JP2005212592A - Steering wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering wheel capable of omitting any space between a component case with an electric component and an upper cover. <P>SOLUTION: In the steering wheel, a folded airbag and an inflator 7 are fixed to a retainer 4a, and stored in an airbag storage part protruded from an upper cover 3 to constitute an airbag module 4, and the airbag module 4 is mounted on a steering wheel body 1 in a vertically movable manner. An electric component mounting part 3c is formed on the upper cover 3. A component case 8a with an electric component 8 provided thereon is mounted on the electric component mounting part 3c so that no space is formed between the component case and an upper face part of the upper cover 3. Since the upper cover 3 and the component case 8a are vertically moved at the same time, any space to prevent interference between the upper cover 3 and the component case 8a need not be provided, and the appearance of the steering wheel is enhanced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering wheel on which an airbag and an electrical component are mounted.

  Conventionally, some steering wheels equipped with automobiles are equipped with airbags and horn switches that protect passengers from impacts at the time of a collision. Recently, in addition to these, in-vehicle equipment such as audio equipment is available at hand. There is one in which an electrical component such as a switch to be operated is provided on a steering wheel (for example, Patent Document 1).

  The steering wheel described in Patent Document 1 is provided with an airbag module in an upper cover (cover body) that covers the upper surface of the airbag, and also serves as a horn plate that fixes the airbag module to the steering wheel body. A fixed contact of the horn switch is provided on the main body support side, and a movable contact of the horn switch is provided on the base plate on the airbag module side. When the upper cover is pressed, the airbag module is lowered together with the upper cover. When the movable contact comes into contact with the fixed contact, the horn sounds.

In addition to the horn switch, a switch mechanism is provided on both sides of the air bag module, and the switch mechanism is provided with electrical components such as a switch for operating the vehicle-mounted device at hand. In a state of being positioned on the switch support portion, it is attached by the fixing portion and is configured to function as a switch independent of the horn switch.
JP-A-2001-341604

  However, in the steering wheel described in Patent Document 1, since the switch mechanism is fixed to the horn plate side that fixes the airbag module to the steering wheel body, the upper cover is pressed to blow the horn. In this case, a gap is provided in advance between the upper cover and the switch mechanism so that the fixed switch mechanism and the upper cover that moves up and down do not interfere with each other.

  In particular, the horn switch is arranged so that the horn will sound even if any part of the upper cover is pressed, so the upper cover will not interfere with the switch mechanism even if the upper cover is tilted depending on the pressed position of the upper cover. As described above, since the gap is set large in advance, there is a problem that the appearance of the steering wheel is impaired by this gap.

  The present invention has been made to remedy such a problem, and provides a steering wheel that does not require a gap between a component case provided with electrical components and an upper cover, thereby improving the appearance. It is the purpose.

  In the steering wheel of the present invention, the folded airbag and inflator are fixed to the retainer and housed in an airbag housing portion protruding from the upper cover to constitute an airbag module. The steering wheel is movably attached, and an electrical component attachment portion is formed on the upper cover, and a component case provided with the electrical component is attached to the electrical component attachment portion.

  With the above configuration, since the upper cover and the component case move up and down at the same time, it is not necessary to provide a gap for preventing interference between the upper cover and the component case, thereby improving the appearance of the steering wheel. On the other hand, it is necessary to provide a gap between the component case and the steering body, but this gap is because the boundary line between the component case and the steering body is much shorter than the boundary line between the upper cover and the component case. There is little damage to the appearance of the steering wheel.

  In the steering wheel of the present invention, a long hole-like attachment hole is formed in the electrical component attachment portion that is longer than the airbag housing portion, and a boss protruding from the bottom surface of the component case is movably fitted in the attachment hole. By combining, a component case is attached to the electrical component attachment portion.

  With the above configuration, even when the component case is pushed outward when the airbag is inflated, the boss projecting from the bottom of the component case moves outward in the mounting hole, so that when the airbag is inflated It is possible to prevent an electrical component and a component case from being damaged by an impact.

  The steering wheel of the present invention has a rib projecting below the boundary line between the upper cover and the component case so as to straddle the boundary line from the upper cover or the component case.

  With the above configuration, even if a slight gap occurs at the boundary between the upper cover and the component case due to manufacturing errors of the upper cover and the component case, the gap is hardly conspicuous because the rib closes the gap from the lower side. The appearance is not impaired.

  The steering wheel of the present invention has a component case positioned with respect to the electrical component mounting portion by engaging a plurality of locking claws protruding from the component case with locking holes formed in the electrical component mounting portion. It is.

  With the above configuration, the component case can be easily positioned with respect to the electrical component mounting portion, so that the assembling work is facilitated and the position of the component case is not displaced due to vibration during traveling.

  According to the steering wheel of the present invention, since the upper cover and the component case move up and down simultaneously, it is not necessary to provide a gap for preventing interference between the upper cover and the component case, and the appearance of the steering wheel is improved.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  1 is a plan view of the steering wheel body, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the upper cover with the electrical components removed, FIG. 3 is a plan view of a component case provided with electrical components, and FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the upper cover. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 4, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view in a circle D of FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a modification of the upper cover.

  The steering wheel body 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a plurality of spoke portions 1b projecting radially from a boss portion 1a provided at the center, and a ring-shaped rim portion 1c is connected to the tip of each spoke portion 1b. A part of the rim portion 1c and the spoke portion 1b is covered with a skin portion 1d made of soft foamed urethane or the like.

  An airbag module 4 mounted in advance in the upper cover 3 is mounted on the upper surface of the boss portion 1 a of the steering wheel body 1.

  The airbag module 4 has a retainer 4a formed of a metal plate. A folded airbag 5 is placed on the retainer 4a. The airbag 5 is inflated at the center of the retainer 4a. An inflator 7 is provided, and the airbag 5 and the inflator 7 are fixed to the retainer 4 a by a fixing tool 6.

  The upper cover 3 to which the airbag module 4 is attached inside is integrally formed of resin, and a cylindrical airbag accommodating portion 3a is protruded from the lower surface side.

  The lower end side of the airbag accommodating portion 3a is fitted between the guide portions 4b and 4c having a double structure formed on the outer peripheral portion of the retainer 4a so as to be slidable up and down, and presses the upper surface of the upper cover 3 downward. As a result, a horn switch (not shown) is closed and the horn is blown, and the upper cover 3 is always urged upward by an urging means (not shown).

  A plurality of hook-shaped locking portions 3b project in the circumferential direction at the lower end portion of the airbag accommodating portion 3a, and these locking portions 3b are provided at the lower edge of the inner guide portion 4b as shown in FIG. The upper cover 3 is prevented from coming off upward by being engaged from below.

  On both sides of the upper surface portion of the upper cover 3, electrical component attachment portions 3c are formed at portions outside the airbag housing portion 3a.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electrical component attachment portion 3c is formed by a flat surface that is one step lower than the upper surface portion of the upper cover 3, and a component case 8a that accommodates the electrical component 8 is attached to the electrical component attachment portion 3c. Yes.

  The component case 8a is integrally formed of the same resin as the upper cover 3 in order to give a sense of unity with the upper cover 3, and the inner peripheral side is curved along the arc of the outer periphery of the upper surface of the upper cover 3. The upper surface is formed so as to be along the modeling line, and is disposed adjacent to the upper cover 3. Further, the outer peripheral side matches the outer shape of the upper cover 3.

  In each component case 8a, a plurality of electrical components 8 such as switches for operating on-vehicle devices (not shown) such as audio devices are attached at hand, and an operation unit 8b of each electrical component 8 is The operation portion 8b can be operated even when the rim portion 1c of the steering wheel body 1 is gripped by protruding from the upper surface of the component case 8a.

  As shown in FIG. 2, mounting holes 3 d are formed on the upper side and the lower side of the electrical component mounting portion 3 c of the upper cover 3, and these mounting holes 3 d are arranged at the end on the center side of the upper cover 3. It is formed of a long hole in a semi-circular shape and a horizontal direction (that is, the outer side from the airbag housing portion 3a) with the outer end being square, and the mounting hole 3d projects into the bottom surface of the component case 8a. The provided cylindrical boss 8c is inserted from above as shown in FIG.

  Each boss 8c is fitted in the semicircular portion of the attachment hole 3d, and by tightening a set screw 10 inserted through a washer 9 having a diameter larger than that of the semicircular portion, a predetermined position of the electrical component attachment portion 3c is secured. A component case 8a is attached to the boss 8c so that the boss 8c can move to the outer end of the attachment hole 3d when the airbag 5 is inflated.

  Further, a plurality of locking claws 8d are provided in the vicinity of the boss 8c on the bottom surface of the component case 8a, and these locking claws 8d are inserted into the locking holes 3e formed in the electrical component mounting portion 3c as shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the electric component case 8a is restrained from being displaced from a predetermined position by a vibration during running or the like during normal times, and when the airbag 5 is inflated, the locking claw 8d is fitted. Is separated from the locking hole 3e to allow movement of the component case 8a.

  On the other hand, in order to prevent a gap from occurring at the boundary between the component case 8a attached to the electrical component attachment portion 3c of the upper cover 3 and the upper surface portion of the upper cover 3, the hatched portion shown in FIG. A rib 8f is projected along the inner peripheral edge.

  The rib 8f protrudes at a position one step lower than the upper surface of the component case 8a, and the upper peripheral edge of the upper cover 3 overlaps the upper surface of the rib 8f as shown in FIG. The upper case 3 and the part case 8a move up and down between the outer peripheral edge of the part case 8 and the skin 1d covering the spoke part 1c. In this case, a slight gap 12 is formed so that the outer peripheral edge portion of the component case 8a and the skin portion 1d do not interfere with each other.

  Next, the operation of the steering wheel constructed as described above will be described. In assembling the steering wheel, the airbag module 4 is assembled in advance in the airbag housing portion 3a of the upper cover 3, and the electrical component mounting portion 3c. Is attached with a component case 8a in which the electrical component 8 is assembled.

  The attachment of the component case 8a is first performed from the component case 8a with ribs 8f protruding from the inner periphery of the component case 8a being in contact with the outer periphery of the upper surface portion of the upper cover 3 as shown in FIG. The protruding boss 8c is fitted from above into the circular portion of the mounting hole 3d formed in the electrical component mounting portion 3c, and the locking claw 8d is fitted into the locking hole 3e from above, so that the electrical component When the component case 8a is positioned with respect to the attachment portion 3c, the set screw 10 inserted into the washer 9 is screwed into the boss 8c from below to attach the electrical component 8 to the electrical component attachment portion 3c of the upper cover 3.

  Next, when the airbag module 4 to which the electrical component 8 is attached is mounted on the boss portion 1a from above the steering wheel body 1, the retainer 4a portion of the airbag module 4 is attached to the boss portion 1a of the steering wheel body 1 by an unillustrated fixing means. The airbag module 4 is fixed to the steering wheel body 1 by being attached to the spoke portion 1b. The upper cover 3 and the electric component 8 attached to the electric component attaching portion 3 c of the upper cover 3 can move up and down with respect to the steering wheel main body 1.

  In the steering wheel assembled as described above, the upper cover 3 and the electrical component 8 are integrated, and the upper cover 3 and the component case 8a of the electrical component 8 disposed on both sides of the upper cover 3 are arranged. There is no need to provide a gap, and even if a slight gap occurs between the upper surface portion of the upper cover 3 and the component case 8a due to manufacturing errors, the rib 8f protruding along the inner periphery of the component case 8a Since the gap is further closed, the gap is hardly noticeable, and thereby the appearance of the steering wheel can be improved.

  Also, no matter what part of the upper cover 3 is pressed to blow the horn, the outer skin 1d covering the spoke 1b of the steering wheel body 1 and the outer periphery of the component case 8a do not interfere with each other. Although a slight gap 12 is formed in advance, the boundary line between the component case 8a and the skin portion 1d is shorter than the boundary line between the upper surface portion of the upper cover 3 and the component case 8a. 12 hardly impairs the appearance of the steering wheel.

  On the other hand, when high pressure gas is ejected from the inflator 7 due to an impact when the vehicle collides, and the airbag 5 starts to expand, a tear line (not shown) formed on the upper surface portion of the upper cover 3 is cleaved and the direction of the passenger At the same time that the airbag 5 starts to be deployed, the airbag 5 is pressed to the outside of the airbag accommodating portion 3a in which the airbag 5 is accommodated.

  As a result, the component cases 8a of the electrical components 8 arranged on both sides of the airbag accommodating portion 3a are pushed outward, so that the locking claws 8d protruding from the bottom of the component case 8a are detached from the locking holes 3e. The boss 8c moves in a direction away from the airbag module 4 in the mounting hole 3d. At this time, the washer 9 having a diameter larger than the mounting hole 3d prevents the boss 8c from coming out of the mounting hole 3d. It is possible to prevent the component case 8 a provided with the component 8 from dropping from the upper cover 3.

  In the above-described embodiment, the mounting hole 3d formed in the electrical component mounting portion 3c is formed by a long hole having a semicircular shape at one end and a square shape at the other end. However, as shown in FIG. The rib 8f that covers the gap between the upper surface portion of the upper cover 3 and the component case 8a from below may be provided on the outer peripheral side of the upper surface portion of the upper cover 3.

  In the present invention, since the upper cover and the component case move up and down at the same time, it is not necessary to provide a gap for preventing interference between the upper cover and the component case, thereby improving the appearance of the steering wheel, It is necessary to provide a gap between the parts case and the steering body. The gap between the parts case and the steering body is very short compared to the boundary between the upper cover and the parts case. Since the appearance is hardly impaired, it is suitable for a steering wheel or the like equipped with an airbag and an electrical component such as a passenger car that emphasizes the appearance.

1 is a plan view of a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the state which removed the electrical equipment part from the upper cover with which the steering wheel which becomes embodiment of this invention was mounted | worn. It is an electrical equipment no plan view provided in the steering wheel according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the lower surface side of the upper cover with which the steering wheel which becomes embodiment of this invention was mounted | worn. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the BB line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the CC line of FIG. It is an enlarged view in D circle of FIG. It is a top view which shows the modification of the upper cover with which the steering wheel used as embodiment of this invention was mounted | worn.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steering wheel main body 3 Upper cover 3c Electrical component attachment part 3d Attachment hole 3e Locking hole 4 Airbag module 5 Airbag 8 Electrical component 8a Component case 8d Locking claw 8f Rib

Claims (4)

The folded airbag and inflator are fixed to the retainer and accommodated in an airbag accommodating portion protruding from the upper cover to constitute an airbag module, and the airbag module is attached to the steering wheel body so as to be movable up and down. Wheel,
A steering wheel, wherein an electrical component mounting portion is formed on the upper cover, and a component case provided with electrical components is mounted on the electrical component mounting portion. By forming an attachment hole in the shape of a long hole in the electrical component attachment part, which is longer in the outer direction than the airbag housing part, and movably fitting a boss projecting from the bottom surface of the component case into the attachment hole The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the component case is attached to the electrical component attachment portion. 3. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein a rib is provided below the boundary line between the upper cover and the component case so as to straddle the boundary line from the upper cover or the component case. The component case is positioned with respect to the electrical component mounting portion by engaging a plurality of locking claws protruding from the component case with locking holes formed in the electrical component mounting portion. The steering wheel according to any one of 1 to 3.

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