Steering system

{
  "publication_number": "US9156491B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Steering system",
  "abstract": "A stationary tooth row is provided in a restricted member that is not displaced together with a steering wheel during tilt adjustment of a steering system. A movable tooth row is provided in a movable member that is displaced in a tilt direction) together with the steering wheel during tilt adjustment. The movable tooth row includes a first movable tooth and second movable teeth. A first curvature radius of a tooth tip of the first movable tooth is made smaller than a second curvature radius of a tooth tip of each of the second movable teeth to make a tooth depth of the first movable tooth greater than a tooth depth of each of the second movable teeth.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A steering system comprising: a restricted member that is restrained from being displaced together with a steering wheel during tilt adjustment or telescopic adjustment; a movable member that is displaced together with the steering wheel during tilt adjustment or telescopic adjustment; a fastening mechanism that fastens the movable member and the restricted member together along a fastening direction in response to a rotational operation of an operating lever; a stationary tooth row provided in the restricted member; and a movable tooth row provided in the movable member, and engageable with the stationary tooth row, wherein the movable tooth row includes at least one first movable tooth and at least one second movable tooth, the first movable tooth has a first tooth surface and a second tooth surface, the first tooth surface and second tooth surface being inclined in opposite directions, and a rounded portion that serves as a tooth tip that directly connects the first tooth surface and the second tooth surface to each other, the second movable tooth has a first tooth surface and a second tooth surface, the first tooth surface and second tooth surface of the second movable tooth being inclined in opposite directions, and a rounded portion that serves as a tooth tip that directly connects the first tooth surface and the second tooth surface of the second movable tooth to each other, a pressure angle of the first tooth and a pressure angle of the second tooth are equal to each other, and a tooth depth of the first tooth is made greater than a tooth depth of the second tooth by setting a first curvature radius of the rounded portion of the first tooth, smaller than a second curvature radius of the rounded portion of the second tooth.",
    "2. The steering system according to claim 1, further comprising: a column jacket by which a steering shaft having one end connected to the steering wheel is rotatably supported; and a column side plate having an insertion slot and fixed to the column jacket, wherein the restricted member is a stationary side plate that has the stationary tooth row for tilt lock, and in which a tilt slot extending in a tilt direction is formed, an upper end of the stationary side plate in the tilt direction is a fixed end that is fixed to a vehicle body, and a lower end of the stationary side plate in the tilt direction is a free end that is located outward of the fixed end in a state where tilt lock is cancelled, the fastening mechanism includes a fastening shaft and a fastening member, the fastening shaft passing through the tilt slot of the stationary side plate and the insertion slot of the column side plate, the fastening member having the movable tooth row for tilt lock, the fastening member being supported by the fastening shaft so as to be movable in an axial direction of the fastening shaft to fasten the stationary side plate toward the column side plate, and the fastening member functioning as the movable member during tilt adjustment, stationary teeth of the stationary tooth row are aligned in the tilt direction, and movable teeth of the movable tooth row are aligned in the tilt direction, and the first movable tooth is located below a central axis of the fastening shaft in the tilt direction.",
    "3. The steering system according to claim 2, wherein the first movable tooth is provided solely as a lowermost tooth in the movable tooth row in the tilt direction.",
    "4. The steering system according to claim 3, wherein a tooth width of the first movable tooth is set smaller than a tooth width of the second tooth.",
    "5. The steering system according to claim 4, wherein the movable tooth row has a toothless region as a region that adjoins the first movable tooth in a tooth trace direction of the first movable tooth, and that faces the second movable tooth in the tilt direction.",
    "6. The steering system according to claim 4, wherein the movable tooth row includes a third movable tooth having a tooth profile identical to a tooth profile of the second movable tooth, in a region that adjoins the first movable tooth in a tooth trace direction of the first movable tooth and that faces the second movable tooth in the tilt direction.",
    "7. The steering system according to claim 4, wherein: the movable tooth row includes a third movable tooth that is continuous with the first movable tooth in a tooth trace direction of the first movable tooth, in a region that adjoins the first movable tooth in the tooth trace direction and that faces the second movable tooth in the tilt direction; and a tooth depth of the third movable tooth is reduced continuously or in a stepwise manner from a tooth depth that is equal to the tooth depth of the first movable tooth in a direction away from the first movable tooth in the tooth trace direction.",
    "8. The steering system according to claim 7, wherein a curvature radius of a rounded portion of the third movable tooth, the rounded portion being a tooth tip of the third movable tooth, is increased continuously or in a stepwise manner from a curvature radius that is equal to the first curvature radius of the first movable tooth in the direction away from the first movable tooth in the tooth trace direction.",
    "9. The steering system according to claim 2, wherein a tooth width of the first movable tooth is set smaller than a tooth width of the second tooth.",
    "10. The steering system according to claim 9, wherein the movable tooth row has a toothless region as a region that adjoins the first movable tooth in a tooth trace direction of the first movable tooth, and that faces the second movable tooth in the tilt direction.",
    "11. The steering system according to claim 9, wherein the movable tooth row includes a third movable tooth having a tooth profile identical to a tooth profile of the second movable tooth, in a region that adjoins the first movable tooth in a tooth trace direction of the first movable tooth and that faces the second movable tooth in the tilt direction.",
    "12. The steering system according to claim 9, wherein: the movable tooth row includes a third movable tooth that is continuous with the first movable tooth in a tooth trace direction of the first movable tooth, in a region that adjoins the first movable tooth in the tooth trace direction and that faces the second movable tooth in the tilt direction; and a tooth depth of the third movable tooth is reduced continuously or in a stepwise manner from a tooth depth that is equal to the tooth depth of the first movable tooth in a direction away from the first movable tooth in the tooth trace direction.",
    "13. The steering system according to claim 12, wherein a curvature radius of a rounded portion of the third movable tooth, the rounded portion being a tooth tip of the third movable tooth, is increased continuously or in a stepwise manner from a curvature radius that is equal to the first curvature radius of the first movable tooth in the direction away from the first movable tooth in the tooth trace direction.",
    "14. The steering system according to claim 1, further comprising: a column jacket by which a steering shaft having one end connected to the steering wheel is rotatably supported, and that moves in a telescopic direction during telescopic adjustment; and a column side plate having the movable tooth row for telescopic lock, fixed to the column jacket, and functioning as the movable member during telescopic adjustment, wherein stationary teeth of the stationary tooth row are aligned in the telescopic direction, and movable teeth of the movable tooth row are aligned in the telescopic direction, and the stationary tooth row includes a first stationary tooth as the first tooth and a second stationary tooth as the second tooth."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to a steering system. 2. Description of the Related Art A structure for preventing half-lock, for example, in a steering system in which tilt adjustment can be made has been proposed. With this structure, in the course of engaging first lock teeth with second lock teeth, a guide projection that projects from a tooth tip of at least one of the first lock teeth is engaged with the corresponding second lock teeth before the remaining first lock teeth are engaged with the corresponding second lock teeth, so that the first lock teeth and the second lock teeth are aligned with each other as a whole. In this way, occurrence of half-lock is restricted. See Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-264870 (JP 2010-264870 A), for example. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-81026 (JP 2008-81026 A) describes a lock structure using engagement of teeth, in which the height of a specific tooth out of the teeth is made higher than that of the remaining teeth and the pressure angle of the specific tooth is made smaller than that of the remaining teeth.\n\nIn the structure described in JP 2010-264870 A, the guide projection that projects from the tooth tip has an insufficient strength and is not formed with ease. This exerts disadvantageous effect on the manufacturing. In the structure described in JP 2008-81026 A, the pressure angle of at least one of the teeth is made different from that of the remaining teeth. This makes the manufacturing difficult.",
  "cpc": [
    "B62D 1/187",
    "B62D 1/184",
    "F16B 2001/0092",
    "F16B 2200/99"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B62D 1/184",
    "B62D 1/187",
    "F16B 1/00"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "JTEKT CORP"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "OKANO RYOTA",
    "SUGIURA TOMONORI"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2014-04-23",
  "publication_date": "2015-10-13",
  "grant_date": "2015-10-13",
  "priority_date": "2013-05-10",
  "application_number": "US-201414259718-A",
  "family_id": "50639279",
  "citations": [
    "JP2008081026A",
    "JP2010264870A",
    "US2004057786A1",
    "US2014076092A1",
    "US2014318303A1",
    "US5893676A",
    "US6092955A",
    "US7083197B2"
  ]
}