Steering system

• US 9,840,270 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2016
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• 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): TO, TOAN C
• Application Number:
  US15/200,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20170008547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 74492, 74493, 280806, 280807
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/184 Mechanisms for locking columns at selected positions

Abstract

In a steering system, a pair of side plates of an upper bracket support first tooth rows each including a plurality of first teeth arranged at a pitch and second tooth rows each including a plurality of second teeth arranged at the pitch. An insertion shaft supports third teeth that can come into and out of contact with the first tooth rows and fourth teeth that can come into and out of contact with the second tooth rows. One pair out of a pair of the tooth tip of each first tooth and the tooth tip of the corresponding second tooth and a pair of the tooth tip of each third tooth and the tooth tip of the corresponding fourth tooth are in the same position in a tilt direction, and the other pair are displaced from each other by a length smaller than the pitch in the tilt direction.

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, has a central axis along an axial direction of the steering shaft, and is movable in an intersecting direction vertically intersecting the axial direction;

a bracket that is fixed to a vehicle body, the bracket including a pair of side plates disposed so as to face each other in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the intersecting direction and the axial direction, and the bracket supporting the column jacket so that the column jacket is movable between the pair of side plates;

an insertion shaft extending in the orthogonal direction having a tilt locking mechanism located at each outer side of each of the pair of side plates in the orthogonal direction, the tilt locking mechanism (i) being attached to the insertion shaft and configured to allow and prevent movement of the column jacket with respect to the bracket, and (ii) being movable together with the column jacket in the intersecting direction;

a first tooth row supported by one of the side plates, the first tooth row including a plurality of first teeth arranged at a predetermined pitch in the intersecting direction;

a second tooth row, symmetrical to the first tooth row and mirrored across the central axis along the axial direction of the steering shaft, that is supported by another one of the side plates, the second tooth row including a plurality of second teeth arranged at a predetermined pitch in the intersecting direction;

a third tooth configured to mesh with the first teeth, supported by one end portion of the end portions of the insertion shaft, and configured to come into and out of contact with the first tooth row in accordance with operation of an operation member; and

a fourth tooth configured to mesh with the second teeth, supported by the other end portion of the insertion shaft, and configured to come into and out of contact with the second tooth row in accordance with operation of the operation member, wherein;

a tooth tip of one of the plurality of first teeth of the first tooth row, and a tooth tip of a corresponding one of the plurality of second teeth of the second tooth row, are displaced from each other by a length that is smaller than a predetermined pitch in the intersecting direction; and

a tooth tip of one of the plurality of third teeth of the third tooth row, and a tooth tip of a corresponding one of the plurality of fourth teeth of the fourth tooth row, are located in an identical position in the intersecting direction.

2. The steering system according to claim 1, wherein the length is equivalent to one-half of the predetermined pitch.