STEERING SYSTEM

• US 20150239490A1
• Filed: 02/13/2015
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fuji KIKO Company Limited, Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji KIKO Company Limited, Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: SAKATA, Toru
• Application Number:
  US14/621,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20150239490A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/184 Mechanisms for locking columns at selected positions
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/189 the entire column being tiltable as a unit
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/192 Yieldable or collapsible columns
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/195 Yieldable supports for the steering column

Abstract

In a steering system, an energy absorbing member is plastically deformed by being drawn by a drawing shaft during a secondary collision. A first drawing shaft or a plurality of second drawing shafts is provided as the drawing shaft. The first drawing shaft or an adjusted shaft among the second drawing shafts is driven to change a drawing portion of the first drawing shaft that is engaged with the energy absorbing member to draw the energy absorbing member during the secondary collision or to change the number of the second drawing shafts engaged with the energy absorbing member to draw the energy absorbing member during the secondary collision such that a shock absorbing load is changed.

Claims

1. A steering system comprising:

a steering shaft having an end to which a steering member is coupled;

the steering shaft being extendable and contractable in an axial direction;

a steering column that includes a hollow lower jacket and a hollow upper jacket, and that supports the steering shaft such that the steering shaft is rotatable, the steering column being extendable and contractable in the axial direction due to relative movement of the lower jacket and the upper jacket, and the lower jacket and the upper jacket being fitted to each other; and

a shock absorbing mechanism that absorbs a shock in conjunction with movement of the upper jacket relative to the lower jacket during a secondary collision, wherein;

the shock absorbing mechanism includes;

a drawing shaft whose position in a relative movement direction relative to one of the upper jacket and the lower jacket is fixed during the secondary collision; and

an energy absorbing member that includes a relative position fixed portion whose position in the relative movement direction relative to the other of the upper jacket and the lower jacket is fixed during the secondary collision;

the energy absorbing member is plastically deformed by being drawn by the drawing shaft during the secondary collision;

a first drawing shaft or a plurality of second drawing shafts is provided as the drawing shaft, the first drawing shaft having a plurality of drawing portions with different outside diameters that are separated from each other in a drawing shaft direction, and the plurality of second drawing shafts having a constant outside diameter;

the plurality of second drawing shafts includes an adjusted shaft whose position is able to be adjusted in the drawing shaft direction and an unadjusted shaft whose position is unable to be adjusted in the drawing shaft direction;

the shock absorbing mechanism includes a drawing unit including;

a unit main body that is fixed to the one of the upper jacket and the lower jacket;

the first drawing shaft or the adjusted shaft that is supported by the unit main body and is displaceable in the drawing shaft direction that intersects with the relative movement direction of the upper jacket and the lower jacket; and

a drive element that is housed in the unit main body and drives the first drawing shaft or the adjusted shaft in the drawing shaft direction; and

the drive element drives the first drawing shaft or the adjusted shaft to change the drawing portion of the first drawing shaft that is engaged with the energy absorbing member to draw the energy absorbing member during the secondary collision or to change the number of the second drawing shafts engaged with the energy absorbing member to draw the energy absorbing member during the secondary collision among the plurality of second drawing shafts such that a shock absorbing load is changed.

2. The steering system according to claim 1, wherein:

the unit main body is fixed to the upper jacket;

the energy absorbing member is an energy absorbing plate that is provided with a slit extending in the relative, movement direction, and the energy absorbing plate is plastically deformed by relative movement of one of the drawing portions of the first drawing shaft and the slit in the relative movement direction during the secondary collision such that the shock absorbing load is generated; and

a width of the slit is set smaller than, an outside diameter of each of the drawing portions of the first drawing shaft, and the slit constitutes a relative position fixed portion whose position relative to the lower jacket in the relative movement direction is fixed during the secondary collision.

3. The steering system according to claim 2, wherein:

a telescopic lock mechanism that fixes a position of the upper jacket relative to the lower jacket in the axial direction is provided;

the telescopic lock mechanism includes;

a fixed bracket that is provided with a rotary shaft insertion hole, and is fixed to a vehicle body;

a rotary shaft rotatably supported by the rotary shaft insertion hole;

an operation lever that rotates together with the rotary shaft;

a cam that rotates together with the rotary shaft;

a first engagement portion forming member provided with a plurality of first engagement portions that is provided in the energy absorbing plate, the first engagement portions being separated from each other in the relative movement direction; and

a second engagement portion forming member that is provided with at least one second engagement portion, and is pressed by the cam such that the second engagement portion is engaged with the corresponding first engagement portion;

the energy absorbing plate has a restriction hole which communicates with one end of the slit, through which the first drawing shaft is inserted, and which restricts relative movement of the energy absorbing plate and the first drawing shaft in the relative movement direction; and

the first engagement portion forming member and the energy absorbing plate are integrally formed of a single member such that the first engagement portion forming member extends from the restriction hole of the energy absorbing plate toward a side opposite to the slit.

4. The steering system according to claim 3, wherein when telescopic adjustment is performed in a telescopic lock canceled state in which engagement between the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion is canceled, the energy absorbing plate, in which the first drawing shaft is engaged with the restriction hole, and the first engagement portion forming member integral with the energy absorbing plate move together with the upper jacket.

5. The steering system according to claim 3, wherein, in a locked state in which the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are engaged, the first drawing shaft moves together with the upper jacket relative to the energy absorbing plate during the secondary collision such that the first drawing shaft moves relative to the slit in a direction in which the slit extends and the shock absorbing load is generated.

6. The steering system according to claim 1, wherein:

the energy absorbing member includes an energy absorbing wire including;

a locked portion as the relative position fixed portion that is locked by a pressing member, the pressing member moving together with the upper jacket during the secondary collision;

a first folded portion that is folded in the relative movement direction and is engaged with the unadjusted shaft such that the first folded portion is drawn during the secondary collision; and

a second folded portion that is folded in an opposite direction as compared to the first folded portion and is engaged with the adjusted shaft that is at an engaged position such that the second folded portion is drawn during the secondary collision;

the adjusted shaft is displaceable in the drawing shaft direction to the engaged position where the adjusted shaft is engaged with the second folded portion and to a disengaged position where the adjusted shaft is not engaged with the second folded portion; and

the drive element drives the adjusted shaft in the drawing shaft direction to switch between a state in which the unadjusted shaft is engaged with the first folded portion to draw the first folded portion and the adjusted shaft is engaged with the second folded portion to draw the second folded portion during the secondary collision such that the energy absorbing wire is drawn, and a state in which only the unadjusted shaft is engaged with the first folded portion to draw the first folded portion during the secondary collision such that the energy absorbing wire is drawn.

7. The steering system according to claim 6, wherein

when the upper jacket moves relative to the lower jacket such that telescopic adjustment is performed, the upper jacket moves relative to the energy absorbing wire and the pressing member in the relative movement direction, a position of the energy absorbing wire relative to the lower jacket being fixed via the second drawing shafts, and the pressing member locking the locked portion of the energy absorbing wire.

8. The steering system according to claim 6, wherein the locked portion of the energy absorbing wire moves together with the upper jacket and the pressing member relative to at least the unadjusted shaft among the second drawing shafts during the secondary collision such that the energy absorbing wire is drawn by at least the unadjusted shaft and the shock absorbing load is generated.