Steering device

• US 9,428,212 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2014
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NSK Limited
• Original Assignee: NSK Limited
• Inventors: Okada, Shinji, Tomaru, Yuuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): VERLEY, NICOLE T
• Application Number:
  US14/894,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20160101806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/184 Mechanisms for locking columns at selected positions
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 41/064 the intermediate members wedging by rolling and having a circular cross-section, e.g. balls F16D41/061 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 41/07 between two cylindrical surfaces

Abstract

A steering device includes a steering column, a bracket, and a fixing mechanism. The fixing mechanism includes a roller clutch, an inner ring, a slip ring and a rod which penetrates through side plate portions of the bracket. The roller clutch and the inner ring are not operated in a clamping direction in which the manipulation lever is rotated to provide a clamping force and are operated in a releasing direction in which the manipulation lever is rotated to release the clamping force. The slip ring is a friction providing member which applies frictional resistance to the rod in a case where the roller clutch and the inner ring are operated.

Claims

1. A steering device comprising:

a steering column rotatably supporting an input shaft connected to a steering wheel;

a bracket pinching the steering column; and

a fixing mechanism configured to select an unlocked state in which the bracket is releasing the steering column and a locked state in which the fixing mechanism is configured to provide a clamping force for allowing the bracket to pinch the steering column, according to a rotational position of an manipulation lever,

wherein the fixing mechanism includes

a rod penetrating through the bracket,

a roller clutch including an outer ring and an inner ring positioned on an inner diameter side of the outer ring, the roller clutch configured not to be operated in a clamping direction in which the manipulation lever is rotated to provide the clamping force, and to be operated in a releasing direction in which the manipulation lever is rotated to release the clamping force,

a friction providing member to provide a frictional resistance to the rod in a case where the roller clutch is operated, and

a cam mechanism which provides the clamping force according to a rotation of the manipulation lever,

wherein the cam mechanism includes a movable cam which is able to rotate according to the rotational position of the manipulation lever, and a fixed cam which is mounted to a side plate portion of the bracket and is unable to rotate relative to the rotation of the manipulation lever,

the movable cam and the fixed cam are supported on the rod so that a distance between surfaces of the movable cam and the fixed cam is movable in an axial direction of the rod, a rotation of the movable cam is linked to the rotation of the manipulation lever, the roller clutch and the friction providing member are arranged in the movable cam or the fixed cam,

the roller clutch and the friction providing member do not affect an operation of the manipulation lever, and the bracket is configured to clamp the steering column according to a change of the distance between the surfaces of the movable cam and the fixed cam according to the rotation of the manipulation lever, in a case where the fixing mechanism is operated from the unlock state to the locked state corresponding to the rotation of the manipulation lever in a clamping direction, and

the friction providing member is configured to provide a frictional resistance to the rod by transmission of rotation between the outer ring and the inner ring of the roller clutch rotating linked to the movable cam, in a case where the fixing mechanism is operated from the lock state to the unlocked state corresponding to the rotation of the manipulation lever in a releasing direction.

2. The steering device according to claim 1,

wherein the roller clutch is cylindrical and has the friction providing member on an inner diameter side thereof.

3. The steering device according to claim 1,

wherein the roller clutch is cylindrical and has the friction providing member on an outer diameter side thereof.

4. The steering device according to claim 1,

wherein the roller clutch includes an outer ring, an inner ring which is positioned on an inner diameter side of the outer ring, and a wedge roller which is operated as a wedge between the outer ring and the inner ring in the releasing direction and allows the wedge between the outer ring and the inner ring to separate in the clamping direction.

5. The steering device according to claim 4,

wherein the outer ring is configured to link to the rotation of the manipulation lever, and

the rod penetrates through the inner ring, the rod is arranged to be unable to rotate relative to the rotation of the manipulation lever.

6. The steering device according to claim 3,

wherein the outer ring is press-fitted and fixed to the fixed cam, and

the rod penetrates through the inner ring and is configured to link to the rotation of the manipulation lever.

7. The steering device according to claim 1,

wherein the friction providing member is a slip ring which generates friction against an outside surface of a plate spring or an inside surface of the plate spring through an elastic force by bending the plate spring.

8. The steering device according to claim 1,

wherein the friction providing member is a resin inner ring which has elasticity in a case where a surface thereof is pressed, and is fixed to an outer circumference of the rod.