JPH0525983Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> This invention relates to a structure for assembling a pad in an automobile steering wheel to a steering wheel body.

<Prior Art> Conventionally, this type of assembly structure has been shown in FIG. 10 (see Japanese Utility Model Application No. 58-35434).

In this assembly structure, a plurality of locking legs 2 are arranged at predetermined positions on the lower surface of a pad 1 made of synthetic resin.

The locking leg 2 includes a head 4 bulging at the lower end of the shaft 3 and a head 4 extending from the head 4 to the shaft 3.
A gap 5 is formed which allows the diameter to be contracted elastically. Note that reference numeral 6 denotes holding protrusions that reinforce the shaft portion 3 and are provided at four locations on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 3 to hold coil springs 10 that bias the pad 1 upward.

On the other hand, on the side of the steering wheel body 7 to which the pad 1 is assembled, an assembly cylindrical portion 8 corresponding to the locking leg 2 is provided by a boss plate 7a and a lower cover 7b.
The assembly tube portion 8 is formed with a narrow portion 9 whose inner diameter is narrowed by the lower cover 7b.

When assembling the pad 1, the head 4 of the locking leg 3 can be elastically contracted in diameter via the gap 5, so that it can easily pass through the narrow part 9 and further expand after passing through. It can be restored to the same diameter.

Therefore, by inserting each locking leg 2 into the assembly cylindrical portion 8, the head upper surface 4a could be locked to the narrow lower surface 9a, and the pad 1 could be assembled to the steering wheel body 7.

<Problems to be solved by the invention> However, in the conventional assembly structure, a gap 5 is formed in the locking leg 2 from the head 4 to the shaft portion 3 in order to reduce the diameter of the head 4. .

That is, after assembling the pad 1, the assembly cylinder part 8
In the narrow portion 9 of the locking leg 2, a lower head-proximity portion 3a of the shaft portion 3 is arranged, but the spacer 5 is also extended to that portion 3a. Become.

Therefore, when a horizontal force is applied to the pad 1 after the pad 1 is assembled, the diameter of the portion 3a near the head of the shaft portion 3 can be reduced through the gap 5.
This caused the pad 1 to move in the horizontal direction by a width of 5 between the parts 3a near the head.

Incidentally, as described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 58-42408, the length of the narrow part of the assembly cylinder part is lengthened, and the outer circumferential surface of the shaft part of the locking leg is supported by this narrow part,
It is possible to prevent the pad from wobbling in the horizontal direction.

However, with the above configuration, when inserting and locking the locking leg into the assembly tube, the head of the locking leg contracts in diameter and the distance it moves becomes longer, which makes the assembly work easier. The pressing force increases significantly, reducing the ease of assembly, and in some cases, the head of the locking leg is damaged, making assembly impossible.

This invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and allows the pad to be assembled to the steering wheel body while preventing deterioration in assembly ease and damage to the head of the locking leg. The object of the present invention is to provide a pad assembly structure that can prevent the pad from wobbling in the horizontal direction.

<Means for solving the problem> The pad assembly structure according to this invention is such that a plurality of locking legs arranged on the underside of the pad are inserted into an assembly tube provided on the steering wheel body. A pad assembly structure in which the pad is assembled to the steering wheel body by stopping the pad, wherein the locking leg includes a shaft portion extending downward from the bottom surface of the pad and a head bulging at the lower end of the shaft. and a space that allows the head to elastically contract in diameter from the head to the shaft, the assembly cylinder having a large diameter into which the head of the locking leg is inserted. and a narrow portion on the inner peripheral surface of the lower part of the large diameter portion that has a protruding cross section in a mountain shape to narrow the inner diameter and locks the upper surface of the locking leg head with the lower surface, further comprising: It is characterized in that a position regulating portion is formed in a bulging manner in a portion of the shaft portion where the gap is not formed, the position restricting portion coming into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the large diameter portion of the assembling cylinder portion after the pad is assembled.

<Operations and effects of the invention> In the pad assembly structure according to this invention, when assembling, if the head of the locking leg is inserted from the large diameter part of the assembly cylinder and passed through the narrow part, the pad can be locked. The upper surface of the locking leg head is locked by the narrow lower surface, and the position regulating portion of the locking leg comes into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the large diameter portion of the assembly tube, allowing the assembly to be completed.

After the pad is assembled, when a horizontal force is applied to the pad, the position regulating part formed in the non-formed part of the shaft of the locking leg will move around the inner periphery of the large diameter part of the assembly cylinder. Because it is in contact with the surface, even if there is a gap from the head of the locking leg to the shaft that allows the head to contract in diameter, the position restriction of the position restriction part prevents the pad from moving in the horizontal direction. It is possible to prevent blurring.

In addition, during assembly, the narrow part that greatly reduces the diameter of the locking leg head has a mountain-shaped cross section on the inner peripheral surface of the lower part of the large diameter part, so that the axial length of the assembly cylinder part is reduced. Because it is short, the diameter of the head of the locking leg is reduced and the length of movement is shortened, making it possible to keep the pressing force during assembly work low, preventing deterioration in assemblability, and locking. It can prevent damage to the leg head.

Therefore, the pad assembly structure according to this invention allows the pad to be assembled to the steering wheel body while preventing deterioration in assembly performance and damage to the head of the locking leg. Later, horizontal movement of the pad can be prevented.

<Example> An example of this invention will be described below based on the drawings.

The pad 11 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 is a steering wheel W having three spokes S.
from the boss part B to the spoke part S with respect to the main body 17 side of the
It is a large horn pad placed over about half of the area.

The pad 11 is constructed by covering an insert 11b made of a hard synthetic resin such as ABS with a covering layer 11a made of a soft synthetic resin such as PVC or foamed urethane.

Locking legs 12, which are formed integrally with the insert 11b, are protruded from three predetermined locations on the lower surface of the pad 11. Note that 11c is a reinforcing rib.

Each of the locking legs 12 includes a head 14 that bulges out at the lower end of the shaft 13, and a space 15 is formed between the head 14 and the shaft 13 so that the diameter of the head 14 can be elastically contracted. There is. In addition, each locking leg 1
In the case of the embodiment, the head 14 of No. 2 is located between the locking legs 12A and 12B on the front side of the steering wheel W.
The locking legs 12C on the rear side of the steering wheel W are separated in the front-rear direction by a gap 15.

And, on the base side of each shaft part 13, there is a gap of 1
Pad 11 is placed in the non-formed area of 5.
During assembly, a position regulating part 16 that fits into a large diameter part 18a of a later-described assembly cylinder part 18 on the side of the steering wheel body 17 and comes into contact with the upper part of the inner circumferential surface of the shaft part 1
It is formed integrally with 3 and bulges out. The cross-sectional shape of this position regulating portion 16 is
The cross section obtained by cutting the steering wheel W in the front-rear direction from the cylindrical shape corresponding to the shape of the upper inner circumferential surface of the steering wheel W is approximately oval-shaped.

The reason why the position regulating portion 16 is notched in the front and back direction is that when removing the pad 11 from the steering wheel body 17, it can be removed by tilting it slightly in the front and rear direction and pulling it strongly. be. Therefore, if ease of removal is not taken into account, it may be formed into a cylindrical shape.

Further, each shaft portion 13 has a protrusion 1 extending from the rib 11c and protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the position regulating portion 16.
3b is formed. These protrusions 13b are
When the pad 11 is assembled, it comes into contact with the upper end surface of the assembly tube 18 to restrict downward movement of the pad 11.

The assembly cylinder portion 18 that locks each locking leg 12 is
The movable contact plate 27 has a substantially cylindrical shape made of hard synthetic resin such as ABS, and constitutes the horn switch H on the steering wheel body 17 side.
It is fixed using screws 20, and is arranged at a predetermined position corresponding to each locking leg 12.

The assembly cylindrical portion 18 includes a cylindrical large diameter portion 18a and a narrow portion 19 formed at a lower portion of the large diameter portion 18a. The narrow portion 19 is the lower inner circumferential surface of the large diameter portion 18a, and has a protruding cross section in a mountain shape to narrow the inner diameter, and when the pad 11 is assembled, the upper surface 14a of the locking leg head 14 is locked with the lower surface 19a. It is possible.

By the way, to explain the steering wheel main body 17 side of the embodiment, the boss portion B includes a boss 21,
It includes a deformable plate 22 and a boss plate 23 that constitute a self-aligning mechanism (see FIGS. 5 and 6). On the upper surface of this boss plate 23, an annular support member 25 made of synthetic resin is disposed as shown in FIG. Fixed contact plates 2 constituting horn switches H are attached to three support base portions 26 that protrude upward from the periphery of the spoke portion S of the support member 25 and extend in the horizontal direction.
8 is fixed using screws 29. In addition,
25a is a locking leg used when attaching the support member 25 to the boss plate 23.

As shown in FIG. 8, each fixed contact plate 28 is approximately T-shaped when viewed from above.
A vertical bar part 28a of the "T" shape is bent upward, and a nut 28c is welded to that part. Then, the vertical bar portion 28 is tightened with the screw 30 that tightens the lower cover 35 together using the nut 28c.
a is fixed to the spoke portion core metal 24. Note that the supporting member 25 has each of the fixed contact plates 28 fixed to the support base portion 26 with screws 29 and fixed to the spoke portion core bar 24 with screws 30, so that
It is configured so that its position is completely fixed.

A female threaded portion 28d formed by burring is provided at the center of the T-shaped horizontal bar portion 28b of each fixed contact plate 28, and a screw 32 is screwed into this female threaded portion 28d.
A flanged spacer 31 made of synthetic resin and having a substantially cylindrical shape is fixed to the horizontal bar portion.

Each spacer 31 passes through the center of each movable contact plate 27. Note that the spacer 31
The flange portion 31a is formed to have substantially the same shape as the lower part of the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical assembly portion 18, and is formed so that the cylindrical assembly portion 18 can move up and down in the axial direction without tilting.

By disposing the compression coil spring 33 between the upper surface of the flange 31a of each spacer 31 and the lower surface 19a of the narrow part 19 of the assembly tube, the flange 31a
The movable contact plate 27 is biased and abutted against the lower surface, and contacts 27a, 27a extending downward on both sides of the movable contact plate 27 are configured to be separated from the fixed contact plate 8 under normal conditions.

Each fixed contact plate 28 is connected to the negative pole side of the horn operating circuit via the spoke part core bar 24, etc., and each movable contact plate 27 is connected to the positive pole side of the horn operating circuit via a lead wire 34 shown in FIG. It is connected to the.

To assemble the horn switch H of this embodiment, first attach each fixed contact plate 28 to the screw 29,
30 to attach the spoke part core bar 24 and the support base part 2.
Fix it at 6. Further, a coil spring 33 and a spacer 31 are disposed inside, and the assembly cylinder portion 18 is fixed to each movable contact plate 27 with screws 20. After that, the spacer 31 in this assembled body
The horn switch H is assembled by fixing the screws 32 to the horizontal bar portions 28b of each fixed contact plate 28 with screws 32.

Then, the large diameter portion 18a of each assembly cylindrical portion 18 on the side of the steering wheel body 17 assembled in this way
The locking legs 12 are inserted from each side, and the diameter of the head 14 is elastically contracted using the gap 15 to pass through the narrow portion 19. After passing, the diameter of the head 14 is expanded to its original state. , each head upper surface 14a is formed into a narrow lower surface 19a.
After the locking is performed, the position regulating portion 16 formed in the portion of the locking leg shaft portion 13 where the gap 15 is not formed.
is fitted into the upper part of the inner circumferential surface of the large diameter portion 18a of the assembly cylinder portion. Therefore, when a force from the horizontal direction is applied to the pad 11, the portion 13a near the head of the shaft portion 13 disposed in the narrow portion 19
Even if the gap 15 is formed in the position regulating part 1
6 prevents the pad 11 from wobbling in the horizontal direction after assembly.

In addition, during assembly, the narrow part 19 that greatly reduces the diameter of the locking leg head 14 has a mountain-shaped cross section that protrudes on the inner peripheral surface of the lower part of the large diameter part 18a in the axial direction of the assembly cylinder part 18. Since the length of the head 13 of the locking leg 12 is reduced in diameter, the length that the head 13 of the locking leg 12 moves is shortened, and the pressing force during the assembly work can be kept low, which reduces the ease of assembly. It is possible to prevent damage to the locking leg head 13, and the same effect as described in the section of the operation and effect of the above-mentioned device can be achieved.

In the case of the embodiment, the position regulating portion 16 is
In consideration of the ease of removal of the steering wheel W from the cylindrical shape, the front and rear portions of the steering wheel W are notched, so that it is possible to prevent vibration mainly in the horizontal direction. Of course, if the ease of removal of the pad 11 is not taken into consideration and the pad 11 is to be prevented from wobbling in the horizontal direction from front to back and left to right, the position regulating portion 16 may be formed into a cylindrical shape.

In addition, when operating the horn after assembly,
When the pad 11 is pushed down, the protrusion 13b of each locking leg shaft 13 pushes down the assembly cylinder part 18, and each assembly cylinder part 1
8 pushes down the movable contact plate 27 against the biasing force of the coil spring 33, so that the contact point 27a of the movable contact plate 27 comes into contact with the fixed contact plate 28, and the horn can be operated.

In the embodiment, the position regulating portion 16 has a substantially oval shape, but as shown in FIG. A part of the lower cover 7a on the steering wheel main body 7 side is extended upward to form an assembly cylinder part 48, and the position restriction part 46 is formed as a position restriction part 46. 4
It may be made to contact the inner circumferential surface of the large diameter portion 48a of No. 8.

Further, in the embodiment, the position regulating portion 16 is
The shaft portion 13 can be easily formed by only slightly deforming the part of the mold for molding the shaft portion 13.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of this invention, Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the locking legs of the same embodiment, and Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the assembly tube of the same embodiment. Figure 5 is a sectional view of the steering wheel of the same embodiment, showing the - part of Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the steering wheel body side of the same embodiment. 7 is a plan view of a support member used in the same embodiment, FIG. 8 is a plan view of a fixed contact plate used in the same embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing another embodiment. FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a conventional example. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Pad, 12... Locking leg, 13... Shaft, 14... Head, 14a... Upper surface, 15... Between, 16... Position regulating part, 17... Steering wheel body, 18 ...Assembling cylinder part, 19...Narrow part, 19a...Bottom surface.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] The pad is attached to the steering wheel body by inserting and locking a plurality of locking legs arranged on the underside of the pad into an assembly tube provided on the steering wheel body. An assembly structure of a pad to be assembled, wherein the locking leg includes a shaft portion extending downward from the lower surface of the pad, a head portion bulging at the lower end of the shaft, and a portion extending from the head portion to the shaft portion. a gap that allows the diameter of the locking leg to be elastically reduced; a narrow portion having a protruding mountain-shaped cross section to narrow the inner diameter and locking the upper surface of the locking leg head on the lower surface; . A pad assembly structure, characterized in that a position regulating portion that comes into contact with an inner circumferential surface of a large diameter portion of the assembly cylinder portion is formed in a bulged manner after the pad is assembled.