JPH0537739Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a steering device for a vehicle, and more particularly to a dust cover that covers a portion of a steering shaft that penetrates a dash panel.

(Prior art and its problems) Generally, in a vehicle steering device, a steering shaft connected to a steering wheel shaft passes through a through hole opened in a dash panel.
Connect the gear to the steering gear part. A dust cover is provided at the portion of the steering shaft that passes through the dash panel so as to cover the steering shaft.

This dust cover includes, for example, a lower dust cover made of an elastic material such as rubber, as shown in "Introduction to New Routier Cars" published by Mazda Motor Corporation (September 1986). It consists of a metal upper dust cover.

In the lower dust cover, a portion through which the steering shaft passes protrudes toward the engine room side in a cylindrical shape, and the through portion serves as a cover portion that covers the steering shaft. A flange portion is formed on the periphery of the cover portion and comes into contact with the periphery of the through hole of the steering shaft opened in the dash panel.

The upper dust cover has a flange portion formed on its periphery that contacts the flange portion of the lower dust cover, and a portion through which the steering shaft passes through the center portion thereof is formed to protrude in the opposite direction to that of the lower dust cover. .

Note that the steering shaft penetration portions formed in the upper and lower dust covers are usually formed with a considerably narrowed diameter so as to reduce the gap between them and the surface of the steering shaft.

Then, first, the cover part of the lower dust cover is inserted from the inside of the vehicle into the through hole of the steering shaft opened in the dash panel, and then the steering shaft, to which the upper dust cover has been attached in advance, is inserted into the cover part. , the flange portion of the upper dust cover is fixed in contact with the flange portion of the lower dust cover.

This configuration of the dust cover can prevent dust from blowing from the engine room side into the passenger compartment side.

However, in the case of a vehicle collision, in the steering device configured as described above, there is a possibility that the steering shaft will be pushed up in the axial direction by an impact force applied from the outside. In other words, since the upper dust cover is made of metal, when the steering shaft is subjected to an external impact force such as a collision, it is guided by the part of the upper dust cover that penetrates the steering shaft and is pushed up in the axial direction of the steering shaft. There is a possibility that the vehicle will be pushed upward toward the driver.

Therefore, in order to protect the driver from such thrusting of the steering wheel, conventionally, the steering device has been configured with a shock absorbing handle or the like having a function of absorbing the shock force.

The shock-absorbing handle is located on the steering shaft at the bottom of the handle (steering wheel).
A shock-absorbing member such as a tube that absorbs energy while being crushed by the impact is provided, and the shock-absorbing member absorbs the impact force at the time of a vehicle collision. The shock absorbing member absorbs the impact force that hits the steering shaft from below (primary impact force of a collision) and the impact that pushes the steering shaft from above, such as when the driver's body hits the steering wheel (steering wheel). It is configured to effectively act on the force (secondary impact force of the collision). In other words, the shock-absorbing handle is capable of absorbing impact forces applied to the steering shaft from both directions above and below.

However, considering the safety margin in the event of a vehicle collision, we believe that it would be better to be able to absorb or disperse a certain amount of impact force even if the shock absorption function of the shock absorbing handle does not work. It will be done.

In other words, a certain amount of impact force is absorbed or dispersed in some way, and the impact force that cannot be covered by this is absorbed by the impact absorption function of the impact absorption handle, thereby creating a safety margin (safety mark).
There is a demand for higher quality gin than before.

(Purpose of the invention) The present invention was made in view of the above background, and aims to enable the dust cover of the steering shaft to absorb and disperse impact force in the event of a vehicle collision without impairing the original function of the dust cover. The purpose is to provide a steering device that can

(Structure of the invention) In order to achieve the above object, the steering device for a vehicle according to this invention is such that the steering shaft member is divided into two parts, an upper steering shaft member and a lower steering shaft member, which are tilted to each other and arranged in the vehicle interior. In a vehicle steering device in which a lower steering shaft member passes through a through hole opened in a dash panel, the lower steering shaft member is connected to each other by a universal joint, and a cover portion that covers the lower steering shaft member is provided protruding toward the engine room side. A lower dust cover having a flange portion that comes into contact with the dash panel, and an upper dust cover that has a flange portion that comes into contact with the flange portion of the lower dust cover and protrudes toward the inside of the vehicle are formed of an elastic material, and The cover part of the lower dust cover is inserted into the through hole so as to protrude from the passenger compartment side to the engine compartment side, and the upper dust cover is brought into contact with the through hole. After that, the flange part is fixed by a set plate that comes into contact with the flange part of the upper dust cover. and the flange portion of the lower dust cover are pressed and fixed to the dash panel.

With the above configuration, the dust cover is deformed or destroyed by the lower steering shaft member to which an impact force is applied, and as a result, the impact force is absorbed and the lower steering shaft member is moved in the axial direction. It is also prevented from being guided.

(Embodiments of the invention) Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a vehicle steering device according to the present invention.

In the figure, 1 is a darts panel that serves as a partition plate between the engine room and the passenger compartment. At the top of this darts panel 1 is a darts panel upper 2.
is installed and serves as a mounting base for various equipment.

The steering device installed in the engine room and the passenger compartment through the dash panel 1 includes a steering shaft 3, a steering wheel 4, an intermediate shaft 5, a steering gear part 6, universal joints 7 and 8, and a mounting bracket part 9. , a dust cover section 10.

The steering shaft 3 has a double structure in which the central shaft is covered with an outer cylinder that serves as an outer skin, and the central shaft is connected to the center of the steering wheel 4 at its upper end, and the central shaft is connected to a universal joint at its lower end. It is connected to the intermediate shaft 5 via 7. The steering shaft 3 is supported by a mounting base 2a provided at the lower part of the dash panel upper 2 by a mounting bracket portion 9 provided at the outer cylinder at the lower end thereof.

In addition, in the center of the steering shaft 3,
An energy absorbing section 3a is provided. The energy absorbing portion 3a has a double outer cylinder, and is configured such that the double outer cylinders slide relative to each other due to external impact force, and the impact energy is absorbed.

The intermediate shaft 5 is an intermediate shaft that connects the steering shaft 3 and the steering gear part 6, and its upper end is connected to the steering shaft 3 via a universal joint 7, and its lower end is connected to a universal joint 8. It is connected to the steering gear section 6 via the steering gear section 6. Note that the dash panel 1 has a through hole 1a.
is open, and the lower end of the intermediate shaft 5 is configured to pass through this through hole 1a. And intermediate shaft 5
A mounting bracket 5a for pivotally supporting the intermediate shaft 5 is provided on the upper part, and the mounting bracket 5a is fixedly joined to the dash panel 1 via an intermediate member (not shown). At this time, each part is configured so that the intermediate shaft 5 is tilted in the vehicle width direction (the front and back directions of the paper in FIG. 1).

Further, a dust cover portion 10, which will be described later, is installed in a portion of the through hole 1a opened in the dash panel 1 so as to cover the universal joint 8.

With the above configuration, the rotational movement of the steering wheel 4 caused by the driver's operation is transmitted to the steering shaft 3, the universal joint 7, the intermediate shaft 5, the universal joint 8, and the steering gear section 6 in this order.
The steering gear section 6 converts the rotational motion into reciprocating motion. This reciprocating motion causes the wheels to be operated via a tie rod (not shown).

FIG. 2 is an enlarged exploded side view of the dust cover section 10 shown in FIG. 1. Moreover, FIG. 3 is a plan view of each part of the dust cover section 10 shown in FIG. 2.

The dust cover section 10 includes a packing 10a, a lower dust cover 10b, an upper dust cover 10c,
It is composed of a set plate 10d. Also,
The through hole 1a of the intermediate shaft 5, which has a large opening in the dash panel 1 where the dust cover part 10 is installed, is formed in a substantially elliptical shape extending in the vertical direction of the dash panel 1, as shown in FIG. 3A. Mounting bolts for fixing the dust cover part 10 to the dash panel 1 are erected at predetermined positions on the dash panel 1 around it.

Note that FIG. 3A is a plan view taken along arrow A-A in FIG. 2, showing the through hole 1a of the intermediate shaft 5 opened in the dash panel 1, and FIG.
The lower dust cover 10 is shown in a plan view taken along arrow B-B in the figure.
3C shows the upper dust cover 10c in a plan view taken along the line C-C in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3D shows the set plate 10d in a plan view taken along the line D-D in FIG. It shows.

The packing 10a is a substantially elliptical packing made of an elastic material such as rubber, and has an opening of a predetermined shape formed in the center. The central opening having a predetermined shape is formed in a shape that matches the through hole 1a opened in the dash panel 1, and the packing 10a is brought into contact with the periphery of the through hole 1a.

The lower dust cover 10b has a substantially mound-shaped cover portion 10e formed in the center thereof, and a fitting opening 10f into which the shaft of the steering gear portion 6 is fitted is formed in the lower part of the cover portion 10e. Further, a substantially oval flange portion 10g is formed on the peripheral edge of the cover portion 10e, and the lower dust cover 1
0b is configured. Note that the cover part 10
e is formed to fit into the inner wall of the through hole 1a of the dash panel 1 and protrude toward the engine room side. In addition, the flange portion 10g is the packing 1
It is brought into contact with the peripheral edge of the through hole 1a of the dash panel 1 via the hole 0a. A shield rubber is pasted on the inner periphery of the fitting opening 10f at the lower part of the cover portion 10e, and is configured to tightly contact the outer periphery of the shaft of the steering gear portion 6.

The upper dust cover 10c has a substantially mound-shaped protruding portion 10h that protrudes toward the interior of the vehicle at its center, and the protruding portion 10h extends from the outer periphery of the upper dust cover 10c.
A cutout portion 10i is formed, and a substantially U-shaped flange portion 10j is formed at the periphery of the cutout portion 10i. In addition, the above-mentioned notch part 10i
The width of the intermediate shaft 5 is slightly larger than the diameter of the intermediate shaft 5.

The flange portion 10j of the upper dust cover 10c is brought into contact with the flange portion 10g of the lower dust cover 10b described above.

Note that both the lower dust cover 10b and the upper dust cover 10c are made of an elastic material such as plastic resin.

The set plate 10d is a substantially U-shaped metal plate having an opening of a predetermined shape formed in the center and a notch extending to the opening of the predetermined shape formed in the upper part of the set plate 10d. The width of the notch is also slightly larger than the diameter of the intermediate shaft 5. Further, folding portions (standing rib portions) are formed on the outer and inner circumferential portions of the set plate 10d to increase its strength. And this set plate 1
0d is a part that comes into contact with the flange portion 10j of the above-mentioned upper dust cover 10c. Note that the opening at the center of the set plate 10d is set large so that this contact surface does not become larger than necessary.

That is, the dust cover section 10 includes a gasket 10a, a lower dust cover 10b, an upper dust cover 10c,
The set plate 10d is abutted in this order, and the set plate 10d is fixed to a mounting bolt erected at a predetermined position of the dash panel 1 with a nut.

Such a configuration of the dust cover portion 10 prevents dust from blowing from the engine room side to the passenger compartment side. This is Datsushi panel 1
Intermediate shaft 5 passing through
The universal joint 8 at the tip part is completely covered by the dust cover part 10, and the inner circumference of the fitting opening 10f of the lower dust cover 10b is covered with a shield rubber, so that the steering gear part 6 This is due to the fact that it is in close contact with the outer circumference of the shaft.

Furthermore, this dust cover part 10 is deformed or destroyed by the shaft part penetrating the inside of the dust cover part 10 in the event of a vehicle collision.
Absorb and disperse the impact force. This will be explained below.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual plan view of FIG. 1 viewed from above. In the figure, the imaginary line shows the movement when an impact force from the front is applied to the steering device due to a vehicle collision or the like.

When the steering gear section 6 is pushed toward the rear of the vehicle due to the impact force of the collision, the universal joint 8, intermediate shaft 5, etc. connected thereto are naturally also pushed toward the rear of the vehicle.

If the dust cover part has a conventional structure, the penetration portion of the intermediate shaft 5 opened in the upper metal dust cover serves as a guide, and the impact force is directly transmitted in the axial direction of the intermediate shaft 5. . As a result, the shock absorbing function of the energy absorbing portion 3a of the steering shaft 3 is immediately activated.

On the other hand, the dust cover part 1 according to the present invention
In the case of 0, since the upper dust cover is made of an elastic material such as plastic resin, it does not serve as a guide for the intermediate shaft 5, but rather is deformed or destroyed by the intermediate shaft 5.

In other words, the dust cover part 10 is deformed or destroyed by the shaft portion penetrating the inside of the dust cover part 10 in the event of a vehicle collision, and absorbs the impact force.

Of course, the impact force is large and the dust cover part 1
0 is destroyed, there is a possibility that the intermediate shaft 5 will be pushed up in its axial direction. However, the above-mentioned thrusting impact force does not necessarily directly affect the impact absorption function of the energy absorbing portion 3a.

This is because the intermediate shaft 5 is tilted toward the vehicle.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the impact force applied from the front of the vehicle causes the intermediate shaft 5 to deform or break the dust cover portion 10 and to be pushed up in an inclined direction with respect to the steering shaft 3. . Therefore, the impact force is dispersed due to the upward thrust in the inclined direction, and is not necessarily directly transmitted to the steering shaft 3.

In addition, the steering device according to the present invention also has the advantage of improving workability during assembly of a vehicle.

The through-hole 1a portion of the dash panel 1 is assembled as follows when a dust cover having a conventional structure is employed.

First, a lower dust cover made of rubber or the like that fits into the through hole 1a is inserted from the passenger compartment side. Then, insert the universal joint 8 connected to the tip of the intermediate shaft 5 into it, and
It is connected to the steering gear part 6 installed in advance on the subframe of the engine room. On this occasion,
The work of fixing the universal joint 8 and the steering gear part 6 is performed by flipping up the rubber lower dust cover that protrudes toward the engine compartment.

That is, since the fixing work of the connecting portion is performed in the narrow engine room where the engine and the like are installed, it is very difficult to perform work such as lifting up the rubber lower dust cover, resulting in poor workability.

On the other hand, the dust cover part 1 according to the present invention
In the case of 0, the through hole 1a of the darth panel 1 is opened wide and the lower dust cover 1
Since 0b is made of an elastic material such as plastic resin, the work of fixing the universal joint 8 and the steering gear part 6 can be carried out in the spacious interior of the vehicle. This greatly improves work efficiency during assembly.

(Effects of the invention) As explained above, according to this invention, since the upper and lower dust covers are made of an elastic material such as plastic resin, they will not be deformed or destroyed by the steering shaft subjected to impact force. becomes. This absorbs the impact force and also prevents the steering shaft from being guided in its axial direction. By using it in combination with a shock absorbing handle, the steering device can have a dual shock absorbing function.
Safety can be further improved.

Further, in this steering device, the dust cover portion can be assembled in the spacious interior of the vehicle, so the work efficiency during assembly is greatly improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a steering device for a vehicle according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the dust cover section 10 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. Dust cover part 10 shown in
FIG. 4 is a conceptual plan view of FIG. 1 viewed from above. 1...Dutch panel, 1a...Through hole, 3...
...Steering shaft (upper steering shaft member), 3a...Energy absorbing part, 5
... Intermediate shaft 5 (lower steering shaft member), 10 ... Dust cover part, 1
0b...Lower dust cover, 10c...Upper dust cover, 10d...Set plate, 10e...
...Cover part, 10f... Fitting opening, 10g... Flange part, 10h... Projecting part, 10i... Notch part, 10j... Flange part.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] The steering shaft member is divided into two parts, an upper steering shaft member and a lower steering shaft member, which are tilted to each other and connected to each other by a universal joint disposed inside the vehicle interior. A steering device for a vehicle in which a member passes through a through hole opened in a dash panel, the lower dust cover having a cover portion that covers the lower steering shaft member protrudes toward the engine room side and has a flange portion that abuts against the dash panel; The upper dust cover, which has a flange portion that abuts the flange portion of the lower dust cover and protrudes toward the inside of the vehicle interior, is formed of an elastic material, and the cover portion of the lower dust cover is inserted into the through hole of the dash panel. After the upper dust cover is inserted by protruding from the indoor side toward the engine room side and brought into contact with the upper dust cover, the flange portion and the flange portion of the lower dust cover are connected to the dash panel by a set plate that comes into contact with the flange portion of the upper dust cover. A steering device for a vehicle, characterized in that it is configured to be pressed and fixed to the vehicle.