JP2001058573A - Steering column support device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To significantly reduce the manufacturing cost and significantly improve the assembling workability. SOLUTION: A steering column 1 is supported by a lower bracket 3 on a vehicle front side and is supported by an upper bracket 4 on a vehicle rear side.
A resin plate 12 is interposed between the overhanging portion 10 and the vehicle body bracket 11, and the upper bracket 4
A resin sleeve 13 is interposed between the overhang portion 10 and the mounting bolt 15, and a shock absorbing wire 16 extends from the rear side of the resin sleeve 13 to the vehicle front side of the overhang portion 10 and is attached. is there.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering column support device for releasing a steering column from a vehicle body by an impact force due to a secondary collision at the time of a vehicle collision to reduce the impact.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a so-called hip-tilt type steering apparatus which adjusts a tilt angle of a steering column according to a driver's driving posture, a steering column includes, for example, a lower bracket on the front side of a vehicle and a rear side of the vehicle. It is attached to the vehicle body by the upper bracket. The tilt lock mechanism provided on this upper bracket allows the steering column to tilt,
The steering column is locked at the desired angle.

[0003] Further, at the time of a vehicle collision, an impact force due to a driver's secondary collision acts on the steering column from the rear of the vehicle to the front, and the steering column is moved by the impact force to reduce the impact. And move toward the front of the vehicle.

[0004] Specifically, a notch opened to the rear side of the vehicle is formed in the upper bracket on the rear side of the vehicle, and an aluminum capsule is attached to the notch of the bracket from the rear side and mounted. It is fixed to the vehicle body with bolts. In addition, a synthetic resin is injected into small holes formed over both the upper bracket and the capsule to form a shear pin, and the shear pin is connected by the synthetic resin shear pin.

[0005] Thus, at the time of a secondary collision, an impact force acts on the steering column toward the front of the vehicle, and when the impact force shears the synthetic resin shear pin, the capsule and the upper bracket are separated, and the capsule is disengaged from the vehicle body. The upper bracket moves away from the vehicle body side together with the steering column and moves to the front of the vehicle while remaining fixed to the vehicle side. In some cases, instead of such a capsule, a U-shaped plate member coated with Teflon is used to separate the upper bracket and the steering column from the vehicle body.

Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-272448, when the steering column is separated from the vehicle body, an impact energy absorbing wire is provided between the capsule and the upper bracket for the purpose of absorbing the impact energy applied to the steering column from the driver. It is interposed.

[0007]

However, in a configuration in which a synthetic resin is injected and filled using an aluminum capsule, the injection filling is not performed.
In addition to the rise in manufacturing costs, there are cases where the number of assembly steps is large.

When the steering column is separated from the vehicle body together with the bracket, since the bracket is made of metal and is in contact with the aluminum capsule, the releasing operation of the bracket may not always be smooth. . Further, in the case of using a U-shaped plate member coated with Teflon, it is necessary to tightly control the tightening torque of the mounting bolt.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and provides a steering column support device capable of remarkably reducing manufacturing costs and significantly improving assembling workability. With the goal.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, a steering column support device according to the present invention supports a steering column by a lower bracket at a vehicle front side and supports a steering column by an upper bracket at a vehicle rear side. In the case of a vehicle collision, in a steering column support device that separates the upper bracket from the vehicle body and moves forward with the steering column toward the vehicle, a resin plate is interposed between the upper bracket and the vehicle body. A resin sleeve is interposed between the upper bracket and the mounting bolt, and a shock absorbing wire is extended from the vehicle rear side of the resin sleeve to the vehicle front side of the upper bracket and attached. And

As described above, according to the present invention, at the time of a secondary collision, when the impact force acts toward the front of the vehicle on the steering column and an impact load equal to or more than the predetermined surface pressure of the mounting bolt is applied,
The mounting bolt, resin plate and resin sleeve remain fixed to the vehicle body side, while the upper bracket
The vehicle separates from the vehicle body together with the steering column and moves to the front of the vehicle. During this movement, the upper bracket moves extremely smoothly because the resin plate is interposed between the upper bracket and the vehicle body, and the resin sleeve is interposed between the upper bracket and the mounting bolts. The steering column can be smoothly removed. As described above, since resin members such as resin plates are interposed on both sides of the upper bracket,
The steering column can be firmly fixed, and the steering column can be properly separated.

In addition, when the shock absorbing wire extending from the vehicle rear side of the resin sleeve to the vehicle front side of the upper bracket is extended following the movement of the steering column when the steering column is disengaged from the vehicle body, driving is performed. The shock energy applied to the steering column from the driver can be absorbed.

Further, since a resin plate is interposed between the upper bracket and the vehicle body and a resin sleeve is interposed between the upper bracket and the mounting bolt, injection filling as in the related art is unnecessary. To significantly reduce manufacturing costs.
Assembly workability can also be significantly improved.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A steering column support device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall side view of a steering column support device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the steering column support device shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the steering column support device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. It is a side view showing a state where has moved,
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the steering column support device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a process of assembling the upper bracket and the resin plate.
FIGS. 8B and 8C are a plan view, a side view, and a rear view of the shock absorbing wire, respectively, and FIGS.
FIG. 3 is a front view and a side view of a guide member of the shock absorbing wire, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1, the steering column 1
Inside, a steering shaft 2 is rotatably supported, and a vehicle front side of the steering column 1 is supported by a lower bracket 3 which is provided to be swingable with respect to the vehicle body.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an upper bracket 4 is provided on the vehicle rear side of the steering column 1. The upper bracket 4 allows the steering column 1 to be tilted, There is provided a tilt lock mechanism for locking 1 at its desired angle.

In this tilt lock mechanism, as shown in FIG. 5, a pair of vertically extending tilt grooves 5, 5 are formed below the upper bracket 4, and inside the upper bracket 4, a steering column is provided. 1, a distance bracket 6 fixed by welding or the like is provided to be vertically movable. A tilt bolt 7 is inserted through the tilt grooves 5 and 5 and the distance bracket 6, and a tilt nut 8 is screwed into a male screw portion of the tilt bolt 7. A tilt lever 9 is provided.

Therefore, when adjusting the tilt angle by tilting the steering column 1, the tilt lever 9 is rotated in one direction, the tilt nut 8 is moved outward in the axial direction, and the distance bracket 6 and the upper bracket are moved. The sliding contact of No. 4 is released, whereby the steering column 1 is tilted. On the other hand, when locking the steering column 1 at a desired angle, the tilt lever 9 is rotated in the reverse direction, the tilt nut 8 is moved inward in the axial direction, and the distance bracket 6 and the upper bracket 4 are brought into sliding contact. Thus, the steering column 1 is locked.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, projecting portions 10, 10 are provided on both sides of the upper bracket 4, and the end of the projecting portion 10 on the vehicle rear side is bent downward. It is. A bolt hole is formed in an intermediate portion of the overhang portion 10, and a mounting bolt 15 described later is formed.
Is to be inserted.

A vehicle body bracket 11 is located above the overhang portion 10, and a resin plate 12 is interposed between the overhang portion 10 and the vehicle body bracket 11. As shown in FIG. 6, the resin plate 12 is attached to a notch portion 10a opened on the rear side of the overhang portion 10 so as to be inserted from the vehicle rear side.

A resin sleeve 13 is inserted through the bolt hole of the overhang portion 10.
Inside, a flanged iron sleeve 14 is inserted. A mounting bolt 15 is inserted through the inside of the iron sleeve 14 via a washer or the like, and is screwed to the mounting seat 11a of the vehicle body bracket 11.

When the vehicle is mounted, the displacement of the mounting bolt 15 and the collapse of the resin sleeve 13 due to an excessive tightening force when the mounting bolt 15 is tightened can be received by the flanged iron sleeve 14. There are no problems such as looseness and cracks in mounting.

Further, a shock absorbing wire 16 is provided to extend from the vehicle rear end side of the resin sleeve 12 to the vehicle front end side of the projecting portion 10. The shock absorbing wire 16 is a single wire as a whole, as shown in FIG. 7, and as shown in FIG. Folded, first
A bent head 16a is formed. As shown in FIG. 2, the wire 16 is wound around the rear end portion of the resin sleeve 13 at the bent head portion 16a to form first straight portions 16b, 16b extending parallel to the front end portion of the vehicle. The first straight portions 16b, 16b extend through the upper hole 17 of the overhanging portion 10 and extend a predetermined distance forward of the vehicle, and are bent downward into a U-shape when viewed from the side.
A bent head 16c is formed. From below the second bent head 16c (16c), the second linear portion 16d (16
d) extends to the vehicle rear side after passing through the hole 18 on the lower side of the overhang portion 10.

Also, at the vehicle front end of the overhang portion 10,
As shown in FIG. 8, a guide member 19 for the shock absorbing wire 16 is mounted, and the shock absorbing wire 1
6 is guided.

It is to be noted that the wire 16 can perform the shock absorbing function without providing the guide member 19, but the provision of the guide member 19 allows the shock absorbing function to be performed more smoothly, and also allows the wire 16 to be used during normal running. It is also effective in preventing abnormal noise. The second bent head 16c (16) at the front end of the vehicle of the guide member 19 and the shock absorbing wire 16 is also provided.
The gap provided between c and c) is the idle running distance at the time of collision / collapse. If the idle running distance is not provided, the two may be configured to contact each other. In such a case, the wire 16 starts absorbing shock as the steering column 1 separates.

With the above structure, when an impact force acts on the steering column 1 toward the front of the vehicle at the time of a secondary collision and an impact load exceeding a predetermined surface pressure of the mounting bolt 15 is applied, FIG. As shown, the mounting bolt 15, the resin plate 12, and the resin sleeve 13 remain fixed to the vehicle body side, while the overhanging portion 1 of the upper bracket 4 is provided.
0 moves away from the vehicle body side together with the steering column 1 and moves forward of the vehicle.

At the time of this movement, in this embodiment, the resin plate 1 is placed between the overhang portion 10 and the vehicle body bracket 11.
2 is interposed, and the resin sleeve 13 is interposed between the overhang portion 10 and the mounting bolt 15, so that the overhang portion 10 can move extremely smoothly, and the steering column 1 can be smoothly detached. It can be carried out. Thus, the resin plate 12 is provided on both sides of the overhang portion 10.
And so on, the steering column 1 can be firmly fixed and the steering column 1
Can be properly separated.

When the steering column 1 separates from the vehicle body, the shock absorbing wire 16 is stretched by following the movement of the steering column 1 so as to absorb the shock energy applied to the steering column 1 from the driver. can do. FIG. 7B shows how the wire 16 extends following the movement of the column 1.

Further, in this embodiment, the overhang portion 1
Since the resin plate 12 is interposed between the bracket 0 and the vehicle body bracket 11 and the resin sleeve 13 is interposed between the overhang portion 10 and the mounting bolt 15, injection filling as in the related art is unnecessary. The manufacturing cost can be significantly reduced, and the assembling workability can be significantly improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When the steering column moves during a secondary collision, a resin plate is interposed between the upper bracket and the vehicle body, and a resin sleeve is interposed between the upper bracket and the mounting bolts. The bracket is
It can move extremely smoothly, and the steering column can be removed smoothly. As described above, since the resin members such as the resin plates are interposed on both sides of the upper bracket, the steering column can be firmly fixed, and the steering column can be appropriately detached.

Further, when the shock absorbing wire extending from the vehicle rear side of the resin sleeve to the vehicle front side of the upper bracket is extended following the movement of the steering column when the steering column is disengaged from the vehicle body, driving is performed. The shock energy applied to the steering column from the driver can be absorbed.

Further, since a resin plate is interposed between the upper bracket and the vehicle body and a resin sleeve is interposed between the upper bracket and the mounting bolt, injection filling as in the conventional case is unnecessary. To significantly reduce manufacturing costs.
Assembly workability can also be significantly improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall side view of a steering column support device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the steering column support device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the steering column support device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which a steering column and the like have moved during a vehicle collision.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the steering column support device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an assembling step of an upper bracket and a resin plate.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are a plan view, a side view, and a rear view of the shock absorbing wire, respectively.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are a front view and a side view of a guide member of a shock absorbing wire, respectively.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Steering Column 2 Steering Shaft 3 Lower Bracket 4 Upper Bracket 5 Tilt Groove 6 Distance Bracket 7 Tilt Bolt 8 Tilt Nut 9 Tilt Lever 10 Overhang 10a Notch 11 Body Bracket 11a Mounting Seat 12 Resin Plate 13 Resin Sleeve 14 Iron with Flange Sleeve 15 Mounting bolt 16 Shock absorbing wire 17, 18 hole 19 Guide member

Claims (1)

[Claims] A steering column is supported by a lower bracket on the front side of the vehicle and supported by an upper bracket on the rear side of the vehicle. When the vehicle collides, the upper bracket is separated from the vehicle body and is directed forward with the steering column. In a supporting device for a steering column that moves by moving, a resin plate is interposed between the upper bracket and the vehicle body, and a resin sleeve is interposed between the upper bracket and a mounting bolt. A steering column support device, wherein a shock absorbing wire extends and is attached from the vehicle rear side to the vehicle front side of the upper bracket.