| 摘要 |
A tiltable steering column for an automotive vehicle includes a main steering shaft made up from a lower steering shaft and an upper steering shaft tiltably rotationally connected to the lower steering shaft, and a column tube assembly which includes a lower tube which rotatably supports the lower steering shaft from the body of the automotive vehicle and an upper tube which rotatably supports the upper steering shaft and is pivotally mounted so as to be able to tilt relative to the lower tube. A tilt locking mechanism also included in the steering column includes a first side ratchet mechanism on one side of the column tube assembly and a second side ratchet mechanism on the other side of the column tube assembly. Each such side ratchet mechanism includes a ratchet fixedly attached to one of the upper tube and the lower tube, a means which acts constantly for biasing the pawl so as to engage it with the ratchet, and a means for selectively biasing the pawl so as to release its engagement with the ratchet. And the tilt locking mechanism also includes a means for coupling the operation of the two pawl releasing means together, with a certain amount of play being available therebetween. Thereby, errors in manufacture and assembly can be compensated for, thus assuring good operability and manufacturability of the steering shaft. |
