JPH05470Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to the structure of a steering wheel, and in particular, to a structure of a steering wheel that reduces the number of manufacturing steps.

[Prior Art] As a conventional example of this type of steering wheel, there is a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-230849.

The above technology sets the horn switch body inside a cover body such as a horn pad, injects an impact energy absorber, and attaches these integrated parts onto the boss of the steering wheel core, reducing the number of man-hours required to install each component. I found a structure that could be used.

In addition, the patent application filed in 1986-
There is a technology No. 187841.

In the above technology, an impact energy absorber made of brittle synthetic resin is arranged on a steering wheel core, a horn switch body is arranged on the upper surface of the impact energy absorber, the horn switch body, the impact energy absorber and the steering wheel core are arranged. The impact energy absorber has a structure in which a coating layer made of a soft synthetic resin is formed on the surface of the impact energy absorber.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] However, in the former technique, even if the horn switch body is set in the cover body of the horn pad and the impact energy absorber is injected, a separate integral part such as an impact energy absorber is not required. A process of attaching the pad portion consisting of the above to the steering wheel core metal with screws or the like is required, and the attachment work is complicated.

Additionally, because a boundary line inevitably appears around the pad, the degree of freedom in the design of the steering wheel is restricted. Even with the latter technique, it was necessary to form the lid body as a separate part from the integrated soft synthetic resin because it was necessary to secure the steering shaft and the boss portion of the steering wheel with a nut.

Therefore, even if the steering wheel core metal, the horn switch mounting body, and the outer surface of the horn switch are coated and integrated, the steering wheel components are essentially multiple.

Furthermore, since the steering shaft and the boss portion of the steering wheel were fastened with nuts at the front of the steering wheel, there was a problem in that the degree of freedom in designing the steering wheel was restricted.

Therefore, the present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a steering wheel that can reduce the number of manufacturing steps and has a high degree of freedom in designing the top surface.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The steering wheel according to the present invention includes a steering wheel core, a horn switch mounting body disposed on the steering wheel core, and a horn switch mounted on the upper surface of the horn switch mounting body. The steering wheel is provided with a coating layer made of a soft synthetic resin that covers the outer surface of the steering wheel, integrates these, and integrally forms at least the upper surface of the steering wheel.

[Function] In the present invention, the steering wheel core, the horn switch mounting body disposed on the steering wheel core, and the horn switch disposed on the upper surface of the horn switch mounting body are made of soft synthetic resin. Since the steering wheel is integrated with the covering layer, and at least the upper surface of the steering wheel is formed with the covering layer made of the soft synthetic resin, the upper surface of the steering wheel becomes the same soft synthetic resin surface, and the mold for molding. It can be freely molded into any shape. Moreover, it can be manufactured into a product through a single molding process. The steering wheel and the steering shaft can be connected behind the steering wheel by bolting from the side of the boss portion of the steering wheel core metal.

[Example] Fig. 1 is a sectional view taken along line XX in Fig. 2 of the steering wheel according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the main parts of the steering wheel according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a diagram. 3 to 6 are cross-sectional views showing the manufacturing process of the steering wheel according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a central cross-sectional view showing two examples of the horn switch used in the steering wheel according to this embodiment. It is a diagram.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the steering wheel core metal 1 used in the steering wheel of this embodiment.

In FIG. 3, the steering wheel core metal 1 consists of a boss portion 1a, a ring portion 1b, and a spoke portion 1c, and the boss portion 1a is provided to protrude from the lower end of the spoke portion 1c.
The boss portion 1a has a serration portion 1e in the center.
A steering shaft insertion hole 1d is formed, and a screw hole 1f perpendicularly intersecting the steering shaft insertion hole 1d is bored. This steering wheel core metal 1 has a ring portion 1b except that the boss portion 1a is provided with a screw hole 1f that perpendicularly intersects with the steering shaft insertion hole 1d.
The shape of the spoke portion 1c is not particularly different from the shape of a known steering wheel core metal. The boss portion 1a protruding from the lower end of the spoke portion 1c has a steering shaft insertion hole 1d with a serration portion 1e formed in its center, the screw hole 1f, and a locking screw (described later) that is screwed into the boss portion 1a. 6 (see FIG. 1) constitutes a mounting means.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the arrangement of the horn switch mounting body 2 placed on the steering wheel core metal 1 used in the steering wheel of this embodiment.

In FIG. 4, the horn switch mounting body 2 is made of a box-like body made of synthetic resin and has a hollow portion 2a, and a groove 2b that fits into the spoke portion 1c of the steering wheel core metal 1 at the bottom thereof. It has a boss part storage hole 2c into which the boss part 1a of No. 1 fits, and a horn switch storage recess 2d and a horn switch storage recess 2d above the boss part storage hole 2c.
A screw insertion hole 2e and a lead wire outlet path 2 are provided at the bottom of the
f, and a support pin insertion hole 2g into which the support pin 20 (see FIG. 6) is inserted.

Figure 5 shows the horn switch mounting body 2 placed on the steering wheel core metal 1 in the state shown in Figure 4.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a state in which a horn switch 3 is arranged. In addition, FIG. 7 shows the horn switch 3
In the central cross-sectional view, a shows an example in which both electrodes of the horn switch 3 are restrained by the screws 4, and b shows another state in which both electrodes of the horn switch 3 are restrained by the screws 4. It shows.

In FIGS. 5 and 7, horn switch 3
Seal members 3a and 3b are made of a rubber-based or synthetic resin-based material with high repeatability, such as silicone rubber, and are divided into upper and lower halves, and the lower surface of the seal member 3a corresponds to the inside thereof. It has a horn plate 3c disposed on the side and a contact plate 3d disposed on the upper surface side of the seal member 3b. A necessary number of contacts 3g are arranged on the horn plate 3c. The horn plate 3c is supported by elastic legs 3i of the sealing member 3b that protrude from holes 3h at predetermined positions of the contact plate 3d, and these horn plate 3c and contact plate 3d are connected to the sealing members 3a and 3b. The peripheral edges are glued and sealed, and further, the lead wires 3f and 3e are respectively attached to the horn plate 3.
c or contact plate 3d. The lead wire 3e is connected to the spoke portion 1c of the steering wheel core metal 1, and is grounded on the vehicle body side.

Note that since the horn plate 3c is configured to be displaced toward the contact plate 3d by the pressure applied to the seal members 3a and 3b, the end of the distance maintaining screw 4 screwed into the contact plate 3d By bringing the contact plate 3c into contact with the horn plate 3c, the required distance between the horn plate 3c and the contact plate 3d is maintained, and the contact plate 3c is configured to withstand external force during formation of a coating layer 5, which will be described later.

In this way, the horn switch mounting body 2 disposed on the steering wheel core metal 1 and the horn switch 3 disposed on the top surface of the horn switch mounting body 2 are combined as shown in FIG. It is set in a mold as shown in the state diagram of FIG. 6 when it is stored in a mold.

That is, the steering wheel core metal 1, the horn switch mounting body 2, and the horn switch 3 are set in a mold 10 consisting of a fixed mold 10a and a movable mold 10b, and the ring portion 1b of the steering wheel core metal 1 is assembled.
and a part of the spoke part 1c, the outer periphery excluding the horn switch storage recess 2d of the horn switch mounting body 2,
A space is formed between the upper surface of the sealing member 3a of the horn switch 3 and the mold 10, and a soft synthetic resin is injected into the space and foamed to form a covering layer 5 of the soft foamed synthetic resin as shown in FIG. form.

Therefore, the steering wheel core metal 1, the horn switch mounting body 2, and the horn switch 3 are fixed together with a coating layer 5 of a soft foamed synthetic resin such as foamed polyurethane resin.

A support pin 20 is inserted into the insertion hole 11a of the movable mold 10b to prevent the horn switch 3 and the horn switch mounting body 2 from deforming due to the pressure of the molding material applied to the horn switch 3 during molding. There is.

The steering wheel that has been molded in this way covers the outer surfaces of the steering wheel core 1, the horn switch mounting body 2, and the horn switch 3, and integrates them, and at least the entire upper surface of the steering wheel is integrated. A coating layer 5 made of a soft foamed synthetic resin is formed, and the steering wheel is taken out from the mold 10 by opening the fixed mold 10a and the movable mold 10b. Then, the horn plate 3c and the contact plate 3 are brought into contact with the horn plate 3c by contacting the end thereof with
The distance maintaining screw 4 screwed onto the contact plate 3d used to maintain the necessary distance between the horn plate 3 and the horn plate 3 which had been restrained until then was removed.
c and the seal member 3a can be displaced.

The steering wheel of this embodiment configured as described above has its boss portion 1a by its mounting means.
The steering shaft 30 is inserted into the steering shaft insertion hole 1d, and the serration portion 1e provided in the steering shaft insertion hole 1d is brought into engagement with the serration portion 31 of the steering shaft 30.
The steering wheel of this embodiment is installed by screwing the lock screw 6 into the screw hole 1f that intersects perpendicularly to d, and engaging the groove 32 cut in the steering shaft 30 with the tip of the lock screw 6. Complete. A boss cover 7 made of a hard synthetic resin material and having a plate-shaped contact ring connected to a lead wire 3f on the lower surface covers the outer periphery of the boss portion 1a, and is screwed onto the steering wheel core metal 1. It is screwed on.

Therefore, a steering wheel in which the outer surfaces of the steering wheel core metal 1, horn switch mounting body 2, and horn switch 3 are coated and these are integrated with the coating layer 5 can have a steering function as a normal steering wheel. can. Further, when the horn switch 3 presses the pad portion of the covering layer 5 made of soft foamed synthetic resin, the covering layer 5 is deformed by the pressing force, and the sealing member 3a receives the deformation due to the pressing force of the covering layer 5, and the horn The plate 3c is displaced, and the contact 3g disposed on the horn plate 3c comes into contact with the contact plate 3d,
The horn plate 3c and the contact plate 3
The lead wires 3f and 3e connected to the lead wires 3f and 3e are electrically connected, and the horn can be operated.

Note that when the pressing force on the pad portion of the covering layer 5 for operating the horn switch 3 is released,
Due to the restoring force of the coating layer 5 and the sealing member 3a, the contact between the contact point 3g disposed on the horn plate 3c and the contact plate 3d is released, and the lead wire 3
There is no conduction between f and 3e, and the operation of the horn can be stopped.

As described above, the steering wheel of this embodiment includes a steering wheel core 1, a horn switch mounting body 2 disposed on the steering wheel core 1, and a horn switch mounting body 2 disposed on the top surface of the horn switch mount 2. 3, and a coating layer made of a soft synthetic resin that covers the outer surfaces of the steering wheel core metal 1, the horn switch mounting body 2, and the horn switch 3, and integrates them and forms at least the entire upper surface of the steering wheel. 5, and attachment means formed on the boss portion 1a of the steering wheel core metal 1.

Therefore, since the steering wheel of this embodiment can be attached to the steering shaft 30 by means of the attachment means formed on the boss portion 1a of the steering wheel core metal 1, the steering wheel can be attached to the steering wheel with the covering layer 5 made of soft synthetic resin. The steering wheel and the steering shaft 30 can be attached to each other even if at least the entire upper surface of the steering wheel and the steering shaft 30 are integrally formed.

Furthermore, since the steering wheel can be integrally formed with the covering layer 5 made of soft synthetic resin, at least the entire upper surface of the steering wheel, or the entirety of the steering wheel except for a part of the boss portion 1a, can be made of soft material, depending on the needs of the design. It can be integrated with the covering layer 5 made of synthetic resin, increasing the degree of freedom in its design, and a nearly completed product can be obtained in one molding process, so the conventional pad part can be made into a separate component. The number of manufacturing processes can be recommended by comparison.

In addition, the steering wheel of the above example is as follows:
The horn switch mounting body 2 placed on the steering wheel core metal 1 has a box-like body made of synthetic resin and has a hollow portion 2a, but when implementing the present invention, it is limited to the above embodiment. Instead, the horn switch mounting body 2 can be made of a material other than synthetic resin, such as metal, ceramics, etc. In particular, the horn switch mounting body 2 having the hollow portion 2a can be made lighter. Further, when the horn switch mounting body 2 is made of a foamed synthetic resin such as a hard foamed urethane resin, it can have the functions of weight reduction and shock absorption. Even ceramics having a hollow part 2a can have a shock absorbing function by breaking the hollow part 2a.

Moreover, the steering wheel of the above embodiment is
When the outer surfaces of the steering wheel core bar 1, horn switch mounting body 2, and horn switch 3 are coated and integrated, the entire upper surface of the steering wheel is coated with a coating layer 5 made of soft synthetic resin.
Alternatively, the entire boss portion 1a of the steering wheel except for a portion thereof can be integrated with a covering layer 5 made of soft synthetic resin.

In the steering wheel of the above embodiment, the steering shaft 30 is inserted into the steering shaft insertion hole 1d of the boss portion 1a as an attachment means formed on the boss portion 1a of the steering wheel core metal 1, and the steering shaft 30 is inserted into the steering shaft insertion hole 1d of the boss portion 1a.
The serration portion 1e provided in the steering shaft 30 is engaged with the serration portion 31 of the steering shaft 30, and the lock screw 6 is screwed into the screw hole 1f perpendicularly intersecting the steering shaft insertion hole 1d.
A groove 32 cut into the steering shaft 30 and the tip of the lock screw 6 are engaged with each other.
However, when implementing the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and any means that can be mounted on the boss portion 1a side of the steering wheel core metal 1, that is, behind the steering wheel, may be used. , but is not particularly limited.

[Effects of the invention] As described above, the steering wheel of the invention includes a horn switch mounting body disposed on the steering wheel core, a horn switch disposed on the upper surface of the horn switch mounting body, and the steering wheel core. The steering wheel is provided with a coating layer made of a soft synthetic resin that covers the outer surface of the horn switch mounting frame and the horn switch, and integrates these and forms at least the entire upper surface of the steering wheel. The top surface of the steering wheel can be made of the same soft synthetic resin surface without being involved in attachment to the steering shaft.
Any shape can be freely formed using a mold. Moreover, it can be manufactured into a product through a single molding process. Therefore, the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced, and the degree of freedom in designing the upper surface of the steering wheel can be increased.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is a sectional view taken along line X-X of the steering wheel according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 2 is a plan view of essential parts of the steering wheel according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 6 to 6 are cross-sectional views showing the manufacturing process of the steering wheel according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a central cross-sectional view showing an example of a horn switch used in the steering wheel according to this embodiment. . In the figure, 1...steering wheel core metal, 1a...boss part, 1c...spoke part, 2...
... horn switch mounting body, 3 ... horn switch, 5 ... coating layer. In addition, in the figures, the same reference numerals and symbols indicate the same or equivalent parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) A steering wheel core, a horn switch mounting body disposed on the steering wheel core, a horn switch disposed on the top surface of the horn switch mounting body, and the steering wheel. A coating layer made of a soft synthetic resin that covers the outer surface of the core metal, the horn switch mounting body, and the horn switch, and integrates these and forms at least the entire upper surface of the steering wheel. steering wheel. (2) The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the horn switch mounting body disposed on the steering wheel core metal is formed of a hollow body made of hard synthetic resin. (3) The steering wheel according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the horn switch mounting body disposed on the steering wheel core metal is made of hard foamed synthetic resin.