CN215706601U

CN215706601U - Steering wheel

Info

Publication number: CN215706601U
Application number: CN202120260118.3U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 徐琳琳; 丁亮
Original assignee: Autoliv Development AB
Current assignee: Autoliv Development AB
Priority date: 2021-01-29
Filing date: 2021-01-29
Publication date: 2022-02-01
Anticipated expiration: 2031-01-29
Also published as: DE112022000321T5; WO2022161168A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a steering wheel. The steering wheel is for a vehicle and includes: a touch screen assembly operated by a driver to communicate with the vehicle such that a predetermined function is activated/deactivated; and a resilient connecting member for connecting the touch screen assembly to a steering wheel body in a floating manner; wherein the touch screen assembly includes a display and a top cover covering the display to protect the display, the top cover includes a top cover body and a cover film covering a top surface of the top cover body, and the cover film is configured in a curved surface shape to cover a gap between the top cover body and the steering wheel main body.

Description

Steering wheel

Technical Field

The present invention relates to vehicle accessories, and in particular to steering wheels.

Background

With the rapid development of vehicle technology, the intellectualization of vehicles is an important development direction. The functions of the vehicle, which are turned on or off by the switch buttons, are also increased.

The switch buttons commonly used in vehicles include two types, one is a touch switch button, and the other is a mechanical switch button. Mechanical switch buttons are sophisticated but cannot be used in high-end intelligent vehicles because they provide limited functionality by themselves. Touch switch buttons are often required to be used in conjunction with a mis-touch prevention feature to prevent mis-operation. Also, the touch mode switch is generally provided in the form of a touch screen, and the human impact test has a requirement on the impact strength of each member in the vehicle, and the touch screen is also limited by the requirement.

Therefore, a steering wheel provided with a touch screen is desired to have high safety, and at the same time, to be aesthetically pleasing.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The utility model aims to provide a steering wheel with higher safety and better appearance.

The present invention provides a steering wheel for a vehicle and comprising:

a touch screen assembly operated by a driver to communicate with the vehicle such that a predetermined function is activated/deactivated; and

an elastic connector for connecting the touch screen assembly to a steering wheel body in a floating manner;

wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the touch screen assembly includes a display and a cover covering the display to protect the display, the cover including a cover body and a cover film covering a top surface of the cover body, and the cover film being configured in a curved surface shape to cover a gap between the cover body and the steering wheel body.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a part of the steering wheel body adjacent to the cap body is provided as a decorative portion, and the cover film is used to cover a gap between the cap body and the decorative portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the coating film is further provided to cover the entire decoration portion, and the decoration portion, the cap body, and the coating film are configured as a one-piece part via injection molding.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a gap between the decoration portion and the cap body is set to be in a range of 0.1 to 0.5 mm.

According to an embodiment of the utility model, the cover film is configured to comprise a plurality of layers.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cover film comprises a top layer, an intermediate layer and a bottom layer, and the top layer is configured as a cured layer, the intermediate layer is configured as a light-transmitting base layer, and the bottom layer is configured as an ink layer.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the decoration portion is provided as a dark member, and the ink layer includes a white light transmitting area corresponding to the top cover body, and the remaining area of the ink layer is provided as a black light blocking area to cover the decoration portion and a gap between the decoration portion and the top cover body.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the number of the touch screen assemblies is set to two, and is respectively provided at the spokes of the steering wheel body.

According to an embodiment of the utility model, the coating is configured as a 270 degree arc.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the operation of the driver on the touch screen assembly includes a sliding operation and/or a pressing operation.

According to an embodiment of the utility model, the touch screen assembly further comprises a conductive film between the top cover and the display, and the top cover is glued to the conductive film.

According to an embodiment of the utility model, the touch screen assembly is glued to a bracket at the edge of the top cover, and the bottom surface of the bracket is connected to the resilient connecting member.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a gap between the decoration portion and the top cover body is set to 0.2 mm.

Drawings

Features, advantages and technical effects of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements, and wherein:

fig. 1 schematically shows a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the steering wheel taken along line a-a in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 schematically shows a part of components in a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 schematically shows a part of components in a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 schematically shows a part of components in a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a specific embodiment of a steering wheel according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following detailed description and drawings are included to illustrate the principles of the utility model, which is not limited to the preferred embodiments described, but rather are intended to cover various embodiments of the utility model, alone or in any combination, and the scope of the utility model is defined by the claims.

In addition, spatially relative terms (such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right," etc.) are used to describe one element's relative positional relationship with another element as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may therefore apply in other orientations than those illustrated in the figures, when used. It will be apparent that although for ease of illustration all of these spatially relative terms refer to the orientation shown in the drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that orientations other than those shown in the drawings may be used.

Fig. 1 schematically shows a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the steering wheel taken along line a-a in fig. 1. A steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to fig. 1 and 2.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, a steering wheel 10 according to the present invention can be used for a vehicle to perform a steering operation. The steering wheel 10 includes a touch screen assembly 100, a steering wheel body 200, and a resilient connector 150 (shown in fig. 5). The above-described components of the steering wheel 10 are described in detail below.

As shown in fig. 1, the steering wheel body 200 is generally ring-shaped and includes left and right spokes and a central portion connecting the spokes together. And, the steering wheel body 200 serves to support other components of the steering wheel 10.

As shown in fig. 1, in the present exemplary embodiment, the number of the touch screen assemblies 100 is set to two, and is respectively set at the left and right spokes of the steering wheel body 200, which can also be more clearly observed with reference to fig. 2. The driver can operate the touch screen assembly 100 to communicate with the vehicle such that predetermined functions, such as entertainment functions, cruise functions, talk functions, are enabled/disabled. As one example, the driver's operation on the touch screen assembly 100 includes a sliding operation to enable the touch screen assembly 100 to display different contents. As another example, the driver's operation on the touch screen assembly 100 includes a pressing operation to select a specific content displayed to activate a predetermined function.

In fig. 1, the elastic connection member 150 of the steering wheel 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention for connecting the touch screen assembly 100 to the steering wheel body 200 in a floating manner is not shown. In the example shown in fig. 5, the elastic connection member 150 is a spring piece, and the touch screen assembly 100 further includes a conductive film 140 between the top cover 110 and the display 120, and the top cover 110 is glued to the conductive film 140 via a glue 130. In addition, the touch screen assembly 100 is glued to the bracket 160 at the edge of the top cover 110, and the bottom surface of the bracket 160 is connected to the elastic connection member 150 via bolts. Meanwhile, the elastic connection member 150 is also coupled with the steering wheel body 200 via bolts.

It should be noted that, in the steering wheel 10 of the present invention, the touch screen assembly 100 and the steering wheel body 200 are kept floating relative to each other, one of the advantages is that the touch screen assembly 100 can conveniently include a false touch prevention module and a feedback module, wherein the false touch prevention module is, for example, a pressure sensor, to detect whether the operation of the driver on the touch screen assembly is a false operation; the feedback module may be configured to provide visual/audible/tactile feedback based on the driver's operation detected by the pressure sensor not being a malfunction; as a preferred embodiment, piezoelectric actuation (voice coil motor) is provided for use in the steering wheel of the present invention as both a false touch prevention module and a feedback module to reduce the number of parts in the steering wheel.

As shown in fig. 2, in the steering wheel 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the touch screen assembly 100 includes a top cover 110 and a display 120, and the top cover 110 is used to cover the display 120 to protect the display 120.

Because when using in the vehicle, the human impact test has the requirement in the aspect of the impact strength to the touch-sensitive screen subassembly, consequently, current top cap of glass material can not be used. Since the top surface of the steering wheel, which is a non-planar member, is curved, and the connection between the touch panel unit and the steering wheel main body is generally curved (as shown in fig. 2), when the flat top cover is connected to the steering wheel main body, a gap is inevitably formed at the connection between the two. It can be understood that the gap at the joint of the touch screen assembly and the steering wheel body enables dust or water to easily enter the inner side of the steering wheel, and the defects of poor appearance, poor hand feeling and the like are overcome.

In order to solve the above-described problems, in the steering wheel of the present invention, as shown in fig. 2, the top cover 110 of the touch screen assembly 100 is provided to include a top cover body 1102 and a cover film 1101 covering the top surface of the top cover body 1102, and the cover film 1101 is configured in a curved surface shape to cover a gap between the top cover body 1101 and the steering wheel body 200. Specifically, at the position shown in fig. 2, when extending from the top cover body 1102 toward the steering wheel body 200, the film 1101 changes from extending substantially in the horizontal direction to extending to the upper left with a certain curvature, thereby better covering the top cover body 1102 and the steering wheel body 200, respectively.

In the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 2, a part of the steering wheel body 200 adjacent to the top cover body 1102 is provided as the decorative portion 201, and, specifically, the cover film 1101 is used to cover a gap between the top cover body 1102 and the decorative portion 201, and also, may cover the entire decorative portion 201 (see fig. 3).

As can be clearly seen from fig. 2, since the coating film 1101 is provided, the gap between the top cover body 1102 of the top cover 110 and the decorative portion 202 of the steering wheel body 200 is covered, thereby realizing a seamless appearance. At the same time, the overlay film advantageously increases the impact strength requirements of the top cover on the touch screen assembly in human impact testing. Therefore, the steering wheel including the touch screen assembly of the present invention has high safety and a better appearance.

Fig. 3 schematically shows a part of components in a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 schematically shows a part of components in a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention. The steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention is further described below with reference to fig. 3 and 4.

As shown in fig. 3, the coating film 1101 is configured as a 270-degree arc-shaped member, and likewise, the decorative portion 201 is also configured as a 270-degree arc-shaped member, and moreover, the coating film 1101 is adapted to both the shape and the size of the decorative portion 201, so that the coating film 1101 is also provided to cover the entire decorative portion 201. This is advantageous to further ensure that the steering wheel has a better appearance, enhancing the overall appearance of the steering wheel. In particular, this overall effect is clearly illustrated by the upper half of the steering wheel 10 in fig. 1.

As one example, as shown in fig. 4, the decorative portion 201, the top cover body 1102, and the film 1101 are configured as a one-piece part via injection molding. This facilitates convenient machining and assembly of the parts.

As one example, the clearance C between the decorative portion 201 and the top cover body 1102 is set to be in the range of 0.1-0.5mm, and preferably, 0.2 mm. It will be appreciated that this is merely an example and that the clearance may also be set to other values depending on actual requirements or operating conditions.

As shown in fig. 4, as an example, the cover film 1101 is configured to include a plurality of layers, i.e., a top layer 1101A, an intermediate layer 1101B, and a bottom layer 1101C. Specifically, the top layer 1101A is configured as a cured layer, for example, a cured layer formed via ultraviolet curing; the intermediate layer 1101B is configured as a light-transmitting base layer, which is set to have a thickness of 0.05 to 0.5 cm, for example, and may be formed of polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate, or the like; and, bottom layer 1101C is configured as an ink layer. Considering that the steering wheel is generally a dark member, and also that the decorative portion is generally provided as a dark member, the bottom layer 1101C is provided as follows: the bottom layer 1101C includes a white light-transmitting area 1101C-2 corresponding to the top cover body 1102 (transparent member to enable display screen contents to be visible), and the remaining area of the bottom layer 1101C is provided as a black light-blocking area 1101C-1 to cover the decorative portion 201 and the gap C between the decorative portion and the top cover body 1102.

It is understood that this is merely an example, and for example, the steering wheel may also be designed to be light-colored according to actual requirements, in which case the ink layer 1101C of the cover film 1101 need not be provided with a black light-blocking area, but may be provided as a light-blocking area of another color according to actual conditions.

As described above, although the exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described in the description with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the scope of the present invention should be defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A steering wheel (10) for a vehicle and comprising:

a touch screen assembly (100) that a driver operates to communicate with the vehicle so that a predetermined function is activated/deactivated; and

an elastic connector (150) for connecting the touch screen assembly (100) to a steering wheel body (200) in a floating manner;

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the touch screen assembly (100) includes a display (120) and a cover (110) covering the display (120) to protect the display (120), the cover (110) includes a cover body (1102) and a cover film (1101) covering a top surface of the cover body (1102), and the cover film (1101) is configured to be curved to cover a gap (C) between the cover body (1102) and the steering wheel body (200).

2. The steering wheel (10) according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the steering wheel body (200) adjacent to the top cover body (1102) is provided as a decorative portion (201), and the coating film (1101) is for covering a gap (C) between the top cover body (1102) and the decorative portion (201).

3. The steering wheel (10) according to claim 2, wherein the cover film (1101) is further provided to cover the entirety of the decoration portion (201), and the decoration portion (201), the roof body (1102) and the cover film (1101) are configured as a one-piece part via injection molding.

4. The steering wheel (10) according to claim 3, wherein a gap (C) between the decorative portion (201) and the top cover body (1102) is set to be in a range of 0.1-0.5 mm.

5. The steering wheel (10) of claim 4, wherein the overlay film (1101) is configured to include a plurality of layers.

6. The steering wheel (10) according to claim 5, wherein the cover film (1101) comprises a top layer (1101A), an intermediate layer (1101B) and a bottom layer (1101C), and wherein the top layer (1101A) is configured as a cured layer, the intermediate layer (1101B) is configured as a light transmissive base layer, and the bottom layer (1101C) is configured as an ink layer.

7. The steering wheel (10) according to claim 6, wherein the decoration portion (201) is provided as a dark member, and the ink layer includes a white light transmitting area (1101C-2) corresponding to the top cover body (1102), and the remaining area of the ink layer is provided as a black light blocking area (1101C-1) to cover the decoration portion (201) and a gap (C) between the decoration portion and the top cover body (1102).

8. The steering wheel (10) of claim 7, wherein the number of touch screen assemblies (100) is provided as two and at spokes of the steering wheel body (200), respectively.

9. The steering wheel (10) of claim 8, wherein the membrane (1101) is configured as a 270 degree arc.

10. The steering wheel (10) according to claim 9, wherein the driver's operation on the touch screen assembly (100) comprises a sliding operation and/or a pressing operation.

11. The steering wheel (10) of claim 1, wherein the touch screen assembly (100) further comprises a conductive film (140) between the top cover (110) and the display (120), and wherein the top cover (110) is glued to the conductive film (140).

12. The steering wheel (10) of claim 1, wherein the touch screen assembly (100) is glued to a bracket (160) at an edge of the top cover (110), and wherein a bottom surface of the bracket (160) is connected to the resilient connector (150).

13. The steering wheel (10) according to claim 4, wherein a gap (C) between the decorative portion (201) and the top cover body (1102) is set to 0.2 mm.