GB2531334A - Steering wheel with an impact absorbing device - Google Patents
Steering wheel with an impact absorbing device Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2531334A GB2531334A GB1418420.4A GB201418420A GB2531334A GB 2531334 A GB2531334 A GB 2531334A GB 201418420 A GB201418420 A GB 201418420A GB 2531334 A GB2531334 A GB 2531334A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- impact absorbing
- steering wheel
- absorbing device
- receiving portion
- receiving chamber
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
- B62D1/00—Steering controls, i.e. means for initiating a change of direction of the vehicle
- B62D1/02—Steering controls, i.e. means for initiating a change of direction of the vehicle vehicle-mounted
- B62D1/04—Hand wheels
- B62D1/11—Hand wheels incorporating energy-absorbing arrangements, e.g. by being yieldable or collapsible
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
- B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
- B60R21/04—Padded linings for the vehicle interior ; Energy absorbing structures associated with padded or non-padded linings
- B60R21/05—Padded linings for the vehicle interior ; Energy absorbing structures associated with padded or non-padded linings associated with the steering wheel, steering hand lever or steering column
Abstract
A steering wheel 20 has an impact absorbing device 30 in a top cavity 22, particularly suitable for absorbing gentle collisions. Device 30 comprises a force receiving region 31 and a restricting portion 32, and arcuate strips 33 of elastic metal between region 31 and portion 32 protruding outwardly, forming a drum shape wider in the middle than at the ends. A cover 40 is also receivable in cavity 22 and abuts device 30. Region 31 is preferably a laminated sheet. Cavity 22 optionally has three circular openings for receiving columns 41 of cover 40. Receiving chamber 23 of cavity 22 preferably comprises two symmetrical arc-shaped sections 233 with a middle section 232 between them, which can mate with restricting portion 32 to allow only axial movement of device 30.
Description
STEERING WHEEL WITH AN IMPACT ABSORBING DEVICE
BACKGROUND OF THE TNVENTTON
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering wheel, and more particularly to a steering wheel with an impact absorbing device which is capable of reducing injury to the driver during an automobile collision.
Description of the Prior Art
Vehicles are indispensable tools in daily life. With the number of vehicles increases, traffic accidents also increase. To reduce the hurt to the driver or passengers during an accident, safety devices for vehicles become more and more important.
The airbag in the steering wheel is one of the safety devices, which inflates to prevent the driver directly strikes the steering wheel during an automobile collision, so as to reduce injury to the driver Fig. 1 shows a conventional airbag module 10, which must be used in combination with a collision sensor 11. When the collision sensor 11 detects a collision, a control unit 12 will turn on a gas generator 14 disposed in the steering wheel 13 to inflate the airbag 15. The gas generator 14 must contain gunpowder and igniter, gas is produced by gunpowder explosion to inflate the airbag 15. Therefore, this airbag module 10 still suffers from the following disadvantages.
First of all, production of the airbag 15 involves fierce chemical reaction of gunpowder, which not only causes safety concerns during manufacturing process, but also makes manufacturing difficult, and therefore, increases manufacturing cost.
Currently, only a few large-scale factories have the ability to manufacture airbag modules, which consequently affects the yield and retail prices of tile airbags, and consumers also have less choice.
In addition to the gunpowder and igniter, the airbag 15 must further be provided with tile collision sensor Ii and the control unit 12, which makes the airbag module more complicated, and increases the difficulties of manufacturing and assembling.
On the other hand, the gunpowder explosion will instantly produce enormous energy to make the airbag inflate to prevent the driver directly strikes the steering wheel 13 or the windscreen during an automobile collision. The occupants without the protection of the airbag 1 5 might be not injured when the collision is relatively gentle. However, the inflation of the airbag is instantaneous, plus the instantaneous enormous energy release, which might cause injury to tile passengers.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel with an impact absorbing device which is free of the above disadvantages that the conventional steering wheel with airbag is too expensive, and is more dangerous when the collision is relatively gentle.
To achieve the above objective, a steering wheel with an impact absorbing device in accordance with the present invention comprises: the steering wheel, the impact absorbing device, and a cover.
The steering wheel includes a steering column at one side and a top cavity at another side thereof The top cavity extends in a depth direction and includes a receiving chamber extending in tile depth direction, and an insertion groove which is formed in the receiving chamber and extends in the depth direction.
The impact absorbing device includes a force receiving portion at one end and a restricting portion at another end thereof, a direction extending between two ends of the impact absorbing device is defined as an axial direction, and between the two ends of the impact absorbing device is formed plural impact absorbing units.
Each of the impact absorbing units is an elongated piece made of elastic metal sheet and includes an arc-shaped section between two ends thereof The arc-shaped section protrudes outwards with respect to the axial direction, and the impact absorbing units are spaced apart to form a drum shape with a bulging middle section and two narrow end. The restricting portion is restricted in the insertion groove of the steering wheeL and the force receiving portion of the impact absorbing device is received in the receiving chamber and movable in the axial direction.
The cover is disposed in the top cavity of the steering wheel and abutted against the force receiving portion of the impact absorbing device.
When a collision occurs, the impact absorbing device inside the steering wheel can absorb impact force through deformation in the predetermined direction, so as to reduce the impact force applied to the driver, so that the impact absorbing device in accordance with the present invention is in compliant with safety regulations. Furthermore, the present invention has a very simple structure and is easy to manufacture at a low manufacturing cost.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. I is an illustrative view of a conventional steering wheel with an airbag; Fig. 2 is an exploded view of a steering wheel with an impact absorbing device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 is a partially exploded view of the steering wheel with the impact absorbing device in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 4 is an assembly view of the steering wheel with the impact absorbing device in accordance with the present invention; Fig. S is a cross sectional view showing the steering wheel with the impact absorbing device in accordance with the present invention, when the impact absorbing device is not subjected to an impact force; and Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view showing the steering wheel with the impact absorbing device in accordance with the present invention, when the impact absorbing device is subjected to an impact force.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIIVIENTS
The present invention will be clearer from the following description when viewed together with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
Referring to Figs. 2-6, a steering wheel with an impact absorbing device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises: the steering wheel 20, the impact absorbing device 30, and a cover 40.
The steering wheel 20 includes a steering column 21 at one side and a top cavity 22 at another side thereof The top cavity 22 extends in a depth direction D, and includes a receiving chamber 23 extending in the depth direction D, and an insertion groove 24 which is formed in the receiving chamber 23 and also extends in the depth direction D. In the top cavity 22 is further formed a plurality of positioning portions 22 1 In this embodiment, the positioning portions 22 1 and the insertion groove 24 are circular cavities. The receiving chamber 23 in this embodiment includes a receiving portion 231 which is provided with two symmetrical arc-shaped curved sections 233 and a middle section 232 connected between the two curved sections 233. At each of the arc-shaped curved sections 233 is formed a corresponding one of the positioning portions 221. In this embodiment, there are three positioning portions 221 in the top cavity 22.
The impact absorbing device 30 include a force receiving portion 31 at one end and a restricting portion 32 at another end thereof The force receiving portion 31 is a laminated sheet which includes a mating section 3 11 formed in the shape of the receiving portion 231 of the receiving chamber 23. A direction which is perpendicular to the force receiving portion 31 and extends between two ends of the impact absorbing device is defined as an axial direction X, and between two ends of the impact absorbing device 30 are formed plural impact absorbing units 33. Each of the impact absorbing units 33 in this embodiment is an elongated piece made of elastic metal sheet and includes an arc-shaped section 331 between two ends thereof The arc-shaped section 331 protrudes outwards with respect to the axial direction X, and the impact absorbing units 33 are spaced apart to form a drum shape with a bulging middle section and two narrow ends. The restricting portion 32 is restricted in the insertion groove 24 of the steering wheel 20, the force receiving portion 31 of the impact absorbing device 30 is received in the receiving chamber 23 and movable in the axial direction X, the mating section 311 fits in the receiving portion 231 of the receiving chamber 23, so that the impact absorbing device 30 is movable iii the axial direction X only.
The cover 40 is formed in the shape of the top cavity 22 of the steering wheel 20, and on one surface of the cover 40 is formed a plurality of insertion portions 41 which are circular columns in this embodiment, and are inserted in the positioning portions 221 when the cover 40 is disposed in the top cavity 22 of the steering wheel 20 and abutted against the force receiving portion 31 of the impact absorbing device 30. In this embodiment, there are three insertion portions 41.
What mentioned above are the structural relations of the main components of the steering wheel with the impact absorbing device in accordance with the present invention. The steering column 21 of the steering wheel 20 is assembled to a vehicle. V/hen the driver strikes the steering wheel 20, during a collision, the cover disposed in the top cavity 22 of the steering wheel 20 will receive the impact force first. Since the cover 40 is abutted against the force receiving portion 31 of the impact absorbing device 30, the force receiving portion 31 will directly take the impact force and will be pushed toward the restricting portion 32. Meanwhile, the impact absorbing units 33 will be deformed to absorb the impact force. The arc-shaped section 331 protrudes outwards with respect to the axial direction X, and therefore, will deform along its owii shape, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, making the deformation of the impact absorbing units 33 of the impact absorbing device 30 predictable. In other words, the shape of the impact absorbing units 33 is specially designed to guide the direction of deformation, which makes the impact absorbing units 33 deform along predetermined direction to reduce deformation resistance to the least, allowing for complete deformation in the predetermined direction.
Therefore, the possibility of discontinuation of force absorbing (in the form of force offset, non-complete deformation, and deformation discontinuation) caused by uncontrolled deformation can be prevented, ensuring that the impact absorbing units 33 can be deformed completely to achieve optimal impact absorbing effect.
The present invention has been crash-tested with a dummy. When the chest of the dummy crashes against the steering wheel 20, the impact force applied to the dummy by the steering wheel 20 will be lower than 11110 N after being absorbed by the impact absorbing units 33 of the impact absorbing device 30 disposed in the steering wheel 20. When the dummy's head strikes the steering wheel 20, the deceleration of the dummy's head is no more than 120 g, and it won't last longer than 3 seconds when the deceleration is greater than 80 g. hence, the steering wheel with the impact absorbing device in accordance with the present invention is in compliant with safety regulations.
It is learned from the above description that the impact absorbing device 30 disposed in the steering wheel 20 in accordance with the present invention can absorb most part of the impact energy, so that the impact absorbing device in accordance with the present invention is in compliant with safety regulations.
Furthermore, the present invention has a very simple structure and is easy to manufacture at a low manufacturing cost.
Besides, after the impact absorbing device 30 experienced a collision deformation, tile user can replace tile impact absorbing device 30 without replacing the steering wheel 20, which reduces friture maintenance cost.
While we have shown and described various embodiments iii accordance with the present invention, it is clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
S
Claims (6)
- WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A steering wheel with an impact absorbing device comprising: the steering wheel including a steering column at one side and a top cavity at another side thereof, the top cavity extending in a depth direction and including a receiving chamber extending in tile depth direction, and an insertion groove formed in the receiving chamber and extending in the depth direction; the impact absorbing device including a force receiving portion at one end and a restricting portion at another end thereof, a direction extending between two ends of the impact absorbing device being defined as an axial direction, and between the two ends of the impact absorbing device being formed plural impact absorbing units, each of the impact absorbing units being an elongated piece made of elastic metal sheet and including an arc-shaped section between two ends thereof, the arc-shaped section protruding outwards with respect to the axial direction, and the impact absorbing units being spaced apart to form a drum shape with a bulging middle section and two narrow ends, the restricting portion being restricted in the insertion groove of the steering wheel, the force receiving portion of the impact absorbing device being received in the receiving chamber and movable in the axial direction; and a cover being disposed in the top cavity of the steering wheel and abutted against the force receiving portion of the impact absorbing device.
- 2. The steering wheel with the impact absorbing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the force receiving portion is a laminated sheet.
- 3. The steering wheel with the impact absorbing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving chamber includes a receiving portion which is provided with two symmetrical arc-shaped curved sections and a middle section connected between the two curved sections, the force receiving portion is a laminated sheet which includes a mating section formed in the shape of the receiving portion of the receiving chamber, and the mating section fits in the receiving portion of the receiving chamber, so that the impact absorbing device is movable in the axial direction only.
- 4. The steering wheel with the impact absorbing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of insertion portions are formed on one surface of the cover and inserted in the positioning portions.
- 5. The steering wheel with the impact absorbing device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the number of the insertion portions is three, and the number of the positioning portions is three, the insertion portions are circular columns, and the positioning portions are circular cavities.
- 6. A steering wheel substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 2 to 6 of the accompanying drawings. to
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB1418420.4A GB2531334A (en) | 2014-10-17 | 2014-10-17 | Steering wheel with an impact absorbing device |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB1418420.4A GB2531334A (en) | 2014-10-17 | 2014-10-17 | Steering wheel with an impact absorbing device |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB201418420D0 GB201418420D0 (en) | 2014-12-03 |
| GB2531334A true GB2531334A (en) | 2016-04-20 |
Family
ID=52013124
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB1418420.4A Withdrawn GB2531334A (en) | 2014-10-17 | 2014-10-17 | Steering wheel with an impact absorbing device |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2531334A (en) |
Citations (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS5914573A (en) * | 1982-07-14 | 1984-01-25 | Nissan Motor Co Ltd | Steering wheel |
| US4953423A (en) * | 1988-06-09 | 1990-09-04 | Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. | Steering wheel with shock absorber |
| JPH05229438A (en) * | 1992-02-19 | 1993-09-07 | Nippon Plast Co Ltd | Steering wheel |
| JPH06107098A (en) * | 1992-09-25 | 1994-04-19 | Nippon Plast Co Ltd | Steering wheel |
| WO1995023299A1 (en) * | 1994-02-25 | 1995-08-31 | Michel Malvy | Device for absorbing energy by plastic deformation for a motor vehicle steering wheel in particular, and steering wheel comprising such a device |
| JPH08119049A (en) * | 1994-10-24 | 1996-05-14 | Suzuki Motor Corp | Horn pad for steering wheel of automobile |
-
2014
- 2014-10-17 GB GB1418420.4A patent/GB2531334A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS5914573A (en) * | 1982-07-14 | 1984-01-25 | Nissan Motor Co Ltd | Steering wheel |
| US4953423A (en) * | 1988-06-09 | 1990-09-04 | Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. | Steering wheel with shock absorber |
| JPH05229438A (en) * | 1992-02-19 | 1993-09-07 | Nippon Plast Co Ltd | Steering wheel |
| JPH06107098A (en) * | 1992-09-25 | 1994-04-19 | Nippon Plast Co Ltd | Steering wheel |
| WO1995023299A1 (en) * | 1994-02-25 | 1995-08-31 | Michel Malvy | Device for absorbing energy by plastic deformation for a motor vehicle steering wheel in particular, and steering wheel comprising such a device |
| JPH08119049A (en) * | 1994-10-24 | 1996-05-14 | Suzuki Motor Corp | Horn pad for steering wheel of automobile |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB201418420D0 (en) | 2014-12-03 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |