JPH0220137Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improved locking device in a tilt column.

The tilt column consists of an Atsupa steering shaft that is rotatably supported by the Atsupa column and has a handle wheel fixed to its upper end, a lower steering shaft that is rotatably supported by the lower column and has a steering gear connected to its lower end, and the lower column. The position of the steering wheel can be adjusted by connecting the lower steering shaft, which is rotatably supported and has a steering gear connected to its lower end, with a universal joint, and by making the upper column tiltable with the center of this universal joint as the tilt center. is adjustable. If the position of the handle wheel can be adjusted by tilting the Atsupa column, the driver can flip the handle wheel upwards when getting off the vehicle and lower it down after getting on the vehicle, improving ease of getting on and off. Since the position when lowered can be changed according to the physique of the driver, the driver can select the optimal tilt position of the steering wheel.

By the way, after the steering wheel is set at the optimal tilt position after getting on the vehicle, it is dangerous if the set position shifts during driving. Therefore, the position of the handle wheel is fixed by operating a tilt operation lever to lock the tilt portion. As a means for this purpose, a method in which a distance bracket fixed to an upper column is clamped from both sides by a tilt bracket integrated with a lower column is often used because of its simple structure.

However, in the past, the locking force is the frictional force caused by the plane contact between the tilt bracket and the distance bracket, so in an oscillating tilt where the locking part is selected near the center of the tilt, the friction based on the above-mentioned surface contact is The locking force is not sufficient with force alone, and once the steering wheel is locked, it may become unstable while driving.
There was a danger of slipping down against my will.

In order to prevent this, it is conceivable to reduce the pitch of the tightening screw of the tilt operation lever and increase the tightening force. However, if the pitch of the tightening screw of the tilt operating lever is made small, the tilt operating lever must be turned a large distance, which has the disadvantage that locking operability is poor and the lever hits the driver's knee. In addition, there are also known devices in which a friction material is interposed between the distance bracket and the tilt bracket, but the structure of the lock part in such a device is complicated, and even if the friction material is used, oil etc. It could not always be said that a sufficient locking force could be obtained.

The present invention has been made to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art described above, that is, to provide a tilt column locking device that has a simple structure and can provide sufficient locking force. To achieve this purpose, at least one of the elongated holes formed in the side wall of the tilt bracket is provided with tapers whose inner surfaces become narrower as they move inward in the thickness direction of the side wall along both sides of the elongated hole. A wedge member, which has a projection forming a surface and has a tapered surface on the outer surface that engages with the tapered surface of the projection and slides along the elongated hole during tilting, is inserted into the tilt tightening release bolt to perform tilt operation. By rotating the lever in the locking direction, the tapered surface of the wedge member is tightened by the tightening means to the tapered surface of the projection, and the angle between the tapered surface of the tilt bracket and the tapered surface of the wedge member is made slightly larger than the friction angle. That's what I did.

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the top steering shaft 10 is rotatably supported by a top column 12, and a handle wheel 14 is fixed to the top end thereof. The lower steering shaft 16 is rotatably supported by a lower column 18, and is connected to a steering gear 2 via a universal joint 20 at its lower end.
2, and is also connected to the upper steering shaft 10 via a universal joint 24 at the upper end, and the center of the trunnion 26 of the universal joint 24 is the center of tilt.

The lower column 18 is attached to a tilt bracket 30 by bolts 28. The tilt bracket 30 has a pair of mutually parallel side walls 3.
2 and 34, a bottom wall 36 connecting both side walls, and a pair of legs 38 and 40 continuous to each side wall, and both legs are fixed to an instrument panel 42. A trunnion 26 is attached to one side wall 32.
A long arc-shaped hole 44 is drilled with the center at
6 are formed along the sides of the elongated hole. The inner surfaces 48 and 49 of the arc-shaped protrusions are tapered surfaces whose distance gradually decreases as they move inward in the thickness direction of the side wall 32, that is, in the axial direction of the bolt 64. The other side wall 34 also has an arcuate long hole 50 similar to the arcuate elongate hole 44 .

On the other hand, a distance bracket 52 is fixed to the upper column 12. The distance bracket 52 has a substantially M-shaped longitudinal section, and has a curved portion 54.
The top column 12 is fixed to the top column 12, and the pair of legs 56 and 58 are attached to the tilt bracket 3.
located inside each side wall 32 and 34 of side wall 3
It is in contact with 2,34. tilt bracket 30
Circular holes 60 and 62 are provided in the portions of the distance bracket 52 corresponding to the arc-shaped elongated holes 44 and 50.
is open. The wedge angle θ of the wedge member 70 is made slightly larger than the friction angle, so that the wedge member 70 does not remain locked in the arc-shaped elongated hole 44 and is shaped to have a large frictional resistance.

A tilt tightening/release bolt 64 extends through the arc-shaped elongated hole 50, the circular holes 62, 60, and the arc-shaped elongated hole 44. This tilt tightening/release bolt 64 has a large diameter part 67 at one end, which engages with the arc-shaped long hole 50, and a spacer 66 in the middle part (the part located between the side walls 32 and 34). is fitted. In addition, the tilt tightening/release bolt 6
The other end of 4 protrudes outward from the arcuate elongated hole 44, and after the wedge member 70 is inserted into the protruding portion,
A tilt tightening/release bolt 71 is screwed together.

The wedge member 70, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6,
49, it has arcuate surfaces 72 and 74 whose spacing gradually decreases as it advances toward the tip, and also has tilt tightening and
It has a circular hole 76 through which the release bolt 64 is inserted.
A tilt operating lever 78 is attached to the tilt tightening/releasing nut 71 with a bolt 82 via a washer 80.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

When flipping up the handle wheel 14 to get on or off the vehicle, the tilt operating lever 78 is turned to the right (as shown in FIG. 1). Then, tilt tightening and
The release nut 71 rotates integrally with the tilt operation lever 78 and moves on the tilt tightening/release bolt 64 toward its tip (downward in FIG. 4), thereby releasing the arc-shaped protrusion 45, The pressing force of wedge member 70 against 46 is released. Therefore, there are four sliding surfaces between the tilt bracket 30, the distance bracket 52, the tilt tightening/release bolt 64, and the wedge member 70, that is, the large diameter portion 67 of the tilt tightening/release bolt 64 and the side wall 34 of the tilt bracket. the sliding surface 92 between the side wall 3 of the tilt bracket 30;
4 and the leg portion 58 of the distance bracket 52, the sliding surface 96 between the side wall 32 of the tilt bracket 30 and the leg portion 56 of the distance bracket 52, and the arcuate surfaces 72, 7 of the wedge member 70.
4 and the inner sides 48, 49 of the arcuate protrusions 45, 46 are both capable of relative movement. Therefore, the upper column 12, the upper steering shaft 10, and the handle wheel 14 fixed to the distance bracket 52 are connected to the trunnion 26.
The camera can be tilted using the center as the tilt axis.

During the tilt operation, the large diameter portion 67 of the tilt tightening/release bolt and the wedge member 70 each fit into the arc-shaped elongated hole 5.
Move within 0 and 44. The upper column 12 is urged upward by a spring member (not shown), and the handle wheel 14 moves to the flip-up position and is maintained at that position.

To set the handle wheel 14 from the lifted state to the operating state, push down the handle wheel 14 against the biasing force of the spring member, and turn the tilt operating lever 78 to the left (the first (in the figure). Then, tilt tightening and
The release nut 71 moves inward (upward in FIG. 4) on the tilt tightening/release bolt 64 and presses the wedge member 70 against the arcuate projections 45, 46.
Here, since the outer surfaces 72 and 74 of the wedge member 70 and the inner surfaces 48 and 49 of the arcuate projections 45 and 46 are arcuate surfaces and tapered surfaces, the wedge member 7
0 as its outer surface 7 is pressed inward.
2 and 74 are pressed with strong force against the inner surfaces 48 and 49 of the arcuate projections 45 and 46, and the sliding surface 9
8, a large resistance force is generated and relative movement is hindered.

Note that at this time, the sliding surfaces 92, 94 and 9
6, the side walls 32 and 34 of the bracket are pressed against the legs 56 and 58 of the distance bracket by the large diameter portion 67 of the tilt tightening/release bolt 64, so there is relative movement, although not as much as the sliding surface 98. is blocked and the upper column 12 is locked in place. Therefore, once the handle wheel 14 is locked at a predetermined tilt position, vibrations applied to the vehicle body or steering force applied to the handle wheel 14 will prevent the fixed portion from slipping and causing the tilt position to shift. It disappears.

In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a wedge member 10 is used instead of the large diameter portion 67 in the above embodiment.
0 is adopted. That is, the side wall 34 has arc-shaped projections 104 similar to the arc-shaped projections 45 and 46 on both sides of the arc-shaped hole 50, which are similar to the arc-shaped projections 45 and 46, respectively. 105
is formed, and a right-handed male thread is cut at one end (the upper end in FIG. 7) of the tilt tightening/release bolt 64, into which the wedge member 100 is screwed. Further, the wedge member 70 of the tilt operation lever 78
is screwed into a left-handed male thread cut at the other end of the tilt tightening/release bolt 64, and both wedge members 7
0 and 100 are the tilt tightening/releasing nuts 71
It has the following functions. Further on the tip side of the other end of the tilt tightening/release bolt 64, a fixing part 108 for fixing a tilt operating lever 78 is formed, and the tilt operating lever 78 is attached to the fixing bolt 82 via a washer 80. It is fixed by. In addition, in this embodiment, since male threads in opposite directions are formed at both ends of the bolt 64, the wedge member 7
0,100 can be forcibly moved.

In this second embodiment, when the tilt operating lever 78 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1, the tilt tightening/release bolt 64 is rotated counterclockwise, and the wedge member 70 and 10
0 move in the direction toward each other, and each wedge member 7
0,100 outer surfaces 72, 74 and 112, 11
4 are pressed against the inner surfaces 48, 49 and 116, 118 of each arcuate protrusion 45, 46 and 104, 105. In this way, out of the four sliding surfaces 94, 96, 98 and 110, two sliding surfaces 98 and 110
Since the relative movement of the first
Compared to the embodiment described above, a larger locking force can be obtained with a slight rotation of the tilt operating lever 78.

The third embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 has a cross-sectional configuration (FIG. 9) similar to that of the second embodiment (see FIG. 7).
However, the shapes of the elongated holes formed in the tilt bracket 30 and the distance bracket 52 and the shape of the wedge members are different.

In detail, both side walls 3 of the tilt bracket 30
2, 34 protrusions 120, 122 and 124, 12
6 has a tapered surface 128 extending linearly with a constant width,
Rectangular hole 13 with 130 and 132, 134
6, 138 are formed, and a wedge member 140 shown in FIG. 10 is engaged with one rectangular hole 136. The wedge member 140 has planar tapered surfaces 142 and 144 that are closely engaged with the tapered surfaces 128 and 130, and a male screw hole 146 that is screwed into the left-hand male thread of the tilt tightening/release bolt 64. The wedge member 145 inserted into the other rectangular hole 138 is the same as the wedge member 1 described above except that the male thread is a right-handed thread.
It is similar to 40.

In addition, both sides 5 of the distance bracket 52
Rectangular holes 150 and 152 extending in the axial direction of the upper column 12 are formed in the holes 6 and 58 in correspondence with the rectangular holes 136 and 138, and the width thereof is larger than the shaft diameter of the corresponding portion of the bolt 64. It is considerably large. This is because the wedge member 14 is
0 and 145 move linearly while being guided by the rectangular holes 136 and 138, while the distance bracket 52 moves in an arc around the tilt fulcrum. This is to prevent interference with holes 56 and 58.

The functions and effects of this embodiment are similar to those of the second embodiment, but in addition, the holes formed in the tilt bracket 30 and the distance bracket 52 are made into rectangular elongated holes, and the wedge member 140 is also shaped like this. The corresponding shapes have the effect of reducing the time and effort required to process them.

The present invention should not be construed as being limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and may be modified and improved as appropriate within the scope of the invention. For example, the specific shape and size of the wedge member can be arbitrarily selected, and the clamping force can be increased by interposing friction members on three or more of the four sliding surfaces.

In addition, if the wedge member has a screw hole and a tilt tightening/releasing bolt is screwed into this screw hole, the tightening will be forcibly released.
This prevents the wedge member from sticking to the tilt bracket and not returning.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a tilt column locking device which has a simple structure and is inexpensive, and which can reliably obtain a large tightening force for the upper column.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an overall view showing the first embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged view (partially broken) of the main parts in Fig. 1,
3 is a sectional view in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a sectional view in FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the wedge member in the above embodiment, FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view, and FIG. is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4 showing the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 show the third embodiment, and FIGS. Corresponds to the figure. Explanation of symbols of main parts, 10... Atsupa steering shaft, 12... Atsupa column, 14... Handle wheel, 16... Lower steering shaft,
18... lower column, 26... trunnion, 3
0...Tilt bracket, 44...Arc-shaped hole,
45, 46... Arc-shaped projection, 48, 49... Tapered surface, 64... Tilt tightening/release bolt, 70
... Wedge member, 72, 74 ... Tapered surface.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. An upper steering shaft rotatably supported by an upper column; a lower steering shaft coupled to the upper steering shaft via a universal joint and rotatably supported by a lower column; a tilt bracket fixed to the upper end of the lower column and having elongated holes in opposing side walls; a distance bracket disposed between the opposing side walls of the tilt bracket and fixed to the upper column; A tilt tightening/release bolt that passes through the provided hole and the elongated hole of the tilt bracket;
a tilt operating lever that engages with a release bolt, the upper column can be tilted with respect to the lower column with a coupling portion of the universal joint as a tilt center, and rotation of the tilt operating lever in a locking direction causes the tilt bracket to be tilted. In a locking device for a tilt column of a tightening type in which the upper column is fixed by tightening the upper column to the distance bracket, at least one of the elongated holes formed in the side wall of the tilt bracket is arranged along both sides of the elongated hole. The inner surface has a protrusion forming a tapered surface whose spacing becomes narrower as it goes inward in the thickness direction of the side wall, and the outer surface has a tapered surface that connects with the tapered surface of the protrusion, and when tilted, the elongated hole A wedge member that slides along is fitted into the tilt tightening/release bolt, and by rotating the tilt operating lever in the locking direction, the tapered surface of the wedge member is tightened to the tapered surface of the protrusion. A locking device for a tilt column, characterized in that the angle between the tapered surface of the tilt bracket and the tapered surface of the wedge member is slightly larger than a friction angle. 2. The tightening means is fixed to a screw formed on the tilt tightening/release bolt, a wedge member screwed into the screw of the tilt tightening/release bolt, and a wedge member screwed to the screw of the tilt tightening/release bolt. A locking device for a tilt column according to claim 1, which comprises a tilt operation lever.