JP3097481B2 - Steering bracket and method of manufacturing steering bracket - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a steering column tube for rotatably holding a steering shaft.
The present invention relates to a steering bracket attached to a vehicle body side member.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A steering bracket of this type is known, for example, from Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 57-116570. In this steering bracket, a steering column tube for rotatably holding a steering shaft is usually fixed to a vehicle body side member, and when a load exceeding a set load applied to the front of the vehicle is applied to the steering wheel, the steering column tube is fixed. Is allowed to move substantially axially forward of the vehicle. But,
Since the steering bracket described in the above publication holds the steering column tube in a state of surrounding the outer peripheral portion, there is a problem that the steering bracket becomes large. Therefore, the applicant has developed a steering bracket as shown in FIGS. This steering bracket 20
Numeral 0 is provided on one side of the steering column tube 202 and holds it, so that the size can be reduced.

[0003] The steering bracket 200 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the U-shape generally has a U-shape, and includes a parallel facing portion formed by the steering-side engaging portions 210 and 212, and a connecting portion 213 that connects the steering-side engaging portions 210 and 212 to each other. ing. From the steering-side engaging portions 210 and 212, respectively, the vehicle-body-side fixing portions 2
14, 216 are projected vertically. The steering-side engaging portions 210 and 212 are each formed of one plate material, and have cutouts 220 and 222, respectively. Further, mounting holes 226 and 228 for mounting to the vehicle body side member 224 (see FIG. 9) are formed in the vehicle body side fixing portions 214 and 216, respectively.

[0004] A body-side member 224 of the steering column tube 202 using the steering bracket 200.
Attachment is performed as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the steering bracket 200 is provided with bolts 2 in the mounting holes 226, 228 of the vehicle body side fixing portions 214, 216.
The steering column tube 202 is mounted on the steering bracket 200 by inserting the steering column tube 202 into the steering side engagement portion 14, 1.
This is performed using the notches 220 and 222 of FIG.

The notches 220 and 222 extend at a constant width in parallel to the axis of the steering column tube 202, and have circular portions 230 and 231 having a diameter larger than the width at the innermost portion. . This circular part 23
A pair of synthetic resin spacers 232 are fitted to the pair of bolts 23 and 0,231, respectively.
4 is screwed to an end of an L-shaped engaging member 236 fixed to both sides of the outer periphery of the steering column tube 202, so that the steering bracket 200 and the steering column tube 202 are connected to the spacer 232, the bolt 234 and The engagement is performed via the engagement member 236.

The spacer 232 has a cylindrical portion and a flange portion. The cylindrical portion has a diameter larger than the width of the notches 220 and 222 and can be fitted into the circular portions 230 and 231. Can not pass through. On the other hand, the diameter of the bolt 234 is smaller than the width of the notches 220 and 222, and can pass through the notches 220 and 222. Therefore, when a load equal to or more than the axial load is applied to the steering column tube 202 via the steering wheel, the spacer 232 is broken, and the bolt 234 can pass through the notches 220 and 222. It is possible to move downward in the axial direction.

The steering column tube 202 is connected to the vehicle body side member 224 by the steering bracket 200.
In this state, the main shaft 238 rotatably held by the steering column tube 202 is connected to the steering gear by the intermediate shaft 239. The main shaft 238 is 2
This is an assembly of members, and is capable of contracting in the axial direction when a load greater than a set load is applied. In a vehicle provided with a tilt mechanism that allows the steering wheel to tilt in the vertical direction, the spacer 232 and the bolt 234 are used.
Is the tilt center.

[0008]

However, it has been found that the present steering bracket 200 has a problem that the rigidity tends to be low. Steering bracket 20
0, the steering wheel tends to vibrate particularly in the lateral direction, and the steering column tube 20 of the steering-side engaging portions 210, 212
In a vehicle in which the engagement portion with the steering wheel 2 is a tilt center, there is a problem that rigidity as a pivot point is insufficient and a sense of stability of the tilting operation of the steering wheel is insufficient. The problem is that the steering-side engaging portions 210, 212
Have notches 220 and 222 for allowing the steering column tube 202 to move downward,
4 is a problem that is particularly likely to occur in the steering bracket 200 connected only on one side. For example, a problem also occurs in the steering bracket connected on both sides of the bolt by the steering-side engaging portion supporting the bolt in the through hole. It is.

The problem of insufficient rigidity can be solved by increasing the overall dimensions of the steering-side engaging portions 210 and 212. In this case, however, the steering column tube described in the above publication is held in a state of surrounding the outer peripheral portion. The size of the steering bracket is close to or larger than that of the steering bracket, and the purpose of miniaturization cannot be achieved. Further, if the thickness of the plate material constituting the steering bracket is increased, rigidity can be improved while avoiding an increase in size, but the weight becomes close to or greater than that of the steering bracket described in the above-mentioned publication, and the weight is reduced. Will not be able to fulfill its purpose. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to increase the rigidity of a steering bracket while avoiding an increase in size and weight.

[0010]

Means for Solving the Problems, Functions and Effects This problem can be solved by using a steering bracket having the following configurations. (1) A steering bracket for attaching a steering column tube for rotatably holding a steering shaft to a vehicle body-side member is formed by stacking a plurality of plate members, and the overlapping portion is engaged with the steering column tube. A steering bracket comprising: a steering-side engaging portion; and a vehicle-body-side fixing portion that is coupled to at least one plate member of the steering-side engaging portion and is fixed to the vehicle-body-side member . Here, the steering-side engaging portion is formed by stacking a plurality of plate members, and the stacked state may be double or triple or more. Further, the stacked plate members may or may not be joined to each other, but the joined members have a greater effect of improving rigidity.

The steering bracket includes a vehicle-body-side fixing portion and a steering-side engaging portion. The steering-side engaging portion is formed by stacking a plurality of plate members, and constitutes the steering-side engaging portion. At least one plate is connected to the vehicle-body-side fixing portion. When the steering column tube is attached to the vehicle body-side member using this steering bracket, the vehicle body-side fixing portion is fixed to the vehicle body-side member, and the plate material of the steering-side engagement portion is overlapped.
Engage with the steering column tube in minutes .
Since the steering-side engaging portion is formed by stacking a plurality of plate members, the rigidity is higher than when formed by a single plate member, and lateral vibration of the steering wheel is suppressed.

[0012]

As described above, in the steering bracket according to the present invention, the rigidity of the steering engaging portion is increased, the lateral vibration of the steering wheel is suppressed, and the steering column tube of the steering side engaging portion is provided. In a vehicle in which the engagement portion with the center is the tilt center, a sense of stability at the time of the tilting operation of the steering wheel is increased. In addition, since a plurality of plate members are stacked only in order to increase the rigidity, only the steering-side engaging portion, which particularly requires high rigidity, it is possible to avoid an increase in weight and size of the entire steering bracket. .

[0013] (2) the steering-side engaging portion, a piece of plate material formed by stacked multiple sheets of plate members by being bent in zigzag fashion (1) Steering bracket according to claim (Claim 1). If one sheet is bent in a zigzag manner, a plurality of sheets can be easily stacked. It is to be noted that the double folding is a special case of the self-folding.

(3) The steering-side engaging portion is formed by double-lapping a plate material, and the steering bracket has two steering-side engaging portions in parallel with each other. (1) The steering according to (1) or (2), further comprising a connecting portion that connects the steering-side engaging portion by connecting another plate material that is different from the plate material connected to the vehicle-body-side fixing portion. Brackets (Claim 2). By providing two steering-side engaging portions and connecting them by a connecting portion, the strength of the steering bracket itself can be increased. Further, since two steering-side engaging portions are provided, the steering column tube can be held better than in the case where only one steering-side engaging portion is provided. (4) The steering bracket according to (3), wherein the connecting portion has a load transmitting portion that transmits a load applied to the steering-side engaging portion to a vehicle-body-side member.

Further, if the connecting portion is provided with a load transmitting portion, the load applied to the steering-side engaging portion is caused not only by the plate material connected to the vehicle body-side fixing portion but also by the plate material connected to the connecting portion. Therefore, the vibration of the steering wheel can be further suppressed. The load transmitting portion of the connecting portion is preferably a fixing portion for fixing the connecting portion to the vehicle body-side member, but may be a contact portion simply contacting the vehicle body-side member.

(5) The plurality of stacked plate members of the steering-side engaging portion are fixed to each other (1) to (6).
Steering bracket according to any one of claim. If a plurality of plate members constituting the steering-side engaging portion are fixed to each other, the plate members surely receive the load jointly, and the rigidity and strength of the steering-side engaging portion increase.

(6) A notch extending through the plurality of plate members and extending substantially in the axial direction of the steering column tube is formed in the steering-side engaging portion. The steering bracket according to one of the above. When the steering column tube is attached to the vehicle body side member by the present steering bracket, the steering column tube is engaged with the notch of the steering side engaging portion. Therefore, when a load equal to or greater than the set load applied to the front of the vehicle is applied to the steering wheel, the steering column tube is allowed to move substantially axially to the front of the vehicle. In addition, a synthetic resin spacer can be fitted into the cutout to form a tilt center. Since the steering bracket of this type tends to have insufficient rigidity due to the presence of the notch, the effects of the present invention can be particularly effectively enjoyed. (7) The steering bracket holds the steering column tube in a state where the steering column tube is allowed to move in the axial direction when a load greater than a set load is applied to the steering wheel in front of the vehicle. Steering bracket according to any one of paragraphs (6) ((2)
An aspect dependent on any one of claims to (6) is a claim.
3). When a load equal to or greater than the set load on the front of the vehicle is applied to the steering wheel, the steering column tube is moved relative to the steering bracket.

(8) A plurality of notch pairs are formed by punching from both side edges to the center of the strip while feeding the strip in the longitudinal direction, so that a plurality of product parts are formed between the notch pairs adjacent to each other. And a punching step of forming a product connection portion connecting the product portion between the notches of each notch pair,
In each of the plurality of product sections, a pair of arm sections extending in opposite directions from an intermediate section connected by the product connection section are bent stepwise along the longitudinal direction of the arm section to form the band. A first riser substantially perpendicular to the board surface of the plate, a step plate part substantially perpendicular to the first riser, and a second riser substantially perpendicular to the stepper part; And a step portion by superimposing, a bending step to form a double portion perpendicular to the plate surface and a parallel portion parallel to the plate surface, and the double portion formed by the bending process, A notch forming step of removing a notch extending substantially in the feed direction from a direction orthogonal to the feed direction of the strip, and before or after the notch forming step , or
A method of manufacturing a steering bracket , comprising: simultaneously with the forming step, a punching step of punching a through hole in the parallel portion from a direction perpendicular to the plate surface, and a cutting step of separating the product from the product connecting portion ( Claim 4) . This is a description of a manufacturing method in a case where the steering bracket is manufactured by automatic progressive press working. In the bending step, the notch forming step, and the punching step, processing is not performed from a direction parallel to the feed direction. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the feed pitch, and the material connecting portion can be shortened to reduce the material cost.

In the case of manufacturing the conventional steering bracket 200, since the processing is performed in a direction parallel to the feed direction, the feed pitch must be increased, and there is a problem that the material cost increases. That problem is solved. As shown in FIG. 10, the steering bracket 200 is manufactured by a manufacturing method including the following steps. (a) By forming a plurality of notch pairs by punching from both side edges toward the center while feeding the strip in the longitudinal direction, a plurality of product parts 2 between adjacent notch pairs are formed.
40 and a punching step of forming a product connecting portion 242 connecting the product portions 240 between the notches of each notch pair;
(b) A plurality of product parts 2 formed by the punching process
40, the product connection part 2 of the product part 240
A part of the pair of arms 244 and 246 extending in opposite directions from the intermediate part connected by the first part 42 is bent so as to be orthogonal to the feed direction and the first vertical parts 248 and 25 are bent.
0 and its first vertical portions 248, 250
Is further bent in a state perpendicular to the plate surface of the band plate and parallel to the feed direction to form second vertical portions 252 and 254.
(C) second vertical portions 252, 254
The notch 220 from the direction of the arrow R orthogonal to the feed direction,
Notch forming step for forming 222, (d) first vertical portion 24
8,250 from the direction parallel to the feed direction
It is manufactured by an automatic progressive press process including a hole punching step of extracting 228. The mounting holes 226 and 228 are formed by using a cam type punching die 260.

In the bending step (b), the first vertical portion 2
In forming 48 and 250, bending must be performed from a direction parallel to the feed direction. Further, in the hole punching step (d), the mounting holes 226 and 228 must be punched out in a direction parallel to the feed direction. Therefore, it is necessary to make the product connecting portion 242 long enough to allow the cam-type punching die 260 and the like to be disposed, thereby increasing waste of material. In the manufacturing method according to the present aspect, it is not necessary to perform the processing from a direction parallel to the feeding direction, so that the waste of the material can be reduced.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a steering lower bracket as one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The steering lower bracket 10 of the present embodiment is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG.
, A connecting portion 18 connecting the steering-side engaging portions 14, 16, and a vehicle-body-side fixing portion provided on the opposite side of the steering-side engaging portions 14, 16 to the connecting portion 18. 20, 22 are provided.

The steering-side engaging portions 14 and 16 are formed by double plate members, and the double portion is formed by bending a single plate member. Tubular portions 26 and 28 are formed in the bent portion of the plate material, and the bending rigidity of the steering-side engaging portions 14 and 16 is increased. Notches 30 and 31 are formed substantially at the center of the steering side engaging portions 14 and 16. Notch 30,
The notch 31 (notch 30 is shown in FIG. 6) has a shape extending substantially parallel to the axial direction of the main shaft 32 (see FIG. 4) in the assembled state. Steering side engaging portion 14, 1
6, on the side of the opening 34 (only one is shown) of the notches 30, 31, the cylindrical portions 26, 28 are protruded in the longitudinal direction of the notches 30, 31 from the connecting portion 18 or the vehicle body side fixing portions 20, 22. ing. The reason that the cylindrical portions 26 and 28 are protruded in the longitudinal direction in this manner will be described later. However, when the steering column tube 36 is attached to the vehicle body-side member by the steering lower bracket 10, the steering column tube 36 is This is to ensure a detachment stroke at the time of detachment while reducing the weight.

On the other hand, among the doubly stacked plate members constituting the steering side engaging portions 14 and 16, the inner plate members are connected by the connecting portion 18, and the outer plate members are respectively connected to the vehicle body fixing portions 20, It is connected to 22. The steering lower bracket 10 of the present embodiment is formed by bending a single plate as described later. That is, the plate material forming the connecting portion 18, the plate material forming the steering side engaging portions 14 and 16, and the plate material forming the vehicle body side fixing portions 20 and 22 are the same.

The vehicle-body-side fixing portions 20 and 22 are single, and mounting holes 40 and 42 are formed in the centers of the respective portions.
The mounting hole 40 is an oval extending in the axial direction of the steering column tube 36, and the mounting hole 42 is a circle having a diameter corresponding to the major axis of the oval. As described above, one of the mounting holes 40 and 42 is formed into an elliptical shape, and the other is formed into a circular shape having the diameter of the major axis. This is because the mounting position error when the steering lower bracket 10 is mounted on the vehicle body-side member 44. Is to absorb the Body side fixing parts 20, 22
Between the steering-side engaging portions 14 and 16, ie,
The ribs 46 and 46 are provided to straddle the plate members outside the steering side engaging portions 14 and 16 and the vehicle body side fixing portions 20 and 22, respectively.
48 are provided. The ribs 46 and 48 are formed by bending, and are provided on the steering side engaging portion 1.
It is provided in order to increase the rigidity of the connecting portion between the vehicle body side fixing portions 20 and 22 and the vehicle body side fixing portions 20 and 22.

The hole 5 formed at the center of the connecting portion 18
Reference numeral 0 denotes a positioning hole at the time of press working, and ribs 52 and 54 are formed at one corner of the connecting portion 18 by bending, and the steering side engaging portion 14 and
It is provided to increase the rigidity of the joint between the connecting portion 16 and the connecting portion 18. 2 and 3, the height of the connecting portion 18 (the cylindrical portion 2 on the upper surface of the connecting portion 18).
6, 28) is higher than the height of the vehicle body-side fixing portions 20, 22.

The steering column tube 36 is attached to the vehicle body side member 44 by the steering lower bracket 10 as described above. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG.
It is fixed by bolts 56 and 57 using 42. At this time, the steering lower bracket 10 has the notches 30, 3
1 is fixed in a posture that opens downward (toward the side opposite to the steering wheel 58). Further, the steering column tube 36 is engaged with the cutouts 30 and 31 of the steering side engaging portions 14 and 16. This engagement is performed by an engagement member 60 fixed to the steering column tube 36, a bolt 61, and a spacer 62 made of a synthetic resin, as described in the related art. 63
Is a nut fixed to the engaging member 60.
The bolt 61 is screwed into. The upper part of the steering column tube 36 is also attached to the vehicle body side member by a steering upper bracket having a configuration similar to that of the present steering lower bracket 10. After the attachment, unless a downward load sufficient to destroy the spacer 62 is applied, the steering column tube 36 is mounted. The state where the tube 36 is fixed to the vehicle body side member 44 is maintained.

The main shaft 32 is rotatably held by the steering column tube 36 via a bearing (not shown). The main shaft 32 constitutes a steering shaft together with the intermediate shaft 64, and the main shaft 32 is constituted by an axial first member 66 and a cylindrical second member 68. The lower end of the first member 66 is fitted to the upper end of the second member 68, and is connected by a synthetic resin pin (not shown). This pin normally connects the first member 66 and the second member 68 integrally, but is broken when a load exceeding a set load is applied in the axial direction, and the main shaft 32 is damaged.
To shrink.

As described above, in the steering lower bracket 10 of the present embodiment, the steering-side engaging portions 14 and 16 are formed by double-lapping the plate members.
The rigidity is higher than that of the steering bracket 200 shown in FIG. As a result, when the steering column tube 36 is attached to the vehicle body-side member 44 using the steering lower bracket 10, the lateral vibration rigidity of the entire steering column is increased (the natural frequency was increased by 4 Hz in the measurement of the prototype). . The lateral vibration of the steering wheel can be suppressed.

Further, the engaging portions (notches 3) of the steering side engaging portions 14, 16 with the steering column tube 36.
(Around 0, 31)
Since the rigidity of the steering lower bracket 10 is increased, a sense of stability when the steering wheel is tilted is increased. When a load equal to or greater than the set load applied to the front of the vehicle is applied to the steering wheel, the bolt 61 after the spacer 62 is broken is guided well by the notches 30 and 31, and the steering column tube 36 moves downward in the axial direction. Tolerate. At the same time, the main shaft 32 contracts,
The movement of the steering wheel forward of the vehicle is permitted.

The present steering lower bracket 10 can be manufactured by the following manufacturing method. As shown in FIG. 6, the steering lower bracket 10 is manufactured by automatic progressive press working. In the automatic progressive press working, the plate material is sent out in a longitudinal direction from a roll around which a band-shaped plate material (not shown) is wound, and is sequentially processed.
The manufacturing method according to the present embodiment includes a punching step, a bending step, a notch forming step, a punching step, a cutting step, and the like.

In the punching step, a pair of cutouts are sequentially formed from both side edges of the plate material fed from the roll toward the center. As a result, a plurality of product parts 72 are formed between the notch pairs adjacent to each other, and a plurality of product connection parts 74 that connect the product parts 72 between the notches of each notch pair.
Each product part 72 includes a pair of arm parts 7 extending in opposite directions from an intermediate part 76 connected by a product connection part 74.
8,80.

In the bending step, the arm portions 78, 80
Are bent along a plurality of straight lines perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the arm portions 78 and 80, respectively, so that the double portions as the steering side engaging portions 14 and 16 and the parallel portions as the vehicle body side fixing portions 20 and 22 are formed. 84 and 86 are formed. The bending step is performed in two stages. First, in the first bending step (A), the arm portions 78 and 80 are each bent stepwise. Plate surface of the middle part 76 (same as the plate surface of the strip)
, A stepped portion 92 substantially perpendicular to the first riser portion 90, and a second riser portion 94 perpendicular to the stepped portion 92 are formed. In this stage (A), the end 9 of the boundary between the intermediate portion 76 and the first riser 90
6, the end 98 of the boundary between the step board portion 92 and the second riser 94
Are squeezed to form ribs 52, 54, 46 and 48.

Next, in the second bending step (B), the step portion 92 is further bent by 90 degrees, and the step portion 92 is brought into close contact with the first riser 90. At the close contact portion, the plate members are double overlapped with each other, and a double portion is formed. Further, since the plate surface of the second riser 94 is parallel to the plate surface of the intermediate portion 76, the parallel portion 8 is formed by the second riser 94.
4,86 will be formed. In addition, the first Keage 9
Since 0 is longer than the step portion 92, the parallel portions 84 and 86 are lower than the middle portion. Thus, in this embodiment,
Since it is not necessary to perform bending from a direction parallel to the feed direction, the product connecting portion 74 can be shortened accordingly, and waste of material can be reduced.

Next, the notch forming step and the punching step are performed in parallel. Notches 30 and 31 are punched in the double part, and mounting holes 40 and 42 are punched in the parallel parts 84 and 86. The cutouts 30 and 31 are punched from an R direction orthogonal to the feed direction, and the mounting holes 40 and 42 are punched from an S direction perpendicular to both the feed direction and the R direction. After the punching is completed, in the cutting step, the product lower portion 72 is cut off from the product connecting portion 74 to complete the steering lower bracket 10. As described above, in the present embodiment, it is not necessary to perform the boring of the cutouts 30 and 31 and the mounting holes 40 and 42 from a direction parallel to the feed direction. Can be improved.

The shape of the steering lower bracket is not limited to that of the above-described embodiment.
The height may be increased until it comes into contact with the bottom surface 102 of the concave portion 100 of the vehicle body side member 44. In that case, the steering lower bracket 10 is attached to the vehicle body-side member 44 in a state where the connecting portion 18 is in contact with the vehicle body-side member 44. When the connecting portion 18 is brought into contact with the vehicle body-side member 44, when a load in the P direction is applied to the steering lower bracket 10, the load is received not only by the vehicle body-side fixing portion but also by the connecting portion. Therefore, since the load is applied substantially evenly to each of the double plate members, the rigidity of the steering-side engaging portion can be further increased, and the support strength of the steering column tube of the steering lower bracket can be increased. Further, the connecting portion 18 may be fixed not only by abutting the vehicle body side member 44 but also by fixing means such as a bolt.

As shown in FIG. 7, the steering lower bracket 112 may have the same height as the connecting portion 114 and the height of the vehicle body-side fixing portions 116 and 118.
If the steering lower bracket 112 is attached to the vehicle body side member 120 having no concave portion, the connecting portion 1
14 comes into contact with the vehicle body side member 120.

Further, the steering lower bracket 1
0, 112, the steering-side engaging portions 14, 1
Although two 6 are provided, one may be provided. In that case, as shown in FIG.
30 has two vehicle-body-side fixing portions 132 and 134 and one steering-side engaging portion 136, and generally has a T-shape. This steering lower bracket 130
When the steering column tube 36 is engaged with the steering column tube 36, the projection 13 fixed to the steering column tube 36 is used.
8, the steering side engaging portion 136 is fitted into the concave portion, and the bolt 142 is connected to the synthetic resin spacer 144.
Can be engaged with the notch 146 of the steering-side engaging portion 136 via the.

In the above embodiment, the cutouts 30 and 31 formed in the steering side engaging portions 14 and 16 are linear and parallel to the axial direction of the main shaft 32. Alternatively, the shape may be an arc-shaped or equicurved shape. For example, it may be slightly inclined in a direction away from the vehicle body side member as it goes from the deep part of the notch toward the opening. In that case, the steering column tube 36
Will move along the notch in a direction slightly separated from the vehicle body side member. What is necessary is just to have a shape that can guide the movement of the steering column tube 36 in a desired direction close to the axial direction.

Further, the steering lower brackets 10, 112, 130 of the above embodiments have a short axial length, and when a load exceeding a set load is applied, the steering column tube 36 is moved in the axial direction, and the steering column tube 36 is moved. Although it is configured to be detachable from the lower bracket, the axial length may be increased so that the lower bracket cannot be detached. In a vehicle in which the engagement portion of the steering lower bracket with the steering column tube is not set at the tilt center, the steering lower bracket is
The steering column tube may be always held in a state that allows relative movement in the axial direction. In that case, it is desirable to use in combination with another holding member that prevents the relative movement in the axial direction and holds the load in a state where the relative movement is allowed when a load greater than the set load is applied.

Further, according to the manufacturing method of each of the above embodiments, the steering lower bracket is manufactured by bending and punching a single plate material by an automatic progressive press, but the manufacturing method is not limited to this. Instead, for example, the vehicle body-side fixing portion, the steering-side engaging portion, and the connecting portion may be manufactured by welding. Others
Although not specifically exemplified, the present invention can be implemented in various modified and improved forms based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the claims.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a steering lower bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the steering lower bracket.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the steering lower bracket.

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view showing a state where a steering column tube is attached by the steering lower bracket.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view (part) taken along the line II in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state of manufacturing the steering lower bracket.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing a state in which a steering column tube is mounted by a steering lower bracket according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing a state in which a steering column tube is mounted by a steering lower bracket according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partially sectional front view showing a state in which a steering column tube is attached by a conventional steering bracket.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state of manufacturing the steering bracket.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view (part) taken along the line II-II of FIG. 9;

[Explanation of symbols]

10, 112, 130 Steering lower bracket 14, 16, 136 Steering side engaging part 20, 22, 116, 118, 132, 134 Body side fixing part 30, 31, 144 Notch 40, 42 Mounting hole

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-3-7656 (JP, A) JP-A-3-121176 (JP, U) JP-A-3-121076 (JP, U) JP-A 51- 56729 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B62D 1/04-1/28

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A steering bracket for attaching a steering column tube for rotatably holding a steering shaft to a vehicle body-side member, wherein a single plate member is bent in a zigzag manner.
Several plate members are formed by being stacked, and a steering-side engaging portion to be engaged with the steering column tube at the overlapped portion is coupled to at least one plate material of the steering-side engaging portion. And a vehicle-body-side fixing portion fixed to the vehicle-body-side member. 2. The steering-side engaging portion is formed by double-lapping a plate material, and the steering bracket has its steering-side engaging portions parallel to each other.
The connecting part according to claim 1, further comprising a connecting part that connects the two steering-side engaging parts by connecting plate members different from the plate member connected to the vehicle-body-side fixing part. Steering bracket. Wherein the steering bracket, the steering bracket according to claim 1 or 2 of the steering column tube is intended to hold the axially movable relative. 4. A method in which a strip is fed in the longitudinal direction while both of the strips are being fed.
By punching out multiple notch pairs from the side edge toward the center
Forming a gap between adjacent notch pairs.
Number of product parts and the product parts are connected between the notches of each notch pair.
And a punching step for forming a product connection portion, respectively. In each of the plurality of product sections,
Pair extending in opposite directions from the connected middle part
Is bent stepwise along the length of the arm.
The first kick substantially perpendicular to the surface of the strip.
The upper part, the step part almost perpendicular to the first riser, and the step
A substantially vertical second riser is formed on the plate,
By stacking the kick top and the step board part,
Form a double part perpendicular to the plate surface and a parallel part parallel to the plate surface
Bending process to be performed, In the double part formed by the bending process,
The notch extending in the feed direction is aligned with the feed direction of the strip.
A notch forming step to pull out from the intersecting direction, Before or after the notch forming step, or notch forming
At the same time as the step, a through hole is formed in the parallel portion perpendicular to the plate surface.
A hole punching process to pull out from the direction, A cutting step of separating the product from the product connection unit; Including
A manufacturing method of a steering bracket.