JPH0448667B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention provides a tilt steering system for facilitating steering operation by adjusting a steering wheel attached to a tiltable steering shaft to a position suitable for the physique of the driver. It is related to.

Conventional Technology In recent years, automobiles have been equipped with a system in which the position of the steering wheel is adjusted to suit the physique of the driver by appropriately changing the inclination of the steering shaft.
Tilt steering is often used to facilitate steering devices.

The above-mentioned tilt steering includes a first bracket having a pair of support parts fixed to the vehicle body side, and a first bracket attached to the first bracket so as to be tiltable in the vertical direction, and rotatably supporting a tiltable steering shaft. 2 brackets, a bolt inserted laterally into the overlapping portion of the first and second brackets and having one end fixed to one side of the overlapping portion, and a lock lever screwed onto the free end of the bolt. By operating the above lock lever,
The overlapping portions of the first and second brackets are pressed relatively inward on the axis of the bolt and locked by mutual frictional force, thereby fixing the steering shaft at a desired angle of inclination. Things are common.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In the above-mentioned tilt steering, the frictional force that occurs between the first and second brackets is due to the dimensional accuracy between each component member caused by dimensional errors in manufacturing and wear between the members due to long-term use. may fall below the specified value.

In general, the movable side of a tilt steering wheel is relatively heavy because various switches, etc. are attached to it in addition to the steering wheel, and the decrease in frictional force as described above is due to the movable side position, that is, the steering wheel being held in a constant position. It was getting in the way.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention provides a steering shaft in which a steering wheel is fixed to the tip of an upper shaft that is bendable with respect to a lower shaft, a fixed bracket fixed to a vehicle body side, and the fixed bracket. a movable bracket which is disposed to be swingable in the vertical direction and rotatably supports the upper shaft; a lock lever which has one end attached to the fixed bracket and is swingable; a ratchet that is arranged so as to be able to mesh with a predetermined number of engaging teeth formed on the movable bracket; and a ratchet that is arranged between the ratchet and the fixed bracket so that the pawl portion of the ratchet always meshes with the engaging tooth. The ratchet is arranged to rotate coaxially and integrally with the lock lever and is located at the rear of the ratchet whose distal end claw engages with the engagement teeth of the movable bracket when fixed. and a ratchet restraining pawl that restricts movement in the direction of release.

Function The above-mentioned tilt steering prevents the movement of the ratchet in the release direction by the tip claw of the ratchet restraining claw that is linked to the lock lever.
To securely fix a movable bracket to a fixed bracket at a predetermined angle by maintaining the meshing state between the engaging teeth of the movable bracket and the pawl part of the ratchet.

Furthermore, during adjustment, even if the ratchet restraining pawl moves away from the ratchet in conjunction with the release operation of the lock lever, the spring presses the ratchet against the engaging teeth of the movable bracket, and the movable bracket and upper shaft will not move downward inadvertently. . Moreover,
During adjustment work, the pawls of the ratchet pass over the engaging teeth of the movable bracket one by one, giving the operator a sense of moderation and facilitating the adjustment work. Furthermore, the pawl portion of the ratchet does not come into contact with the peak portion of the engagement tooth and stop, thereby preventing any hindrance to the locking operation of the lock lever.

Embodiment FIGS. 1 to 5 show an embodiment of the tilt steering according to the present invention.

In the drawings, 1 is a steering shaft extending from a steering gear (not shown) and has a steering wheel 2 fixed to its tip, 3 is a fixed bracket fixed to the vehicle body side, 4 is a movable bracket disposed on the fixed bracket 3, and 5 is a steering shaft. The lock lever disposed on the fixed bracket 3 is shown.

The steering shaft 1 is composed of a lower shaft 1a that is pivotally supported by a fixed bracket 3, and an upper shaft 1b that is pivotally supported by a movable bracket 4. The lower shaft 1a and the upper shaft 1b are tilted by a universal joint 6. Possibly connected.

The fixing bracket 3 is a member formed by bending a flat plate material of a predetermined shape into a substantially square shape from the front, and has shaft holes 7, 7 bored in the center portions of both side walls, respectively. On the other hand, the movable bracket 4 is a member formed by bending a flat plate material of a predetermined shape into a substantially U-shaped planar shape, and has shaft holes 8 corresponding to the shaft holes 7, 7 of the fixed bracket 3 in the center of both side walls. , 8 are formed. The fixed bracket 3 and the movable bracket 4 are connected by rotary shafts 9, 9 inserted into shaft holes 7, 7, 8, 8 formed in opposing side walls, respectively, and the movable bracket 4 is connected to the fixed bracket 3. Therefore, it can be tilted while being held from the outside.

The lock lever 5 has its base end fixed to the distal end of a support shaft 10 rotatably disposed on one side wall of the fixed bracket 3, and its distal end faces toward the steering wheel 2. . A ratchet restraining pawl 11 is provided at the base end of the support shaft 10.
is fixedly fixed thereto, and between the support shaft 10 and the fixed bracket 3, there is provided means (not shown) for holding the rotational position of the support shaft 10.

The front edge of the side wall of the movable bracket 4 on the side where the lock lever 5 is disposed is formed into an arc-shaped peripheral edge 12 along the above-mentioned shaft hole 8, and a notch 13 is formed in the upper part of this arc-shaped peripheral edge 12. A predetermined number of engagement teeth 14, 14, . . . are formed at the lower portion.

On the other hand, on the inner front side of the side wall of the fixed bracket 3 on the side on which the lock lever 5 is disposed, a ratchet 15 having a substantially L-shape is provided so as to be slidable about the substantially central portion. This ratchet 15
A claw portion 15a that engages with the above-mentioned engaging teeth 14, 14, etc. is formed on the outside of the upper end portion, and this claw portion 15a
The engagement tooth 1 is moved by a spring 16 disposed between the other end of the ratchet 15 and the fixed bracket 3.
4, 14...

Furthermore, the lock lever 5 of the fixed bracket 3
An arcuate hole 17 centered on the support shaft 10 of the lock lever 5 is formed in the front part of the side wall on the side where the lock lever 5 is disposed. Fixed ratchet restraint claw 11
The distal end claw portion 11a projects inward. The tip claw portion 11a of the ratchet restraining claw 11 is such that the claw portion 15a of the ratchet 15 is connected to the engagement tooth 14,
Rachiet 1 only when engaged with 14...
It is arranged so that it can move to the inner arcuate part 15b of the upper end part where the claw part 15a of No. 5 is formed.

The adjustment procedure for the tilt steering having the above configuration will be explained below.

In the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the claw portion 15a of the ratchet 15 meshes with one of the engaging teeth 14, 14, . Movement in the disengagement direction is restrained by the distal end pawl portion 11a of the ratchet restraining pawl 11, which is attached on the same axis as the ratchet restraining pawl 11. Therefore, the movable bracket 4
The claw portion 15a of the ratchet 15 and the engaging tooth 1
4, the upper shaft 1b is fixed to the fixed bracket 3 and pivotally supported by the movable bracket 4. The upper shaft 1b is fixed at a constant angle.

From this state, in order to adjust the position of the steering wheel 2, that is, the inclination angle of the movable bracket 4, the lock lever 5 is first rotated downward in FIG. Then, in this state, the distal end claw portion 11a of the ratchet restraining claw 11 moves upward in FIG.

Next, when the steering wheel 2 is held and swung upwards or downwards, the pawls 15a of the ratchet 15 engage the engagement teeth as the movable bracket 4 swings, as shown in FIG. 14,
The movable bracket 4 repeatedly engages and disengages from the movable bracket 4, giving a sense of moderation to the swinging motion of the movable bracket 4.

When the steering wheel 2 is stopped at a predetermined position where the claw portion 15a of the ratchet 15 and the engagement tooth 14 engage, and the lock lever 5 is moved upward in FIG. The engaging claw portion 15a of the ratchet 15 is prevented from swinging in the disengagement direction by the distal end claw portion 11a of the ratchet restraining claw 11, and the movable bracket 4 is securely fixed at the desired position with respect to the fixed bracket 3. Ru.

In the above embodiment, the movable bracket 4 can be tilted upward at a large angle while holding the steering wheel 2, and the steering wheel 2 can be moved upward to facilitate getting into and out of the automobile.

Effects of the Invention As explained above, the tilt steering according to the present invention prevents the movable bracket from moving in the disengagement direction of the ratchet that has engaged with the engaging teeth of the movable bracket by the ratchet restraining pawl that interlocks with the lock lever. Since it is fixed to the fixed bracket, the movable bracket can be securely fixed to the fixed bracket, and the position of the steering wheel can be adjusted with a sense of moderation, which is practical. Extremely convenient.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 5 are drawings showing one embodiment of the tilt steering according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a side view, FIG. 2 is a bottom view, FIG. 3 is a split perspective view, and FIG.
This figure and FIG. 5 are schematic diagrams for explaining the operation of the ratchet and the ratchet restraining pawl. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Steering shaft, 1a... Lower shaft, 1b... Upper shaft, 2... Steering wheel, 3... Fixed bracket, 4... Movable bracket, 5... Lock lever, 11... Ratchet restraint claw, 11a... ... Tip claw portion of ratchet restraining claw, 14, 14... Engaging tooth, 15... Ratchet, 15a... Ratchet claw portion, 16...
spring.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A steering shaft consisting of a steering wheel fixed to the tip of an upper shaft that can be bent with respect to a lower shaft, a fixed bracket fixed to the vehicle body side, and a steering wheel arranged on the fixed bracket so as to be able to swing vertically. a movable bracket rotatably supporting the upper shaft; a lock lever having one end swingably disposed on the fixed bracket; a ratchet that meshes with a predetermined number of engagement teeth; a spring that is disposed between the ratchet and the fixed bracket and presses the claw portion of the ratchet to constantly mesh with the engagement teeth; and a spring that is coaxial with the lock lever. a ratchet which is arranged so as to rotate together and integrally, and which is located at the rear of the ratchet whose tip claw portion meshes with the engaging teeth of the movable bracket when fixed, and which restrains the movement of the ratchet in the disengagement direction; A tilt steering system characterized by comprising a restraining pawl.