Steering wheel position adjustment device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016244086-A1
Application number	US-201415027876-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 26, 2014
Priority date	Jan 7, 2014
Publication date	Aug 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A steering wheel position adjustment device includes a displacement bracket fixed to a steering column, a pair of support plate parts for interposing the displacement bracket, an adjustment rod inserted in a through hole in the displacement bracket and in through holes in the support plate parts, a pair of pressing parts provided at both ends of the adjustment rod, an adjustment lever provided to one end of the adjustment rod and configured to expand and contract an interval between the pressing parts, and a rotating friction plate. The rotating friction plate is interposed between the displacement bracket and the support plate parts and/or between the support plate parts and the pressing parts. The rotating friction plate has a base end portion rotatably supported by a rotation support shaft, and a tip half portion formed with a long guide hole with which the adjustment rod is engaged.

First claim

1 . A steering wheel position adjustment device comprising:
a cylindrical steering column having an inner side to which a steering shaft having a rear end portion configured to support a steering wheel is rotatably supported; a displacement bracket fixed to a portion of the steering column and formed with a column-side through hole penetrating the displacement bracket in a width direction; a support bracket having a pair of support plate parts and supported to a vehicle body, the pair of support plate parts interposing therebetween the displacement bracket from both sides in the width direction and formed with vehicle body-side through holes at portions where the support plate parts conform to each other; an adjustment rod inserted in the column-side through hole and the vehicle body-side through holes in the width direction; a pair of pressing parts provided at both end portions of the adjustment rod protruding from outer surfaces of the pair of support plate parts; an adjustment lever provided at one end portion of the adjustment rod and configured to rotate about the adjustment rod to expand and contract an interval between the pair of pressing parts; and a friction plate interposed in at least one of a portion between an inner surface of the pair of support plate parts and a side surface of the displacement bracket and a portion between an outer surface of the pair of support plate parts and an inner surface of the pair of pressing parts, wherein at least one of the column-side through hole and the vehicle body-side through holes is configured as an adjustment long hole which is long in a direction in which a position of the steering wheel is adjustable, wherein the friction plate includes at least one rotating friction plate having a base end portion rotatably supported to a rotation support shaft and a tip half portion formed with a long guide hole with which the adjustment rod is engaged, wherein the rotation support shaft is provided at a portion which is displaced relative to the adjustment rod when the adjustment rod is displaced along the adjustment long hole and which is positioned on an extension line of a center line of the adjustment long hole, wherein the adjustment rod is engaged with the long guide hole to be displaceable only along the long guide hole, and wherein at least a portion of the at least one rotating friction plate is interposed in the at least one of the portion between the inner surface of the pair of support plate parts and the side surface of the displacement bracket and the portion between the outer surface of the pair of support plate parts and the inner surface of the pair of pressing parts.

2 . The steering wheel position adjustment device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the long guide hole is formed such that a distance from the rotation support shaft becomes greater as proceeding from one end of the long guide hole towards the other end of the long guide hole in a rotating direction about the rotation support shaft.

3 . The steering wheel position adjustment device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one rotating friction plate includes a pair of rotating friction plates, and wherein a rotation support shaft configured to rotatably support a base end portion of one of the rotating friction plates is provided at one side of the adjustment long hole on the extension line of the center line of the adjustment long hole, and a rotation support shaft configured to rotatably support a base end portion of the other of the rotating friction plates is provided at the other side of the adjustment long hole on the extension line of the center line of the adjustment long hole.

4 . The steering wheel position adjustment device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one rotating friction plate includes a pair of rotating friction plates, wherein rotation support shafts configured to rotatably support base end portions of the rotating friction plates are concentric, and wherein the rotating friction plates are rotated in opposite directions when adjusting a position of the steering wheel in one direction.

5 . The steering wheel position adjustment device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one rotating friction plate is configured by a steel plate, a stainless steel plate or an aluminum-based alloy plate.

6 . The steering wheel position adjustment device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a side surface of the at least one rotating friction plate is surface-treated so as to increase a frictional coefficient with a surface facing the side surface.

7 . The steering wheel position adjustment device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a front end portion of the steering column is supported to the vehicle body so as to be pivotably displaceable about a pivot shaft extending parallel with the adjustment rod, wherein each of the vehicle body-side through holes is configured as an upper-lower long hole which is long in an upper-lower direction, and wherein the rotation support shaft is provided on a side surface of one of the support plate parts.

8 . The steering wheel position adjustment device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the steering column is configured by fitting a front end portion of an outer column to a rear end portion of an inner column to be relatively displaceable in an axial direction, wherein the displacement bracket is fixed to the outer column, wherein the column-side through hole is configured as a front-rear long hole which is long in an axial direction of the outer column, and
wherein the rotation support shaft is provided on an outer surface of the outer column.

Assignees

• Nsk Ltd

Inventors

• Moriyama Seiichi

Classifications

• B62D1/195

  Yieldable supports for the steering column · CPC title

• B62D1/184 Primary

  Mechanisms for locking columns at selected positions · CPC title

• B62D1/187

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

• B62D1/185

  adjustable by axial displacement, e.g. telescopically (B62D1/183, B62D1/187, B62D1/19 take precedence) · CPC title