Steering wheel tilt device
First Claim
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1. A steering wheel tilt device comprising:
- a socket having a back face to which one of a steering wheel and a steering boss is mounted;
a plug having a back face to which the other of the steering wheel and the steering boss is mounted, for being fitted to the socket;
a first rotational shaft for pivoting the socket at one end thereof and the plug at the other end thereof to realize the fitted state or a released state of the socket and the plug;
a second rotational shaft extending parallel to the first rotational shaft in a vicinity of an inside of the first rotational shaft on the socket side;
a sleeve arm having one end pivoted on the second rotational shaft and the other end located in a direction perpendicular to the second rotational shaft, for realizing the fitted state or the released state of the socket and the plug through a rotational movement of the other end;
a plate-type projection member with a predetermined thickness, which projects in such a direction as to face the plug and is provided on the socket such that one face thereof is in contact with the sleeve arm and parallel thereto;
a projection member provided on the plug side in contact with the other face side of the plate-type projection member in the fitted state of the socket and the plug;
a tapered hole for movably accommodating a ball from the one face side of the plate-type projection member to the other face side thereof, the tapered hole being composed of a large-diameter hole located on the one face side and having a larger diameter than the ball and a small-diameter hole located on the other face side and having a smaller diameter than the ball;
a first spring member provided between the sleeve arm and the socket, for pressing the ball toward the small-diameter hole to prevent the part of the sleeve arm from protruding from the large-diameter hole when the one end of the sleeve arm has been rotationally moved toward the plug to realize the fitted state of the socket and the plug; and
a recess provided on the projection member side, for receiving a part of the ball protruding from the small-diameter hole,wherein the ball is held fixed at three points, namely, by a part of the recess, a part of the tapered hole, and a part of the sleeve arm.
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Abstract
Desired is a function of tilting up a steering wheel to allow a driver to get on or off easily. An object of the invention is to strengthen the coupling between a steering wheel and a steering boss and reduce the degree of backlash by using a ball and a ball receiving dent to couple the steering wheel to the steering boss and increasing the pressure applied to the ball, and to provide smooth coupling between the steering wheel and the steering boss by holding the ball from inside as a coupling member tending to protrude from a tapered hole and smoothly guiding the ball into a recess for coupling.
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Citations
4 Claims
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1. A steering wheel tilt device comprising:
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a socket having a back face to which one of a steering wheel and a steering boss is mounted; a plug having a back face to which the other of the steering wheel and the steering boss is mounted, for being fitted to the socket; a first rotational shaft for pivoting the socket at one end thereof and the plug at the other end thereof to realize the fitted state or a released state of the socket and the plug; a second rotational shaft extending parallel to the first rotational shaft in a vicinity of an inside of the first rotational shaft on the socket side; a sleeve arm having one end pivoted on the second rotational shaft and the other end located in a direction perpendicular to the second rotational shaft, for realizing the fitted state or the released state of the socket and the plug through a rotational movement of the other end; a plate-type projection member with a predetermined thickness, which projects in such a direction as to face the plug and is provided on the socket such that one face thereof is in contact with the sleeve arm and parallel thereto; a projection member provided on the plug side in contact with the other face side of the plate-type projection member in the fitted state of the socket and the plug; a tapered hole for movably accommodating a ball from the one face side of the plate-type projection member to the other face side thereof, the tapered hole being composed of a large-diameter hole located on the one face side and having a larger diameter than the ball and a small-diameter hole located on the other face side and having a smaller diameter than the ball; a first spring member provided between the sleeve arm and the socket, for pressing the ball toward the small-diameter hole to prevent the part of the sleeve arm from protruding from the large-diameter hole when the one end of the sleeve arm has been rotationally moved toward the plug to realize the fitted state of the socket and the plug; and a recess provided on the projection member side, for receiving a part of the ball protruding from the small-diameter hole, wherein the ball is held fixed at three points, namely, by a part of the recess, a part of the tapered hole, and a part of the sleeve arm. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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Specification