JPH0790785B2 - Vehicle steering wheel tube with disconnection means incorporated - Google Patents

Description

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a vehicle steering handle tube incorporating means for disconnecting the steering handle tube in the event of a head-on collision of the vehicle.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

The purpose of this disengagement device is to prevent frontal breaking forces on the vehicle from reaching the upper steering handle tube.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

According to the present invention there is provided a vehicle steering handle tube incorporating means for disconnecting the steering handle tube in the event of a head-on collision of the vehicle, said means interchanging the upper and lower portions of the steering handle tube. A removable joint for connection, said joint usually comprising a clamping device for clamping the two parts together, the clamping device being disengaged when the lower part is forcibly moved towards the upper part There is a means by which the two parts are separated.

In one preferred form, the removable joint includes a spline shaft that fits within a correspondingly shaped yoke. The spline shaft has a means for decoupling the clamping plate, thereby disengaging the joint as the spline shaft is forced to move in the yoke of the joint toward the upper portion of the steering handle tube.

In another form, the removable joint comprises two plate-like members, one provided at the upper end of the lower portion of the steering handle tube and the other at the upper side of the steering handle tube. The two plate-shaped members provided at the lower end of the portion are detachably fixed to one. The two members can be secured together by bolts in the slotted holes and when force is exerted on the members towards the top at the end of said lower part, the bolts are removed from their respective slots. Is expelled,
Thereby, the two parts are separated.

〔Example〕

Referring to the drawings and initially to FIG. 1, a vehicle incorporating means for separating the steering handle tubes in order to prevent destructive forces from reaching the upper steering handle tubes in the event of a head-on collision of the vehicle. A steering handle tube is shown in schematic form.

FIG. 1 shows the steering wheel 1 mounted on the fixed upper part of the steering handle tube 2 which is connected to the lower part 5 of the steering handle tube via universal joints 3 and 4. The lower part 5 is connected to the steering rack 6.

Between the universal joints 3 and 4 is an intermediate shaft 7 incorporating means according to the invention for separating the steering wheel tube in the case of a head-on collision of the vehicle, which head-on collision is a collision between the engine and the suspension system. At that moment, the steering rack 6 will be moved towards the passenger compartment as it moves as indicated by the arrow A in FIG. The arrow B indicates the movement of the parts of the intermediate shaft during disengagement, which prevents large forces from being transmitted to the upper steering handle tube part 2.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 to 5, there is illustrated a first embodiment of the separating means incorporated in the intermediate shaft 7, which fits in the V-shaped yoke 9 and by means of the clamping plate 10. And a V-shaped shaft 8 which is held in place.

The clamping plate 10 has two slots 11 and 12 for receiving a rivet 13 and a screw 14, respectively. One end of the clamping plate is held by the riveting 13, and the clamping force between the shaft 8 and the yoke 9 is applied by the screw 14.

There is provided a device for loosening the clamping device when the lower part 5 of the steering wheel tube is forced towards the upper part 2, basically in the direction of arrow A in FIG. The device illustrated in FIG. 2 has a pin mounted on the upper surface of the shaft 8.
Is 15. At the moment of collision, the shaft 8 slips in the yoke 9,
The pin 15 strikes the clamping plate 10 and pushes it until it separates (also see FIGS. 7 and 8). Fourth
Location 10A in the figure illustrates the contact for pin 15.
The separating force is set by setting the torque of the tightening screw 14 and metal-to-metal, plastic coating, paint finish,
It can be adjusted to suit the particular application by varying the sliding surface material, such as electrical matte finish, low slip material such as phosphate or PTFE, or any combination thereof. The shaft 8 does not have to be V-shaped, but the 5A, 5B and
It can have other possible shapes as illustrated in Figure 5C. In each case there is a controlled contact such as that shown in Figure 5B at 8A.

FIG. 6 illustrates a modification of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, in which the pin 15 is spaced far away from the end of the shaft 8 on which the clamping plate 10 is mounted, and the shaft 8 is An escape flat portion 8A is provided immediately after the tightening plate 10 so as to be separated in the direction of separation. At the moment of impact, the V-shaped shaft 8 slides in the V-shaped yoke 9 and the force between the clamping plate 10 and the shaft 8 is reduced when the flat 8A is just below the clamping plate 10. This has the effect of loosening the clamping plate 10 in order to minimize the minimum separating force required by the pin 15.

7 and 8 exemplify the separating action at the time of collision. At the moment of impact, the shaft 8 and the yoke 9 move towards each other and the pin 15 consequently strikes the rivet 13 and the clamping plate 10 which slides under the screw 14 and the complete unit separates.
The axles 8 and 9 ride on each other and once separate.

9 and 10 illustrate another possible device for releasing the tightening device. Instead of the pin 15, a raised flat surface 8B is provided on the upper side of the shaft 8 and the flat surface 8B serves to push the clamping plate 10 straight off, the area labeled 10A in FIG. Would hit virtually the whole thing.

FIGS. 11-17 show various options for achieving initial clamp plate retention to ensure that the initial assembly of the removable coupling unit is correct.

11 and 12 show a rivet 13 or screw 14 in the clamping plate 10 and a retaining clip 16 having a hole 17 therein into which the shaft of the rivet or screw can be inserted. The clip 16 is a metal clip whose purpose is to position the clamping plate 10 and the rivets or screws. At the moment of impact, the clamping plate 10 leaves the clip 16 in place on the rivet or screw.

FIGS. 13 and 14 show another form in which the clip 16 is replaced by a plastic bush 18 provided for both the rivet 13 and the screw 14. Bushiyu
The outer diameter of 18 is the narrow portion 11A and 12A of the long holes 11 and 12.
Greater than the width of. However, the width of each portion 11A, 12A is greater than the axis of the rivet or screw that each portion is intended to receive. Therefore, at the moment of collision, the tightening plate 10
Cut through Bushiyu 18.

FIG. 15 shows a holding clip 16 'provided with an elongated slot 19.
At the moment of collision, showing one of the shapes (illustrated in FIG. 21), the clamping plate 10 carries the clip 16 'therewith, and when the shaft of the rivet or screw is inserted through the slot 19,
It is spreading.

16 and 17 illustrate another form of retaining clip 16 "having a folded portion 20 that fits into a V-shaped recess 10B on the top surface of the clamping plate 10. The retaining clip is then held further tightly on the clamping plate 10 and at the moment of collision again the clamping plate 10 carries the clip 16 ″ with it and the slot 19 is illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 21. Open as in the previous example.

Turning now to Figures 18 and 19, a second main embodiment of the steering handle tube separation device is illustrated. Here, the intermediate shaft 7 of the steering wheel pipe is bolted together using a pair of bolts 23, each of which is a plate member 21.
And 22 respectively, which are divided into two shaft portions 7A and 7B. To receive the bolt, the member 21 comprises a pair of threaded holes 24, while the member 22 ends in a bolt hole where the bolt 23 moves into the hole 24 in the member 21 below the member 22. It has a pair of open slots 25. A washer 26 is mounted between the head of bolt 23 and member 21 and between members 21 and 22 themselves. The bolt 23 connects the members 21 and 22 together,
Thus, the axle parts 7A and 7B are tightened so that they press against, and it can be seen that this configuration allows for the separation of this clamping device between the two axles at the moment of impact of the vehicle. The decoupling force can be adjusted by setting the torque of the bolt for different applications to change the sliding surface material between the various interfaces. For example, the interface can be a metal-to-metal, a coated plastic, a paint finish, an electroplated finish, a coating of a low slip material such as phosphate or PTFE, or any combination thereof.

Provision is made to ensure that the initial assembly of the unit is correct, as shown in FIG. 19, which is accomplished by attaching a plastic bushing 27 to each bolt 23. This plastic bush is the same as the plastic bush 18 shown in Fig. 14,
Indeed the relative dimensions between the bolts / screws / rivets and the bushes (18,27) and the slots in which they are mounted as described above are applicable to both the application of FIG. 14 and the application of FIG.
Even in the latter case, Bushiyu 27, at the moment it hits,
It is cut off by the shaft plate member 22.

20 and 21 show a modified configuration which ensures that the initial assembly of the unit is correct. In this form, the holding clip instead of the plastic bush 27
16 '(already described for use with the arrangement shown in FIG. 15) is fitted into shaft portion 7B in an inverted position. As in the previous example, the plate member 22 of the shaft portion 7B to which the clip is attached carries the clip together and the slot 19 in the clip.
Is unrolled by the axis of the bolt 23.

Referring now to FIGS. 22-24, the embodiment herein is a modified version of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 and includes a plastic brush 27 (FIG. 9) and metal. It avoids the need for positioning devices such as clip 16 '(FIGS. 20 and 21). In the embodiment of FIGS. 22 to 24, prior to the assembly of the bolt 23, the pre-positioning of the plate members 21 and 22 of the shaft parts 7A and 7B respectively is carried out by the plate member 21
This is accomplished by providing a plastic shear pin 28 which is positioned to pass through both No. Another washer 26 may be placed around the shear pin 28 between the members 21 and 22.

Along with pre-positioning the shaft prior to bolt assembly, the shear pin 28 helps to stiffen the unit by preventing parts from being improperly assembled.

In other respects, the embodiment of Figures 22-24 corresponds to the embodiment of Figures 18 and 19.

The embodiment shown in Figures 25-33 is similar to the embodiment shown in Figures 1-17 in that a clamping plate 10 is provided. 25th ~
In the embodiment of FIG. 27, the clamping plates 10 are folded back towards each other to form a wraparound clamping plate 10 that encloses the lateral edge of the V-shaped yoke 9 on which the V-shaped shaft 8 is mounted. Has an outer edge. Axis 8 is a tension screw threaded into a hole in the upper surface of clamping plate 10.
It is fastened to the yoke 9 with 29. The screw 29 is tightened to the set torque.

The upper surface of the shaft 8, i.e. the surface not mounted on the V-shaped shaft 9, is provided with a clamping plate striking block 30 near one edge of the clamping plate 10. The opposite edge of the clamping plate 10 is arranged to abut a stop member 31 which is also provided on the upper surface of the shaft 8 at the free end of the shaft 8.

The well-shaped recess of the V-shaped yoke 9 is provided with a baffle plate 32 extending upward from the V-shaped container.

The screw 29 can be turned by means of a hex tool which is inserted into the hex recess in the screw, after which the hex recess can be filled with adhesive so that it cannot be tampered with during use. . As in the previous embodiments, the interfaces of the various components that need to move relative to each other can be coated or otherwise treated as described above.

At the moment the vehicle collides, the V-shaped shaft 8 and the V-shaped yoke 9 are forcibly pressed toward each other, the striking block 30 expels the clamping plate 10, and the V-shaped shaft 8 completely separates. Is deflected away from the assembly by baffle plate 32.

The modified version shown in FIG. 28 is similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 25-27 except that the V-shaped yoke 9 is shaped to surround the clamping plate 10 instead of being otherwise wrapped. Is based.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 29 to 33 is the inner side wall of the V-shaped yoke 9.
Figure 9 shows a clamping plate 10 forming a bridge across 9A. As can be seen in FIGS. 30 to 33, the side wall 9A of the yoke extends above the shaft 8 and above the clamping plate 10, which is a longitudinal groove 9B with an open end in the yoke 9.
(Fig. 33A) Slidably fitted.

As with the embodiment of FIGS. 25-28, the assembly is tightened with screws 29, which can also be in the anti-tamper configuration with the adhesive described above. Similarly, various coatings can be applied to the relatively movable parts.

Further, when the impact block 30 repels the tightening plate 10 at the moment of collision and the shaft 8 strikes the deflecting plate 32, the separation is achieved.

If for some reason the screw 29 of the embodiment of FIGS. 25-30 loosens during use, the clamping plate 10 is retained by the striking block 30 and the stop member 31.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a steering wheel pipe for a vehicle incorporating a separating device, FIG. 2 is a side view of a partial cross-section of a first embodiment of the steering handle pipe separating means, and FIG. 3 is III of FIG. -III is a sectional view taken along line III-III, Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the fastening plate illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, and Figs. 5A, 5B and 5C are illustrated in Figs. FIG. 6 is a view showing another form of the contour that the spline shaft can take, FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a modified form of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 7 and FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 2 exemplifying the operation of the detaching means, FIGS. 9 and 10 are schematic side views and perspective views of a partial cross section of a modified form of the releasing means for the tightening device, and FIG. FIG. 12 is a side cross-sectional view of a portion of a possible joint showing a clamping plate retaining clip that can be incorporated, FIG. 12 showing the retaining shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the lip, FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 11 illustrating another method for holding the tightening plate, FIG. 14 is a view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 13, and FIG. FIG. 17 is a side sectional view showing another form of the fastening plate holding using the holding clip as shown in FIG. 21, FIG. 16 is a view similar to FIG. 15 showing another form of the fastening plate holding, FIG. Figure 16 is a perspective view of the retaining clip illustrated in Figure 16 and Figure 18 is a vehicle steering handle incorporating a second major embodiment of the means for separating the steering handle tube in the event of a vehicle frontal collision. 19 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of the tube, FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIX-XIX of FIG. 18 (FIG. 14 is a corresponding view through line 14-14 of FIG. 19) FIG. 20 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating one method of positioning components, FIG. 21 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating one method of positioning components, and FIG. Fig. 18 is a perspective view of a retaining clip as shown and used in the form illustrated in Fig. 15; Fig. 22 shows a modification of the embodiment of the separating device shown in Fig. 18; The same figure as FIG. 23, FIG. 23 is a sectional view taken along line XXIII-XXIII in FIG. 22, FIG. 24 is a sectional view taken along line XXIV-XXIV in FIG. 22, and FIG. A plan view of still another embodiment of the steering handle tube separating means, FIG. 26 is an end sectional view taken along line XXVI-XXVI in FIG. 25, and FIG. 27 is illustrated in FIGS. 25 and 26. FIG. 28 is a side view of a portion of the configuration shown in FIG.
A view similar to FIG. 26, FIGS. 29A and 29B are respectively a plan view and an end view of the tightening plate shown in another embodiment illustrated in FIG. 30, and FIG. 30 is a view of the embodiment of FIG. 29. A view similar to FIG. 25, FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XXXI-XXXI of FIG. 30, FIG. 32 is a plan view of a portion of the configuration illustrated in FIG. 30, FIGS. 33A and 33B. FIG. 3 is a side view and an end view of the V-shaped yoke shown in FIGS. 30 to 32, respectively.

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. A steering handle tube comprising a deformed shaft formed at a tip of a lower portion and an upper portion of an upper portion, and a yoke having a corresponding shape for receiving the deformed shaft, and always interconnecting the two portions. For fastening the deformable shaft and the yoke together and forcibly moving the lower part towards the upper part, a releasable joint comprising a clamping device for releasing the deformable shaft and the yoke. And adjusting means for adjusting the force required to release the releasable joint by increasing or decreasing the force applied to the tightening device, the means for disconnecting the steering handle tube in the case of a frontal collision of the vehicle. Built-in vehicle steering wheel tube. 2. The releasable joint also comprises a clamping plate which normally clamps the profiled shaft and the yoke together, the clamping plate being independent of the profiled shaft and the yoke. Vehicle steering wheel tube described. 3. The coupling releases the joint when the profiled shaft separates the clamping plate, thereby forcing the profiled shaft in the yoke of the coupling toward the upper portion of the steering wheel tube. A vehicle steering wheel tube according to claim 2 having means. 4. The vehicle steering wheel tube according to claim 3, wherein said means for releasing said clamping plate comprises a pin protruding from the surface of said deformed shaft. 5. The vehicle steering wheel tube according to claim 3, wherein said means for releasing said clamping plate comprises a raised flat surface provided on the side surface of said profiled shaft. 6. The vehicle steering wheel tube according to claim 2, wherein the deformed shaft has a V-shaped cross section, and the yoke has a corresponding V-shaped cross section. 7. The vehicle steering wheel tube according to claim 2, wherein said adjusting means presses said clamping plate towards said yoke, thereby pressing said clamping plate against said profiled shaft. 8. The deformed shaft, when viewed in a separating direction,
The vehicle steering handle tube according to claim 2, further comprising a relief flat surface immediately after the tightening plate, and reducing the force between the tightening plate and the deformed shaft when the flat surface is directly below the tightening plate. . 9. The vehicle steering wheel tube according to claim 2, wherein said tightening plate has two open slots for receiving a rivet and a screw, respectively. 10. The vehicle steering wheel tube according to claim 9, further comprising a retaining clip having a hole into which a rivet or screw shaft can be inserted. 11. The vehicle steering wheel tube according to claim 9, further comprising a retaining clip having an elongated slot into which a rivet or screw shaft can be inserted. 12. An indentation for receiving a corresponding portion of the retaining clip to enable the retaining clip to be held more firmly on the clamping plate when the clamping plate is disengaged. Vehicle steering wheel tube according to 10 or 11. 13. The vehicle steering wheel tube according to claim 9, further comprising a bush for receiving a rivet or screw shaft for each slot in the tightening plate. 14. The vehicle steering wheel tube according to claim 2, wherein the tightening plate has outer edges folded back toward each other so as to wrap both side edges of the yoke. 15. The vehicle steering wheel tube according to claim 14, wherein the tightening plate is tightly tightened to the deformed shaft and the yoke by a screw extending from a threaded hole in the tightened plate and fixed to the deformed shaft. 16. The screw has a recess therein for receiving an operating tool and is filled with material to prevent the screw from being tampered with after the screw has been tightened to the required tension. The vehicle steering wheel tube according to claim 15. 17. The vehicle steering wheel tube of claim 2, wherein the yoke has side edges shaped to surround the clamping plate. 18. The yoke has side edges extending above the profiled shaft and above the clamping plate, the clamping plate being slidably fitted in a longitudinal hole open at one end in the yoke. 3. The vehicle steering wheel tube according to claim 2, wherein the clamping plate bridges the yoke.