Steering apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9550515-B2
Application number	US-201213810933-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 25, 2012
Priority date	Jun 3, 2011
Publication date	Jan 24, 2017
Grant date	Jan 24, 2017

Abstract

Construction is achieved wherein performing design for sufficiently maintaining the collapse stroke is simple regardless of whether or not there is a key lock cylinder, and support rigidity of the steering column 1 a during normal operation can be adequately increased. A vehicle-side bracket 5 a is provided with a stationary-side support plate section 17 on only one side in the width direction of the column-side bracket 4 a . This column-side bracket 4 a is supported by the stationary-side support plate section 17 so as to be able to displace in the forward direction due to an impact load during a secondary collision. The column-side bracket 4 a is also supported by the vehicle-side bracket 5 a by way of an installation plate section 21 that is provided in a portion on the opposite side in the width direction of the steering column 1 a from the stationary-side support plate section 17 so as to be able to displace in the forward direction due to an impact load during a secondary collision. A key lock cylinder is provided on rear section of the steering column 1 a on the opposite side from the stationary-side support plate section 17.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A steering apparatus, comprising:
a steering column supporting a steering shaft on an inside of the steering column such that the steering shaft can rotate freely;
a column-side bracket supporting part of the steering column; and
a vehicle-side bracket supported by and fastened to a vehicle body, and comprising a stationary-side support plate section provided only on one side in a width direction of the column-side bracket;
a portion of the column-side bracket being supported by the stationary-side support plate section so as to be able to displace forward due to an impact load during a secondary collision, and a portion of the column-side bracket that is on an opposite side in the width direction of the column-side bracket of the steering column from the stationary-side support plate section being supported by the vehicle-side bracket so as to be able to displace forward due to the impact load during the secondary collision;

wherein
the column-side bracket comprises a pair of movable-side support plate sections that are located on a left and right, and are each provided with a long hole that is long in an up-down direction;
a through hole is formed in a top section of the steering column;
the steering apparatus further comprises: a rod member that spans between the pair of movable-side support plate sections and engages with the long hole in the up-down direction and the through hole of the steering column, an adjustment lever that is connected to one end of the rod member, and an adjustment mechanism that, based on an operation of the adjustment lever, changes a holding force by which the column-side bracket holds the outer column; and
the steering column is supported by the vehicle body so as to be able to raise or lower with respect to the column-side bracket;
such that a tilt mechanism wherein whether or not displacement of the steering column in the up-down direction with respect to the column-side bracket is possible is changed based on the operation of the adjustment lever is structured.

2. The steering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the column-side bracket comprises the pair of movable-side support plate sections located on the left and right, a connecting plate section connecting edges on bottom ends of the pair of movable-side support plate sections, and an installation plate section that is bent outward in the width direction of the steering column from an edge on a top end of one of the pair of movable-side support plate sections; wherein
another of the pair of movable-side support plate sections forms the portion of the column-side bracket that is supported by the stationary-side support plate section, and the installation plate section forms the portion of the column-side bracket that is on the opposite side of the steering column from the stationary-side support plate section and that is supported by the vehicle-side bracket.

3. The steering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the column-side bracket comprises the pair of movable-side support plate sections that are located on the left and right;
the steering column comprises a telescopic steering column that is constructed by fitting together a rear section of an inner column on a front side and a front section of an outer column on a rear side, such that the entire length can expand or contract, and a long hole that is long in a forward-backward direction is provided in a top section of the outer column; and
the steering apparatus further comprises: a rod member that spans between the pair of movable-side support plate sections and engages with the long hole in the forward-backward direction, an adjustment lever that is connected to one end of the rod member, and an adjustment mechanism that, based on an operation of the adjustment lever, changes a holding force by which the column-side bracket holds the outer column;
together with the use of a telescopic steering shaft constructed by combining an outer shaft and an inner shaft, and that can transmit torque and expand and contract as the steering shaft;
such that a telescopic mechanism wherein whether or not displacement in the forward-backward direction of the outer column with respect to the column-side bracket is possible is changed based on the operation of the adjustment lever is structured.

4. The steering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the adjustment mechanism comprises a member having a pair of pressing surfaces that are provided on a base end section and a tip end section of the rod member, and the holding force that the pair of pressing surfaces hold the steering column from both sides in the width direction changes based on a rotation of the rod member according to the operation of the adjustment lever; and
of the pair of movable-side support plate sections, a slit is formed in one movable-side support plate section that is on the opposite side from the stationary-side support plate section, and a rigidity in an axial direction of the rod member of a portion on the one movable-side support plate section that is pressed by one of the pressing surfaces is kept low.

5. The steering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
a key lock cylinder of a steering lock apparatus is provided on the steering column in a state protruding from an outer circumferential surface of the steering column in a portion that, before a secondary collision occurs, is in a location that is further toward a rear in a forward-backward direction than the vehicle-side bracket, is on the opposite side in the width direction of the steering column from the stationary-side support plate section, and does not interfere with the portion of the column-side bracket that is on the opposite side from the stationary-side support plate section and that is supported by the vehicle-side bracket.

6. A steering apparatus, comprising:
a steering column supporting a steering shaft on an inside of the steering column such that the steering shaft can rotate freely;
a column-side bracket supporting part of the steering column; and
a vehicle-side bracket supported by and fastened to a vehicle body, and comprising a stationary-side support plate section provided only on one side in a width direction of the column-side bracket;
a portion of the column-side bracket being supported by the stationary-side support plate section so as to be able to displace forward due to an impact load during a secondary collision, and a portion of the column-side bracket that is on an opposite side in the width direction of the column-side bracket of the steering column from the stationary-side support plate section being supported by the vehicle-side bracket so as to be able to displace forward due to the impact load during the secondary collision;
wherein the column-side bracket comprises a movable-side support plate section that forms the portion of the column-side bracket that is supported by the stationary-side support plate section, a first long hole that is long in a forward-backward direction is formed in a bottom section of the movable-side support plate section, and a first connecting member is assembled in a bottom section of the stationary-side support plate section;
a second long hole that is long in the forward-backward direction is formed in the bottom section of the stationary-side support plate section in a portion that is further toward a rear than a position where the first connecting member is assembled, and a second connecting member is assembled in a rear-end section of the bottom section of the movable-side support plate section; and
with the stationary-side support plate section and the movable-side support plate section placed together, the first connecting member is inserted through the first long hole and connected to the movable-side suppo

Assignees

• Moriyama Seiichi
• Nsk Ltd

Inventors

• Moriyama Seiichi

Classifications

• B62D1/195 Primary

  Yieldable supports for the steering column · CPC title

• B62D1/187

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

• B62D1/19

  incorporating energy-absorbing arrangements, e.g. by being yieldable or collapsible (shock absorbers using plastic deformation of members in general F16F7/12) · CPC title

• B62D1/18

  yieldable or adjustable, e.g. tiltable (padded linings associated with the steering column B60R21/05) · CPC title

• B60R25/02

  operating on the steering mechanism · CPC title