JPH0224691Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a steering wheel assembly structure that allows the steering wheel to be easily fitted to the tip of the steering shaft without using nuts.

<Prior art> Conventional steering wheels generally have a metal boss attached to the center, which is fitted into the tip of the steering shaft, and a nut is screwed onto the tip of the shaft that protrudes above the boss. It was installed by tightening the nut.

<Problems to be solved by the invention> Therefore, the wheel butt provided in the center of the steering wheel is usually manufactured separately from the steering wheel body, and the steering wheel is not assembled into the vehicle until the steering wheel is assembled to the steering wheel. After fitting the wheel body onto the steering shaft, tightening the nut and wiring the horn switch, the steering wheel is assembled by fitting the wheel pad into the center of the steering wheel. Therefore, there was a problem that the number of man-hours required for assembly increased. Furthermore, since the wheel pad is formed separately from the steering wheel body, the number of manufacturing steps is large, and gaps and dividing lines are inevitably created around the wheel pad, which poses a problem in terms of design.

<Means for Solving the Problems> The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and is configured as follows to solve the problems.

That is, in the steering wheel assembly structure of the present invention, an annular engagement recess is provided on the outer periphery of the tip of the steering shaft, and a plurality of through holes are provided on the wall of the boss of the steering wheel.
An engaging pin is fitted into each of the through holes so as to be able to protrude inside the boss, and the tip of each engaging pin that projects inside the boss has a horizontal surface on the upper part and a horizontal surface on the lower part of the steering shaft. The engagement pin is formed with an inclined surface that is pushed back into the through hole when it comes into contact with the tip, and a boss is provided at the rear end of each of the engagement pins to urge the engagement pin toward the inside of the boss. With one end of the spring member mounted on the plate being attached and the tip of the steering shaft being fitted into the boss, the engagement pin is engaged with the engagement recess of the steering shaft and assembled. It was configured as follows.

Thereby, the steering wheel can be fitted onto the steering shaft with one touch, and the steering wheel body and the wheel pad can also be formed integrally.

<Example> Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a plan view of the steering wheel with the wheel pad removed, Fig. 2 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the boss before it is fitted onto the steering shaft, and Fig. 3 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the same in the fitted state. It shows. 1 is a ring part, 2 is a spoke part, a boss part 3 is formed in the center of the spoke part 2;
A metal boss plate 4 to which a spoke portion core metal is fixed is disposed. Reference numeral 5 denotes a metal boss fixed to the center of the boss plate 4, whose outer peripheral stepped portion is engaged with the periphery of the central through hole of the boss plate 4,
The boss 5 is welded and fixed on the back side of the boss plate 4 with its upper part protruding above the surface of the boss plate 4. Note that a serration 5a is formed inside the boss 5, that is, at the top of the shaft hole, and a tapered portion 5b is formed below the serration 5a. Three through holes 6 are bored at intervals of approximately 120 degrees in the wall at the upper part of the boss 5 protruding onto the boss plate 4, and an engaging pin 7 is inserted into each of these through holes 6 inside the boss 5. It is inserted so that it can be projected. The tip of each engagement pin 7 is formed into an acute angle, with a horizontal surface at the top and an inclined surface at the bottom that is pushed back into the through hole when it comes into contact with the tip of the steering shaft. ing. This inclined surface may be either a flat surface or a curved surface as long as it performs the above-mentioned function. Reference numeral 8 denotes three spring members attached to the boss plate 4 so as to urge each engagement pin 7 inwardly into the boss 5. One end of the leaf spring bent in a U shape urges the engagement pin 7 inwardly. It acts like pressure. Note that it is also possible to use a coil spring for the spring member 8 instead of a leaf spring.

On the other hand, an engagement groove 11 is formed on the outer periphery of the tip of the steering shaft 10 as an annular engagement recess into which the tip of the engagement pin 7 described above can be engaged. Tapered part 1
3 is formed. The serrations 12 and the tapered portion 13 are the serrations 5 provided inside the boss 5.
a and the tapered portion 5b, and when the tip of the steering shaft 10 is inserted into the boss portion, the horizontal positions of the engaging pin 7 and the engaging groove 11 are completely aligned at the insertion end. The tapered portion 13 is formed so as to.

The steering wheel configured as described above has the following features for the steering shaft 10 of an automobile:
It can be easily fitted by simply pushing up the boss 5 from above so as to fit it into the tip of the shaft. That is, when the tip of the steering shaft 10 is inserted into the boss 5 during assembly, the lower inclined surface of the tip of the engagement pin 7 protruding inside the boss 5 comes into contact with the tip of the steering shaft. , the engagement pin 7 is once pushed back into the through hole 6 by this inclined surface against the spring force of the spring member,
The large diameter portion formed at the tip of the steering shaft 10 passes through the through hole 6 position, and the steering is performed until the tapered portion 13 at the tip of the steering shaft 10 and the tapered portion 5b of the boss 5 completely engage. When the shaft 10 is fitted into the boss 5, the tip of the engagement pin 7 again protrudes into the engagement groove 11 that is continuously formed in the large diameter portion of the steering shaft 10, and the upper part of the tip of the engagement pin 7 The horizontal surface engages with the inner surface of the engagement groove 11, and the steering wheel is completely fitted into the steering shaft 10 without being able to be removed upwardly.

<Effects of the invention> As explained above, according to the invention, during assembly, the engagement pin that can protrude into the inside of the boss is engaged with the engagement recess provided at the tip of the steering shaft. Since the wheel is configured to fit onto the steering shaft, the steering wheel can be assembled by simply pushing it in from above, and the number of man-hours can be reduced compared to the conventional assembly by tightening a nut. In addition, since there is no need to remove the wheel pads during assembly, the wheel pads and the steering wheel body can be formed integrally, and there are no dividing lines or gaps around the wheel pads, eliminating design constraints. It has the effect of

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figures show an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a plan view of the steering wheel with the wheel pad removed, Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a diagram of the steering wheel assembled to the steering shaft. It is the same enlarged cross-sectional view. 4... Boss plate, 5... Boss, 6... Through hole, 7... Engagement pin, 8... Spring member, 10...
Steering shaft, 11...engaging groove.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] An annular engagement recess is provided on the outer periphery of the tip of the steering shaft, a plurality of through holes are provided on the wall of the boss of the steering wheel, and each of the through holes has an engagement pin. are respectively fitted and inserted into the inside of the boss so as to be able to protrude, and the tip of each of the engagement pins that protrudes inside the boss is
A horizontal surface is provided at the upper part, and an inclined surface is provided at the lower part so as to be pushed back into the through hole when abutting against the tip end of the steering shaft, and each engagement pin has a rear end thereof. One end of a spring member attached to a boss plate that urges the engagement pin inwardly of the boss is attached, and with the tip of the steering shaft inserted into the boss, the engagement pin is pushed into the steering shaft. A steering wheel assembly structure that is assembled by engaging with the engagement recess of the steering wheel.