based on the shape of the pipe. However, when the cab-over vehicle collides with the pipe stay 22, the pipe stay 22 receives a predetermined impact or more from the front panel 11 via the load receiving portion 22B. It is designed to buckle under load. By designing the pipe stay 22 in this manner, the pipe stay 22 does not enter the driver side more than a certain amount below the space S in the driver's seat, and thus the space for the lower leg of the driver can be secured. Cut off.

The pipe stay 22 is mounted on each bracket board 12 based on the shape of the pipe.
The space for the arrangement between A can be reduced, and a pipe can be used for performing the processing. Therefore, the number of processing steps can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

Next, the operation of the steering apparatus of the first embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, the solid line indicates the state of the steering device before the collision, and the dotted line indicates the state of the steering device after the collision.

In FIG. 4, the cab-over vehicle is the obstacle 2
In the case where the front panel 11 collides, an impact is applied to the front panel 11 in the direction indicated by the arrow B, and an impact load is transmitted from the front panel 11 to the load receiving portion 22B of the pipe stay 22. Thereby, the upper end of the lower column 3 is pressed rightward in FIG. 4 via the connecting portion 22A of the pipe stay 22 and the fixing member 21B. At this time, the lower end of the upper tube 5 also moves by being pressed rightward, but the upper end of the upper tube 5 is fixed to a rigid reinforcement 16, and the upper steering shaft 6 is connected to the lower portion via the joint 10. Since the upper tube 5 is bendable with respect to the steering shaft, the upper tube 5 is rotated in the direction of arrow C around the joint with the reinforcement 16. Based on the rotation of the upper tube 5, the upper column 2 is rotated forward (to the left in FIG. 4), and the steering wheel 7 is rotated in the direction of arrow D. As a result, the steering wheel 7 hardly moves in the direction of the driver's seat (rearward), so that an impact due to the deformation of the front panel 11 can be prevented without being transmitted to the driver.

As described in detail above, in the steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle according to the first embodiment, the upper steering shaft 6 is configured to be bendable with respect to the lower steering shaft via the joint 10 and the steering column 1 Since the upper tube 5 of the upper column 2 is connected and fixed to the reinforcement 16, when an impact is applied to the front panel 11 due to a collision or the like, the upper column 2 It is rotated forward (in the direction of the front panel 11) around the reinforcement 16 via the joint portion 4 based on being pressed by the pipe stay 22. As described above, in the steering device of the first embodiment, the operation of the shift rod or the like is not required at all for rotating the upper column 2 in the direction of the front panel 11, and therefore, any of the shifts such as the column shift and the floor shift can be performed. The present invention can be applied to a cab-over vehicle adopting the form, and the driver's chest can be protected from an impact due to the rearward movement of the steering column 1 with a simple structure.

While the connecting portion 22A of the pipe stay 22 is fixed to the upper end of the lower column 3 via the connecting portion 21B of the fixing member 21, the load receiving portion 22B of the pipe stay 22 has a predetermined gap A. Front panel 11
When the impact applied to the front panel 11 is smaller than a predetermined value, the steering device is not operated. Thus, when the load receiving portion 22 of the pipe stay 22 is directly fixed to the front panel 11, vibrations and the like from the front panel 11 are transmitted to other members such as the steering column 1 via the pipe stay 22. Problem can be reliably dealt with.

Further, since the pipe stay 22 is used, each bracket board 12A of the pedal bracket 12 is used.
The space for disposing the pipe stay 22 therebetween can be reduced, and the number of processing steps can be reduced when the pipe stay 22 is formed, thereby reducing the cost.

Further, since the pipe stay 22 is designed to buckle when a predetermined load or more is applied thereto, the pipe stay 22 does not enter the driver side more than a certain amount below the driver's seat. Thus, a space for the lower limbs of the driver can be secured.

Next, a steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the steering device according to the second embodiment, FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the steering device, and FIG. 7 shows a state in which the steering device rotates when an impact is applied to the front panel. FIG. still,
The steering device according to the second embodiment has basically the same configuration as the steering device according to the first embodiment described above, and uses a flat plate stay instead of the pipe stay 22 in the first embodiment. The only difference from the first embodiment is that it is performed. Therefore, in the following description, the same members and the like as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and only the configuration different from the first embodiment will be described.

5 and 6, a flat plate stay 3 is provided at the upper end of the lower column 3 of the steering column 1.
0 is fixed. The plate stay 30 has a main body 31 having a substantially hat-shaped cross section, and a plurality of beads 32 are provided at both upper corners of the main body 31. As described later, each bead 32 is provided with a plate stay 3 due to a collision of a cab-over vehicle or the like.
It is provided to buckle and deform the main body 31 while absorbing an impact load when a predetermined or more impact load is applied to the main body 31. Further, a concave portion 33 conforming to the peripheral shape of the lower column 3 is provided at one end (the right end in FIGS.
Are formed, and a pair of mounting pieces 34 are provided on both sides of the concave portion 33. Each mounting piece 34 is a screw 15
6 are fastened and fixed to two mounting pieces 8A (only one mounting piece 8A is shown in FIG. 6) formed at the upper end of the lower column 3. Further, a flat plate-shaped load receiving portion 35 is formed at the other end (the left end in FIGS. 5 and 6) of the main body portion 31. As shown in FIG. 5, the load receiving portion 35 is spaced and opposed to the front panel 11 while maintaining the gap A. This is the same as the case of the pipe stay 22 in the first embodiment.

Next, the operation of the steering apparatus of the second embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 7, the solid line indicates the state of the steering device before the collision, and the dotted line indicates the state of the steering device after the collision.

In FIG. 7, the cab-over vehicle is an obstacle 2
3, an impact is applied to the front panel 11 in a direction indicated by an arrow B, and the front stay 11
The impact load is transmitted to the zero load receiving portion 35. As a result, the main body portion 31, the concave portion 33, and the mounting pieces 3 of the plate stay 30 are provided.
The upper end of the lower column 3 is pressed rightward in FIG. At this time, the lower end of the upper tube 5 also moves by being pressed rightward, but the upper end of the upper tube 5 is fixed to a rigid reinforcement 16, and the upper steering shaft 6 is connected to the lower portion via the joint 10. Since the upper tube 5 is bendable with respect to the steering shaft, the upper tube 5 is rotated in the direction of arrow C around the joint with the reinforcement 16. Based on the rotation of the upper tube 5, the upper column 2 is rotated forward (to the left in FIG. 7), and the steering wheel 7 is rotated in the direction of arrow D. As a result, the steering wheel 7 hardly moves in the direction of the driver's seat (rearward).
1 can be prevented without being transmitted to the driver.

As described above, in the steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle according to the second embodiment, the upper steering shaft 6 is configured to be bendable with respect to the lower steering shaft via the joint 10,
Since the upper tube 5 of the upper column 2 of the steering column 1 is connected and fixed to the reinforcement 16, the front panel 11
When an impact is applied to the upper column 2, the upper column 2 moves forward (in the direction of the front panel 11) around the reinforcement 16 via the joint 4 based on the upper end of the lower column 3 being pressed by the plate stay 30. ). As described above, in the steering device of the second embodiment, as in the case of the first embodiment, the operation of the shift rod or the like is not required at all for rotating the upper column 2 in the direction of the front panel 11, and therefore, the column The present invention can be applied to a cab-over vehicle that adopts any shift mode such as shift, floor shift, etc., and can protect the driver's chest from an impact due to the rearward movement of the steering column 1 with a simple structure. .

The plate stay 30 is fixed to the upper end of the lower column 3 by the mounting piece 34 and the mounting piece 8A via the screw 15 while the recess 33 of the plate stay 30 is aligned with the lower column 3 while the plate stay 30 is fixed. 30 has a predetermined gap A
In this case, the steering device is not operated when the impact applied to the front panel 11 is smaller than a predetermined value. Thereby, when the load receiving portion 35 of the plate stay 30 is directly fixed to the front panel 11,
The problem that vibrations and the like are transmitted to other members such as the steering column 1 via the plate stay 30 can be surely dealt with.

Further, a plurality of beads 32 are provided on the main body 31 of the plate stay 30, and when a large impact load exceeding a predetermined level is applied to the plate stay 30, the impact load is absorbed to buckle. With such a design, the plate stay 30 does not enter the driver side more than a certain amount below the driver's seat, whereby a space for the driver's lower limbs can be secured. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments, and it is needless to say that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0033]

As described above, in the steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle according to the first aspect, the upper column of the steering column is connected to the reinforcing member. When the upper end of the lower column is pressed by the stay member, the lower column is rotated around the reinforcing member toward the front panel via the joint. In such a steering device, the action of the shift rod is not required at all for rotating the upper column in the direction of the front panel.
The present invention can be applied to a cab-over vehicle that adopts any of the shift modes such as a column shift and a floor shift, and can protect the driver from an impact due to the rearward movement of the steering column with a simple structure.

[0034] In the steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle according to the second aspect, one end of the stay member is fixed to the upper end of the lower column, while the other end of the stay member faces the front panel with a predetermined gap. In this state, the steering device is not operated when the impact applied to the front panel is smaller than a predetermined value. Accordingly, when the other end of the stay member is directly fixed to the front panel, there is a problem that vibrations and the like from the front panel are transmitted to other members such as the steering column via the stay member. The steering device of item 2 can surely deal with such a problem.

Further, in the steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle according to the third aspect, since a pipe-shaped member is used as the stay member, a space for disposing the stay member can be reduced, and the stay member can be provided with a small space. The cost can be reduced by reducing the number of processing steps in the production.

In the steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle according to the fourth aspect, the buckling mechanism is configured to buckle when a heavy load exceeding a predetermined level is applied to the stay member. As a result, the vehicle does not enter the driver more than a certain amount, so that space for the lower limbs of the driver can be secured.

As described above, the present invention has a simple structure to protect the driver from the shock caused by the rearward movement of the steering column, even in a cab-over vehicle employing any of the shift modes such as column shift and floor shift. It is possible to provide a steering device for a cab-over vehicle that can perform the steering.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a steering device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the steering device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a connection structure between a pipe stay and a lower column of a steering column.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the steering device rotates when an impact is applied to the front panel.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of a steering device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the steering device.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the steering device turns when an impact is applied to the front panel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steering column 2 Upper column 3 Lower column 4 Joint part 5 Upper tube 6 Upper steering shaft 7 Steering wheel 9 Joint cover 10 Joint 11 Front panel 12 Pedal bracket 15 Screw 16 Reinforcement 17, 18 Fixing bracket 21 Fixing member 21A Bifurcated part 21B Connecting part 22 Pipe stay 22A Connecting part 22B Load receiving part 30 Plate stay 31 Body part 32 Bead 33 Recess 34 Mounting piece 35 Load receiving part

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A steering column in which an upper column having a steering wheel and a lower column fixed to a cab floor are connected via a joint, and the upper column is provided to be able to bend in the front-rear direction with respect to the lower column. A stay member interposed between a front panel and an upper end of a lower column in the vicinity of the joint portion; and a reinforcing member connected to the upper column, wherein the upper column of the steering column has a front panel. Characterized in that when an impact is applied to the cab over, the upper end of the lower column is turned by the stay member so as to be turned around the reinforcing member through the joint portion in the direction of the front panel. Car steering device. 2. The cabover according to claim 1, wherein one end of the stay member is fixed to an upper end of a lower column, and the other end of the stay member is separated from and opposed to the front panel with a predetermined gap. Car steering device. 3. The steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said stay member is formed of a pipe-shaped member. 4. The steering apparatus for a cab-over vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said stay member is formed of a flat plate-like member, and buckles when a predetermined load or more is applied.