Vehicle tilt steering column device including a bending bracket type energy absorbing means

A tilt steering column device including a bending bracket type energy absorbing means for a vehicle, comprising:

• (a) a column tube assembly including a lower column tube and an upper column tube which are mutually mounted such that said upper column tube can move axially frontward with respect to said lower column tube when said upper column tube receives an excessively large frontward force;
• (b) lower support bracket means for so supporting said column tube assembly at said lower column tube that said column tube assembly can tilt around a tilt center, said lower support bracket means being fixed to a vehicle body;
• (c) tilt-lock means for locking/unlocking a tilting position of said column tube assembly, said tilt-lock means being fixed to said vehicle body and including means having an elongate hole and a lock bolt slidably passing through said elongate hole, said tilt-lock means comprising means for so supporting said column tube assembly at said upper column tube that said column tube assembly can tilt around said tilt center when said lock bolt is loosened and that a tilting position of said column tube assembly is locked when said lock bolt is tightened;
• (d) return spring means for so supporting said column tube assembly that said column tube assembly does not freely rotate downward due to gravity when said lock bolt is loosened, said return spring means comprising a spring engaging said tilt lock means and said column tube assembly;
• (e)
• (e-1) an energy absorbing bending bracket for absorbing energy by a permanent deformation thereof when said upper column tube moves axially frontward with respect to said lower column tube, said energy absorbing bending bracket having one end fixed to said upper column tube,
• (e-2) an attachment fixed to an other end of said energy absorbing bending bracket, and means including said lock bolt for releasably supporting said attachment by said tilt-lock means such that relative movement of said attachment with respect to said tilt-lock means during tilting of said column tube assembly is accomplished by loosening said lock bolt,
• (e-3) a collar fixed to said attachment;
• and
• (f)
• (f-1) a guide bracket fixed to said upper column tube, said guide bracket including an inclined surface, an angle defined between said inclined surface and an axis of said column tube assembly being smaller than an angle defined between the direction of an initial portion of the movement of said upper column tube due to said excessively large frontward force and said axis of said column tube assembly,
• (f-2) a holding support fixed to said guide bracket, said collar being vertically held between said holding support and said guide bracket, said guide bracket being positioned relative to said tilt-lock means such that said collar slides along said inclined surface of said guide bracket during said axially frontward movement of said upper column tube.