Steering system

• US 9,604,663 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2016
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tomiyama, Hiromitsu, Tanaka, Hidenobu, Nagaoka, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Drew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilhelm, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US15/200,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20170008549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 270 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/184 Mechanisms for locking columns at selected positions
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/187 with tilt adjustment; with tilt and axial adjustment B62D1/183, B62D1/19 takes precedence

Abstract

A steering system includes: an upper bracket that supports a column jacket so that the column jacket is pivotable about a central shaft; a pair of first tooth rows that are supported by the upper bracket and are arranged side by side in an axial direction; and a tooth member that is pivotable together with the column jacket and is movable in a right-and-left direction. The tooth member has second teeth that are formed in two locations spaced apart from each other in the axial direction and that can mesh with the pair of the first tooth rows. The tooth tip angle of first teeth in one first tooth row of the pair of the first tooth rows is different from the tooth tip angle of the first teeth in the other first tooth row that is more distant from the central shaft than the one first tooth row.

Claims

1. A steering system comprising:

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

a column jacket that holds the steering shaft and is pivotable about a pivot axis that is on the opposite side of the steering shaft from the one end in an axial direction;

a bracket that is fixed to a vehicle body and supports the column jacket so that the column jacket is pivotable;

an operation member that is operated to allow and prevent pivoting of the column jacket with respect to the bracket;

a pair of tooth rows each including a plurality of first teeth each of which has a tooth trace extending in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to both of the axial direction and an intersecting direction vertically intersecting the axial direction and that are arranged along the intersecting direction, the pair of tooth rows being supported by the bracket and being arranged side by side in the axial direction; and

a tooth member including a second tooth that has a tooth trace extending in the orthogonal direction, is formed at least one in each of two locations spaced apart from each other in the axial direction, and is configured to mesh with the pair of tooth rows, the tooth member being pivotable together with the column jacket and being movable in the orthogonal direction in accordance with operation of the operation member, wherein

a tooth tip angle of the first teeth in one tooth row of the pair of tooth rows is different from a tooth tip angle of the first teeth in the other tooth row that is more distant from the pivot axis than the one tooth row.

2. The steering system according to claim 1, wherein the tooth tip angle of the first teeth in the one tooth row is smaller than the tooth tip angle of the first teeth in the other tooth row.