JPS6036518Y2 - Steering column support device - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] This invention relates to a steering column support device, and in particular, a collision energy absorbing steering column with a retractable steering shaft that can be easily detached from a support bracket of a vehicle body in the event of a vehicle collision. This is to ensure the effective forward distance of the column and ensure the safety of the occupants.

Conventionally, when an occupant hits the steering wheel during this type of vehicle collision, the steering column that supports the steering wheel contracts and moves forward, mitigating the impact on the human body.The collision energy absorbing steering column is a type of steering column that protrudes from the vehicle body. It is attached to the support bracket via a shear pin that breaks in the event of a collision.In the event of a vehicle collision, the shear pin is cut to disconnect the steering column from the vehicle body, allowing the steering shaft to contract and absorb the energy of the collision.

However, if an occupant hits the steering wheel diagonally during a collision, a bending moment is applied to the steering column, and a frictional force is applied to the support bracket due to the bending moment, making it difficult to cut the shear pin easily, and thus causing the steering column to move forward. However, there was a problem in that the impact on the human body was increased.

This invention aims to eliminate the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks and provide a steering column support device that can reliably separate the steering column from the support bracket of the vehicle body in the event of a collision.

Specifically, an attachment release plate is provided protruding from a member that moves during a vehicle collision, such as a knee protector or mask cylinder bracket, and the attachment release plate has a fixing groove slightly larger than the shaft of the mounting bolt, and a mounting bolt head or nut. A larger release groove is provided continuously, while an axial bolt mounting groove with an opening on the handle side is provided in the support plate fixed to the steering column, and bolt holes in the support bracket protruding from the vehicle body and bolt mounting grooves in the support plate are provided. The mounting bolt is passed through the fixing groove of the release plate and tightened and fixed with a nut, and the head of the mounting bolt or the nut is located in the release groove of the release plate where it was moved in the event of a vehicle collision, and the bolt and nut are tightened. This allows the support plate and steering column to move forward.

This invention will be explained in detail below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.

In the middle part of the steering column 3, which rotatably holds the steering shaft 2 with the handle 1 fixed to the upper end,
A support plate 4 having a U-shaped cross section is fitted at its lower curved connecting portion 4a to the lower outer circumferential surface of the steering column 3 and welded to be fixed integrally therewith.

Bolt mounting grooves 5, 5 are provided in the upper portions of the opposing vertical portions 4b, 4b of the support plate 4, parallel to the axial directions of the steering column 3 and steering shaft 2, and open on the handle 1 side.

On the other hand, there is a tilted U on the vehicle body 6 above the location of the steering column 3 (for example, the bottom of the instrument panel).
A support bracket 7 in the shape of a letter is fixed at its upper connecting portion 7a with bolts and nuts and is provided in a protruding manner.

Vertical portions 7b extending downward and facing each other from the bracket 7;
7b are bolt mounting holes 8, 8 that are in contact with the outer surfaces of the vertical portions 4b, 4b of the support plate 4, respectively, and communicate with the bolt mounting grooves 5, 5 of the support plate 4 in the vertical portions 7b, 7b.
is installed.

The above bolt mounting holes 8, 8 and the bolt fitting groove 5 of the support plate 4
, 5 are set slightly larger than the diameters of the shaft portions 9a, 9a of the mounting bolts 9, 9.

Further, below the position where the steering column 3 is arranged, the left and right end portions of the knee protector 10, which the occupant's legs come into contact with in the event of a vehicle collision and move upward, are attached to the vehicle body (not shown).

), an attachment release plate 1 with a U-shaped cross section is attached to the knee protector 1°.
1 is fixed.

The opposing vertical parts 11a, 11a of the attachment/release plate 11 are
The vertical portions 7b of the bracket 7 are brought into contact with the outer surfaces of the vertical portions 7b, respectively.

Therefore, the bracket 7 is fitted onto the support plate 4 from above, and the attachment release plate 11 is fitted onto the bracket from below.

The vertical portions 11a, 11a of the attachment release plate 11 have shaft portions 9a of the attachment bolts 9 in the portions communicating with the bolt attachment holes 8, 8.
A slightly larger fixing groove 12 is provided, and a releasing groove 14 is provided continuously below the fixing groove 12 to allow the head 9b of the mounting bolt 9 or the nut 13 screwed onto the mounting bolt 9 to be pulled out. ing.

The vertical portions 4b, 7b, and 11a of the support plate 4, the bracket 7, and the release plate 11, which are in contact with each other in this order, are connected to the bolt mounting hole 8 of the bracket 7 from the bottom side of the bolt mounting groove 5 of the support plate 4, and release the bolt from the bolt mounting hole 8 of the bracket 7. The mounting bolt 9 passes through the fixing groove 12 of the plate 11, and the nut 1 is inserted from the outer mounting release plate 11 side.
3 are screwed together, and the support plate 4, bracket 7, and release plate 11 are fastened and fixed by the nut 13 and the bolt head 9b,
It supports the steering column 3.

A roller 15 that guides the steering column 3 in the axial direction is rotatably protruded downward from the upper connecting portion 7a of the bracket 7, and an attachment release plate is attached to the vehicle body 6 on which the bracket 7 is protruded. Stopper 1 to limit the rise of 11
6 is installed protrudingly.

In FIG. 1, 17 is a floor panel and 18 is a seat.

According to the steering column support device having the above structure, normally, the steering column 3 is firmly fastened and fixed to the support bracket 7 attached to the vehicle body and the attachment release plate 11 with the mounting bolts 9 and nuts 13, as shown in the figure. .

On the other hand, during a vehicle collision, the occupant seated in the seat 18 moves forward due to a primary collision from the front of the vehicle, and before the occupant's upper body hits the kneel handle 1, the knee hits the knee protector 10, deforming the knee protector 10. When the attachment release plate 11 is moved upward, the attachment release plate 11 is moved upward.

Therefore, the fixing groove 12 of the attachment release plate 11 is secured to the attachment bolt 9.
The waist mounting bolt 9 slides upward and is located in the release groove 14, and the nut 13 fits into the release groove 14, and only the thick bone of the release plate 11 is loosened by the nut 13 and the tightening force is lost. .

Therefore, when an occupant touches the steering wheel 1 and pushes the steering wheel 1 and the steering column 3 forward, the bolt mounting groove 5 of the support plate 4 fixed to the steering column 3 slides with the mounting bolt 9, and the support plate 4 moves in the axial direction. As the occupant moves forward, the mounting bolt 9 is pulled out from the handle-side opening of the bolt mounting groove 5, completely detaching from the support bracket 7, and as the occupant moves forward, the energy absorbing device (not shown) provided on the steering shaft 2 is removed. .

) to absorb the collision energy.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of this invention, in which the release plate 11
' is provided to protrude rearward via a support rod 21 from a mask cylinder bracket 20 provided on a dash panel 19 that partitions an engine room at the front of the vehicle.

The attachment/release plate 11' is continuously provided with a fixing groove 12' at the rear and a release groove 14' at the front.

The other structures and the method of fastening and fixing the support bracket 7, support plate 4, and release plate 11' using the mounting bolts 9 and nuts 13 are the same as in the previous embodiment.

In this device, when a vehicle collides and the mask cylinder bracket 20 moves backward due to the deformation of the vehicle, the attachment release plate 11' moves backward, and the mounting bolt 9 moves backward.
1', the tightening force of the mounting bolt 9 is removed, and as in the previous embodiment, when the occupant hits the steering wheel 1, the support plate 4 and steering column 3 easily move forward, absorbing energy. I do.

As is clear from the above explanation, according to the steering column support device according to the present invention, in the event of a collision inside the vehicle, the attachment release plate moves and the fastening force of the mounting bolt and nut that attaches the steering column to the support bracket on the vehicle body side is increased. Since the steering column is removed, the steering column can be reliably removed from the vehicle body.

Therefore, since the steering column can be moved forward by contracting the steering column, it has the advantage that the impact given to the occupant can be reduced and safety can be improved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of the steering column support device according to this invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the main part of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line ■-■ of Fig. 2, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the steering column and support plate, and FIG. 5 is a side view showing another modification of this invention. 1... Handle, 2... Steering shaft, 3... Steering column, 4...
...Support plate, 5...Bolt mounting groove, 6...
...Vehicle body, 7...Support bracket, 8
...Bolt hole, 9...Mounting bolt, 1
0...Knee protector, 11...Mounting release plate, 12...Fixing groove, 13...
Nut, 14...Release groove, 20...
Master cylinder bracket.

Claims (3)

[Scope of utility model registration request] (1) Fix the support plate to the steering column, fasten the support plate and the support bracket protruding from the vehicle body through the mounting bolts inserted through the bolt installation holes of both, and attach the support plate to the support bracket. The bolt mounting hole into which the mounting bolt is inserted is configured with a bolt mounting groove with one end open so that the support plate can move forward in the axial direction of the steering column with respect to the support bracket, and An attachment release plate is attached to a moving member that moves as the occupant moves forward or the vehicle body deforms in the event of a vehicle collision, and the attachment release plate has a fixing groove slightly larger than the shaft diameter of the mounting bolt, and an attachment that is continuous with the fixing groove. The bolt head or the release groove from which the nut can be pulled out is aligned with the moving direction of the moving member, and the release groove is located on the moving member side, and the bolt mounting hole of the support plate and support bracket, and the mounting While the mounting bolt passes through the fixing groove of the release plate and is fastened and fixed with a nut, when the release plate moves during a vehicle collision, the mounting bolt or nut is positioned in the release groove, and the support plate and support bracket are separated by the mounting bolt. A support device for a steering column, characterized in that the support plate and the steering column can be moved in the axial direction by releasing the fastening. (2) The release plate is provided protruding from the upper surface of the knee protector placed in front of the seat, and the release plate has a fixing groove and a release groove continuously drilled in the vertical direction, so that the occupant can move forward in the event of a vehicle collision. The steering column support device according to claim 1, wherein the knee protector is moved upward so that the head or nut of the mounting bolt is located in the release groove. (3) An attachment release plate is provided protruding from the mask cylinder bracket, and a release groove and a fixation groove are continuously provided in the front and rear directions on the attachment release plate, so that the head of the attachment bolt can be moved backwards when the mask cylinder bracket moves during a vehicle collision. Alternatively, the steering column support device according to claim (1) of the utility model registration is characterized in that the nut is located in the release groove.