JP2022129266A - steering wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a steering wheel that can easily prevent a control device from being disposed in a boss portion to contribute to downsizing of the boss portion.SOLUTION: A steering wheel W includes: a ring portion R to be gripped during steering; a boss portion in the center of the ring portion; and a spoke portion connecting the ring portion and the boss portion and further includes a core member 3 connecting respective portions. A covered layer 20 and function parts are disposed around a ring core material portion 10 disposed on the ring portion. A control device 50 includes a substantially rectangular control board on which a control circuit for the function parts is disposed. The ring core material portion is formed in a cross-sectional U-shape having a recessed groove 11, and a core material cover 60 covering the recessed groove is attached to an upper surface 10a side. A housing space 17 for housing the control device is disposed between the ring core material portion and the core material cover. The control device is disposed to be positioned in the housing space such that a short direction SD extends along the up-down direction and a long direction extends along the arrangement direction of the recessed groove.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering wheel provided with a control device for controlling functional parts such as a heater element provided in the steering wheel.

A conventional steering wheel includes a substantially annular ring portion that is gripped during steering, a boss portion in the center of the ring portion, and a spoke portion that connects the ring portion and the boss portion. was provided with a control device for controlling the temperature of the heater element provided in the ring (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2016-153271 A

However, from the point of view of design, when the volume of the boss portion is to be reduced, if the control device is composed of a hard control board on which a substantially rectangular plate-shaped control circuit is provided, the control device (control board) However, it is difficult to reduce the size of the boss, and there is a problem in disposing the controller in the boss by reducing the volume of the boss.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a steering wheel that can easily prevent a control device from being disposed on a boss and contribute to downsizing of the boss.

A steering wheel according to the present invention includes an annular ring portion that is gripped during steering, a boss portion in the center of the ring portion, and a spoke portion that connects the ring portion and the boss portion,
a core member that connects the ring portion, the boss portion, and the spoke portion;
A steering wheel configured by disposing a coating layer around a ring core portion disposed in the ring portion of the core member and disposing functional parts controlled by a control device,
The control device is composed of a substantially rectangular control board provided with a control circuit for controlling the functional parts,
The ring core portion has a U-shaped cross section with a concave groove on the upper surface side,
A core material cover is disposed between the ring core part and the coating layer and is attached to the upper surface side of the ring core part so as to cover the concave groove of the ring core part,
A storage space for storing the control device is disposed between the groove of the ring core portion and the core cover,
The control device is positioned and arranged in the storage space with its lateral direction aligned with the vertical direction and its longitudinal direction aligned with the arrangement direction of the recessed groove.

In the steering wheel according to the present invention, the control device (control board) is arranged in the recessed groove of the ring core portion having a U-shaped cross section in the ring portion while being covered with the core cover. Further, even if the control device is in the shape of a hard, substantially rectangular plate, the longitudinal direction of the long dimension is aligned with the arrangement direction of the grooves of the ring core member, and the short direction is aligned with the upper surface of the ring core member. and the lower surface of the core cover (vertical direction), the control device can be easily accommodated in the storage space between the groove of the ring core part and the core cover. A control device does not have to be arranged on the boss.

Therefore, in the steering wheel according to the present invention, it is possible to easily prevent the control device from being arranged on the ring portion and arranged on the boss portion, thereby contributing to downsizing of the boss portion.

Of course, in the steering wheel according to the present invention, even if a coating layer is disposed on the outer surface side of the ring portion so as to improve the feeling of gripping by the driver, the ring core portion containing the control device may be used. The concave groove of is covered with the core material cover at the top, and extends from the outer periphery of the ring core part itself on the lower surface side to the outer periphery of the core material cover on the upper surface side, that is, along the outer peripheral surface of the cross section of the ring part. The covering layer can be arranged smoothly and continuously, and the feel of gripping by the driver is not spoiled. In addition, in the steering wheel according to the present invention, instead of the spoke portion on which the operation switch of the cruise control unit for controlling the running of the vehicle is mounted, depending on the vehicle type, the ring core portion having a U-shaped cross section in the ring portion is used. The control device is stored in the storage space in the recessed groove, and the recessed groove of the ring core part with a U-shaped cross section in the ring part is present while ensuring the rigidity of the ring core part in all vehicle models. A storage space for the control device can be easily secured, and the control device of the functional component can be easily arranged in the steering wheel of each vehicle type. Furthermore, depending on the vehicle type, even if a predetermined functional part is arranged or not, the control device for that functional part depends on whether or not it is arranged in the recessed groove of the ring core portion. It can be easily handled without affecting the strength or appearance of the ring. In addition, since the control device is housed in the opening side of the U-shaped cross-sectional groove of the ring core portion, the control device is assembled by lowering the control device from the upper side of the groove. Since the upside-down ring core portion is not a concave groove having an inverted U-shaped cross section, the control device can be easily assembled.

Further, in the steering wheel according to the present invention, it is preferable that the control device is held by the core cover and positioned within the storage space.

In such a configuration, if the control device is held by the core cover, when the core cover is attached to the ring core, the control device can also be positioned and attached to the ring core at the same time. , the work of assembling the control device to the ring core portion becomes efficient.

The core material cover includes a pair of clamping pieces that clamp an inner surface on the boss portion side and an outer surface remote from the boss portion side of the control device,
The pair of clamping pieces protrude downward from the lower surface side of the core material cover facing the recessed groove, and an assembly opening into which the control device can be inserted and clamped is provided on the lower end side. , is preferably formed.

With such a configuration, when the control device is inserted between the pair of clamping pieces through the assembly opening on the lower surface side of the core cover so as to be pushed upward, the control device is attached to the pair of clamping pieces. It is sandwiched and integrated with the core cover, and when it is attached to the ring core after that, handling of the control device is facilitated because it is integrated with the core cover.

Further, in the steering wheel according to the present invention, the core cover includes a pair of clamping pieces that clamp an inner surface on the boss portion side and an outer surface away from the boss portion of the control device,
The pair of clamping pieces protrude downward from the lower surface side of the core cover facing the recessed groove, and can be clamped by inserting the control device into the upper surface side of the core cover on the upper end side. It may be formed by arranging an attachment opening.

With such a configuration, the control device can be assembled to the core cover from the upper surface side of the core cover.

Further, in the steering wheel according to the present invention, the ring core portion has a U-shaped cross section including a bottom wall portion and a pair of opposed wall portions extending upward so as to face each other from both edge sides of the bottom wall portion. as a shape, composed of
The ring portion has a lighting device as the functional component disposed on the upper surface side,
The lighting device is provided with a light-emitting portion that emits light, and a lighting device is provided on the upper end surface side of the pair of opposing wall portions so as to straddle the groove of the ring core portion at the location where the lighting device is arranged. It may be supported and arranged.

In such a configuration, even if the lighting device as a functional component is arranged on the upper surface side of the ring portion, the lighting device may It can be arranged so as to straddle, and can be arranged with stable support. In addition, the electric wire connecting the lighting device and the control device can also be passed through the recessed groove of the ring core member, which facilitates handling of the electric wire.

1 is a schematic plan view showing a steering wheel according to one embodiment of the invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded plan view showing the core member of the steering wheel of the embodiment and the core member cover that covers the ring core portion. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the steering wheel of the embodiment, corresponding to the III-III portion of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the steering wheel of the embodiment, corresponding to the IV-IV portion of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the steering wheel of the embodiment, corresponding to the VV portion of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the steering wheel of the embodiment, corresponding to the section VI-VI of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a plan view of the left core cover used in the steering wheel of the embodiment; It is a bottom view of the left-hand core material cover used for the steering wheel of embodiment. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the right core material cover used in the steering wheel of the embodiment; It is a bottom view of the core material cover of the right side used for the steering wheel of the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a ring portion showing a modification of the core material cover of the steering wheel of the embodiment;

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. A boss portion B and spoke portions S (L, R, B) connecting the ring portion R and the boss portion B are provided. The spoke portion S includes spoke portions SL and SR extending from the boss portion B to the left and right sides, and spoke portions SB extending from the boss portion B to the rear side. The steering wheel W includes an airbag device 80 (see two-dot chain line in FIG. 5) disposed on the upper side of the boss B, the steering wheel main body 1, and a lower cover 82 covering the lower side of the boss B. , is configured with

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the steering wheel body 1 includes a ring portion R, a boss portion B, and a core member 3 made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy that connects the spoke portions S. . The core material 3 connects the ring core material part 10 arranged in the ring part R, the boss core material part 5 arranged in the boss part B, and the ring core material part 10 and the boss core material part 5 . , spoke core members 7 (L, R) and 8 arranged in the spoke portions S (L, R, B). The boss core portion 5 is provided with a steel boss 5a to be coupled with the steering shaft of the vehicle. The spoke core portions 7 are arranged in spoke core portions 7L and 7R arranged in the left and right spoke portions SL and SR, and arranged in the spoke portion SB on the rear side. It is composed of two spoke core members 8, 8 that are branched into two and are joined on the ring core member 10 side.

A covering layer 20 made of urethane or the like is provided around the ring core portion 10, as shown in FIGS. A skin layer 22 made of leather is provided on the outer surface of the covering layer 20 .

The ring core portion 10 has a U-shaped cross section with a groove 11 on the upper surface side, and has a bottom wall portion 12 and a pair of opposed wall portions 13 (I, O) and has a cross-sectional shape. The opposing wall portion 13I is a portion on the boss portion B side, and the opposing wall portion 13O is a portion on the side away from the boss portion B. As shown in FIG. A plurality of locking projections 15 (see FIGS. 4 and 6) for attaching core material covers 60 and 70, which will be described later, are provided on the outer side surfaces of the opposing walls 13I and 13O.

Between the ring core portion 10 and the coating layer 20, a synthetic resin such as polypropylene is attached to the upper surface 10a side of the ring core portion 10 so as to cover the upper side of the groove 11 of the ring core portion 10. Core material covers 60 (L, R) and 70 (F, B) manufactured by The core material covers 60 (L, R) are arranged on the left and right portions of the ring portion R, and the core material covers 70 (F, B) are arranged on the front and rear portions of the ring portion R.

Approximately rectangular plate-shaped control devices (control boards) 50 (A, B, C, D) are accommodated between the groove 11 of the ring core portion 10 and the left and right core member covers 60 (L, R). A storage space 17 is provided (see FIGS. 3 and 5). Each control device 50 (A, B, C, D) is positioned in the storage space 17 with the lateral direction SD along the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction LD along the arrangement direction of the groove 11. (see FIGS. 7-10). In addition, in the case of the embodiment, each control device 50 (A, B, C, D) is configured such that the longitudinal direction LD is approximately the tangential direction CD along the circumferential direction of the ring core portion 10 around the boss portion B. They are arranged in parallel and positioned within the storage space 17 (see FIGS. 8 and 10).

In the case of the embodiment, each control device 50 (A, B, C, D) is held by the core material covers 60L, 60R and positioned within the storage space 17. As shown in FIG. Specifically, the core material covers 60L and 60R include a ceiling wall portion 61 curved in an inverted U-shaped cross section and ribs 64 (I, O) protruding from a lower surface 61b of the ceiling wall portion 61 so as to face each other. configured as follows. The rib 64I is a portion on the boss portion B side, and the rib 64O is a portion on the side away from the boss portion B. As shown in FIG. The portions of the ribs 64 (I, O) that hold the control device 50 are a pair of clamping pieces 66 (I, O) that can clamp and hold the control device 50 . The pair of clamping pieces 66 (I, O) is a plate capable of clamping the control device 50 by being pressed against an inner surface 50a on the boss portion B side and an outer surface 50b away from the boss portion B side of the control device 50. The support projections 66a are formed to project, and the openings between the opposing support projections 66a, 66a serve as assembly openings 67 into which the control device 50 can be inserted and held from below.

Both edges of the ceiling wall portion 61 having an inverted U-shaped cross section are provided with locking holes 62a as mounting edges 62 into which the locking projections 15 of the ring core portion 10 are inserted and locked. (See Figure 4). Therefore, when the core material cover 60 is placed upward so as to block the recessed groove 11 , the locking projection 15 locks the locking hole 62 a and the inner peripheral surface side of the mounting edge 62 faces the opposing wall 13 . The downward movement of the core cover 60 is restricted by contact with the outer side surface, and the upward movement of the core cover 60 is restricted by locking the locking projection 15 in the locking hole 62a. The core material cover 60 is attached to the ring core part 10 .

In the case of the embodiment, there are three pairs of clamping piece portions 66 (I, O) that clamp each control device 50, and the gap H between the opposing support projections 66a, 66a on the opening 67 side is Since the substantially flat control board 50 having rigidity is fitted in the gap H, which is the same between the adjacent clamping pieces 66, the arrangement position of the opening 67 in which the gap H is provided is the boss portion B Instead of an arc-shaped arrangement centered on the side of the ribs 64I and 64O, the clearance H (E) on both ends along the circumferential direction is arranged at a position away from the boss B side, and the central clearance is formed. The H(C) side is arranged at a position close to the boss portion B (see FIGS. 7 to 10). With such an arrangement relationship, even if the substantially rectangular control substrate (control device) 50 is elongated in the longitudinal direction LD, the concave groove 11 is arranged so as to extend in a curved manner. The control device 50 can be efficiently held by the core material cover 60 by making the most of the storage space 17 formed from .

In addition, the front and rear core material covers 70 (F, B) are also provided with a ceiling wall portion 71 having an inverted U-shaped cross section so as to block the upper portion of the groove 11 of the ring core portion 10. Both edges are mounting edges 74 provided with locking holes 74a that are locked by the locking projections 15 (see FIGS. 2 and 6). Furthermore, ribs 76 (I, O) that are inserted into the grooves 11 project from the lower surface 71b side of the ceiling wall portion 71 . Therefore, if the front and rear core material covers 70 (F, B) are also placed upward so as to block the recessed groove 11, the locking projection 15 locks the locking hole 74a, and the inner periphery of the mounting edge 74 The surface side abuts against the outer side surface of the opposing wall portion 13 to restrict the downward movement of the core cover 70, and the locking protrusion 15 locks the locking hole 74a, thereby preventing the core cover 70 from moving downward. The upward movement of the core member cover 70 is restricted, and the core member cover 70 is attached to the ring core member 10 .

However, the core material cover 70F on the front side is formed with a recess 72 for disposing the lighting device 40 on the center side in the left-right direction.

In the case of the embodiment, the ring core portion 10 is in a state in which the recessed groove 11 around the entire periphery is covered with core member covers 60 (L, R) and 70 (F, B) attached to the left, right, front and rear. .

In addition, in the steering wheel W of the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. A heater 30 having a heater element for raising the temperature of the ring portion R, and a grip detection sensor 32 capable of detecting the driver's grip by detecting capacitance are provided.

In the case of the embodiment, the heater 30 is a sheet-shaped one configured by arranging a heater wire on a urethane sheet, and is one of the functional parts mounted on the steering wheel W. As shown in FIG. The heater 30 is controlled by a controller 50 (A) comprising a control board provided with a predetermined control circuit to raise the temperature.

A controller 50A that controls the heater 30 operates the heater 30 in response to a signal from a predetermined controller on the vehicle side to raise the temperature to a predetermined temperature and maintain the temperature if the vehicle interior temperature is equal to or lower than the set temperature. The heater 30 is controlled so as to

The grip detection sensor 32 is a sheet-shaped sensor in which a conductive sheet material or wire material is arranged on a urethane sheet. , which detects the driver's grip, is connected to a control device 50(B) comprising a control board provided with a predetermined control circuit, and the grip detection operation is controlled by the control device 50B.

The control device 50B that controls the gripping detection sensor 32 controls the gripping detection sensor 32 so that the gripping detection sensor 32 can detect whether or not the driver is gripping the ring portion R in order to switch from automatic driving to manual driving. It controls and operates the detection sensor 32, and the detection result of the gripping state is transmitted from the control device 50B to a predetermined control device on the vehicle side.

In addition, in the case of the embodiment, as other functional parts, a vibrating device 34 (see FIG. 1) provided with a vibrating motor for vibrating the steering wheel W, and a light emitting part such as an LED in conjunction with a navigation system or the like. and a lighting device 40 for lighting 44 .

The vibrating device 34 is controlled by a control device 50 (C) comprising a control board provided with a predetermined control circuit to control the operation of the vibrating motor. The vibrating device 34 is mounted on the instrument panel in front of the driver's seat or on the column cover to capture images of the area around the driver's eyes. When it is determined that this is the state, the ring portion R is vibrated so as to call the driver's attention. Judgment of the improper driving state is made by a predetermined control device on the vehicle side based on the image taken by the camera, and the signal is input to the control device 50C, controlled by the control device 50C, and the vibration device 34 is operated. will be activated.

The lighting device 40 can illuminate the light-emitting part 44 made up of a plurality of LEDs so as to flow in the direction of guidance, for example, when guiding a right turn or a left turn by a signal from a navigation system. The lighting state is controlled by a control device 50(D) made up of a substrate.

In the lighting device 40, a plurality of light-emitting portions 44 for emitting visible light are arranged along the circumferential direction of the ring portion R on the lower surface side of the light-emitting substrate 41, and the light emitted by the light-emitting portions 44 is made of polycarbonate. Illuminated upward through a transparent curved light guide 45, such as. On the upper surface side of the light-emitting substrate 41, a light-emitting section 42 capable of emitting infrared rays is arranged and covered with a lens 43 so as to photograph the vicinity of the driver's eyes even at night. The upper side of the light emitting substrate 41 is covered with a transparent cover 46 . The lighting device 40 is configured by attaching a light-emitting substrate 41 to which the light-emitting portions 42 and 444 are attached, a cover 46 having an inverted U-shaped cross section, and a light guide 45 to a mounting substrate 47. The mounting substrate 47 is used as a core material. It is attached to the ceiling wall portion 71 at the portion of the recess 72 of the cover 70F. Therefore, the lighting device 40 allows the upper end surfaces 13a of the pair of opposed wall portions 13 (I, O) having a U-shaped cross section to move toward the ring core portion 10 via the ceiling wall portion 71 of the core cover 70F. It can be arranged so as to straddle, and is arranged with stable support. Further, the light emitting unit 42 emits light as a light source of the above-mentioned camera for photographing for determining whether or not the driver's eyes are closed.

In the case of the embodiment, the controllers 50A and 50B for controlling the heater 30 and the gripping detection sensor 32 are configured to correspond to the positions where the heater 30 and the gripping detection sensor 32 are arranged on the left and right sides. 60L, 60R are arranged at the arrangement portions 65 (L1, L2, R2, R3), respectively, and the control device 50C for controlling the vibration device 34 is arranged at the arrangement portion 65 (L3) of the core cover 60R. A control device 50D for controlling the lighting device 40 is arranged at the arrangement portion 65 (R1) of the core cover 60L (see FIGS. 1 and 7 to 10). The arrangement parts 65 (L1, L2, L3) are parts arranged in order from the front side in the left core cover 60L, and the arrangement parts 65 (R1, R2, R3) are the parts arranged in the right core cover 60L. In 60R, these parts are arranged in order from the front side. In the case of the embodiment, each arrangement portion 65 (L1, L2, L3, R1, R2, R3) is configured by arranging support projections 66a of three pairs of clamping piece portions 66 (I, O). ing.

In this steering wheel W, before molding the coating layer 20, the control device 50 (A, B, C, D) is installed between predetermined support projections 66a, 66a of the left and right core material covers 60L, 60R. It is inserted from the assembling opening 67 and held between the holding pieces 66, 66 of the left and right core material covers 60L, 60R. Also, the lighting device 40 is attached to the recess 72 of the core cover 70F. Next, electric wires (not shown) extending from the lighting device 40 and the control device 50 (A, B, C, D) are passed through the recessed grooves 11 of the ring core member 10, and the spoke portions S of the core member covers 60L and 60R are inserted. It is made to stand by on the lower surface side of the projecting portion 68 extending to the side. Then, the core material covers 60 (L, R) and 70 (L, R) are put on the ring core part 10 from above so as to cover the recessed groove 11, and the mounting edges 62, 62, 74, 74 are attached. The locking protrusions 15 are inserted into the locking holes 62a and 64a of the core member covers 60 (L, R) and 70 (L, R) to attach the core member covers 60 (L, R) to the ring core member 10. As shown in FIG. After that, it is set in a mold for the covering layer 20 to mold the covering layer 20 . When molding the coating layer 20, the molding material of the coating layer 20 may be filled into the concave grooves 11 on the lower surfaces 61b, 71b of the ceiling wall portions 61, 71 of the core covers 60, 70, respectively.

After the coating layer 20 is formed, the heater 30 and the grip detection sensor 32 are adhered to the outer peripheral surface side of the coating layer 20, and the skin layer 22 is further formed, whereby the ring portion R can be formed. . Wires (not shown) extending from the heater 30 and the grip detection sensor 32 are connected to wires extending from the corresponding control devices 50A and 50B, and are arranged on the side of the boss portion B to be connected to the control device and the power supply on the vehicle side. It is connected to an integrated control unit (integrated ECU) 90 (see FIG. 1). Also, the vibration device 34 coupled with the electric wire extending from the control device 50C is attached to the spoke core member 8 near the ring core member 10, and the electric wire extending from the control device 50C and the control device 50D is connected to the above-described integrated control. It is coupled to the device (integrated ECU) 90 .

Note that the integrated control device 90 has a smaller volume and a smaller boss portion B than the configuration in which the functions of the control devices 50 (A, B, C, and D) that control the functional components 30, 32, 34, and 40 are aggregated. does not interfere with transformation.

After that, the lower cover 82 is assembled, the boss core portion 5 is connected to a steering shaft (not shown), an electric wire (not shown) extending from the vehicle side is connected to the integrated control device 90, and the airbag device 80 is connected to the boss portion B. By assembling, the steering wheel W can be formed and the steering wheel W can be mounted on the vehicle.

In the steering wheel W when mounted on a vehicle, the controller 50 (A, B, C, D) controls the heater 30 as a functional component to raise the temperature of the ring portion R, and the grip detection sensor 32 as a functional component increases the temperature of the ring portion R. , the driver's grasping state of the ring portion R is detected, the vibrating device 34 as a functional component vibrates the ring portion R to call attention, or the lighting device 40 as a functional component is used in the navigation system. The light-emitting part 44 is lighted so as to assist the guide.

In the steering wheel W of the embodiment, the control device (control board) 50 (A, B, C, D) is installed in the groove 11 of the ring core portion 10 having a U-shaped cross section in the ring portion R. It is covered with a material cover 60 (L, R). Even if the control device 50 has a hard, substantially rectangular plate shape, the longitudinal direction LD of the long dimension is aligned with the arrangement direction of the groove 11 (in the embodiment, a tangential line along the circumferential direction of the ring core portion 10). by arranging them substantially parallel to the direction CD), and aligning the lateral direction SD along the facing direction (vertical direction) between the upper surface 10a of the ring core member 10 and the lower surface 61b of the core member cover 60. The control device 50 (A, B, C, D) can be stored in the storage space 17 between the groove 11 of the ring core member 10 and the core member cover 60. No installation required.

Therefore, in the steering wheel W of the embodiment, it is possible to easily prevent the control device 50 from being arranged in the ring portion R and arranged in the boss portion B, which contributes to downsizing of the boss portion B. can.

Of course, in the steering wheel W of the embodiment, even if the coating layer 20 is arranged on the outer surface side of the ring portion R so as to improve the feeling of gripping by the driver, the ring containing the control device 50 may be used. The recessed groove 11 of the core member 10 is covered with the core member cover 60 from above, and extends from the outer periphery of the ring core member 10 itself on the lower surface 10b side to the outer periphery of the core member cover 60 on the upper surface 61a side. The covering layer 20 can be smoothly and continuously arranged along the outer peripheral surface of the cross section of the portion R, and the feeling of gripping by the driver is not impaired. Further, in the steering wheel W of the embodiment, instead of the spoke portion S on which the operation switch of the cruise control unit for controlling the traveling of the vehicle is mounted, depending on the vehicle type, the ring core member having a U-shaped cross section in the ring portion R is used. The control device 50 is stored in the storage space 17 in the recessed groove 11 of the portion 10, and the recessed groove 11 of the ring core portion 10 having a U-shaped cross section in the ring portion R is used in all vehicle models. The rigidity of the material part 10 can be ensured, the storage space 17 for the control device 50 can be easily secured, and the functional parts 30, 32, 34, 40 can be easily installed in the steering wheel W of each vehicle type. A controller 50 may be provided. Furthermore, depending on the type of vehicle, even if a predetermined functional component is provided or not, the control device 50 for that functional component determines whether or not the functional component is provided in the recessed groove 11 of the ring core portion 10. This can be easily handled without affecting the strength of the ring portion R and the appearance of the ring portion R. Further, since the control device 50 is housed in the opening side of the groove 11 having a U-shaped cross section of the ring core portion 10, the control device 50 can be assembled from the upper side of the groove 11. The assembling work is to dispose the control device 50 while lowering it, and the assembling work of the control device 50 is facilitated because the upside-down ring core portion is not a concave groove having an inverted U-shaped cross section. .

In the steering wheel W of the embodiment, the control device 50 is held by the core cover 60 and positioned within the storage space 17 .

Therefore, in the embodiment, if the control device 50 is held by the core cover 60, the control device 50 is also positioned on the ring core member 10 at the same time when the core cover 60 is attached to the ring core member 10. Since the control device 50 can be attached to the ring core member 10 efficiently, the operation of assembling the control device 50 to the ring core member 10 becomes efficient.

Further, the core material cover 60 has a pair of clamping pieces 66 (I, O) that clamp the inner surface 50a on the side of the boss portion B and the outer surface 50b away from the boss portion B side of the control device 50, A pair of clamping pieces 66 (I, O) protrude downward from the side of the lower surface 61b of the core material cover 60 facing the recessed groove 11, and on the lower end side, an assembling tab that can be clamped by inserting the control device 50. It is formed with an opening 67 provided.

Therefore, in the embodiment, if the control device 50 is inserted between the pair of clamping pieces 66 (I, O) from the assembly opening 67 on the lower surface 61b side of the core cover 60 so as to push upward, When the control device 50 is clamped between the pair of clamping pieces 66 (I, O) and integrated with the core cover 60, and then attached to the ring core 10, the handling of the control device 50 is as follows: Being integrated with the core material cover 60 makes it easier.

When the control device 50 is attached to the core cover 60, the control device 50 is attached to the core cover 60 by using an attachment means such as a screw instead of fitting between the pair of clamping pieces 66. The ring core member 10 may be attached together with the core cover 60 while being held by the core cover 60 .

In addition, the attachment of the core cover 60 to the ring core part 10 can be performed by locking the locking projections 15 to the periphery of the locking hole 62a of the core cover 60 as in the embodiment, or The core cover 60 may be attached to the ring core 10 by providing locking claws and locking the ring core 10 .

Further, in the steering wheel W of the embodiment, the ring core portion 10 includes a bottom wall portion 12 and a pair of opposing wall portions 13 (I, O) extending upward from both edge sides of the bottom wall portion 12 so as to face each other. , and the ring portion R has a lighting device 40 as a functional component disposed on the upper surface side. The lighting device 40 includes a light-emitting portion 44 that emits light, and a pair of opposing wall portions 13 (I , O) are supported on the side of the upper end surface 13a.

Therefore, in the embodiment, even if the lighting device 40 is disposed on the upper surface side of the ring portion R, the lighting device 40 is mounted on the pair of opposing wall portions 13 (I, O ) can be arranged so as to straddle the upper end surfaces 13a, and the support can be stabilized. In addition, the electric wire connecting the lighting device 40 and the control device 50D can also be passed through the concave groove 11 of the ring core member 10, which facilitates handling of the electric wire.

In the embodiment, the control device is held on the lower surface side of the core cover, but it may be configured like the core cover 60A shown in FIG. The core cover 60A has a pair of clamping pieces 66A (I, O) that clamp an inner surface 50a on the side of the boss B and an outer surface 50b away from the boss B of the controller 50A. A pair of clamping pieces 66A (I, O) protrude downward from the side of the lower surface 61b of the core cover 60A facing the recessed groove 11, and the control device 50A is formed by arranging an assembling opening 67A into which the can be inserted and clamped. In addition, in the core material cover 60A, the lower ends of the pair of clamping pieces 66A (I, O) are connected by a connecting portion 69. As shown in FIG.

With such a configuration, the control device 50A can be assembled to the core cover 60A from the upper surface 61a side of the core cover 60A.

In the steering wheel W of the embodiment, the substantially annular ring portion R is illustrated, but if the ring core portion has a U-shaped cross section, the ring portion R itself is not limited to an annular shape. Instead, it may have various shapes such as a square ring, an elliptical ring, and the like.

3... core material, 10... ring core part, 10a... upper surface, 10b... lower surface, 11... concave groove,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12... Bottom wall part 13 (I, O)... Opposing wall part 13a... Upper end face 17... Storage space 20... Coating layer 30... (Functional component) Heater 32... (Functional component) Grip detection sensor 34... (functional part) vibrator, 40... (functional part) lighting device, 50 (A, B, C, D)... (control board) control device, 50a... inner surface, 50b... outer surface, 60, 60A ( L, R)...core material cover, 66, 66A (I, O)... clamping piece portion, 67, 67A... assembly opening,
SD... lateral direction (of the control device), LD... longitudinal direction (of the control device), CD... tangential direction (along the circumferential direction of the ring core portion), R... ring portion, B... boss portion, S (L , R, B) ... spoke portion, W ... steering wheel.

Claims (5)

An annular ring portion that is gripped during steering, a central boss portion of the ring portion, and spoke portions that connect the ring portion and the boss portion,
a core member that connects the ring portion, the boss portion, and the spoke portion;
A steering wheel configured by disposing a coating layer around a ring core portion disposed in the ring portion of the core member and disposing functional parts controlled by a control device,
The control device is composed of a substantially rectangular control board provided with a control circuit for controlling the functional parts,
The ring core portion has a U-shaped cross section with a concave groove on the upper surface side,
A core material cover is disposed between the ring core part and the coating layer and is attached to the upper surface side of the ring core part so as to cover the concave groove of the ring core part,
A storage space for storing the control device is disposed between the groove of the ring core portion and the core cover,
A steering wheel characterized in that the control device is positioned and arranged in the storage space with its lateral direction aligned with the vertical direction and its longitudinal direction aligned with the arrangement direction of the recessed groove. . 2. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the control device is held by the core cover and positioned within the storage space. The core material cover includes a pair of clamping pieces that clamp an inner surface on the boss portion side and an outer surface remote from the boss portion side of the control device,
The pair of clamping pieces protrude downward from the lower surface side of the core material cover facing the recessed groove, and an assembly opening into which the control device can be inserted and clamped is provided on the lower end side. 3. The steering wheel according to claim 2, wherein the steering wheel is formed of: . The core material cover includes a pair of clamping pieces that clamp an inner surface on the boss portion side and an outer surface remote from the boss portion side of the control device,
The pair of clamping pieces protrude downward from the lower surface side of the core cover facing the recessed groove, and can be clamped by inserting the control device into the upper surface side of the core cover on the upper end side. 3. The steering wheel according to claim 2, wherein the steering wheel is formed with an attachment opening. The ring core portion is configured to have a U-shaped cross section including a bottom wall portion and a pair of opposing wall portions extending upward so as to face each other from both edge sides of the bottom wall portion,
The ring portion has a lighting device as the functional component disposed on the upper surface side,
The lighting device is provided with a light-emitting portion that emits light, and a lighting device is provided on the upper end surface side of the pair of opposing wall portions so as to straddle the groove of the ring core portion at the location where the lighting device is arranged. 5. A steering wheel according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the steering wheel is supported and arranged.

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