JPH07108663B2 - Steering wheel - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

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 and a vibration absorbing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a steering wheel of this type has a space between a steering wheel body and a pad so as to absorb impact energy when a driver collides with the steering wheel due to a vehicle accident or the like. A structure provided with a shock absorber is known. Also, in order to suppress the vibration generated in the rim portion of the steering wheel due to the vibration generated from the engine part, the vibration transmitted from the road surface, etc.,
There is known a structure including a vibration suppressing device including a mass body supported by an elastic body.

Further, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-48475, a steering wheel having a structure including a shock absorber and a vibration absorber is known. This steering wheel has a shock absorber attached to the elastic body,
The structure in which the mass body of the vibration absorber is fixed to this shock absorber is adopted.

[0004]

However, when the base of the vibration absorber is firmly fixed and a shock is applied, the wall of the vibration absorber buckles and is plastically deformed, so that the shock is reliably absorbed. On the other hand, in the steering having the structure described in the above-mentioned Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-48475, the shock absorber itself vibrates to absorb the vibration generated from the engine part, the vibration transmitted from the road surface, and the like. This structure has a problem that the absorbing action of the impact energy at the time of impact becomes unstable.

Therefore, the mass body of the vibration absorbing device is fixed to the space inside the shock absorbing body independently of the shock absorbing body, and in order to hold a large weight so as to expand the range for suppressing the vibration, the vibration absorbing device. When the mass body of is increased, the mass body is placed in the space of the shock absorber, and the amount of buckling stroke to absorb the shock at the time of shock cannot be obtained, and the shock cannot be reliably absorbed. If the body is made smaller so that the amount of buckling stroke to absorb the shock at the time of impact is obtained, the mass of the vibration absorber has a problem that the mass for absorbing vibration is insufficient and stable vibration cannot be absorbed. is doing.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the mass necessary for absorbing the vibration generated from the engine portion, the vibration transmitted from the road surface, etc. can be held to ensure the vibration absorption and the impact at the time of collision or the like. (EN) Provided is a steering wheel capable of sufficiently obtaining a buckling stroke for absorption.

[0007]

A steering wheel according to the present invention has a rim portion, a spoke portion fixed to the rim portion, and a boss portion attached to the spoke portion and fixed to a steering shaft. In a steering wheel including a shock absorber and a vibration absorbing device that are buckled and deformed by a shock on the front side of the boss portion, the shock absorber is bent rearward from a front portion and upper and lower portions of the front portion. Is formed in a substantially square frame shape having an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion, and the vibration absorbing device has a mass body, and the mass body is located inside the shock absorbing body and is a lower part of the front surface portion. It is arranged on the boss side with respect to a diagonal line connecting the rear end of the upper wall and the upper wall.

[0008]

In the steering wheel of the present invention, at the time of a shock such as a collision, the driver's head collides with the front side of the upper part of the steering wheel obliquely from above, and the upper wall of the shock absorber is buckled and plastically deformed. Absorbs. When the shock absorber is buckled, the mass body of the vibration absorber is fixed to the side opposite to the upper wall portion of the shock absorber, so that the shock absorber comes into contact with the mass body when the upper wall portion buckles. Without hindering buckling,
A buckling stroke for absorbing vibration can be reliably obtained. Further, since the mass body of the vibration absorber is arranged on the boss side from the diagonal line connecting the lower portion of the front surface of the shock absorber and the rear end of the upper wall portion,
A large mass body that does not hinder the buckling of the shock absorber can be arranged, and vibrations can be reliably absorbed.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, the structure of one embodiment of the steering wheel of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a steering wheel main body of an automobile or the like. The steering wheel main body 1 is composed of an annular rim portion 2, a boss portion 3 located at the center thereof, and a plurality of rim portions 2 and a boss 3a of the boss portion 3 connected to each other. The steering wheel main body 1 has a pad 6 on the upper portion of the spoke portion 4.
Is provided.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2, in which a boss plate 8 is welded and fixed to a boss 3a fitted to a steering shaft (not shown), and the shock absorber 10 is attached to the boss plate 8. The bottom plate portion 11 is attached by locking means (not shown). A rear cover 9 formed of resin covering the rear surface and the rear side surface of the boss 3a is fitted to the rear portion of the boss 3a and fixed to the boss plate 8 with a screw or the like to fix the front surface and the front side surface of the boss 3a. An upper cover 12 having a pad 6 made of a soft resin as a part of the cover is fixed to a flange portion (not shown) protruding from the bottom plate portion 11 of the shock absorber 14 with screws or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the shock absorber 14 is formed by bending an iron plate, extruding a metal material such as aluminum, or casting, or extruding a synthetic resin. Is integrally formed by injection molding, has an opening 18 on the left and right, and is formed in a hollow frame shape having a bottom plate surface portion 11 having a front surface portion 19 and a flange portion as a planar shape. The wall portion 21 is bent in a wavy shape, and the lower wall portion 22 has a substantially cylindrical shape in which the central portion is concavely bent inward, and the upper wall portion 21 is mainly seated in a state where an impact is applied diagonally from the upper front side. It is designed to flex and deform to absorb shock.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a vibration absorbing device 25 is provided on the boss plate 8. The vibration absorbing device 25 is composed of an elastic support member 26 attached to the boss plate 8 and a mass member 27 attached to the elastic support member 26. The mass body 27 is located in the inner space portion 28 of the shock absorber 14, and is a joint portion between the upper wall portion 21 and the bottom plate surface portion 11 which are lower parts of the upper wall portion 21 of the shock absorber 14 shown in FIG. 30
And a portion 32 located on the boss portion 3 side from a diagonal line a connecting the lower wall portion 22 which is the rear end of the lower wall portion 22 and the bent portion 31 of the front surface portion 19.
It is arranged inside.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

When an impact such as a collision occurs, the driver's head collides with the steering wheel at a position p of 10 to 50 mm above the center of the steering wheel body 1 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. At an angle α of 0 to 40 °, the vehicle collides with the upper front side obliquely from above. This shock causes the shock absorber 14 to be plastically deformed by buckling of the upper wall 21 as shown by the solid line in FIG.
Is located on a diagonal line a connecting the joint portion 30 between the upper wall portion 21 and the bottom plate surface portion 11 and the bent portion 31 of the lower wall portion 22 and the front surface portion 19, and when the impact absorber 14 buckles, the vibration absorber Since the mass body 27 of 25 is fixed to the opposite side of the upper wall portion 21 of the shock absorber 14,
When the upper wall 21 buckles, the front surface 19 of the shock absorber 14
The buckling stroke for absorbing vibration can be reliably obtained without contacting the contact with and preventing the buckling.

Further, since the mass body 27 of the vibration absorbing device 25 is arranged on the boss portion 3 side by the diagonal line connecting the lower part of the front surface portion of the shock absorbing body 14 and the rear end of the upper wall portion 21, the mass absorbing body 14 of the shock absorbing body 14 is arranged. A large mass body 27 that does not hinder buckling can be arranged, and vibrations can be reliably absorbed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a vibration absorbing device 25
The front part of the mass body 27 is inclined along a diagonal line a connecting the joint portion 30 between the upper wall portion 21 and the bottom plate surface portion 11 of the shock absorber 14, the lower wall portion 22 and the bent portion 31 of the front surface portion 19. By making surface 27a,
The mass of the mass 27 can be increased, the frequency range for suppressing vibration is expanded, and the most effective mass can be obtained.

In this way, the mass body 27 of the vibration absorber 25 is
As shown in FIG. 5, is a joint portion 30 between the upper wall portion 21 and the bottom plate surface portion 11 of the shock absorber 14, and a bent portion between the lower wall portion 22 and the front surface portion 19.
By arranging it in the portion 32 located on the boss portion 3 side with respect to the diagonal line a connecting 31 to 31, the buckling of the shock absorber 14 is not hindered.

[0018]

According to the present invention, at the time of a shock such as a collision, even if the driver's head collides with the upper portion of the steering wheel, the upper wall of the shock absorber is buckled and plastically deformed, so that the shock is generated. In a steering wheel designed to absorb, when the shock absorber is buckled, the mass body of the vibration absorber is arranged on the boss side from the diagonal line connecting the rear end of the lower upper wall part of the front part of the shock absorber. Therefore, when the upper wall portion buckles, the impact absorber does not contact the mass body and the buckling is not hindered, and a buckling stroke for vibration absorption can be reliably obtained. In addition, as the mass body of the vibration absorber, a large mass body that does not hinder the buckling of the shock absorber can be arranged, and it can hold the mass necessary to absorb the vibration generated from the engine part, the vibration transmitted from the road surface, etc. Vibration absorption can be ensured and a sufficient buckling stroke for shock absorption at the time of collision can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2 of a steering wheel showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram in the same collision state as above.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a collision position and an angle.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the impact absorber absorbs buckling impact.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a steering wheel showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Steering wheel body 2 Rim part 3 Boss part 4 Spoke part 14 Shock absorber 21 Upper wall part 22 Lower wall part 25 Vibration absorber 27 Mass body

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rim portion, a spoke portion fixed to the rim portion, and a boss portion attached to the spoke portion and fixed to a steering shaft, and buckling-deformed by a shock on a front side of the boss portion. In a steering wheel including a shock absorber and a vibration absorber, the shock absorber includes a front surface portion and an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion that are bent rearward from upper and lower portions of the front surface portion. The vibration absorbing device has a mass body, and the mass body is located inside the shock absorber, and is located in the lower part of the front surface and the rear part of the upper wall part. A steering wheel characterized in that the steering wheel is arranged on the boss side with respect to a diagonal line connecting the ends.