JPH06247319A - Steering device of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To secure the safety of the body of driver especially the chest, the abdomen and the head, by making impact applied to the operater minimum by absorbing energy to act on a steering column against which the driver is strongly pressed due to inertia force at the time of abnormality such as collision. CONSTITUTION:A steering column 12 made turnable and a fixation shaft 19 fixed at a vehicle are connected to each other by means of a bending plate 5 formed into a bent shape and at the same time an engagement portion fixed at the steering column 12 is engaged with the fixation shaft 19. In addition, the steering column 12 is coupled to a guide plate 13 through an energy- absorbing pin 20, and at the time of collision, the engagement portion is made to be deformed and engagement is opened, and by turning the steering column 12 while the bending plate 5 is being deformed and at the same time deforming the energy-absorbing pin 20, the energy of collision is absorbed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle steering system, and more particularly, to a vehicle driver which absorbs forward energy acting on the steering column and vertical energy acting on the steering column when an abnormality such as a collision occurs. The present invention relates to a vehicle steering system that minimizes such impact and ensures the safety of the driver's body, especially the safety of the chest, abdomen and head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a collision accident occurs due to reckless driving such as excessive speed or unreasonable overtaking on slippery roads such as rainy weather, the impact on the driver is alleviated if the seat belt is worn, It has been demonstrated that the injury to the driver's body is significantly reduced and that the driver is obliged to wear a seat belt.

However, at present, the driver of a large vehicle such as a truck has a very low seatbelt wearing rate. If the seatbelt is not worn at the time of an accident, the driver will move forward due to inertial force. Therefore, there is a possibility that the abdomen, the chest, and the head may come into contact with the steering wheel or the like and damage these parts.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art. Its purpose is to absorb the energy of the collision at the time of abnormality such as collision. By configuring the steering column so that it can be tilted forward, it is possible to prevent the driver's body from being pressed hard against the steering wheel, reduce the impact on the driver and reduce the damage to the chest and abdomen in particular. is there.

Another object is to make the steering wheel bend when a force of a predetermined magnitude or more is applied to the steering wheel so that the driver's abdomen and chest are strongly attached to the steering wheel in the event of an abnormality such as a collision. The goal is to be able to minimize damage even when pressed.

Still another object is to attach an elastic member to a joint between a steering wheel and a steering column in which a driver often leans forward due to inertial force and a head collides during a collision. It is to protect the head.

Another object is to absorb the energy acting in the axial direction of the steering column by deforming the energy absorbing pin in the event of an abnormality such as a collision, so that the body of the driver, especially the head, is absorbed. It is to prevent it from being pressed hard against the steering wheel and reduce damage.

Still another object is to bend a steering wheel, an elastic member attached to a joint between the steering wheel and a steering column, and an energy configured to absorb energy in a vehicle traveling direction and a steering column axial direction. By equipping a vehicle with an absorption steering device, the energy of the vehicle can be absorbed at the time of a collision to protect the driver's body, especially the abdomen and head.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In summary, the present invention (claim 1) is a column bracket which is mounted on a steering column and whose engaging portion engages with a fixed shaft fixed to a vehicle body.
A bending plate having one end attached to the column bracket and the other end rotatably fitted to the fixed shaft to be bent, and a bending plate fixed to the steering column and both ends thereof supported by guide plates. An energy absorbing pin configured to be deformed when a vertical force of a predetermined amount or more is applied to the column, and the engaging portion when an abnormal force is applied when the driver's body hits the steering column. To disengage from the fixed shaft, further extend the bent portion of the bending plate, and rotate the steering column about a support shaft to absorb the forward energy of the vehicle acting on the steering column, and By deforming the energy absorbing pin, the vertical energy acting on the steering column is exerted. It is characterized in that it has configured to absorb conservation.

According to the present invention (claim 2), a steering wheel mounted on a steering column and configured to be bent by a force of a predetermined magnitude or more, and an engaging portion mounted on the steering column is fixed to a vehicle body. Fixed to the steering column, a column bracket that engages with the fixed shaft, a bending plate that is formed by bending one end of the column bracket into the column bracket and the other end of which is rotatably fitted to the fixed shaft. Also, both ends of the steering column are supported by guide plates, and an energy absorbing pin configured to be deformed when a force greater than a predetermined amount in the vertical direction is applied to the steering column. When a force is applied, the steering wheel is bent to protect the driver's abdomen and chest, The engaging portion is deformed to be disengaged from the fixed shaft, and further, the bent portion of the bending plate is extended to rotate the steering column about the support shaft, whereby forward energy of the vehicle acting on the steering column is applied. It is characterized in that it is configured to absorb the vertical energy acting on the steering column by absorbing and deforming the energy absorbing pin.

The present invention (claim 3) is mounted on a steering wheel mounted on a steering column and configured to be bent by a force of a predetermined magnitude or more, and on a connecting portion between the steering wheel and the steering column. Elastic member, a column bracket attached to the steering column and engaging with a fixed shaft whose engaging portion is fixed to the vehicle body, one end is rotatably fitted to the column bracket and the other end is rotatably fitted to the fixed shaft. And a bending plate formed by bending together, and is fixed to the steering column and both ends thereof are supported by guide plates so as to be deformed when a force of a predetermined amount or more in the vertical direction acts on the steering column. And an energy absorbing pin, the driver's body hits the steering column and an abnormal force is applied. Protects the abdomen and chest of the driver by bending the can the steering wheel,
By deforming the engaging portion to disengage it from the fixed shaft, and further extending the bent portion of the bending plate to rotate the steering column about a support shaft, the forward energy of the vehicle acting on the steering column is applied. It is configured to absorb the energy of the driver in the vertical direction acting on the steering column by deforming the energy absorbing pin while protecting the driver's head with the elastic member. Is.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. 1 to 4, a steering device 1 for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a steering wheel 2, a thin metal cover 3 as an example of an elastic member, a column bracket 4, a bending plate 5, and an energy absorbing pin 20. It has and.

The steering wheel 2 is for transmitting the steering operation of the driver 6 to the steering shaft 8 so that the vehicle travels in any direction, and the outer peripheral portion of the metal ring 9 is softened. It is a known one that is surrounded by an elastic material 10 and is formed in a ring shape, and is mechanically connected to the steering shaft 8.

The strength of the steering wheel 2 is set so that the steering wheel 2 bends when a force of a predetermined magnitude or more acts, and when an abnormally large force acts at the time of a collision, the steering wheel 2 bends and a large impact force acts on the driver 6. It is supposed not to.

The steering shaft 8 is for transmitting the rotational movement from the steering wheel 2 to a power steering device (not shown), and is connected by a connecting device 11 such as a universal joint so as to be bendable and rotatable. It is composed of two shafts.

A guide plate 13 having an elongated hole 13a is fixed to a steering column 12 into which a steering shaft 8 is rotatably fitted, via an energy absorbing pin 20 described later, and is shown in the elongated hole 13a. A so-called tilt steering mechanism is provided in which a support shaft 14 fixed to the vehicle body is fitted, and the steering wheel 2 is vertically moved along the support shaft 14 to adjust the position of the steering wheel 2. .

The metal cover 3 is for protecting the head 6a of the driver 6 in the event of a collision, and is made of metal with a thickness of about 1 mm mounted on the joint between the steering shaft 8 and the steering wheel 2. It is manufactured as a cover of the, and when an abnormally large force is applied from above, it is crushed and absorbs the energy of motion.

A decorative cover 15 made of synthetic resin is further mounted on the outside of the metal cover 3.

The column bracket 4 is for mounting the bending plate 5, is made of synthetic resin such as polyacetal resin, and has a through hole (not shown) for inserting the steering column 12 in the center thereof. ) Has been formed.

The upper block 4b has a slot groove (not shown) reaching the through hole in the axial direction of the through hole, and a screw hole (not shown) orthogonal to the slot groove, and parallel to the screw hole. A substantially semicircular engaging portion 4e is formed on the.

Then, the steering column 12 is inserted into the through hole, and the slot groove is tightened by a bolt 16 and a nut (not shown) inserted into the screw hole and fixed to the steering column 12 together with a bending plate 5 described later.

The bending plate 5 is for absorbing energy at the time of collision and is made of a metal plate having a thickness of about 4 mm, and has an insertion hole (not shown) at one end 5a. A bifurcated protrusion 5c is formed.

The other end 5d is formed in a U shape, and an insertion hole (not shown) is formed in the same manner as the one end 5a, and an intermediate portion 5f connecting the both ends 5a and 5d is bent at a substantially right angle. It is shaped as shown.

Then, the insertion hole of the protruding portion 5c and the screw hole of the column bracket 4 are coaxially combined, and the bolt 16
Is fixed by a nut.

The other end 5d has a through hole rotatably fitted into a fixed shaft 19 fixed to a vehicle body (not shown), and the fixed shaft 19 has an engaging portion 4e of the column bracket 4.
Are assembled by engaging.

The energy absorbing pin 20 is for absorbing the energy at the time of a collision that acts in the axial direction of the steering column 12, and is a pin made of a metal such as aluminum that is relatively easily deformed. The central portion of the column 12 is fixed to the column 12 by a fixing member 21.

Both ends of the energy absorbing pin 20 are fitted and supported in holes (not shown) of the two protrusions 13b formed in the guide plate 13, and in the normal state, the steering column 12 and the guide plate 13 are Are coupled via energy absorbing pins 20 and are configured to act as a unit.

The present invention is configured as described above,
The operation will be described below. During normal driving, the positional relationship between the steering wheel 2 and the driver 6 is maintained at an appropriate interval as shown in FIG. 5, and the steering wheel 2 can be easily rotated.

As shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, the bending plate 5 has a predetermined shape in which the intermediate portion 5f is bent at a substantially right angle, and the engaging portion 4e of the column bracket 4 is held.
Is engaged with the fixed shaft 19.

6 and 7, if a sudden deceleration acts on the vehicle due to a collision accident or the like, the driver 6 moves in the direction of arrow A by the inertial force to move the abdomen 6b and the chest 6c to the arrow B. It moves in the direction and is strongly pressed against the steering wheel 2.

When the force acting on the steering wheel 2 becomes larger than a predetermined magnitude, the steering wheel 2 bends, and the bending absorbs part of the energy of the collision.

Therefore, the steering wheel 2 does not bite into the abdomen 6b and chest 6c of the driver 6 and does not seriously damage the driver 6.

Further, the impact of the elastic material 10 mounted on the outer peripheral portion of the steering wheel 2 also reduces the impact force acting on the driver 6.

In the case of a slight collision, the energy of the collision is absorbed by the bending of the steering wheel 2 and the driver 6 is hardly damaged, but
When a collision occurs while the vehicle is traveling at a higher speed, the inertial force acting on the driver 6 becomes larger, and the driver 6 further moves strongly in the arrow A direction.

When the steering wheel 2 is pushed by the driver 6, a rotational force in the direction of arrow C acts on the steering column 12 with the support shaft 14 as the center of rotation.

In FIG. 7, the rotational force acts so as to move the column bracket 4 together with the steering column 12 to the right in the figure. That is, the engaging portion 4 that engages with the fixed shaft 19
When a force in the direction of releasing the engagement acts on e, and the force acting on the steering wheel 2 becomes, for example, 300 kg or more, the engaging portion 4e is expanded while absorbing a part of the collision energy. It deforms and finally separates from the fixed shaft 19.

When the energy of collision is large, the steering column 12 extends the intermediate portion 5f of the bending plate 5 which is bent at a right angle and further extends in the direction of arrow F by about 22.
The rotation of the bending plate 5 causes the bending plate 5 to absorb most of the energy remaining after being displaced from the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 to the state shown by the phantom line.

In FIG. 7, the driver 6 is driven by inertial force.
When the head tilts forward, the head 6a collides with the decorative cover 15, but the metal cover 3 mounted below the decorative cover 15 deforms to absorb the collision energy and give an impact to the head 6a. It alleviates and damage to the driver 6 is reduced.

If the collision energy acting in the axial direction of the steering column 12 cannot be absorbed even by the deformation of the metal cover 3, the collision energy tends to move the steering column 12 in the direction of arrow G, and While deforming the absorption pin 20 as shown in FIG. 4, the remaining collision energy is absorbed by sliding in the direction of the arrow H in the guide plate 13 whose movement is blocked by the support shaft 14, and the head of the driver 6 is absorbed. The impact given to 6a is reduced.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention, the steering column can be tilted forward while absorbing the energy of the collision at the time of an abnormality such as a collision, so that the body of the driver is strongly pressed against the steering wheel. This is effective in reducing the impact on the driver and especially reducing the damage to the chest and abdomen.

Further, since the steering wheel is configured to bend when a force of a predetermined magnitude or more is applied to the steering wheel, even if the abdomen or chest of the driver is strongly pressed against the steering wheel in the event of an abnormality such as a collision. This has the effect of minimizing damage.

Further, since the driver often leans forward due to the inertial force at the time of a collision and the head collides, an elastic member is attached to the connecting portion between the steering wheel and the steering column, so that the driver's head is protected. There is an effect that can be.

Further, since energy acting in the axial direction of the steering column is absorbed by deforming the energy absorbing pin in the event of an abnormality such as a collision, the driver's body, particularly the head, is strongly pressed against the steering wheel. It is possible to prevent this, and it is effective in reducing damage.

Further, the bending steering wheel, the elastic member mounted on the joint between the steering wheel and the steering column, and the energy absorbing steering device configured to absorb energy in the vehicle traveling direction and the steering column axial direction. Since the vehicles are equipped with and, the energy of the vehicle is absorbed in the event of a collision,
Particularly, an excellent effect that the abdomen and the head can be protected is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall side view of a vehicle steering device.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of essential parts showing the positional relationship before and after the operation of the safety device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a mounted state of the energy absorbing pin in a normal state.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the energy absorbing pin is deformed by the axial impact force of the steering shaft to absorb the energy of the collision.

5 to 7 relate to an operating state of a steering device of a vehicle, and FIG. 5 is a side view showing a normal state.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state in which the driver's abdomen and chest are pressed against the steering wheel.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state in which the safety device is activated.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Vehicle Steering Device 2 Steering Wheel 3 Metal Cover as an Example of Elastic Member 4 Column Bracket 4e Engagement Part 5 Bending Plate 5a One End 5d Other End 6 Driver 6a Head 6b Abdomen 6c Chest 13 Guide Plate 12 Steering Column 14 Support shaft 19 Fixed shaft 20 Energy absorption pin

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A column bracket which is mounted on a steering column and whose engaging portion engages with a fixed shaft fixed to a vehicle body, and one end of which is fitted to the column bracket and the other end of which is rotatably fitted to the fixed shaft. And a bending plate formed by bending and fixed to the steering column and both ends thereof are supported by guide plates so that the steering column is deformed when a force more than a predetermined amount in the vertical direction acts on the steering column. An energy absorbing pin is provided, and when an abnormal force is applied to the steering column by the driver's body, the engaging portion is deformed to be disengaged from the fixed shaft, and the bent portion of the bending plate is further extended. Vehicle-oriented energy acting on the steering column by rotating the steering column around a spindle. A steering apparatus for a vehicle, characterized in that it is configured to absorb the vertical direction energy acting on the steering column by absorbing the gear and deforming the energy absorbing pin. 2. A steering wheel mounted on a steering column and configured to bend by a force of a predetermined magnitude or more, and an engaging portion mounted on the steering column engages with a fixed shaft fixed to a vehicle body. A column bracket, a bending plate formed by bending one end of the column bracket into the column bracket and the other end rotatably fitted to the fixed shaft, and fixed to the steering column and both ends thereof supported by guide plates. And an energy absorbing pin configured to be deformed when a force greater than a predetermined amount in the vertical direction is applied to the steering column, and the steering column is operated when an abnormal force is applied to the steering column by the body of the driver. The wheel is bent to protect the driver's abdomen and chest, and the engaging portion is deformed to The vehicle is disengaged from the fixed shaft, the bent portion of the bending plate is further extended, and the steering column is rotated about a support shaft to absorb the forward energy of the vehicle acting on the steering column, and the energy absorbing pin is A steering device for a vehicle, which is configured to absorb vertical energy acting on the steering column by being deformed. 3. A steering wheel mounted on a steering column and configured to bend by a force of a predetermined magnitude or more, an elastic member mounted on a connecting portion between the steering wheel and the steering column, and the steering column. And a column bracket whose engaging portion is engaged with a fixed shaft fixed to the vehicle body, and one end of which is fixed to the column bracket and the other end of which is rotatably fitted to the fixed shaft and is formed by bending. A bending plate; and an energy absorbing pin that is fixed to the steering column and that is supported by guide plates at both ends thereof and that is deformed when a force greater than a predetermined amount in the vertical direction acts on the steering column. When an abnormal force is applied to the steering column by the driver's body, the steering wheel The driver's abdomen and chest to protect the driver's abdomen and chest, and the engaging part is deformed to disengage from the fixed shaft and the bent part of the bending plate is extended to center the steering column on the spindle. The forward direction energy that acts on the steering column is absorbed by rotating the steering column, and the driver's head is protected by the elastic member and the energy absorbing pin is deformed to act on the steering column. A vehicle steering device, characterized in that it is configured to absorb energy in the vertical direction.