JPH0472748B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a tilt handle device for a vehicle that allows smooth operation when adjusting the angle of the handle, provides strong support, and is easy to manufacture.

[Conventional technology]

Traditionally, the angle (including height) of the steering wheel has been adjusted according to the body of the driver of the vehicle (automobile, etc.).
Various tilt steering wheel devices for vehicles have been developed to enable safer driving.

Most of these tilt handle devices for vehicles are of the ratchet type, in which a single tooth (a part of a gear, such as a fan-shaped gear) is strongly pressed with a spring or cam to fix it at a desired angle. It was something to do. For example, JP-A-58-85756, Utility Model Publication No. 60-
No. 51176 etc. exist.

For each fixed tooth part,
The mechanism for engaging and disengaging the ratchet, which has a movable tooth portion that meshes with the fixed tooth portion, is complicated. In other words, in order to maintain the fixed state of meshing at all times after adjusting the angle of the handle, it was necessary to use a roll of a different configuration or a separate member to press or tension the back or middle of the ratchet with a spring or the like. .

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In the ratchet method, first of all, the mounting positional relationship between the fixed tooth portion and the movable tooth portion is required to be more precisely determined. That is, it is extremely troublesome to mount the fixed tooth portion and the link having the movable tooth portion in extremely accurate positions. In order to achieve the correct position, the axial center position of the mounting shaft of the fixed tooth part and the movable tooth part must be machined, the level of skill in assembling to this shaft center, and the machining accuracy of both tooth parts, etc. The distance has an error of several microns to several hundred microns each time.

Regarding the meshing of the movable tooth part of the ratchet with that one fixed tooth part, when the pitch circle P is the same, as shown in FIG. 13, the correct mounting position of the ratchet is set to _{O2 .} Than,
There were also many cases where the assembly was so bad that an error occurred in the X direction by minus Δx (in order to simplify the explanation, there was no error in the Y direction). In this way, if the assembly is poor, the meshing between the fixed tooth part with the same pitch circle P and the movable tooth part will be poor, and the number of teeth that mesh with each other will be small on the end side, that is, the effective number of teeth in the meshed state will be reduced. drastically decreased, and this caused
The strength of the engagement decreases, causing play in the engagement part due to vibrations during driving, etc., which in turn causes the steering wheel to wobble up and down, which not only halves the significance of the tilt steering wheel device for vehicles for greater safety.
There were serious problems such as creating a dangerous situation.

In addition, the dashed dotted line in Fig. 13 is the pitch circle P of both
The root circle is shown in the diagram, but the tip circle is
The pitch circle P has been omitted to make it easier to understand. This also applies to FIGS. 8 to 12.

[Means for solving problems]

Therefore, as a result of intensive research to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventor has devised the present invention, in which an upper rotating bracket and a lower fixing bracket that support a steering shaft are provided to be rotatable about a fulcrum shaft. , the first tooth portion centered on the fulcrum shaft is fixed to the upper rotating bracket or the lower fixed bracket, and the base is pivoted to the lower fixed bracket or upper rotating bracket on the opposite side to which the first tooth portion is fixed. For vehicles, the second tooth portion on the tip side of the link and the first tooth portion are inscribed with each other and mesh with each other, and the diameter of the pitch circle of the second tooth portion is larger than the diameter of the pitch circle of the first tooth portion. By using a tilt handle device, smooth operation can be obtained when adjusting the angle of the handle, firm support can be achieved, manufacturing is simple, and furthermore, it can be provided at low cost, and the above-mentioned problems are solved.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14.

1 is an upper steering column that supports the upper steering shaft _A1 , 2 is an upper rotating bracket that supports the upper steering column 1, and 3 is a lower that supports the lower steering shaft _A2 . Steering column, 4 is its lower steering column 3
This is a lower fixed bracket that supports the The lower fixing bracket 4 is fixed to the lower part of the dash board of the vehicle, and the upper end of the lower fixing bracket 4 is pivotally attached to the lower end of the upper rotating bracket 2 to a fulcrum shaft 5, and the upper rotating bracket 2 is fixed to the lower part. The bracket 4 is provided so as to be rotatable on a vertical plane about a fulcrum shaft 5. Regarding the rotation angles, as shown in FIG. 1, it is configured to be able to rotate by a maximum angle θ ₁ on the upper side and a maximum angle θ ₂ on the lower side about the axis of the lower steering shaft A ₂ . . As shown in Fig. 2, a stopper S is attached at the tip of the upper rotation bracket 2 to an enlarged hole H formed in the lower fixing bracket 4 so that the rotation stops at the maximum rotation angle. It is provided. The upper steering shaft A ₁ and the lower steering shaft A ₂ are connected by a universal joint 6 at the fulcrum shaft 5, and the two constitute a steering shaft.

G ₁ is a first tooth portion, which has a substantially fan shape and is fixed to the upper rotating bracket 2 or the lower fixing bracket 4 about the fulcrum shaft 5 .

That is, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the first tooth portion _G1 is arranged so that the tooth surface faces the lower surface side of the upper rotation bracket 2. It is fixed to the bracket 2 by welding so that the center of its pitch circle _P1 coincides with the fulcrum shaft 5.

In addition, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the first tooth portion _G1 is attached to the lower fixing bracket 4 with the tooth surface facing the lower surface side of the lower fixing bracket 4. It is fixed by welding so that the center of the pitch circle _P1 coincides with the fulcrum shaft 5.

7 is a link whose base end (the left end in FIGS. 3, 4, etc.) is axially connected to the lower fixing bracket 4 or upper rotating bracket 2 on the opposite side to which the first tooth portion _G1 is fixed. Arrived 8th. That is, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the first tooth portion _G1 is fixed to the upper rotating bracket 2, and in this case, the base of the link 7 is , is pivoted 8 on the lower surface near the upper end of the lower fixing bracket 4, and its link 7 is rotatably provided on a vertical plane about eight pivot points. In the embodiment, the base of the link 7 is attached to a bearing protrusion 9 fixed to the lower side of the lower fixing bracket 4.
It is pivoted 8 to.

Further, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the first tooth portion _G1 is fixed to the lower fixing bracket 4, and in this case, the base of the link 7 is It is pivoted 8 to a bearing protrusion 9 fixed to the lower side of the upper rotating bracket 2, and is otherwise constructed in the same manner as the first embodiment.

A second toothed portion G ₂ is formed on the tip end side of the link 7, and the second toothed portion G ₂ is rotated by the rotation of the link 7.
The first tooth portion _G1 is configured to inscribe and mesh with each other.

More specifically, when the link 7 is rotated and pressed in the counterclockwise direction in FIGS. 2, 3, etc., the second tooth portion _G2 provided on the link 7 It is configured to be engaged with the first tooth portion _G1 , or to be disengaged from the first tooth portion _G1 when the link 7 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 2 or the like.

Here, the first tooth portion G ₁ and the second tooth portion G ₂ are:
The modules are the same, and the second tooth part G ₂
The diameter of the pitch circle P ₂ is the pitch circle of the first tooth G ₁
It is formed larger than the diameter of P ₁ and is internally engaged. That is, in the specific embodiment, the first tooth portion G ₁ ,
The tooth modulus of the second tooth part _G2 is 0.45, the diameter of the pitch circle _P1 is 82.8 mm, and the diameter of the pitch circle _P2 is approximately
It is composed of 94.5mm.

Furthermore, pins 10 are formed that protrude from both sides of the distal end of the link 7.

11 is an operating lever, one end (upper end) of which
is pivoted 12 on or near the fulcrum shaft 5 of the lower fixing bracket 4. In the embodiment, the fulcrum shaft 5 on one side of the lower fixing bracket 4 is
It is rotatably provided coaxially with this. The operating lever 11 is rotatable on a vertical plane about 12 pivot points, and the base side (upper end side) of the operating lever 11 is formed of a single piece.
The tip side (lower end side) is formed into a U-shape, and cam portions 11a, 11a are provided at the same position on both sides of the U-shaped portion. Specifically, the cam portion 11a,
11a is a long hole, and the center line p in the longitudinal direction of the long hole
When the second tooth part _G2 meshes with the first tooth part _G1 ,
A line q perpendicular to the center line extending from the 12 pivot points of the operating lever 11 in the longitudinal direction of the operating lever 11
The angle α formed by the cam portion 11a is approximately a few degrees to approximately 10-odd degrees, and as a result, the distance from the center of each end of the cam portion 11a to the center of the 12 shaft attachments changes slightly. It is formed to act as a cam. Both ends of the pin 10 of the link 7 are loosely fitted into the cam portions 11a, 11a. The loose fit is actually about 0.2 mm or more,
There is almost no wobbling.

First, when the link 7 is fixed to the lower fixing bracket 4, when the operating lever 11 is rotated counterclockwise from the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3 to the position shown by the chain line in FIG. The upper side of the cam portion 11a acts to press the pin 10 of the link 7 downward, and the second tooth portion _G2
The upper rotating bracket 2 is configured to be moved away from the toothed portion _G1 , and at the same time, the meshing state between the first toothed portion _G1 and the second toothed portion _G2 is released, and the upper rotating bracket 2 becomes freely rotatable.

Furthermore, when the operating lever 11 is rotated clockwise from the position shown by the chain line in FIG. 3 to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. As a result, the second tooth portion _G2 approaches the first tooth portion _G1 , and at the same time,
The first tooth part _G1 and the second tooth part ₂ are fixed by internal meshing, and are configured to be fixed to the lower fixed bracket 4 and to the upper rotating bracket 2.

The operating lever 11 always has a second toothed portion _G2.
A meshing tension spring 13 is provided that tensions the teeth in the direction of internally meshing with the first tooth portion _G1 .

In the embodiment, when the link 7 is fixed to the lower fixing bracket 4 (see FIGS. 2 to 4),
A meshing tension spring 13 is stretched between the lower fixing bracket 4 and the tip (lower end) of the operating lever 11, and the meshing tension spring 13 allows the second tooth portion _G2 provided on the link 7 to the first tooth portion
It is configured to engage while pressing _G1 .
Specifically, a coil spring is used as the engagement tension spring 13.

Furthermore, even when the link 7 is fixed to the upper rotating bracket 2 (see Fig. 7), the engagement tension spring 13 is stretched between the lower fixing bracket 4 and the tip (lower end) of the operating lever 11. There is. This is because when the operating lever 11 is pulled counterclockwise, the second tooth portion _G2 of the link 7 is disengaged.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the cam portion 11a is a long hole, but it may be a groove as long as the pin 10 can be engaged and slid thereon.

In the figure, at the tip (lower end) of the operating lever 11, a knob 11b made of synthetic resin or the like is fixed to a member bent from the base side on the shaft attachment 12 side.
w is the handle, 14 is the tension coil spring,
One end of the reinforcing connecting rod is fixed to a spring seat fixed between the U-shaped portions of the upper rotating bracket 2, and the other end is fixed to an appropriate location of the lower fixing bracket 4 for tensioning. has been done. As a result, a tensile force is constantly acting on the handle W side to lift it up.

〔Effect of the invention〕

In the present invention, the upper rotating bracket 2 and the lower fixing bracket 4 that support the steering shaft are provided so as to be rotatable about the fulcrum shaft 5, and the fulcrum shaft 5 is attached to the upper rotating bracket 2 or the lower fixing bracket 4. Centered Pituchi yen
A link 7 to which the first tooth portion G ₁ of P ₁ is fixed, and whose base portion is pivoted 8 to the lower fixing bracket 4 or upper rotating bracket 2 on the opposite side to which the first tooth portion G ₁ is fixed.
The second tooth portion G ₂ on the tip side and the first tooth portion G ₁ are inscribed with each other and mesh with each other, and the second tooth portion G ₂
The diameter of the pitch circle P ₂ is the pitch circle P ₁ of the first tooth G ₁
By making the tilt handle device for a vehicle larger than the diameter of the steering wheel, first of all, smooth operation can be obtained when adjusting the angle of the steering wheel, and as a result, a safe tilt handle device for a vehicle can be provided.
Second, the structure is simple and the manufacturing process is simple.

To explain these effects in detail, regarding the meshing of the movable tooth part of the ratchet with one fixed tooth part in the conventional vehicle tilt handle device,
As shown in Fig. 13, the exact mounting position of the ratchet is _O2 , and for example, there is an error of minus Δx in the X direction from the position _O2 (no error is assumed in the Y direction to simplify the explanation). There were also many cases where the assembly was so poor that it caused problems. As described above, if the assembly is poor, the fixed tooth portion with the same pitch circle P and the movable tooth portion will not mesh well with each other, and the number of teeth that mesh with each other will be small on the end side. The gap Δn on the other side of the meshing side becomes relatively large (see FIG. 14 for the specific meshing state), and this increases the effective number of teeth in the meshing state of both tooth portions (for example,
The slight length l (equivalent to ₀ ) is drastically reduced, the engagement strength is reduced, and due to vibrations during running, etc.
There is play in the meshing portion, which in turn causes the steering wheel to wobble up and down, which not only halves the significance of the vehicle tilt steering wheel device for greater safety, but also poses serious problems such as creating a dangerous situation. This is because the mounting position of the fixed tooth part and the movable tooth part of the ratchet depends on the machining of the axis center position of each mounting shaft, the skill level of assembling to this axis center, the machining accuracy of both tooth parts, etc. This is because, strictly speaking, the distance has an error of several microns to several hundred microns each time, and it is extremely difficult to mount it with extremely high precision in reality.

However, in the present invention, the second tooth portion G ₂ on the distal end side of the link 7 that is pivoted 8 and the first tooth portion G ₁ are inscribed with each other and mesh with each other, and the pitch circle of the second tooth portion G ₂ is adjusted. By making the diameter of P ₂ larger than the diameter of the pitch circle P ₁ of the first tooth portion G ₁ , as shown in FIG. If the positions of the first tooth part _G1 and the link 7 of the second tooth part _G2 are installed correctly,
Although the first tooth part _G1 and the second tooth part _G2 are inscribed, the meshing is accurate, and the effective number of teeth in the meshing state is large. When the link 7 is attached to the shaft 8, the exact mounting position of the link 7 is shown in Fig. 9.
From O ₂ , even if there is an assembly error of minus Δx ₁ in the X direction and minus Δy ₁ in the Y direction, the 10th
The exact mounting position of the first tooth G ₁ as shown in the figure
From O ₁ , even if there is an assembly error of plus Δx ₂ in the X direction and plus Δy ₂ in the Y direction, the link 7
As shown in Fig. 11, when the link 7 is attached to the upper rotation bracket 2 by a distance of minus Δx ₃ in the X direction and a minus Δy 3 in the Y direction from the correct mounting position O ₂ of the link 7, as shown in Fig. ₁₁ . Even if an error occurs, the condition is that the diameter of the pitch circle P ₂ of the second tooth portion G ₂ for meshing is larger than the diameter of the pitch circle P ₁ of the first tooth portion G ₁ to be engaged. , large outer pitch circle
Even if there is a slight assembly error in P ₂ or the inner small pitch circle P ₁ , because of the large pitch circle P ₂ ,
Outside of the same module (second tooth part G ₂ for meshing)
Since the teeth wrap around the inside, the effective number of teeth in mesh (this corresponds to lengths l ₁ , l ₂ , l _{3 ,} for example) increases. That is, l ₁ ,
l ₂ and l ₃ are each considerably larger than l ₀ . Note that the reason why the error is minus in the X direction and minus in the Y direction, or plus in the X direction and plus in the Y direction is to take into consideration the state in which the error is the largest.

In addition, as shown in _FIG .
Even if the same error as shown in the figure is given, the second
By making the diameter of the pitch circle P ₂ of the tooth part G ₂ larger than the diameter of the pitch circle P ₁ of the first tooth part G ₁ to be engaged, even if there is an error of Δx, the spacing shown in Fig. 13 can be maintained. What corresponds to Δn is a small interval Δm,
Δm can be made much smaller than Δn (Δm<Δn).

As a result, in the present invention, the effective number of teeth (corresponding to the length l) in which both teeth are in mesh is increased.
That is, it can be reliably proven that l>l ₀ .

Therefore, even if an assembly error occurs, in the present invention, there is no play in the meshing part, smooth operation can be obtained when adjusting the angle of the handle w, and there is no vertical wobbling even after adjusting the angle of the handle w. This has the great effect of providing a vehicle tilt handle device for greater safety.

Although such a configuration may seem simple if proven, it is possible to eliminate the wobbling of the tilt handle and ensure smooth operation without increasing the number of components. Wherever possible, there is a great effect of invention.

As described above, the first tooth portion G ₁ and the second tooth portion G ₂ can smoothly adjust the main angle of tilt, and have the advantage of being made of the smallest member and being inexpensive.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a handle device incorporating the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the main part of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the main part of the present invention, FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of the meshing state of the first tooth part and the second tooth part, and FIG. 6 is another FIG. 7 is an enlarged side view of the main part of the present invention in an embodiment, and FIGS. 8 to 12 are schematic views of the meshing state between the first tooth and the second tooth of the link. FIG. 13 is a schematic side view showing a conventionally known meshing state between the first tooth portion and the second tooth portion of the link, and FIG. 14 is an enlarged side view of the main part of FIG. 13. 2... Upper rotation bracket, 4... Lower fixed bracket, 5... Fulcrum shaft, 7... Link,
8... Pivoting, G ₁ ... First tooth portion, P ₁ , P ₂ ... Pitch circle, G ₂ ... Second tooth portion.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An upper rotating bracket and a lower fixing bracket that support the steering shaft are provided so as to be rotatable about a fulcrum shaft, and a first tooth portion is fixed to the upper rotating bracket or the lower fixing bracket about the fulcrum shaft. , the second tooth portion on the tip side of the link whose base is pivoted to the lower fixed bracket or upper rotating bracket on the opposite side to which the first tooth portion is fixed, and the first tooth portion are inscribed with each other and mesh with each other. , the diameter of the pitch circle of the second tooth part is the first
A vehicle tilt handle device characterized by having a diameter larger than the pitch circle of the teeth.