JP4543804B2 - Steering wheel with airbag device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a steering wheel with an air bag device, in particular, the pad portion of the steering wheel substantially central relates to a steering wheel provided with an airbag device and the horn switch.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a steering wheel having an airbag device at a pad portion substantially at the center of the steering wheel is known.

  As described above, the steering wheel provided with the airbag device is provided with a fixing portion that is not deployed at the time of the operation of the airbag at the pad portion at the substantially central portion of the steering wheel, as in Patent Documents 1 and 2, and the periphery of the fixing portion is provided. A steering wheel in which an airbag device is disposed so as to surround the steering wheel is also known.

International Publication No. 97/34783 Pamphlet U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,286

By the way, the pad operation portion of the steering wheel is often provided with a switch operation portion (hereinafter referred to as a horn switch) of a horn device that is an alarm device.

As a conventional structure, the entire airbag system, by the stroke available-the steering wheel, or configured as a horn switch, also a pressure sensitive switch provided in the deployment cover of the flexible airbag device Although there has been known to configure the horn switch, for both inflating the air bag cushion, it is necessary to pressing the soft deployment cover portion, the operation feeling of the horn switch, was not sweet ones.

  In this regard, in the case of the steering wheel disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the pad portion is provided with a fixing portion that is not deployed when the airbag is operated. Therefore, a horn switch can be provided using this fixing portion. Conceivable.

  However, when a horn switch is provided for a fixed part that is only a part of the surface of the pad part in this way, the horn switch cannot be operated unless the part is pressed securely. When the switch has to be operated, there is a possibility that the pressing operation cannot be performed well and the operability is deteriorated.

  Therefore, the present invention can improve the operability of the horn switch while enhancing the operability of the horn switch in the steering wheel in which the airbag device and the horn switch are provided in the pad portion substantially in the center of the steering wheel. An object of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel equipped with an air bag device.

A steering wheel provided with an airbag device according to the present invention is a steering wheel in which an airbag device and a horn switch are provided in a pad portion substantially in the center of the steering wheel, and the airbag device is arranged on a part of the surface of the pad portion. A fixed plate that does not deploy when the airbag is activated, a deployment portion that deploys around the stationary plate when the airbag is activated, an inflator connected to the back side of the fixed plate, and the inflator on the outer peripheral side of the inflator The retainer of the unit body is fixed to the steering shaft side with respect to a plurality of pins extending substantially in parallel with the extending direction of the steering shaft via springs. By supporting the steering wheel against the steering wheel To enable stroke extension direction substantially parallel to the direction of Yafuto,
It is configured to function as the horn switch by pressing the unit body.

According to the above configuration, constitute the airbag apparatus, as a unit body with an opening portion extended to deploy when the airbag operates around the fixed portion and the fixed portion, not expanded when the air bag deployment, pressing the unit body By operating, it can function as a horn switch.

  For this reason, by making the unit body function as a horn switch, a wide range of the pad portion can be used as a switch, and a pressing operation with high rigidity can be performed at the fixed portion.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the retainer of the unit body, on the steering shaft axis, Ru Monodea disposed substantially at the same height as said plurality of pins and springs.

According to the present invention, an airbag device, a fixed portion which is not expanded when the air bag deployment, constructed as a unit body with an opening portion extended to deploy when the airbag operates around the fixed portion, the unit body By pressing, it can function as a horn switch.

  For this reason, by making the unit body function as a horn switch, a wide range of the pad portion can be used as a switch, and a pressing operation with high rigidity can be performed at the fixed portion.

  Therefore, in the steering wheel in which the airbag device and the horn switch are provided in the pad portion substantially at the center of the steering wheel, it is possible to enhance the operability of the horn switch while enhancing the operational feeling of the horn switch.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings .
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a steering wheel provided with an airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a relationship between the steering wheel and a driver when the airbag is activated.

As shown in FIG. 1, a steering wheel 1 includes a ring portion 2 a driver grips, a three spoke portions 3a extending in the lateral and lower, 3b, and 3c, the center of the pad portion 4 which The boss B is fixed to the upper end of a steering shaft (not shown). The steering wheel 1 is configured to be steerable by rotating the steering wheel 1 about the steering shaft axis S.

  The above-described pad portion 4 is provided with a unit body 5 of an airbag device. The unit body 5 includes a fixed unit 6 at the center portion on the inner side in a plane orthogonal to the steering shaft axis S, and a developing portion 7 arranged in a donut shape so as to surround the periphery.

In this embodiment, the operation switch 8 of the navigation device N (see FIG. 12) is provided on the surface of the fixed unit 6. A push type operation switch 8 is provided on the left side, and a touch panel type operation switch 8 is provided on the right side.
The operation switch 8 may be another device such as an audio device.

Moreover, in this embodiment, it is comprised so that a horn (alarm) may sound by pressing the unit body 5. FIG. The specific structure will be described later.
Incidentally, the ring portion 2 and the spoke portions 3a, 3b, for 3c, since conventional the same structure, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the airbag device of the steering wheel 1 is activated, the airbag cushion 9 is inflated between the steering wheel 1 and the driver M in the same manner as a normal airbag device. However, the airbag cushion 9 does not inflate in the fixed unit 6 portion.

  However, since the inside of the airbag cushion 9 is filled with high-pressure gas, the gap due to the provision of the fixing unit 6 is crushed at the portion that contacts the driver M. Therefore, even if the fixing unit 6 is provided in the pad portion 4, the driver protection in the airbag device is reliably performed.

  3 is a perspective view of the unit body 5 of the airbag device according to the present embodiment, FIG. 4 is a front view of the unit body 5 including the entire steering wheel 1, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the unit body 5 is pressed, and FIG. 7 is a detail view of a main part of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the pad body 4 of the steering wheel 1 is provided with a unit body 5 of an airbag device.
The unit body 5, as shown in FIG. 5, with respect to the core is I 10 constituting the frame steering wheel 1, three support pins 11 erected at an intermediate portion corresponding to the respective spoke portions 3a, 3b, 3c (in the drawing two) by causing floatingly supported through the coil spring 12 to constitute the stroke allowed ability.

  A ring 10 is formed by covering the core 10 of the steering wheel 1 that performs this fixing with a urethane material 13 covering portions corresponding to the ring 2 at both ends. Further, on the lower side (the side opposite to the driver M with respect to the pad portion 4; hereinafter the same), a decorative cover member 14 is provided to prevent the lead 10 from being exposed. A shaft fitting hole 15 that is spline-coupled to the steering shaft is formed in the center portion of the core rod 10.

Further, spacer members 16 and 16 for closing a gap between the unit body 5 and the ring portion 2 are provided on the side of the unit body 5, and are screwed and fixed to the core screw 10. The spacer member 16 on the left side of the spacer member is provided with a push-type spoke switch 17. The spoke switch 17 is a thin switch because it needs to be compact in terms of space.

  The above-described fixing unit 6 of the unit body 5 includes a cylindrical plate inflator that supplies gas to the fixing plate 61 that constitutes the surface of the pad portion 4, the support bracket 62 that supports the fixing plate 61, and the airbag cushion 9. 63.

  On the other hand, the deployment part 7 of the unit body 5 is composed of a deployment cover part 71 constituting the surface of the pad part 4 and an airbag cushion 9 folded inward in the direction of the steering shaft axis S.

In order to support the unit body 5 , a retainer 18 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the inflator 63 as shown in FIG. 7. The outer end portion of the retainer 18 is connected to the leg portion 71 a of the deployment cover portion 71. And is fixed to a tray member 19 loosely fitted to the support pin 11.

  The fixed plate 61 is composed of a disk-shaped hard resin member whose upper surface (the driver side with respect to the pad portion 4; hereinafter the same) is sealed, and on the upper surface, the above-described pressing-type operation is performed. A switch 8 and a touch panel type operation switch 8 are provided.

Support bracket 62 described above, constituted by the belt-shaped member which is bent formed in a manner to straddle over the inflator 63 are fixed to both ends on the side and the retainer 18 the upper surface of the inflator 63. A fixing bolt 20 is provided at the center of the support bracket 62, and the above-described fixing plate 61 is screwed and fixed.

  The inflator 63 described above is formed by joining two cylindrical cup members so as to face each other, and a gas generating agent (not shown) is incorporated inside. Reference numeral 21 denotes a squib (ignition tool) that ignites the gas generating agent when the airbag is activated.

  Since the fixed unit 6 is not deployed when the airbag is activated, the surface portion can be configured to be rigid. Therefore, when the fixing plate 61 is pressed, a rigid operational feeling can be obtained.

Of the above-described deployment portion 7, the deployment cover portion 71 is formed of a relatively flexible synthetic resin member having a substantially T-shaped cross section. As described above, the legs 71a are fixed to the retainer 18 and the receptacle member 19 at the lower portion of the steering shaft axis S direction. Thereby, the deployment cover part 71 is fixed to the unit body 5.

  Further, the inner peripheral end portion 71b of the deployment cover portion 71 is fitted and locked to the inner peripheral end portion 61a of the fixing plate 61, and in a state in which repulsion upward of the airbag cushion 9 is suppressed, Maintaining position. Thereby, even if the joint with the fixed plate 61 peels due to secular change or the like, the deployment cover portion 71 can maintain its position.

  In addition, an outer peripheral end 71c of the deployment cover 71 is provided with a contact portion 71d that comes into contact with the receiving surface provided on the spacer member 16 from above. By providing the abutting portion 71d, the deployment cover portion 71 does not drop more than a certain level, so that the outer peripheral end portion 71c is not caught on the spacer member 16 even when the unit body 5 is pressed as described later. be able to.

  The airbag cushion 9 is folded in the direction of the steering shaft axis S, and its upper opening end 9a is clamped and fixed between the fixing plate 61 and the support bracket 62, and the lower opening end 9b is fixed to the support bracket. By clamping and fixing between 62 and the retainer 18, the unit body 5 is fixed on the lower side of the deployment cover portion 71.

  Thus, the airbag cushion 9 can be compactly fixed in the axial direction by fixing the end portions 9a and 9b of the airbag cushion 9 in a direction orthogonal to the steering shaft axis S direction.

  Since the deployment portion 7 needs to be deployed when the airbag is operated, the surface portion can only be made flexible. For this reason, when this part is pressed, only an operation feeling with low rigidity can be obtained.

  FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which the unit body 5 is pressed. By pressing in this way in the direction of the steering shaft axis S, the unit body 5 is biased by the coil spring 12 of the support pin 11. Stroke downward against

As described above, when the unit body 5 moves in a stroke, the sleeve contact 22 provided on the inner peripheral portion of the tray member 19 (see FIG. 7) contacts the pin contact 23 provided on the intermediate portion of the support pin 11. A horn circuit (not shown) is closed and the horn can be sounded. That is, the entire unit body 5 by a stroke available-is the function as a horn switch.

  As described above, by causing the unit body 5 to function as a horn switch, the horn can be sounded not only by pressing the development unit 7 but also by the fixed unit 6. For this reason, an almost wide range of the entire pad portion 4 can be made to function as a horn switch, and the operability of the horn during the scissors can be ensured.

Next, it will be described in detail the structure and action relates to an air bag operation.
As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, on the back surface of the deployment cover portion 71, a rupture groove 24 that is thinned and can be broken by the inflation pressure of the airbag cushion 9 is formed substantially radially from the vicinity of the central fixed unit 6. Several are extended.

  By providing the breaking grooves 24 in this way, the deployment cover portion 71 can be configured to be divided into a plurality of parts and deployed with the leg portion 71a as a hinge portion (see FIG. 8).

  Here, when the deployment cover portion 71 has a curved cross-sectional shape, if the amount of curvature is large, the bending rigidity increases, and the deployment performance deteriorates without the stress of the inflation pressure of the airbag cushion 9 being concentrated on a part of the breaking groove 24. However, by dividing into a plurality of parts as in the present embodiment, the amount of bending of the cross section of each part is reduced and deformation is facilitated, so that stress is easily concentrated on a part of the fracture groove 24, Deployment performance can be improved.

  In particular, in this embodiment, the curvature of the upper deployment cover portion 71 is increased in order to improve the design, but the upper deployment cover portion 71 is divided into a plurality of parts as in this embodiment. In this way, the deployment cover portion 71 can be reliably deployed.

FIG. 8 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the main part showing the airbag operation in the present embodiment.
As shown in this figure, when the airbag device is operated, gas is ejected from the inflator 63 and the airbag cushion 9 is inflated. The deployment cover portion 71 receives the inflation pressure of the airbag cushion 9, and its inner peripheral end portion 71 b is deformed to disengage from the fixed plate 61. Thereby, the fracture | rupture groove | channel 24 is fractured | ruptured from the inner peripheral end part 71b side, and the expansion | deployment cover part 71 expand | deploys by using the leg part 71a as a hinge. As the deployment cover portion 71 is deployed, the airbag cushion 9 is inflated toward the driver M side.

  That is, the deployment cover portion 71 is configured such that deployment of the airbag cover 9 is not hindered by disengaging the inner peripheral end portion 71b of the deployment cover portion 71.

  Next, the detailed structure of the push-type operation switch 8 provided on the fixed plate 61 of the fixed unit 6 will be described based on the detailed sectional view of FIG. Note that the touch panel type operation switch has only been fitted and fixed in a conventionally known general liquid crystal panel, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in this figure, the operation switch 8 provided in the fixed plate 61 includes a switch body 81 fitted in a fitting hole 61b formed in the fixed plate 61, a base portion 82 formed in the fixed plate 61, and its base portion. 82 a coil spring 83 which is interposed between the switch body 81 consists of a lower contact 85. provided on the upper surface of the upper contact 84 and base 82 which is provided on the lower surface of the switch body 81. A switch wiring 86 is connected to the upper contact 84, and a ground 87 is connected to the lower contact 85.

  The aforementioned switch body 81 is formed of a rectangular cube provided with a retaining flange portion 81a at the lower portion and provided with a cylindrical groove 81b for interposing a coil spring 83 therein.

  The switch body 81 is set so that its upper surface 81 c slightly protrudes above the upper surface 61 c of the fixed plate 61. However, in order to secure a certain amount of stroke, the upper surface 61c of the surrounding fixed plate 61 is recessed (recessed portion 61d). By setting in this way, the stroke amount of the switch body 81 can be ensured while suppressing the protrusion amount from the upper surface of the fixed plate 61 as much as possible.

  On the fixed plate 61 side, since the upper surface 61c is recessed, the rigidity of the recessed portion 61d is increased and is not easily deformed. Therefore, even when the airbag is actuated, the shape of the fitting hole 61b Thus, the switch body 81 can be prevented from scattering from the fixed plate 61.

Further, the thickness t1 of the upper portion of the switch body 81 is set to be larger than the thickness t2 of the development cover portion 71 and further to the thickness t3 (see FIG. 7) of the spoke switch 17 . In this way, by increasing the thickness t1 of the switch body 81, the rigidity of the switch body 81 itself can be increased, and damage to the switch body 81 can be prevented. This reliably prevents the switch body 81 from scattering from the fixed plate 61.
Incidentally, also more deformable material for molding the switch body 81 is also be not easily damaged materials, can be similarly prevent the scattering of the switch body 81.

  The above-described base portion 82 is formed with a guide groove 82 a for guiding a guide pin 81 d extending from the switch body 81 at the center thereof, and guides the stroke direction of the switch body 81.

  The aforementioned coil spring 83 is located in the cylindrical groove 81b of the switch body 81 and urges the switch body 81 upward. The spring coefficient of the coil spring 83 is set to be lower than the spring coefficient of the coil spring 12 provided on the support pin 11 described above, and the operation switch 8 is operated with a pressing operation force smaller than the pressing operation force of the unit body 5. It is set so that it can be operated.

By setting in this way, an operation signal can be appropriately sent to the device that the driver wants to operate. That is, when it is desired to send an operation signal to the navigation device N by pressing the operation switch 8, only the operation switch 8 is displaced in the pressing direction without ringing the horn by operating with a light pressing force. Thus, an operation signal can be sent to the navigation device N. On the other hand, when the unit body 5 is pressed to sound the horn, the entire unit body 5 is displaced in the pressing direction by operating a part of the pad portion 4 with a somewhat heavy pressing force, and the horn is sounded. Can do it.
The lower contact 85, the upper contact 84, the switch wiring 86, the and the ground 87, and detailed description thereof will be omitted since it is similar to the conventional switch structure.

  In this manner, by providing the operation switch 8 on the fixed plate 61, even in the steering wheel 1 provided with the airbag device, the switch operation can be performed on the central pad portion 4. The switch operability can be improved.

  Of course, the operation switch 8 may scatter from the fixed plate 61 due to the influence of the airbag operation. However, since the switch body 81 and the fixed plate 61 are configured as described above, this problem is solved. Can do.

10 and 11 show the detailed structure of the operation switch 108 of another embodiment. Figure 10 is detailed sectional view similar to FIG. 9, FIG. 11 shows a three-sided view and cross-sectional view of the switch body 181 separately of the operation switch 108.

The operation switch 108 also includes a switch body 181 that fits into the fitting hole 61 b of the fixing plate 61, a base portion 182 formed inside the fixing plate 61, and a rhombus spring 183 that is interposed between the base portion 182 and the switch body 181. When constitutes a bottom contact 185. provided on the upper surface of the upper contact 184 and the base 182 which is provided at both ends of the rhombic spring 183. Further, the switch wiring 86 is connected to the upper contact 184, and the ground 87 is connected to the lower contact 185. Since the other components are the same as those in the above-described embodiment , the same reference numerals are given to the same portions in FIGS. 10 and 11 as in the previous drawings, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

In this operation switch 108 as well, by pressing the switch body 181, the switch body 181 is moved downward against the urging force of the rhombus spring 183. When the switch body 181 moves downward, the upper contact 184 provided at both ends of the rhombus spring 183 comes into contact with the lower contact 185 provided on the upper surface of the base 182, and an operation signal can be sent to the navigation device N.
In addition, the spring coefficient of this rhombus spring 183 is also set to be lower than the spring coefficient of the coil spring 12 provided on the support pin 11 to prevent erroneous operation.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the operation switch 108 has a switch body 181 having a shape different from that shown in FIG. That is, the switch body 181 itself is reduced in weight without increasing the thickness as in the switch body 81 of FIG. 9, and the connection rib 181c for connecting the side wall 181b is provided inside the switch body 181 to increase the rigidity of the switch body 181. It is increasing.

  Thus, by providing the connecting rib 181c, the rigidity can be increased to the lower portion of the switch body 181. Therefore, the position of the lower flange portion 181a is reliably defined, and the removal from the fixing plate 61 is reliably prevented. The

Therefore, also in this structure, due to the influence of the time of air bag deployment, operation switch 108 or break is eliminated the risk of scattering from the fixed plate 61 is deformed.

Next, the operation state of the navigation device N when receiving operation signals from the operation switches 8 and 108 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 12, the navigation device N is connected to the operation switch 8 described above as an input device, and a speaker 31 and a display device 32 as output devices. In such a system configuration, the navigation device N that has received the operation signal from the operation switch 8 performs a predetermined calculation and performs a predetermined navigation display on the display device 32.

  In this embodiment, in order to make the driver M recognize that the operation signal has been received, the operation reception sound is emitted from the speaker 31 immediately after the reception. By emitting the operation reception sound in this way, the driver M can recognize that the operation signal from the operation switch 8 has been appropriately sent to the navigation device N, and thus may press the operation switch 8 unnecessarily. Since the driver M cannot recognize the reception of the operation signal, the driver M can be operated with a larger operation force, and the horn can be prevented from being accidentally sounded. In particular, when the pressing operation force of the operation switch 8 is set to be small as in the present embodiment, the driver M makes it difficult to know whether or not an operation signal has been transmitted. This is effective in increasing the recognition of the driver M.

In addition to emitting the operation reception sound in this way, the display device 32 may display that the operation has been received, and the operation signal may be received by the driver M by causing the operation switch 8 itself to emit light. The driver may be configured to recognize the click feeling when the operation switch 8 is pressed.

Next, it will be described in detail acts and effects of this embodiment constructed as described above.
A steering wheel 1 equipped with an airbag device according to this embodiment is a steering wheel 1 in which an airbag device and a horn switch are provided on a pad portion 4 substantially in the center of the steering wheel 1, and the airbag device is an airbag. A unit body 5 is provided that includes a fixed plate 61 that does not deploy when operated and a deploying portion 7 that deploys around the fixed plate 61 when the airbag is operated. The unit body 5 is configured to be movable with respect to the steering wheel 1 in a stroke. The unit body 5 is configured to function as the horn switch by pressing the unit body 5.

  According to the above configuration, the airbag device is configured as the unit body 5 including the fixed plate 61 that does not deploy when the airbag is activated and the deployment portion 7 that is deployed around the fixed plate 61 when the airbag is activated. By pressing the body 5, it can function as a horn switch.

  For this reason, by making the unit body 5 function as a horn switch, a wide range of the pad portion 4 can be used as a horn switch, and a highly rigid pressing operation can be performed on the fixed plate 61 portion. .

  Therefore, in the steering wheel 1 in which the airbag device and the horn switch are provided in the pad portion 4 at the substantially center of the steering wheel 1, the operability of the horn switch can be enhanced while enhancing the operational feeling of the horn switch. .

  Further, in this embodiment, an inflator 63 is disposed on the lower surface side of the fixed plate 61 of the unit body 5, and a support bracket 62 is provided so as to straddle the inflator 63, and the support bracket 62 and the fixed plate 61 are connected to each other. Concatenated.

  According to the above configuration, the fixing plate 61 is connected using the support bracket 62 provided so as to straddle the inflator 63.

  Thereby, since processing for fixing the fixing plate 61 is not required for the inflator 63, the existing inflator 63 can be used to produce the unit body 5. Therefore, since it is not necessary to use a dedicated inflator, the production cost can be reduced.

  In this embodiment, the operation switch 8 of the navigation device N is provided on the surface of the fixed plate 61, and the pressing operation force of the operation switch 8 is set smaller than the pressing operation force of the horn switch.

  According to the above configuration, by providing the operation switch 8 of the navigation device N on the surface of the fixed plate 61, the operation switch 8 can be laid out on the pad portion 4 of the steering wheel 1. Since the pressing operation force is set to be smaller than that of the horn switch, it is possible to eliminate the possibility that the horn switch is erroneously pressed when the operation switch 8 of the navigation device N is pressed.

  That is, by providing the operation switch 8 of the navigation device N using the fixed plate 61, the pad portion 4 can be used effectively even when the airbag device is provided. Both the horn switch and the operation switch 8 are pressed in the same direction. However, since a difference is provided in the pressing operation force, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation.

  Further, in this embodiment, the navigation device N is configured to emit an operation reception sound that makes the driver M recognize the reception of the operation by the operation switch 8.

  According to the above configuration, after the operation by the operation switch 8, the driver M is notified of the operation acceptance by the operation reception sound from the navigation device N.

For this reason, the driver M can surely know that the operation of the operation switch 8 has been accepted by the navigation device N even when the pressing operation force is set to a small value, and repeatedly performs the pressing operation. Fear can be eliminated.
The method for causing the driver M to recognize the acceptance of the operation may be not only such operation reception sound but also reception display by the display device 32 or the like.

  Next, another embodiment shown in FIG. 13 will be described. FIG. 13 is an overall cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5 of the above-described embodiment.

In this embodiment, the fixed unit 6 of the unit body 5 is configured by a fixed plate 61 and an inflator 63 without providing the support bracket 62. Note that the other components are similar to the previous embodiment, the same portions as in FIG. 5 in FIG. 13, the detailed descriptions thereof are omitted with the same reference numerals.

  In this embodiment, since the support bracket 62 is not provided, the fixing plate 61 is fixed on the upper surface of the inflator 63. That is, the fixing bolt 33 is erected on the upper surface of the inflator 63, and the fixing plate 61 is screwed and fixed to the fixing bolt 33.

  Further, the upper opening end of the airbag cushion 9 is sandwiched and fixed between the fixing plate 61 and the inflator 63, and the lower opening end is sandwiched and fixed between the retainer 18 and the retainer ring 34. The airbag cushion 9 is fixed.

  In this embodiment, an inflator 63 is disposed on the lower surface side of the fixed plate 61 of the unit body 5, and the inflator 63 and the fixed plate 61 are connected.

According to the above configuration, the fixed plate 61 is connected using the inflator 63 disposed on the lower surface side of the fixed plate 61.
Thereby, the rigidity of the fixed plate 61 can be ensured by utilizing the rigidity of the inflator 63.

Next, another embodiment shown in FIG. 14 will be described.
In this embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a four-spoke steering wheel 101 is shown.

The steering wheel 101 also includes a ring portion 102 by the driver M is gripped, four spoke portions 103a extending in the left-right horizontal direction and obliquely downward, 103b, 103c, consists of a 103d, central pad portion 104. The upper end of the steering shaft (not shown) is fixed.

  The pad unit 104 is also provided with a unit body 105 of the airbag device, and is composed of a fixed unit 106 provided at the center thereof and a deployment unit 107 arranged in a donut shape so as to surround the periphery. Note that a fixed plate 161 is provided on the surface of the fixed unit 106 as in the above-described embodiment.

  Also on the back surface of the deployment cover portion 171 of the deployment portion 107, fracture grooves 124 are formed so as to extend radially in the same manner as described above. However, in this embodiment, since there are four spoke portions, the number of fracture grooves 124 is increased in accordance with the number of the spoke portions.

Thus, also in this embodiment, by providing a plurality of fracture grooves 124..., A reliable airbag operation can be obtained as in the above-described embodiment.
In addition, about another effect, it is the same as that of the above-mentioned embodiment.

As described above, in the correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment,
The fixing portion of the present invention corresponds to the fixing plate 61 of the embodiment,
The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiments, but includes various embodiments of steering wheels.

The perspective view of the steering wheel of this invention. The schematic diagram which showed the relationship between a steering wheel and a driver | operator. The single-piece | unit perspective view of a unit body. The front view of the unit body including the whole steering wheel. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4. The AA arrow directional cross-sectional view at the time of pressing operation. FIG. 6 is a detailed view of a main part of FIG. 5. The principal part detailed sectional view at the time of an airbag operation. Detailed sectional drawing of an operation switch. The detailed sectional view of the operation switch of other embodiments. (A) Front view of switch body, (b) Side view, (c) Bottom view, (d) Cross-sectional view. The block diagram of a navigation apparatus. Sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 5 of other embodiment. The front view corresponding to FIG. 4 of other embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,101 ... Steering wheel 4,104 ... Pad part 5,105 ... Unit body 61,161 ... Fixed plate (fixed part)
7, 107 ... development part
11 ... Support pin (pin)
12 ... Coil spring (spring)
18 ... Retainer
63 ... Inflator

Claims (2)

A steering wheel provided with an airbag device and a horn switch in a pad portion substantially at the center of the steering wheel,
The airbag device is a fixed plate that is formed on a part of the surface of the pad portion and does not deploy when the airbag is activated,
A deployment portion that is deployed when the airbag is operated around the fixed plate;
An inflator connected to the back side of the fixed plate;
A unit body composed of a retainer fixed to the inflator on the outer peripheral side of the inflator,
The retainer of the unit body is supported via a spring with respect to a plurality of pins fixed to the steering shaft side and extending substantially in parallel with the extending direction of the steering shaft. Stroke is possible in a direction substantially parallel to the extending direction,
A steering wheel including an airbag device configured to function as the horn switch by pressing the unit body. Retainer of the unit body, on the steering shaft axis, steering wheel Lumpur having an air bag apparatus according to claim 1 wherein disposed at substantially the same height as said plurality of pins and springs.

Images