JP5278264B2 - Leather-wrapped steering wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering wheel wrapped with leather suppressing generation of a gap at a boundary part between the leather and a decorative member caused by contraction of the leather due to secular deterioration and generation of local deformation (round sagging) in the vicinity of a bent part of the leather, while making accuracy of core metal and metal die have the same degree as conventional accuracy, and suppressing unnatural feeling of the sense of touch in the leather. <P>SOLUTION: In the core metal 60 of this steering wheel wrapped with leather, a projection part 62 is formed at a portion covered with a leather member 40, a recessed part is formed at a portion to be the vicinity of the projection part 62 in a coating part, a locking part 41 in the leather member 40 and a thin plate-shaped hard member 100 are inserted in the recessed part, a soft member 54 forming at least a part of the coating part is interposed between the projection part 62 and the leather member 40, and the hard member 100 is interposed between the soft member 54 and the locking part 41. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a leather-wrapped steering wheel mounted on a vehicle.

  Conventionally, as a structure for improving the design of a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a structure partially including a decorative member as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 4 has been proposed. In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, a recess is formed in a coating layer made of urethane, and leather and a decorative film (decorative member) are adjacent to cover the coating layer, and the leather and the decorative film are disposed in the recess. The terminal is inserted and disposed. In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 2, a leather end having a winding core (hard member) is a concave groove provided in a hard portion (decorative member), or a hard portion (decorative member) and a soft portion. It is fixed between. In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 3, a rib is provided on the metal core, a soft material layer is interposed at the tip of the rib, a leather member is bonded to the rib, and a hard covering portion (decorating member) is adjacent to the rib. ing. In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 4, after forming the hard covering portion (decorating member), the leather supporting piece (hard member) is disposed to form the soft covering portion, and the hard covering portion (decorating member) And a leather end are fixed in a gap formed between the leather support piece (hard member).

JP 11-078907 JP 2000-135981 A JP 2004-291786 A JP-A-11-034881

  In the configuration of Patent Document 1, when the leather shrinks due to deterioration over time, the coating layer made of urethane is bent, and a gap is generated at the boundary between the leather and the decorative film in the recess, so that the appearance is lowered. there is a possibility. In the configuration of Patent Document 2, the influence on the appearance due to the shrinkage of the leather is suppressed, but since the winding core (hard member) has a certain size or more, in the leather, the winding core (hard member) is directly below. The tactile sensation is different between the existing part and the part where the soft part is present immediately below, and when the occupant touches the grip part, there is a possibility of feeling uncomfortable. In the configuration of Patent Document 3, the generation of a gap at the boundary portion between the leather and the hard covering portion is suppressed, but in the vicinity of the bent portion of the leather, the tip of the rib provided on the core metal In addition, since the soft material layer is interposed, when the leather contracts, the soft material layer bends, thereby causing local deformation (R sagging) in the vicinity of the bent portion of the leather, which deteriorates the appearance. there is a possibility. In addition, regarding the so-called `` burr cutting '' in which the soft material layer is not formed in the hard coating portion side of the rib, both the dimension of the core metal as the insert member and the dimension of the mold are used. A very high accuracy is required, and it is difficult to reduce the cost at that point, and it is necessary to establish “burr cutting” in the vicinity of the hard coating part, which is a design part. To achieve this, even higher accuracy is required, making it difficult to reduce costs. In the configuration of Patent Document 4, the presence of the leather support piece makes “burr cutting” relatively easy and the influence of leather shrinkage is suppressed, but the leather support piece (hard member) is more than a certain level. Due to its size, in leather, the tactile sensation differs between the part where the leather support piece (hard member) is directly below and the part where the soft covering part is immediately below, and when the occupant touches the grip part, it feels uncomfortable. There is a possibility of feeling. The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and the gap between the leather and the decorative member is caused by the shrinkage of the leather due to aging deterioration while maintaining the accuracy of the core metal and the mold to the same level as the conventional one. It is an object of the present invention to provide a leather-wrapped steering wheel that suppresses the occurrence of the occurrence of the deformation and the local deformation (R sagging) in the vicinity of the bent portion of the leather and suppresses the uncomfortable feeling in the leather.

In a leather-wrapped steering wheel that includes a cored bar and a gripping part that covers the cored bar and covers a part of the coated part with a leather member, the coated part includes a hard coated part and a soft coated part A projecting portion having a surface facing the hard coating portion and a tip portion is formed on a portion of the core bar covered with the leather member, and the soft coating portion is made of a soft member. The hard covering portion and the soft covering portion are each formed with a terminal portion, and the portion of the covering portion in the vicinity of the protruding portion has the terminal portion of the hard covering portion and the A concave portion is formed between the soft member, and the leather member covers at least a part of the soft member, and a locking portion formed with a bent portion to be inserted into the concave portion. And in the recess, the engagement A thin plate-like hard member that is inserted into a portion of the projection portion that is on the projection portion side and is in contact with the locking portion and the terminal portion of the soft member, and the tip portion of the projection portion In addition, between the leather member and facing the surface, the soft member is interposed,
The hard member is interposed between the soft member and the locking portion.

  In the leather-wrapped steering wheel according to the present invention, since the thin plate-like hard member is interposed between the engaging portion of the leather member and the soft member, even if the leather member contracts due to aging, Occurrence of local deformation (R sagging) near the bent portion of the leather member is suppressed. And since the intervening hard member is a thin plate, even if the tactile sensation is different between the part of the leather member where the hard member is located immediately below and the part where the soft member is located immediately below, the hard member is present immediately below Since there are very few parts to perform, the discomfort of the tactile sensation when the occupant touches the grip portion is suppressed. In addition, since “burr cutting” at the time of molding the soft member does not have to be set in the core metal projection, the soft member is placed in the region between the thin plate-shaped hard member and the core metal projection. Although the member is interposed, the recess into which the hard member is inserted is formed in the vicinity of the protrusion, and the thickness of the interposed soft member is set to be as thin as possible. Even if the leather member shrinks, the deformation (compression) of the soft member occurs only in the thin portion, and the absolute amount of deformation (compression) is suppressed. Generation | occurrence | production of the clearance gap between the latching | locking parts and the member adjacent to this latching | locking part is suppressed. Further, since the core metal and the mold do not require a higher accuracy than the conventional technique, the cost for the core metal and the metal mold can be the same as the conventional one. Therefore, the leather-wrapped steering wheel has a structure in which the influence of the shrinkage of the leather member is suppressed by a relatively light and inexpensive structural change that covers the protrusion of the core metal with a soft member and adds a thin hard member. Will be obtained.

Moreover, in the leather-wrapped steering wheel according to the present invention, in addition to the invention of claim 1, the hard member is disposed over the entire circumference of the cross section of the grip portion so as to form a thin plate-shaped annular member. It is characterized by being.

In this configuration, the hard member is disposed over the entire circumference of the cross section of the grip portion so as to form a thin plate-shaped annular member, and the R sag at the locking portion due to shrinkage due to aging of the leather member. The generation of the gap can be suppressed over the entire circumference of the gripping portion, and a good feeling when the occupant touches the gripping portion can be ensured over the entire circumference of the gripping portion, which is even more excellent. There will be an effect.

  As described above, according to the leather-wrapped steering wheel of the present invention, the leather is changed by a relatively light and inexpensive configuration change that covers the protrusion of the core metal with a soft member and adds a thin plate-like hard member. A leather-wrapped steering wheel having a configuration in which the influence of member shrinkage is suppressed can be obtained.

It is a schematic plan view which shows the skin-wrapped steering wheel of embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing of the AA site | part in the skin-wrapped steering wheel of embodiment of FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the leather-wrapped steering wheel of the embodiment of FIG. 2, in which a leather member and a thin plate-like hard member are not shown. It is sectional drawing of the BB site | part in the skin-wrapped steering wheel of embodiment of FIG.

  Hereinafter, the skin-wrapped steering wheel of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows a steering wheel 10 as viewed from the occupant side of the vehicle. The vertical and horizontal directions in FIG. 1 substantially coincide with the vertical and horizontal directions in the vehicle. Moreover, let the direction which sees the paper surface of FIG. 1 be the front direction in a vehicle, and let the opposite direction be a rear direction in a vehicle. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views taken along line AA in FIG. 1 (a boundary 24b described later and a portion in the vicinity thereof). FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a BB part (a hard member 100 described later and a part in the vicinity thereof) in FIG. The vertical direction in FIGS. 2 to 4 substantially coincides with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The upper side in FIGS. 2 to 4 is the rear side (occupant side) of the vehicle, and the lower side is the front side of the vehicle. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the description of the up / down / left / right / front / rear direction is substantially the same as the up / down / left / right / front / rear direction of the vehicle.

  First, the configuration of the embodiment of the leather-wrapped steering wheel 10 of the present invention will be described below as an example.

  The steering wheel 10 has a substantially left-right symmetric shape about the axis J1 along the vertical direction at the position where the vehicle is kept straight, and includes a steering wheel main body 11 and a pad portion 12. The steering wheel main body 11 includes a gripping part 20 and a spoke part 21. The grip portion 20 has an annular ring shape as viewed from the occupant, and includes a hard cover portion 22 as a cover portion 25 that covers a core metal 60 described later, and a soft cover portion 23 as the cover portion 25. Become. The soft covering portion 23 is covered with a leather member 40 which will be described later to form a leather covering portion 26. A spoke portion 21 protrudes from the leather covering portion 26 toward the pad portion 12.

  The steering wheel main body 11 has three leather covering portions 26 and three spoke portions 21, and is arranged at three locations on the right side, left side, and lower side of the pad portion 12. The leather covering portion 26 and the spoke portion 21 disposed on the right side of the pad portion 12 are a first leather covering portion 26a and a first spoke portion 21a, respectively, and are disposed on the left side of the pad portion 12. The leather covering portion 26 and the spoke portion 21 are respectively the second leather covering portion 26b and the second spoke portion 21b, and the leather covering portion 26 and the spoke portion 21 disposed on the lower side of the pad portion 12 are respectively The third leather covering portion 26c and the third spoke portion 21c.

  The steering wheel body 11 has three hard coating portions 22 and is arranged at three locations on the upper side, lower right side, and lower left side of the pad portion 12. The hard covering portion 22 disposed on the upper side of the pad portion 12 is the first hard covering portion 22a, and the hard covering portion 22 disposed on the lower left side of the pad portion 12 is the second hard covering portion 22b. The hard coating portion 22 disposed on the lower right side of the pad portion 12 is a third hard coating portion 22c.

  The first hard covering portion 22a is adjacent to the terminal portion 26aa on the first hard covering portion 22a side in the first leather covering portion 26a at the terminal portion 22aa on the first leather covering portion 26a side, and the boundary portion thereof. 24 forms the 1st boundary part 24a, and is adjacent to the terminal part 26ba by the side of the 1st hard coating part 22a in the 2nd leather coating part 26b in the terminal part 22ab by the side of the 2nd leather coating part 26b. The boundary portion 24 forms a second boundary portion 24b.

  Similarly, the second hard covering portion 22b is adjacent to the terminal portion 26bb on the second hard covering portion 22b side in the second leather covering portion 26b at the terminal portion 22ba on the second leather covering portion 26b side, The boundary portion 24 forms the third boundary portion 24c and is adjacent to the terminal portion 26ca on the second hard coating portion 22b side in the third leather coating portion 26c at the terminal portion 22bb on the third leather coating portion 26c side. The boundary 24 forms a fourth boundary 24d.

  Similarly, the third hard covering portion 22c is adjacent to the terminal portion 26cb on the third hard covering portion 22c side in the third leather covering portion 26c at the terminal portion 22ca on the third leather covering portion 26c side, The boundary portion 24 forms a fifth boundary portion 24e and is adjacent to the terminal portion 26ab on the third hard covering portion 22c side in the first leather covering portion 26a at the terminal portion 22cb on the first leather covering portion 26a side. The boundary 24 forms a sixth boundary 24f.

  Among the boundary portions 24, the four boundary portions 24a, 24b, 24c, and 24f formed at both end portions 26aa, 26ab, 26ba, and 26bb of the first leather covering portion 26a and the second leather covering portion 26b are axes. It is formed in a straight line so as to be orthogonal to J1 and substantially parallel to the axis J2 along the left-right direction. Further, of the boundary portion 24, the two boundary portions 24d and 24e formed on both end portions 26ca and 26cb of the third leather covering portion 26c are formed in a straight line so as to be substantially parallel to the axis J1. Has been. That is, each boundary 24 is not orthogonal to the tangent line passing through the intersection of the axis J3 along the ring and the boundary 24 in the annular gripping part 20 (in other words, the annular ring The grip part 20 is formed so as not to be orthogonal to the grip part 20. The intersection C between the axis J1 and the axis J2 is the center of rotation when the steering wheel 10 is operated, and coincides with the center of a boss portion (not shown) described later.

  The cored bar 60 includes an annular gripping part cored bar 61 covered with the covering part 25 in the gripping part 20, a spoke part cored bar (not shown), and the boss part described above. The gripping part core 61 has a circular cross section in a cross section orthogonal to the axis J3. Three spoke part cores are arranged corresponding to the three spoke parts 21, and a part of each of the spoke parts 21 is covered. Each of the three spoke cores extends from the gripping core 61 in the direction of the intersection C and is connected to the boss. In other words, the spoke core metal is a member that connects the boss portion and the gripping core metal 61. The cored bar 60 is formed by casting so that a forged steel boss is cast with a relatively light metal alloy such as an aluminum alloy or a magnesium alloy. The core metal is integrally formed with a protrusion 62 described later. And the steering wheel 10 will be attached to a vehicle via a boss | hub part.

  Since the basic configuration of each boundary portion 24 and the vicinity thereof is substantially the same, the boundary portion 24b will be described below as a representative example.

  The gripping part metal bar 61 is provided with a protruding part 62 in the vicinity of each boundary part 24. Therefore, in the steering wheel main body 11 of this embodiment, a total of six protrusions 62 are provided. The protruding portion 62 is a plate-like rib that protrudes from the gripping portion metal bar 61 toward the leather member 40 described later. Specifically, the protrusion 62 is an elliptical rib formed along a plane orthogonal to the axis J3. The protrusion 62 is tapered so that the thickness gradually decreases toward the tip 63 close to the leather member 40, and an inclined surface 64 on the side facing the hard member 100 described later. have.

  The soft member 50 forms the soft cover 23 and is formed so as to directly contact the gripping core metal 61 and cover a part of the gripping core metal 61 including the protrusion 62. Has been. The soft member 50 includes a main soft portion 51 covered with the leather member 40 and an extending portion 52 that is in the vicinity of the protrusion 62 and protrudes from the main soft portion 51 along the gripping core metal 61. Specifically, as the material of the soft member 50, polyurethane foam is mainly employed, and the main soft portion 51 and the extending portion 52 are integrally formed. The soft member 50 is interposed between the tip portion 63 and the leather member 40 in the protrusion 62 and between the inclined surface 64 and the hard member 100 in the protrusion 62.

  In the soft member 50, the thickness T1 of the portion between the rear end portion 64a of the flat surface 64 of the surface 64 and the hard member 100 takes into consideration the degree of a gap generated in the boundary portion 24 due to aging deterioration. It is desirable to set it to 0 mm or less. If the value is larger than 3.0 mm, the thickness of the interposed soft member 50 is too thick, and the crushing allowance due to the shrinkage of the leather member 40 increases, and the gap generated at the boundary portion 24 after aging deteriorates excessively. It may not satisfy the appearance after deterioration. In order to further suppress the appearance deterioration of the boundary portion 24, it is desirable to set the thickness T1 to 2.7 mm or less. In this embodiment, the design tolerance at the time of molding the soft member 50 is desirable. Assuming that ± 0.5 mm, the thickness T1 is set to 2.5 mm. The thickness T1 is a portion where the thickness of the soft member 50 interposed between the surface 64 and the hard member 100 is the largest. Further, the thickness T2 described later is set so as to satisfy the relationship of T1 ≧ T2. The thickness T1 and the thickness T2 assume that the soft member 50 is urethane (reaction molding of urethane foam (RIM molding)), and are set from the general molding conditions of the current urethane foam molding. If the moldability of urethane foam molding is satisfied, the set value may be changed as appropriate, and it is desirable to set the thickness as thin as possible. Regarding the setting of the thickness T1 and the thickness T2, even in the case of injection molding in which the soft material 50 is made of another material other than urethane, it is desirable to set it as thin as possible as in the case of foamed urethane molding.

  In the soft member 50, the front end portion of the flat portion of the surface 64, or the rear end portion of the front end portion and the front end portion of the rear end portion 64a, the end portion 64b, and the hard member 100 It is desirable to set the thickness T2 of the intermediate portion to 1.0 mm or more in consideration of securing the moldability of the soft member 50. When the thickness T2 is smaller than 1.0 mm, there is a possibility that the molding material does not flow sufficiently (formability is not satisfied) when the extended portion 52 is formed. In order to further ensure the moldability of the soft member 50, it is desirable to set the thickness T2 to 1.3 mm or more. In this embodiment, the design tolerance at the time of molding the soft member 50 is desirable. Assuming that ± 0.5 mm, the thickness T2 is set to 2.0 mm. The thickness T2 is a portion where the thickness of the soft member 50 interposed between the surface 64 and the hard member 100 is the thinnest.

  The thickness T3 of the part between the front-end | tip part 63 and the leather member 40 in the soft member 50 is formed so that it may become substantially constant over the perimeter seen in the cross section orthogonal to the axis line J3. The thickness T3 is preferably set to 1.0 to 5.0 mm in consideration of the tactile sensation and the polymerization allowance H. If the value is smaller than 1.0 mm, sufficient tactile sensation may not be obtained. If the value is larger than 5.0 mm, the polymerization allowance H is not sufficiently obtained, and the hard member 100 may be inclined or toppled. . In order to further secure the tactile sensation and the polymerization allowance H, it is desirable to set the thickness T3 to 2.0 to 4.0 mm. In this embodiment, the thickness T3 is set to about 3.0 mm. . Due to the presence of the thickness T3, the soft member 50 that forms at least a part of the covering portion 25 is interposed between the protruding portion 62 and the leather member 40. The polymerization allowance H is, for example, the dimension of the portion overlapping in the front-rear direction in the portion where the protrusion 62 and the hard member 100 appear to overlap when viewed through a cross section as shown in FIG. The polymerization allowance H is desirably set with a constant dimension around the axis J3, but may be non-uniform so long as it satisfies the above-described conditions.

  The main soft portion 51 of the soft member 50 has a peripheral wall portion 53 formed along the axis J3. The leather member 40 contacts the peripheral wall portion 53, and the main soft portion 51 is covered with the leather member 40. . A terminal portion 54 is formed at an end portion of the main soft portion 51 along the axis J3. The extending portion 52 has a peripheral wall portion 55 formed along the axis J3.

  The resin piece 70 is composed of two pieces having a semicircular cross section in a plane orthogonal to the axis J3. The resin piece 70 is sandwiched between the grip part core metal 61 and the grip part core metal 61 with the two pieces. They are attached in direct contact with each other and covered with a hard covering member 30 described later. The resin piece 70 is made of a hard resin such as ABS, and is disposed adjacent to the distal end portion 56 of the extending portion 52 of the soft member 50. Moreover, the resin piece 70 has the surrounding wall part 72 formed along the axis line J3. The peripheral wall portion 72 on the terminal portion 71 side in contact with the extending portion 52 in the resin piece 70 is used as a burr cutting portion 73 when the soft member 50 is molded.

  The hard covering member 30 forms the hard covering portion 22, and includes a rear piece 31 that covers the rear side of the gripping part core 61 and a front piece 32 that covers the front side of the gripping part core 61. It consists of two arc-shaped pieces. The two arc-shaped pieces are attached to the gripping part core metal 61 via the extension part 52 so as to sandwich the gripping part core metal 61, and the soft covering portion 23 in the gripping part core metal 61 is attached. It is formed so as to cover the remaining portion which is not covered. A space 80 is formed in a portion between the hard covering member 30 and the gripping part core 61.

  The hard covering member 30 has a peripheral wall portion 33 formed along the axis J3. The peripheral wall portion 33 forms a design surface 120 as the grip portion 20 together with a peripheral wall portion 43 of the leather member 40 described later. Further, a terminal portion 34 is formed at an end portion along the axis J3 of the hard covering member 30. The terminal portion 34 extends from both terminal portions of the peripheral wall portion 33 toward the extending portion 52 and is in contact with the extending portion 52. The terminal portion 34 and the peripheral wall portion 55 and the terminal portion 54 in the soft member 50 described above form a recess 90 in a portion in the vicinity of the protruding portion 62 in the covering portion 25. In addition, each terminal part 34 of the hard coating | coated member 30 is a site | part corresponded to each terminal part 22aa * 22ab * 22ba * 22bb * 22ca * 22cb of the hard coating | coated part 22, In FIG.2 and FIG.3, it is 1st hard A terminal portion 22ab on the second leather covering portion 26b side in the covering portion 22a is shown. Accordingly, the concave portion 90 is formed at a portion between the terminal portions 22aa, 22ab, 22ba, 22bb, 22ca, 22cb and the soft member 50 in the hard coating portion 22. In addition, a bent portion 35 that is rounded or chamfered is formed at a portion of each end portion 34 of the hard covering member 30 on the peripheral wall portion 33 (design surface 120) side.

  As a specific configuration of the hard covering member 30, a thin decorative sheet (for example, thinly sliced wood) is formed on the main body of each of the rear piece 31 and the front piece 32 made of a hard resin such as ABS. A typical example is one in which a clear layer is applied after decorating, for example, by adhering to a gripping cored bar 61. The configuration of the hard covering member 30 is not limited to this, and the main body described above may be formed entirely of wood, or may be painted or transferred instead of the decorative sheet in the main body. It is good also as decorating by. The hard covering member 30 forms the decorating member 110.

  The leather member 40 covers at least a part of the soft covering portion 23 and is disposed so as to cover the main soft portion 51 of the soft member 50. That is, the leather member 40 is formed so as to cover a part of the gripping core metal 61 including the protrusion 62 via the main soft portion 51 of the soft member 50, and as a result, the covering portion 25. That is, it is formed so as to cover a part of. The leather member 40 is provided with locking portions 41 at both end portions thereof, and the locking portions 41 are inserted into the recesses 90 together with the hard member 100 described later. The leather member 40 has a peripheral wall portion 43 formed along the axis J3. The peripheral wall portion 43 is formed so as not to generate a level difference with respect to the peripheral wall portion 33 of the hard covering member 30 described above, and forms a design surface 120 as the grip portion 20 together with the peripheral wall portion 33. A bent portion 42 is formed at a portion on the peripheral wall 43 (design surface 120) side in both end portions of the design surface 120 formed by the leather member 40. A boundary portion 24 is formed at a portion between the bent portion 42 and the bent portion 35 of the hard coating member 30, and is slightly recessed with respect to the design surface 120 as the grip portion 20. Moreover, each terminal part in the design surface 120 formed by the leather member 40 is a part corresponding to each terminal part 26aa, 26ab, 26ba, 26bb, 26ca, 26cb of the leather covering part 26, and in FIG. 2 and FIG. The terminal part 26ba on the first hard covering part 22a side in the second leather covering part 26b is shown. In addition, as a material of the leather member 40, specifically, a material obtained by processing cowhide is mainly used, but an artificial synthetic leather may be used.

  The hard member 100 is inserted into the recess 90 together with the locking portion 41 so as to be interposed between the terminal portion 54 of the main soft portion 51 and the locking portion 41 of the leather member 40. And the terminal portion 54. The inner portion 103 of the hard member 100 is in contact with the peripheral wall portion 55 of the extending portion 52. The outer portion 104 of the hard member 100 is formed so as to have substantially no step with respect to the peripheral wall portion 53 of the main soft portion 51, and is covered with the leather member 40 together with the peripheral wall portion 53. The hard member 100 is made of a hard resin such as ABS, and the corner portion 105 on the side of the outer portion 104 on the side in contact with the locking portion 41 is not affected on the leather member 40 (so-called “so-called”). R edge or chamfering is applied to avoid sharp edges (sharp shape). In this embodiment, a radius of about 0.3R is provided. The corner portion 105 corresponds to the bent portion 42 in the leather member 40.

  The hard member 100 includes an inverted U-shaped first hard member 101 and an arc-shaped second hard member 102, and sandwiches the extending portion 52 from the front-rear direction so as to form one thin plate-shaped annular member. It is arranged as follows. The first hard member 101 has an inverted U shape with the front side opened and the rear side (occupant side) closed. The second hard member 102 has an arc shape protruding toward the front side. The thickness T4 of the hard member 100 is 0.5 to 2.0 mm in consideration of the tactile sensation and the force that causes the hard member 100 itself to bend due to the shrinkage of the leather member 40 caused by aging. It is desirable to set to. If the value is smaller than 0.5 mm, there is a possibility that the force to bend the hard member 100 may not be sufficiently resisted. If the value is larger than 2.0 mm, a part having a different tactile feeling remains in a wide range. There is a possibility. In order to achieve a good balance between the tactile sensation and the strength of the hard member 100 itself, which opposes the aforementioned force, it is desirable to set the thickness T4 to 0.8 to 1.2 mm. The design tolerance at the time of molding of the hard member 100 is set to 1.0 mm with an expectation of ± 0.15 mm.

  The pad portion 12 is an airbag module having an airbag (not shown) therein, and is attached to the steering wheel body 11 via a horn switch mechanism (not shown). That is, a so-called floating type horn switch mechanism is employed in which the pad portion 12 itself is attached so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction. The horn switch mechanism is not limited to this, and a flat plate-shaped horn switch mechanism (so-called membrane type) built in the pad portion 12 may be adopted as a type in which the pad portion 12 does not swing. An independent horn switch mechanism (so-called button type) may be employed. The built-in pad portion 12 is not limited to the airbag, and may be a so-called E / A pad including an energy absorbing member made of sheet metal instead of the airbag.

  Next, a manufacturing process of the steering wheel 10 according to the embodiment will be described.

  First, with respect to the core metal 60 in the steering wheel body 11, a steel boss is formed by forging. After the boss portion is disposed inside a casting mold for forming the core metal 60, the casting mold is closed and melted, and a molten metal such as an aluminum alloy or a magnesium alloy is used for casting. It is injected into the space formed inside the mold. In addition, in the inside of the casting mold, a space for accommodating the boss portion (cavity for the insert member) and a space for forming the gripping core metal 61 including the protrusion 62 and the spoke core metal (in advance) A cavity for the molded part). After the molten metal injected into the casting mold is sufficiently cooled and solidified, the casting mold is opened and the core 60 is taken out.

  Next, the resin piece 70 is attached to a portion slightly away from the protrusion 62 of the cored bar 60. When the resin piece 70 is attached to the core metal 60, an adhesive is used, or the core metal 60 and the resin piece 70 are provided with concavo-convexities that can be engaged. It is desirable to fix firmly so that it does not shift easily. In addition, since the resin piece 70 is composed of two semi-annular pieces, the two pieces can be easily displaced by using an adhesive or applying vibration welding to the two pieces. It is desirable to fix it firmly.

  Next, after the metal core 60 to which the resin piece 70 is attached is placed inside the injection mold for molding the soft member 50, the injection mold is closed, and the urethane foam molding material is It is injected into the space formed inside the injection mold. In addition, in the inside of the mold for injection molding, a boss portion in the core metal 60 and a space for accommodating the resin piece 70 (cavity for insert member) and a space for forming the soft member 50 (molding) are previously formed. A cavity for a part). Then, the burr cutting portion 73 in the resin piece 70 is closed so that the above-described material for forming the soft member 50 does not cover the gripping portion core 61 beyond the resin piece 70 when the soft member 50 is formed. The inside of the injection mold is in close contact with the cavity for the insert member. The terminal portion along the axis J3 in the space for forming the main soft portion 51 (cavity for the molded portion) is a portion where the terminal portion 54 of the main soft portion 51 is formed.

  After the above-mentioned material injected into the injection mold is foamed and solidified, the injection mold is opened, and the core 60 partially covered with the soft member 50 is taken out. In this injection molding, an adhesive is applied in advance to a portion of the core metal 60 that is covered with the soft member 50 so that the core metal 60 (particularly the gripping core metal 61) and the soft member 50 can be easily formed. It is desirable not to peel off. The urethane foam molding material is mainly composed of two types of liquids, polyol and isocyanate, and the soft member 50 is formed by injecting the liquid into the injection mold and reacting it. .

  Next, the hard covering member 30 is attached to the cored bar 60 partially covered with the soft member 50 except for the main soft portion 51 and a part of the extended portion 52. At this time, the concave portion 90 is formed in a portion in the vicinity of the protruding portion 62 in the covering portion 25 by the terminal portion 34 of the hard covering member 30 and the peripheral wall portion 55 and the terminal portion 54 in the soft member 50. Become. In attaching the hard coating member 30 to the core metal 60 (extension portion 52), an adhesive is used, or the core metal 60 (extension portion 52) and the hard coating member 30 are provided with irregularities that can be engaged. It is desirable to firmly fix the hard covering member 30 so that the hard covering member 30 does not easily shift and move with respect to the core metal 60 (the extended portion 52). Moreover, since the hard covering member 30 is composed of two pieces, that is, the rear piece 31 and the front piece 32, an adhesive is used for these two pieces or vibration welding is performed. It is desirable to firmly fix the two pieces so that they do not easily shift and move. After attaching the hard covering member 30 to the core metal 60 (extension part 52), the joint part (joint part) between the two pieces is made inconspicuous, and a clear layer is applied to the entire peripheral wall part 33. And finish.

  Next, the hard member 100 is inserted into the recess 90 and brought into contact with the peripheral wall portion 55 of the extended portion 52 of the soft member 50 and the end portion 54 of the main soft portion 51 of the soft member 50, and the core metal 60. It is attached to (soft member 50). When attaching the hard member 100 to the core metal 60 (soft member 50), it is firmly fixed so that the hard member 100 does not easily shift and move with respect to the core metal 60 (soft member 50), such as using an adhesive. It is desirable to do.

  Next, the leather member 40 is wound around the peripheral wall portion 53 of the main soft portion 51 so as to be wound, and a suture thread (not shown) is used at the butting portion 44 which is a portion inside the ring of the grip portion 20. Suture. And the latching | locking part 41 in the terminal part of the leather member 40 is inserted in the inside of the recessed part 90, and is made to contact | abut to the terminal part 34 of the hard coating member 30, and the hard member 100, and the metal core 60 (covering part 25) Install to. When attaching the leather member 40 to the core metal 60 (covering portion 25), the leather member 40 (locking portion 41) is easily displaced with respect to the core metal 60 (hard member 100) by using an adhesive or the like. It is desirable to fix it firmly.

  The pad portion 12 completed in a separate process is attached to the steering wheel body 11 completed as described above, and the steering wheel 10 is completed. In attaching the steering wheel 10 to the vehicle, the pad portion 12 is generally attached to the steering wheel body 11 after the steering wheel body 11 is attached to the vehicle with the pad portion 12 removed. The steering wheel 10 may be attached to the vehicle while the pad portion 12 is attached to the steering wheel body 11 such as a one-touch type.

  Next, functions and effects of the steering wheel 10 according to the embodiment will be described.

  In the leather-wrapped steering wheel 10 according to the present invention, since the thin plate-like hard member 100 is interposed between the locking portion 41 of the leather member 40 and the soft member 50, the shrinkage of the leather member 40 due to deterioration over time. Even if this occurs, the occurrence of local deformation in the vicinity of the bent portion 42 of the leather member 40 (a relatively large R sag due to the bending of the soft member 50 and the contraction of the leather member 40 itself) is suppressed. The More specifically, even if the leather member 40 contracts due to aging, the corner portion 105 of the hard member 100 that hardly deforms exists corresponding to the bent portion 42, so that the shape of the bent portion 42 is leather. It will be maintained except for the deformation of the member 40 itself (slight R sagging due to shrinkage). In other words, a slight depression at a portion between the bent portion 42 and the bent portion 35 in the hard covering member 30 is hardly enlarged, and a decrease in appearance is suppressed. And since the hard member 100 which intervenes is thin plate shape, even if a tactile sensation differs in the part in the leather member 40 in which the hard member 100 exists immediately below, and the part in which the soft member 50 exists immediately under it, a hard member Since there are very few portions where 100 is directly below, a sense of discomfort in the tactile sensation when the occupant touches the grip 20 is suppressed.

  Moreover, although the soft member 50 (part of thickness T1 and thickness T2) is interposed between the thin plate-like hard member 100 and the protrusion 62 of the cored bar 60, the concave portion into which the hard member 100 is inserted. Since 90 is formed in the vicinity of the protrusion 62, the thickness T1 and T2 of the interposed soft member 50 is thin. Therefore, even if the leather member 40 contracts due to deterioration over time, the deformation of the soft member 50 ( Since the compression occurs only in the thin portions having the thicknesses T1 and T2, the absolute amount of deformation (compression) is suppressed, and therefore, the locking portion 41 of the leather member 40 and the locking portion 41 The generation of a gap at the boundary portion 24 between the member adjacent to (the hard covering member 30) is suppressed. Furthermore, with regard to the core metal 60 and the mold, in particular, the “burr cutting” at the time of molding the soft member 50 is a configuration that does not require a higher accuracy than the prior art, and therefore the cost for the core metal 60 and the mold is high. It will be the same as before. Therefore, the leather member 40 is provided by a relatively light and inexpensive configuration change such that the protruding portion 62 is provided on the metal core 60, the protruding portion 62 is covered with the soft member 50, and the thin plate-like hard member 100 is added. Thus, the leather-wrapped steering wheel 10 having a configuration in which the influence of the shrinkage of the tire is suppressed is obtained.

  Therefore, in this configuration, in the leather-wrapped steering wheel 10, the hard covering member 30 can be applied to the covering portion 25 other than the leather covering portion 26 instead of the soft (urethane foam) covering portion. Thus, the leather-wrapped steering wheel 10 having a configuration in which the influence of the shrinkage of the leather member 40 is suppressed while the design property of 10 is improved can be obtained.

  Next, a modified example of the steering wheel 10 according to the embodiment will be described.

  As for the hard member 100, since it is the rear side (occupant side) that particularly requires good appearance performance, only the first hard member 101 disposed on the rear side is disposed on the front side. The two hard members 102 may be omitted. In this case, the soft member 50 may be extended instead of the second hard member 102. Further, the shape of the hard member 100 is not limited to this shape, and may be disposed only on the rear side (occupant side) half circumference in the cross section of the grip portion 20. Further, the method (shape) of dividing the first hard member 101 and the second hard member 102 is not limited to this, and the shape may be changed as appropriate without departing from the concept of the above-described invention. Further, the length L from the inner part 103 to the outer part 104 in the hard member 100 is substantially equal to the depth D of the recess 90 (in other words, the length in the front-rear direction of the terminal part 54 of the main soft part 51). However, it may be set slightly shorter than the depth D of the recess 90. That is, the outer portion 104 may be formed to be slightly lower with respect to the peripheral wall portion 53 toward the bottom of the concave portion 90 (in other words, toward the peripheral wall portion 55). In that case, it is desirable to shorten about 0.1 to 0.3 mm. The length L is desirably set to a constant dimension around the axis J3, but may be non-uniform in consideration of the polymerization allowance H described above. Similarly, it is desirable that the depth D of the concave portion 90 is set to have a certain dimension around the axis J3. However, the depth D is not uniform in consideration of the polymerization allowance H and the length L described above. May be.

  Regarding the hard covering member 30, in the steering wheel 10 of the embodiment, the space portion 80 is formed with the aim of reducing the weight of the steering wheel 10. However, if this is not taken into consideration, the material forming the hard covering member 30 Thus, the space 80 may be filled. Regarding filling of the space portion 80, the resin piece 70 may be omitted and the soft member 50 (soft covering portion 23) may be extended to fill the space portion 80. Furthermore, when extending the soft member 50 (soft covering part 23), instead of the hard covering member 30, the covering part 25 (decorating member 110) is entirely formed of the soft member 50 (soft covering part 23). It is also good to do. In this case, the peripheral wall part 53 of the extended soft member 50 (soft covering part 23) forms the design surface 120 (decorating member 110). The design surface 120 may be decorated by coloring the material of the soft member 50 or by coating the soft member 50 after molding. Further, the protrusion 62 is disposed on the cored bar for the soft member 50 (soft covering portion 23) disposed instead of the hard covering member 30, and the leather member 40 and the hard member 100 are disposed. It is good also as a structure to install. In this case, the protrusion 62 and the hard member 100 are present on both sides of the recess 90, and the entire gripping portion 20 is covered with the leather member 40. In this case, the leather member 40 may be an integral member in which the locking portions 41 inserted into the recess 90 are connected to each other, or may be a separate member divided by the locking portion 41. When such a leather member 40 is a separate member, since the pattern and color of each leather member 40 can be changed, variations are abundant and contributes to the improvement of the design. In addition, it is good also as employ | adopting these modification examples partially with respect to the holding part 20 suitably.

  About the cross-sectional shape of the metal core 60, in the steering wheel 10 of embodiment, although it is set as simple circle, it is good also as arbitrary shapes, such as the reverse U shape opened to the front side. Moreover, although the gripping part core 61 and the spoke part core are formed by casting, a metal pipe may be formed in an annular shape. As with the hard member 100, the protrusion 62 may be disposed only on the rear side, and may be omitted on the front side. In addition, the protrusion 62 may not be formed integrally with the gripping part core 61, and a separate metal piece may be fixed to the gripping part core 61.

  The shape of the grip 20 is an annular ring shape in the steering wheel 10 of the embodiment, but is not limited thereto, and may be changed as appropriate without departing from the concept of the invention described above. . Further, regarding the cross-sectional shape of the gripping portion 20, in the steering wheel 10 of the embodiment, it is a simple substantially oval shape that is long in the front-rear direction, but is not limited to this, and does not depart from the concept of the invention described above. Thus, the shape may be changed as appropriate.

  In the steering wheel 10 of the embodiment, the boundary portion 24 is formed in a straight line so as not to be orthogonal to the axis J3 of the annular gripping portion 20 and substantially parallel to the axis J1 or the axis J2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention described above. In addition, from a viewpoint of receiving the shrinkage | contraction of the leather member 40 equally, it is desirable for the boundary part 24 to orthogonally cross with respect to the axis line J3. However, in the steering wheel 10 according to the embodiment, even when the boundary portion 24 cannot receive the contraction of the leather member 40 evenly, the influence of the contraction of the leather member 40 is suppressed by the presence of the hard member 100. Therefore, a secondary effect that the boundary portion 24 can be arranged in any direction as an accent or highlight on the design (design) is also obtained.

  The locking portion 41 of the leather member 40 is fixed by being bonded to the hard member 100 in the steering wheel 10 of the embodiment. For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-055150, the engagement portion 41 is fixed. A method may be employed in which a knot is passed through the terminal portion of the stopper 41, the knot is tightly tied, and the locking portion 41 is inserted and fixed near the bottom of the recess 90.

  Regarding the resin piece 70, in the steering wheel 10 of the embodiment, the cross-sectional shape in the plane orthogonal to the axis line J3 is composed of two semi-annular pieces, but is not limited to this, and the idea of the invention described above is used. The shape may be changed as appropriate without departing from the scope.

  In the above-described embodiment, the steering wheel mounted on a vehicle (particularly a passenger car) has been described as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied to a vehicle (for example, a motor boat) that employs a steering wheel as an operation member for steering.

C (Intersection of axis J1 and axis J2) D Depth (of recess 90) H () Polymerization allowance J1 (Along vertical) Axis J2 (Along horizontal) Axis J3 (Along the ring of grip 20) ) Axis L L (from the inner part 103 to the outer part 104 in the hard member 100) Length T1 (the soft member 50 interposed between the rear end portion 64a of the face 64 and the hard member 100) Thickness T2 (face Thickness T3 (of soft member 50 interposed between leather part 40 and tip 63) T4 (thickness of hard member 100) Thickness T4 (of soft member 50 interposed between end portion 64b and hard member 100) DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Steering wheel 11 Steering wheel main body 12 Pad part 20 Grip part 21 Spoke part 21a 1st spoke part 21b 2nd spoke part 21c 3rd spoke part 22 Hard Cover portion 22a First hard cover portion 22b Second hard cover portion 22c Third hard cover portion 22aa (on the first leather cover portion 26a side of the first hard cover portion 22a) Terminal portion 22ab (the first hard cover portion 22a in the first hard cover portion 22a) Terminal portion 22ba (on the second leather covering portion 26b side) Terminal portion 22ba (on the second leather covering portion 22b side) Terminal portion 22bb (on the second hard covering portion 22b side on the third leather covering portion 26c side) 22ca Terminal portion 22cb (on the side of the first leather covering portion 26a in the third hard covering portion 22c) Terminal portion 23 Soft covering portion 24 Boundary portion 24a First Boundary portion 24b Second boundary portion 24c Third boundary portion 24d Fourth boundary portion 24e Fifth boundary portion 24f Sixth boundary portion 25 Cover portion 26 Leather covering portion 26a First Leather covering portion 26b Second leather covering portion 26c Third leather covering portion 26aa (on the first hard covering portion 22a side of the first leather covering portion 26a) End portion 26ab (third hard covering portion 22c of the first leather covering portion 26a) Terminal portion 26ba (on the side of the first hard covering portion 22a in the second leather covering portion 26b) terminal portion 26bb (on the side of the second hard covering portion 22b in the second leather covering portion 26b) terminal portion 26ca (third leather) Terminal portion 26cb (on the side of the second hard covering portion 22b in the covering portion 26c) Terminal portion (on the side of the third hard covering portion 22c in the third leather covering portion 26c) 30 Hard covering member 31 (of the hard covering member 30) 32 Front piece (of hard covering member 30) 33 Peripheral wall part (of hard covering member 30) 34 End part (of hard covering member 30) 35 (Hard covering member 30) ) Bent part 40 Leather member 41 Locking part 42 (for leather member 40) Bent part 43 (for leather member 40) Peripheral wall part 44 (for leather member 40) Butt part 50 (for leather member 40) 50 Soft member 51 (Soft member) 50) Main soft portion 52 (Soft member 50) extension portion 53 (Main soft portion 51) peripheral wall portion 54 (Main soft portion 51) end portion 55 (Extension portion 52) peripheral wall portion 56 (Extension extension) Front end portion 60 of core portion 61 Core 61 Holding portion core metal 62 Projection portion 63 Front end portion 64 (of projection portion 62) Surface 64a (inclined portion of projection portion 62) Rear end portion 64b (of plane portion of surface 64) The front end portion of the plane portion of the surface 64 or the rear end portion of the front end portion and the front end portion of the rear end portion 64a) End portion 70 Resin piece 71 (Resin piece 70) end portion 72 Peripheral wall portion 73 (of the resin piece 70) Burr cutting part 80 Space part 90 Recessed part 100 Hard member 101 First hard member 102 Second hard member 103 Inner part 104 (hard member 100) Outer part 105 (hard member 100) Corner 110 Decorative member 120 Design surface

Claims (2)

In a leather-wrapped steering wheel that has a gripping part that includes a cored bar and a covering part that covers the cored bar and covers a part of the covering part with a leather member,
The covering portion is composed of a hard covering portion and a soft covering portion,
In the core metal, in a portion covered with the leather member, a protrusion having a surface facing the hard coating portion and a tip portion is formed,
The soft covering portion is formed from a soft member,
The hard coating part and the soft coating part each have a terminal part,
A concave portion is formed between the terminal portion of the hard coating portion and the soft member in a portion of the coating portion that is near the protrusion.
The leather member covers at least a part of the soft member, and has a locking portion formed with a bent portion for insertion into the recess,
In the concave portion, a thin plate-like hard member that is inserted into a portion on the projection portion side of the locking portion and is in contact with the locking portion and the terminal portion of the soft member,
In the protrusion, between the tip and the leather member, and facing the surface, the soft member is interposed,
A leather-wrapped steering wheel, wherein the hard member is interposed between the soft member and the locking portion. The skin-wrapped steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the hard member is disposed over the entire circumference of the cross section of the grip portion so as to form a thin plate-shaped annular member.

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