Steering system

• US 9,469,330 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2015
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Hidenobu, Yoshihara, Yoshihito, Nagatani, Atsumune
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Drew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilhelm, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US14/733,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20150367878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/184 Mechanisms for locking columns at selected positions
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/185 adjustable by axial displacement, e.g. telescopically B62D1/183, B62D1/187, B62D1/19 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/189 the entire column being tiltable as a unit

Abstract

A lock device of a steering system includes a tongue piece unit and a frame plate held on a first side plate. The tongue piece unit includes elastic tongue pieces supported in a cantilever manner by a vertical frame provided along at least one of longitudinal edge portions of at least one of first side plates to form a row that extends in a tilt direction. The frame plate includes partitioning portions, between which a plurality of grooves are formed to house the elastic tongue pieces so as to be projectable. When a steering column is locked, some of the elastic tongue pieces are pressed by a pressing surface of a tightening member to be retracted into grooves. Consequently, the tightening member is interposed between the elastic tongue pieces projecting from the grooves in the tilt direction.

Claims

1. A steering system that is capable of tilt adjustment, comprising:

a steering shaft, to one end of which a steering member is coupled;

a tubular steering column that supports the steering shaft;

a first bracket that is fixed to a vehicle body and that includes a pair of first side plates;

a second bracket that is fixed to the steering column and that includes a pair of second side plates; and

a lock device that locks the steering column in position and that includes a tightening shaft inserted through tilt long grooves of the first side plates and insertion grooves of the second side plates, an operation lever that rotates together with the tightening shaft, and a pair of tightening members that include a pressing surface, that are supported by the tightening shaft to move in accompaniment with the tightening shaft and the steering column during tilt adjustment, and that tighten each of the first side plates to a corresponding one of the second side plates as the operation lever is operated to rotate in a lock direction, wherein;

the tilt long grooves each include a pair of longitudinal edge portions that extend in a tilt direction;

the lock device further includes

a tongue piece unit that includes a support portion provided along at least one of the longitudinal edge portions of at least one of the first side plates, and a plurality of elastic tongue pieces supported in a cantilever manner by the support portion to extend from the support portion in a direction that is generally orthogonal to the tilt direction to form a row that extends in the tilt direction, the elastic tongue pieces being pressed by the pressing surface of the corresponding tightening member and warped when the steering column is locked, and

partitioning elements, between which a plurality of grooves are formed to house the elastic tongue pieces so as to be projectable, that are capable of restrict movement of the corresponding elastic tongue pieces in the tilt direction, and that are formed on an outer surface of the corresponding first side plate or a member held on the outer surface; and

when the steering column is locked, the pressing surface of the corresponding tightening member presses some of the elastic tongue pieces to retract the elastic tongue pieces into the grooves so that the corresponding tightening member is interposed between the elastic tongue pieces projecting from the grooves in the tilt direction.

2. The steering system according to claim 1, wherein

the partitioning elements include a reception portion that receives a tightening load applied by the corresponding tightening member with the elastic tongue pieces pressed by the pressing surface of the corresponding tightening member retracted into the corresponding grooves when the steering column is locked.

3. The steering system according to claim 1, wherein

the member held on the outer surface of the corresponding first side plate is a frame plate that includes the plurality of partitioning elements and a coupling frame that couples the plurality of partitioning elements into a grid shape, the frame plate being fixed along the outer surface of the corresponding first side plate.

4. The steering system according to claim 3, wherein

the support portion of the tongue piece unit is held between the frame plate and the corresponding first side plate.

5. The steering system according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of partitioning elements are a plurality of projected ribs provided integrally with and made of the same material as the corresponding first side plate, the projected ribs being arranged in a grid shape.

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

the pressing surface of the tightening member includes at least one recessed groove that houses the corresponding elastic tongue piece when the steering column is locked; and

the recessed groove includes a pair of inner wall portions that are engageable with the elastic tongue piece housed in the recessed groove on a corresponding side in the tilt direction when the steering column is locked.

7. The steering system according to claim 6, wherein

a distance between an end portion of the tightening member on one side in the tilt direction and the inner wall portion of the recessed groove on the other side in the tilt direction does not coincide with an integer multiple of an arrangement pitch of the elastic tongue pieces in the tilt direction.

8. The steering system according to claim 1, wherein

as the support portion, a pair of support portions are provided along the pair of longitudinal edge portions, and a phase of arrangement of the elastic tongue pieces supported by one of the pair of support portions to form the row and a phase of arrangement of the elastic tongue pieces supported by the other of the pair of support portions to form the row are different from each other.

9. The steering system according to claim 1, wherein

the elastic tongue pieces are each a plate piece that includes a plate thickness surface that faces in the tilt direction and a plate surface that extends in the tilt direction, and a width of the plate surface in the tilt direction is larger than a plate thickness.

10. The steering system according to claim 9, wherein:

the plate piece that serves as the elastic tongue piece includes an angled portion that has, as a portion that projects from the corresponding groove, a top portion and a pair of inclined surface portions disposed on both sides of the top portion and inclined in directions opposite to each other; and

the pair of inclined surface portions are supported by the partitioning element so that the angled portion is supported on both sides when the angled portion projecting from the corresponding groove receives a load in the tilt direction from the corresponding tightening member.

11. A steering system that is capable of telescopic adjustment, comprising:

a steering shaft, to one end of which a steering member is coupled;

a tubular steering column that supports the steering shaft;

a first bracket that is fixed to a vehicle body and that includes a pair of first side plates;

a second bracket that is fixed to the steering column and that includes a pair of second side plates; and

a lock device that locks the steering column in position and that includes a tightening shaft inserted through insertion grooves of the first side plates and telescopic long grooves of the second side plates, an operation lever that rotates together with the tightening shaft, and a pair of tightening members that include a pressing surface, that are supported by the tightening shaft to move in accompaniment with the tightening shaft and the steering column during telescopic adjustment, and that tighten each of the first side plates to a corresponding one of the second side plates as the operation lever is operated to rotate in a lock direction, wherein;

the telescopic long grooves each include a pair of longitudinal edge portions that extend in a telescopic direction;

the lock device further includes

a tongue piece unit that includes a support portion provided along at least one of the longitudinal edge portions of at least one of the second side plates, and a plurality of elastic tongue pieces supported in a cantilever manner by the support portion to extend from the support portion in a direction that is generally orthogonal to the telescopic direction to form a row that extends in the telescopic direction, the elastic tongue pieces being pressed by a pressing surface of the corresponding first side plate and warped when the steering column is locked, and

partitioning elements, between which a plurality of grooves are formed to house the elastic tongue pieces so as to be projectable, that are capable of restrict movement of the corresponding elastic tongue pieces in the telescopic direction, and that are formed on an outer surface of the corresponding second side plate or a member held on the outer surface; and

when the steering column is locked, the pressing surface of the corresponding first side plate presses some of the elastic tongue pieces to retract the elastic tongue pieces into the grooves so that the corresponding first side plate is interposed between the elastic tongue pieces projecting from the grooves in the telescopic direction.

12. The steering system according to claim 11, wherein

the partitioning elements include a reception portion that receives a tightening load applied by the corresponding first side plate with the elastic tongue pieces pressed by the pressing surface of the corresponding first side plate retracted into the corresponding grooves when the steering column is locked.

13. The steering system according to claim 11, wherein

the member held on the outer surface of the corresponding second side plate is a frame plate that includes the plurality of partitioning elements and a coupling frame that couples the plurality of partitioning elements into a grid shape, the frame plate being fixed along the outer surface of the corresponding second side plate.

14. The steering system according to claim 13, wherein

the support portion of the tongue piece unit is held between the frame plate and the corresponding second side plate.

15. The steering system according to claim 11, wherein

the plurality of partitioning elements are a plurality of projected ribs provided integrally with and made of the same material as the corresponding second side plate, the projected ribs being arranged in a grid shape.

16. The steering system according to claim 11, wherein:

the pressing surface of the first side plate includes at least one recessed groove that houses the corresponding elastic tongue piece when the steering column is locked; and

the recessed groove includes a pair of inner wall portions that are engageable with the elastic tongue piece housed in the recessed groove on a corresponding side in the telescopic direction when the steering column is locked.

17. The steering system according to claim 16, wherein

a distance between an end portion of the tightening member on one side in the telescopic direction and the inner wall portion of the recessed groove on the other side in the telescopic direction does not coincide with an integer multiple of an arrangement pitch of the elastic tongue pieces in the telescopic direction.

18. The steering system according to claim 11, wherein

as the support portion, a pair of support portions are provided along the pair of longitudinal edge portions, and a phase of arrangement of the elastic tongue pieces supported by one of the pair of support portions to form the row and a phase of arrangement of the elastic tongue pieces supported by the other of the pair of support portions to form the row are different from each other.

19. The steering system according to claim 11, wherein

the elastic tongue pieces are each a plate piece that includes a plate thickness surface that faces in the telescopic direction and a plate surface that extends in the telescopic direction, and a width of the plate surface in the telescopic direction is larger than a plate thickness.

20. The steering system according to claim 19, wherein:

the plate piece that serves as the elastic tongue piece includes an angled portion that has, as a portion that projects from the corresponding groove, a top portion and a pair of inclined surface portions disposed on both sides of the top portion and inclined in directions opposite to each other; and

the pair of inclined surface portions are supported by an edge portion of the groove so that the angled portion is supported on both sides when the angled portion projecting from the corresponding groove receives a load in the telescopic direction from the corresponding first side plate.