Steering device

Abstract

Provided is a steering device (100) which holds a steering member (200) such that the steering member (200) can be moved between an advanced position at which a driver can carry out steering and a retracted position on a vehicle front side. The steering device (100) comprises a fixed member (110) mounted to a vehicle body, a movable member (120) to which a steering shaft body (150) for holding the steering member (200) is rotatably attached, and an upper-side guide mechanism (130) and a lower-side guide mechanism (140) which linearly guide the movable member (120) with respect to the fixed member (110). The position of the end portion of the upper-side guide mechanism (130) on the advanced side in the advanced-retracted direction of the movable member (120) is arranged on the advanced side with respect to the position of the end portion of the lower-side guide mechanism (140) on the advanced side.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a steering device for holding a steering member that is steered by a driver in a vehicle or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a retractable steering device in which the steering member operated by the driver is retracted to the front of the vehicle to improve the driver's comfort during automatic driving, and the steering member is advanced to a position where the driver can operate it during manual driving (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2019 / 193956 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2019 / 005736 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the case of a retractable steering device, the driver normally gets in and out of the vehicle with the steering member retracted, but the inventor discovered that there are cases where the driver gets in and out of the vehicle or adjusts their seating position while using the steering member as support with the steering member extended.Further experiments and research led the inventor to discover that the downward force applied by the driver to the steering member generates a large load on the mechanism that guides the forward and backward movement of the steering device.

[0005] The present invention has been made based on the findings of the above inventor, and aims to provide a steering device that holds a steering member so that it can be moved forward and backward, and that has the strength and rigidity to withstand the downward force applied by the driver to the steering member in the advanced state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is a steering device that holds a steering member so that it can be moved between an advanced position where the driver can steer and a retracted position in front of the vehicle, and is equipped with a fixed member attached to the vehicle body, a movable member to which a steering shaft that holds the steering member is rotatably attached, an upper guide mechanism that guides the movable member linearly relative to the fixed member, and a lower guide mechanism, and in the forward / backward direction of the movable member, the position of the advanced end of the upper guide mechanism is positioned further forward than the position of the advanced end of the lower guide mechanism. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a steering device having improved strength and rigidity capable of resisting a downward force applied by a driver to a steering member in an advanced state. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a steering device holding a steering member. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the steering device in a reverse state. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the steering device and the driver's feet in an advanced state. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the steering device with fixing members omitted. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the movable guide portion, the rolling elements, and the cage together with the movable member. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a side view showing a torque generation state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a steering device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiment is an example for explaining the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For example, the shapes, structures, materials, components, relative positional relationships, connection states, numerical values, mathematical formulas, the content of each step in a method, and the order of each step shown in the following embodiment are examples and may include content not described below. Furthermore, while geometric expressions such as parallel and orthogonal may be used, these expressions do not indicate mathematical precision and include substantially allowable errors, deviations, etc. Furthermore, expressions such as simultaneous and identical also include substantially allowable ranges.

[0010] The drawings are schematic diagrams in which emphasis, omission, or adjustment of proportions is appropriately made for the purpose of explaining the present invention, and differ from the actual shapes, positional relationships, and proportions. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis shown in the drawings represent Cartesian coordinates arbitrarily set for the purpose of explaining the drawings. In other words, the Z-axis is not necessarily an axis along the vertical direction, and the X-axis and Y-axis are not necessarily located within a horizontal plane.

[0011] In addition, in the following, multiple inventions may be collectively described as one embodiment, and some of the contents described below may be described as optional components related to the present invention.

[0012] 1 is a perspective view showing a steering device holding a steering member. The steering device 100 holds a steering member 200 so that it can move between an advanced position where the driver can steer and a reverse position in front of the vehicle, and includes a fixed member 110, a movable member 120, an upper guide mechanism 130, and a lower guide mechanism 140.

[0013] The fixed member 110 is a member that is fixedly attached to a reinforcement, which is one of the structural members of the vehicle body. The manner in which the fixed member 110 is attached to the vehicle body is not limited, but in this embodiment, the fixed member 110 is attached in a suspended state to a reinforcement that is stretched across the width direction of the vehicle body. The cross-sectional shape of the fixed member 110 perpendicular to the movement direction of the movable member 120 (the Y-axis direction in the figure) is an L-shape rotated 90 degrees to the right, and the fixed member 110 includes a plate-like fixed top panel portion 111 and a fixed wall portion 112 that extends downward on one side (the X-side in the figure) of the fixed top panel portion 111 in the width direction (the X-axis direction in the figure).

[0014] A moving device 115 for moving movable member 120 is attached below fixed member 110 (on the Z-side in the drawing). The type of moving device 115 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, it includes a feed screw 117 fixedly attached to movable member 120 via a fixed bracket 116 so as to extend in the movement direction of movable member 120 (the Y-axis direction in the drawing), a movable nut 128 that meshes with feed screw 117 and reciprocates in the movement direction of movable member 120 as the feed screw 117 rotates, and a rotation drive device 118 that includes a motor that rotates feed screw 117.

[0015] Movable member 120 is a member attached to fixed member 110 by upper guide mechanism 130, lower guide mechanism 140, and moving device 115 so as to be reciprocable between an advanced position and a retreated position. A steering shaft 150 that holds steering member 200 is rotatably attached to movable member 120. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of movable member 120 perpendicular to the direction of movement (Y-axis direction in the figure) is an L-shape rotated 90 degrees to the right, and includes plate-like movable top plate portion 121 and movable wall portion 122 that extends downward from one side (X-side in the figure) of movable top plate portion 121 in the width direction (X-axis direction in the figure). Movable wall portion 122 is thicker than fixed wall portion 112 in the width direction, and is provided with a through-hole 125 therein through which a harness or the like connected to an operation switch or the like can be inserted.

[0016] The movable top plate portion 121 has a cutout portion 129 on the front side of the vehicle (Y+ side in the drawing) where the steering shaft 150 is located. By providing the cutout portion 129 on the movable top plate portion 121, it is possible to prevent the movable member 120 in the reverse position from interfering with parts of the brake mechanism, air conditioning device, wheel housing, etc., and it is possible to position the reverse position at the front of the vehicle.

[0017] The position of the end portion on the advancing side (Y-side in the drawing) of the movable top plate portion 121, which is the upper portion to which the upper guide mechanism 130 of the movable member 120 is attached, is located further toward the advancing side than the position of the end portion on the advancing side of the lower part of the movable wall portion 122, which is the lower portion to which the lower guide mechanism 140 of the movable member 120 is attached. In the case of this embodiment, the advancing side end portion of the movable wall portion 122 is inclined so as to protrude toward the advancing side as it goes upward, and the upper portion of the advancing side end of the movable wall portion 122 is located closer to the advancing side than the lower portion.

[0018] In this way, by cutting out the lower side of the movable wall portion 122 of the movable member 120, when the movable member 120 is positioned in the reverse position as shown in FIG. 2, the movable member 120 can be accommodated inside the vehicle member 210, such as the instrument panel, without protruding. Furthermore, the length of the upper side of the movable wall portion 122 of the movable member 120 can be increased in accordance with the inclination of the vehicle member 210. This allows the upper guide mechanism 130, which will be described later, to be positioned on the advanced side relative to the lower guide mechanism 140. Furthermore, when the movable member 120 is positioned in the advanced position as shown in FIG. 3, even if the driver's knee 300 moves to the front of the vehicle during a vehicle collision, it is possible to avoid collision between the protruding movable member 120 and the knee 300.

[0019] 4 is a perspective view showing the steering device 100 with the fixed member omitted. The upper guide mechanism 130 is a mechanism that linearly guides the movable member 120 in the forward and backward directions relative to the fixed member 110. In the present embodiment, the upper guide mechanism 130 includes an upper fixed guide portion 131 that is fixed to the inside of the fixed wall portion 112 of the fixed member 110, and an upper movable guide portion 132 that is fixed to the outside of the movable wall portion 122 of the movable member 120. The upper movable guide portion 132 may be one that slides relative to the upper fixed guide portion 131, but in this embodiment, an upper rolling element 133 that is held so as to be rollable is disposed between the upper fixed guide portion 131 and the upper movable guide portion 132, as shown in FIG.

[0020] The upper fixed guide portion 131 is fixedly attached to the inside in the width direction of the fixed wall portion 112 (X+ side in the drawing) in a state extending in the movement direction of the movable member 120. In the case of this embodiment, a first rail 113 having the same function as the upper fixed guide portion 131 is also fixedly attached to the lower surface (Z- side surface in the drawing) of the fixed top plate portion 111 in a state extending in the movement direction of the movable member 120. In the advancing / retracting direction of the movable member 120, the position of the advancing side end of the upper fixed guide portion 131 is arranged at the same position as the advancing side end of the first rail 113.

[0021] Upper movable guide section 132 is fixedly attached to the outer side in the width direction of movable wall section 122 (X- side in the figure) while extending in the movement direction of movable member 120. In the case of this embodiment, a second rail 123 having the same function as upper movable guide section 132 is also fixedly attached to the top surface (Z+ side in the figure) of movable top plate section 121 while extending in the movement direction. In the advancing / retracting direction of movable member 120, the position of the advancing side end of upper movable guide section 132 is located at the same position as the position of the advancing side end of the second rail. Note that first rail 113 and second rail 123 are connected to be linearly movable via two rows of balls held by a retainer, similar to upper guide mechanism 130 in this embodiment.

[0022] The lower guide mechanism 140 is disposed below the upper guide mechanism 130 (on the Z-side in the drawing) and parallel to the upper guide mechanism 130, and is a mechanism that linearly guides the movable member 120 in the advancing and retreating direction relative to the fixed member 110. In the present embodiment, the lower guide mechanism 140 includes a lower fixed guide portion 141 that is fixed to the inside of the fixed wall portion 112 of the fixed member 110, and a lower movable guide portion 142 that is fixed to the outside of the movable wall portion 122 of the movable member 120. The lower movable guide portion 142 may be slidable relative to the lower fixed guide portion 141, but in this embodiment, a lower rolling element 143 that is rotatably held so as to maintain a predetermined gap between the lower fixed guide portion 141 and the lower movable guide portion 142, as shown in FIG. 5 .

[0023] The lower fixed guide portion 141 is disposed parallel to the upper fixed guide portion 131, and is fixedly attached to the inside in the width direction of the fixed wall portion 112 (X+ side in the figure) while extending in the movement direction of the movable member 120. The lower movable guide portion 142 is disposed parallel to the upper movable guide portion 132, and is fixedly attached to the outside in the width direction of the movable wall portion 122 (X- side in the figure) while extending in the movement direction of the movable member 120.

[0024] The upper fixed guide portion 131 is attached to the fixed member 110 so that the position of its advancing end is located further forward than the position of the advancing end of the lower fixed guide portion 141 in the advancing direction of the movable member 120. The upper movable guide portion 132 is attached to the movable member 120 so that the position of its advancing end is located further forward than the position of the advancing end of the lower movable guide portion 142. The length of the upper movable guide portion 132 is longer than the length of the lower movable guide portion. Furthermore, the number of upper rolling bodies 133 is greater than the number of lower rolling bodies 143.

[0025] In this embodiment, upper fixed guide portion 131 and lower fixed guide portion 141 are integrally formed by bending a metal plate. Upper movable guide portion 132 and lower movable guide portion 142 are integrally formed by bending a metal plate. Upper rolling element 133 and lower rolling element 143 are rotatably held by a single trapezoidal cage 144 whose upper base is longer than its lower base.

[0026] The steering shaft 150 is attached to the movable member 120 and is a member that rotatably holds the steering member 200. The shape of the steering shaft 150 is not particularly limited, and examples include a cylindrical shape and a hexagonal prism shape. The steering shaft 150 may also have a cross-sectional shape or cross-sectional area that changes in the axial direction. In this embodiment, the steering shaft 150 is attached to the movable member 120 so as to be rotatable about its axis.

[0027] A sensor such as a steering angle sensor is attached to the end of the steering shaft 150 on the driver's side (Y- side in the figure). In the case of the steer-by-wire steering device 100, the rotation angle of the steering shaft 150, i.e., the steering angle of the steering member 200, is detected by a steering angle sensor (not shown), and the steered wheels are turned based on a signal from the steering angle sensor.

[0028] According to the steering device 100 of the embodiment, the position of the advancing side end of the upper guide mechanism 130 is positioned further advancing than the position of the advancing side end of the lower guide mechanism 140, so that the torque T generated when the driver applies a downward force to the steering member 200 positioned in the advanced position can be supported at least at two points (for example, between points A and B) that are spaced apart by a distance longer than the length of the arrangement of the plurality of lower rolling bodies 143 lined up in a row. This can improve the structural strength of the steering device 100, and can provide a sense of stability and security to the driver holding the steering member 200.

[0029] Furthermore, since the number of upper rolling bodies 133 is greater than the number of lower rolling bodies 143, that is, the length of contact (via the rolling bodies) between the upper fixed guide part 131 and the upper movable guide part 132 is longer than the length of contact (via the rolling bodies) between the lower fixed guide part 141 and the lower movable guide part 142, it is possible to effectively support the torque that is generated when the driver applies a downward force to the steering member 200 that is arranged in the advanced position. This makes it possible to further improve the structural strength of the steering device 100.

[0030] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the present invention may be embodied in another embodiment by arbitrarily combining the components described in this specification or by excluding some of the components. Furthermore, the present invention also includes various modifications that would occur to a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention, i.e., the meaning of the wording of the claims.

[0031] For example, the steering device 100 may be provided with a tilt mechanism that tilts the moving direction of the movable member 120. In this case, the fixed member 110 may be attached to the vehicle body so as to be swingable, or the movable member 120 may be attached to the fixed member 110 so as to be swingable.

[0032] Furthermore, although an example has been given of a guide mechanism consisting of a first rail 113 and a second rail 123 arranged between the fixed top plate portion 111 and the movable top plate portion 121, another upper guide mechanism 130 and a lower guide mechanism 140 may be provided on the opposite side of the upper guide mechanism 130 and the lower guide mechanism 140 relative to the steering shaft body 150 in the width direction (X-axis direction in the figure). [Industrial Applicability]

[0033] The present invention can be used in steering devices for steering vehicles such as automobiles, buses, and trucks, as well as linkless steering devices. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 100...steering device, 110...fixed member, 111...fixed top plate portion, 112...fixed wall portion, 113...first rail, 115...moving device, 116...fixed bracket, 117...screw, 118...rotation drive device, 120...movable member, 121...movable top plate portion, 122...movable wall portion, 123...second rail, 125...through hole, 128...movable nut, 129...portion, 130...upper guide mechanism, 131...upper fixed guide portion, 132...upper movable guide portion, 133...upper rolling body, 140...lower guide mechanism, 141...lower fixed guide portion, 142...lower movable guide portion, 143...lower rolling body, 144...retainer, 150...steering shaft body, 200...steering member, 210...vehicle member, 300...knee

Claims

1. A steering device that holds a steering member movably between an advanced position where the driver can steer and a retracted position in front of the vehicle, a fixing member attached to the vehicle body; a movable member to which a steering shaft that holds the steering member is rotatably attached; an upper guide mechanism and a lower guide mechanism that linearly guide the movable member relative to the fixed member, In the advancing / retracting direction of the movable member, the position of the advancing side end of the upper guide mechanism is disposed on the advancing side relative to the position of the advancing side end of the lower guide mechanism, The upper guide mechanism is an upper fixed guide portion fixed to the fixed member; an upper movable guide portion disposed on the upper fixed guide portion and fixed to the movable member; The lower guide mechanism is a lower fixed guide portion fixed to the fixed member; a lower movable guide portion disposed below the lower fixed guide portion and fixed to the movable member, The length of the upper movable guide portion is longer than the length of the lower movable guide portion, At the advanced position, the position of the end portion on the advanced side of the upper movable guide portion is located on the advanced side of the position of the end portion on the advanced side of the lower movable guide portion. Steering device.

2. The upper guide mechanism is an upper rolling element disposed between the upper fixed guide portion and the upper movable guide portion; The lower guide mechanism is a lower rolling element disposed between the lower fixed guide portion and the lower movable guide portion, The number of the upper rolling elements is greater than the number of the lower rolling elements. The steering device according to claim 1 .

3. a trapezoidal cage that integrally holds the upper rolling element and the lower rolling element; The steering device according to claim 2 .

4. The position of the end portion on the advancing side of the upper portion of the movable member to which the upper guide mechanism is attached is located on the advancing side more than the position of the end portion on the advancing side of the lower portion of the movable member to which the lower guide mechanism is attached. A steering device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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