TILT APPARATUS FOR VEHICULAR STEERING COLUMN

• US 20180208231A1
• Filed: 01/24/2018
• Published: 07/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HL Mando Corporation (Halla Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mando Corporation
• Inventors: KWON, HyunBi, PARK, Sang Hyun
• Granted Patent: US 10,640,141 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein provide a tilt apparatus for a vehicular steering column. The tilt apparatus includes: a tilt bracket including a tilt guide portion supported on an outer side of a distance bracket and having a first tilt hole in the tilt guide portion; a fixed gear including a second tilt hole communicating with the first tilt hole and a first screw portion having a thread peak and a thread valley on opposite side ends thereof, the fixed gear being installed outside the tilt guide portion and the first screw portion being spaced apart from the tilt guide portion; a movable gear including a second screw portion having a thread peak and a thread valley to be meshed with or separated from the first screw portion during a tilt operation of an adjusting lever; and a lever bolt configured to rotate in cooperation with the adjusting lever and installed through the first tilt hole, the second tilt hole, and the movable gear.

Claims

1. A tilt apparatus for a vehicular steering column, comprising:

a tilt bracket comprising a tilt guide portion supported on an outer side of a distance bracket and having a first tilt hole in the tilt guide portion;

a fixed gear comprising a second tilt hole communicating with the first tilt hole and a first screw portion having a thread peak and a thread valley on opposite side ends thereof, the fixed gear being installed outside the tilt guide portion and the first screw portion being spaced apart from the tilt guide portion;

a movable gear comprising a second screw portion having a thread peak and a thread valley to be meshed with or separated from the first screw portion during a tilt operation of an adjusting lever; and

a lever bolt configured to rotate in cooperation with the adjusting lever and installed through the first tilt hole, the second tilt hole, and the movable gear.

2. The tilt apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fixed gear comprises:

a fixed gear body spaced apart from the tilt guide portion, the second tilt hole being disposed in a center of the fixed gear body and the first screw portion being disposed on each of outer surfaces of opposite side ends of the fixed gear body; and

a fixing portion disposed on each of upper and lower portions of the fixed gear body and bent to be spaced apart from the fixed gear body and coupled to the tilt guide portion.

3. The tilt apparatus of claim 2, wherein the tilt guide portion has a coupling protrusion disposed on an outer surface thereof, and the fixing portion has a coupling hole which is correspondingly coupled to the coupling protrusion.

4. The tilt apparatus of claim 2, wherein the fixing portion is connected to an end portion of the fixed gear body, and is slit such that an empty space is provided between opposite side ends of the fixing gear body and the second tilt hole.

5. The tilt apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

a stopper protruding from the outer surface of the tilt guide portion so as to limit play of the movable gear.

6. The tilt apparatus of claim 5, wherein the stopper is coupled to the space between the fixed gear body and the fixing portion.

7. The tilt apparatus of claim 2, wherein the stopper is disposed to enclose an end portion and opposite side ends of the fixing portion so that the end portion of the fixing portion is supported by the stopper.

8. The tilt apparatus of claim 4, wherein the fixed gear body is provided with a reinforcing rib connecting the opposite side ends of the fixed gear body between the second tilt hole and the fixing portion.

9. The tilt apparatus of claim 1, wherein the movable gear comprises:

a movable gear body disposed to face an outer side of the fixed gear body;

supports protruding from opposite surfaces of the movable gear body and being in contact with and being supported by the fixed gear body; and

a tooth portion having the second screw portion disposed on each of facing surfaces, which protrude toward the fixed gear from opposite side ends of the opposite surfaces of the movable gear body.

10. The tilt apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a guide portion protruding from the support toward the fixed gear and inserted into the first tilt hole and the second tilt hole.

11. The tilt apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fixed gear comprises:

a fixed gear body spaced apart from the tilt guide portion, the second tilt hole being disposed in a center of the fixed gear body and the first screw portion being provided on each of outer surfaces of opposite side ends thereof;

a bent fixing portion provided in any one of upper and lower portions of the fixed gear body and connected to the end portion of the fixed gear body, the bent fixing portion being slit such that an empty space is provided between the opposite side ends and the second tilt hole, and the bent fixing portion being bent toward and coupled to the tilt guide portion; and

a flat fixing portion provided in a remaining one of the upper and lower portions of the fixed gear body, and the fixing gear body being bent toward the tilt guide portion and connected to the bent end portion, the flat fixing portion being slit such that an empty space is provided between the opposite side ends and the second tilt hole, and the flat fixing portion being coupled to the tilt guide portion.

12. The tilt apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fixed gear comprises:

a fixed gear body spaced apart from the tilt guide portion, the second tilt hole being disposed in a center of the fixed gear body and the first screw portion being disposed on each of outer surfaces of opposite side ends thereof; and

a flat fixing portion provided in each of the upper and lower portions of the fixed gear body, the fixing gear body being bent toward the tilt guide portion, and the flat fixing portion being connected to the bent end portion and being slit such that an empty space is provided between the opposite side ends and the second tilt hole, and the flat fixing portion being coupled to the tilt guide portion.