STEERING COLUMN SUPPORT APPARATUS

摘要

A steering column support apparatus for an electric power-steering apparatus with a tilt mechanism is achieved that is capable of sufficiently maintaining support rigidity of a tilt pivot shaft 15a to support a pivot bracket 28, and keeping the resistance when performing a tilt operation low with the durability of the side plate sections 32c of a pair of bushings 30c sufficiently maintained. The portions of the outer circumferential surface of the tilt pivot shaft 15a and the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 29 that hold the cylindrical sections 31 of the bushings 30c are cylindrical surfaces. Moreover, main contact surface sections 36, which come in contact with the inner side surfaces of support plate sections 23 in the neutral state in which there is no assist reaction force, and sub contact surface sections 37, which do not come in contact with the support plate sections 23 in the neutral state, and come in contact with the inside surfaces of the support plate sections 23 only when there is elastic deformation due to the occurrence of an assist reaction force, are formed on outside surfaces of the side plate sections 32c of the bushings 30c.

主权项

1. A steering column support apparatus, comprising:
a front support bracket that is fastened to a vehicle body and that has a pair of support plate sections that are parallel with each other and separated in a width direction of the vehicle body; a tilt pivot shaft that is arranged in the width direction of the vehicle body so as to be spanned between the side plate sections; a pivot bracket that is provided on part of a housing of an electric assist apparatus, and that has a through hole through which the tilt pivot shaft is inserted and supports a steering column, which supports a steering shaft so as to be able to freely rotate, by way of the housing; and a pair of bushings, that are made of an elastic material or a low-friction material so as to be formed into an annular shape as a whole, and that are fitted around both end sections in an axial direction of the tilt pivot shaft, each of the pair of bushings having a cylindrical section that is held between an outer circumferential surface of the tilt pivot shaft and an inner circumferential surface of the through hole; a circular ring-shaped side plate section that extends outward in a radial direction from one end section in the axial direction of the cylindrical section, and is held between a side surface of the pivot bracket and an inside surface of the support plate section; and a thinned section that is provided on part of at least one of both circumferential surfaces of the cylindrical section, or part of at least one of both side surfaces of the side plate section, so as not to come in contact with opposing surfaces that face the circumferential surfaces or the side surfaces in a neutral state where at least an assist force that is applied to the steering shaft from the electric assist apparatus is not generated.