JP2013018336A - Steering wheel structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering wheel structure capable of improving the fine appearance of a steering wheel body with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A rim section 6 of a steering wheel body 1 includes: a core metal 5 fixed on a steering shaft 2; a wooden member 9 covering the core metal 5; and a movement restraining section 13 which is provided between the core metal 5 and the wooden member 9 and restrains the movement of the wooden member 9 when the wooden member 9 expands or contracts along the core metal 5. The movement restraining section 13 is formed with a retaining section 13c for retaining a terminal section 9c of the wooden member 9.

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering wheel structure in which a wooden member and a leather member are attached to a cored bar part.

  As an example of an automobile steering wheel, for example, a steering wheel having a configuration in which a part of a rim cored bar is covered with a wooden member and a rim cored bar not covered with the wooden member is covered with an outer leather member is proposed. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  In the conventional steering wheel described in Patent Document 1, the resin piece is bonded and fixed on the outer peripheral surface of the rim core at the boundary between the wooden member and the outer leather member. A groove portion is provided between the ends of the outer leather member, and the end of the outer leather member in the direction in which the rim core bar extends is held by being grained.

JP 2009-262745 A

  By the way, the wood member generally has the property of being easily heat-shrinkable due to a change in temperature. Therefore, when the wooden member is thermally contracted due to a temperature change after the wooden member is attached to the rim cored bar, a concavity-like gap that is conspicuous at the boundary between the wooden member and the outer leather member is generated. If the concave groove-like gap appears clearly, the obtrusive concave groove-like gap may deteriorate the appearance of the steering wheel body.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel structure that has a simple configuration and can improve the aesthetics of a steering wheel body.

[1] The present invention is provided between a core metal fixed to a steering shaft of a vehicle, a wooden member covering the core metal, the core metal and the wooden member, and the wooden member is attached to the core metal. A movement restraining member that restrains the movement of the wooden member when stretched or shrunk along, and the movement restraining member is formed with a holding portion that holds the terminal portion of the wooden member. It has the characteristic steering wheel structure.

[2] In the steering wheel structure according to the above [1], it is preferable that the movement suppressing member is provided movably along the mandrel and follows the movement of the wood member.

[3] In the steering wheel structure according to the above [1], the holding portion is a member different from the movement suppressing member, and is provided movably along the cored bar. It is preferable to hold the end portion of the wooden member.

[4] In the steering wheel structure according to any one of [1] to [3], a leather member that covers the core metal other than the portion of the wooden member via a covering member is provided, It is preferable that the holding portion is formed with a groove portion into which the end portion of the wood member and the end portion of the leather member are fitted.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to suppress generation | occurrence | production of the clearance gap in the terminal part of a wooden member by simple structure, and can improve the beauty | look of a steering wheel main body.

1 is a front view schematically showing a steering wheel body which is a preferred first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is an arrow directional cross-sectional enlarged view of the II-II line | wire of FIG. It is an arrow directional cross-sectional enlarged view of the III-III line | wire of FIG. It is a cross-sectional enlarged view which shows the principal part of the rim | limb part of the steering wheel main body which is 2nd Embodiment. It is a cross-sectional enlarged view which shows the principal part of the rim | limb part of the steering wheel main body which is 3rd Embodiment.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[First Embodiment]
(Overall structure of the steering wheel body)
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 indicating the whole exemplifies a typical automobile steering wheel body according to this embodiment. The steering wheel body 1 includes a central boss 3 that is fitted and fixed to the tip of the steering shaft 2, an annular rim portion 6 that encloses the rim core 5, and the boss 3 and the rim core 5 that are attached to each other. There are provided spoke portions 8, 8, 8 for encapsulating a part of three spoke core bars 7, 7, 7 to be connected. In the illustrated example, the steering wheel body 1 is in a state in which the vehicle moves straight and is in a straight steering position.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the pad portion 4 is attached to the upper portion of the boss 3, and the lower portion of the boss 3 is made of a synthetic resin having an opening (not shown) through which the tip of the boss 3 and the steering shaft 2 are inserted. A lower cover is attached. The pad portion 4 is formed of a soft member such as foamed polyurethane, for example, and a horn horn, an inflator, and an air bag (not shown) are accommodated and fixed in the pad portion 4.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rim core metal 5 of the rim portion 6 has a substantially inverted U-shaped cross section, and is formed by casting a metal such as aluminum or aluminum alloy, for example. . On the other hand, the boss 3 and the spoke core metal 7 are formed by casting a metal such as aluminum, an aluminum alloy, magnesium, or a magnesium alloy.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the rim portion 6 includes a wood member 9 that is a hard covering portion, and a leather member 11 that is covered on the outer periphery of the soft covering portion 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the wood member 9 is covered on the outer periphery of the rim core bar 5 in the upper portion and the left and right lower portions of the rim portion 6. The wood member 9 is made of, for example, a solid wood, and is formed by joining two members, a wood upper 9a and a wood lower 9b. An elastic adhesive 12 is interposed between the inner surfaces of the wood upper 9a and the wood lower 9b and the rim cored bar 5.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the soft covering portion 10 is located on a part of the rim core bar 5 excluding the portion of the wooden member 9, and the rim core bars 5 on the left and right side portions and the lower side portion of the rim portion 6. And the spoke portion 8 are covered. The soft covering portion 10 is made of, for example, a soft material such as foamed polyurethane, and the leather member 11 covering the soft covering portion 10 is made of, for example, natural leather or synthetic leather.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a resin piece 13 is fixed to a boundary portion between the wooden member 9 and the leather member 11 in the rim metal core 5 through fixing means such as an adhesive. The resin piece 13 is made of, for example, a hard thermoplastic synthetic resin such as polypropylene or ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin), and is formed as an annular covering member having a two-part configuration. The outer edge side corner of the resin piece 13 on the soft covering portion 10 side is chamfered obliquely downward toward the rim core metal extending direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the resin piece 13 is disposed adjacent to the wooden member 9 and is covered with the leather member 11. The resin piece 13 has a function as a burr cutting at the time of molding so as not to form the soft covering portion 10 on a part of the rim core metal 5, and also has a terminal portion of the wooden member 9 and a terminal portion of the leather member 11. It has the function to hold.

(Configuration of movement restraining member)
About the steering wheel comprised as mentioned above, except the resin piece 13, there is no place different from the shape of the general steering wheel main body 1, a structure, etc. The basic configuration of the steering wheel main body 1 is that a resin piece 13 is employed as a movement suppressing member that suppresses the movement of the wooden member 9 when the wooden member 9 expands or contracts along the rim mandrel 5.

  Both the boundary portion on one side and the boundary portion on the other side of the wooden member 9 and the resin piece 13 have the same shape, and have the same main configuration. In the first embodiment, the description will be made centering on the boundary portion on one side shown by the arrow line III-III in FIG. 1 when viewed from the passenger side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the resin piece 13 is a movement suppressing member divided into two members, and is fixed to the outer periphery of the rim core metal 5 with an adhesive. A concave groove-shaped holding portion 13c having an annular horizontal portion 13a and an annular vertical portion 13b is formed at the end of the resin piece 13 on the wooden member 9 side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an annular short side wall 9 c is formed on the inner peripheral surface on the free end side of the wooden member 9. The short side wall 9c is held in the groove by engaging with the vertical portion 13b of the holding portion 13c of the resin piece 13. On the other hand, the end portion of the leather member 11 is formed as a bent piece 11 a that is bent toward a portion corresponding to the annular groove in the holding portion 13 c of the resin piece 13. A bent piece 11a of the leather member 11 is fitted into the annular concave groove of the holding portion 13c together with the short side wall 9c of the wooden member 9 through fixing means such as an adhesive or a double-sided tape.

(Effects of the first embodiment)
According to the steering wheel body 1 according to the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The resin piece 13 is bonded and fixed to the outer periphery of the rim core 5, and the end portion of the wooden member 9 and the end portion of the leather member 11 are placed in the annular groove of the holding portion 13 c of the resin piece 13. It is inserted. By adopting this configuration, even if the wooden member 9 is thermally contracted due to a temperature change, the movement of the wooden member 9 is suppressed by the resin piece 13, so that the annular groove of the holding portion 13 c is formed by the parting gap G. I can't see the bottom. This gap G can be reduced and can be made inconspicuous. Thereby, while being able to improve the appearance of an external appearance, the favorable steering wheel main body 1 which raised the commercial value as a final product is obtained.

[Second Embodiment]
Referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 illustrates a main part of the rim portion 6 according to the second embodiment. Even in the basic configuration of the second embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the resin piece 13 is a movement suppressing member. In the figure, members substantially the same as those in the first embodiment are given the same member names and symbols. Therefore, the detailed description regarding these members is omitted.

  In the first embodiment, the resin piece 13 is provided immovably on the outer periphery of the rim core bar 5. In the second embodiment, the resin piece 13 is disposed on the outer periphery of the rim core bar 5. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that it is movable along the first embodiment. In the illustrated example, the resin piece 13 is not fixed to the outer periphery of the rim core metal 5 with an adhesive, and the wooden member 9 moves when the wooden member 9 extends or contracts along the rim core metal 5. It has come to follow.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a circumferential groove 9 d is formed on the inner peripheral surface on the free end side of the wooden member 9. The vertical portion 13b of the holding portion 13c of the resin piece 13 is fitted into the circumferential groove 9d, and the end portion of the wooden member 9 and the end portion of the leather member 11 are held. While the vertical part 13b of the holding part 13c is fitted in the circumferential groove 9d of the wooden member 9, when the wooden member 9 contracts along the outer periphery of the rim metal core 5 due to temperature change, the leather member 11 is extended. The resin piece 13 can be made to follow the movement of the wooden member 9.

(Effect of the second embodiment)
Even in the second embodiment, the spread of the parting gap G formed between the wooden member 9 and the resin piece 13 is suppressed. The appearance design of the steering wheel body 1 can be improved with a simple configuration.

[Third Embodiment]
Referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 illustrates a main part of the rim portion 6 according to the third embodiment. Even in the basic configuration of the third embodiment, similarly to the second embodiment, there is a configuration of the resin piece 13 that is a movement suppressing member. In the figure, members substantially the same as those in the above embodiments are given the same member names and symbols. Therefore, the detailed description regarding these members is omitted.

  In the first and second embodiments, the resin piece 13 is formed integrally with the holding portion 13c. In the third embodiment, the holding portion is a separate member from the resin piece. This is different from the first and second embodiments.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the resin piece 13 is fixed to the outer periphery of the rim core bar 5 with an adhesive. A slide member 14 made of a member different from the resin piece 13 is arranged as a holding portion at the end of the resin piece 13 on the wooden member 9 side.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the slide member 14 is a movement suppressing member that is divided into two members that suppress the movement of the wooden member 9 when the wooden member 9 extends or contracts along the rim mandrel 5. Yes. In the illustrated example, the slide member 14 has a large cylindrical portion 14a that can move along the resin piece 13 and a small cylindrical portion 14b that can move along the rim mandrel 5 communicated via an annular step portion 14c. Is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the large cylinder portion 14 a of the slide member 14 is slidably disposed on an annular support surface 13 d formed by cutting out an end portion of the resin piece 13. An annular jaw portion 14 d that protrudes toward a portion corresponding to the circumferential groove 9 d of the wooden member 9 is formed as a protruding piece at the end portion of the small cylindrical portion 14 b of one slide member 14. In the concave groove formed in the space between the jaw portion 14d of the small tube portion 14b and the step portion 14c of the large tube portion 14a, the short side wall 9c of the wooden member 9 and the bent piece 11a of the leather member 11 are provided. Are fitted through fixing means such as an adhesive or a double-sided tape, and the terminal portion of the wooden member 9 and the terminal portion of the leather member 11 are held.

  According to the movement suppressing member configured as described above, the wooden member 9 is moved along the outer periphery of the rim metal core 5 due to a temperature change in a state where the jaw portion 14d of the slide member 14 is fitted in the circumferential groove 9d of the wooden member 9. When contracted, the sliding member 14 can follow the movement of the wooden member 9 while the leather member 11 is extended.

(Effect of the third embodiment)
Even in the third embodiment, similarly to the first and second embodiments, when the wooden member 9 is about to expand or contract due to a temperature change, the slide member 14 is attached to the wooden member 9. It is possible to follow the movement of the leather member 11, and the leather member 11 is not wavy and the shape stability is improved. Therefore, the appearance design of the steering wheel body 1 is not impaired.

[Modification]
In addition, in the said embodiment and the example of illustration, although the terminal processing structure of the boundary part of the wooden member 9 and the leather member 11 in the rim | limb part 6 was demonstrated, it is not limited to this, For example, the pad part 4 When the leather member 11 is covered on the surface and the wooden member 9 is covered on the surface of the spoke portion 8, it is applied to the terminal processing structure at the boundary portion between the wooden member 9 and the leather member 11 in the spoke portion 8. You can also.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment and the example of illustration, although demonstrated taking the example of the steering wheel for motor vehicles which has three spoke parts, it is not limited to this, For example, it has two or more spoke parts. Needless to say, the present invention can be effectively applied to various types of vehicle steering wheels such as automobile steering wheels, construction machines, and agricultural machines.

  As is clear from the above description, the typical configuration example of the steering wheel structure of the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiment, the modification, and the illustrated example. However, the embodiment, the modification, and the illustrated example are described above. Does not limit the claimed invention. It should be noted that not all the combinations of features described in the above embodiments, modifications, and illustrated examples are essential to the means for solving the problems of the present invention. Of course, various configurations are possible within the scope of the technical idea.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Steering wheel main body, 2 ... Steering shaft, 3 ... Boss, 4 ... Pad part, 5 ... Rim core, 6 ... Rim core, 7 ... Spoke core, 8 ... Spoke part, 9 ... Wood member, 9a ... Wood Upper, 9b ... Wood lower, 9c ... Short side wall, 9d ... Circumferential groove, 10 ... Soft covering, 11 ... Leather member, 11a ... Bent piece, 12 ... Elastic adhesive, 13 ... Resin piece, 13a ... Horizontal part , 13b ... vertical part, 13c ... holding part, 13d ... support surface, 14 ... slide member, 14a ... large cylinder part, 14b ... small cylinder part, 14c ... step part, 14d ... jaw part, G ... gap

Claims (4)

A metal core fixed to the steering shaft of the vehicle;
A wooden member covering the core metal;
A movement restraining member that is provided between the metal core and the wooden member, and suppresses the movement of the wooden member when the wooden member extends or contracts along the metal core;
A steering wheel structure, wherein the movement suppressing member is formed with a holding portion for holding a terminal portion of the wood member.   2. The steering wheel structure according to claim 1, wherein the movement suppressing member is provided movably along the cored bar and follows the movement of the wood member.   The said holding | maintenance part consists of another member from the said movement suppression member, and it is provided so that a movement is possible along the said metal core, The end of the said another member hold | maintains the terminal part of the said wooden member, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. The steering wheel structure according to 1. It comprises a leather member that covers the core metal other than the part of the wood member through a covering member,
The steering wheel structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a groove portion into which the end portion of the wooden member and the end portion of the leather member are fitted is formed in the holding portion.

Images