CN110466592B

CN110466592B - Steering wheel and vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN110466592B
Application number: CN201910731602.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 潘德森; 付金龙
Original assignee: BAIC Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: BAIC Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-08-08
Filing date: 2019-08-08
Publication date: 2021-01-19
Anticipated expiration: 2039-08-08
Also published as: CN110466592A

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a steering wheel and a vehicle, wherein the steering wheel comprises a rim (1), an air bag (2) arranged in the rim (1), and a gas generating device (3) communicated with the air bag (2) to supply gas to the air bag (2), wherein the gas generating device (3) drives the air bag (2) to eject out of the rim (1) and expand towards the center of the rim (1) under a preset condition. Through above-mentioned technical scheme, shift in rim (1) from steering wheel hub (7) air pocket (2), can liberate the shared space of driver air bag, improve the space utilization of steering wheel, in addition, be provided with air pocket (2) in rim (1), the texture is softer, the travelling comfort when having promoted the driver and gripping the steering wheel, air pocket (2) pop out and expand towards the center of rim (1) under the preset condition, can protect driver's personal safety effectively.

Description

Steering wheel and vehicle

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of vehicle technology, and in particular, to a steering wheel and a vehicle.

Background

With the development of society and the continuous progress of industrial level, people have higher and higher requirements on automobile products. Conventional driver airbag assemblies for minimizing injury to the driver during a vehicle collision are mainly disposed in the hub of the steering wheel. However, the available space on the steering wheel itself is limited and the driver airbag further squeezes the space of the steering wheel, so that the steering wheel space cannot be fully utilized. In addition, the conventional steering wheel rim mainly comprises a rim framework and foam coated on the outer layer of the rim framework, and the foam is hard, so that a driver has poor hand feeling for holding the steering wheel rim for a long time.

Disclosure of Invention

A first object of the present disclosure is to provide a steering wheel that improves the space utilization of the steering wheel while providing safety protection for a driver.

A second object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle including the steering wheel provided by the present disclosure.

In order to achieve the above object, the present disclosure provides a steering wheel including a rim, an air bag disposed in the rim, and a gas generating device communicated with the air bag to supply gas to the air bag, wherein the gas generating device drives the air bag to eject out of the rim and expand toward the center of the rim under a preset condition.

Optionally, the gas generating device is configured as a ring shape extending in the same direction as the rim and is disposed in the rim to serve as a skeleton of the rim; the gas generating device is provided with a gas outlet, and an inner cavity opening of the gas bag is communicated with the gas outlet.

Optionally, the gas bag covers the outside of the gas generating device.

Optionally, the number of the air outlets is multiple, and the air outlets are arranged at intervals along the extending direction of the gas generating device, and the number of the air bags corresponds to the number of the air outlets.

Optionally, the rim comprises a shell having a weakened portion which can be broken open by the air bag.

Optionally, the number of the weakening portions is multiple, the weakening portions are arranged at intervals along the extending direction of the housing, and the opening position of the air outlet corresponds to the position of the weakening portion.

Optionally, the steering wheel further includes a foam disposed in the rim, the foam covers an outer side of the gas generating device, and the air bag covers the foam and the outer side of the gas generating device.

Optionally, the air bag stack is disposed within the rim.

Optionally, the air bags are stacked within the rim in a zigzag, tack folded or rolled manner.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a vehicle including the steering wheel described above.

Through above-mentioned technical scheme, in transferring the wheel rim with the air pocket from the steering wheel hub, can liberation driver air bag shared space, improve the space utilization of steering wheel, in addition, be provided with the air pocket in the wheel rim, the texture is softer, has promoted the travelling comfort when driver grips the steering wheel. When the air bag is ejected and expanded towards the center of the wheel rim under the preset condition, the personal safety of a driver can be effectively protected.

Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the detailed description which follows.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the disclosure without limiting the disclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a steering wheel provided in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the rim of FIG. 1 taken along the line A-A;

fig. 3 is a schematic view of the air bag of fig. 1 in an ejected state.

Description of the reference numerals

1 rim 2 air bag

3 gas generating device 4 air outlet

5 foaming 6 outer cover

7 wheel hub

Detailed Description

The following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present disclosure is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the present disclosure, are given by way of illustration and explanation only, not limitation.

In the present disclosure, the use of directional terms such as "inner" and "outer" means inner and outer of the corresponding component profiles, unless otherwise specified. In addition, when the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, like numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements, unless otherwise indicated.

As shown in fig. 1 and 3, the present disclosure provides a steering wheel including a rim 1, an air bag 2 disposed in the rim 1, and a gas generating device 3 communicating with the air bag 2 to supply gas to the air bag 2, the gas generating device 3 driving the air bag 2 to pop out of the rim 1 and expand toward the center of the rim 1 under a preset condition. Through above-mentioned technical scheme, in transferring air pocket 2 from steering wheel hub 7 to wheel rim 1, can liberate the space that driver's air bag occupied, improve the space utilization of steering wheel, promptly, the air pocket 2 that this disclosure provided can replace the air bag of setting in the wheel hub among the relevant technique totally or partly. In addition, the air bag 2 is arranged in the rim 1, so that the texture is soft, and the comfort of a driver holding the steering wheel is improved. When the air bag 2 is ejected and expanded toward the center of the rim 1 under a preset condition, the personal safety of a driver can be effectively protected.

The preset condition for ejecting the air bag can refer to the arrangement form of the air bag in the related technology, and means that when a vehicle collides in the driving process, the air bag sensor receives a collision signal, if the collision strength reaches a preset strength value, the sensor generates action to send a signal to the electronic control device, the electronic control device sends a starting signal to the gas generating device to inflate the air bag, and the air bag is ejected after being filled with gas, so that the personal safety of a driver is protected.

The gas generator 3 may be arranged in the spokes of the steering wheel hub 7 to free the space of the steering wheel hub 7. To further improve the space utilization of the steering wheel, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 1, the gas generating device 3 may be configured in a ring shape extending in the same direction as the rim 1, and disposed inside the rim 1 to serve as a skeleton of the rim 1; the gas generating device 3 is provided with a gas outlet 4, and the inner cavity opening of the gas bag 2 is communicated with the gas outlet 4. The annular gas generating device 3 extending in the same direction as the rim 1 is arranged in the rim 1, on one hand, the annular gas generating device can be used as a framework of the rim 1 to support the rim 1, the strength of the rim 1 is increased, the utilization rate of materials can also be improved, on the other hand, the gas generating device 3 is arranged in the rim 1, the space of a steering wheel hub 7 is released, the degree of freedom of the steering wheel model can be effectively improved, for example, devices such as an electronic display screen, a clock spring or a decoration part can be additionally arranged at the original position of the hub 7 where an airbag assembly is arranged. The opening of the inner cavity of the air bag 2 is communicated with the air outlet 4, so that the gas generated by the gas generating device 3 can rapidly enter the air bag 2 to be ejected after being inflated.

The ring-shaped gas generating device 3 of the present disclosure may be a device in which the housing of the generator is configured in a ring shape, and the internal structure and the principle of gas generation may be the same as those of the gas generating device commonly used in the existing vehicles. The housing of the gas generator 3 may be made of a hard and lightweight material, and the weight of the steering wheel is reduced as much as possible while maintaining the strength. The gas generator 3 of the present disclosure may include an ignition device connected to the control device, and an explosion reaction occurs after ignition, and a gas storage tank storing inert gas, such as nitrogen, is opened, and a large amount of high-pressure gas instantaneously enters the gas bag 2 to rapidly fill the gas bag 2, or the gas generator 3 stores substances such as sodium azide and ammonium nitrate, and after ignition, the two substances undergo a decomposition reaction rapidly to generate a large amount of nitrogen, and fill the gas bag 2. The air bag 2 is inflated and ejected from the rim 1 and expanded toward the center of the rim 1. When the vehicle is in collision, the ejected air bag 2 can protect the head or the chest of the driver, and the damage is reduced to the minimum degree. The air bag 2 can be provided with a tiny vent hole to absorb the collision energy through the damping of the vent hole, thereby avoiding the secondary damage to the driver caused by the overlarge rigidity of the inflated air bag 2.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 2, the bag 2 may cover the outside of the gas generator 3. The airbag 2 can be made of a material having a relatively soft texture and a relatively high toughness, for example PA66 (polyurethane-66) material. When the gas bag 2 is covered on the outer side of the gas generator 3, the discomfort caused when the driver grips the steering wheel due to the hard case of the gas generator 3 can be alleviated. In the present disclosure, the airbag 2 covers the gas generator 3, which may mean that the airbag 2 completely covers the gas generator 3 around the circumferential direction thereof, or only covers a part of the gas generator 3, and when the airbag 2 does not completely cover the gas generator 3, the airbag may be set according to a portion held by a driver on a steering wheel and a direction in which the airbag 2 is ejected after being inflated, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 1 and 3, the number of the gas outlet holes 4 may be plural and arranged at intervals along the extending direction of the gas generating device 3, and the number of the gas pockets 2 corresponds to the number of the gas outlet holes 4. Referring to fig. 3, 8 air outlet holes 4 and air bags 2 are uniformly spaced along the extending direction of the gas generator, and of course, the number of the air outlet holes 4 and the number of the air bags 2 may be set according to the size of the air bags 2, for example, as long as the air bags 2 can be fully distributed on the whole disc surface of the steering wheel after being inflated and ejected, so that the safety of the driver can be protected to the maximum extent. It should be understood that the shape of the air outlet 4 is not limited by the present disclosure, and for example, the air outlet may be a circular hole, or an annular opening may be opened along the extending direction of the annular gas generating device 3, and the inner cavity opening of the air bag 2 communicates with the annular opening at the corresponding ejecting position.

In order to ensure that the airbag 2 can be smoothly ejected from the rim 1 after inflation, in the present disclosure, the rim 1 may include a housing 6, and the housing 6 may have a weakened portion (not shown in the drawings) that can be pushed open by the airbag 2. The housing 6 may be supported by leather to increase the feel of the steering wheel when the driver grips the steering wheel, or may be made of leather-like, plush fabric, thick cloth, or the like. As a possible embodiment, the position of the housing 6 corresponding to the airbag 2 may be thinned to make the airbag 2 more easily ejected after inflation.

Further, the number of the weakening portions may be plural, and the weakening portions are arranged at intervals along the extending direction of the housing 6, and the opening position of the air outlet 4 corresponds to the position of the weakening portion. The weakening can be provided in a range from parallel to perpendicular to the plane of the rim 1. The specific location of the weakened portion may be set according to the location of the steering wheel hub 7, preferably so as not to interfere with the hub 7 during expansion toward the center of the steering wheel after ejection, and so as to be as parallel as possible to the plane of the rim 1. The air outlet hole 4 is arranged at a position corresponding to the position of the weakened part, so that the air bag 2 can be smoothly popped out from the weakened part after being inflated, and the situation that the air bag 2 is blocked from being popped out to influence the protection of a driver due to the fact that the air outlet hole 4 is not corresponding to the position of the weakened part is avoided.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 2, the steering wheel may further include a foam 5 disposed inside the rim 1, the foam 5 covering an outside of the gas generating device 3, and the airbag 2 covering the foam 5 and the outside of the gas generating device 3. The texture of 5 foaming is harder than air pocket 2, and its cladding is in the gas generating device 3 outside to further play the effect of support for rim 1, and the texture of 5 foaming is softer than gas generating device 3, thereby can avoid fish tail air pocket 2, makes air pocket 2 unable be full of gas, weakens the guard action to the driver when the vehicle bumps. Referring to fig. 2, the foam 5 may be coated only on one side of the gas generating device 3, i.e., on the other side where the air bag 2 is disposed. Or the foaming 5 can cover the whole gas generating device 3, and the position with the air outlet 4 is communicated with the opening of the inner cavity of the air bag 2. Likewise, the airbag 2 can also be only partially covered with the foam 5, or, with reference to fig. 2, the airbag 2 covers the entire outside of the foam 5. The present disclosure does not limit the coating relationship between the foam 5 and the airbag 2, and can be applied to the present disclosure as long as the hierarchical relationship among the gas generating device 3, the foam 5, and the airbag 2 can be realized, and the communication between the gas outlet 4 and the airbag 2 and the arrangement manner of the normal ejection after the airbag 2 is inflated are not affected.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 2, the air bags 2 may be stacked and disposed within the rim 1. By adopting the stacking mode, the volume of the air bag 2 in the rim 1 can be compressed as much as possible, a larger air bag 2 can be accommodated in the same-size space, and when the size of the air bag 2 is fixed, the cross section diameter of the rim 1 can be reduced, so that the rim is convenient to hold. Further, the air bags 2 may be stacked inside the rim 1 in a zigzag, TUCK folded or wound manner, which enables maximum compression of the volume of the air bags 2 in the rim 1. It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the above folding manner, and any manner in which the air bags 2 can be stacked on the rim 1 can be applied to the present disclosure.

According to the second aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a vehicle including the above-mentioned steering wheel, which has all the advantages of the above-mentioned steering wheel, and will not be described herein again.

The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, however, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific details of the above embodiments, and various simple modifications may be made to the technical solution of the present disclosure within the technical idea of the present disclosure, and these simple modifications all belong to the protection scope of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that the various features described in the above embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner without departing from the scope of the invention. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, various possible combinations will not be separately described in this disclosure.

In addition, any combination of various embodiments of the present disclosure may be made, and the same should be considered as the disclosure of the present disclosure, as long as it does not depart from the spirit of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. The steering wheel is characterized by comprising a rim (1), an air bag (2) arranged in the rim (1) and a gas generating device (3) communicated with the air bag (2) to supply air to the air bag (2), wherein the gas generating device (3) is in a circular ring shape extending along the same direction as the rim (1) and is arranged in the rim (1) to serve as a framework of the rim (1), an air outlet hole (4) is formed in the gas generating device (3), an inner cavity opening of the air bag (2) is communicated with the air outlet hole (4), and the gas generating device (3) drives the air bag (2) to pop out of the rim (1) and expand towards the center of the rim (1) under a preset condition.

2. Steering wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the gas bag (2) is coated outside the gas generating device (3).

3. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the number of the air outlet holes (4) is plural and is provided at intervals in the extending direction of the gas generating device (3), and the number of the air bags (2) corresponds to the number of the air outlet holes (4).

4. The steering wheel according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that the rim (1) comprises a casing (6), the casing (6) having a weakened portion that can be broken open by the airbag (2).

5. The steering wheel according to claim 4, wherein the weakening portion is provided in a plurality of numbers and at intervals along the extending direction of the housing (6), and the air outlet hole (4) is formed at a position corresponding to the position of the weakening portion.

6. The steering wheel according to claim 2, characterized in that it further comprises a foam (5) arranged inside the rim (1), the foam (5) covering the outside of the gas generating device (3), the gas bag (2) covering the outside of the foam (5) and the gas generating device (3).

7. Steering wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the gas bags (2) are arranged stacked inside the rim (1).

8. Steering wheel according to claim 7, characterized in that the air bags (2) are stacked inside the rim (1) in a zigzag, tack folded or wound manner.

9. A vehicle characterized by comprising the steering wheel of any one of claims 1-8.