Steering column support apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9233705-B2
Application number	US-201214347065-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2012
Priority date	Oct 18, 2011
Publication date	Jan 12, 2016
Grant date	Jan 12, 2016

Abstract

A steering column support apparatus for an electric power-steering apparatus with a tilt mechanism is achieved that is capable of sufficiently maintaining support rigidity of a tilt pivot shaft 15 a to support a pivot bracket 28 , and keeping the resistance when performing a tilt operation low with the durability of the side plate sections 32 c of a pair of bushings 30 c sufficiently maintained. The portions of the outer circumferential surface of the tilt pivot shaft 15 a and the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 29 that hold the cylindrical sections 31 of the bushings 30 c are cylindrical surfaces. Moreover, main contact surface sections 36 , which come in contact with the inner side surfaces of support plate sections 23 in the neutral state in which there is no assist reaction force, and sub contact surface sections 37 , which do not come in contact with the support plate sections 23 in the neutral state, and come in contact with the inside surfaces of the support plate sections 23 only when there is elastic deformation due to the occurrence of an assist reaction force, are formed on outside surfaces of the side plate sections 32 c of the bushings 30 c.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A steering column support apparatus, comprising:
a front support bracket that is fastened to a vehicle body and that has a pair of support plate sections that are parallel with each other and separated in a width direction of the vehicle body;
a tilt pivot shaft that is arranged in the width direction of the vehicle body so as to be spanned between side plate sections;
a pivot bracket that is provided on part of a housing of an electric assist apparatus, and that has a through hole through which the tilt pivot shaft is inserted and supports a steering column, which supports a steering shaft so as to be able to freely rotate, by way of the housing; and
a pair of bushings, that are made of an elastic material or a low-friction material so as to be formed into an annular shape as a whole, and that are fitted around both end sections in an axial direction of the tilt pivot shaft, each of the pair of bushings having a cylindrical section that is held between an outer circumferential surface of the tilt pivot shaft and an inner circumferential surface of the through hole; a circular ring-shaped side plate section that extends outward in a radial direction from one end section in the axial direction of the cylindrical section, and is held between a side surface of the pivot bracket and an inside surface of the support plate section; and a thinned section that is provided on part of at least one of both circumferential surfaces of the cylindrical section, or part of at least one of both side surfaces of the side plate section, so as not to come in contact with opposing surfaces that face the circumferential surfaces or the side surfaces in a neutral state where at least an assist force that is applied to the steering shaft from the electric assist apparatus is not generated.

2. The steering column support apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the thinned section is composed of a concave section that is provided on the at least one of both side surfaces of the side plate section.

3. The steering column support apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein a main contact surface section, which comes in contact with the opposing surface in at least the neutral state, is formed on one half in the radial direction of the at least one of both side surfaces of the side plate section, and a sub contact surface section, which does not come in contact with the opposing surface in at least the neutral state, and comes in contact with the opposing surface only when the side plate section elastically deforms due to the assist force, is formed on other half section in the radial direction; the sub contact surface section forming the concave section.

4. The steering column support apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the main contact surface section is provided on a radially inside, and the sub contact surface section is provided on a radially outside.

5. The steering column support apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the concave section is provided in the middle section in the radial direction of the at least one of both side surfaces of the side plate section.

6. The steering column support apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the concave section is composed of concave grooves that extend in the radial direction and that are provided at a plurality of locations in a circumferential direction of the at least one of both side surfaces of the side plate section.

7. The steering column support apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the concave section is a concave groove that extends in a circumferential direction of the at least one of both side surfaces of the side plate section.

8. The steering column support apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the concave grove is formed around the entire circumference of the at least one of both side surfaces of the side plate section.

9. The steering column support apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the thinned section is formed so as to pass through in a thickness direction in at least one location in a circumferential direction of at least one of the cylindrical section and side plate section.

10. The steering column support apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the thinned section is a non-continuous section in at least one location in the circumferential direction of the at least one of the cylindrical section and side plate section such that part in the circumferential direction thereof is non-continuous.

11. The steering column support apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the thinned section is a notch that is open in an end edge of the at least one of the cylindrical section and side plate section.

12. The steering column support apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the thinned section is a through hole that passes in a thickness direction through the at least one of the cylindrical section and side plate section.

13. The steering column support apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein of the portions of the outer circumferential surface of the tilt pivot shaft and the inner circumferential surface of the through hole that hold the cylindrical section of the bushing are cylindrical surfaces whose diameter does not change along the axial direction.

Assignees

• Harada Kazuyuki
• Sawa Katsuhiko
• Tanaka Takahiro
• Nsk Ltd

Inventors

• Harada Kazuyuki
• Sawa Katsuhiko
• Tanaka Takahiro

Classifications

• B62D5/04

  electrical, e.g. using an electric servo-motor connected to, or forming part of, the steering gear · CPC title

• B62D1/189 Primary

  the entire column being tiltable as a unit · CPC title

• B62D1/187 Primary

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

• B62D5/0403

  characterised by constructional features, e.g. common housing for motor and gear box · CPC title