JP2505927Y2 - Steering column cover - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial field of application) The present invention relates to a steering column cover for covering a steering column of an automobile.

(Prior Art) In general, a steering column cover for covering a steering column of an automobile has a structure in which a pair of upper and lower cover bodies is divided into two for the purpose of facilitating assembly to the steering column. For the purpose of facilitating the assembly of the cover body, a holder is provided on the inner surface of one cover body, and the one holder is held by the steering column by this holder.

Further, some of the steering column covers having the upper and lower two-divided structure provided with this holder are shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-149258, and one of the holders is illustrated as shown in FIG. No pair of front and rear plate-shaped receiving portions 1 that engage with the lower side portion of the steering column, and elastically engage the upper side portion from both sides of the steering column to engage the steering column with the pair of receiving portions 1 There is one in which a pair of pressing portions 2 on both sides to be made are integrally formed on the inner surface of a lower cover body (not shown).

In the holder shown in FIG. 9, both side portions of a pair of front and rear plate-shaped receiving portions 1 are connected by a pair of pressing portions 2 on both sides, and the pair of front and rear receiving portions 1 and the pair of pressing portions 2 on both sides are connected to each other. By forming the enclosed portion as an opening that communicates the inner and outer surfaces of the cover body, when molding the holder together with the cover body using a synthetic resin, it is not necessary to use a slide piece for molding the holder portion, and thus the cover is formed. The structure of the mold for molding the body can be simplified.

By the way, in the case of a collision of a car, when the driver's knee or the like collides with the lower portion of the steering column cover, that is, the lower cover body, in the case of the steering column cover including the holder shown in FIG. The pair of front and rear plate-shaped receiving portions 1 may be supported by the steering column cover (not shown) and may be stretched.

Further, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-175968 or Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 55-113668, a bracket for mounting a steering column on a vehicle body,
A configuration with a shock absorbing effect is described.

However, the bracket for attaching the steering column to the vehicle body is fixed to the vehicle body with bolts while firmly holding the steering column. Therefore, if these configurations are applied to the cover body, there is a problem that the attaching work becomes complicated. There is.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As described above, in the case of the steering column cover including the holder shown in FIG. 9, there is a possibility that the pair of front and rear plate-shaped receiving portions 1 may be supported by the steering column cover (not shown) and stretch. Yes, the bracket for attaching the steering column to the vehicle body, which is described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-175968 or Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 55-113668, is fixed to the vehicle body with bolts while firmly holding the steering column. Therefore, when these configurations are applied to the cover body, there is a problem that the mounting work becomes complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a steering column cover that can easily hold a cover body on a steering column and that has good shock absorption.

(Means for Solving the Problem) The steering column cover according to claim 1 is composed of upper and lower half cover bodies 14 and 15 for covering the steering column 12, and a holder 16 is integrally formed on the inner surface of the lower cover body 15. In the steering column cover 13 in which the lower cover body 15 is held on the steering column 12 by the holder 16, the holder 16 is a pair of front and rear plate-shaped receiving members that engage with the lower side portion of the steering column 12. The part 21 and both side parts of the pair of receiving parts 21 are connected to each other so as to project upward and the tip is curved inward to elastically engage both side parts of the steering column 12 with the upper part to form a steering column. 12 is provided with a pair of pressing portions 22 on both sides for engaging the pair of receiving portions 21, and the weak portions 25, 33, 34 are formed along the pressing portions 22 from the upper side to the lower side of the receiving portions 21 of the holder 16. It was formed.

The steering column cover according to claim 2 is the steering column cover according to claim 1, wherein the weak portion is
Slits 25 extending from the upper side to the lower side of the receiving portion 21 of the holder 16 are provided.

A steering column cover according to a third aspect is the steering column cover according to the first aspect, wherein the weak portion is
Thin parts 33, 3 connecting the receiving part 21 and the pressing part 22 in a breakable manner
4 is provided.

(Operation) In the steering column cover 13 according to claim 1, when the steering column 12 is fitted between the pair of holding portions 22 on both sides, the pair of holding portions 22 on both sides and the pair of front and rear plate-like receiving portions 21 are provided. The steering column 12 is fitted and held in the
The lower cover body 15 is easily attached to the steering column 12. Then, when the driver's knees or the like collide with the lower cover body 15, the pair of front and rear receiving portions 21 of the holder 16 provided with the weak portions 25, 33, 34 are destroyed and absorb the energy of the collision. , This destruction allows the lower cover body 15 to move,
It reduces the impact on the knees. Further, the holder 16 includes a pair of front and rear plate-shaped receiving portions 21, and a pair of both-side pressing portions 22 that connect both side portions of the pair of receiving portions 21, and the weak portions 25, 33,
Since the 34 is formed from the upper side to the lower side of the receiving portion 21 of the holder 16, it is easily formed integrally with the inner surface of the lower cover body 15.

In the steering column cover 13 according to claim 2, in addition to the function according to claim 1, the weak portion is the receiving portion 21 of the holder 16.
Since there are slits 25 on both sides from the top to the bottom,
The plate-shaped pressing portion 22 is easily broken and the impact is effectively mitigated, and since the size of the pair of pressing portions 22 on both sides and the fulcrum of deformation increases, elastic deformation easily occurs, and the lower cover body 15
Is easily attached to the steering column 12.

In the steering column cover 13 according to claim 3, in addition to the function according to claim 1, the weak portion includes the receiving portion 21 and the holding portion 22.
Since the thin-walled portions 33 and 34 for connecting the and are rupturable are provided, the thin-walled portions 33 and 34 are connected to the receiving portion 21 and the holding portion 22, and a pair of holding portions 22 on both sides and a pair of front and rear plate-like portions are formed. The steering column 12 is firmly fitted and held between the receiving portion 21 and the plate-shaped pressing portion 2 in a state in which the thin portions 33 and 34 are broken.
2 easily breaks and the impact is effectively mitigated.

Embodiment An embodiment of the steering column cover of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, 11 is a steering wheel of an automobile, 12 is a steering column through which a steering shaft (not shown) connected to the central portion of the steering wheel 11 is inserted, and 13 is a steering column cover made of synthetic resin for covering the steering column 12. The steering column cover 13 is configured by combining a pair of upper and lower cover bodies 14 and 15, and the lower cover body 15 has the above-mentioned steering column by a holder 16 formed integrally on the inner surface thereof.
It is supposed to be held at 12.

The holder 16 is, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4,
A pair of front and rear plate-shaped receiving portions 21 are connected to both side portions of the pair of receiving portions 21 to form a pair of left and right plate-shaped pressing portions 22 whose tip ends are curved inward above the receiving portions 21 of the cover body 15. The structure is integrally projecting on the inner surface, and the upper edge portion 23 of the receiving portion 21 is formed in an arc shape corresponding to the outer surface of the steering column 12, and the central portion of the upper edge portion 23 is a recess for inserting an electric wire or the like. 24 is formed, slits 25 are formed as weak parts from both sides of the upper edge 23 toward the lower part, and reinforcing ribs 26 are provided on the outer surface of the holding portion 22. There is.

Then, when the steering column cover 13 is assembled to the steering column 12, the holder 16 of the lower cover body 15 is pressed against the steering column 12
The front end portions of the pair of pressing portions 22 on both sides of 16 are elastically opened and pass through both side portions of the steering column 12, and thereafter,
The tip ends of the pair of pressing portions 22 are elastically closed to elastically engage the upper side portions from both side portions of the steering column 12, and the lower side portions of the steering column 12 are paired with front and rear receiving portions.
The lower cover body 15 is attached to the steering column 12 by pressing it against the upper edge portion 23 of the 21. Therefore, it is easy to assemble the lower cover body 15 and the upper cover body 14.

When the cover body 15 on the lower side of the steering column cover 13 is formed, the portion surrounded by the pair of front and rear plate-shaped receiving portions 21 of the holder 16 and the pair of holding portions 22 on both sides is formed on the inner and outer surfaces of the cover body 15. When the holder 16 is molded together with the cover body 15 by the synthetic resin, it is not necessary to use a slide piece for molding the holder 16 part, and therefore, the mold for molding the cover body 15 is formed. The structure of can be simplified.

As shown in FIG. 5, since the driver's knee approaches the steering column cover 13, the driver's knee or the like covers the lower cover body 15 in the event of an automobile collision or the like.
However, as shown in FIG. 6, the pair of front and rear receiving portions 21 of the holder 16 provided with the slit 25 is destroyed by the pressure in the direction of the arrow at the time of this collision. Since the energy of the collision is absorbed and the lower cover body 15 is allowed to move, the impact applied to the knee or the like can be mitigated and damage to the driver's knee or the like can be prevented.

In the above-described embodiment, the weak portions formed in the pair of front and rear receiving portions 21 of the holder 16 are the slits 25. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. Thin portions 33, 34 formed by the long groove 31 and the long groove 32 having a rectangular cross section
May be.

(Effect of the Invention) According to the steering column cover of claim 1,
When the steering column is fitted between the pair of pressing portions on both sides, the steering column is fitted and held between the pair of pressing portions on both sides and the pair of front and rear plate-shaped receiving portions, and the lower cover body is attached to the steering column. Can be easily attached to. Then, when the driver's knee or the like collides with the lower cover body, the pair of front and rear receiving portions of the holder having the weak portion is destroyed to absorb the energy of the collision, and this destruction causes the lower cover to be absorbed. It allows the movement of the body and can reduce the impact applied to the knee or the like. Further, the holder is provided with a pair of front and rear plate-shaped receiving portions and a pair of pressing portions on both sides for connecting both side portions of the pair of receiving portions. Since it is formed, it can be easily integrally formed on the inner surface of the lower cover body, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

According to the steering column cover of claim 2,
In addition to the effect according to claim 1, since the weak portion is provided with slits on both sides of the receiving portion of the holder from the upper portion to the lower portion, the plate-like pressing portion can be easily broken and the impact can be effectively mitigated. Since the dimensions of the pair of pressing portions and the fulcrum of deformation increase, elastic deformation easily occurs, and the lower cover body can be easily attached to the steering column.

According to the steering column cover of claim 3,
In addition to the effects of the first aspect, the weak portion is provided with a thin portion that connects the receiving portion and the holding portion in a breakable manner. Therefore, in the state where the thin portion connects the receiving portion and the holding portion, a pair of both sides is provided. The steering column can be firmly fitted and held between the holding portion and the pair of front and rear plate-shaped receiving portions, and the plate-shaped holding portion can be easily broken and the impact can be effectively applied when the thin portion is broken. Can be relaxed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a usage state of an embodiment of a steering column cover of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of its holder,
3 is a side view of the holder, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the holder,
FIG. 5 is a side view showing a positional relationship with a driver, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a holder showing its action, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are transverse cross-sectional views of holders showing modifications thereof. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a conventional steering column cover holder. 12 …… Steering column, 13 …… Steering column cover, 14,15 …… Cover body, 16 …… Holder, 21 …… Receiving part, 22 …… Pressing part, 25 …… Slit as weak part, 3
3,34 …… The thin part as the weak part.

Claims (3)

(57) [Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A steering column cover comprising a cover body divided into upper and lower halves for covering the steering column, wherein a holder is integrally formed on the inner surface of the lower cover body, and the holder holds the lower cover body on the steering column. In the above, the holder is provided with a pair of front and rear plate-shaped receiving portions that engage with the lower side portion of the steering column and both side portions of the pair of receiving portions. And a pair of pressing portions that are curved and elastically engage from both sides of the steering column to the upper side to engage the steering column with the pair of receiving portions. The steering column cover is characterized in that a weak portion is formed along the pressing portion facing toward. 2. The steering column cover according to claim 1, wherein the weak portion is provided with slits extending from upper portions on both sides of the receiving portion of the holder to lower portions. 3. The steering column cover according to claim 1, wherein the weak portion is provided with a thin portion that connects the receiving portion and the pressing portion in a breakable manner.