Koyo Seiko Company, Ltd.

Koyo Seiko., Ltd.

Noboru Minamoto

Shuzo Hirakushi

Yoshikazu Kuroumaru

Masanori Kobayashi

Ryouichi Tokioka

Takashi Ohata

Yoshiyuki Nakamura

Fumiyoshi Ono

Koji Yoshioka

Yoshikazu Kuromaru

Yoshihiro Tsunoda

Yoshitaka Yamamoto

Hironori Kotani

Ken Niwa

Yoshiyuki Saito

A shock absorbing type steering device decreases variations in press fitting loads corresponding to a friction force between two columns. A shock can be appropriately absorbed by relative movements of the two columns in an axial direction. At least one of a first column and a second column press fitted into an opening at one end of the first column is formed with swaged parts on a peripheral wall thereof at a plurality of positions having intervals in a circumferential direction of the column, respectively at a plurality of positions having intervals in an axial direction of the column. Positions of tip ends of the swaged parts are different between a group of swaged parts near the opening at the end of the first column and other groups remote from the opening.

Shock absorbing type steering device for vehicles and method of producing the same

An extendable shaft includes a first and a second shaft sections aligned on the same axis. External splines on an outer periphery of the first shaft section engage external splines on an inner periphery of the second shaft section. The first shaft section includes a slit extended from an opening end thereof for a predetermined length along an axial direction. A diametrically contractible portion adapted for elastic reduction in diameter is provided in a region ranging from the opening end of the first shaft section to place away therefrom by the predetermined length along the axial direction. A thin-wall portion is formed in a part of the diametrically contractible portion. A clamping member elastically clamps the diametrically contractible portion.

Extendable shaft

A tilt steering apparatus comprises a lock lever rotatable around the axis of a supporting shaft. When a lock lever is rotated around the axis of the supporting shaft, a cam surface is rotated relative to a cam follower. As a result, the cam surface presses the cam follower against side plates of a fixed bracket, thereby achieving tilt locking. The cam surface has a plurality of slopes corresponding to a rotation stroke position of the lock lever. The operating torque of the lock lever at the time of a locking operation is reduced without increasing the range of the operating angle of the lock lever.

Tilt steering apparatus

With the steering apparatus, a tilt can be adjusted by sliding a column bracket, which is fastened to a column housing supporting a steering shaft so as to be rotatable, along tilting apertures provided at side walls of a tilting bracket. A contact projection which is projected toward a stopper from a substantially center portion of the column bracket for limiting a tilt angle crashes into the stopper with a slide of the column bracket caused by a secondary crash and pushes the stopper into guiding apertures arranged in an extension to the tilting apertures. The steering apparatus can realize absorption of energy of a secondary crash by increasing a tilt angle always under a proper condition, while high accuracy is unnecessary in shaping related parts.

Steering apparatus

A lower bracket for mounting a steering column to a vehicle body is formed as a single element that is fixed to the vehicle body by inserting a bolt with a collar therethrough. Upon application of an impact load, the lower bracket forces the bolt and collar into a path of a smaller width than the collar thereby plastically deforming an edge portion of the path for absorption of the impact energy.

Shock-absorbing steering assembly

A hydraulic pressure control valve includes a cylindrical valve body and a valve spool coaxially fitted therein, each having oil grooves and lands alternately provided on and along the respective peripheral inside and outside surfaces, the opposing oil grooves and lands having throttles therebetween whose throttling extent, are changeable in accordance with a relative angular displacement between the valve body and the valve spool such that the flow of a working oil is concentrated in wider throttles. Thus noise due to cavitation is reduced.

Hydraulic pressure control valve

A motor-operated tilt steering device including a fixed bracket fixed to the body of a vehicle and supporting a lower steering shaft by means of a lower column, a tilt bracket pivotally movably attached to the fixed bracket and supporting by an upper column an upper steering shaft connected to the lower steering shaft by a universal joint, a tilting electric motor attached to the fixed bracket, and an arrangement for converting the rotation of the motor to a pivotal movement of the tilt bracket. The conversion arrangement includes a screw shaft attached to the fixed bracket in parallel with the motor, a timing belt coupling the motor to the screw shaft, a screw nut in meshing engagement with the screw shaft, and an eccentric member coupling the screw nut to the tilt bracket.

Growing community of inventors

Kashihara, Japan

Noboru Minamoto