JP5006558B2 - Steering wheel - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention includes a boss cored bar portion connected to a steering shaft in a vehicle, a rim cored bar portion formed in a substantially ring shape, and a spoke cored bar portion that connects the boss cored bar portion and the rim cored bar portion. The present invention relates to a steering wheel.

Conventionally, this type of steering wheel in a vehicle has a self-aligning mechanism that is deformed to the opposite side of the vehicle to reduce the impact of the occupant when an impact load is applied by the occupant during a vehicle collision, etc. Is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-62-178468.

  In the steering wheel disclosed in Patent Document 1, a weak portion is provided between a spoke attachment portion connected to a rim / spoke assembly and a boss, and when an impact load is applied to the rim, the plasticity of the weak portion is described. The steering wheel tilts so that the rim surface is substantially perpendicular to the load action line due to deformation, and the rim surface moves in the direction of the load action line due to plastic deformation of the spoke so as to absorb the impact load. A reinforcement member extending along the spoke is extended from the spoke attachment portion. The reinforcement member prevents deformation of the spoke itself and preferentially plastically deforms the weakened portion, thereby The surface is tilted in a direction substantially perpendicular to the load action line.

In addition, a steering wheel that is not directly configured as a self-flying mechanism, but has been known to maintain appearance quality against an impact on the wooden member when wood is used as an outer skin is known ( Patent Document 2).
JP 2002-127913.

  The steering wheel disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a metal core formed in a substantially ring shape, an outer skin portion that covers a part of the core metal, and an attachment that excludes a portion of the core metal where the outer skin portion is attached. A wooden member formed of a solid wood material corresponding to the part, and covering the cored bar at the mounting part, and the rigidity of the cored bar in the part corresponding to the wooden member, It is configured to be set higher than the rigidity of the core metal in the portion corresponding to the outer skin part, and when an external force acts on the core metal from the outside through the outer skin part or the wooden member, Stress is concentrated in the covered part, which can suppress or prevent the deformation of the cored bar in the part where the wooden member is mounted. As a result, the deformation of the wooden member can be prevented and the appearance of the wooden member This is an attempt to maintain quality.

  Among the conventional techniques configured as described above, in the steering wheel described in Patent Document 1, when an impact load is applied to the rim and the weak part plastically deforms through the spoke and absorbs energy, The load input part that acts on the rim by abutment is usually the lower part of the rim, whereas the weak part that is plastically deformed exists between the spoke attachment part and the boss. Therefore, depending on the direction of load input to the rim, the load transmitted to the fragile part differs depending on the direction of load input to the rim. The force may vary.

  Further, in the steering wheel disclosed in Patent Document 2, a part of the core bar covered with the outer skin part and an installation part of the solid wood excluding the part of the core metal where the outer skin part is attached, for example, For the part covered with the outer skin part, the vertical cross-sectional area of the cored bar will be formed large in the mounting part of the solid wood of the wood, resulting in a sudden change in the cross-sectional area at the connecting part of both In particular, the moment of inertia of the metal core itself is increased, and it is difficult to make a design adjustment to keep this moment of inertia within the standard, and the cross-sectional area of a part of the metal core covered with the outer skin is Since it is formed small, the strength of the part is small, the deformation part with respect to the impact load on the core metal is not specified, and the strength is not uniform as a whole of the core metal, so that the resonance characteristics are deteriorated. ing

  Therefore, in view of such points, the present invention suppresses variation in reaction force of the deformed portion without separating the input portion of the impact load and the deformed portion deformed by the impact load, and facilitates adjustment of the moment of inertia. It aims to provide a steering wheel.

In order to achieve the above object, a steering wheel according to the present invention as set forth in claim 1 includes a boss core part connected to the steering shaft, a rim core part formed in a substantially ring shape, and these boss cores. And a spoke core metal part for connecting the metal part and the rim core metal part, and bending the lower part with respect to the upper part of the rim core metal part in the anti-occupant side direction, A rim cored bar side bend is formed between the upper side part and the lower side part, and in addition, the rim cored bar part is formed in a substantially constant cross-sectional shape over the entire circumference. To do.

In the invention according to claim 1 having such a configuration, the rim core is bent between the upper side portion and the lower side portion by bending the lower side portion in the anti-occupant side direction with respect to the upper side portion of the rim core metal part. By forming the gold side bent portion, normally, when an occupant receives an impact load due to a vehicle collision or the like, first, the abdomen of the occupant abuts on the lower side portion of the rim core metal portion. If, around the rim cored bar side bent portion that exists between the lower side portion and the upper side portion, lower side portion is bent tilted in opposite-to-occupant direction, it will be absorbed occupant impact, and the rim Since the cored bar is formed in a constant cross-sectional shape, the weight balance in the rim cored bar is uniform and the resonance frequency can be lowered, resulting in a stable moment of inertia and easy adjustment. .

  As a result, the lower side portion that is the input portion of the impact load and the rim core metal side bent portion that is the deformation portion deformed by the impact load are not separated from each other. Variation in reaction force can be suppressed.

  In addition, since it can be configured without changing the vertical cross-sectional shape of the rim cored bar portion, the moment of inertia of the entire rim cored bar portion is stabilized and adjustment is facilitated.

Further, the invention of claim 2 is a steering wheel according to claim 1, in the case of a coating material coating an outer surface of the rim core metal portion, wherein at the dressing rim cored bar side bent portion A covering material side bent portion is formed at a position opposite to.

  The invention according to claim 3 having such a configuration has a rim cored bar side bent portion where the lower side part of the rim cored bar is bent in the anti-occupant direction, and the lower side part of the covering material is also bent toward the coating material side. Since it has the part, the separation distance between the abdomen of the occupant and the rim core part and the covering material can be separated, and generation of excessive pressure can be prevented.

Further, the invention according to claim 3, in the case of a coating material coating the outer surface of the rim core metal portion in the invention according to claim 1, the external shape of the dressing, the rim cored bar side bent The covering member is formed in a shape that does not protrude outward by a portion, and exhibits a linear shape in a side view.

  In the invention according to claim 4, even when the rim core metal side bent portion is formed between the upper side portion and the lower side portion of the rim core metal portion, the appearance shape of the covering material is a linear shape in a side view. Therefore, the appearance of the conventional steering wheel as shown in FIG. 4 can be made the same.

  According to the present invention configured as described above, the lower portion of the rim core portion is bent in the anti-occupant side direction with respect to the upper portion of the rim core portion, and the rim core portion is interposed between the upper portion and the lower portion. By forming the side bend, normally, when an occupant receives an impact load due to a vehicle collision or the like, the occupant's abdomen or the like first comes into contact with the lower part of the rim core metal part. The lower side portion bends and tilts in the anti-occupant direction around the rim cored bar side bending portion existing between the lower side portion and the upper side portion, and absorbs the impact of the occupant.

  As a result, the lower side portion that is the input portion of the impact load and the rim core metal side bent portion that is the deformation portion deformed by the impact load are not separated from each other. Variation in reaction force can be suppressed.

  In addition, since it can be configured without changing the vertical cross-sectional shape of the rim cored bar portion, the moment of inertia of the entire rim cored bar portion is stabilized and adjustment is facilitated.

  Furthermore, since the lower part of the rim core part is bent toward the occupant, the distance between the occupant's abdomen and the rim core part can be separated, preventing the generation of excessive pressure. it can.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view in which a steering wheel employing an embodiment of the present invention is drawn with a covering material removed, and FIG. 2 is a side view in which a portion of the covering material is omitted and drawn with a two-dot chain line.

  1 and 2, a steering wheel 1 includes a boss cored bar portion 3 connected to a shaft 2 of a steering device that steers the wheel, a rim cored bar portion 4 formed in a substantially ring shape, and a boss cored bar portion. 3 and a spoke core metal part 5 that connects the rim core metal part 4 to each other.

  The rim cored bar 4 is formed in a substantially constant cross-sectional shape (vertical cross-sectional shape) over the entire circumference, and the neutral position of the steering wheel 1 (the state shown in FIG. 1 where no operation is performed by the occupant). , The lower side portion 4b is bent in the direction opposite to the occupant, which is the direction of the steering shaft 2, and the rim core metal side bend is formed between the upper side portion 4a and the lower side portion 4b. A portion 6 is provided.

  Further, the outer surface of the rim cored bar portion 4 is entirely covered with a covering material 7 made of resin, wood or the like, and is beautifully decorated.

  The covering material 7 is formed with a covering material side bent portion 8 facing the rim core metal side bent portion 6 in the rim core metal portion 4.

Rim cored bar side bent portion 6, as shown in FIG. 1, connecting the point a and a'point at a distance L2 in the middle side than the distance L ₁ between the horizontal center line A and the horizontal bottom line B of the steering wheel 1 It is set to be located on the line. However, in order to adjust the moment of inertia of the steering wheel, the points a and a ′ can be changed as appropriate, and changed to the points b, b ′, c, c ′ and the like.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, the lower side portion 4b is arranged in the direction opposite to the occupant with respect to the upper side portion 4a in which the visual recognition opening for visually recognizing the meter is formed during operation in the rim cored bar 4. The rim cored bar side bent portion 6 is formed between the upper side portion 4a and the lower side portion 4b so that when an occupant normally receives an impact load due to a vehicle collision or the like, The abdomen of the occupant comes into contact with the lower part 4b of the cored bar part 4, and in this case, the lower part around the rim cored bar side bent part 6 existing between the lower part 4b and the upper part 4a. The side portion 4b is bent and tilted in the direction opposite to the occupant to absorb the impact of the occupant.

  As a result, the lower portion 4b, which is an input portion of the impact load, and the rim core metal side bent portion 6, which is a deformed portion deformed by the impact load, are not separated from each other. Variations in the reaction force of the portion 6 can be suppressed.

  In addition, the rim cored bar portion 4 is formed in a substantially constant cross-sectional shape over the entire circumference without changing its vertical cross-sectional shape, so that the weight balance in the rim cored bar portion 4 becomes uniform and resonates. The frequency can be lowered, resulting in a stable moment of inertia and easy adjustment.

  Further, since the lower portion 4b of the rim cored bar 4 is bent in the counter occupant direction, the distance between the occupant's abdomen and the like and the rim cored bar 4 can be separated, and an excessive reaction force can be generated. Occurrence can be prevented.

  Furthermore, the lower side part 4b of the rim cored bar part 4 has the rim cored bar side bent part 6 bent in the anti-occupant direction, and the lower part of the covering material 7 also has the covering material side bent part 8. The distance between the occupant's abdomen and the like and the rim core 4 and the covering material 7 can be separated, and the deformation of the occupant's abdomen and the like can be reduced when the airbag is inflated and deployed.

  FIG. 3 depicts another embodiment according to the present invention.

  According to FIG. 3, with respect to the above-described embodiment, the rim cored bar side bent portion 6 is formed by bending the lower side part 4b of the rim cored bar part 4 in the anti-occupant direction with respect to the upper side part 4a. Although the same, the shape of the covering material 7 is different.

  That is, when the outer surface of the rim cored bar portion 4 is coated, the covering material 7 is configured so that its external shape does not protrude outwardly by the rim cored bar side bent portion. The difference is that the shape exhibits a linear shape.

  With such a configuration, even if the rim cored bar side bent portion 6 is formed between the upper side part 4a and the lower side part 4b in the rim cored bar part 4, the appearance shape of the covering material 7 exhibits a linear shape in side view. Therefore, the appearance of the conventional steering wheel as shown in FIG. 4 can be made the same.

  As described above, the present invention bends the lower portion of the rim core portion in the direction opposite to the occupant with respect to the upper portion of the rim core portion, and bends the rim core portion between the upper portion and the lower portion. In general, when the occupant receives an impact load due to a vehicle collision or the like, the abdomen of the occupant first comes into contact with the lower part of the rim cored bar. The lower side portion bends and tilts in the anti-occupant direction around the rim cored bar side bent portion existing between the side portion and the upper side portion, and absorbs the impact of the occupant.

  As a result, the lower side portion that is the input portion of the impact load and the rim core metal side bent portion that is the deformation portion deformed by the impact load are not separated from each other. Variation in reaction force can be suppressed.

  In addition, since it can be configured without changing the vertical cross-sectional shape of the rim cored bar portion, the moment of inertia of the entire rim cored bar portion is stabilized and adjustment is facilitated.

  Furthermore, since the lower side portion of the rim core part is bent toward the occupant side, the separation distance between the occupant's abdomen and the like and the rim core part can be separated, and excessive reaction force is generated. Can be prevented.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a boss cored bar portion connected to a steering shaft in a vehicle, a rim cored bar portion formed in a substantially ring shape, and a spoke cored bar portion that connects the boss cored bar portion and the rim cored bar portion. Is suitable for a steering wheel or the like.

It is the top view which drew the steering wheel which employ | adopted embodiment which concerns on this invention, removed the coating | covering material. It is the side view which abbreviate | omitted some coating | covering materials similarly and was drawn with the dashed-two dotted line. It is a side view in other embodiment which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steering wheel 2 Steering shaft 3 Boss metal core part 4 Rim metal core part 4a Upper side part 4b Lower side part 5 Spoke core metal part 6 Rim core metal side bending part 7 Coating material 8 Coating material side bending part

Claims (3)

A boss cored bar portion connected to the steering shaft, a rim cored bar portion formed in a substantially ring shape, and a spoke cored bar portion that connects the boss cored bar portion and the rim cored bar portion. , the lower side portion to the upper side portion of the rim cored bar, bent to a side opposite an occupant direction, to form a rim cored bar side bent portion between the upper side portion and a lower side portion, in addition The steering wheel is characterized in that the rim cored bar is formed in a substantially constant cross-sectional shape over the entire circumference . The covering material side bent portion is formed at a position facing the rim core metal side bent portion of the covering material when the outer surface of the rim core metal portion is covered with a covering material. Steering wheel as described in When the outer surface of the rim cored bar portion is coated with a coating material, the outer shape of the coating material is configured so that the coating material does not protrude outward by the rim cored bar side bent portion, The steering wheel according to claim 1 , wherein the steering wheel has a linear shape.

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