JP6740945B2 - Steering wheel - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a steering wheel core metal for an automobile.

In recent years, as a part of weight reduction of automobiles, a ring member made of a pipe material is applied to the ring portion of the steering wheel core metal, and the spoke portion and the boss portion are cast and integrated with the ring member by die casting to form a steering wheel core metal. ..

By the way, when the spoke portion and the boss portion are integrally cast into the ring member by die casting, there is a concern that the die casting material may not be formed into a desired shape because the die casting material flows into the inside of the ring member.

Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a die-cast material is prevented from flowing into the inside of the ring member by disposing a plug material in the opening of the ring member.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-165085

By the way, since the steering wheel is used for steering the vehicle, rigidity is required. The rigidity of the steering wheel is greatly influenced by the steering wheel core metal, and it is necessary to increase the rigidity of the steering wheel core metal in order to increase the rigidity of the steering wheel. On the other hand, the steering wheel core metal of Patent Document 1 has a structure in which the opening of the ring member is covered with a plug material and the periphery thereof is covered with a die-cast material. When the steering wheel is steered, the steering wheel core material of Patent Document 1 receives a force only at the interface between the ring member and the die-cast material covering the periphery thereof, so that there is a concern that the interface may peel off and the ring member may come off the spoke portion. is there.

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel core metal capable of suppressing the ring member from coming off from the spoke portion during steering of the steering wheel.

<Explanation of Claim 1> The steering wheel core metal according to the present invention comprises a boss portion, a ring portion, and a spoke portion.

A ring member in which a part of the ring portion is made of a pipe material, a plug member having a lid portion that covers openings at both ends of the ring member, a die cast string member that covers the plug member and a portion of the ring member made of a die casting material, A steering wheel core metal comprising a die cast body member integrally formed by extending a boss portion and a spoke portion from a die cast string member,

Steering wheel core is

A stopper member for suppressing the stopper member from dropping from the ring member,

Withdrawal suppressing means for suppressing the stopper member from falling out of the die cast ring member,

The drop-out suppressing means has a stopper shaft in a direction substantially orthogonal to the surface of the lid portion on the opposite side to the opening side, and a shaft portion extending along the stopper shaft from the surface of the lid portion on the opposite side to the opening side. A steering wheel core characterized by comprising a head arranged on the opposite side of the lid of the shaft, and at least a part of the head protruding from the shaft in a direction orthogonal to the plug shaft. Money.

The plug member can prevent the die casting material from flowing into the inside of the ring member by the lid portion that covers both openings of the ring member . And suppressing falling suppressing means plug member from falling off from the ring member, the direction in which the plug member is in the suppressing抜落suppressing means falling off from the die cast ring member, substantially perpendicular to the surface opposite to the opening side of the lid portion A head part at the tip of the shaft part extending along the plug shaft from the surface opposite to the opening side of the lid part, and the head part has at least a part of the shaft part in a direction orthogonal to the plug shaft. By making it pop out more, there is a space between the part that pops out from the shaft part of the head and the lid part, and by inserting the die casting material in this space, the plug member can be prevented from falling off from the die casting string member. Therefore , the plug member is fixed to both the ring member and the die cast string member.

Therefore, when a force in the steering rotation direction is applied to the ring during steering of the steering wheel, the force can be propagated to the plug member by the drop-out suppressing means, and then to the die cast ring member by the drop-out suppressing means. It is possible to prevent the ring member from coming off the die cast string member.

<Explanation of Claim 2>
In the steering wheel core metal according to the present invention, the fall-off suppressing means is arranged between the insert portion extending from the lid portion of the plug member into the ring member and the inner peripheral surface of the ring member, and the insert portion and the inner peripheral surface are provided. The steering wheel core metal according to claim 1, which is an adhesive material for adhering to each other.

In such a configuration, the plug member includes the insertion portion that extends from the lid portion to the inside of the ring member, and the adhesive material that bonds the insertion portion and the inner peripheral surface between the insertion portion and the inner peripheral surface of the ring member. By disposing, the stopper member can be prevented from falling off the ring member.

<Explanation of Claim 3>
In the steering wheel core metal according to the present invention, the drop-out suppressing means allows one or both of the ring member and the plug member to be elastically deformable, and has an insertion portion extending from the lid portion of the plug member into the ring member and the inside of the ring member. The steering wheel core metal according to claim 1, which is pressure-bonded to the peripheral surface.

In such a configuration, one or both of the ring member and the plug member can be elastically deformed, and the insertion portion is pressed into the inside of the ring member by extending from the lid portion of the plug member and the inner peripheral surface and the insertion portion are crimped. Thus, the stopper member can be prevented from falling off the ring member.

<Explanation of Claim 4>
In the steering wheel core metal according to the present invention, the fall-off suppressing means allows one or both of the ring member and the plug member to be elastically deformable, and the insertion portion extending from the lid portion of the plug member into the ring member is the inside of the ring member. The steering wheel core metal according to claim 1, further comprising one or a plurality of ribs extending toward the peripheral surface, wherein the rib and the inner peripheral surface are in contact with each other.

In such a configuration, one or both of the ring member and the plug member are elastically deformable, the plug member includes an insertion portion that extends from the lid portion to the inside of the ring member, and the drop-out suppressing means has an inner circumference from the insertion portion. The one or a plurality of ribs extending toward the surface allows the rib and the inner peripheral surface to come into contact with each other, so that the plug member can be prevented from coming off from the ring member.

<Explanation of Claim 5>
The steering wheel core metal according to the present invention, further comprising: an adhesive that is arranged between the insertion portion and the inner peripheral surface and that adheres the insertion portion and the inner peripheral surface. ..

With such a configuration, the plug member is arranged between the insertion portion and the inner peripheral surface, and the plug member can be prevented from coming off the ring member by the adhesive material that adheres the insertion portion and the inner peripheral surface.

<Explanation of claim 7>
In the steering wheel core metal according to the present invention, the steering wheel core metal according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the opening has an asymmetric shape.

In such a configuration, the opening of the ring member has a non-point-symmetrical opening shape, so that when the plug member is assembled to the ring member, erroneous assembly can be suppressed.

<Explanation of Claim 8>
In the steering wheel mandrel according to the present invention, the steering wheel mandrel according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the plug member is made of the same material as the die-cast material.

In such a configuration, the plug member and the die-cast material are made of the same material so that the physical properties of the two become close to each other. When steering is applied, a force is applied to the ring part in the steering rotation direction, and the force propagates, and when the force is transmitted between the plug member and the die cast string member, the physical properties are close, and the plug member and the die cast string member are integrated. It is possible to obtain a deformation behavior close to.

FIG. 3 is an overall plan view of a steering wheel core metal according to the first embodiment. It is a perspective view of a plug member in a steering wheel core metal of a 1st embodiment. It is an expanded sectional view which follows III-III of FIG. It is a figure which shows the opening shape of the opening of a ring member. It is a perspective view of a stopper member in a steering wheel core metal of a 3rd embodiment.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows a steering wheel core metal 1. The steering wheel core metal 1 includes a boss portion 2 fastened to a steering shaft (not shown), a ring portion 3 located on the outer peripheral side of the boss portion 2, and a spoke portion 4 connecting the boss portion 2 and the ring portion 3. Composed. The ring part 3 is composed of a ring member 31 at least a part of which is made of a pipe material, and the plug member 5 having a lid part 51 that covers the opening 33 of the ring member 31 is attached to both ends of the ring member 31 (FIG. 2, (See FIGS. 3 and 4). After the ring member 31 and the plug member 5 are assembled, the boss portion 2 and the spoke portion 4 are integrally formed by die casting so as to connect the boss portion 2 and the end portion of the ring member 31. Here, a part of the ring portion 3 which is a part of the ring member 31 and the plug member 5 is wrapped with a die casting material is a die casting string portion 6, and the boss portion 2 and the spoke portion 4 are the die casting main body member 7. And

The drop-off suppressing means of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The plug member 5 includes an insertion portion 52 extending from the lid portion 51 to the inside of the ring member 31. In the plug member 5, the insertion portion 52 is set to be thinner than the opening 33 of the ring member 31, and the adhesive 8 is arranged between the insertion portion 52 and the inner peripheral surface 32 of the ring member 31. With the adhesive material 8, the insertion portion 52 and the inner peripheral surface 32 of the ring member 31 are bonded to each other, and it is possible to prevent the plug member 5 from falling off the ring member 31. As the adhesive material 8, it is effective to use a material such as refractory putty that does not easily reduce the adhesive strength even under high heat due to die casting.

The drop-out suppressing means will be described with reference to FIGS. The lid 51 of the plug member 5 has an area larger than that of the opening 33 of the ring member 31, and has an opening side surface 511 arranged on the side of the opening 33 and an opening side surface 511 arranged so as to face the opening side surface 511 and substantially the same in area. The same counter opening side surface 512 and the lid side surface 513 that connects the ends of the opening side surface 511 and the counter opening side surface 512 are formed. The plug member 5 includes a seat portion 55 extending from the lid portion 51. The seat portion 55 has a plug axis X in a direction substantially orthogonal to the anti-opening side surface 512, extends from the anti-opening side surface 512 in the direction of the plug axis X while narrowing the tip, and the tip side is substantially parallel to the anti-opening side surface 512. And The plug member 5 includes a shaft portion 53 extending from the seat portion 55. The shaft portion 53 extends in a column shape from the tip of the seat portion 55 in the direction of the plug axis X. The surface of the shaft portion 53 orthogonal to the plug axis X has a smaller area than the surface of the tip of the seat portion 55. The plug member 5 includes a head portion 54 extending from the shaft portion 53. The head portion 54 extends from the tip of the shaft portion 53 in the direction of the plug axis X while narrowing the tip. Further, the surface of the head portion 54 on the side of the shaft portion 53 has a shape such that at least a part of the head portion 54 protrudes from the shaft portion 53 in a direction orthogonal to the plug axis X. By doing so, it becomes possible to provide a space between the seat 55 and a portion where at least a part of the head 54 is projected from the shaft 53 in the direction orthogonal to the plug axis X, and at the time of die casting, It is possible to allow the die-cast material to enter the space between the seat portion 55 and the head portion 54, and it is possible to prevent the ring member 31 from coming off the die-cast string member 6 during steering.

The opening 33 of the ring member 31 has a non-point-symmetrical opening shape in which a straight line 34 and its both ends are connected by an arc 35 (see FIG. 4). In addition, the insertion portion 52 of the plug member 5 has a cross section orthogonal to the direction of insertion into the opening 33 of the ring member 31 in a relationship similar to the opening shape of the ring member 31. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the plug member 5 from being assembled in the ring member 31 in the wrong orientation.

Further, the plug member 5 and the die cast string member 6 are preferably made of the same material. By using the same material for the plug member 5 and the die casting material, the physical properties of the two become close to each other. By steering, a force is applied to the ring portion 3 in the steering rotation direction, the force propagates, and when the force is transmitted between the plug member 5 and the die cast string member 6, the plug members 5 and the die cast string have close physical properties. It becomes possible for the member 6 to have a deformation behavior close to that of an integrated body. In the case of materials having significantly different physical properties, one of them undergoes a large deformation and the other deforms in a small deformation mode, and cracks or the like are likely to occur near the boundary.

The dropout suppressing means of the second embodiment will be described. In the plug member 5, the insertion portion 52 is set to be thicker than the opening 33 of the ring member 31. By making both or one of the ring member 31 and the plug member 5 an elastically deformable material such as an aluminum alloy or a magnesium alloy, the insertion portion 52 can be press-fitted into the inside from the opening 33 of the ring member 31, and the inner peripheral surface By crimping 32 and the insertion portion 52, it is possible to prevent the plug member 5 from falling off the ring member 31. Further, by making the end portion of the insertion portion 52 opposite to the lid portion 51 thinner than the opening 33 of the ring member 31, the assembling property can be improved.

The drop-off suppressing means of the third embodiment will be described. The plug member 5 of FIG. 5 includes one or a plurality of ribs 56 extending from the insertion portion 52 toward the inner peripheral surface 32 of the ring member 31 and contacting the inner peripheral surface 32. By bringing the rib 56 and the inner peripheral surface 32 into contact with each other, it is possible to prevent the plug member 5 from falling off the ring member 31. Furthermore, by using the adhesive 8 that adheres the insertion portion 52 and the inner peripheral surface 32, the effect of suppressing the falling is improved.

1... Steering wheel core metal 2... Boss part 3... Ring part 31... Ring member 32... Inner peripheral surface 33... Opening 34... Straight line 35... Arc 4... Spoke part 5... Plug member 51... Lid part 511... Opening side surface 512... Anti-opening side surface 513... Lid side surface 52... Insertion portion 53... Shaft portion 54... Head portion 55... Seat portion 56... Rib 6... Die cast string member 7... Die cast body member 8... Adhesive material X... Plug shaft

Claims (7)

A ring member including a boss portion, a ring portion, and a spoke portion, and a ring member in which a part of the ring portion is made of a pipe material, a plug member having a lid portion that covers openings at both ends of the ring member, and the ring member made of a die casting material. A steering wheel core comprising a die cast string member that covers a part of the plug member and a die cast body member that extends from the die cast string member and integrally molds the boss portion and the spoke portion. The cored bar includes a drop-out suppressing unit that suppresses the plug member from falling out of the ring member, and a drop-out suppressing unit that suppresses the plug member from falling out of the die cast ring member, and the drop-out suppressing unit. The means has a plug shaft in a direction substantially orthogonal to a surface of the lid portion opposite to the opening side, and a shaft portion extending from the surface of the lid portion opposite to the opening side along the plug shaft, A steering characterized by comprising a head portion arranged on the opposite side of the lid portion of the shaft portion, and at least a part of the head portion protruding from the shaft portion in a direction orthogonal to the plug axis. Wheel core metal. The drop-off suppressing means is disposed between an insertion portion extending from the lid portion of the plug member into the ring member and an inner peripheral surface of the ring member, and bonds the insertion portion and the inner peripheral surface. The steering wheel core metal according to claim 1, which is an adhesive material. The drop-off suppressing means allows one or both of the ring member and the plug member to be elastically deformable, and has an insertion portion extending from the lid portion of the plug member into the ring member, and an inner peripheral surface of the ring member. The steering wheel core metal according to claim 1, which is crimped. One or both of the ring member and the plug member are elastically deformable, and the insertion portion extending from the lid portion of the plug member into the ring member is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the ring member. The steering wheel core metal according to claim 1, further comprising one or a plurality of ribs extending toward each other, wherein the rib and the inner peripheral surface are in contact with each other. The steering wheel core metal according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising an adhesive material that is disposed between the insertion portion and the inner peripheral surface and that adheres the insertion portion and the inner peripheral surface. Said opening has a shape of the opening of the point-asymmetrical shape, the steering wheel core metal according to any one of claims 1-5. The plug member was the same material as the die-cast material, the steering wheel core metal according to any one of claims 1-6.

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