Tilt adjusting unit for steering columns

• US 20040134302A1
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mando Corporation (Halla Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mando Corporation (Halla Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Shin, Jong Hoon, Ko, Min Young
• Granted Patent: US 7,267,025 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 74/493
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/184 Mechanisms for locking columns at selected positions

Abstract

A tilt adjusting unit for steering columns allows a user to easily confirm whether a steering column is locked or not. The tilt adjusting unit includes a support bracket mounted to a vehicle body, a steering column provided to tilt relative to the vehicle body, a movable bracket to tilt along with the steering column, a connection rod to connect the movable bracket to the support bracket, a guide slot formed on a predetermined portion of the support bracket along a tilting direction of the steering column, a stopper provided at each of opposite ends of the connection rod to prevent the movable bracket from being removed from the support bracket, and a locking unit provided on a predetermined portion of the connection rod to lock or unlock the movable bracket to or from the support bracket. The locking unit includes a rotary unit rotatably provided on a predetermined portion of the connection rod, a movable unit provided on the connection rod and moving along the connection rod as the rotary unit rotates, thus locking or unlocking the movable bracket to or from the support bracket, and a rotation restraining part provided on a predetermined portion of either the rotary unit or the movable unit to prevent the rotary unit from rotating when the movable bracket is locked to the support bracket.

Claims

1. A tilt adjusting unit for steering columns, comprising:

a support bracket mounted to a predetermined portion of a vehicle body;

a steering column mounted to a predetermined portion of the vehicle body to tilt relative to the vehicle body;

a movable bracket to tilt along with the steering column;

a connection rod to connect the movable bracket to the support bracket;

a guide slot formed on a predetermined portion of the support bracket along a tilting direction of the steering column, with the connection rod passing through the guide slot;

a stopper provided at each of opposite ends of the connection rod to prevent the movable bracket from being removed from the support bracket; and

a locking unit provided on a predetermined portion of the connection rod to lock or unlock the movable bracket to or from the support bracket, the locking unit comprising;

a rotary unit rotatably provided on a predetermined portion of the connection rod;

a movable unit provided on a predetermined portion of the connection rod so that the movable unit and the rotary unit support each other, the movable unit moving along the connection rod as the rotary unit rotates, thus locking or unlocking the movable bracket to or from the support bracket; and

a rotation restraining part provided on a predetermined portion of either the rotary unit or the movable unit to prevent the rotary unit from rotating when the movable bracket is locked to the support bracket.

2. The tilt adjusting unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first cam face provided on one of facing surfaces of the rotary unit and the movable unit which face each other, the first cam face having an inclined part which is inclined along a circumferential direction of the first cam face; and

a second cam face provided on a remaining one of the facing surfaces of the rotary unit and the movable unit which face each other, the second cam face having a pressing part to press or release the inclined part according to a rotating direction of the rotary unit.

3. The tilt adjusting unit according to claim 2, wherein the rotation restraining part is provided at an edge of the inclined part to stop the pressing part.

4. The tilt adjusting unit according to claim 3, wherein the inclined part has a shape of a depression which is depressed on the first cam face, the pressing part has a shape of a projection which is projected from the second cam face, and the rotation restraining part is provided between the edge of the inclined part, which is adjacent to the second cam face, and the first cam face.

5. The tilt adjusting unit according to claim 3, wherein the inclined part has a shape of a projection which is projected from the first cam face, the pressing part is provided to receive the inclined part therein, and the rotation restraining part extends from the edge of the inclined part, which is adjacent to the second cam face, into the pressing part.

6. The tilt adjusting unit according to claim 2, wherein the inclined part comprises a plurality of inclined parts, and the pressing part comprises a plurality of pressing parts corresponding to the plurality of inclined parts.

7. The tilt adjusting unit according to claim 2, wherein the movable unit and the connection rod are provided so that the movable unit and the connection rod are prevented from rotating.

8. The tilt adjusting unit according to claim 2, wherein the movable unit comprises a pair of movable units provided on opposite sides of the rotary unit, the pair of movable units comprising:

an inner movable unit provided at a predetermined position inside the rotary unit; and

an outer movable unit provided at a predetermined position outside the rotary unit.

9. The tilt adjusting unit according to claim 8, wherein

the support bracket comprises first and second support brackets which are provided on opposite sides of the steering column, respectively, with a first rotation preventing projection being provided at a predetermined portion of the inner movable unit to be supported by the first support bracket, and a second rotation preventing projection being provided at a predetermined portion of the stopper to be supported by the second support bracket, thus preventing the inner movable unit and the connection rod from rotating,

the movable bracket is provided at a predetermined position between the first and second support brackets, the stopper comprises:

a first stopper which is provided at a predetermined position adjacent to the first support bracket, with a third rotation preventing projection being provided at a predetermined portion of the outer movable unit to be mounted to the first stopper, thus preventing the outer movable unit from rotating; and

a second stopper which is provided at a predetermined position adjacent to the second support bracket, with the second rotation preventing projection being provided at a predetermined portion of the second stopper, and

the locking unit is provided at a predetermined position between the first stopper and the first support bracket.

10. The tilt adjusting unit according to claim 9, wherein the first and second rotation preventing projections are respectively fitted into the guide slots of the first and second support brackets, and the first stopper has at a predetermined portion thereof a seat groove so that the third rotation preventing projection is seated in the seat groove.

11. The tilt adjusting unit according to claim 2, wherein the movable unit is provided between the rotary unit and the support bracket.

12. The tilt adjusting unit according to claim 11, wherein

the support bracket comprises first and second support brackets which are provided on opposite sides of the steering column, respectively, with a first rotation preventing projection being provided at a predetermined portion of the inner movable unit to be supported by the first support bracket, and a second rotation preventing projection being provided at a predetermined portion of the stopper to be supported by the second support bracket, thus preventing the movable unit and the connection rod from rotating,

the movable bracket is provided at a predetermined position between the first and second support brackets,

the stopper comprises:

a first stopper which is provided at a predetermined position adjacent to the first support bracket; and

a second stopper which is provided at a predetermined position adjacent to the second support bracket, with the second rotation preventing projection being provided at a predetermined portion of the second stopper, and

the locking unit is provided at a predetermined position between the first stopper and the first support bracket.

13. The tilt adjusting unit according to claim 12, wherein the first and second rotation preventing projections are respectively fitted into the guide slots of the first and second support brackets.

14. The tilt adjusting unit according to claim 12, further comprising a bearing provided at a predetermined position between the rotary unit and the first stopper.

15. The tilt adjusting unit according to claim 1, further comprising a lever provided on a predetermined portion of the rotary unit.