GB2061209A - Steering wheel attachment - Google Patents

Abstract

A steering wheel attachment for facilitating one-handed operation of a steering wheel, the attachment having fastening means (11, 19) so constructed that the attachment can be clamped to a steering wheel rim at each of two separate locations spaced apart circumferentially of the wheel rim. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Steering wheel attachment This invention relates to an attachment for a vehicle steering wheel facilitating one-handed operation of the steering wheel by the vehicle's driver.

Known attachments of this type comprise a knob to be gripped by the driver, the knob being rotatably mounted on a body clamped by a single clamp to a rim of the steering wheel. This form of attachment suffers from the disadvantage that, should the clamp be insufficiently tight, then the attachment can slip circumferentially around the wheel rim during driving of the vehicle, which is obviously very dangerous. Also, the attachment may pivot around the rim in such a way as to cause the knob to face away from the driver.

Afurther drawback is that, even when the clamp is initially tightened onto the whell rim to grip it satisfactorily, the clamp can gradually work loose because of yielding of the material of the steering wheel rim. This is likely to occur when the steering wheel rim has a core of a hard material such as metal covered with a soft padding material.

Since steering wheel attachments are used mainly by disabled drivers who may find it difficult to use a tool to tighten the clamp when necessary, it is very desirable to providean attachment which is unlikely to work loose, and which is unlikely to cause danger even if it does work slightly loose.

According to the present invention, a steering wheel attachment for facilitating one-handed operation of a steering wheel is so constructed that it can be clamped to the wheel rim at each of two separate locations spaced-apart circumferentially of the wheel rim - for example, at two diametrically opposite locations on the wheel rim.

In a preferred embodiment, the attachment comprises two clamps interconnected by a bracing arm, with each clamp being pivotally connected directly or indirectly to the bracing arm.

The clamps are preferably band clamps which can be tightened by bolts passing through lugs of the clamp. In order that the band clamps may fit a large variety of size of rim cross-section, spacer member may be pivoted which can be inserted between the clamps and the wheel rim.

If the attachment is to be usable on steering wheels of various diameters, then the bracing arm can be of adjustable length, e.g. telescopically extensible and retractable. The bracing arm may comprise, for example, a tube with two rods inserted one in each thereof, one rod being anchored to the tube and the other rod being freely slidably in the tube.

The attachment can comprise a main body member including a stem and a base, a knob being rotatably mounted on the stem, and one end of the bracing arm being connected to the base. One of the clamps can be connected to the underside of the main body member.

The invention also extends to a steering wheel having an attachment according to the invention mounted on it.

A preferred embodiment of a vehicle steering wheel attachment according to the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa side view in cross-section of the steering wheel attachment; and Figure 2 is a plan view from below of the attachment of Figure 1.

The steering wheel attachment shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a main body member 1 ta which other parts of the attachment are connected. The body member 1 is preferably made of brass, aluminium alloy or some other metal, and comprises a base 2, a stem 3 projecting upwardly from the base 2, and a small locating projection 4 extending downwardly from the underside of the base 2. A bore 5 passes through the body member 1 from top to bottom so that the base 2, the stem 3, and the projection 4 are all hollow. The bore 5 is internally screw-threaded, at least at its two end regions.

A knob 6 is rotably mounted on the stem 3 which extends into a central through bore in the knob. The underside of the knob 6 seats on the top surface of the base 2, and a bolt 7 prevents the knob 6 from being lifted off the stem 3. The bolt 7 is threaded into the upper end of the bore 5, and the head 8 of the bolt overlies a shoulder 9 formed by the base of a recess 10 in the upper surface of the knob 6.

A band clamp 11 is pivotally connected to the underside of the base 2, the clamp 11 comprising a circular band and a pair of lugs 13, 14 which must be forced together to tighten the clamp. The lug 13 has a central opening through which extends the locating projection 4 around which the clamp is pivotably.

A circlip 15 serves to retain the lug 13 axially, the circlip being seated in an annular recess in the projection 4. A bolt 16 is passed through an aperture in the lug 14 and is threaded into the base of the bore 5. The head 17 of the bolt 16 engages the lug 14, so that the clamp 11 can be tightened by tightening the bolt 16. A washer 18 is interposed between the bolt head 17 and the lug 14.

The attachment further comprises a second band clamp 19 similar to the clamp 11 and connected to it by a telescopically extensible and retractable bracing arm 20. The bracing arm 20 comprises two metal rods 21 and 22 which extend into opposite ends of a tube 23 which can be made of a suitably strong synthetic plastics material so that the arm will yield on impact. The rod 21 extends into an opening in the base of the body member 1 and is welded to such base. The rod 22 has an enlarged end portion 24 against which the end of tube 23 seats. The rod 22 is secured to the tube 23 by means of a pin orthe like 25 which prevents axial movement between the tube 23 and rod 22, whereas the rod 21 is freely slidable within the tube 23 so that the spacing between the clamps 11 and 19 can be adjusted.The clamp 19 is pivotally connected to the enlarged end 24 of the rod 22 by means of a bolt 26 which serves also for tightening the clamp 19.

To use the attachment, the two clamps 11 and 19 are disconnected from the attachment by removing the bolts 16 and 26. The clamps are then positioned with their bands extending around the cross-section of the rim of a steering wheel (not shown) at two locations spaced apart circumferentially of the rim, for example at locations diametrically opposite one another. The clamps are then once again bolted in place by means of bolts 16 and 26. The extensible bracing arm 20 will be adjusted to be of a suitable length before the bolts 16 and 26 are inserted, such length depending on the size of the steering wheel and upon whether or not the clamps are diametrically opposite one another or are spaced less than 1800 apart around the rim. The bolts 16 and 26 are turned to tighten the clamps on the wheel rim.If the rim is made of a hard material covered by a soft padding material, then overtightening of the clamps will damage the padding. The bracing arm will extend across the wheel either diametrically or to form a chord with the wheel rim.

If desired, inserts may be provided to be positioned between the clamp bands and the wheel rim.

Such inserts are shown in position at 27 in Figure 2.

The pupose of the inserts is both to spread the clamping load over a larger surface area of the wheel rim and also to form spacers if the wheel rim is smaller than the minimum diameter of the clamping bands.

The above-described embodiment of the invention has several advantages over prior attachments.

Firstly, by spreading the steering forces over a larger area of the wheel rim by the use of two clamps, the force which each clamp exerts on the wheel rim is reduced. This lessens the risk of a clamp damaging a soft covering of the wheel rim. Even if one or both clamps should work loose, the attachment cannot pivot around the wheel rim in such a way that the knob faces away from the driver because the bracing arm would prevent rotation ofthe clamp 11 about the wheel rim. The use of two clamps connected by a bracing are also makes it less likely that the attach ment can slide round the wheel along the wheel rim circumference.

The bracing bar 20 described above is straight, but if the attachment is to be used on a steering wheel having a central projection which would be in the way of such bar 20, then the bracing bar could be cranked to pass over the projection. alternatively, the clamps could be positioned only-say - 1000 apart instead of being 1800 apart so that the bar would miss such a central steering wheel projection and extend as a chord.

Claims (14)

1. A steering wheel attachment for facilitating one-handed operating of a steering wheel, the attachment having fastening means so constructed that the attachment can be clamped to a steering wheel rim at each of two separate locations spaced apart circumferentially of the wheel rim.

2. A steering wheel attachment according to claim 1, in which the fastening means are attanged to permit the attachment to be clamped to a steering wheel rim at each of two locations disposed diameterically opposite one another on the rim.

3. A steering wheel attachment according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the fastening means comprise two clamps interconnected by a bracing arm.

4. A steering wheel attachment according to claim 3, in which each clamp is pivotally connected directly or indirectly to the bracing arm.

5. A steering wheel attachment according to claim 3 or claim 4, in which the clamps are band clamps to be tightened around parts of the steering wheel rim.

6. A steering wheel attachment according to claim 5, in which the clamps are arranged to be tightened by bolts passing through lugs of the clamp.

7. A steering wheel attachment according to claim 5 or claim 6, having spacer members which are insertable between the clamps and the steering wheel rim.

8. A steering wheel attachment according to any one of claims 3 to 7, in which the bracing arm is adjustable in length.

9. A steering wheel attachment according to claim 8, in which the bracing arm is telescopically extensible and retractable.

10. A steering wheel attachment according to claim 9, in which the bracing arm comprises a tube with two rods inserted one in each end thereof, one rod being anchored to the tube and the other rod being freely slidable in the tube.

11. A steering wheel attachment according to any of claims 3 to 10, in which the attachment comprises a main body member including a stem and a base, a knob (to be gripped by the user's hand) being rotatably mounted on the stem, one end ofthe bracing arm being connected to the base.

12. A steering wheel attachment according to claim 12, in which one of the clamps is connected to the underside of the main body member.

13. A steering wheel attachment substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.

14. Avehicle steering wheel having mounted on it a steering wheel attachment according to any preceding claim.