JP2000052998A - Steering wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering wheel with an ornament hard to come off, at a low cost. SOLUTION: A pair of opening parts 50 are formed at side wall parts 48 of an ornament 40, and a pair of protruding pieces 34 provided at a pad cover 24 are respectively inserted in these opening parts 50. In the case of trying to displace the ornament 40 in relation to the pad cover 24 in the inclining direction to the insert direction in the inserted state of the protruding pieces 34, the inner peripheral parts of the opening parts 50 regulate the relative displacement of the protruding pieces 34, so that the displacement of the ornament 40 is regulated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering wheel constituting a steering device of a vehicle, and more particularly to a steering wheel decorated with an ornament.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A steering wheel of a vehicle includes a horn switch that emits a warning sound, and a pad cover that covers a bag body of an airbag device if the steering wheel has an airbag device. The rim is provided inside the rim.

The above-mentioned pad cover is usually formed integrally with a synthetic resin material, and the steering wheel itself is mainly composed of a metal core covered with a synthetic resin material. Has few design variations. To solve this problem, it is conceivable to provide a gap between the pad cover and the steering wheel along the spokes of the steering wheel, attach an ornament (decorative member) to the gap, and increase the design variations of the steering wheel.

[0004]

As a method of attaching the ornament, a method of fixing the ornament to the steering wheel or the pad cover with a fastening member such as a rivet is considered first. However, in this method, the cost of parts is increased, and the ornament may be detached by applying an external force in a direction to remove the ornament, such as intentionally pulling the ornament.

An object of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel having an ornament which is inexpensive and hard to come off in consideration of the above fact.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering wheel including a wheel body having a ring-shaped rim, and a pad cover provided radially inside the rim and integrally attached to the wheel body. , An ornament provided between the rim and the pad cover,
An engaging portion formed on one of the wheel body or the pad cover and the ornament; and an padding formed on the other of the wheel body or the pad cover and the ornament, and In the state where the ornament is assembled, the engaging portion is engaged with the engaging portion. In the engaged state, the engaging portion is opposed to the engaging portion along the direction from the pad cover to the rim via the ornament and in the direction. A restricting portion for restricting displacement of the engaging portion in a direction intersecting with the restricting portion.

According to the present invention having the above-described structure, the engaging portion is formed on one of the rim or pad cover and the ornament, and the other is provided on the other (ie, the side on which the engaging portion is not formed). A regulating part is formed. When attaching the ornament to the wheel body, first, the engaging portion is engaged with the regulating portion. Thereby, the ornament and the side of the rim or pad cover on which the engaging portion or the regulating portion is formed are substantially integrated.

In this state, the engaging portion and the regulating portion face each other along the direction from the pad cover to the rim via the ornament, and the engaging portion is regulated in a direction intersecting this direction. When trying to displace relative to the portion, the displacement of the engaging portion is regulated by the regulating portion. Thereby, the movement of the ornament in the intersecting direction with respect to the side of the rim or pad cover on which the engaging portion or the regulating portion is formed is regulated. For this reason, even if an external force acts on the ornament in the intersecting direction, for example, the direction along the axial direction of the rim, the ornament does not come off.

In the structure of the present invention, the engaging portion is formed on one of the rim or the pad cover and the ornament, and the regulating portion is formed on the other. In more detail,
A structure in which an engaging portion is formed on one of the rim and the ornament, and a regulating portion is formed on the other, and a structure in which the engaging portion is formed on one of the pad cover and the ornament, and the regulating portion is formed on the other. , The engaging portion and the regulating portion are formed on the rim and the pad cover, and the side of the engaging portion and the regulating portion which is not formed on the rim and the pad cover is formed on the ornament.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the steering wheel according to the first aspect, the steering wheel is provided on at least one of the wheel body and the pad cover,
A restriction that opposes the ornament along the intersecting direction with the pad cover attached to the wheel body and restricts movement of the ornament along a direction from the pad cover to the rim via the ornament; It is characterized by having a part.

According to the present invention having the above-described structure, at least one of the wheel body and the pad cover is provided with the restricting portion. When the pad cover is attached to the wheel body, the pad cover reaches the rim via the ornament. The restricting portion faces the ornament along a direction intersecting the direction, and the movement of the ornament along the direction from the pad cover to the rim via the ornament is restricted by the restricting portion. Therefore, the movement of the ornament in all directions is restricted by the action of the restricting portion, the engaging portion and the restricting portion described above, and the pad cover is attached to the wheel body, and fastening members such as rivets, adhesives, etc. The ornament can be fixed without using the bonding means.

In the present invention, the restricting portion may be formed on one of the wheel body and the pad cover,
It may be formed on both the wheel and the pad cover.

[0013] In the aspect in which the limiting portion is provided on the wheel body, the limiting portion may be provided on the rim, or the limiting portion may be provided on the spoke connecting the rim and the hub connected to the steering shaft.

Further, if a specific portion of the wheel body and the pad cover is configured to function as the above-described restricting portion, that portion may be used as the restricting portion.

[0015]

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the appearance of a steering wheel 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. It is shown. In each of the drawings, the arrow LF indicates the left direction of the steering wheel 10 in the state shown in FIG. 5, and the arrow UP indicates the upward direction of the steering wheel 10 in the state shown in FIG. 5. These directions are the same as those in the present embodiment. This is for convenience of explanation, and has nothing to do with the left-right direction or up-down direction of the vehicle (not shown) on which the steering wheel 10 is mounted.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the steering wheel 10 is provided with a rim 14
It has. As shown in FIG. 5, the rim 14 has a ring shape as a whole. As shown in FIG. 6, the rim 14 has a U-shaped core 16 whose cross section opens toward one side in the axial direction (the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 6), and has a predetermined rigidity. Is covered with a covering portion 18 formed of a synthetic resin material having

On the other hand, a hub 20 which is formed in a thick cylindrical shape and is fixed to a steering shaft (not shown) is provided substantially at the axis of the wheel body 12 and at a position displaced toward the occupant side in the axial direction. ing.

The hub 20 and the core 16 are connected and integrated by a plurality of plate-shaped spokes 22 elongated in the radial direction of the rim 14.
By rotating the steering shaft 4 around its axis, the steering shaft can be rotated.

As shown in FIG. 5, a pad cover 24 integrally formed of a synthetic resin material is provided inside the rim 14 in the radial direction. Here, FIG. 2 shows a rear view in which the pad cover 24 is enlarged. As shown in FIG. 2, the pad cover 24 has an upper bottom portion 26, and a side wall portion 28 is suspended from the upper bottom portion 26 on one side in the axial direction toward the periphery. The upper bottom portion 26 is elastically deformable and can be distorted by a predetermined amount when a load is applied from one side in the axial direction (the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 6) and the opposite side, and the load is released. When this occurs, it is restored to its original shape by its elastic force. In particular, although not shown, for example, a horn switch (not shown) for generating a warning sound is arranged on the back side of the upper bottom portion 26 (that is, on the opposite side of the occupant), and the upper bottom portion 26 is pressed from the occupant side. The switch may be turned on by distorting the upper bottom portion 26 toward the occupant side, and the horn may sound. Further, although not shown in the drawing, the airbag device is constituted by, for example, an inflator as a gas generating means between the upper bottom portion 26 and the hub 20 described above, or a bag body which is inflated and deployed by the pressure of gas from the inflator. Various devices and members (both not shown) are arranged, and the pad cover 24 including the upper bottom portion 26 normally covers various devices and members constituting the airbag device, and when the bag body is inflated and deployed, The upper bottom portion 26 may be broken to expand and deploy toward the occupant.

Further, a plurality of vertical wall-shaped ribs 30 are suspended from the upper bottom portion 26 inside the side wall portion 28. These ribs 30 are formed substantially along the side wall portion 28 inside the side wall portion 28 except for the upper edge side peripheral edge of the upper bottom portion 26 (the peripheral edge in the direction of the arrow UP in FIG. 2).
The rigidity (strength) of the peripheral portion and its peripheral portion is higher than that of the central portion of the upper bottom portion 26.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, and more specifically, FIG. 1, a side wall portion 28 provided at a lower end portion of the upper bottom portion 26 is provided.
Is formed with a notch 32 as a wide restricting portion and a restricting portion, and a pair of engaging claws 54 described later engage with inner walls at both ends in the width direction of the notch 32.

A pair of projecting pieces 34 as an engaging portion extend downward from a side wall portion 28 provided at a lower end of the upper bottom portion 26. Each protruding piece 34 has an upper bottom portion 36 having a substantially rectangular plate shape. From the end of each upper bottom portion 36 on the side corresponding to the left-right direction of the steering wheel 10 (the arrow LF in FIGS. 2 and 1 and the opposite direction), the direction in which the side walls 28 and the ribs 30 are suspended is substantially the same. The side wall portion 38 is formed toward the projection portion 34 so that each of the projecting pieces 34 is formed.
Has a U-shape that opens toward one side of the rim 14 in the axial direction.

Below the pad cover 24 having the above structure,
An ornament 40 integrally formed of a synthetic resin material is provided. The ornament 40 has a plate-shaped upper bottom portion 42 corresponding to the upper bottom portion 26 of the pad cover 24.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 1, the lower end side of the pad cover 24 is curved so that the size in the left-right direction (the direction of the arrow LF in FIGS. 2 and 1 and the opposite direction) gradually decreases downward. However, the horizontal dimension of the upper bottom part 42 is also
The pad cover 24 is curved so as to become gradually smaller so as to extend toward the lower end side. Therefore, in a state where the pad cover 24 including the ornament 40 is assembled (attached) to the wheel body 12, the ornament 40
And the lower end side of the pad cover 24 is gradually smaller and curved very naturally.

However, the processing form (for example, embossing), color, and the like of the surface shape of the upper bottom portion 42 are different from the processing form, color, and the like of the surface shape of the pad cover 24. Wheel 1
Part of 0 is decorated.

Side walls 44 are formed at both ends of the upper bottom 42 in the left-right direction (the direction indicated by the arrow LF in FIG. 1 and the opposite direction). These side wall portions 44 correspond to the side wall portions 28 described above.
It is curved to the left and right and up and down according to Further, as shown in FIG. 3, both side wall portions 28 at the lower end of the upper bottom portion 42 are provided.
Between the side wall portion 46 as a limiting portion is suspended,
A side wall 48 is suspended from the upper end in the same direction as the direction in which the side wall 44 is suspended. As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of rectangular openings 5 as restriction portions are provided on the side wall portion 48.
0 are formed so as to be aligned along the left-right direction of the steering wheel 10. Each opening 50 is elongated along the left-right direction of the steering wheel 10, and its longitudinal dimension is slightly larger than the width dimension of the projecting piece 34 provided on the pad cover 24. In addition, the dimension of each opening 50 in the width direction is the protruding piece 34.
(I.e., the sum of the thickness of the upper bottom 36 and the height of the side wall 38) in the thickness direction. For this reason, the projecting piece 34 can be inserted into each of the openings 50, and the inner peripheral portion (inner wall) of the opening 50 faces the projecting piece 34 in the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the opening 50 in the inserted state. I do.

A flange 52 extends upward (in the direction of the arrow UP in FIG. 3) from an end opposite to the upper bottom 42 of the side wall 48 and projects into each opening 50. In the state where the piece 34 is inserted, the flange 52 is
Steering wheel 10 to the part which does not enter inside
Are supported in contact with one side in the axial direction. Further, both ends of the flange portion 52 in a direction corresponding to the left-right direction of the steering wheel 10 (the arrow LF in FIG. 4 and the opposite direction) are curved toward the opposite side to the upper bottom portion 42, and both curved portions are formed. An engagement claw 54 as an engagement portion is formed to protrude from the upper end of. Each engagement claw 54 has a base 56 projecting upward. Left side (Fig. 1
The dimension from the left end of the base 56 on the arrow LF direction side to the right end of the base 56 on the right side (the direction opposite to the arrow LF in FIG. 1) is much smaller than the width of the cutout 32 described above. The position of each base 56 (engaging claw 54) in the direction along the axial direction of the rim 14 is set to be slightly smaller than that in the state where the protruding piece 34 is inserted into the opening 50 described above. The base 56 is positioned to pass through the notch 32. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, each claw portion 58 is tapered so that the size in the left-right direction gradually decreases toward the distal end. The left end of the tip of the left claw 58 is the left base 5
6, but at the base end (i.e., the portion connected to the base 56), the left end protrudes leftward from the left end of the left base 56. The right end of the tip of the right claw 58 is located at the same position as the right end of the right base 56, but the right end of the base (that is, the portion connected to the base 56) is the right end. The base 56 projects to the right from the right end. Therefore, when the claw portions 58 of both engagement claws 54 pass through the notch portion 32, the base portions 56 are elastically deformed in a direction approaching each other by the amount of protrusion of the claw portions 58 to the left and right, and the base portions 56 are notched. When the base portion 56 is located in the portion 32, the base portion 56 is restored to its original shape by elastic force. This allows
Each engaging claw 54 engages with the inner wall of the notch 32 and the end face on the thickness direction upper side of the side wall 28 where the notch 32 is formed.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the pad cover 24 to which the above-described ornament 40 is attached is attached to the wheel body 12, the ornament 4
0 and the lower end 24A as a restricting part of the pad cover 24 in the vertical direction (that is, the pad cover 2).
4 to the rim 14 via the ornament 40)
The lower end 40B of the ornament 40 and the rim 1
4 intersects in the up-down direction (ie, the direction from the pad cover 24 to the rim 14 via the ornament 40) as a restricting portion 60 protruding radially inward along the spoke 22 from the inner peripheral portion. Oppose each other along the direction in which

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

When assembling the steering wheel 10, the ornament 40 is attached to the pad cover 24 before the pad cover 24 is attached to the wheel body 12.
Is attached. The attachment of the ornament 40 to the pad cover 24 is performed by opening the left opening 50 and the left projecting piece 3.
4 along the vertical direction, the opening 50 on the right side and the protruding piece 34 on the right side along the vertical direction,
In this state, the ornament 40 is moved relatively close to the pad cover 24 in the vertical direction, and the protruding pieces 34 are inserted into the corresponding openings 50. At this time, the engaging claws 54 approach the notch 32 and enter between the notches 32, and the bases 56 are elastically deformed in a direction approaching each other by an amount of the claw 58 projecting left and right.

When the ornament 40 is moved relatively close to the pad cover 24 until the tip of the protruding piece 34 contacts the side wall 46 of the ornament 40, each claw 58 passes through the notch 32. As a result, the base 56 is positioned within the cutout 32, and the base 56 is restored to its original shape by the elastic force as described above.

In this state, the inner peripheral portion of each opening 50 abuts on the inserted protruding piece 34 to extend in the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the opening 50 (that is, from the pad cover 24 to the rim 14 via the ornament 40). (In a direction intersecting the direction in which the projection piece extends). Therefore, the relative displacement of the ornament 40 with respect to the pad cover 24 in the direction along the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the opening 50 is restricted.

Also, the inner walls of the notches 32 which oppose each other along the left-right direction (the arrow LF in FIG. 1 and the opposite direction) are in contact with the base 56 of the engaging claw 54, and Is restricted by the inner wall of the notch 32.
Therefore, the relative displacement of the ornament 40 with respect to the pad cover 24 in the left-right direction is also restricted by this.

Further, the base end of each claw 58 of both engaging claws 54 abuts on the upper end surface of the side wall 28 where the notch 32 is formed. , The relative displacement of the ornament 40 with respect to the pad cover 24 in the vertical direction is limited.

As described above, the present steering wheel 10
In the state where the ornament 40 is moved close to the pad cover 24 to a predetermined position along the up-down direction,
Pad cover 24 of ornament 40 in all directions
Since the relative displacement with respect to is restricted, the ornament 40
Are integrated with the pad cover 24.

Further, when the pad cover 24 to which the ornament 40 is attached is assembled to the wheel body 12, as shown in FIG. 5, the protruding portion 60 of the wheel body 12 and the lower end 40B of the ornament 40 extend in the vertical direction. Since the upper end 40A of the ornament 40 is opposed to the lower end 24A of the pad cover 24 along the vertical direction, the ornament 40 is also restricted from being displaced in the vertical direction by the protrusion 60 and the pad cover 24. You.

In this state, even if the ornament 40 is to be pulled in the axial direction of the rim 14, the projections 34 contact the inner peripheral portion of the opening 50 to restrict the displacement of the opening 50. It will not come off.

In the present steering wheel 10,
The ornament 40 can be attached without using a fastening member such as a rivet or an adhesive means such as an adhesive, and the ornament 40 can be prevented from coming off with the steering wheel 10 assembled, so that the number of parts is not increased. Therefore, the cost can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

Further, in the present steering wheel 10, the pad cover 4 to which the ornament 40 is attached is provided.
While the ornament 40 cannot be removed when the wheel cover 12 is assembled to the wheel body 12, the pad cover 4
In a state in which 0 is removed from the wheel main body 12, the ornament 40 can be easily removed as compared with a case where it is fastened with a rivet or the like, so that replacement or the like is easy.

In this embodiment, the projections 34 and the engagement claws 54 are provided as the engagement portions, and the opening 50 and the notch 32 are provided as the regulation portions corresponding to these. However, the engaging portion may be only one of the engaging claw 54 and the protruding piece 34, and the restricting portion may be only a portion corresponding to any one of the above.

Further, in the present embodiment, the engaging claw 54 as the restricting portion, the lower end 24A of the pad cover, and the projecting portion 60 are provided, but any of these may be provided. .

Further, in the present embodiment, the projecting piece 34 as the engaging portion is provided on the pad cover 24, and the engaging claw 54 as the engaging portion is provided on the ornament 40. The part is the wheel body 12 or the ornament 40, or the pad cover 24 or the ornament 4
0, and the regulating portion may be provided corresponding to the engaging portion.

[0042]

As described above, in the steering wheel according to the present invention, the ornament can be attached at a low cost, and the cost for that can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged rear view of an ornament and a portion in the vicinity thereof in a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged back view of a pad cover in the steering wheel according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the ornament.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a steering wheel according to one embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Steering wheel 12 Wheel body 14 Rim 24 Pad cover 24A Lower end part (restriction part) 32 Notch part (restriction part) 34 Projection piece (engagement part) 40 Ornament 46 Side wall part (restriction part) 50 Opening part (restriction part) 54 Engagement claw (engagement part, restriction part) 60 Projection part (restriction part)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A wheel body having a ring-shaped rim, a pad cover provided radially inside the rim and integrally attached to the wheel body, and provided between the rim and the pad cover. An ornament, an engaging portion formed on one of the wheel body or the pad cover, and the ornament, and an engaging portion formed on the other of the wheel body or the pad cover, and the ornament, to the wheel body. In a state where the pad cover and the ornament are assembled, the engagement is performed with the engagement portion, and in the engagement state, the engagement portion is opposed to the engagement portion along a direction from the pad cover to the rim through the ornament. A restricting portion for restricting displacement of the engaging portion in a direction intersecting with the direction. . 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the pad cover is provided on at least one of the wheel body and the pad cover, and faces the ornament along the intersecting direction with the pad cover attached to the wheel body. The steering wheel according to claim 1, further comprising a restriction unit that restricts movement of the ornament along a direction from the ornament to the rim.