Steering device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12325463-B2
Application number	US-202418629991-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2024
Priority date	May 23, 2023
Publication date	Jun 10, 2025
Grant date	Jun 10, 2025

Abstract

A steering device comprises a tilt-telescopic mechanism to switch between its tilt-and-axial move allowed state and its prohibited state. The tilt-telescopic mechanism comprises a pair of side wall portions provided on both sides, in a vehicle width direction, of an upper column, a bolt penetrating the side wall portions and pressing the side wall portions against each other in an approaching direction, a lever, and a biasing portion arranged between each of the side wall portions and the upper column and operative to apply a pressing force to the upper column from the both sides, in the vehicle width direction, thereof. The biasing portion comprises a pair of upper-side pressing portions to press an upper portion of the upper column above its axial center from both sides and a pair of lower-side pressing portions to press a lower portion of that below its axial center from both sides.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A steering device, comprising:
an upper shaft extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction and having a rear end portion to which a steering wheel is fixed;
an upper column rotatably supporting the upper shaft;
a lower shaft connected to a front end portion of the upper shaft so as to slide in an axial direction;
a lower column rotatably supporting the lower shaft and provided to be movable in an axial direction relative to the upper column;
a support bracket fixed to a vehicle body and supporting a support-side column which is either one of the lower column and the upper column; and
a tilt-telescopic mechanism operative to switch a state of the support-side column between a movable state where the support-side column is allowed to tilt in a vertical direction and move in an axial direction and a prohibited state where the support-side column's tilting and moving is prohibited,
wherein said tilt-telescopic mechanism includes a pair of side wall portions provided at said support bracket to interpose said support-side column therebetween from both sides in a vehicle width direction and having tilting long holes extending in the vertical direction, a bolt penetrating the pair of side wall portions through the tilting long holes and producing a fastening force to press the pair of side wall portions against each other in an approaching direction, a bolt operational portion operative to change the fastening force by rotationally operating the bolt, and a biasing member arranged between each of the pair of side wall portions and the support-side column and operative to apply a pressing force to the support-side column from the both sides, in the vehicle width direction, thereof when the pair of side wall portions receive the fastening force,
said biasing member comprises at least a pair of upper-side pressing portions provided to press a portion of said support-side column which is above an axial center of the support-side column from the both sides, in the vehicle width direction, thereof and at least a pair of lower-side pressing portions provided to press another portion of the support-side column which is below the axial center of the support-side column from the both sides, in the vehicle width direction, thereof, and
the steering device further comprises a pair of pressing plates arranged on respective outward sides, in the vehicle width direction, of said pair of side wall portions and operative to press the pair of side wall portions to respective inward sides, in the vehicle width direction, thereof when receiving the fastening force of said bolt, wherein said pair of pressing plates have respective convex portions which protrude toward said side wall portions at respective positions which face said pair of upper-side pressing portions and said pair of lower-side pressing portions, interposing the side wall portions therebetween.

2. The steering device of claim 1 , wherein said bolt operational portion is a lever operative to change the fastening force of said bolt inserted into the tilting long holes, said lever comprises a root-side end portion connected to the bolt and an operational-side end portion positioned on a vehicle rearward side of the bolt and operative to receive an operational force from outside, and said pair of upper-side pressing portions and said pair of lower-side pressing portions are arranged on the vehicle rearward side of said tilting long holes at least.

3. The steering device of claim 2 , wherein said pair of upper-side pressing portions and said pair of lower-side pressing portions are arranged on forward-and-rearward both sides, in the vehicle longitudinal direction, of said tilting long holes, respectively.

4. The steering device of claim 1 , wherein said support bracket further comprises a support-bracket connection portion to interconnect said pair of side wall portions, and said support-bracket connection portion has a bending deformation portion operative to be bending-deformed in a direction where the pair of side wall portions approach each other when the pair of side wall portions receive the fastening force of said bolt.

5. The steering device of claim 2 , wherein said support bracket further comprises a support-bracket connection portion to interconnect said pair of side wall portions, and said support-bracket connection portion has a bending deformation portion operative to be bending-deformed in a direction where the pair of side wall portions approach each other when the pair of side wall portions receive the fastening force of said bolt.

6. The steering device of claim 3 , wherein said support bracket further comprises a support-bracket connection portion to interconnect said pair of side wall portions, and said support-bracket connection portion has a bending deformation portion operative to be bending-deformed in a direction where the pair of side wall portions approach each other when the pair of side wall portions receive the fastening force of said bolt.

7. The steering device of claim 1 , wherein said biasing member further has a pair of support portions extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction and supporting said pair of upper-side pressing portions and said pair of lower-side pressing portions, respectively, and a biasing-member connection portion to interconnect vehicle-forward-side end portions of said pair of support portions, and said pair of support portions are configured to be bending-deformed toward an inward side, in the vehicle width direction, thereof when the pair of upper-side pressing portions and the pair of lower-side pressing portions receive the fastening force of said bolt.

8. The steering device of claim 2 , wherein said biasing member further has a pair of support portions extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction and supporting said pair of upper-side pressing portions and said pair of lower-side pressing portions, respectively, and a biasing-member connection portion to interconnect vehicle-forward-side end portions of said pair of support portions, and said pair of support portions are configured to be bending-deformed toward an inward side, in the vehicle width direction, thereof when the pair of upper-side pressing portions and the pair of lower-side pressing portions receive the fastening force of said bolt.

9. The steering device of claim 3 , wherein said biasing member further has a pair of support portions extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction and supporting said pair of upper-side pressing portions and said pair of lower-side pressing portions, respectively, and a biasing-member connection portion to interconnect vehicle-forward-side end portions of said pair of support portions, and said pair of support portions are configured to be bending-deformed toward an inward side, in the vehicle width direction, thereof when the pair of upper-side pressing portions and the pair of lower-side pressing portions receive the fastening force of said bolt.

Assignees

• Mazda Motor

Inventors

• Togawa Yuki
• Hori Yuki
• Ikeyama Gaku
• Sanagi Shuji
• Mori Toshihiko
• Fuke Hiroyuki
• Tanaka Nobuyuki
• Nakano Daito

Classifications

• B62D1/189

  the entire column being tiltable as a unit · CPC title

• B62D1/184 Primary

  Mechanisms for locking columns at selected positions · CPC title

• B62D1/187 Primary

  with tilt adjustment; with tilt and axial adjustment (B62D1/183, B62D1/19 takes precedence) · CPC title