JP2005319925A - Steering column device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering column device capable of easily adjusting a moving load of a moving column while ensuring a fastening rigidity of the moving column.
SOLUTION: Two fastening members 3A and 3B having the same shape are fitted on the outer periphery 1B of the fixed column 1 at positions separated from each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. In the first embodiment, the phases of the bolts 5A, 5B for fastening the fastening members 3A, 3B are the same phase position in the circumferential direction of the fixed column 1, and are arranged on the upper side of the vehicle body in FIG. Since the moving column 2 is fastened to the fixed column 1 by the two fastening members, the moving start load of the moving column 2 can be easily adjusted while securing the fastening rigidity of the moving column 2.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering column device, in particular, when a driver collides with a steering wheel during a secondary collision, to protect the driver, the steering shaft is shortened (collapsed) to the front side of the vehicle body to reduce the collision energy. The present invention relates to a steering column device that absorbs water.

  In a steering column device, a moving column having a steering wheel is slidably fitted to a fixed column, and the moving column is fixed to the fixed column with a predetermined tightening force so that the moving column does not move during normal driving operation. Tightened. If the driver collides with the steering wheel during a vehicle collision and an impact force greater than a predetermined value is applied to the steering wheel, the moving column member slides forward of the vehicle body relative to the fixed column member, reducing the impact of the collision. Like to do.

  A conventional steering column device disclosed in Patent Document 1 will be described. FIG. 8 (1) is an enlarged side view of a main part of a fastening member of a conventional steering column device. FIG. 8B is a GG sectional view of FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, a cylindrical fixed column 101 is formed with a cylindrical hole 101A parallel to the central axis 107, and a movable column 102 is slidably fitted into the cylindrical hole 101A. A steering wheel (not shown) is mounted on the right end (rear side of the vehicle body) of the moving column 102, and one fastening member 103 is fitted on the outer periphery 101 </ b> B of the fixed column 101.

  The fastening member 103 is formed by bending a rectangular thin plate into a cylindrical shape so as to have an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the outer periphery 101B of the fixed column 101. The fastening member 103 is fitted on the outer periphery 101B of the fixed column 101, the bolt 105 is inserted between the parallel parts 1031 and 1031 of the fastening member 103, the nut 106 is screwed into the bolt 105, and the parallel parts 1031, The fastening member 103 is fastened to the outer periphery 101 </ b> B of the fixed column 101 by reducing the interval 1031.

  Since the fixed column 101 is formed with four slits 104A to 104D parallel to the central axis 107 at intervals of 90 degrees, the bolt 105 is tightened with a predetermined tightening torque, and the tightening member 103 is fixed to the fixed column 101. When tightened to the outer periphery 101B, the fixed column 101 is reduced in diameter, and the moving column 102 is tightened to the fixed column 101 with a predetermined tightening force.

  However, since the steering column device of Patent Document 1 has the moving column 102 fastened to the fixed column 101 with a single fastening member 103, the fastening rigidity of the moving column 102 during normal driving operation is ensured. It was difficult to achieve both the adjustment of the tightening force and the adjustment of the tightening force for adjusting the load of the moving column 102 at the time of the secondary collision to an appropriate value.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-170376

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a steering column device that can easily adjust the moving load of a moving column while ensuring the rigidity of tightening of the moving column.

  The above problem is solved by the following means. That is, the first invention is a fixed column that can be fixed to the vehicle body, a movable column that is slidably fitted to the fixed column in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and is rotatably supported by the fixed column or the movable column. A steering shaft with a steering wheel mounted on the rear side of the vehicle body, an elastic deformation part formed on the fixed column and capable of tightening the moving column to the fixed column after being reduced in diameter, and externally fitted to the elastic deformation part, A steering column, comprising: a plurality of clamping members arranged apart from each other; and a clamping force applying means for clamping each of the plurality of clamping members with a desired clamping force and reducing the diameter of the elastically deforming portion. Device.

  A second invention is the steering column device according to the first invention, wherein the tightening force applying means is a tightening bolt.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the steering column device of the first or second aspect, the tightening force applying means is disposed at different phase positions in the circumferential direction of the fixed column. A steering column device characterized by

  According to a fourth invention, in the steering column device of any one of the first to third inventions, the adjacent one of the plurality of tightening members is in contact with the other adjacent tightening member, The steering column device is characterized in that contact protrusions for defining the interval between the fastening members in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body are formed.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the steering column device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, an engagement groove is formed on the other adjacent fastening member so that the contact protrusion can be engaged with the contact protrusion. The steering column device is characterized in that a phase position of the tightening force applying means is defined by engagement with a joint groove.

  A sixth invention is a steering column device according to any one of the first to third inventions, wherein the adjacent fastening members are integrally connected by a connecting portion. It is a column device.

  According to a seventh invention, in the steering column device according to any one of the first to sixth inventions, positioning means for positioning a circumferential phase between the fastening member and the fixed column is provided. This is a steering column device.

  In the steering column device of the present invention, the moving column is fastened to the fixed column with a plurality of fastening members, so that the moving column's moving load can be easily adjusted while securing the rigidity of the moving column. . Further, since the circumferential direction phase of the tightening force applying means for tightening the tightening member can be shifted and the interval between the adjacent tightening members can be regulated to a certain distance, stable tightening rigidity of the moving column can be easily obtained. At the same time, a stable moving column load can be obtained.

* 1st Embodiment Hereinafter, embodiment of this invention is described based on drawing. FIG. 1 shows a steering column device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which (1) is an overall side view, and (2) is an AA cross-sectional view of (1).

  As shown in FIG. 1, a hollow cylindrical fixed column 1 is fixed to a vehicle body 8 by a lower bracket 11. A cylindrical hole 1A is formed in the fixed column 1 in parallel with the central axis 7, and a movable column 2 is slidably fitted in the cylindrical hole 1A. The moving column 2 is supported by an upper bracket 21 fixed to the vehicle body 8, and at the time of a secondary collision, the moving column 2 is detached from the upper bracket 21 and moves to the front side of the vehicle body. An upper steering shaft 22 is rotatably supported on the moving column 2, and a steering wheel 23 is mounted on the rear side of the vehicle body of the upper steering shaft 22 (right side in FIG. 1).

  A lower steering shaft 12 is rotatably supported on the fixed column 1, and the lower steering shaft 12 is spline-coupled to the upper steering shaft 22, and an upper universal joint 13 is provided on the vehicle body front side of the lower steering shaft 12. A telescopic intermediate shaft 14 is connected.

  A rack and pinion type steering gear 16 is connected to the lower end of the intermediate shaft 14 via a lower universal joint 15, and wheels are connected to the steering gear 16 via a tie rod (not shown). When the steering wheel 23 is operated by hand, the wheel can be steered.

  Two fastening members 3A and 3B having the same shape are fitted on the outer periphery 1B of the fixed column 1 at positions separated in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The fastening member 3 </ b> A is fitted on the front side of the fixed column 1 on the vehicle body, and the fastening member 3 </ b> B is fitted on the fixed column 1 on the rear side of the vehicle body. The fastening members 3 </ b> A and 3 </ b> B are formed by bending a rectangular thin plate into a cylindrical shape so that the inner diameter is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the outer periphery 1 </ b> B of the fixed column 1. Note that the number of the fastening members 3A and 3B is not limited to two and may be plural.

  Since the cross-sectional shapes of the fastening members 3A and 3B are exactly the same, only the cross-sectional shape of the fastening member 3B is shown in FIG. 1 (2), and the cross-sectional shape of the fastening member 3A is not shown. That is, the shapes of the parallel portion 31A, the bolt 5A, and the nut 6A of the tightening member 3A are the same as the parallel portion 31B, the bolt 5B, and the nut 6B of the tightening member 3B. The fastening members 3A and 3B are fitted on the outer periphery 1B of the fixed column 1, and between the parallel parts 31A and 31A of the fastening member 3A and the parallel parts 31B and 31B of the fastening member 3B, bolts 5A and 5B is inserted, nuts 6A and 6B are screwed into bolts 5A and 5B, respectively, and the intervals between the parallel portions 31A, 31A, 31B and 31B are reduced, so that the fastening members 3A and 3B are attached to the outer periphery 1B of the fixed column 1 Tightened. These bolts 5A, 5B and nuts 6A, 6B constitute the tightening force applying means of the present invention.

In the first embodiment, the parallel portions 31A and 31B of the fastening members 3A and 3B (the phases of the bolts 5A and 5B for fastening the fastening members 3A and 3B) are at the same phase position in the circumferential direction of the fixed column 1, And it is arrange | positioned in the upper side of the vehicle body in FIG.

  In the fixed column 1, four slits 4A to 4D parallel to the central axis 7 are formed at intervals of 90 degrees. The slits 4A to 4D extend from the vehicle body rear end 17 of the fixed column 1 to the vehicle body front side, and are formed to a position slightly beyond the vehicle body front end 33A of the fastening member 3A on the vehicle body front side. The slits 4A to 4D constitute an elastic deformation portion of the present invention, and when the fastening members 3A and 3B are fastened to the fixed column 1, the outer diameter of the fixed column 1 is easily reduced, and the moving column 2 is Tighten to the fixed column 1.

  When the bolts 5A and 5B are each tightened with a predetermined tightening torque and the tightening members 3A and 3B are tightened to the outer periphery 1B of the fixed column 1, the fixed column 1 is uniformly reduced in diameter and the movable column 2 is fixed with a predetermined tightening force. Tightened to column 1. In the first embodiment, since the moving column 2 is fastened to the fixed column 1 by the two fastening members 3A and 3B, the fastening rigidity of the moving column 2 is large.

  Further, since the slits 4A to 4D are formed long in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, the slits 4A to 4D are uniformly reduced in diameter by tightening the two fastening members 3A and 3B, and the movable column 2 is Since the tightening is performed at a long distance in the direction, the moving load of the moving column 2 can be easily adjusted to a desired value.

* 2nd Embodiment Next, the steering column apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIGS. 2A and 2B show a steering column device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 2A is an overall side view and FIG. In the following description, only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described, and overlapping description will be omitted.

  The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment only in that bolts 5A and 5B for fastening the fastening members 3A and 3B are arranged on the side of the vehicle body.

  In the second embodiment, the force with which the bolts 5A and 5B tighten the fastening members 3A and 3B acts most greatly in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. Therefore, when the load acting on the steering wheel 23 is in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, the fixed column The rigidity of tightening of the movable column 2 with respect to 1 is improved.

* 3rd Embodiment Next, the steering column apparatus of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 3: shows the principal part of the fastening member of the steering column apparatus of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, (1) is an enlarged side view, (2) is CC sectional drawing of (1). In the following description, only different parts from the above-described embodiment will be described, and redundant description will be omitted.

  In the third embodiment, bolts 5A and 5B for fastening the fastening members 3A and 3B are arranged on the lower side of the vehicle body. Further, the thickness of the fixed column 1 in the part where the slits 4A to 4D are formed is made thinner than the other part. Accordingly, when the fastening members 3A and 3B are fastened, the outer diameter of the fixed column 1 is easily reduced, so that the fastening force can be easily adjusted.

* 4th Embodiment Next, the steering column apparatus of the 4th Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 4: shows the principal part of the fastening member of the steering column apparatus of the 4th Embodiment of this invention, (1) is an enlarged side view, (2) is DD sectional drawing of (1). In the following description, only different parts from the above-described embodiment will be described, and redundant description will be omitted.

  In the fourth embodiment, the bolt 5A is disposed on the upper side of the vehicle body, and the bolt 5B is disposed on the lower side of the vehicle body. In other words, the phases of the bolts 5A and 5B for fastening the fastening members 3A and 3B are shifted by 180 degrees, and the fastening members 3A and 3B are integrally connected by the connecting portion 34. And different. Since the connecting portion 34 only connects a part of the tightening members 3A and 3B in the circumferential direction, it has an adverse effect on elastically deforming the tightening members 3A and 3B by tightening the bolts 5A and 5B. Absent.

  In the fourth embodiment, the distance between the fastening members 3A and 3B in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body is always maintained constant, so that the fastening members 3A and 3B can be easily assembled to the fixed column and the collapse load is stabilized. At the same time, the fastening rigidity of the moving column 2 with respect to the fixed column 1 is stabilized.

  Further, since the locations of the slits 4A to 4D that are strongly tightened differ depending on the phases of the bolts 5A and 5B, even if the bolts 5A and 5B are tightened with the same tightening torque, the tightening rigidity and the collapse load vary. In the fourth embodiment, because the phases of the bolts 5A and 5B are shifted by 180 degrees, when the bolts 5A and 5B are tightened, the fixed column 1 is uniformly reduced in diameter, so that a stable collapse load can be obtained. . The angle by which the phases of the bolts 5A and 5B are shifted is not limited to 180 degrees and can be set to an arbitrary angle.

* 5th Embodiment Next, the steering column apparatus of the 5th Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 5: shows the principal part of the fastening member of the steering column apparatus of the 5th Embodiment of this invention, (1) is an enlarged side view, (2) is EE sectional drawing of (1). In the following description, only different parts from the above-described embodiment will be described, and redundant description will be omitted.

  In the fifth embodiment, the contact members 35A and 35B that define the distance between the fastening members 3A and 3B in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body are provided on the fastening members 3A and 3B, respectively. Different from the embodiment.

  In the fifth embodiment, the distance between the fastening members 3A and 3B in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body is maintained constant only by abutting the contact protrusion 35A of the fastening member 3A against the vehicle body front end 33B of the fastening member 3B. Therefore, the fastening members 3A and 3B can be easily assembled to the fixed column, the collapse load is stabilized, and the fastening rigidity of the movable column 2 with respect to the fixed column 1 is stabilized.

* 6th Embodiment Next, the steering column apparatus of the 6th Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of the main part of the tightening member of the steering column device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, only different parts from the above-described embodiment will be described, and redundant description will be omitted.

  In the sixth embodiment, the positioning bolts 36 for assembling the fastening members 3A, 3B and the fixed column 1 with a fixed phase are provided on the fastening members 3A, 3B. Different from the fifth embodiment.

  In the sixth embodiment, the positioning bolt 36 is screwed into a radial female screw 37 formed on the tightening members 3A and 3B, and the tip of the positioning bolt 36 is inserted into the slit 4D of the fixed column 1 to thereby tighten the tightening member 3A. 3B and the fixed column 1 have a constant phase. Accordingly, the collapse load is stabilized, and the fastening rigidity of the moving column 2 with respect to the fixed column 1 is stabilized. The positioning bolt 36 constitutes the positioning means of the present invention.

* 7th Embodiment Next, the steering column apparatus of the 7th Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 7: shows the principal part of the fastening member of the steering column apparatus of the 7th Embodiment of this invention, (1) is an enlarged side view, (2) is FF sectional drawing of (1). In the following description, only different parts from the above-described embodiment will be described, and redundant description will be omitted.

  In the seventh embodiment, the contact protrusions 35A and 35B that define the distance between the tightening members 3A and 3B in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body are provided on the tightening members 3A and 3B, respectively. The engagement grooves 38A and 38B to be engaged are different from the first to fourth embodiments in that the fastening members 3A and 3B are respectively provided.

  In the seventh embodiment, the abutting protrusion 35A of the tightening member 3A engages with an engagement groove 38B formed on the vehicle body front end 33B side of the tightening member 3B, and the vehicle bodies of the tightening members 3A and 3B. The interval in the front-rear direction is maintained constant, and the phases of the bolts 5A and 5B for fastening the fastening members 3A and 3B can be accurately shifted by 180 degrees. Therefore, the fastening members 3A and 3B can be easily assembled to the fixed column, the collapse load is stabilized, and the fastening rigidity of the movable column 2 with respect to the fixed column 1 is stabilized.

  Further, in the seventh embodiment, since the fastening members 3A and 3B are parts having exactly the same shape, only one type of mold for producing the fastening members 3A and 3B is required, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. .

In the above-described embodiment, the example applied to the fastening member of the moving column with respect to the fixed column has been described. However, the embodiment may be applied to the fastening member of the steering shaft or the intermediate shaft.
Further, a bush may be interposed between the fixed column and the moving column and tightened. Further, a low friction material may be coated on the sliding surface between the fixed column and the moving column.

  Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, the phases in the circumferential direction of the plurality of fastening members may be shifted. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the phase of the slit and the phase of the bolt that tightens the tightening member are the same, but the phase of the slit and the phase of the bolt that tightens the tightening member may be shifted. Further, the number of slits is not limited to four, and may be three, five, or the like. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the outer column is disposed on the lower side and the inner column is disposed on the upper side, but the inner column may be disposed on the lower side and the outer column may be disposed on the upper side.

(1) is an overall side view of the steering column device of the first embodiment of the present invention. (2) is AA sectional drawing of (1). (1) is an overall side view of a steering column device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. (2) is BB sectional drawing of (1). (1) is an enlarged side view of a main part of a tightening member of a steering column device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. (2) is CC sectional drawing of (1). (1) is an enlarged side view of an essential part of a tightening member of a steering column device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. (2) is a DD sectional view of (1). (1) is an enlarged side view of an essential part of a tightening member of a steering column device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. (2) is EE sectional drawing of (1). It is the expanded sectional view which carried out the cross section of a part of principal part of the fastening member of the steering column apparatus of the 6th Embodiment of this invention. (1) is an enlarged side view of an essential part of a tightening member of a steering column device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. (2) is FF sectional drawing of (1). (1) is an expanded side view of the principal part of the fastening member of the conventional steering column apparatus. (2) is a GG sectional view of (1).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fixed column 1A Cylindrical hole 1B Outer periphery 11 Lower bracket 12 Lower steering shaft 13 Upper universal joint 14 Intermediate shaft 15 Lower universal joint 16 Steering gear 17 Car body rear end 101 Fixed column 101A Cylindrical hole 101B Outer periphery 102 Moving column 103 Tightening member 1031 Parallel Part 104A, 104B, 104C, 104D Slit 105 Bolt 106 Nut 107 Center axis 2 Moving column 21 Upper bracket 22 Upper steering shaft 23 Steering wheel 3A, 3B Tightening member 31A, 31B Parallel part 33A, 33B Car body front end 34 Connecting part 35A , 35B Abutting protrusion 36 Positioning bolt 37 Female thread 38A, 38B Engaging groove 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D Slit 5A, 5B Bolt 6A, 6B Nut 7 Center axis 8 Body

Claims (7)

Fixed column that can be fixed to the car body,
A movable column fitted to the fixed column so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body,
A steering shaft rotatably supported by the fixed column or the moving column and having a steering wheel mounted on the rear side of the vehicle body;
An elastically deformable portion formed on the fixed column and having a reduced diameter and capable of tightening the movable column to the fixed column;
A plurality of fastening members that are externally fitted to the elastically deforming portion and are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body;
A steering column device comprising a tightening force applying means for tightening each of the plurality of tightening members with a desired tightening force and reducing the diameter of the elastic deformation portion. In the steering column device according to claim 1,
A steering column device, wherein the tightening force applying means is a tightening bolt. In the steering column device according to claim 1 or 2,
The tightening force applying means is
A steering column device, wherein the fixed column is disposed at different phase positions in the circumferential direction. In the steering column device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
In the adjacent one of the plurality of fastening members,
A steering column device, characterized in that an abutting protrusion is formed which abuts against the other adjacent clamping member to define a distance between the clamping members in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. In the steering column device according to claim 4,
The adjacent other fastening member is formed with an engagement groove with which the contact protrusion can be engaged,
The steering column device characterized in that the phase position of the tightening force applying means is defined by the engagement between the contact protrusion and the engagement groove. In the steering column device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A steering column device, wherein the adjacent fastening members are integrally connected by a connecting portion. In the steering column device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A steering column device comprising positioning means for positioning a circumferential phase between the tightening member and the fixed column.

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