JP2003137105A - Assembly structure of steering wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an assembly structure of a steering wheel capable of preventing a spark. SOLUTION: When assembling a wood member 20 on a mandrel 18, the wood member 20 is placed on a bottom member 30 of a jig 28 in a state surrounding the mandrel 18 and applied with an adhesive 26 in a combination portion of a wood piece 24, and the adhesive 26 is hardened by heat by feeding a high frequency current between the mandrel 18 and each side member 32 while pressing each side member 32 of the jig 28 toward a wood member 20 side by each pneumatic cylinder 38 and maintaining a pressed down state of the wood member 20 by an upper press member 44. By pressing the side members 32 to the wood member 20 sides by the pneumatic cylinders 38, a Tefron(R) sheet 36 is evenly pressed against a circumferential face of the wood member 20. By this, a thickness of the adhesive 26 sticking out from the combination portion of the wood piece 24 can be uniformalized, local concentration of the high frequency current by local delay of hardening of the adhesive 26 can be prevented, and generation of a spark can be prevented.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering wheel assembling structure for assembling a wooden member on a cored bar.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 3, a steering wheel 50 of a vehicle is a so-called real wood steering wheel.
In this steering wheel 50, a wooden member 54 is attached to a part of an annular core metal 52 for decoration or the like. The steering wheel 50 is, for example, a wooden member 5
4 is composed of a pair of wood pieces 56, the pair of wood pieces 56 are combined with each other to surround the cored bar 52, and the adhesive 58 is applied to the combined portion of the wood pieces 56. When cured, the core metal 52
The wooden member 54 is assembled to the.

Here, the jig 60 for assembling the wooden member 54 to the cored bar 52 has a U-shaped cross-section with the upper surface opened, and is curved in an arc shape corresponding to the cored bar 52. A plate-shaped Teflon (R) plate 6 is provided on the bottom surface of the jig 60.
2 is laid (fixed). Further, the jig 60 is made of aluminum, and the cored bar 52 is formed of a conductive material, and the jig 60 and the cored bar 52 have a role as an electrode.

As a procedure for assembling the wooden member 54 to the cored bar 52, first, one wood piece 56 is placed on the Teflon (R) plate 62 in the jig 60, and one wood piece 56 is placed.
After placing the cored bar 52 on top, one wood piece 56 is combined with the other wood piece 56, and the cored bar 5 is formed by a pair of wood pieces 56.
Surround two. At this time, the adhesive 58 is applied to the combined portion of the wood pieces 56, and the other wood piece 5 is also applied.
The upper portion of 6 projects above the upper surface of the jig 60.

Further, the wood member 54 (a pair of wood pieces 56)
The plate-shaped Teflon (R) plate 64 is inserted between the side wall of the jig 60 and each side wall of the jig 60. At this time, the upper end of each Teflon (R) plate 64 is at the same height as the upper surface of the jig 60.
After that, the wooden member 54 is pressed downward by the plate-shaped upper pressing member 66 provided above the jig 60, and the wooden piece 5
Pressure is applied to the combination part of 6. Further, while maintaining this state, a high-frequency current is passed (applied) between the cored bar 52 and the jig 60 for a predetermined time to heat and cure the adhesive 58, and further cured for a predetermined time (leave it. Then, the upper press member 66 is moved upward to take out the wood member 54 and the cored bar 52 (workpiece) from the jig 60.

The Teflon (R) plates 62 and 64 are for insulation, and the Teflon (R) plates 62 and 64 suppress short-circuiting of high frequency current.

However, in such an assembling structure of the wooden member 54 to the core metal 52, the wooden member 54 and the Teflon (R) are used.
The contact pressure (contact) with the plate 64 varies depending on the part and is not uniform. Therefore, in the portion where the contact pressure is weak, the thickness of the adhesive 58 protruding from the combined portion of the wood pieces 56 becomes large, and the curing of the adhesive 58 is delayed compared to the portion where the contact pressure is strong. As a result, the high-frequency current concentrates on the portion where the contact pressure is weak, and short-circuiting of the high-frequency current cannot be prevented even by the Teflon (R) plates 62 and 64, which causes a problem of sparking.

Further, in order to improve the ability of the Teflon (R) plates 62 and 64 to suppress short-circuiting of high frequency current and suppress sparks, the Teflon (R) plates 62 and 64 are made plate-shaped and made thicker. (For example, it is set to 5 mm or more). For this reason, the distance between the core metal 52 and the jig 60 becomes long, and the heating efficiency of the adhesive 58 by the high frequency current is low. As a result, there is also a problem that the temperature rising time to the curing temperature of the adhesive 58 becomes long and the cycle time becomes long.

If it is possible to prevent the heat generated by the high frequency current from being taken away by the wooden member 54 or the like, it is possible to shorten the temperature rising time to the curing temperature of the adhesive 58 and shorten the cycle time.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In consideration of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to obtain a steering wheel mounting structure capable of preventing the occurrence of sparks or a steering wheel mounting structure capable of shortening the cycle time. is there.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering wheel assembly structure comprising:
A plurality of wood pieces, a plurality of wood pieces are combined with each other to surround the core metal, a wood member, an adhesive applied to a combination part of the wood pieces, and a combination part of the wood pieces, An electrode member that is provided so as to face the peripheral surface of the wooden member, and that the adhesive is cured by passing an electric current between the wooden member and the core member, and the wooden member is assembled to the core metal; and the wooden member. A short-circuit suppressing member that is provided between the electrode member and suppresses a short circuit of the current, and is connected to the electrode member, and the short-circuit suppressing member is the wooden member by pressing the electrode member toward the tree member. And a pressing means that is uniformly pressed against the peripheral surface of the.

In the steering wheel assembling structure according to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of wood pieces are combined with each other so that the wooden member surrounds the core metal, and an adhesive agent is applied to the combination area of the wood pieces. Further, an electrode member is provided so as to face the peripheral surface of the wooden member including the combined portion of the wood pieces, and the adhesive is cured and the core metal is caused by passing a current between the electrode member and the core metal. A wooden member is attached to.

Further, a short circuit suppressing member is provided between the wooden member and the electrode member, and the short circuit suppressing member suppresses the short circuit of the current.

Here, the pressing means connected to the electrode member presses the electrode member toward the wooden member, so that the short-circuit suppressing member is uniformly pressed against the peripheral surface of the wooden member. Therefore, the contact pressure (contact) between the wooden member and the short circuit suppressing member is made uniform,
It is possible to make the thickness of the adhesive protruding from the combined portion of the wood pieces uniform. As a result, it is possible to prevent the curing of the adhesive from being locally delayed and to locally concentrate the electric current. As a result, it is possible to favorably suppress the short circuit of the electric current and prevent the occurrence of sparks.

A steering wheel assembling structure according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises a substantially annular cored bar and a plurality of wood pieces, and the plurality of wood pieces are combined with each other to surround the cored bar. A member, an adhesive applied to a combination part of the wood pieces, and a facing surface of the wood member including the combination part of the wood pieces, the electric current flowing between the core bar An electrode member in which the adhesive is cured and the wood member is assembled to the core metal,
Heating means provided on the electrode member for heating the electrode member.

In the steering wheel assembling structure according to the second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of wood pieces are combined with each other so that the wood member surrounds the core metal, and an adhesive agent is applied to the combination area of the wood pieces. Further, an electrode member is provided so as to face the peripheral surface of the wooden member including the combined portion of the wood pieces, and the adhesive is cured and the core metal is caused by passing a current between the electrode member and the core metal. A wooden member is attached to.

Here, since the heating means provided on the electrode member heats the electrode member, the wooden member is heated. This makes it difficult for the wood member to take away the heat generated by the electric current,
It is possible to shorten the temperature rising time to the curing temperature of the adhesive and shorten the cycle time.

A steering wheel assembly structure according to a third aspect of the present invention is configured by a substantially annular cored bar and a plurality of wood pieces, and the plurality of wood pieces are combined with each other to surround the cored bar. A member, an adhesive applied to a combination part of the wood pieces, and a facing surface of the wood member including the combination part of the wood pieces, the electric current flowing between the core bar An electrode member in which the adhesive is cured and the wood member is assembled to the core metal,
A short-circuit suppressing member that is formed into a sheet and is provided between the wooden member and the electrode member and that suppresses a short circuit of the current.

In the steering wheel assembling structure according to the third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of wood pieces are combined with each other so that the wood member surrounds the core metal, and an adhesive agent is applied to the combined area of the wood pieces. Further, an electrode member is provided so as to face the peripheral surface of the wooden member including the combined portion of the wood pieces, and the adhesive is cured and the core metal is caused by passing a current between the electrode member and the core metal. A wooden member is attached to.

Further, a short circuit suppressing member is provided between the wood member and the electrode member, and the short circuit suppressing member suppresses the short circuit of the current.

Here, since the short-circuit suppressing member is formed into a sheet and made thin (for example, less than 5 mm), the distance between the core metal and the electrode member is shortened, and the adhesive due to the electric current is applied. The heating efficiency can be increased. Therefore, the temperature rising time to the curing temperature of the adhesive can be shortened, and the cycle time can be shortened.

[0022]

1 is a sectional view (a sectional view taken along line 1-1 of FIG. 2) showing an assembly structure 10 of a steering wheel 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2, the assembly structure 10 of the steering wheel 12 is shown in a front view.

The steering wheel 12 of the vehicle according to this embodiment is a so-called real wood steering wheel. The steering wheel 12 includes a boss portion 14, and the boss portion 14 is fixed to a steering shaft (not shown) of the vehicle. Further, the ends of a plurality of (three in the present embodiment) spokes 16 are connected to the boss 14, and the plurality of spokes 16 extend downward, rightward, and leftward from the boss 14, respectively. It is stretched.

The tips of the spokes 16 are connected to a cored bar 18, and the cored bar 18 is made of metal (for example, magnesium) and has conductivity. The cored bar 18 has an annular shape when viewed from the front, and the cored bar 18 is installed so as to face the driver's seat.

Wooden members 20 are provided on the upper portion, diagonally lower right portion and diagonally lower left portion of the steering wheel 12 for decoration and the like. Each wooden member 20 is made of a solid natural wood material and is made of a core metal. It has a curved shape corresponding to 18. Each wooden member 20 has a tubular shape, and a fitting hole 22 is formed inside each wooden member 20. Each wood member 20 is composed of a pair of wood pieces 24. One wood piece 24 is arranged on the front side of the steering wheel 12, and the other wood piece 24 is arranged on the back side of the steering wheel 12. ing.

Here, a pair of wood pieces 24 are combined with each other to surround the cored bar 18 (the cored bar 18 is fitted in the fitting hole 22).
When the adhesive 26 is applied to the combination part of the wood pieces 24, the adhesive 26 is heated and hardened, so that the wooden member 20 is assembled to the cored bar 18.

The assembling structure 10 of the steering wheel 12 includes a plurality of wooden members 2 of the steering wheel 12.
A plurality of jigs 28 (3 in this embodiment)
I have it. Each jig 28 is curved in an arc shape in plan view corresponding to the cored bar 18, and has a plate-shaped bottom member 30 and a pair of side members 32 as electrode members, and the upper surface is opened as a whole. It has a U-shaped cross section. Each side member 3
2 is movable in the radial direction, and an insertion recess 34 having a rectangular cross section is formed at the lower end of each side member 32. The insertion recess 34 of each side member 32 has a radial end of the bottom member 30. The part can be inserted. The side members 32 on the radially outer side of the jigs 28 corresponding to the wooden members 20 provided on the diagonally lower right portion and the diagonally lower left portion of the steering wheel 12 are integrally formed as one component.

Each side member 32 is made of aluminum and has conductivity, and the core metal 1 having conductivity as described above.
8 has a role as an electrode. The material of the bottom member 30 is an insulator such as Teflon (R),
The bottom member 30 has heat resistance against the heat directly transferred from the heater 40 described below.

One piece of wood 24 is placed on the bottom member 30 of the jig 28, and the cored bar 18 is placed on one piece of wood 24. The other piece of wood 24 is combined with the pair of pieces of wood 24
The (wood member 20) surrounds the cored bar 18 (fitting hole 2
2 has a cored bar 18 fitted therein. At this time, a piece of wood 2
The adhesive 26 is applied to the combination part of 4,
The peripheral surface (each side surface) of the wooden member 20 including the combined portion of the wood pieces 24 faces each side member 32 of the jig 28.
The upper portion of the other piece of wood 24 projects above the upper surface of the pair of side members 32 of the jig 28.

Each side member 32 of the jig 28 has a wooden member 20.
An insulating Teflon (R) sheet 36 as a short-circuit suppressing member is attached to the side surface, and each Teflon (R) sheet 36 suppresses the short circuit of the following high-frequency current. Each Teflon (R) sheet 36 is made into a sheet shape and made thin (less than 5 mm). Specifically, the thickness of each Teflon (R) sheet 36 is, for example, 2 mm.
Or more (preferably 0.13 mm or more, more preferably 0
(mm or more) 3 mm or less.

A pneumatic cylinder 38 as a pressing means is connected to the center of each side member 32 of the jig 28 in the bending direction, and each pneumatic cylinder 38 is actuated to move each side member 32 to the wooden member 20 side. By pressing to, the radial end of the bottom member 30 is inserted into the insertion recess 34 of each side member 32. As a result, each Teflon (R) sheet 36 is uniformly pressed against the peripheral surface (each side surface) of the wooden member 20.

Jig 28 (bottom member 30 and pair of side members 3
2) is mounted on a plate-shaped heater 40 as a heating means. The operation unit 42 is connected to the heater 40, and before the pneumatic cylinders 38 are operated to press the side members 32 toward the wooden member 20 side as described above, the operation unit 42 is operated (temperature adjustment is performed). (Including) to heat the heater 40, the heat is transferred from the heater 40 to the bottom member 30 and the pair of side members 32 of the jig 28, and the bottom member 30 and the pair of side members 32 are preheated. .

A plate-shaped upper press member 44 is provided above the jig 28, and as described above, each pneumatic cylinder 3 is provided.
When each side member 32 is pressed to the wood member 20 side by actuation of 8, the upper press member 44 is lowered, so that the upper press member 44 presses the wood member 20 downward, and the wood piece 2
Pressure is applied to the combination part of No. 4.

Here, the upper press member 44 is the wooden member 20.
When is pressed downward, a high-frequency current is passed (applied) between the cored bar 18 and each side member 32 of the jig 28 for a predetermined time to heat and cure the adhesive 26, and further cured for a predetermined time. Do (leave and cool). As a result, the core metal 18
The wooden member 20 is assembled to the above, and thereafter, the upper press member 44 is moved upward to take out the wooden member 20 and the cored bar 18 (workpiece) from the jig 28.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described together with the assembling procedure of the steering wheel 12.

When assembling the steering wheel 12 having the above structure (when assembling the wooden member 20 to the cored bar 18)
After placing one wood piece 24 on the bottom member 30 of the jig 28 and placing the cored bar 18 on one wood piece 24, one wood piece 24 is then placed on the other wood piece 24. And the cored bar 18 is surrounded by a pair of wood pieces 24. At this time, the adhesive 26 is applied to the combined portion of the wood pieces 24. Further, by operating the operation portion 42 to cause the heater 40 to generate heat, heat is transferred from the heater 40 to the bottom member 30 of the jig 28 and the pair of side members 32, and the bottom member 30 is preliminarily used.
Also, the pair of side members 32 is heated.

Next, the pneumatic cylinders 38 are actuated to press the side members 32 of the jig 28 toward the wooden member 20 side, so that the radial end of the bottom member 30 is inserted into the insertion recess 34 of each side member 32. The Teflon (R) sheet 36 is evenly pressed against the peripheral surface of the wooden member 20 by inserting the parts. After that, by lowering the upper press member 44, the upper press member 44 presses the wooden member 20 downward, and applies pressure to the combined portion of the wood pieces 24.

Furthermore, this state (a state in which each side member 32 of the jig 28 is pressed to each wooden member 20 side by each pneumatic cylinder 38 and the wooden member 20 is pressed downward by the upper press member 44) is maintained. At the same time, a high-frequency current is passed between the core metal 18 and each side member 32 of the jig 28 for a predetermined time, and the adhesive 26
Is hardened by heating and cured for a predetermined time, and the wooden member 20 is attached to the cored bar 18. Then, the upper press member 44 is moved upward to take out the wooden member 20 and the cored bar 18 from the jig 28.

Further, each Teflon (R) sheet 36 attached to each side member 32 of the jig 28 is arranged between the wooden member 20 and each side member 32 to suppress the short circuit of the high frequency current. It Moreover, since the material of the bottom member 30 of the jig 28 is an insulator, the adhesive 26 temporarily applied to the combined portion of the wood pieces 24 is placed on the bottom member 30 or the bottom member 3.
Even if it overflows near 0, short circuit of the high frequency current from that portion is suppressed.

Here, each pneumatic cylinder 38 connected to each side member 32 of the jig 28 presses each side member 32 toward the wooden member 20 side, so that each Teflon (R) sheet 36 is attached to the wooden member 20. Is uniformly pressed against the peripheral surface (each side surface including the combined portion of the wood pieces 24). Therefore, the contact pressure (contact) between the wooden member 20 and each Teflon (R) sheet 36 can be made uniform, and the thickness of the adhesive 26 protruding from the combined portion of the wood pieces 24 can be made uniform. As a result, it is possible to prevent the curing of the adhesive 26 from being locally delayed, and to prevent the high-frequency current from locally concentrating. As a result, the short circuit of the high-frequency current can be favorably suppressed and the occurrence of sparks. It can be prevented.

Further, a heater 40 on which the jig 28 is placed
Since the jig 28 heats the jig 28 in advance, the heat of the jig 28 heats each Teflon (R) sheet 36 and the wooden member 20. As a result, the heat generated by the high frequency current is applied to the wooden member 2
0, each Teflon (R) sheet 36 and the bottom member 30 are less likely to be deprived, and the temperature rising time to the curing temperature of the adhesive 26 can be shortened and the cycle time can be shortened.

Further, as described above, since the short circuit of the high frequency current can be suppressed well and the spark can be prevented, each Teflon (R) sheet 36 is made into a sheet shape and made thin. Therefore, each side member 32 of the core metal 18 and the jig 28
The distance between and can be shortened, and the heating efficiency of the adhesive 26 by the high frequency current can be increased. As a result, it is possible to further shorten the temperature rising time to the curing temperature of the adhesive 26,
The cycle time can be further shortened.

In this embodiment, the wooden member 20 is provided above the steering wheel 12, diagonally lower right and diagonally lower left, but the wooden member may be provided at any part of the steering wheel. Alternatively, the wooden member may be provided all around the steering wheel.

Further, in the present embodiment, the wooden member 20 is composed of the pair of wood pieces 24, but the wooden member may be composed of three or more wood pieces.

[0045]

In the steering wheel assembly structure according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the short-circuit suppressing member is uniformly pressed against the peripheral surface of the wooden member, the thickness of the adhesive protruding from the combined portion of the wooden pieces is uniform. This makes it possible to prevent the electric current from locally concentrating and prevent the occurrence of sparks.

In the assembling structure of the steering wheel according to the second aspect, since the heating means heats the electrode member, the wood member is warmed. As a result, the heat generated by the electric current is less likely to be taken by the wood member, the temperature rising time to the curing temperature of the adhesive can be shortened, and the cycle time can be shortened.

In the steering wheel assembling structure according to the third aspect, since the short-circuit suppressing member is formed into a sheet and is thin, the heating efficiency of the adhesive due to the electric current can be increased. The heating time to the curing temperature can be shortened and the cycle time can be shortened.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along line 1-1 of FIG. 2) showing a steering wheel assembly structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the assembly structure of the steering wheel according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional steering wheel assembly structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Steering wheel assembly structure 12 steering wheel 18 core 20 wood members 24 pieces of wood 26 Adhesive 32 side member (electrode member) 36 Teflon (R) sheet (short-circuit suppressing member) 38 Pneumatic cylinder (pressing means) 40 heater (heating means)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A wood member composed of a substantially annular core metal and a plurality of wood pieces, the plurality of wood pieces being combined with each other to surround the core metal, and applied to a combination site of the wood pieces. And an adhesive, which is provided so as to face the peripheral surface of the wooden member including a combined portion of the wood pieces, and the adhesive is cured by applying an electric current between the core and the core. An electrode member to which the wood member is assembled, a short-circuit suppressing member that is provided between the wood member and the electrode member and suppresses a short circuit of the current, and is connected to the electrode member, and the electrode member is the wood member. A steering wheel assembling structure, comprising: a pressing unit that presses the short-circuit suppressing member uniformly against the peripheral surface of the wooden member by pressing it toward the side. 2. A wood member composed of a substantially annular core metal and a plurality of wood pieces, the plurality of wood pieces being combined with each other to surround the core metal, and applied to a combination site of the wood pieces. And an adhesive, which is provided so as to face the peripheral surface of the wooden member including a combined portion of the wood pieces, and the adhesive is cured by applying an electric current between the core and the core. An assembling structure of a steering wheel, comprising: an electrode member to which the wood member is attached; and a heating unit which is provided on the electrode member and heats the electrode member. 3. A wood member composed of a substantially annular core metal and a plurality of wood pieces, the plurality of wood pieces being combined with each other to surround the core metal, and applied to a combination site of the wood pieces. And an adhesive, which is provided so as to face the peripheral surface of the wooden member including a combined portion of the wood pieces, and the adhesive is cured by applying an electric current between the core and the core. An assembly structure of a steering wheel, comprising: an electrode member to which the wood member is assembled; and a short-circuit suppressing member that is formed in a sheet shape and is provided between the wood member and the electrode member and that suppresses a short circuit of the current. .