JPH052388Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Field of industrial application] The present invention relates to a mounting structure for mounting a steering wheel to a steering shaft, and in particular, to a steering wheel mounting structure that does not affect the front design of the steering wheel. It is something.

[Prior Art] In this type of steering wheel, an impact energy absorber made of a brittle synthetic resin is arranged on the upper surface of the steering wheel core metal, a horn switch body is arranged on the upper surface of the impact energy absorber, and the horn switch body, the impact energy absorber is arranged on the upper surface of the impact energy absorber. A structure in which a coating layer made of a soft synthetic resin is formed on the surfaces of the energy absorber and the steering wheel core bar to form an integral structure has been considered.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] However, in the above technology, an opening is formed in the center of the soft synthetic resin of the integrated pad part because it is necessary to fasten the nut at the upper part of the boss part of the steering shaft and steering wheel. After setting and tightening the nut,
It was necessary to cover the opening with a cover such as a mark, or to form the pad part as a separate part from the steering wheel body.

For example, the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-160666 is also a technique of locking the steering shaft and steering wheel with nuts at the upper part of the boss portion.

Therefore, when installing the steering wheel to the steering shaft, the nuts, marks,
Individual independent parts such as pads are required.
However, it was not possible to assemble each component in advance. In addition, since the steering shaft and the boss of the steering wheel were fastened with nuts on the front of the steering wheel, the mark, the parting line between the outer periphery of the pad and the steering wheel body appeared on the front of the steering wheel, allowing for greater freedom in the design of the steering wheel. There was a problem that the degree was regulated.

Therefore, the present invention was devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a steering wheel mounting structure with a high degree of freedom in design without creating any seams or the like in the design surface of the steering wheel.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The steering wheel mounting structure according to the present invention includes a boss section provided at the bottom of the steering wheel core metal and having a serration hole in the center, a serration at the end, and a boss section disposed at the bottom of the serration. a steering shaft having a convex portion provided therein; a connecting portion having a small diameter portion connecting the convex portion, the boss portion, and the convex portion of the steering shaft; Equipped with
The coupling portion is configured such that the serrations of the steering shaft are inserted into the serration holes of the boss portion to form a coupled state, and in the coupled state, the convex portion of either the boss portion or the steering shaft is connected to the small diameter portion thereof. The steering shaft has a coupling screw that presses the steering shaft and the boss portion together and firmly connects the steering shaft and the boss portion by screwing.

[Function] In the present invention, a serration hole of a boss part provided at the lower part of the steering wheel core metal constituting the steering wheel body and having a serration hole in the center is provided with a serration and a convex shape arranged at the lower part of the serration. Insert the serrations at the end of the steering shaft. Then, by screwing a coupling portion having a small diameter portion that is screwed into the boss portion and the convex portion of the steering shaft, the convex portion of the steering shaft and the boss portion of the steering wheel are sandwiched closer to each other. Apply pressure and integrate. Therefore,
The steering wheel can be connected to the steering shaft by the boss part at the bottom of the steering wheel core metal, the convex part of the steering shaft, and the joint part, and the shape of the steering wheel and the parting line with the pad part, etc. Since it does not affect the mounting structure, the degree of freedom in designing the steering wheel can be increased.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a main part of a steering wheel mounting structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, the steering wheel core metal 1 is
Consisting of a ring part 1a, spoke parts 1b and boss part 2, the steering wheel core metal 1 is covered with a coating layer 1c of soft foamed synthetic resin such as urethane resin, and a horn switch, control switch, etc. (not shown) are integrated as necessary. The steering wheel body 10 is formed by cover molding. At the rear of the steering wheel body 10, that is, at the bottom of the spoke parts 1b, a boss part 2 is provided with a serration hole 2a and a tapered hole 2c in the center, and a convex part 2b in the lower part of the outer periphery, and is fixed by welding or casting. It is installed in Then, before the boss part 2 is fixed to the lower part of the spoke part 1b by a fixing means such as welding or casting, the small diameter part 3a of the coupling screw 3, which is a coupling part, is fitted into the boss part 2. Therefore, the coupling screw 3 is restrained by the spoke portion 1b and the convex portion 2b of the boss portion 2, and cannot be removed from the boss portion 2. Further, a female screw is cut into a part or all of the inner wall of the connecting screw 3 other than the small diameter portion 3a.

On the other hand, a serration 20a is cut at the upper tip of the steering shaft 20, and
An annular portion 20c is provided as a convex portion below the taper portion 20b continuously provided below, and a coupling screw 3 is provided around the annular portion 20c.
The male screw that screws together with the female screw is cut out.

The steering wheel mounting structure of this embodiment configured as described above can be assembled as follows.

First, the serration hole 2a provided in the boss portion 2 is inserted into the serration 20a at the tip of the steering shaft 20. Then, by screwing the female thread of the coupling screw 3 fitted into the boss part 2 into the male thread cut around the annular part 20c of the steering shaft 20, and deepening the threaded state,
The small diameter portion 3a of the coupling screw 3 presses down the convex portion 2b of the boss portion 2, and is pressed between it and the tapered portion 20b of the steering shaft 20. Therefore, by screwing the coupling screw 3, the annular portion 20c of the steering shaft 20 and the steering wheel body 10 can be firmly connected under pressure.

The steering wheel main body 10 and the steering shaft 20 can be coupled by screwing together the lower boss portion 2 of the steering wheel core 1 and the annular portion 20c of the steering shaft 20 with the coupling screw 3. Even if the shape and pad portion of the steering wheel body 10 are integrally molded with the steering wheel body 10, it will not affect the mounting structure to the steering shaft 20.
The degree of freedom in the design of 0 can be increased.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part of a steering wheel mounting structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, the same reference numerals and symbols as in FIG. 1 indicate the same or equivalent parts as in the first embodiment. In particular, only the points that are different from the first embodiment will be explained here.

In the figure, at the rear of the steering wheel body 10, that is, at the bottom of the steering wheel core 1, there is a serration hole 2a and a tapered hole 2 at the center.
A boss portion 2 is provided with a convex portion 2b at the lower part of the outer periphery and is attached by fixing means such as welding or casting. A convex portion 2 on the outer periphery of the boss portion 2
b has a male screw cut around it.

On the other hand, a serration 20a is cut at the upper tip of the steering shaft 20, and
An annular portion 20c is provided as a convex portion below the taper portion 20b that is continuously provided below. The small diameter portion 3a of the coupling screw 3 is fitted into the steering shaft 20 before the steering gear box side is attached. Therefore, the coupling screw 3 is restrained by the steering gear box side and the annular part 20c as a convex part,
It is now in a state where it cannot be separated from the steering shaft 20. Further, the small diameter portion 3 of the coupling screw 3
In a portion other than a, that is, in a part or all of the inner wall of the large-diameter portion 3b, a female thread is cut to engage with a male thread of the convex portion 2b of the boss portion 2.

The thus configured steering wheel mounting structure of this embodiment can be assembled as follows.

The serration hole 2a provided in the boss portion 2 is inserted into the serration 20a at the tip of the steering shaft 20. Then, the female thread of the coupling screw 3 fitted to the steering shaft 20 is threaded into the male thread of the convex portion 2b of the boss portion 2, and the threaded state is deepened, thereby achieving the first embodiment. Similarly, the steering shaft 20 and the steering wheel body 10 can be firmly connected.

Also in this embodiment, since the shape of the steering wheel body 10 does not affect its mounting structure, the degree of freedom in designing the steering wheel body 10 can be increased.

However, the steering shaft 20 of this embodiment
on the steering gear box side (not shown)
It is necessary to insert the small-diameter part 3a of the coupling screw 3 before the installation of the steering wheel main body 10. There is a possibility of forgetting to insert the screw 3, and if the connecting screw 3 is forgotten, it is necessary to disassemble and reassemble the steering gear box.

Further, the coupling screw 3 is attached to the steering shaft 20.
Since the coupling screw 3 can move freely in the axial direction on the outer periphery of the steering shaft 20,
There was a possibility that it would interfere with assembly on the steering gear box side.

Therefore, the third embodiment solves this problem.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part of a steering wheel mounting structure according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, the same reference numerals and symbols as in FIG. 2 indicate the same or equivalent parts as in the second embodiment. In particular, only the points that are different from the second embodiment will be explained here.

An annular portion 2 that is a convex portion is located below the tapered portion 20b of the steering shaft 20 of the second embodiment.
0c is integrally fixed to the steering shaft 20 by welding or the like. In this embodiment, a groove 20d of a predetermined width is carved around the steering shaft 20, and an E ring 20e is inserted into the groove.
(or a C-ring) and is fixed to the steering shaft 20 to provide the function of the annular portion 20c, which is the convex portion of the steering shaft 20 of the second embodiment.

First, the steering shaft 20 without the E-ring driven into it is attached to the steering gear box. Then, the coupling screw 3 is inserted from the tip of the steering shaft 20 with the small diameter portion 3a facing down. Next, the groove 20d of the steering shaft 20
An E-ring 20e is fitted into the ring to form a convex annular portion 20c.

In this state, the serration hole 2a provided in the boss portion 2 is inserted into the serration 20a at the tip of the steering shaft 20. Then, the female screw of the coupling screw 3 inserted into the steering shaft 20 is screwed into the male screw of the convex part 2b of the boss part 2, and by deepening the screwing state, the coupling screw 3 Groove 20d of steering shaft 20
E-ring 20e fitted in and convex portion 2 of boss portion 2
b to connect the steering shaft 20 and the steering wheel body 10.

Therefore, also in this embodiment, since the shape of the steering wheel body 10 does not affect its mounting structure, the degree of freedom in designing the steering wheel body 10 can be increased.

Furthermore, since the E-ring 20e, which is a convex portion provided on the steering shaft 20, can be fitted into the groove 20d of the steering shaft 20 for installation, the E-ring 20e is a convex portion provided on the steering shaft 20.
As long as d is formed by cutting or the like, the convex portion 20c can be easily formed.

Further, FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main part of a steering wheel mounting structure according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, the same reference numerals and symbols as in FIG. 3 indicate the same or equivalent parts as in the third embodiment. In particular, only the points that are different from the third embodiment will be explained here.

The E-ring 20e, which is a convex portion provided on the steering shaft 20 of the third embodiment, is formed by cutting a groove 20d in the steering shaft 20 and fitting it into the groove. , through hole 2 in steering shaft 20
0f is bored and a pin 20g is inserted therein.

In this embodiment, the boss portion 2 is provided on the serration 20a at the tip of the steering shaft 20.
The serration hole 2a formed in the boss portion 2 is inserted into the through hole 2a of the boss portion 2, and the female screw of the coupling screw 3 inserted into the steering shaft 20 is screwed into the male screw of the convex portion 2b of the boss portion 2. By deepening the screwed state, the coupling screw 3 is inserted into the through hole 2a of the steering shaft 20.
The pin 20g inserted into the boss 2 and the convex portion 2
The male screw b is clamped to connect the steering shaft 20 to the steering wheel body 10. Therefore, in this embodiment, the same effects as in the third embodiment can be obtained.

In addition, when the coupling screw 3 is screwed into the boss part 2 from the steering shaft 20 side as in the second, third, and fourth embodiments, the diameter of the boss part 2 is larger than the convex part of the steering shaft 20. In some cases, the outer periphery of the boss portion 2 may be made into a convex portion as it is, and a male screw may be formed there.

The steering wheel mounting structure of each of the above embodiments is provided at the lower part of the steering wheel core metal 1 constituting the steering wheel body 10, has a serration hole 2a in the center, and has a convex part 2 at the lower part of the outer periphery.
a boss part 2 with a serration 2 at the upper end
0a and an annular portion 20c or an E-ring 20e as a convex portion disposed at the lower part of the serration 20a.
Alternatively, a steering shaft 20 provided with a C ring or a pin 20g, and the convex portion of either the boss portion 2 or the steering shaft 20 are pressed by the small diameter portion 3a, and the steering shaft 20 is connected to the steering shaft 20 by screwing. A coupling screw 3 that firmly connects the steering wheel body 10 by pinching it together.
It is equipped with the following.

Therefore, the steering wheel main body 10 can be integrated with the steering shaft 20 by compressing the lower boss portion 2 of the steering wheel core metal 1 and the convex portion of the steering shaft 20 with the connecting screw 3. Steering wheel body 1
Because the shape of 0 does not affect the mounting structure,
The degree of freedom in designing the steering wheel body 10 can be increased.

By the way, the steering shaft in which the serrations are provided at the end portions and the convex portions provided below the serrations in each of the above embodiments has been described with respect to the steering shaft in which the serrations are provided at the upper end portions, but when the present invention is implemented The structure is not limited to the above structure, and may be provided at a position relatively close to the upper end. Further, the convex portion disposed at the lower part of the serration can be annular, E-ring, C-ring, elastic pin, etc., as described above, and can also be a stepped portion in the axial direction of the steering shaft. .

The coupling screw that clamps and integrates the boss portion of each of the above embodiments with the steering shaft convex portion and the steering wheel body by screwing the boss portion and the steering shaft convex portion has a small diameter portion. , the steering shaft 20 and the steering wheel main body 10 are compressed and integrated at the small diameter portion, but when implementing the present invention, a nut is further fitted to form a double nut structure and detented. , can prevent the coupling screw from returning.

[Effects of the invention] As described above, the steering wheel mounting structure of the invention is provided at the lower part of the steering wheel core that constitutes the steering wheel body, has a serration hole in the center, and has a convex part at the lower part of the outer periphery. A steering shaft is provided with a boss portion, a serration at the end, and a convex portion disposed below the serration, and a coupling screw having a small diameter portion is screwed into the steering shaft to connect the convex portion of the steering shaft to the steering wheel. Since the steering wheel body and the steering shaft are integrated by squeezing the steering wheel body, the steering wheel body and the steering shaft can be connected at the joint between the lower boss part of the steering wheel body and the convex part of the steering shaft. .

Therefore, the shape of the steering wheel, the parting line with the pad portion, etc. do not affect its mounting structure, so the degree of freedom in designing the steering wheel body can be increased. For example, the design of the entire surface of the steering wheel body can be seamlessly integrated.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a steering wheel mounting structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a steering wheel mounting structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a steering wheel mounting structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a steering wheel mounting structure according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1... Steering wheel core metal, 1b... Spoke part, 2... Boss part, 2a...
...serration hole, 2b...convex portion, 2c...tapered portion, 3...coupling screw, 10...steering wheel body, 20...steering shaft, 20a...serration, 20c...annular portion, 20e... E-ring, 20g...pin. In addition, in the figures, the same reference numerals and symbols indicate the same or equivalent parts.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A boss part provided at the lower part of the steering wheel core metal constituting the steering wheel body and having a serration hole in the center, a serration at the end, and a convex part arranged at the bottom of the serration. A steering wheel comprising: a steering shaft provided with a steering shaft; and a connecting portion that connects the boss portion and a convex portion of the steering shaft, wherein the connecting portion is such that the serrations of the steering shaft are inserted into the serration holes of the boss portion. to bring them into a coupled state, and in the coupled state, press the convex portion of either one of the boss portion and the steering shaft with the small diameter portion, and pinch the steering shaft and the boss portion by screwing. A steering wheel mounting structure characterized by comprising a coupling screw for firmly coupling the steering wheel.