Patent ID: 9108672
Filing Date: 2015-08-18
Classification: B62D

Abstract:
1. A steering column apparatus comprising: a cylindrical inner column; a cylindrical outer column having an end section that fits with an end section of the inner column; a held bracket section that is integrally formed with the outer column in the end section of the outer column that fits with the end section of the inner column by causing a metal plate of the outer column to swell outward in a radial direction of the outer column, the held bracket section comprising a pair of left and right held plate sections that are parallel with each other, and have a pair of through holes that are formed in portions of the held plate sections that are aligned with each other through which a rod for expanding or contracting a space between the held plate sections is located; a spacer formed of a material that is softer than the metal plate of the outer column, the spacer having insertion holes for inserting the rod in portions that are aligned with the through holes, the spacer being located on the inside of the held bracket section and between the held plate sections; wherein the end section of the outer column is fitted with the end section of the inner column such that relative displacement in an axial direction of the outer column is possible; the held bracket section is provided so as to protrude upward from the end section of the outer column; each of the through holes is composed of a long hole section in a forward-backward direction that extends in the axial direction of the outer column, and a pair of notch sections that protrude downward from both end sections in a forward-backward direction of the long hole section in the forward-backward direction; the insertion holes are composed of long holes that are provided in portions that are aligned with the long hole sections in a forward-backward direction of the through holes, and that extend in the forward-backward direction and have a width dimension in an up-down direction thereof of the insertion holes that is less than a width dimension in an up-down direction of the long hole sections in the forward-backward direction; locking convex sections that fit with the notch sections are provided in portions of left and right outside surfaces of the spacer on bottom sides of both end sections in the forward-backward direction of the long holes; and with a top surface of the spacer coming in contact with an inside surface of the held bracket section, and with the locking convex sections engaged with the notch sections, top edges and bottom edges of each of the insertion holes are located further on the inside in the width direction of the insertion holes and long hole sections in the forward-backward direction than top edges and bottom edges of the long hole sections in the forward-backward direction, so that an outer circumferential surface of the rod that is inserted through the insertion holes and the long hole sections in the forward-backward direction does not come in contact with inner peripheral edges of the long hole sections in the forward-backward direction.