JP2023045066A - steering wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a steering wheel capable of being entirely efficiently warmed.SOLUTION: A steering wheel 10 includes: a rim 11 that has a concave part 1121; and an epidermal body 14 that is wound around and fixed to the rim 11 in a state of being partially housed in the concave part 1121. Further, the steering wheel 10 includes a heat dissipator 132 that is interposed between a surface 112a of a region other than the concave part 1121 of the rim 11 and the epidermal body 14. The steering wheel 10 further includes a heat conduction sheet 12 that is partially housed in the concave part 1121 in a state of being thermally connected to the heat dissipator 132.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present disclosure relates to steering wheels.

Conventionally, as a steering wheel, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, a sheet-like heating element is interposed between a rim portion and a skin body to start a vehicle parked outdoors in winter. There have been proposals to reduce the inconveniences that occur when driving with a cold steering wheel (difficulty in operation, discomfort, etc. due to a cold steering wheel).

JP 2019-19614 A

However, when a sheet-like heating element is interposed between the rim portion and the skin body as in the above-described conventional technique, a portion where the heating element does not exist is formed due to various restrictions such as production requirements and design requirements. put away. Therefore, the entire steering wheel could not be heated efficiently.

Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to obtain a steering wheel that can be heated as a whole more efficiently.

The steering wheel of the present disclosure includes a rim portion having a recess, a skin body wound around and fixed to the rim portion with a portion thereof being accommodated in the recess, and a portion of the rim portion other than the recess. A heating element interposed between the surface and the skin body, and a thermally conductive sheet partially accommodated in the recess while being thermally connected to the heating element.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to obtain a steering wheel that can be heated as a whole more efficiently.

1 is a view of a steering wheel device according to an embodiment viewed from the driver's side along the axial direction of a steering shaft; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a steering wheel according to one embodiment is cut along a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the steering wheel; FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing part of a steering wheel according to one embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a view of the steering wheel device according to the embodiment from which the skin is removed, viewed from the driver's side along the axial direction of the steering shaft; 1 is a plan view showing a sheet-like heater member according to one embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the vicinity of the recess of the steering wheel according to the embodiment is cut along a plane including the central axis of the steering wheel. It is a figure for demonstrating the 2nd manufacturing method of the steering wheel concerning one Embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating temperature distributions of the steering wheel according to the embodiment and the steering wheel according to the comparative example when the heater is activated;

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the vertical direction is defined when the steering wheel device attached to the steering shaft is viewed from the driver's (occupant's) side. Also, the front side of the vehicle, that is, the upper front side of the windshield, will be referred to as the rear side (front side), and the rear side of the vehicle, that is, the lower rear side of the vehicle will be referred to as the front side (rear side: front side).

First, the overall configuration of the steering wheel device 1 will be described.

A steering wheel device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a steering wheel 10, spoke portions 20, and boss portions 30, as shown in FIG. The steering wheel device 1 functions as a steering wheel installed in an automobile (vehicle) or the like, and is usually attached to a steering shaft 2 attached to the automobile (vehicle) or the like in an inclined state.

In this embodiment, the steering wheel 10 has a substantially annular shape when viewed along the axial direction of the steering shaft 2, and the cross-sectional shape of the steering wheel 10 cut along a plane perpendicular to the central axis C is substantially circular. (see Figures 1 and 2). The steering wheel 10 constitutes a grip portion (holding portion) of a steering wheel of an automobile (vehicle) or the like. A detailed description of the steering wheel 10 will be given later.

The spoke portion 20 is a member that connects the steering wheel 10 and the boss portion 30 . In this embodiment, the steering wheel 10 and the boss portion 30 are connected by three spoke portions 20 . Each spoke portion 20 includes a metal spoke core 21 that connects a rim core 111 (described later) of the steering wheel 10 and a boss plate 31 (described later) of the boss portion 30, and a resin spoke that covers the spoke core 21. and a covering portion 22 .

The spoke cores 21 are provided so as to radially extend from the boss plate 31 toward the outside in the radial direction of the annular steering wheel 10 . In this embodiment, three spoke core bars 21 are provided to extend rightward, leftward, and downward from the boss plate 31 , and each spoke core bar 21 extends on the inner peripheral side of the rim core bar 111 . is connected with It should be noted that not all the spokes 20 need to be provided with the spoke cores 21, and some of the spokes 20 can be configured by a finisher, a cover body, or the like without using the spoke cores 21. .

On the other hand, the spoke covering portion 22 is provided so as to cover at least the front side (rear side: front side) of the spoke cored bar 21 . The spoke covering portion 22 can be formed, for example, by microfoaming a soft foamed polyurethane resin.

The boss portion 30 includes a metal boss plate 31 to which the spoke core 21 is connected, a metal boss 32 attached to the rear side (front side) of the boss plate 31 on the vehicle body side, and the boss plate 31. and a resin pad body 33 to be attached to the occupant side.

The boss plate 31 has a substantially flat plate shape, and in the present embodiment, is arranged on the back side (front side) of the steering wheel 10 with the thickness direction substantially aligned with the axial direction of the steering shaft 2 . . By arranging the boss plate 31 on the rear side (front side) of the steering wheel 10 in this way, a space for arranging an airbag device or the like is secured on the front side (rear side: front side) of the boss plate 31. I'm trying

On the other hand, the boss 32 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is integrally fixed to the boss plate 31 so as to protrude from the substantially central portion of the boss plate 31 to the rear side (front side). This boss 32 is attached to the steering shaft 2 . Specifically, a serration structure (not shown) is formed on the boss 32, and the boss 32 is attached to the steering shaft 2 by meshing the steering shaft 2 with this serration structure.

The pad body 33 is a member that covers the boss plate 31 from the front side (rear side: front side). can be done. It is also possible to integrally incorporate a horn switch mechanism or the like as a switch device into the pad body 33 .

Next, the overall structure of the steering wheel 10 will be described.

The steering wheel 10 includes a rim portion 11 and a skin body 14 attached so as to be wrapped around the rim portion 11. - 特許庁

The rim portion 11 includes a metal rim core 111 arranged inside, and a resin rim covering portion 112 covering the outer circumference of the rim core 111. A cross-sectional shape cut along a flat plane has a substantially circular shape (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

In this embodiment, the rim cored bar 111 has a substantially annular shape when viewed along the axial direction of the steering shaft 2, and the cross-sectional shape taken along a plane perpendicular to the central axis C of the steering wheel 10 is reversed. It is U-shaped (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The shape of the rim cored bar 111 is not limited to the inverted U-shaped cross section, and various shapes are possible.

On the other hand, the rim covering portion 112 is formed so as to cover the entire rim cored bar 111 , and has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape taken along a plane perpendicular to the central axis C of the steering wheel 10 . The rim covering portion 112 can also be formed, for example, by microfoaming a soft foamed polyurethane resin. Also, the rim covering portion 112 can be formed integrally with the spoke covering portion 22 described above, or can be formed separately from the spoke covering portion 22 .

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a recess 1121 is formed on the outer peripheral side of the rim covering portion 112 so as to surround the entire circumference of the central axis C, and a portion of the skin body 14 is accommodated in this recess 1121. (see Figures 3 and 4). In this embodiment, on the outer peripheral side of the rim covering portion 112, four (plurality) recesses 1121 are formed on the circumference of the substantially annular steering wheel 10 when viewed along the axial direction of the steering shaft 2. They are formed so as to be arranged at regular intervals. Further, the four (plural) recesses 1121 are all arranged in the radial direction of the substantially annular steering wheel 10 (the radial direction of a circle centered on the steering shaft 2) when viewed along the axial direction of the steering shaft 2. ). In other words, each of the four (plurality) recesses 1121 is formed to extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to the central axis C of the steering wheel 10 when viewed along the axial direction of the steering shaft 2. ing.

The rim portion 11 having such a configuration can be formed, for example, by insert molding using a plurality of molds. It is preferable that the concave portion 1121 is formed at the same time as the insert molding, but the concave portion 1121 may be formed in the rim covering portion 112 by processing the rim covering portion 112 after the insert molding. .

The skin 14 is a portion that is directly gripped by the driver (passenger) and functions as a decorative portion of the steering wheel device 1 . The skin body 14 is formed in a sheet shape from, for example, leather such as natural leather or synthetic leather, or synthetic resin. A body 14 is attached to the rim portion 11 . At this time, the front surface of the outer circumference of the rim covering portion 112 is covered with the skin body 14 .

In this embodiment, one annular skin 14 is formed by joining four (a plurality of) skin materials 141 each having a substantially rectangular shape elongated in one direction. Such a skin body 14 can be formed, for example, as follows. First, four (a plurality of) skin materials 141 are arranged in a straight line along the longitudinal direction, and the ends 1411 of the skin materials 141 adjacent to each other are folded in the same direction and joined together by sewing or the like. By doing so, one elongated sheet-like member in which the four skin materials 141 are joined is formed. Then, the ends of one sheet-like member (one end 1411 of the skin material 141 arranged on one side in the longitudinal direction and the other end of the skin material 141 arranged on the other side in the longitudinal direction) 1411) are folded in the same direction and joined together by sewing or the like in a state of being superimposed to form one sheet of outer skin body 14 that is annularly joined. At this time, four (plurality of) overlapped portions 142 each having a sewn portion (joint portion) 142a are made to protrude in the same direction (inward in the radial direction of the annularly joined skin bodies 14).

Then, in a state in which the four (plurality of) overlapped portions 142 of the annularly joined skin body 14 are inserted into the four (plurality) recesses 1121 respectively, the skin body 14 is attached to the rim covering portion 112 . The skin body 14 is attached to the rim part 11 by wrapping it around the outer circumference of the body. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the end portion 1411 (overlapping portion 142) of the skin body 14 from being lifted, thereby improving the appearance of the steering wheel 10 (steering wheel device 1).

Here, in the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce problems that occur when starting and driving a vehicle that has been parked outdoors in winter (difficulty in operation, discomfort, etc. due to the coldness of the steering wheel 10). I'm trying

Specifically, by interposing the sheet-like heater member 13 having the heating wire 132 as a heating element between the rim portion 11 and the skin body 14, the heater can be The steering wheel 10 can be warmed even when it is not warmed up. By doing this, it is possible not only to reduce the troubles (difficulty in operation, discomfort, etc. due to cold steering wheel 10, etc.) that occur when starting and driving a vehicle that has been parked outdoors in winter. It is also possible to reduce the consumption of electric power by suppressing the use of heating.

The sheet-shaped heater member 13 includes a stretchable sheet-shaped base material 131 and a heating wire (heating element) 132 having a lower stretchability than the sheet-shaped base material 131 .

The sheet-like substrate 131 is also called a mat (steering mat) or the like, and in the present embodiment, four (a plurality of) sheet-like substrates 131 having a substantially rectangular shape elongated in one direction are used. there is

The sheet-like base material 131 may be made of any material as long as it has elasticity. For example, the sheet-like base material 131 can be formed using a synthetic resin such as urethane foam or PE sheet foam. Moreover, the stretching rate of the sheet-like base material 131 can be set to an arbitrary stretching rate. For example, the sheet-like substrate 131 can be stretched by 10% to 15%. Furthermore, the thickness of the sheet-like base material 131 can also be set arbitrarily. In this embodiment, the thickness of the sheet-like base material 131 is set to 1.0 mm or less in consideration of the performance as a heater for warming the steering wheel 10 .

On the other hand, the heating wire 132 generates heat when energized, and is directly or indirectly connected to a control circuit, power supply, or the like (not shown). Thus, in this embodiment, the heating wire 132 constitutes a part of the heating circuit. It is preferable that the heating circuit is provided with a temperature sensor so that the temperature of the steering wheel 10 can be adjusted by the temperature sensor.

Further, in the present embodiment, the heating wire 132 is fixed to one surface (the surface on the rim portion 11 side) of the sheet-like base material 131 in a wavy meandering state. At least a portion of the heating wire 132 may be embedded in the sheet-like base material 131 , or may be fixed to both surfaces of the sheet-like base material 131 .

When the electric heating wire 132 is energized, the electric heating wire 132 generates heat, and the heat generated by the electric heating wire 132 is transferred to the steering wheel 10 to warm the steering wheel 10 . The heating wire 132 may be made of any material as long as it can heat the steering wheel 10 by generating heat when energized. For example, the heating wire 132 can be formed using a nichrome wire or the like.

By the way, when the heating wire 132 is interposed between the rim portion 11 and the skin body 14, there is a part where the heating wire 132 cannot be arranged due to various restrictions such as production requirements and design requirements.

For example, when the overlapped portion 142 of the skin body 14 is inserted into the recessed portion 1121 formed in the rim portion 11 as in the present embodiment, a predetermined clearance is provided in the vicinity of the overlapped portion 142 and the electric current is applied. A hot wire 132 needs to be placed.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the heating wire 132 is fixed to the sheet-like base material 131 with the end portion 131a of the sheet-like base material 131 having a predetermined clearance. That is, on the surface of a sheet-shaped base material 131 elongated in one direction, a heating element arrangement area R1 is an area where the heating wire 132 as a heating element is arranged, and a heating element arrangement area R1 is an area where the heating wire 132 as a heating element is not arranged. A body non-placement region R2 is formed.

At this time, for example, even if the heating wire 132 can be arranged with a clearance of 5 mm on one side from the overlapping portion 142, if the thickness of the skin body 14 is 2 mm, the width W1 of the region where the heating wire 132 is not arranged is (skin thickness 2 mm + 5 mm clearance to end 132a on one side + (2 mm skin thickness + 5 mm clearance to end 132a on the other side) gives 14 mm. Since it is currently difficult to achieve a clearance of 5 mm or less, the width W1 of the region where the heating wire 132 is not arranged will be even wider.

Therefore, in the conventional steering wheel, a relatively wide area in the vicinity of the overlapping portion 142 cannot be efficiently heated, and the entire steering wheel cannot be efficiently heated.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the entire steering wheel can be warmed more efficiently.

Specifically, a carbon sheet (thermally conductive sheet) 12 with relatively high thermal conductivity is used to efficiently transfer the heat generated by the heating wire (heating element) 132 to a region where the heating wire 132 is not arranged. ing.

In the present embodiment, the entire rear surface 14 a of the skin 14 is covered with the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12 while the skin 14 is fixed to the rim portion 11 . By doing so, the carbon sheet (thermal conductive sheet) 12 is thermally connected to the heating wire (heating element) 132 . A portion of the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12 is accommodated in the recess 1121 .

At this time, the carbon sheet (thermal conductive sheet) 12 is thermally connected to the heating wires (heat generating elements) 132 arranged on one side and the other side of the recess 1121 .

By doing so, the heating wire (heating element) 132 on one side and the heating wire (heating element) 132 on the other side separated by the recess 1121 are thermally connected via the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12 . I'm trying to A carbon sheet (thermally conductive sheet) 12 is arranged over the entire region where the heating wire (heating element) 132 is not arranged near the recess 1121 .

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the carbon sheet (thermal conductive sheet) 12 is accommodated in the concave portion 1121 while straddling the overlapping portion 142 .

By doing so, the carbon sheet (thermal conductive sheet) 12 sandwiches the leading end side of the stitched portion (joint portion) 142 a of the overlapped portion 142 . In this way, the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12 can prevent the leading end side of the overlapped portion 142 from opening beyond the sewn portion (joint portion) 142a.

The steering wheel 10 having such a configuration can be manufactured, for example, as follows.

First, a carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12 is attached to the surface of the rim portion 11 (the surface 112a of the portion other than the recess and the inner surface 1121a of the recess 1121) using a bonding member such as an adhesive.

Next, the sheet-like heater member 13 is adhered and fixed to a portion of the surface 12a of the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12 corresponding to the surface 112a of the rim portion 11 other than the concave portion 1121 . The sheet-shaped heater member 13 is attached to the surface 12a of the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12 using a bonding member such as an adhesive, for example, as follows.

First, one end of the sheet-shaped heater member 13 in the width direction is fixed to the surface 12a of the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12 with an adhesive. Next, while one end of the sheet heater member 13 is fixed to the surface 12a of the carbon sheet (thermally conductive sheet) 12, the other end of the sheet heater member 13 in the lateral direction is pulled, and the sheet is placed on the surface 12a of the carbon sheet (thermally conductive sheet) 12. A heater member 13 having a shape is wound. Then, the other end is fixed with an adhesive near the position where one end of the sheet-like heater member 13 is fixed on the surface 12a of the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12 . At this time, since the adhesive is not applied to the central portion of the sheet-like heater member 13 in the width direction, the sheet-like heater member 13 should be wrapped around the surface 12a of the carbon sheet (thermal conductive sheet) 12 while smoothing wrinkles. can be done. Further, the adhesive spreads due to pressure contact with the carbon sheet (thermally conductive sheet) 12 when the sheet-like heater member 13 is fixed, and fills even the areas where the adhesive was not applied.

Next, the skin 14 is pasted so as to cover the rim portion 11 to which the sheet-like heater member 13 and the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12 are attached. Thus, the steering wheel 10 is formed.

The steering wheel 10 can also be manufactured, for example, as follows.

First, the sheet-shaped heater member 13 is attached and fixed to a portion other than the overlapped portion 142 on the back surface 14a of the skin member 14 using a joining member such as an adhesive.

Next, a carbon sheet (thermally conductive sheet) 12 is adhered and fixed using a bonding member such as an adhesive so as to cover the entire back surface 14a of the surface body 14 to which the sheet-shaped heater member 13 is fixed. By doing so, the heating element-equipped skin member 15 is formed.

Then, the heating element-equipped skin body 15 is adhered to the surface of the rim portion 11 (the surface 112a of the portion other than the recessed portion and the inner surface 1121a of the recessed portion 1121) with the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12 side facing inward. A bonding member such as an adhesive is used to attach the layers (see FIG. 7). At this time, the overlapped portion 142 held between the carbon sheets (heat conductive sheets) 12 is inserted into the concave portion 1121 . Thus, the steering wheel 10 is formed.

When the steering wheel 10 is manufactured by such a method, the skin member 14 is fixed to the rim portion 11 with the overlapping portion 142 sandwiched between the carbon sheets (heat conductive sheets) 12 . That is, the surface body 14 is fixed to the rim portion 11 in a state in which the rigidity of the overlapping portion 142 is increased by the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12 . Furthermore, the skin 14 is fixed to the rim portion 11 in a state in which the tip of the overlapping portion 142 is prevented from opening. Therefore, it is possible to improve the workability of winding the skin member 14 around the rim portion 11 .

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12 is attached to the surface 112a of the rim portion 11 other than the concave portion, the rigidity of the skin 14 itself is increased, and the rim of the skin 14 is The workability of winding around the portion 11 can be further improved.

Note that the steering wheel 10 can also be manufactured by a method other than the method described above.

If the steering wheel 10 uses the carbon sheet (thermally conductive sheet) 12 described above, the entire steering wheel can be warmed more efficiently than when the carbon sheet (thermally conductive sheet) 12 is not used. will be able to

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the results of measuring the surface temperature of the steering wheel when the heater is activated using thermography, divided into four regions. The left side of FIG. 8 shows the temperature distribution of the steering wheel without the carbon sheet. The right side of FIG. 8 shows the temperature distribution of the steering wheel using the carbon sheet, that is, the steering wheel 10 shown in this embodiment. It should be noted that in FIG. 8 , darker-colored regions are higher in temperature than lighter-colored regions.

Looking at FIG. 8, it is confirmed that the temperature of the portion corresponding to the concave portion 1121 is higher in the steering wheel 10 shown in this embodiment than in the steering wheel not using the carbon sheet.

From this, it can be confirmed that the steering wheel 10 shown in this embodiment can heat the portion where the heating wire 132 is not arranged more efficiently.

Furthermore, from FIG. 8, it is confirmed that the temperature of the portion where the concave portion 1121 is not formed is higher in the steering wheel 10 shown in this embodiment than in the steering wheel not using the carbon sheet. be.

From this, it can be confirmed that the steering wheel 10 shown in the present embodiment is a steering wheel with superior temperature rising performance.

The characteristic configuration of the steering wheel 10 shown in the above embodiment and the effects obtained thereby will be described below.

The steering wheel 10 according to this embodiment includes a rim portion 11 having a recess 1121, and a skin body 14 that is wound around and fixed to the rim portion 11 with a portion of the skin being accommodated in the recess 1121. . Further, the steering wheel 10 includes a heating wire (heating element) 132 interposed between the surface 112 a of the rim portion 11 other than the recess 1121 and the skin 14 . The steering wheel 10 includes a carbon sheet (thermal conductive sheet) 12 partially accommodated in the recess 1121 while being thermally connected to the heating wire (heating element) 132 .

In this way, the heat generated by the heating wire (heating element) 132 can be efficiently transmitted to the recess 1121 and a portion of the skin 14 accommodated in the recess 1121 through the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12. be possible. That is, the recess 1121 and the recess 1121 where the heating wire (heating element) 132 is not arranged can be heated more effectively.

Thus, with the steering wheel 10 according to this embodiment, the entire steering wheel 10 can be warmed more efficiently.

At this time, the skin body 14 includes a plurality of skin materials 141, overlapping portions 142 in which the mutually adjacent ends 1411 of the skin materials 141 are overlapped, and a suture portion (joining portion) that joins the overlapping portions 142. 142a and . Then, the overlapping portion 142 may be accommodated in the concave portion 1121 .

By forming the skin 14 using a plurality of skin materials 141 in this way, when the skin 14 is fixed to the rim portion 11 having a curved shape (for example, an annular shape), the skin 14 can be easily bent. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of wrinkles in the steering wheel 10, and the appearance of the steering wheel 10 can be improved.

Alternatively, the carbon sheet (thermally conductive sheet) 12 may be thermally connected to the heating wires (heat generating elements) 132 arranged on one side and the other side of the recess 1121 . Further, the carbon sheet (thermally conductive sheet) 12 may be accommodated in the concave portion 1121 while straddling the overlapping portion 142 .

In this way, the heating wire (heating element) 132 on one side and the heating wire (heating element) 132 on the other side separated by the recess 1121 are thermally connected via the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12. In addition, it is possible to dispose the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12 over the entire area near the recess 1121 where the heating wire (heating element) 132 is not disposed. As a result, heat can be efficiently transmitted over a wide range of the steering wheel 10, and the entire steering wheel 10 can be warmed more reliably.

Furthermore, it is possible to sandwich the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12 on the leading end side of the stitched portion (joint portion) 142 a of the overlapped portion 142 . As a result, the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12 can prevent the leading end side of the overlapped portion 142 from opening beyond the sewn portion (joint portion) 142a.

Further, when the skin body 14 is fixed to the rim portion 11 with the overlapping portion 142 sandwiched between the carbon sheets (thermally conductive sheets) 12, the carbon sheet (thermally conductive sheet) 12 is used to hold the overlapping portion. 142 can be increased in rigidity. Therefore, it is possible to improve the workability of winding the skin member 14 around the rim portion 11 .

Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible.

For example, in the above embodiment, the concave portion 1121 extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the central axis C of the steering wheel 10 when viewed along the axial direction of the steering shaft 2 . It is also possible to extend the concave portion 1121 in a direction crossing the direction substantially orthogonal to the central axis C of the . For example, in order to produce a sense of unity with the instrument panel, it is possible to form the concave portion 1121 so as to extend horizontally when viewed along the axial direction of the steering shaft 2 .

Further, the positions and numbers of the spokes 20 and the recesses 1121 can be arbitrarily set according to the design of the steering wheel device 1 and the like.

Also, the shape of the steering wheel 10 does not have to be circular, and various shapes are possible.

Moreover, the steering wheel 10 can be used as a steering wheel for any vehicle other than a vehicle such as an automobile.

In addition, the carbon sheet (thermal conductive sheet) 12 does not need to be arranged so as to cover substantially the entire surface 112 a of the portion other than the recess 1121 of the rim portion 11 , and is thermally connected to the heating wire (heating element) 132 . It is sufficient that a part of the rim portion 11 is arranged in the concave portion 1121 of the rim portion 11 in the folded state.

For example, while a portion of the heating wire (heating element) 132 is thermally connected to the recess 1121 of the rim portion 11, the carbon sheet (heat conductive sheet) 12 is placed in the region where the heating wire 132 is sparse. can be pasted. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of temperature unevenness in the steering wheel 10 and to achieve a more uniform temperature distribution.

Also, a carbon sheet (thermally conductive sheet) 12 may be interposed between the skin 14 and the heating wire (heating element) 132 .

Also, the heating element, skin body, and other detailed specifications (shape, size, layout, etc.) can be changed as appropriate.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 steering wheel 11 rim portion 112a surface of portion other than recess 1121 recess 132 heating wire (heating element)
14 SKIN BODY 141 SKIN MATERIAL 1411 END 142 OVERLAY PORTION 142a SEWING PORTION (JOINTING PORTION)

Claims (3)

a rim portion having a recess;
a skin body wound around and fixed to the rim portion with a portion of the skin being accommodated in the recess;
a heating element interposed between the surface of the rim portion other than the concave portion and the skin;
a thermally conductive sheet partially accommodated in the recess while being thermally connected to the heating element;
comprising
steering wheel. The skin body includes a plurality of skin materials, overlapping portions in which mutually adjacent ends of the skin materials are overlapped, and a joint portion that joins the overlapping portions,
the overlapping portion is housed in the recess,
A steering wheel according to claim 1 . The heat-conducting sheet is thermally connected to heating elements arranged on one side and the other side of the recess, and is housed in the recess while straddling the overlapping portion.
A steering wheel according to claim 2.

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