JPH04300750A - Steering wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To appropriately hold strength of a shock absorber, insure safety of crew, and improve production efficiency with simple fitting construction, in a steering wheel provided with a shock absorber on the boss plate of a boss part. CONSTITUTION:A nearly cylindrical shock absorber 14 having opening parts 18 right and left is formed with fitting grooves 31 on the underside part 20. Clamp springs 15 engaged with the fitting grooves 31 and held with vis 16 are fitted into the inserting holes 11 of a boss plate 8, and hence the shock absorber 14 is arranged on the boss plate 8. Because it is unnecessary to provide hole parts such as screw holes on the underside part 20 of the shock absorber 14, strength of the shock absorber 14 is appropriately held, the manhour is reduced, and ability for general purpose can be improved.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Object of the invention]

0002

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering wheel for an automobile or the like, and more particularly to a steering wheel provided with a shock absorber on a boss plate of the steering wheel.

0003

[Prior Art] Conventionally, in this type of steering wheel, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 2-130876, a plurality of screw holes etc. are provided on the lower surface of the shock absorber for attaching the shock absorber to the boss plate. holes had to be formed.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, according to the above-mentioned conventional structure, it is necessary to form a plurality of holes such as screw holes on the lower surface of the shock absorber, which makes it difficult to properly maintain the strength of the shock absorber. Furthermore, when a shock is applied to the shock absorber, the area around these holes will be crushed during the initial stage of shock absorption, and the screws will come off, and as a result, the shock absorber will separate from the boss plate. There was a problem in that it could not absorb enough impact when moving.

[0005] Furthermore, according to the above conventional structure, it is necessary to drill holes in the shock absorber, which increases the number of steps and causes deterioration of work efficiency. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare shock absorbers having threaded holes that are suitable for various steering wheel shapes, resulting in a lack of versatility.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it maintains the function of the shock absorber without forming holes such as screw holes on the lower surface of the shock absorber, and has a simple structure and can be used for general purpose. It is an object of the present invention to provide a steering wheel having a shock absorber having high performance.

[Configuration of the invention]

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a steering wheel in which a shock absorber is disposed on a boss plate of a boss portion, and the shock absorber has openings on the left and right sides and a lower surface portion. A mounting groove is formed, and the shock absorber is mounted to the boss plate by a fixture that engages with the mounting groove.

[0009]

[Function] In the present invention, since a mounting groove is formed on the lower surface of the shock absorber, there is no need to form holes such as screw holes on the lower surface of the shock absorber, and the strength of the shock absorber can be maintained appropriately. At the same time, since the hole is not crushed, it is possible to firmly attach the shock absorber to the boss plate.

[0010] Furthermore, since the shock absorber can be easily attached to the boss plate using the fixture that engages with the mounting groove, there is no need for a work step to form holes such as screw holes.
Since holes such as screw holes are not directly formed in the shock absorber and the mounting position of the fixture can be easily changed along the mounting groove, it can be versatile enough to accommodate various steering wheel shapes.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The structure of an embodiment of the steering wheel of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a steering wheel of an automobile, etc., and this steering wheel 1 includes an annular rim portion 2, a boss portion 3 located at the center, and a ring-shaped rim portion 2, a boss portion 3 located at the center, and a ring-shaped rim portion 2, a boss portion 3 located at the center thereof, and a ring-shaped rim portion 2, a boss portion 3 located at the center thereof, and a ring-shaped rim portion 2, a boss portion 3 located at the center thereof, and A pad 6 is provided on the upper part of a steering wheel main body 5 consisting of a plurality of connected spoke parts 4, in this embodiment, on the upper part of a boss part 3.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. Absorber 14 is fixed. and,
A lower cover 9 made of resin that covers the lower surface and lower surface of the boss portion 3
is fitted to the lower part of the metal boss 7 and the boss plate 8
A soft resin pad 6, which is screwed onto the top surface of the boss portion 3 with a screw 10 and has a core material 17 inside a part that covers the upper surface and upper side surface of the boss portion 3, hits the mounting boss 12 that projects downward from the inner surface. It is fixed to the flange portion 22 of the absorbent body 14 by screwing with a screw 13.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shock absorber 14 is integrally formed by extruding or casting metal such as aluminum, or by extruding or injecting synthetic resin, and has left and right sides. a lower surface portion 20 having an opening 18 at the top thereof, an upper surface portion 19 and a flange portion 22;
and has a planar shape, and the front and rear side parts 21 are bent in a wave-like shape to form a substantially cylindrical shape, so that when an impact is applied from above, the side parts 21 mainly deform and absorb the impact. . A switch mounting groove 24 that extends over the entire length in the left-right direction and is open at both ends for arranging the horn switch 25 is formed approximately in the center of the upper surface portion 19, and a pair of contact mounting grooves are formed on both sides of the switch mounting groove 24. 26 is the lower surface part 20
A pair of mounting grooves 31 that are open at both ends over the entire length in the left-right direction are formed simultaneously with the shock absorber 14, respectively.

[0015] Then, clamp spring 15 and screw 1
6 constitute a fixture, and a plurality of clamp springs 1
5 are engaged and held in the mounting grooves 31 with screws 16, respectively,
By fitting this clamp spring 15 into the insertion hole 11 of the boss plate 8, the shock absorber 14 is attached to the upper part of the boss plate 8.

That is, each clamp spring 15
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mounting piece 33 has a rectangular plate shape.
and a pair of leg pieces 34 bent from both ends of this mounting piece 33.
The screw 1 is inserted into the screw insertion hole 35 formed approximately in the center of the mounting piece 33.
6 is a mounting groove 3 formed in the lower surface 20 of the shock absorber 14 with a substantially U-shaped cross section and a width narrower than the thread diameter of the screw 16.
1. By screwing while self-tapping,
It is engaged and held by the shock absorber 14.

A locking portion 37 bent outward in a dogleg shape is formed at the tip of the pair of legs 34 of each clamp spring 15, and an end edge is formed at the tip of the locking portion 37. A notch 39 is formed in the vertical direction on each leg piece 34, leaving a portion 38, and a dogleg shape is formed from both ends of the mounting piece 33 at the top of this notch 39 in the same direction as each locking part 37. A support piece 40 bent into a shape is integrally formed, and the locking portion 37 is inserted into the insertion hole 11 formed in the boss plate 8 and is elastically locked to the lower part of the edge of the insertion hole 11. At the same time, by bringing the support piece 40 into contact with the upper part of the insertion hole 11, the boss plate 8 is elastically held between each locking part 37 of the clamp spring 15 and each support piece 40, and the shock absorber 14 is It will be fixed to the boss plate 8 via each clamp spring 15.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the switch mounting groove 24 formed in the upper surface 19 of the shock absorber 14 has an approximately hexagonal cross section with an outwardly bulging inner surface 27 and no sides. There is a shock absorber 1 in this switch mounting groove 24.
A rod-shaped insulating grommet 45 having approximately the same length as 4 is inserted and fitted from the opening 18 side or above, and the contact mounting groove 26 has a planar shape with both sides of the upper opening protruding inward. A contact plate 28, which has a triangular protrusion protruding from the center of the bottom, has a substantially E-shaped cross section, and has a rod shape approximately the same length as the shock absorber 14 and is made of a conductive material and serves as a grounding terminal. is inserted and fitted from the opening 18 side of the shock absorber 14.

The grommet 45 is formed of an insulating material such as resin, and has a base plate portion that is pressed against the movable contact piece 46 and a switch mounting groove 24 that faces the switch mounting groove 24 with a groove portion 47 interposed therebetween.
It is composed of a pair of front and rear leg portions 48 that are inserted into the front and rear legs. This substrate portion is formed into a rectangular plate shape, and a plurality of screw insertion holes for fixing the movable contact piece 46 are formed on the upper surface at predetermined intervals. A pair of legs 48 protruding from the center of the lower surface of the board is formed to have a cross-sectional shape that matches the shape of the switch mounting groove 24, and the outer surface of the legs 48 is provided inside the switch mounting groove 24. A bulge that abuts the side surface 27 is formed. A plurality of movable contact pieces 46 and a horn cord connected to the positive electrode side of the horn circuit via a slip ring (not shown) are fixed onto this substrate portion with screws 49. This screw 49 is
It is inserted through the through hole at the end of the horn cord, the through hole at the center of the movable contact piece 46, and the screw insertion hole, and is screwed into the groove 47 between the legs 48 of the grommet 45 while self-tapping. The leg portion 48 of the grommet 45 is screwed together.
The inner surface 2 of the switch mounting groove 24 is expanded by expanding the groove 47 between the two.
7 and the outer surface of the leg portion 48 are brought into pressure contact and engaged.

The movable contact piece 46 is made of an elastic and conductive rectangular metal plate, and is connected to the grommet 45.
A base having a through hole in the center fixed to the base, an arm 50 formed by bending upward and slanting both sides of the base and swinging up and down, and an end of the arm 50 extending downward. A contact portion 51 is formed by being bent outward and then forming a contact point with the contact plate 28, and a recess 52 is formed on the upper surface of each arm portion 50. ing.

A horn pad is supported on the upper surface of a resin-molded pad 6, which covers the upper surface and the upper side surface of the boss portion 3, by an annular thin wall portion 54 formed on the back surface of the pad 6 so as to be freely pressable. A portion 55 is formed. Also,
A plurality of protrusions 57 projecting downward are provided on the back surface of the horn pad portion 55 to abut the recesses 52 of the arm portions 50 of the movable contact piece 46 .

Then, in this state, the horn pad portion 55
When pressed, the arm portion 50 of the movable contact piece 46 pressed by the protrusion 57 on the back side of the horn pad portion 55 swings downward, and the contact portion 51 contacts the contact plate 28, which connects the positive side of the horn circuit. The ground side is electrically connected to form a horn circuit.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

A mounting groove 31 is provided in the lower surface 20 of the shock absorber 14.
Since the clamp spring 15 is engaged and held in this mounting groove 31 with the screw 16, there is no need to form a hole such as a screw hole in the lower surface 20 of the shock absorber 14, and the strength of the shock absorber 14 is improved. At the same time, the shock absorber 14 can be firmly attached to the boss plate 8, and the safety of the occupant can be ensured.

Furthermore, since the mounting groove 31 is formed over the entire length in the left and right direction, the shock absorber 14 and the mounting groove 31 can be molded at the same time, eliminating the need for the work process of forming holes such as screw holes, improving production efficiency. can be increased.

Furthermore, since the shock absorber 14 can be easily attached to the boss plate 8 by fitting with the clamp spring 15, production efficiency can be improved.

Furthermore, since a hole such as a screw hole is not directly formed in the shock absorber 14 and the mounting position of the clamp spring 15 can be easily changed along the mounting groove 31, the shock absorber 14 can be attached to various steering wheels. It has versatility that corresponds to the molding of No. 1, and can improve production efficiency.

Note that the clamp spring 15 is inserted into the mounting groove 3.
1, as shown in FIG.
This allows for easier and more accurate work. As shown in FIG. 3, this positioning jig 60 has a rectangular plate shape corresponding to the shape of the lower surface 20 of the shock absorber 14, and has a plurality of mounting holes 61 formed therein for determining the position of the clamp spring 15. ing. A plurality of protrusions 63 are provided on the back surface 62 of the positioning jig 60 to fit into the mounting grooves 31 for determining the position of the positioning jig 60.
The position of the positioning jig 60 can also be determined by providing a protrusion on the end 65 of the lower surface 20 of the shock absorber 14 in addition to or in place of the protrusion 63.

Further, in the above embodiment, the fixture that engages with the mounting groove 31 of the shock absorber 14 is the clamp spring 15.
Although this fixing device is constructed using screws 16, this fixture may also be constructed using a clamp spring 15 as a single member.

That is, the shapes of the mounting groove 31 of the shock absorber 14 and the clamp spring 15 are not limited to those of this embodiment, and as shown in FIG. The engagement recess 65 is approximately T-shaped, and as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the clamp spring 15 is
This mounting groove 31a is provided with a mounting piece 33 protruding upward.
The engaging portion 66 is bent or bulged in accordance with the shape of the engaging portion 66.
, 67, and the engaging portions 66, 67 of the clamp springs 15a, 15b are formed in the engaging recess 65 of the mounting groove 31a.
67 is inserted and engaged while being elastically deformed, and the shock absorber 1
A clamp spring 15 can also be attached to 4.

[0031] The fixture also includes a clamp spring 15.
It is also possible to use only the screws 16 without using the screws 16, and to engage the screws 16 into the mounting grooves 31 of the shock absorber 14 through screw holes formed in the boss plate 8.

[0032]

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, since a mounting groove is formed on the lower surface of the shock absorber and a fixture is engaged with this mounting groove,
There is no need to form holes such as screw holes on the bottom of the shock absorber, and the strength of the shock absorber is maintained appropriately, and at the same time, the hole does not collapse, so the shock absorber can be firmly attached to the boss plate. This makes it possible to ensure the safety of passengers.

Furthermore, since the shock absorber can be easily attached to the boss plate using the fixture attached to the attachment groove, the work process of forming holes such as screw holes is not necessary, and production efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, since holes such as screw holes are not directly formed in the shock absorber, and the mounting position of the fixing device can be easily changed along the mounting groove, the shock absorber is versatile enough to accommodate various steering wheel shapes. to have,
Production efficiency can be increased.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4, showing an embodiment of a steering wheel of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the process of attaching the shock absorber and the fixing device in an upside-down state.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the back side of the positioning jig same as above.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the same steering wheel.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a mounting groove showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a clamp spring showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the same as above.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Steering wheel 3 Boss part 8 Boss plate 14 Shock absorber 15 Clamp spring 16 as a fixture
Screw 18 as a fixture Opening 20 Lower surface 31 Mounting groove

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A steering wheel in which a shock absorber is disposed on a boss plate of a boss portion, wherein the shock absorber has openings on the left and right sides and a mounting groove formed in a lower surface part, A steering wheel characterized in that the shock absorber is attached to the boss plate by a fixture that engages with a groove.