JPH0535025Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Technical field) This invention consists of a coating layer made of urethane foam formed by injection molding on the shape-retaining insert surface, and a fin portion on the outer periphery that hides the gap with the surrounding area of the insert. This invention relates to horn pads for automobiles, etc., in which a horn pad is formed.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, this type of horn pad has a contact that is disposed on a boss plate that is connected to a steering shaft via a boss, for example, and that can sound the horn by making contact with a contact point on the boss plate side. By engaging with the plate and pressing the horn pad, the contact plate was brought into contact with the contact point on the boss plate side. Therefore, the horn pad moves a distance until the contact plate comes into contact with the contact point on the boss plate side, and there is a gap between the horn pad and the area where it is attached, such as a gap between the boss and the lower cover that covers the steering shaft. To hide this gap, a thin fin portion parallel to the operating direction of the horn pad was formed on the inner peripheral surface side of the outer peripheral edge of the horn pad.

Further, the horn pad usually consists of an insert made of a hard synthetic resin material that has shape retention properties, and a coating layer made of a soft synthetic resin material that coats the insert surface and provides a good feel.

Conventionally, since the aforementioned fins are visible through the gap around the attachment site, it is desirable to have the same color tone as the horn pad covering layer.
At the same time as the coating layer was being molded, the fins were formed using the molding material of the coating layer.

However, when the fin portion and the coating layer are formed of urethane foam, there are the following drawbacks.

As shown in FIG. 4, when forming the urethane foam coating layer 7 on the surface of the insert 8, it is molded by injection molding (reaction injection molding), but if the fin portion 9 of the horn pad 6 is also molded at the same time,
In the cavity 4 of the mold 1 consisting of the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3, the part where the fin part 9 is to be molded is heated by the air in the cavity 4 and the bubbles of the foaming agent itself.
Parting surface 5 of mold 1 where air tends to accumulate and forms a parting line of coating layer 7 near fin portion 9
Even if this air escapes, cavities are likely to form in the horn pad fin portion 9 after molding.In order to prevent this cavity defect, an air vent hole 10 is provided in the upper mold 2, and the molding material M is I was dealing with it by letting it out.

However, if the air bleed hole 10 is provided in this way, the amount of molding material M that blows out from the air bleed hole 10 may be approximately equal to the amount of the coating layer 7 of the horn pad 6 to be molded, resulting in poor yield and Ta.

(Purpose of the invention) This invention is a horn pad in which a coating layer made of urethane foam is formed on the insert surface and a predetermined fin part is formed on the outer periphery. An object of the present invention is to provide a horn pad that can improve the yield of urethane foam, which is a molding material, during molding.

(Structure of the device) The gist of this device is that a coating layer made of urethane foam is formed by injection molding on the shape-retaining insert surface, and that the inner surface of the outer periphery hides the gap between the insert and the surrounding area. This is a horn pad in which a thin fin part is formed parallel to the operating direction, and a parting line of the covering layer is arranged near the fin part, and an insert is extended to the fin part, and the outer periphery of the insert fin part On the face side and end face side,
The horn pad is characterized by being coated with urethane foam with a thickness of 0.1 to 0.8 mm.

(Example) Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a horn pad used in an embodiment of this invention, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a mold showing the molding of the coating layer of the same embodiment, and Fig. It is an enlarged view of the part.

The horn pad 16 of the embodiment has a box shape with an opening at the bottom similar to the conventional one, and includes an insert 18 that has shape retention properties and is made of a hard synthetic resin material such as PP, ABS, or nylon, and an injection molded ( Coating layer 1 made of urethane foam that is coated by reaction injection molding and provides a good feel.
It consists of 7.

Further, on the inner peripheral surface side of the outer peripheral edge of the horn pad 16, a fin portion 19 is provided that hides a gap h between the horn pad 16 and the area around which it is attached (the lower cover 26 in the embodiment).
(approximately 2 to 4 mm thick) is formed. This fin portion 19 has an insert 18 extending therein, and a thin (approximately 0.1 to 0.8 mm thick) urethane foam coating layer 17 is formed on the outer circumferential surface side and end surface side of the insert fin portion 18a. It is formed in the direction of movement.

The insert 18 also includes a boss plate 22.
Assembly protrusions 18b, 18b are formed for the contact plate 23, which will sound the horn when the side contacts 22a, 22a and the contact 23a come into contact, and are also attached to the boss plate 22 to attach the horn pad 16.
A guide leg 18c is formed to guide the movement direction. Note that 21 is a boss connected to the steering shaft, 24 is an attachment, and 25 is a lead wire connected to a slip ring provided on the back side of the lower cover 26. Also, this horn pad 16 is connected to a biasing means not shown separately. The contact point 22a and the contact point 23a are always kept apart from each other except when the horn pad 16 is pressed.

To explain the case of molding this horn pad 16, the fin portion 19 extends the insert 18, and a thin coating layer 17 (thickness 0 , 1 to 0.8 mm), and the upper and lower molds 12,
The dividing surface 15 of the mold 11 consisting of
If formed in the vicinity, even if urethane foam, which is a molding material, is injected into the cavity 14, the air inside the cavity 14 or the air caused by the bubbles of the foaming agent itself will not penetrate the insert fin portion 18a in the cavity 14 that forms the fin portion 19. Since the upper gap x (see FIG. 3) is narrow, it will not enter this gap x and will escape exclusively from the dividing surface 15. Therefore, the molding material exclusively enters the gap x, and the surface of the fin portion 19 to be molded can be made to have the same color tone as the coating layer 17 of the horn pad 16, without degrading the appearance. Incidentally, even if some air enters through the gap x, the air will accumulate on the end surface 19a and inner circumferential surface 19b of the fin 19 to be molded, so the fin 19 that can be seen from the gap around the horn pad 16 mounting area No cavities are formed on the outer circumferential surface of. In addition, unlike conventional products, the fin portion 19 of the horn pad can be molded without creating an appearance defect as described above without providing an air vent hole in the mold itself, which improves the yield of the urethane foam that is the molding material. can be improved.

In addition, in the conventional horn pad 6, the fin part 9 is made thinner (about 0.1 to 0.8 mm), and the fin part 9 is formed of urethane foam at the same time as the coating layer 7 of urethane foam is formed on the surface of the insert fin part 8. For example, the thickness of the fin portion 9 is thin, and the cavity 4 that forms the fin portion 9 does not allow air to enter, but only the urethane foam that is the molding material enters, so that the appearance of the fin portion 9 can be molded well. It can be inferred that molding can be performed even without providing the air vent hole 10. However, if the fin portion 9 is formed thinly in this way, after molding, the mold 1
When the horn pad 6 is released from the mold, since the fin portion 9 is thin, the fin portion 9 sticks to the mold 1 and is torn, and as a result, the fin portion 9 cannot be formed with a good appearance. Incidentally, when the thin coating layer 17 is formed on the insert fin portion 18a as in the embodiment, the thin coating layer 17 does not stick to the mold 11 and is released on the insert fin portion 18a during mold release. There is no possibility that the coating layer 17 of the fin portion 19 will be torn as described above.

In the embodiment, the horn pad 16 is installed above the boss plate 22, but the horn pad 16 can also be installed on the spokes of a steering wheel.
It goes without saying that the present invention can be applied as long as the insert has a coating layer made of urethane foam on its surface and a fin portion that hides gaps during operation.

(Effects of the invention) The horn pad according to this invention has an insert extending into a fin portion formed in parallel to the direction of pad operation in order to hide the gap between the outer peripheral edge of the pad and the area around the attachment site on the inner peripheral surface side, Urethane foam of 0.1
The coating is formed with a thickness of ~0.8mm.

In other words, the urethane foam that is the coating layer of the horn pad is coated on the outer circumferential surface of the insert fin with a thickness of 0.1
Since it is coated with a thickness of mm or more and hides the color tone of the insert fin, it does not deteriorate the appearance of the horn pad.

Furthermore, since the coating layer covering the outer circumferential surface and end surface of the insert fin is thin, with a thickness of 0.1 to 0.8 mm, air in the cavity and foaming of the foaming agent itself are prevented during molding of the coating layer. , without entering the cavity forming the coating layer of the fin, escaping from the parting surface of the mold forming the parting line of the coating layer near the fin, or causing a deterioration in appearance. It will escape to the end face or inner circumference side.

Therefore, it is possible to perform molding without providing an air vent hole in the mold for molding the covering layer as in the past, and it is possible to improve the yield of the urethane foam that is the molding material for the covering layer.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a horn pad used in an embodiment of this invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a mold showing the molding of the coating layer of the same embodiment, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 2. , and FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a mold during molding of a conventional horn pad coating layer. 6, 16... Horn pad, 7, 17... Covering layer, 8, 18... Insert, 9, 19... Fin portion, 18a... Insert fin portion, 26... Lower cover, h... Gap.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A coating layer made of urethane foam is formed by injection molding on the shape-retentive insert surface, and a thin fin part on the inner peripheral side of the outer periphery runs parallel to the direction of operation to hide the gap between the insert and the surrounding area. The horn pad is formed such that a parting line of the coating layer is arranged near the fin, the insert extending from the fin, and an outer peripheral surface and an end surface of the insert fin. A horn pad characterized in that the urethane foam is coated with a thickness of 0.1 to 0.8 mm.