STEERING APPARATUS FOR VEHICLE

• US 20120247259A1
• Filed: 04/04/2012
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Inayoshi, Hidetoshi, Maki, Kazuhiro, Oshita, Morito, MIZUNO, Taichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,650,983 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 74/493
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/181 with power actuated adjustment, e.g. with position memory

Abstract

A steering apparatus for a vehicle, adjusting a position of a steering wheel in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle body, includes a main tube supported by the vehicle body and having a tubular shape, the main tube including an opening portion being closed in an axial direction of the main tube and extending in the axial direction, a telescopic tube supported by the main tube to be slidable within the main tube, a connecting member firmly attached to the telescopic tube to be movable within the opening portion along the axial direction of the main tube, a drive member connected to the connecting member, and a drive source driving the drive member to move the connecting member in the axial direction.

Claims

1. A steering apparatus for a vehicle, adjusting a position of a steering wheel in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle body, the steering apparatus comprising:

a main tube supported by the vehicle body and having a tubular shape, the main tube including an opening portion being closed in an axial direction of the main tube and extending in the axial direction;

a telescopic tube supported by the main tube to be slidable within the main tube;

a connecting member firmly attached to the telescopic tube to be movable within the opening portion along the axial direction of the main tube;

a drive member connected to the connecting member; and

a drive source driving the drive member to move the connecting member in the axial direction.

2. The steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is a tubular member having a bottom portion firmly attached to an outer surface of the telescopic tube, and the drive member is arranged in the tubular member and is supported by the tubular member.

3. The steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein lock portions are formed at one and the other ends, respectively, of the opening portion of the main tube in the axial direction, and the tubular member is contactable with the respective lock portions.

4. The steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the bottom portion of the tubular member is welded to a plurality of portions of the outer surface of the telescopic tube in an axial direction of the telescopic tube.

5. The steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive source is an electric motor supported by the main tube, and the drive member includes a screw shaft connected to an output shaft of the electric motor and a nut engaging with the screw shaft, and

wherein the electric motor rotates the screw shaft to move the nut in an axial direction of the screw shaft to move the telescopic tube along with the nut in the axial direction of the main tube.

6. The steering apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a speed reducing mechanism arranged between the output shaft of the electric motor and the screw shaft, the speed reducing mechanism reducing a rotational speed of the electric motor, and transmitting a rotational force to the screw shaft after the rotational speed has been reduced.