Tilt type steering device

Claim 1

A tilt type steering device having an upper bracket fixed to the lower portion of an upper column rotatably supporting an upper shaft having a steering wheel mounted thereon; said upper bracket having downwardly extending side plates on the opposite sides thereof, a lower bracket fixed to the upper portion of a lower column fitted over a lower shaft connected to a steering gear and mounted on a vehicle body portion, said lower bracket having upwardly extending side plates on the opposite sides thereof, the side plates of one of said upper and lower brackets being overlapped with the side plates of the other bracket, an angle limiting means for coupling said upper and lower brackets and permitting said upper bracket to tilt with respect to said lower bracket between an upper-most position and a lower-most position on the center line of a joint connecting said upper and lower shafts together, a first biasing means for biasing said upper bracket toward the upper-most position, a rod member supported for rotation and axial movement by the side plates of one of said brackets, a connecting member fixed to said rod member and extending adjacent to one of the side plates of the other bracket, a second biasing means for biasing said connecting member axially of said rod member toward said one side plate, an operating member connected to said rod member so as to be capable of imparting to said rod member rotation and axial movement resisting the biasing force of said second biasing means, an engaging means provided on one of said rod member and said operating member, a selecting means provided on said one bracket, said selecting means being provided with a plurality of portions arranged at radial positions centered at the center of rotation of said rod member with predetermined selected angles therebetween, said portions restraining said engaging means, said connecting member having a coupling protrusion at the outer end thereof, the side plate of the other bracket which is adjacent to said connecting member being provided with a plurality of coupling holes capable of mating with said coupling protrusion of said connecting member, a first one of said coupling holes being adapted to mate with said coupling protrusion when said engaging means is restrained in one of said portions of said selecting means and the steering wheel is in its neutral position, the other coupling holes being provided at positions whereat they mate with said coupling protrusion when said engaging means is restrained in the other portion of said selecting means than the portion of said selecting means which has restrained said engaging means when the steering wheel is in its neutral position and when said upper bracket is tilted with respect to said lower bracket forming predetermined tilt angles relative to the position of said upper bracket which it takes when the steering wheel is in its neutral position.