Nsk Corporation

Masaya Jouta

Wataru Hagiwara

Yusuke Suemasu

Satoru Nagasawa

Hideki Kojima

Masaharu Igarashi

Shinichi Fuchigami

A steering apparatus is disclosed, the apparatus including friction platesclamped by a clamping bolttogether with a clamp portion and a vehicle-sided bracketto extend toward a rear side of a vehicle in an axial direction; and a holding memberfitted on an inner columnand connected to portions, on the rear side of the vehicle, of the friction plates, the holding memberand the inner columnbeing connected together via shearing pins, the shearing pins being sheared into fracture upon receiving a predetermined level of impact force to enable a more stable and lower separating load to be acquired.

Steering apparatus

A steering apparatus is disclosed, the apparatus including: friction platesfastened by a fastening mechanism with a clamp portion and a vehicle-sided bracket; and an annular memberfitted on an inner columnand connected to the friction plates, the annular memberand the inner columnbeing formed with through-holespenetrating the annular memberand the inner columnin the vicinity of a connecting portion between the friction platesand the annular memberand being connected by a pininserted into the through-holes, the pin being fractured upon receiving predetermined impact force, resulting in canceling the connection between the annular memberand the inner columnto enable a more stable and lower separating load to be acquired.

A steering apparatus includes a key lock collar () fitted on a steering shaft () and restricted from rotating by a steering lock mechanism when performing a steering lock, and a cylindrical slip ring () interposed between the steering shaft () and the key lock collar () in radial directions. The slip ring () includes a plurality of protruded portions () protruding outwardly or inwardly in the radial directions and being provided in a circumferential direction, and an axis-directional portion of the steering shaft () covered by the slip ring () is formed with a large-diameter portion () and a small-diameter portion (), thereby further stabilizing slip torque of the key lock collar () and enlarging a range of a dimensional allowance.

A steering apparatus () is provided, which includes: a key lock collar () being fitted on a steering shaft () and restricted from rotating by a steering lock mechanism when performing a steering lock; and a slip ring () being interposed between the steering shaft () and the key lock collar () in radial directions, wherein the slip ring () includes a plurality of protruded portions () protruding outwardly or inwardly in the radial directions and being provided in a circumferential direction, and an inner peripheral portion of the key lock collar () covering the slip ring () is formed with large-diameter portions () and small-diameter portions () in the axial direction, thereby further stabilizing slip torque of the key lock and enlarging a range of dimensional allowance.

A steering device contains a rolling bearing that axially supports a steering shaft to allow rotation, and whose upper column and lower column engage along the axis in a sliding motion in order to provide improved steering wheel operating stability during high-speed driving. The elastic force of an O-ring tightens the outer circumferential surface of a female steering shaft against the cylindrical surface of a bushing. A specific frictional force therefore occurs between the cylindrical surface of the bushing and the outer circumferential surface of the female steering shaft so that handling stability of the steering wheel during high-speed driving is improved. Moreover, vehicle vibrations are prevented from being conveyed to the steering wheel by the O-ring crushed due to the pressing force of the inner circumferential surface of the first lower column and that absorbs the vibration of the female steering shaft.

Steering device

End portions of lower-side telescopic friction plateswhich lie to face a front side of a vehicle body are connected integrally by a connecting portion, and a lower endof the connecting portionis fixed to an outer circumference of an upper-side lower columnA by means of welding. When an upper columnis fastened on to a vehicle body mounting bracketfor tilt and telescopic positioning of the upper column, the lower-side telescopic friction platesand upper-side telescopic friction platesare fastened together. The upper columnand the lower columnare connected together via the lower-side telescopic friction platesand the upper-side telescopic friction plates, whereby the rigidity and vibration properties of a steering apparatus as a whole are enhanced.

Growing community of inventors

Maebashi, Japan

Masaya Jouta