JP2022148332A - Vehicular steering device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicular steering device capable of detecting gripping of a steering wheel by a driver without requiring addition of a dedicated capacitance detection circuit for detecting the gripping of the steering wheel.SOLUTION: A steering device comprises a steering wheel 10, an operation panel 15, a secondary capacitance sensing part 18, and a capacitance detection circuit. In the steering wheel 10, a rim part 12 is connected to a spoke part 13 extending from a hub part 11. The operation panel 15 disposed on the rim part 12 detects a change of a capacitance by a touch operation, and outputs a signal to a control part of on-vehicle equipment. The secondary capacitance sensing part 18 is conducted with a capacitance sensing part of the operation panel 15. The capacitance detection circuit detects changes of capacitances of the capacitance sensing part and the secondary capacitance sensing part 18. The secondary capacitance sensing part 18 extends from the spoke 13 to the rim part 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a vehicle steering apparatus having a function of detecting gripping of a steering wheel by a driver.

2. Description of the Related Art Some vehicle steering devices include a detection sensor that detects whether or not a driver is gripping a steering wheel. As a detection method of this detection sensor, a capacitance type is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In the steering device described in Patent Document 1, a detection electrode made of a conductive metal is arranged on the outer layer of the rim portion of the steering wheel, and changes in capacitance sensed by the detection electrode are detected by a capacitance detection circuit. It is considered to be the basic configuration to do.

JP 2016-165940 A

In a steering system, when a capacitive detection sensor is installed to detect the grip of the steering wheel by the driver, a dedicated capacitance detection circuit is provided in addition to the detection electrode for sensing the capacitance. There is a need. For this reason, when installing a capacitance-type detection sensor in the steering system, the number of parts increases, which causes the product cost to soar, and the installation space for the dedicated capacitance detection circuit. need to be secured.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle steering apparatus capable of detecting the driver's grip on the steering wheel without adding a dedicated capacitance detection circuit for detecting the grip of the steering wheel. .

In order to solve the above problems, a vehicle steering apparatus according to the present invention employs the following configuration.
That is, in the vehicle steering device according to the present invention, spokes (for example, spokes 13 in the embodiment) extending from a hub (for example, hub 11 in the embodiment) are attached to a rim (for example, rim 12 in the embodiment). ) is connected to the steering wheel (e.g., the steering wheel 10 of the embodiment), and the electrostatic that is arranged on the spoke portion and outputs a signal to the control unit of the in-vehicle device by detecting a change in capacitance due to a touch operation. A capacitive operation panel (for example, the operation panel 15 of the embodiment) and a sub-capacitance sensing section (for example, , the sub-capacitance sensing section 18 of the embodiment), and a capacitance detection circuit (for example, the capacitance and a capacitive sensing circuit 17), wherein the secondary capacitive sensing portion extends from the spoke portion to the rim portion.

With the above configuration, when the operation panel is operated by the driver, the capacitance of the capacitance sensor changes according to the operation. This change is detected by the capacitance detection circuit and output as a detection signal to the controller of the in-vehicle device.
Also, when the driver grips (contacts) the spokes (parts other than the operation panel) or rim of the steering wheel, the capacitance of the sub-capacitance sensor changes according to the gripping position. This change is detected by a capacitance detection circuit. Therefore, when the above configuration is employed, it is possible to detect the state of the driver's grip on the steering wheel using the capacitance detection circuit that is common to the operation panel.

The vehicle steering device described above detects the amount of capacitance detected by the capacitance detection circuit, and the operation state of the operation panel, the contact state of the driver with respect to the spoke portion, or the contact state with respect to the rim portion. It is desirable to include an operation detection unit (for example, the operation detection unit 21 of the embodiment) that detects the contact state of the driver.

In this case, for example, if the capacitance sensed by the capacitance sensing section of the operation panel is set sufficiently large relative to the capacitance sensed by the sub-capacitance sensing section, the operation detection section can detect the operating state of the operation panel and the gripping state of the steering wheel based on the capacitance detected by the capacitance detection circuit. Also, for example, the capacitance sensed by the sub-capacitance sensing unit when the driver is in contact with the rim is detected by the sub-capacitance sensing unit when the driver is in contact with the spoke. If it is set to be smaller than the sensed capacitance, the operation detection section can detect the driver's contact with the rim portion and contact with the spoke portion by distinguishing between them.

The sub-capacitance sensing portion includes a first conductive portion (for example, the first conductive portion 18a in the embodiment) disposed on the outer surface of the spoke portion, and a first conductive portion connected to the first conductive portion. a second conductive portion (for example, the second conductive portion 18b of the embodiment) extending to the rim portion, and the second conductive portion is a non-conductive skin member (for example, the It may be covered with a skin member 19).

In this case, since the first conductive portion is arranged on the outer surface of the spoke portion, when the driver touches the spoke portion, the capacitance detection circuit detects a relatively large change in capacitance. In addition, since the second conductive portion is covered with a non-conductive skin member at the rim portion, when the driver touches the rim portion, the capacitance detection circuit detects a relatively small change in capacitance. It will be. Therefore, the operation detection unit can detect the contact of the driver on the rim portion and the contact on the spoke portion by distinguishing between them.

The steering wheel is provided with a pair of spoke portions, and the pair of spoke portions extend laterally from the hub portion in a state where the steering wheel is in a neutral steering position, and are aligned with the rim portion of each spoke portion. An upper region of the connection portion is provided with a depression portion (for example, the depression portion 23 in the embodiment) that is recessed downward when the steering wheel is in the neutral steering position. At least a portion may be arranged adjacent to the recess.

In this case, when the driver grips the steering wheel by putting his or her finger on the depression in the upper region of the spoke, the driver's finger comes close to the first conductive portion. Therefore, gripping of the steering wheel by the driver can be reliably detected through the first conductive portion. Also, since the first conductive portion is arranged in close proximity to the recessed portion in the upper region of the spoke portion, the first conductive portion is less likely to adversely affect the design of the spoke portion.

A panel cover (for example, the panel cover 22 of the embodiment) surrounding the operation panel is disposed on the spoke portion, and a portion of the first conductive portion is formed between the body portion of the spoke portion and the panel cover. You may make it arrange|position in between.

In this case, a portion of the first conductive portion is arranged between the body portion of the spoke portion and the panel cover at a portion that is not easily noticeable from the outside, so that the design of the spoke portion can be enhanced.

The steering wheel is provided with a pair of spoke portions, and the pair of spoke portions extend laterally from the hub portion when the steering wheel is in a neutral steering position. The operation panels each including a capacitive sensing part are arranged, and the sub-capacitive sensing part electrically connected to the capacitive sensing part of each spoke part extends in different areas on the circumference of the rim part. You can do it.

In this case, it is possible to shorten the extension length on the rim portion of the sub-capacitance sensing portion that is electrically connected to the capacitance sensing portion of each operation panel. For this reason, it is possible to increase the sensitivity of detecting the capacitance in the rim portion.

A steering apparatus for a vehicle according to the present invention uses a capacitance detection circuit that is common to a capacitance type operation panel to detect a driver's grip on a steering wheel. Therefore, when the steering apparatus for a vehicle according to the present invention is adopted, it is possible to detect the grip of the steering wheel by the driver without adding a dedicated capacitance detection circuit for detecting the grip of the steering wheel. can do.

1 is a front view of a steering device according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the principle of detecting gripping of the steering wheel in the steering device of the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing distribution areas of capacitance when operating an operation panel and capacitance when gripping a steering wheel in the steering device of the first embodiment; The front view of the steering apparatus of 2nd Embodiment.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a front view of a steering device 1 of this embodiment.
The steering device 1 includes a steering wheel 10 connected to a steering shaft (not shown). The steering wheel 10 includes a hub portion 11 that is integrally rotatably coupled to the steering shaft, an annular rim portion 12 that is arranged radially outward of the hub portion 11, and a hub portion that extends radially outward from the hub portion 11. and three spoke portions 13 connecting the portion 11 and the rim portion 12 . A horn operation unit 14 is arranged on the front surface (the surface facing the rear side of the vehicle) of the hub portion 11 facing the driver sitting in the driver's seat. An airbag device (not shown) is built in the back side of the horn operating portion 14 .

FIG. 1 shows the steering wheel 10 in a neutral steering position. Unless otherwise specified, up, down, left, and right in the following description of the spoke portion 13 mean up, down, left, and right when the steering wheel 10 is in the neutral steering position.
Two of the three spoke portions 13 extend in opposite left and right directions from the hub portion 11 and are connected to the rim portion 12 at their extending ends. The remaining spoke portions 13 extend downward from the hub portion 11 and are connected to the rim portion 12 at their extending ends. Hereinafter, when distinguishing between the three spoke portions 13, the spoke portion 13 extending leftward from the hub portion 11 is referred to as a left spoke portion 13L, and the spoke portion 13 extending rightward from the hub portion 11 is referred to as a right spoke portion 13R. Further, the spoke portions 13 extending downward from the hub portion 11 are referred to as lower spoke portions 13D.

On the front surfaces of the left spoke portion 13L and the right spoke portion 13R (surfaces facing the rear side of the vehicle), there are capacitance type operation signals for outputting an operation signal to a control unit of in-vehicle equipment (not shown) by a touch operation on the panel surface 15a. A panel 15 is arranged. The in-vehicle equipment that outputs an operation signal by a touch operation on the operation panel 15 is, for example, audio-related equipment, liquid crystal panel display equipment, driving mode switching equipment, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the detection principle of steering gripping in the steering device 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 2 shows a part of the steering wheel 10 in cross section. The cross section of the steering wheel 10 in FIG. 2 is an image of the cross section of the region from the surface of the rim portion 12 toward the inner center side. Reference numeral 20 in FIG. 2 denotes a resin layer such as urethane on the center side of the rim portion 12 , and reference numeral 19 denotes a skin member covering the outside of the rim portion 12 .

The operation panel 15 includes, as shown in FIG. and a capacitance detection circuit 17 that detects a change.

A sub-capacitance sensing portion 18 made of a conductive member is connected to the capacitance sensing portion 16 of the operation panel 15 . The sub-capacitance sensing portion 18, as shown in FIG. 1, includes a first conductive portion 18a and a second conductive portion 18b, which extend from the spoke portions 13 (the left spoke portion 13L and the right spoke portion 13R). It extends to the rim portion 12 . The first conductive portion 18a and the second conductive portion 18b can be composed of, for example, a conductive metal lead wire, a metal plate, a metal plating layer, a conductive paint, or the like.

The first conductive portion 18a is arranged in the peripheral portion of the operation panel 15 on the outer surface of the spoke portion 13 (the left spoke portion 13L and the right spoke portion 13R). The second conductive portion 18 b extends from the end portion of the first conductive portion 18 a to a portion of the rim portion 12 across the connecting portion between the spoke portion 13 and the rim portion 12 . The second conductive portion 18 b is arranged inside the outer surfaces of the spoke portion 13 and the rim portion 12 . A region of the second conductive portion 18 b that extends to a portion of the rim portion 12 is arranged inside a non-conductive skin member 19 made of leather or the like wrapped around the outside of the rim portion 12 . That is, in the rim portion 12 , the outside of the second conductive portion 18 b is covered with the skin member 19 .
In FIG. 1 , the second conductive portion 18 b extends only in a region of the rim portion 12 that extends radially outward from the spoke portion 13 , but the second conductive portion 18 b It may extend over a wider area on the circumference.

The sub-capacitance sensing portion 18 consisting of the first conductive portion 18a and the second conductive portion 18b forms part of a contact sensor for detecting that the steering wheel 10 is gripped by the driver. The capacitance detection circuit 17 detects not only changes in capacitance of the capacitance sensing portion 16 of the operation panel 15 but also changes in capacitance of the sub-capacity sensing portion 18 . Specifically, the capacitance detection circuit 17 is connected to the capacitance sensing section 16 and the sub-capacity sensing section 18, and if the capacitance of any sensing section changes, the A change in capacitance can be detected.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the distribution area of the capacitance when the operation panel 15 is operated in the steering device 1 and the capacitance when the steering wheel 10 is held.
As shown in FIG. 3, the capacitance sensed by the capacitance sensing portion 16 when the operation panel 15 is operated is sensed by the first conductive portion 18a and the second conductive portion 18b of the sub-capacitance sensing portion 18. It is set large compared to the capacitance that is used. The outside of the second conductive portion 18b is covered with a non-conductive skin member 19, and the distance from the contact position of the driver's hand to the second conductive portion 18b is long. Therefore, the capacitance sensed by the second conductive portion 18b is smaller than the capacitance sensed by the first conductive portion 18a. Therefore, by checking the magnitude of the capacitance detected by the capacitance detection circuit 17, it is possible to ascertain whether the signal is due to the operation of the operation panel 15 or the signal due to the grip of the steering wheel 10. . Further, when the signal is obtained by gripping the steering wheel 10, it is possible to grasp which portion (spoke portion 13 or rim portion 12) the driver has gripped.

As shown in FIG. 2, the capacitance detection circuit 17 is connected to the operation detection section 21 of the sensor control unit. The operation detection unit 21 detects the operation state of the operation panel 15, the contact state of the driver with respect to the spokes 13, and the driver's contact with the rim 12 according to the amount of capacitance detected by the capacitance detection circuit 17. Detects (determines) the contact state of When the operation panel 15 is operated by the driver, the detection signal is output to the control section of the vehicle-mounted device via the operation detection section 21 . Also, when the steering wheel 10 is gripped by the driver, the detection signal is output to a control unit that requires information for determining whether the steering wheel 10 is gripped.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a panel cover 22 surrounding the operation panel 15 is arranged on each front surface (surface facing the rear side of the vehicle) of the left spoke portion 13L and the right spoke portion 13R. A portion of the first conductive portion 18a of the sub-capacitance sensing portion 18 is arranged at the boundary between the body portion and the spoke portion 13 around the panel cover 22 (between the panel cover 22 and the body portion).

In addition, in the upper region of the connecting portion of the left spoke portion 13L and the right spoke portion 13R with the rim portion 12 (the upper region of the connecting portion of the spoke portion 13 with the rim portion 12), there is a depression that is recessed downward. A portion 23 is formed. A portion of the first conductive portion 18 a of the sub-capacitance sensing portion 18 is arranged substantially along the recessed portion 23 while being close to the recessed portion 23 .

In the above configuration, when the operation panel 15 on the spoke portion 13 is touch-operated by the driver, the capacitance of the capacitance sensing portion 16 changes according to the operation. This change is detected by the capacitance detection circuit 17 and output as a detection signal to the control section of the in-vehicle equipment via the operation detection section 21 of the sensor control unit.

Further, when the driver grips (touches) the spoke portion 13 (a portion other than the operation panel 15) or the rim portion 12 of the steering wheel 10, the sub-capacitance sensing portion 18 (the first conductive portion 18a, the second The capacitance of the conductive portion 18b) changes according to the gripping position and the like. This change is detected by the capacitance detection circuit 17, and is output to a control section that requires gripping determination information of the steering wheel 10 via the operation detection section 21 of the sensor control unit.

<Effects of the first embodiment>
The steering device 1 of the present embodiment detects the driver's grip on the steering wheel 10 by using a capacitance detection circuit 17 shared with the capacitance type operation panel 15 . Therefore, when the steering device 1 of the present embodiment is adopted, it is possible to detect the grip of the steering wheel 10 by the driver without adding a dedicated capacitance detection circuit for detecting the grip of the steering wheel 10. can do.

Further, the steering device 1 of the present embodiment detects the amount of capacitance detected by the capacitance detection circuit 17, the operation state of the operation panel 15, the state of contact of the driver with the spokes 13, and the rim. An operation detection unit 21 is provided to detect the contact state of the driver with respect to the unit 12 . Therefore, if the capacitance sensed by the capacitance sensing portion 16 of the operation panel 15 is set sufficiently larger than the capacitance sensed by the sub-capacity sensing portion 18, the operation can be detected. The unit 21 can detect (determine) the operation state of the operation panel 15 and the holding state of the steering wheel 10 based on the capacitance detected by the capacitance detection circuit 17 . Furthermore, the capacitance sensed by the sub-capacitance sensing unit 18 when the driver is in contact with the rim portion 12 is measured by the sub-capacitance sensing unit 18 when the driver is in contact with the spokes 13 . By setting the capacitance to be smaller than the capacitance sensed by 18 , the operation detection unit 21 can detect the driver's contact with the rim portion 12 and contact with the spoke portion 13 by distinguishing between them.

Further, in the steering device 1 of the present embodiment, the sub-capacitance sensing portion 18 includes a first conductive portion 18 a arranged on the outer surface of the spoke portion 13 and a second conductive portion extending from the first conductive portion 18 a to the rim portion 12 . and a portion 18b. The second conductive portion 18 b is covered with a non-conductive skin member 19 at the rim portion 12 . Therefore, when the driver grips the spoke portion 13, a relatively large change in capacitance is detected by the capacitance detection circuit 17 through the first conductive portion 18a, and when the driver grips the rim portion 12, the second A relatively small change in capacitance is detected by the capacitance detection circuit 17 through the conductive portion 18b. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, the operation detection unit 21 can reliably distinguish and detect the grip of the rim portion 12 by the driver and the grip of the spoke portion 13 by the driver.

Further, in the steering device 1 of the present embodiment, recesses 23 that are recessed downward are provided in the upper regions of the connection portions of the left and right spokes 13 with the rim portion 12 . The first conductive portion 18a of the capacitive sensing portion 18 is arranged in close proximity. Therefore, when the driver grips the steering wheel 10 with his/her finger (thumb) placed on the recessed portion 23 in the upper region of the spoke portion 13, the driver's finger comes close to the first conductive portion 18a. Therefore, the grip of the steering wheel 10 by the driver can be reliably detected through the first conductive portion 18a.
Further, when this configuration is adopted, the first conductive portion 18a is arranged in the vicinity of the recess portion 23 in the upper region of the spoke portion 13, so the first conductive portion 18a adversely affects the design of the spoke portion 13. become difficult.

Further, in the steering device 1 of the present embodiment, a part of the first conductive portion 18a of the sub-capacitance sensing portion 18 is arranged between the body portion of the spoke portion 13 and the panel cover 22 (boundary portion). . Therefore, the first conductive portion 18a is less noticeable from the outside. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, the design of the spoke portion 13 can be further enhanced.

<Second embodiment>
FIG. 4 is a front view of the steering device 101 of this embodiment. In addition, in the following description of the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as in the first embodiment, and the description overlapping with the first embodiment will be omitted.
A steering device 101 of the present embodiment includes a steering wheel 10 and a capacitive operation panel 15, as in the first embodiment. The operation panel 15 is arranged on the left spoke portion 13L and the right spoke portion 13R of the steering wheel 10 . Each operation panel 15 has a capacitance sensing portion (not shown), and a capacitance detection circuit (not shown) is connected to the capacitance sensing portion. Also, the sub-capacitance sensing section 118 is connected to the capacitance sensing section.

The sub-capacitance sensing portion 118 is made of a conductive member, extends radially outward along the spoke portion 13 from the capacitance sensing portion of the operation panel 15 , and extends along the circumferential direction of the rim portion 12 . It extends over a length range of approximately half the circumference. The secondary capacitance sensing portion 118 led out from the left spoke portion 13L extends counterclockwise along the rim portion 12 to the vicinity of the right spoke portion 13R, and the secondary capacitance sensing portion led out from the right spoke portion 13R. 118 extends counterclockwise along the rim portion 12 to the vicinity of the left spoke portion 13L. Each sub-capacitance sensing portion 118 arranged on the rim portion 12 is arranged inside the skin member 19 covering the outside of the rim portion 12 . That is, each sub-capacitance sensing portion 118 is covered with the skin member 19 at the rim portion 12 .

In the steering device 101 of this embodiment, gripping of the upper half of the steering wheel 10 in the neutral steering position is detected by the capacitance detection circuit of the operation panel 15 arranged on the right spoke portion 13R. Gripping of the lower half of the steering wheel 10 at the neutral steering position is detected by a capacitance detection circuit of the operation panel 15 arranged on the left spoke portion 13L.

<Effects of Second Embodiment>
Since the basic configuration of the steering device 101 of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, substantially the same basic effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.
However, in the steering device 101 of the present embodiment, the sub-capacitance sensing portions 118 that conduct to the capacitance sensing portions of the left and right operation panels 15 are arranged in different regions on the circumference of the rim portion 12 for about half the circumference. Disposed over a length range. Therefore, even if the driver grips any portion on the circumference of the rim portion 12 , the grip can be reliably detected by the capacitance detection circuit of either the left or right operation panel 15 .

Also, in the steering device 101 of this embodiment, the two sub-capacitance sensing portions 118 extend to different areas on the circumference of the rim portion 12 . For this reason, the extension length of one sub-capacitance sensing part 118 on the rim part 12 is shortened while the structure is such that it is possible to detect the gripping of any portion on the circumference of the rim part 12 by the driver. be able to. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, the capacitance sensing sensitivity in the rim portion 12 can be enhanced.

<Third Embodiment>
In the steering device 101 of the second embodiment described above, one of the sub-capacitance sensing portions 118 electrically connected to the capacitance sensing portion of the operation panel 15 on the right side extends to the upper half region of the rim portion 12 and extends to the left side. The other sub-capacitance sensing portion 118 that conducts with the capacitance sensing portion of the operation panel 15 extends in the lower half region of the rim portion 12 . On the other hand, one sub-capacitance sensing part 118 is extended over a range of about 180° in the right half region of the rim part 12, and the other sub-capacitance sensing part 118 is extended to the rim part 12 may extend over a range of approximately 180° over the remaining left half region of the .

In this case, when both the one sub-capacitance sensing unit 118 and the other sub-capacitance sensing unit 118 sense that the driver is gripping the steering wheel 10, the steering wheel 10 is securely gripped by the driver. If either one of the sub-capacitance sensing unit 118 and the other sub-capacitance sensing unit 118 senses that the steering wheel 10 is gripped, a warning is issued to the driver. can be In this case, the driver can be urged to hold the steering wheel 10 (with both hands) in a normal posture.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design changes are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1, 101 Steering device 10 Steering wheel 11 Hub part 12 Rim part 13 Spoke part 14 Horn operation part 15 Operation panel 16 Capacitance sensing part 17 Capacitance detection circuit 18, 118 Sub Capacitance sensing part 18a... First conductive part 18b... Second conductive part 21... Operation detection part 22... Panel cover 23... Hollow part

Claims (6)

a steering wheel in which a rim portion is connected to spoke portions extending from a hub portion;
a capacitive operation panel that is arranged on the spoke portion and that detects a change in capacitance due to a touch operation and outputs a signal to a control unit of an in-vehicle device;
a sub-capacitance sensing part electrically connected to the capacitance sensing part of the operation panel;
a capacitance detection circuit for detecting changes in capacitance of the capacitance sensing unit and the sub-capacitance sensing unit;
A steering apparatus for a vehicle, wherein the secondary capacitance sensing portion extends from the spoke portion to the rim portion. The operating state of the operation panel and the state of contact of the driver with the spoke portion or the contact state of the driver with the rim portion are detected according to the amount of capacitance detected by the capacitance detection circuit. 2. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an operation detection section. The sub-capacitance sensing unit includes:
a first conductive portion disposed on the outer surface of the spoke portion;
a second conductive portion connected to the first conductive portion and extending from the first conductive portion to the rim portion;
3. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second conductive portion is covered with a non-conductive skin member in the rim portion. The steering wheel includes a pair of spokes,
The pair of spoke portions extends in the left-right direction from the hub portion when the steering wheel is in a neutral steering position,
An upper region of a connection portion between each spoke portion and the rim portion is provided with a recess portion that is recessed downward when the steering wheel is in a neutral steering position,
4. The steering device for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein at least a part of said first conductive portion is arranged close to said recessed portion. A panel cover surrounding the operation panel is arranged on the spoke portion,
5. The vehicle steering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a portion of the first conductive portion is arranged between the body portion of the spoke portion and the panel cover. The steering wheel includes a pair of spokes,
The pair of spoke portions extends in the left-right direction from the hub portion when the steering wheel is in a neutral steering position,
The operation panel including the capacitance sensing unit is arranged on each of the spokes,
6. The secondary capacitive sensing portion electrically connected to the capacitive sensing portion of each of the spokes extends to different regions on the circumference of the rim. 1. A steering device for a vehicle according to claim 1.

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