Machine element or mechanism – Control lever and linkage systems – Hand operated
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-22
2001-09-04
Bucci, David A. (Department: 3682)
Machine element or mechanism
Control lever and linkage systems
Hand operated
C280S775000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06282977
ABSTRACT:
This application claims the benefits of Japanese Application Nos. 9-311027, 9-327174, 10-021613, 10093857 and 10-231124, which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tilt adjusting-type steering apparatus which is provided with a tilt adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height of a steering wheel in a car or other vehicles in accordance with the physical dimensions of the driver.
2. Related Background Art
As a steering apparatus to be mounted on a car or other vehicles, there is conventionally known a tilt adjusting-type steering apparatus in which the height of the steering wheel can be adjusted in accordance with the physical dimensions of the driver. The adjustment of the height of the steering wheel in this tilt adjusting-type steering apparatus is generally performed by releasing a lock so that an upper column member can be move to change its inclination with respect to a lower column member, so as to thereby set the height of the steering wheel to a desired position value, and then locking the upper column member with respect to the lower column member. A mechanism for locking the upper column member and releasing this lock in this case is a tilt lock mechanism.
An example of the tilt lock mechanism is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-34145, which is illustrated in
FIGS. 30 and 31
.
In the tilt adjusting-type steering apparatus shown in these drawings, a lower column
52
for supporting a lower steering shaft
51
to be rotatable is fixed to the car body (not shown) through a bracket
53
. An upper column
55
for supporting an upper steering shaft
54
to be rotatable is supported by the bracket
53
to allow free tilting movement with tilt shafts
56
,
57
as the center thereof. A steering wheel (not shown) is attached to the upper steering shaft
54
. A gear portion
58
fixed on the side of the upper column
55
is caused to mesh with a movable gear member
59
which is supported to freely oscillate by the bracket
53
, and the movable gear member
59
is pressed from the back thereof by the tilt lock mechanism to effect locking. The tilt lock mechanism comprises right and left support hangers
60
,
61
with their upper ends respectively supported to freely oscillate by the tilt pivots or shafts
56
,
57
, a roller support shaft
62
fixed to the lower ends of these support hangers
60
,
61
, and a roller
63
supported to freely rotate by the roller support shaft
62
. The roller support shaft
62
is formed with a tilt lever
64
as a unitary structure and arranged so that the roller
63
can be moved in a right and left direction (in
FIG. 30
) by operating the tilt lever
64
.
The movable gear member
59
is locked and is released from the lock by means of the tilt lock mechanism having the above-mentioned structure in the following manner. When the tilt lever
64
in its locked state in
FIG. 30
is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction in the same drawing against a biasing force of a spring
65
, the roller
63
is moved to the right about the tilt pivots
56
,
57
to be retracted from a taper portion
66
of the movable gear member
59
, whereby the movable gear member
59
is released from the fixed gear
58
. In this released state, the upper column
55
is moved to change its inclination with respect to the bracket
53
so as to set the steering wheel at a proper position. After that, when the tilt lever
64
is released, the roller
63
is moved to the left by the biasing force of the spring
65
so as to press the taper portion
66
, whereby the movable gear member
59
is meshed with the fixed gear
58
to be locked. Upon this locking, the adjustment of the height of the steering wheel is completed.
In the above-mentioned tilt adjusting-type steering apparatus, the roller
63
of the tilt lock mechanism is protruded downward, so the roller
63
is positioned around the knees of the driver. As a result, there is a risk that the driver's knees may be hit by the roller
63
during driving, or that the lock of the movable gear member
59
may be released.
In order to prevent such accident, it is possible to cover the roller
63
with a lid or cover. However, with this arrangement, the number of constituent parts is increased so as to further narrow a space around the knees of the driver disadvantageously.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a tilt adjusting-type steering apparatus which prevents the driver's knees from being hit during driving without increasing the number of the constituent parts or narrowing the space around the driver's knees, and to prevent the lock from being released as a result.
In order to achieve the above object, there is provided according to the present invention a tilt adjusting-type steering apparatus in which a lower steering shaft provided with a steering gear at the lower end thereof and an upper steering shaft provided with a steering wheel at the upper end thereof are coupled with each other by a universal joint, a lower column member for supporting the lower steering shaft to be rotatable is fixed to the body of a car, an upper column member for supporting the upper steering shaft to be rotatable is supported to be freely rockable in a vertical plane by a tilt adjusting shaft mounted on the lower column member to pass through the center of said universal joint, and the upper column member is locked with respect to the lower column member by means of a tilt lock mechanism, characterized in that:
the tilt lock mechanism comprises a fixed gear mounted on one of the lower column member and the upper column member, a movable gear supported to be freely rockable by the other of the lower column member and the upper column member to be detachably engaged with the fixed gear, a reaction force member disposed in the vicinity of the back surface of the movable gear, and a wedge member to take a lock position at which it is inserted between the reaction force member and the back surface of the movable gear to bring the movable gear into engagement or mesh with the fixed gear and a release position at which it is retracted from the lock position to release the movable gear from the fixed gear.
According to the invention, it is possible to insert or retracted the wedge member into or from a space between the reaction force member and the back surface of the movable gear so as to bring the movable gear into engagement with the fixed gear to be locked, and it is also possible to release the movable gear from the fixed gear. Further, the wedge member is covered with the reaction force member while it is disposed at the lock position so that there is no need to provide, for example, a special cover for that, and there is no possibility that the driver's knees are hit by this wedge member to release the lock of the movable gear to the fixed gear.
The tilt adjusting-type steering apparatus of the present invention can be arranged such that the fixed gear has a plurality of teeth extended in the lateral direction and formed on an outer peripheral surface of said one of the lower column member and the upper column member, while the movable gear comprises a pin inserted through the support portions formed on the other of the above-mentioned outer peripheral surfaces in parallel to the tilt shaft, a movable gear main body having a through hole to pass the pin at the base end thereof and a plurality of teeth capable of meshing with the teeth of the fixed gear at the tip end thereof, and a bush interposed between the outer peripheral surface of the pin and the inner peripheral surface of the through hole, and special form portions into which a part of the bush is thrust when a force in a direction of twisting the movable gear main body is caused to work due to the mesh between the of the fixed gear teeth and the teeth of the movable gear are formed on one of the outer peripheral surface of the pin and the inner peripheral surface of the through hole.
Since i
Matsumoto Sakae
Satoh Kenji
Bucci David A.
Joyce William C
Miles & Stockbridge P.C.
NSK Ltd.
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