KR102612218B1 - Impact absorption structure of steering column for a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a shock absorber for a steering column for a vehicle, comprising: a steering shaft, an outer tube surrounding the steering shaft, a distance bracket mounted on the outer tube, a plate bracket fixed to the outside of the distance bracket, and the distance bracket and plate. In a steering column for a vehicle including an adjust bolt that penetrates the bracket in the horizontal direction and an adjustment lever mounted on one end of the adjust bolt, member mounting grooves are provided at intervals on the outer tube corresponding to the adjust bolt. A shock absorbing member is formed in the member mounting groove orthogonal to the adjust bolt, so that during a vehicle collision, the shock absorbing member can absorb shock while contacting the adjust bolt.
According to the present invention, by mounting a shock absorbing member in the member mounting groove of the outer tube orthogonal to the adjust bolt, the shock absorbing member can not only absorb the shock while contacting the adjust bolt during a vehicle collision, but also absorb the shock applied to the driver. It has the effect of reducing.

Description

Impact absorption structure of steering column for a vehicle}

The present invention relates to a shock absorbing device for a steering column for a vehicle, and more specifically, to a shock absorbing structure for a steering column for a vehicle that appropriately absorbs the shock load applied to the driver during a vehicle collision to increase stability in the event of a collision.

Generally, a steering device is provided in the driver's seat of a car to allow the driver to arbitrarily change the direction of travel of the vehicle.

Such a steering device typically consists of a steering device, a steering gear, and a link mechanism. In particular, the steering device includes a steering wheel that receives rotational torque from the driver, a shaft connected to the steering wheel, and this shaft is installed internally, and the steering device It includes a steering column that is fixed to itself, and this steering column is fixed to the car body by a pair of upper and lower mounting brackets.

Meanwhile, such steering devices are equipped with various impact energy absorption structures to absorb and relieve the impact force when a driver hits the steering device due to collision inertia during a vehicle collision or collision, thereby minimizing driver injuries.

These impact energy absorbing structures generally include a structure that absorbs shock caused by deformation of the steering column, a structure that absorbs shock caused by deformation of the steering shaft installed within the steering column, and a mounting that supports and secures the steering column to the vehicle body. A shock absorption structure caused by the bracket's separation from the car body is applied simultaneously to minimize injuries to the driver in the event of a vehicle accident.

Figure 1 is a steering device with a conventional shock absorption structure, in which the steering column (1) consists of two hollow tube-shaped tubes (1a) and (1b) connected in an axial direction capable of collapsing. Inside the steering column (1), a steering shaft (2) is installed at one end of which the steering handle is connected. Like the steering column (1), the two axes are provided so that they can be contracted in the axial direction.

Additionally, a mounting bracket 4 is installed on the outside of the steering column 1 to secure the steering column 1 to the vehicle body. In particular, this mounting bracket 4 also has an impact energy absorption structure to absorb impact energy generated during a vehicle collision or collision.

Here, the impact energy absorption structure of the mounting bracket is such that capsules (5) for fixing it to the vehicle body are coupled to both sides of the mounting bracket (4) in a detachable manner from the mounting bracket (4), and the capsule (5) A curling plate (6) with a fracture portion (6a) is connected to one lower side to absorb additional impact energy in conjunction with capsule separation during a vehicle collision. At this time, one side of the curling plate (6) is fixed to the bottom of the mounting bracket (4) as a rivet (7).

Therefore, the shock absorption structure of the conventional steering device composed of the above configuration causes the steering column 1 and the steering shaft 2 inside it to curl when the driver hits the steering wheel side due to the collision inertia during a vehicle collision or collision. Shock is absorbed as it wraps, and at the same time, primary shock absorption occurs as the mounting bracket (4) that supports and secures the steering column (1) to the vehicle body detaches from the capsule (5) that is bolted to the vehicle body. Thereafter, due to the continued impact inertia, the fractured portion 6a of the currying plate 6, which is fixed as a rivet to the mounting bracket 4, is torn and bent at the same time based on the riveting point to absorb the secondary shock.

However, conventionally, because the tearing force caused by a simple cut of the currying plate is used when the mounting bracket is removed as described above, the resistance load against the sudden impact load during a collision is weak, resulting in poor collision absorption performance, and the curing plate is based on the rivet. When torn at the same time as bending, the currying plate may be distorted or bent in a direction completely different from the impact inertia, causing a problem in which effective shock absorption is not achieved.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-0569462 Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 2006-004272

The present invention was developed to solve the above problems, and a shock absorbing member is installed in the member mounting groove of the outer tube perpendicular to the adjust bolt, so that in the event of a vehicle collision, the shock absorbing member contacts the adjust bolt and absorbs the shock. The purpose is to provide a shock-absorbing structure for steering columns for vehicles.

In order to achieve the above object, the shock absorbing structure of the steering column for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a steering shaft, an outer tube surrounding the steering shaft, a distance bracket mounted on the outer tube, and a plate fixedly mounted on the outside of the distance bracket. In a steering column for a vehicle including a bracket, an adjust bolt passing through the distance bracket and the plate bracket in a horizontal direction, and an adjustment lever mounted on one end of the adjust bolt, the outer tube corresponding to the adjust bolt includes Member mounting grooves are formed at intervals, and a shock absorbing member is mounted in the member mounting groove orthogonal to the adjust bolt, so that in the event of a vehicle collision, the shock absorbing member can absorb shock while contacting the adjust bolt.

At this time, a distance guide portion with a cutout portion may be formed to protrude in front of the distance bracket to support and guide the shock absorbing member.

In addition, the shock absorbing member may have side parts symmetrically protruding on both sides based on the curved part having a predetermined length and width.

In addition, the shock absorbing member may have side portions and anti-slip portions formed on both sides with a gap at the front and rear based on the curved portion having a predetermined length and width.

At this time, the height of the side portion may decrease as it moves from the front to the back, and the side portion may be composed of a vertical surface formed perpendicular to both ends of the curved portion and a support surface formed in a curved or inclined manner at the ends of the vertical surface.

According to the present invention, by mounting a shock absorbing member in the member mounting groove of the outer tube orthogonal to the adjust bolt, the shock absorbing member can not only absorb the shock while contacting the adjust bolt during a vehicle collision, but also absorb the shock applied to the driver. It has the effect of reducing.

In addition, the adjust bolt and shock absorbing member can absorb shock in the event of a vehicle collision, which has the effect of minimizing damage to other parts.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a steering device having a conventional impact energy absorption structure.
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the shock absorption structure of a steering column for a vehicle according to the present invention.
3(a) to 3(c) are a plan view, a front view, and a side view showing a shock absorbing member constituting the shock absorbing structure of a steering column for a vehicle according to the present invention.
Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the operating state of the shock absorbing member constituting the shock absorbing structure of the steering column for a vehicle according to the present invention.
Figures 5(a) to 5(c) are a plan view, a front view, and a side view showing another example of a shock absorbing member constituting the shock absorbing structure of a steering column for a vehicle according to the present invention.
Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the operating state of the shock absorbing member 5 according to the present invention.
7 and 8 are perspective views showing the operating state of the shock absorbing structure of the steering column for a vehicle according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Throughout the specification, similar parts are given the same reference numerals.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the shock absorption structure of a vehicle steering column according to the present invention, and Figures 3(a) to 3(c) are a shock absorbing structure according to the present invention. A top view, a front view, and a side view showing the shock absorbing member constituting the shock absorbing structure of the steering column for a vehicle, and Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the operating state of the shock absorbing member constituting the shock absorbing structure for the steering column for a vehicle according to the present invention. , FIGS. 5(a) to 5(c) are plan views, front views, and side views showing other examples of shock absorbing members constituting the shock absorbing structure of a steering column for a vehicle according to the present invention, and FIG. This is a perspective view showing the operating state of the shock absorbing member in Figure 5.

First, briefly describing the vehicle steering column of the present invention, the vehicle steering column has an outer tube 24 into which the inner tube 22, which accommodates the steering shaft 20, is inserted, and is installed on the upper side of the outer tube 24. an upper mounting bracket 30 fixed to the vehicle body, a distance bracket 40 coupled to the outer tube 24, and a plate bracket formed integrally with the upper mounting bracket 30 and having a tilt hole 52 ( 50), a tilt fixed gear 60 mounted on the outer surface of the plate bracket 50, a moving gear block 70 provided with a tilt movable gear 72 engaged with or separated from the tilt fixed gear 60, An adjust bolt 80 penetrating the teles long hole 42 and the tilt long hole 52 of the distance bracket 40 and the mobile gear block 70, and an adjust located on the opposite side of the mobile gear block 70. It includes an adjustment lever (90) coupled with a bolt (80).

Here, it is revealed that the steering column for the vehicle is not limited to the drawings and may be configured by selecting a known configuration depending on the environment and purpose.

And in the present invention, the description of the steering column for the vehicle will focus on the configuration related to the shock absorption structure.

That is, the shock absorbing structure 10 of the steering column for a vehicle of the present invention forms a member mounting groove 22a at intervals on the inner tube 22 corresponding to the adjust bolt 80, and the adjust bolt 80 ) The shock absorbing member 100 is mounted in the member mounting groove 22a orthogonal to the shock absorbing member 100 so that the shock absorbing member 100 absorbs the shock while moving to the adjust bolt 80 when a vehicle collides.

For this purpose, member mounting grooves 22a are formed at intervals in the inner tube 22 surrounding the steering shaft 20.

That is, the inner tube 22 has member mounting grooves 22a formed at intervals in the portion corresponding to the adjust bolt 80. At this time, it is natural that the size of the member mounting groove 22a varies depending on the shock absorbing member 100 to be mounted.

In addition, a distance guide portion 42 provided with a cutout portion 44 is formed to protrude in front of the distance bracket 40 to support and guide the shock absorbing member 100.

That is, the distance bracket 40 protrudes a distance guide portion 42 with a cutout 44 in front of the member mounting groove 22a of the inner tube 22 to provide a shock absorbing member 100. While supporting, the shock absorbing member 100 can only move rearward in the event of a vehicle collision.

The shock absorbing member 100, which is mounted on the member mounting groove 22a of the inner tube 22 and absorbs shock while contacting the adjust bolt 80 during a vehicle collision, is described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. It is as follows.

The shock absorbing member 100 has side portions 120 symmetrically protruding on both sides of the curved portion 110 having a predetermined length and width.

At this time, the side portion 120 is formed to decrease in height from the front to the rear so that the side portion 120 can move smoothly when in contact with the adjust bolt 80.

That is, the side portion 120 is formed so that the portion in contact with the adjust bolt 80 is low so that when a vehicle collides, the shock absorbing member 100 moves along the lower part of the adjust bolt 80 to absorb the shock. It was done.

And the side part 120 has a vertical surface 122 formed perpendicular to both ends of the curved part 110 to absorb shock when contacting the adjust bolt 80, and a curved or curved surface at the ends of the vertical surface 122. It consists of a support surface 124 that is inclined.

That is, the side portion 120 absorbs shock while being bent inward by the force applied to the support surface 124 when it contacts the adjust bolt 80.

Next, looking at the operating state of the shock absorbing member 100 with reference to FIG. 4, the shock absorbing member 100 and the adjust bolt 80 are normally arranged at intervals.

In addition, the shock absorbing member 100 moves in the direction of the adjust bolt 80 during a vehicle collision and then moves to the lower part of the adjust bolt 80, and the side portion 120 bends inward to absorb the shock. It will be done.

In other words, the shock absorbing member 100 uses the inclined side portion 120 to gradually increase the amount of absorption of impact energy generated upon contact with the adjust bolt 80.

Next, the shock absorbing member 100 may be configured as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The shock absorbing member 100 has side portions 120a and anti-slip portions 130a formed at intervals in the front and rear, respectively, based on a curved portion 110a having a predetermined length and width.

That is, the shock absorbing member 100 has a side portion 120a at the front and an anti-slip portion 130a at the rear based on the portion where the adjust bolt 80 is disposed.

Here, the anti-slip portion 130a can act as a stopper to adjust the telescopic length when the inner tube 22 is telescopically operated, and the side portion 120a can adjust the telescopic length. It can act as a stopper.

And the side part 120a has a vertical surface 122a formed perpendicularly at both ends of the curved part 110a to absorb shock when contacting the adjust bolt 80, and a curved or curved end at the end of the vertical surface 122a. It consists of a support surface 124a that is inclined.

That is, the side portion 120a is formed to be curved or inclined so that the support surface 124a bends inward when contacting the adjust bolt 80 and absorbs shock.

Next, looking at the operating state of the shock absorbing member 100 with reference to FIG. 6, the adjust bolt 80 normally has a curved portion located between the side portion 120a and the anti-slip portion 130a. It is located at the top of 110a).

In addition, the shock absorbing member 100 moves in the direction of the adjust bolt 80 during a vehicle collision and then moves to the lower part of the adjust bolt 80, and the side portion 120a is bent inward to absorb the shock. It will be done.

The shock absorbing structure of the steering column for a vehicle configured as described above will be described with reference to an embodiment as follows.

First, the steering shaft 20 is accommodated in the inner tube 22 where member mounting grooves 22a are formed at intervals, and then the inner tube 22 is inserted into the outer tube 24.

At this time, in the member mounting groove 22a orthogonal to the adjust bolt 80, a shock absorbing member ( 100) is installed.

And after installing the upper mounting bracket 30 fixed to the vehicle body on the upper side of the outer tube 22, a shock absorbing member 100 is placed on the front as a part of the inner tube 22 where the upper mounting bracket 30 is installed. ), a distance guide part 42 with a cutout 44 is coupled to the distance bracket 40, which protrudes, and then a tilt hole 52 is formed in the upper mounting bracket 30 for support and guidance. Fix the plate bracket (50).

Next, the tilt fixed gear 60 is mounted on the outer surface of the plate bracket 50, and then the mobile gear block 70 provided with the tilt movable gear 72 is meshed with the tilt fixed gear 60. Next, after installing the adjust bolt 80 penetrating the teles long hole 42 and tilt long hole 52 of the distance bracket 40 and the mobile gear block 70, it is installed on the opposite side of the mobile gear block 70. The assembly of the shock absorbing structure 10 of the steering column for a vehicle is completed when the adjustment lever 90 coupled with the adjust bolt 80 located at is installed.

Here, it is revealed that the assembly sequence of the shock absorbing structure of the steering column for the vehicle may be configured differently from the above.

The usage status of the shock absorbing structure of the vehicle steering column configured as above is as follows. Here, we will omit the basic operation of the steering column and look at the operating status according to the shock absorbing member.

Normally, the shock absorbing member 100 mounted on the inner tube 22 is positioned at a distance from the adjusting bolt 80.

Next, when the vehicle collides, the steering shaft 20, the inner tube 22, and the shock absorbing member 100 move rearward due to the impact.

Next, when the shock absorbing member 100 contacts the adjust bolt 80, the side portion 120 constituting the shock absorbing member 100 is bent inward by the adjust bolt 80 to absorb the shock. By absorbing energy, the impact load transmitted to the driver is appropriately absorbed.

In describing the shock absorption structure of the steering column for a vehicle of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings above, the specific shape and direction have been mainly described. However, the present invention can be modified and changed in various ways by those skilled in the art, and such modifications and changes can be made in accordance with the present invention. It should be interpreted as included in the scope of the invention's rights.

10: Shock absorption structure of vehicle steering column,
20: steering shaft, 22: outer tube,
24: inner tube, 30: upper mounting bracket,
40: Distance bracket, 50: Plate bracket,
60: tilt fixed gear, 70: moving gear block,
80: Adjust bolt, 90: Control lever,
100: shock absorbing member, 110: curved portion,
120: side part, 130: anti-slip part.

Claims (6)

A steering shaft, an inner tube surrounding the steering shaft, a distance bracket mounted on the outer tube, a plate bracket fixed to the outside of the distance bracket, an adjust bolt penetrating the distance bracket and the plate bracket in the horizontal direction, and the adjust bolt. In the steering column for a vehicle including an adjustment lever mounted on one end of the,
A member mounting groove is formed along the longitudinal direction on one surface of the inner tube, and a shock absorbing member is mounted in the member mounting groove orthogonal to the adjust bolt. When a vehicle crashes, the shock absorbing member moves to the adjust bolt and A shock absorbing structure for a vehicle steering column that absorbs shock while contacting the adjust bolt.
According to clause 1,
A shock absorbing structure for a steering column for a vehicle, characterized in that a distance guide portion having a cutout portion is formed protruding in front of the distance bracket to support and guide the shock absorbing member.
According to clause 1,
A shock absorbing structure for a steering column for a vehicle, wherein the shock absorbing member has side portions symmetrically protruding on both sides based on a curved portion having a predetermined length and width.
According to clause 1,
The shock absorbing member is a shock absorbing structure of a steering column for a vehicle, characterized in that the side portions and anti-slip portions are formed on both sides at intervals at the front and rear based on the curved portion having a predetermined length and width.
According to clause 3,
A shock absorbing structure for a steering column for a vehicle, wherein the side portion becomes lower in height as it moves from the front to the rear.
According to clause 3 or 4,
The side portion is a shock absorbing structure for a steering column for a vehicle, characterized in that the side portion is composed of a vertical surface formed perpendicularly at both ends of the curved portion and a support surface formed in a curved or inclined manner at the ends of the vertical surface.

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