JPH0457540B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a support device for a steering barrel that absorbs and alleviates the impact when a driver hits a steering wheel during a vehicle collision.

[Prior Art] As shown in FIG. 1, a steering device has a steering tube 13 supported by brackets 12 and 15 on a vehicle body.
A bracket 12 is supported by bolts 10 on the underside of an instrument panel 19, and a bracket 15 having a U-shaped cross section is supported by bolts 24 so as to be slidable back and forth.

A steering shaft 9 that connects the handle 18 to the base end is supported by the steering barrel 13 in a rotatable but immovable manner in the axial direction. A distal end of the steering shaft 9 is connected to one end of an intermediate shaft 7 through a universal joint 8, and the other end of the intermediate shaft 7 is connected to an input shaft 3 of the steering gear mechanism 2 through a universal joint 4. Rotation of the handle 18 is transmitted to the input shaft 3 of the steering gear mechanism 2. In the case of a rack-and-pinion type, when the pinion of the input shaft 3 is rotated, the rack rod 1 meshing with the pinion is driven left and right to deflect the steered wheels via a link mechanism.

The intermediate shaft 7 is for changing the direction of the steering shaft 9 and the input shaft 3 due to the arrangement of the steering gear mechanism 2, and is arranged to pass through the floor plate 6, and the penetrating portion of the intermediate shaft 7 is made of dust-proof material. Covered by boots 5.

By the way, in the shock absorbing device for a steering wheel disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,629, the shock at the time of a collision is absorbed by an axially contractible portion formed on the steering tube or the steering shaft, but this is shown in FIG. A steering shaft 9 and an input shaft 3 of the steering gear mechanism 2 as shown in FIG.
However, this is difficult to apply to a steering device in which two universal joints 8, 4 and one intermediate shaft 7 are connected.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in a steering device in which the steering shaft and the input shaft of the steering gear mechanism are connected by two universal joints and one intermediate shaft, the steering barrel 13 is In order to absorb shock, a bracket 15 bent into a U-shaped cross section is fixed to the upper end of the steering tube 13 by welding or the like, and a mounting piece 15a formed by bending both ends of the bracket 15 outwards is attached to the rear edge of the bracket 15. An elongated cutout 31 is provided, and one end of a U-shaped impact absorption plate 25 is connected to the front edge by welding or the like.

On the other hand, a capsule plate 21 having holes for inserting bolts 24 is supported on the lower surface of the instrument panel 19 by bolts 24, and the other end of the shock absorbing plate 25 is connected to the front edge of the capsule plate 21 by welding or the like. A spacer 22 bent into a U-shape is superimposed on both sides of the mounting piece 15a, and then superimposed on the capsule plate 21, a bolt 24 is inserted, a nut 23 is tightened, and the spacer 22 is supported on the instrument panel 19.

In the above-mentioned shock absorbing device, the shock load is applied to the steering tube 1.
3, the mounting piece 15a of the bracket 15 tries to detach from the spacer 22. Initially, the static friction force between the mounting piece 15a and the spacer 22 and the impact absorption plate 25
Since the resistance force against the deformation of the steering wheel acts at the same time and a large resistance force acts, there is a problem in that the shock that the driver receives from the steering wheel in the event of a collision cannot be sufficiently alleviated.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the purpose of the present invention is to absorb and alleviate the impact load by frictional sliding between the vehicle body side and the bracket of the steering tube at the initial stage of a collision, and then absorb and reduce the impact load. An object of the present invention is to provide a support device for a steering barrel that absorbs and alleviates impact loads by deforming a plate.

[Means for solving the problem] In order to achieve the above object, the configuration of the present invention is such that the upper end of the U-shaped bracket connected to the steering tube is bent laterally to form a mounting piece, and both sides of the mounting piece are bent sideways. A sliding plate with a low coefficient of friction is superimposed on the back edge of the mounting piece, a longitudinal notch is provided on the rear edge of the mounting piece, a sliding plate with a low friction coefficient is superimposed on both sides of the capsule plate, and a long hole is provided in the longitudinal direction. The mounting pieces are stacked on the lower wall of the instrument panel with a capsule plate sandwiched between them, and then fixed with bolts that pass through the notches and slots, and the front part is bent into a U-shape to form each rear edge of the buffer-absorbing plate. , and are separately connected to the front edge of the capsule plate and the front edge of the mounting piece.

[Function] According to the present invention, the mounting pieces of the bracket of the steering tube are overlapped on the instrument panel with the capsule plate in between, and are coupled to the instrument panel by bolts passing through the notches of the mounting pieces and the long holes of the capsule plate, Low-friction coefficient sliding plates are superimposed on both sides of the capsule plate and both sides of the mounting piece, so they can withstand excessive impact loads on the steering passage.
Initially, the capsule plate and the mounting piece slide forward as one, and the sliding friction at this time absorbs and alleviates the impact.

Next, when the forward movement of the capsule plate is blocked by the bolt, the mounting piece moves forward while plastically deforming the impact absorption plate 25, and the plastic deformation of the impact absorption plate 25 absorbs and alleviates the impact, protecting the driver. do.

[Embodiment of the invention] As shown in FIG.
Brackets 15 made of plates bent into a shape are joined by welding or the like, and both ends (upper ends) of the brackets 15 are bent sideways to form a mounting piece 15.
form a. Capsule plate 2 on the bottom of the instrument panel 19
1 and the mounting piece 15a of the bracket 15,
It is fixed with bolts 24 and nuts 23. At the front edge of the capsule plate 21 and the front edge of the mounting piece 15a,
Shock absorbing plate 25 whose front part is curved in a U shape
Both ends or each trailing edge are joined separately.

According to the present invention, sliding plates 30 bent into a U-shape and coated with tetrafluoroethylene resin or the like are superimposed on both sides of the capsule plate 21, and a similar sliding plate 29 is also placed on the mounting piece 15a. are superimposed. A long hole 32 extending rearward from the bolt 24 is provided in the capsule plate 21, and a notch 31 in the front-rear direction is provided in the rear edge of the mounting piece 15a.

In the present invention, with the above-described configuration, when an excessive impact load is applied to the steering tube 13, the bracket 15 and the capsule plate 21 first move forward (in the direction of the arrow) as one unit, and then the rear end edge of the elongated hole 32 moves forward (in the direction of the arrow). When the bracket 15 collides with the bolt 24, only the bracket 15 moves. At this time, the shock absorbing plate 25 deforms and absorbs the shock. When the impact load is large, the mounting piece 15a comes off from the bolt 24, and the shock absorbing plate 25 is attached to the mounting piece 1.
5a, and is curved into a U-shape at the front edge of the mounting piece 15a.

As mentioned above, the impact load applied to the steering barrel 13 is initially absorbed by the sliding friction between the bracket 15 and the capsule plate 21, so the initial impact load applied to the driver from the steering wheel is shown by the solid line in FIG. , it is lower than the conventional example shown by the broken line.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the present invention includes bending the upper end of the U-shaped bracket connected to the steering tube sideways to form a mounting piece, and overlapping sliding plates with a low friction coefficient on both sides of the mounting piece. At the same time, a notch in the front-rear direction is provided on the rear edge of the mounting piece, sliding plates with a low friction coefficient are superimposed on both sides of the capsule plate, and long holes are provided in the front-rear direction, and the capsule plate is attached to the lower wall of the instrument panel of the vehicle body. The mounting pieces are sandwiched and overlapped, and then fixed with bolts passing through the notch and the long hole, and each rear edge of the shock absorbing plate is made by bending the front part into a U shape, and is attached to the front edge of the capsule plate. Since each piece is connected to the front edge of the bracket separately, the impact load applied to the steering tube during a collision is absorbed and alleviated in two stages, first by the sliding friction between the bracket and the capsule plate, and then by the deformation of the U-shaped impact absorption plate. Therefore, the initial impact is small, and the damage to the driver is reduced.

The shock absorbing plate is U-shaped with both ends (rear end side) overlapping each other with a gap between the top and bottom, and is connected to the capsule plate and the mounting piece, so its vertical dimension is small and Reduce the thickness of the shock absorption plate,
Even if the width is made sufficiently wide, it can be set freely without fear of interference with other members. Additionally, the gap between the instrument panel and the steering tube can be reduced. In other words, since the steering barrel can be supported close to the instrument panel, the support rigidity of the steering barrel relative to the instrument panel during normal driving can be improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side view showing the configuration of a general steering device, Fig. 2 is a side view showing a conventional steering barrel support device, Fig. 3 is a plan sectional view taken along the line - in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing a support device for a steering barrel according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing operating characteristics of the device in comparison with a conventional example. 9... Steering shaft, 13... Steering tube, 15... Bracket, 15a... Mounting piece, 18... Handle,
19...Instrument panel, 21...Capsule plate, 24...
Bolt, 25... Shock absorption plate, 29, 30... Sliding plate, 31... Notch, 32... Long hole.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Bend the upper end of the U-shaped bracket connected to the steering tube sideways to form a mounting piece, overlap sliding plates with a low friction coefficient on both sides of the mounting piece, and cut a longitudinal notch on the rear edge of the mounting piece. A sliding plate with a low friction coefficient is superimposed on both sides of the capsule plate, and a long hole is provided in the longitudinal direction.A mounting piece is stacked on the lower wall of the instrument panel of the vehicle body with the capsule plate sandwiched in between, and the above-mentioned notch is It is fixed with a bolt passing through the long hole, and the front part is
Each rear edge of the shock absorbing plate is bent into a letter shape.
1. A support device for a steering barrel, characterized in that the device is separately coupled to a front edge of a capsule plate and a front edge of a mounting piece.