Patent ID: 8955407
Filing Date: 2015-02-17
Classification: B62D

Abstract:
1. A steering apparatus comprising: an inner column; an outer column fitter to the inner column so as to be relatively movable in an axial direction; a clamp mechanism fixing a relative position of the outer column to the inner column; a female steering shaft rotatably support on one of the inner and outer columns, and having an inner peripheral surface formed with a female spline; and a male steering shaft rotatably supported on the other of the inner and outer columns, the male steering shaft having its outer peripheral surface provided with a male spline inserted and fitted in the female spline, and being capable of moving in the axial direction with respect to the female steering shaft and transferring torque thereto, the steering apparatus being capable of adjusting a telescopic position of a steering wheel fitted to the female steering shaft or the male steering shaft, wherein the female steering shaft and the male steering shaft are provided with a come-out preventive mechanism for preventing an axial escape of the male steering shaft from the female steering shaft in a state where a fitting portion between the female spline and the male spline remains, the come-out preventive mechanism including: an outer peripheral side annular groove formed in the male spline in a peripheral direction; a resiliently deformable ring-shaped member fitted in the outer peripheral side annular groove; and a diameter enlarged portion provided at one portion of the female spline in the axial direction or provided adjacently to an end portion of the female spline on the side opposite to the male spline insertion side, the diameter enlarged portion is formed to have a diameter larger than a tooth tip circle of the female spline and have a widthwise dimension larger than a widthwise dimension of the ring-shaped member and is provided in a position where the fitting portion between the female spline and the male spline remains in such a state that a relative position of the female steering shaft to the male steering shaft becomes a position in which the diameter enlarged portion and the outer peripheral side annular groove are superposed in a radial direction, and the ring-shaped member gets resiliently deformed to be reduced in diameter upon abutting on the female spline when the male spline is inserted into the female spline, and enables the male spline to move with respect to the female spline in the axial direction, and the ring-shaped member resiliently returns to enlarge in diameter from a diameter reduced state when the female steering shaft and the male steering shaft make the relative axial movements in a direction of escape in a state after fitting the female spline and the male spline together but before mounting the steering apparatus on the vehicle body, and abuts on the female spline, thereby preventing the axial escape of the male steering shaft from the female steering shaft.