JP3327098B2 - Steering wheel - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering wheel having an airbag device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A steering wheel has an annular ring portion, a pad portion provided at the center of the ring portion, and a spoke portion extending from the ring portion. At the same time, the spoke core is embedded in the spoke. In this case, the ring core metal and the spoke core metal are covered with a covering made of, for example, foamed polyurethane. Further, below the pad portion, a tip portion of the spoke core is connected to a boss plate (boss). This boss is generally
It is attached to the tip of the steering shaft by nut tightening.

[0003] In the steering wheel constructed as described above, the spoke core, and thus the boss integrated with the steering wheel body, are attached to the steering shaft by nut tightening, and then the airbag device or the like is mounted. Is mounted, and a pad portion is mounted thereon.

The airbag device includes an inflator containing a gas generating agent, an airbag inflated by gas generated from the inflator, and a bag holder for holding and fixing the inflator and the airbag. In general, the bag holder of the airbag device is fixed around its periphery (side wall) to a rib extending downward from the pad with a rivet or the like, thereby ensuring stability when the airbag is inflated. .

On the other hand, in recent years, there has been proposed a steering wheel in which the cover and the pad portion are integrally formed to eliminate a boundary between the cover and the pad portion (for example, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 2-133955). No.). According to this technique, the cover and the pad portion are integrated, and the design can be improved.

In this technique, when an airbag device is to be mounted, it is difficult to rivet the periphery of the bag holder to the rib of the pad portion. For this reason, a situation has arisen in which the periphery of the bag holder is not fixed at all. Alternatively, as described in the above publication, a method has been adopted in which the upper peripheral portion of the bag holder is simply brought into contact with the ribs (in some cases, hooked).

[0007]

However, in the above prior art, when the airbag is inflated, the bag holder subjected to the stress from the airbag may be easily deformed outward. Therefore, at the time of inflation of the airbag, there is a possibility that the airbag escapes in a lateral direction from a gap generated by deformation of the bag holder.
There was a possibility that some support would occur in terms of the operational stability of the airbag device.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to form a pad and a cover for covering a ring core metal and a spoke core metal integrally with each other.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel having an airbag device, which can further enhance the operation stability of the airbag device.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 provides a boss fixed to a steering shaft, a ring core, a spoke core, and a coating covering these. A pad portion which is located substantially at the upper center of the body and the ring portion and which is formed integrally with the covering member;
A part of the spoke core is disposed between the steering wheel body integrally connected to the boss via a connecting part and the pad part and the boss, and expands when a predetermined acceleration is detected. a steering wheel with an air bag device having a bag holder for holding and fixing the airbag and the airbag may be, the server
The package holder is located on the plate and the outer periphery of the plate.
A cylindrical portion integrally formed, and a metal bar connecting portion for connecting the spoke metal cores to each other. When the airbag is inflated, the bag holder is formed by the metal bar connecting portion.
The gist of the present invention is to support the cylindrical portion of the above.

[0010] In the invention according to claim 2, in the steering wheel according to claim 1, the cored bar connecting portion is connected to the cylindrical portion when the airbag is inflated .
The gist is that it is provided near the outside of the upper end .

Note that the vertical direction of the steering wheel in the description of the present specification refers to the direction along the axial direction of the steering shaft, and does not necessarily mean the vertical direction when the steering wheel is mounted on the vehicle.

(Operation) According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a predetermined acceleration is detected, the airbag is inflated, and the pad portion can be expanded. At this time, the bag holder receives a predetermined stress from the bag when the airbag is inflated. However, in the present invention, the bag holder includes the plate portion and the
A cylindrical portion integrally formed on an outer peripheral edge of the plate portion;
In addition, a core bar connecting portion for connecting the spoke cores is provided, and when the airbag is inflated , the cylindrical portion of the bag holder is supported by the core bar connecting portion. Therefore,
The deformation of the bag holder is minimized and the airbag does not escape laterally. for that reason,
Stable expansion of the pad portion and inflation of the airbag can be secured.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the operation of the first aspect, the cored bar connecting portion includes a cylindrical portion of the bag holder when the airbag is inflated.
Is provided near the outer side of the upper end portion of the. For this reason, the deformation of the bag holder can be further reduced, and the above-described operation is more reliable.

[0014]

Therefore, according to the present invention, in a steering wheel provided with an airbag device, a cover body for covering a ring core metal and a spoke core metal and a pad part are integrally formed, and An excellent effect that the operation stability of the device can be further enhanced is exhibited.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 3 is a back view of the steering wheel W in the present embodiment, FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 3, and FIG.
The sectional view taken along the line B is shown.

As shown in these figures, a steering wheel main body 1 of a steering wheel W includes an annular ring portion 2 and a pad portion 3 disposed at the center of the ring portion 2.
And three spoke portions 4 extending from the ring portion 2. The ring portion 2 includes a ring portion core metal 5 made of, for example, a steel pipe and a coating 7a that covers the ring portion core metal. The spoke portion 4 has a spoke portion core metal 6A made of a lightweight die-cast metal such as an aluminum alloy. 6B and 6C and a covering 7b for covering them.
The covering members 7a and 7b and the pad portion 3 are integrally formed of a soft synthetic resin material (for example, polyurethane foam). The steering wheel main body 1 is fixedly attached to the boss 8. This assembly structure will be described later in detail.

On the other hand, a storage recess 11 surrounded by a cover 7b is formed below the pad portion 3. The storage recess 11 is provided with a membrane switch (not shown) and an airbag device 13. The membrane switch has upper and lower thin plates that form part of a horn switch circuit (not shown), and the thin plates contact each other when the pad unit 3 is pressed, and the horn sounds in accordance with the contact.

The airbag device 13 generates a gas when a predetermined acceleration is applied to the vehicle, and generates a gas for inflation in the airbag 14. An inflator 15 for supplying;
It comprises an airbag 14 and a bag holder 16 for holding and fixing the inflator 15. Bag holder 1
As shown in FIG. 2, for example, 6 is fixed to the spoke core 6A and the like by screws 17. This fixing method will be described later. Further, the bag holder 16 in the present embodiment mainly has an annular plate-shaped plate portion 16a having an opening for accommodating the inflator 15 in the center, and is formed integrally with the outer peripheral edge of the plate portion 16a and is directed upward. And a cylindrical portion 16b that extends.

Next, the structure of the steering wheel W will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. First, boss 8
Will be described. As shown in FIGS.
A serration 31 is formed at the foremost portion of the steering shaft 30, and an annular groove 32 is formed at a vertically central portion thereof. The serration 31 of the steering shaft 30 has a predetermined number (generally, about 30).
Are formed. A through hole 9 is formed in the center of the boss 8, and a steel adapter 10 is fixed to the inner periphery of the through hole 9 by welding.

The adapter 10 has a substantially cylindrical shape in the lower part, and has a yoke part 10a formed in a substantially C-shaped plane in the upper part. A bolt hole 18 having a female screw (one side does not need to have a female screw) is formed at a substantially distal end portion of the C-shaped yoke portion 10a. Further, the serrations 3 of the steering shaft 30 are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the adapter 10.
A serration 19 corresponding to 1 is formed. The adapter 10 is fitted to the tip of the steering shaft 30 so that the serrations 19 and 31 mesh with each other. Further, a bolt 33 is fastened to the bolt hole 18 so that a part of the bolt hole 18 enters the annular groove 32. Thus, the adapter 10 and the boss 8 are firmly fixed to the tip of the steering shaft 30.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the boss 8
The steering wheel body 1 is integrally formed. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the boss 8 is connected to the spoke cores 6 </ b> B and 6 </ b> C on the left and right sides via the connecting portion 21. However, the boss 8 is located below the ring core 5 and the spoke cores 6B and 6C.

The spoke cores 6B, 6C
For the remaining spoke driver core 6A (on the driver's side)
They are connected by the sub-connecting part 22. by this,
The spoke cores 6A to 6C, the ring core 5 and the boss 8 are firmly connected to each other, and the boss 8, the connecting portion 21 and the sub-connecting portion 22 make a comparison on the driver's seat side of the boss 8. The target opening 23 is formed.
Further, each spoke portion core metal 6B, 6C is connected to the support bar 2
4 are connected. Further, in the present embodiment, a cored bar connecting portion is constituted by the sub-connecting portion 22 and the support bar 24.

In the present embodiment, a lower cover (not shown) made of resin is provided so as to surround the lower side of the steering wheel body 1. The steering wheel W is mounted on the steering shaft 30 as follows. First, as shown in FIG. 6, the membrane switch and the airbag device 13 are inserted through the opening 23 formed by the boss 8, the connecting portion 21, and the sub-connecting portion 22. Then, the bag holder 16 of the airbag device 13 is fixed to the spoke portion core metal 6A and the like by screws 17. At this time, since the opening 23 is formed relatively large, the airbag device 13 can be easily mounted inside the steering wheel body 1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, a boss 8 (adapter 10) with which the steering wheel body 1 is integrated is inserted into the tip of the steering shaft 30. At this time, the serrations 31 of the steering shaft 30
And the serration 19 formed on the adapter 10 are engaged with each other. Then, in this state, a bolt 33 is screwed into the bolt hole 18 of the adapter 10 to fix the boss 8 to the steering shaft 30. Here, since the steering wheel main body 1 (the spoke cores 6B and 6C) is connected to the boss 8 via the connecting portion 21, the airbag device is secured by fixing the boss 8 to the steering shaft 30. The steering wheel main body 1 having 13 is also fixed at the same time.

Next, a characteristic portion of the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, outside the vicinity of the upper part of the cylindrical portion 16b of the bag holder 16 in the present embodiment, the spoke cores 6A and 6B and the spoke cores 6A and 6C are connected. A sub-connecting portion 22 and a support bar 24 that connects the spoke portion core bars 6B and 6C are provided. In the present embodiment, a cored bar connecting portion is constituted by each sub-connecting portion 22 and the support bar 24.

Next, the operation and effect of the steering wheel W having the above configuration will be described. (A) When a predetermined acceleration is detected, gas is instantaneously generated from the inflator 15 and supplied into the airbag 14. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 8, the airbag 14 is inflated, and the pad portion 3 is expanded. At this time, the base end portion of the airbag 14 is held by the bag holder 16, but the tubular portion 16 b of the bag holder 16 is subjected to a stress outward from the airbag 14 when the airbag 14 is inflated. Will be received.

However, in the present embodiment, the cylindrical portion 16b
On the outside near the upper end of the spokes, there are spoke cores 6A, 6B,
A sub-connecting portion 22 and a support bar 24 for connecting the 6Cs are provided. Therefore, when the airbag 14 is inflated, the upper end of the cylindrical portion 16b of the bag holder 16 is supported at the center of the side surface of the sub-connecting portion 22 and the support bar 24, and further deformation is restricted. Is done. Therefore, the deformation of the bag holder 16 (the cylindrical portion 16b) is minimized, and the airbag 14 does not escape in the lateral direction. Therefore, stable expansion of the pad portion 3 and inflation of the airbag 14 can be ensured. As a result, the operational stability of the airbag device can be further improved.

(B) In the present embodiment, in particular, the sub-connecting portion 22 and the support bar 24 are located at locations where the amount of displacement of the bag holder 16 is greatest when the airbag 14 is inflated (upper end portion of the cylindrical portion 16b). Is provided near the outside. For this reason, the deformation of the bag holder 16 can be further reduced, and the above operation and effect can be further ensured.

(C) As an additional effect of this embodiment, the spoke cores 6B and 6C are integrally connected to the boss 8 via the connecting portion 21. The spoke cores 6B, 6C connected to at least the boss 8 and the other spoke cores 6A are configured so as to be positioned below the ring core 5 and the spoke cores 6A to 6c. Are connected at the sub-connecting portion 22 to form the opening 23. For this reason, the airbag device 13 is easily disposed between the pad portion 3 and the boss 8 by being inserted through the opening 23. That is, according to the present embodiment, the assembly of the steering wheel W can be completed only by performing the operation of fixing the airbag device 13 from the opening 23 having a relatively large area. Therefore, when the steering wheel W is assembled, workability can be dramatically improved.

(D) In addition, even when the opening 23 is provided as described above, the boss 8 is firmly connected to the spoke cores 6B and 6C on the left and right sides via the connecting portion 21. And the spoke cores 6B and 6C
The remaining (driver's side) spoke portion core bar 6A is firmly connected by the sub-connection portion 22. Therefore, the spoke cores 6A to 6C, the ring core 5 and the boss 8 are firmly connected to each other. Therefore, when the entire steering wheel W is considered, sufficient stability of the assembled state can be ensured.

The present invention can be embodied as follows in addition to the above embodiment. (1) In the above embodiment, each of the spoke cores 6A to 6A
Although the sub-connecting portion 22 and the support bar 24 for connecting C to each other are provided and provided near the tubular portion 16b of the bag holder 16, all the core metal connecting portions need to be arranged in this way. There is no. In addition, these 22, 24
Any of these may be omitted.

(2) In the above embodiment, a steering wheel W of a type having three spokes 4 (spoke cores 6A to 6C) is embodied.
The present invention can also be embodied as having more than two spoke cores.

(3) In the above embodiment, the airbag device 13 is arranged and fixed to the steering wheel body 1 by the screw 17, but other fixing means such as rivets and clips may be used. .

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the adapter 10 and the bolt 33 are used to fix the boss 8 (the steering wheel body 1) to the steering shaft 30. You may make it fix using.

(5) Sub-connecting part 2 in the above embodiment
2 and the cross-sectional shape of the support bar 24 are not limited at all. However, it is desirable to have a shape that can support the bag holder 16 (tubular portion 16b) with as large an area as possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 3, showing a structure of a steering wheel according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the steering wheel.

FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view showing an adapter and the like of a steering wheel.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a core metal structure of the steering wheel.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a steering wheel body and the like showing a state when an airbag device and the like are provided.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a state when the steering wheel is mounted on the steering shaft.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operation of one embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Steering wheel main body, 2 ... Ring part, 3 ... Pad part, 5 ... Ring part core metal, 6A, 6B, 6C ... Spoke part core metal, 7a, 7b ... Coating body, 8 ... Boss, 13 ... Airbag device , 14 ... air bag, 16 ... bag holder,
16b: cylindrical portion, 21: connecting portion, 22: sub-connecting portion forming a core bar connecting portion, 24: support bar forming a core bar connecting portion, 30: steering shaft, W: steering wheel.

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued from the front page (56) References JP-A-3-50052 (JP, A) JP-A-8-2365 (JP, A) JP-A 2-133955 (JP, U) JP-A-63 160254 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model 5-92004 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60R 21/16-21/20 B62D 1/04-1/28

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A boss (8) fixed to a steering shaft (30), a ring core (5), a spoke core (6A, 6B, 6C) and a covering (7a, 7b) covering these. ) And a pad portion (3) which is located substantially above the center of the ring portion (2) and is integrally formed with the cover (7a, 7b), and the spoke portion core metal (6A, 6B, 6).
C) A part of the steering wheel body (1) integrally connected to the boss (8) via a connecting portion (21).
And disposed between the pad portion (3) and the boss (8);
An airbag device (1) having an airbag (14) that can be inflated when a predetermined acceleration is detected, and a bag holder (16) for holding and fixing the airbag (14)
3), wherein the bag holder (16) is provided with a plate portion (16a).
And formed integrally with the outer peripheral edge of the plate portion (16a).
A cylindrical portion (16b), and the spoke portion core metal (6
A, 6B, 6C) connecting metal cores (22, 2).
4) is provided, and the tubular portion (16b) of the bag holder (16 ) is supported by the cored bar connecting portions (22, 24) when the airbag (14) is inflated. And the steering wheel. 2. The tubular metal part (16 ) when the airbag (14) is inflated, wherein the core metal connecting part (22, 24) is inflated.
2. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the steering wheel is provided near the outer side of the upper end of b) .