JPH08119048A - Steering wheel pad mounting structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To prevent a steering wheel pad from being disengaged from a bag holder when an air bag is inflated by suppressing a cost increased by the use of another parts. CONSTITUTION: Multiple claws 12 extending toward a pad side wall 9 and downward are formed on the side wall part 1b of a bag holder 1 mainly by drawing, and through-holes 14 are formed in the pad side wall 9. Also the claws 12 are fitted closely into the through-holes 14 with the pad side wall 9 positioned outside the side wall part 1b of the bag holder 1, and an engaging projection 13 at the top end of the claws 12 projected from the pad side wall 9 is engaged with an engaging recessed part 15 at the lower part of the through-holes 14. Then a pad 7 is fixed securely to the bag holder 1. When an air bag 3 is inflated, a stress is applied upward and externally. However, a stress exerted upward is relieved by the claws 12 and engaging projection 13 and, even if a stress is exerted upward, the pad side wall 9 supported by a contact surface with the side wall part 1b of the bag holder 1 and a contact surface with the engaging projection 13.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering wheel pad mounting structure, and more particularly to a steering wheel pad mounting structure in which a pad side wall is attached to a side wall portion of a bag holder for an airbag device. It is a thing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a mounting structure of a steering wheel pad having an air bag device therein is as follows, for example. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the metal bag holder 51 has a main body portion 51 having an opening in the center.
It has a side wall portion 51b extending downward in the figure and has a substantially box shape as a whole. The bag holder 51 is fixed to a boss (not shown), and an inflator 52 is arranged in the opening. An air bag 53 and a ring retainer 54 made of cloth are attached to the upper surface of the bag holder 51. Further, a steering wheel pad 55 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a pad) is attached to the bag holder 51 so as to cover itself.

The pad 55 includes a pad main body (not shown) that covers the upper side of the bag holder 51 and a pad side wall 56 extending from a substantially end edge of the pad main body in a direction (downward in the drawing) substantially orthogonal to the bag holder 51 side. . Through holes 57 and 58 are formed in the side wall portion 51b and the pad side wall 56 of the bag holder 51, respectively. The through holes 57 and 58 are aligned so that the pad side wall 56 contacts the side wall portion 51b of the bag holder 51.
1b and 56 are fixed by caulking with rivets 59. By fixing with this rivet 59, the pad 55 is attached to the bag holder 51.

However, with the above-described structure, when the airbag 53 is inflated, the pad side wall 56 receives a large stress in the upward direction of the drawing, and the stress may cause the pad side wall 56 to be broken from the through hole 58. Therefore, conventionally, a pad plate 60 having a recessed portion 60a is placed outside the pad side wall 56 and caulked and fixed by a rivet 59. With this configuration, even if the pad side wall 56 receives an upward stress, the pad side wall 56 can be prevented from being broken due to the frictional force with the contact plate 60 and the engagement by the recess 60a.

However, in the above technique, the pad 55
At the time of mounting, various separate members such as the rivet 59 and the contact plate 60 are required, which increases the cost required for mounting. Then, as a technique for solving such a problem in terms of cost, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-1
The one disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 89962 is known. In this technique, as shown in FIG. 7, a large number of claw portions 62 are formed so as to project on the outer periphery of the bag holder (base plate) 61. Further, an engaging tongue 63 which is curved and formed in a substantially U shape is provided near the outer peripheral portion of the bag holder 61. Further, at the tip of this engaging tongue 63, the claw 6 is provided.
A hole 64 is formed at a position corresponding to 2. And
When the pad 65 is attached, the through hole 67 of the pad side wall 66 is engaged with the claw portion 62, the engaging tongue 63 is bent inward, and the hole 64 at the tip of the engaging tongue 63 is fitted into the claw portion 62.
To be engaged. By this engagement, the pad 65 is fixed to the bag holder 61. Further, according to the mounting structure described above, separate members such as the rivet 59 and the contact plate 60 described above are not required, and the cost can be reduced. Further, by securing the width of the claw portion 62 to some extent, even when a stress is applied to the pad 65 in the vertical direction, the stress is dispersed and the breakage of the pad side wall 66 can be suppressed.

[0006]

However, in the technique described in the above publication, the engaging tongue 63 is bent inward,
The pad 65 is attached by engaging the hole 64 at the tip of the engaging tongue 63 with the claw 62. Therefore, although there is not much problem with the upward stress in the figure,
When a stress is applied outward (to the left in the drawing), the claw portion 62 may come out of the through hole 67, and it may become impossible to maintain the engaged state. That is, when the air bag is inflated, the pad 65 is stressed upward and outward in the drawing. The stress at this time may cause the pad 65 to come off the bag holder 61.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to suppress an increase in cost due to the use of separate parts such as a rivet and a backing plate.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mounting structure for a steering wheel pad that can prevent the steering wheel pad from coming off the bag holder when the airbag is inflated.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, in the invention described in claim 1, at least a main body portion and a side wall portion extending from a substantially end edge of the main body portion in a direction substantially orthogonal to each other are provided, and at least the side wall portion is provided. A steering wheel pad having one portion fixed to a steering wheel, a bag holder to which an airbag is attached, a pad main body covering the bag holder, and a pad side wall extending from the pad main body toward the bag holder. And a side wall of the bag holder, the side wall of the bag holder being attached to the side wall of the bag holder so as to be attached to the side wall of the bag holder. The part has a claw that extends outwardly and downwardly of the side wall of the pad, and has a tip provided with an engaging projection protruding inward. Then, while forming a through hole in the pad side wall, an engaging recess or engaging hole is formed below the through hole on the outer surface of the pad side wall, and the claw is fitted into the through hole. The gist of the invention is that the engaging projections at the tips of the claws protruding from the pad side wall are engaged with the engaging recesses or the engaging holes.

According to the second aspect of the invention,
The steering wheel pad mounting structure according to claim 1, characterized in that a notch is provided at least at each corner portion of the pad side wall.

Further, in the invention described in claim 3, there is provided the steering wheel pad mounting structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the base portion of the pawl is connected to the side wall portion at an end portion in the width direction. The main point is that the raised standing wall is formed.

In addition, in the invention according to claim 4, there is provided the steering wheel pad mounting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the claw tip is provided on the side wall portion below the claw. The gist of the invention is that an opening having a width larger than the width of the engaging projection is provided.

In addition, in the invention described in claim 5, there is provided the steering wheel pad mounting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the through hole and the engaging recess or the engaging hole and the The gist of the claw is that the claw is provided in the vicinity of a portion where a rupture occurs first when the airbag is inflated.

[0013]

According to the configuration of the invention described in claim 1 above,
At least one position of the bag holder is fixed to the steering wheel. An airbag is attached to the bag holder. Further, the pad body of the steering wheel pad covers the bag holder, and the pad side wall extending from the pad body toward the bag holder is located outside the side wall portion extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to the substantially end edge of the body portion of the bag holder. It is attached to the side wall so as to be positioned.

That is, the side wall of the bag holder is provided with a claw extending outward and downward of the side wall of the pad, and at the tip end thereof is formed a claw having an engaging projection protruding inward. The claw is fitted into the through hole. Further, the engaging projections at the tips of the claws protruding from the pad side wall are engaged with the engaging recesses or engaging holes formed on the outer side surface of the pad side wall below the through hole. With such an attachment structure, the steering wheel pad can be firmly attached to the bag holder even without separate members such as a rivet and a contact plate. Further, when the airbag is inflated, the steering wheel pad is subjected to upward and outward stress, but the upward stress is
While the claw having a predetermined width hits the through hole portion,
The engagement projection can be relaxed by engaging with the engagement recess or the engagement hole. Further, even when an outward stress is applied, the steering wheel pad is supported by the contact surface of the side wall portion and the contact surface of the tip end side of the pawl because the pawl extends downward toward the side wall of the pad. It will not wobble easily and the nail will not come off.

Further, according to the structure of the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the function described in claim 1, since at least each corner portion of the pad side wall is provided with a notch, the pad side wall is It can flex relatively easily. Therefore, the work of fitting the pad toward the bag holder can be performed relatively easily.

Further, according to the configuration of the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the actions described in claims 1 and 2, the claw is
Since the standing wall portion is connected to the side wall portion, the deformation strength of the claw is increased, and the pad also supports the pad on the lower surface of the standing wall portion in the pull-out direction, which improves the mounting stability.

In addition, according to the structure of the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effects described in claims 1 to 3, the width of the opening provided in the side wall portion below the claw is such that the tip of the claw is Since the width of the engaging projection is larger than the width of the engaging projection, the portion of the side wall of the pad near the through hole is more likely to bend when the engaging projection is engaged with the engaging recess or the engaging hole. It is easy to be guided to the abutment hole.

According to the structure of the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the effects described in claims 1 to 4, the through hole and the vicinity of the portion where the rupture occurs first when the airbag is inflated are provided. Since the engaging recess or the engaging hole and the claw are located, the pad side wall near the portion where the rupture occurs first is firmly supported and fixed by the engagement of the claw. Therefore, the expansion of the pad due to the expansion of the airbag is minimized, and the pad is expanded more smoothly and more quickly.

[0019]

As described above, according to the steering wheel pad mounting structure of the present invention, it is possible to suppress an increase in cost due to the use of separate parts such as a rivet and a backing plate, and at the time of inflating the airbag. It has an excellent effect that the steering wheel pad can be prevented from coming off the bag holder.

Particularly, according to the invention described in claim 2 or 4, in addition to the above effect, the side wall of the pad bends relatively easily,
This has an excellent effect that the time required for mounting can be shortened.

Further, according to the invention of claim 3,
It is possible to improve the mounting stability of the steering wheel pad. In addition, according to the invention described in claim 5, there is an effect that it is possible to shorten the time until the steering wheel pad is expanded and the airbag is completely inflated.

[0022]

First Embodiment (First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the metal bag holder 1 has a main body portion 1a having an opening at the center and a side wall portion 1b extending downward in the figure, and has a substantially box shape as a whole. ing. The bag holder 1 is fixed to a boss of a steering wheel (not shown) at a fixing portion 1c. An inflator 2 (see FIG. 1) in which a gas generating agent is housed is arranged inside the opening. An airbag 3 made of cloth (see FIG. 1) and a ring retainer 4 are attached to the upper surface of the bag holder 1. More specifically, the ring retainer 4 is integrally formed with a plurality of leg portions 5 protruding downward. Then, the leg portions 5 are inserted into the through holes of the airbag 3 and the bag holder 1, and the nuts 6 are fastened to the screw portions of the leg portions 5 projecting from the lower side of the bag holder 1, whereby the air The bag 3 and the ring retainer 4 are attached and fixed to the bag holder 1. Furthermore, this bag holder 1
A steering wheel pad 7 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a pad) is attached to the so as to cover itself.
The pad 7 is made of a thermoplastic elastomer, and a pad body 8 for covering the upper side of the bag holder 1 and the pad body 8
Is provided with a pad side wall 9 extending in a direction (downward in the drawing) substantially orthogonal to the side of the bag holder 1 from a substantially end edge thereof. The pad body 8 has a pad 7 when the airbag 3 is inflated.
A flat H-shaped groove 10 is formed in order to facilitate the expansion. Further, in this embodiment, the pad side wall 9
A cut 11 is provided in at least each corner portion of the.

When a predetermined impact or the like is generated, a large amount of gas is generated from the inflator 2 and the airbag 3 is inflated. Due to this expansion, a crack is formed along the groove 10 of the pad body 8, the pad 7 is expanded, and the airbag 3 is expanded between the occupant and the steering wheel.
Are intervened.

Next, the mounting structure of the pad 7 in this embodiment will be described in detail. The side wall portion 1b of the bag holder 1 is formed with a plurality of claws 12 extending toward the pad side wall 9 (outward) and downward. In these claws 12, a part of the side wall portion 1b is cut out, and the opening portion 1d is formed.
After being formed, it is formed by drawing. As a result, a standing wall portion 12a connected to the side wall portion 1b is formed at the widthwise end portion of the base portion of the claw 12.

Further, the tip side of these claws 12 is formed to be narrower than the base side, and an engaging projection 13 projecting inward is integrally formed at the tip portion thereof. On the other hand, a through hole 14 is formed at a position corresponding to the claw 12 on the pad side wall 9. Further, on the outer side surface of the pad side wall 9, an engaging recess 15 is formed below the through hole 14. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the width W1 of the opening 1d located below the pawl 12 is formed to be larger than the width W2 of the engaging projection 13 at the tip of the pawl 12. .

In this embodiment, the pad side wall 9 is
The bag holder 1 is attached so as to be located outside the side wall portion 1b. That is, the pad 7 is attached so as to be fitted into the bag holder 1 from above. At this time, at each corner of the pad side wall 9,
Since the notch 11 is provided, the pad side wall 9 can be bent relatively easily. Then, the claw 12 and the through hole 14 are aligned with each other.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the claw 12 is fitted into the through hole 14. At this time, since the tip end side of the claw 12 is formed relatively narrow, it can be fitted into the through hole 14 relatively easily. Then, the tip end side of the claw 12 is in a state of protruding downward from the pad side wall 9. afterwards,
The tip end side of the claw 12 is guided toward the engagement recess 15, and the engagement protrusion 13 is eventually engaged with the engagement recess 15. At this time, due to the presence of the engagement protrusion 13, the claw 12 is undercut with respect to the pad side wall 9, but the width W1 of the opening 1d of the side wall portion 1b located on the far side is equal to the width W2 of the engagement protrusion 13. Since it is formed larger than the above, the portion of the pad side wall 9 in the vicinity of the engaging recess 15 is more likely to be bent, and is easily guided to the engaging recess 15.
When this engagement is completed, the pad 7 is firmly fixed to the bag holder 1. Further, at this time, the base end portion of the claw 12 is engaged while being substantially accommodated in the through hole 14. More specifically, the pad 7 is also supported at the base end portion of the claw 12 including the lower surface of the standing wall portion 12a and the root portion of the engagement protrusion 13.

By adopting the above-mentioned mounting structure, the pad 7 can be firmly mounted to the bag holder 1 without the separate members such as the rivet and the contact plate described in the prior art. Further, the claw 12 is formed by punching out a part of the side wall portion 1b,
It can be obtained by drawing. As a result, when the pad 7 is attached, it is not necessary to use a separate component, and it is possible to suppress an increase in cost due to the use of the separate component.

When the airbag 3 is inflated,
As shown in FIG. 4, upward and outward stress is applied to the pad 7, and the upward stress is applied to the pawl 12
Also, it can be relaxed by the engagement of the engagement protrusions 13.
In particular, the claw 12 is formed by drawing, and the standing wall 12a is formed.
Since the claw 12 is connected to the side wall portion 1b by means of, the deformation strength of the entire claw 12 is increased, and the pad 7 is also supported by the lower surface of the standing wall portion 12a and the base portion of the engaging projection 13 in the direction of its removal. Therefore, it is possible to secure the stability of the mounting state.

Further, even when an outward stress is applied,
Since the tip portion of the claw 12 extends downward in the drawing, the pad 7 is provided on the abutting surface of the side wall portion 1b of the bag holder 1 and the claw 12.
Will be supported by the abutting surface of the engaging projection 13 at the tip of the. Therefore, the stress due to the expansion of the airbag 3 is applied to the pad 7
Even if it hits, the pad side wall 9 is hard to wobble,
Furthermore, the nail 12 does not fall out. As a result, it is possible to prevent the pad 7 from coming off the bag holder 1 when the airbag 3 is inflated.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. However, in the present embodiment, since the basic configuration is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. The points will be mainly described.

As shown in FIG. 5, of the planar H-shaped groove 10 formed in the pad body 8, the portion where the rupture occurs first when the airbag 3 is inflated (encircled by a chain double-dashed line in the figure). This is different from the first embodiment in that the engagement by the claw 21 exists near the (part). That is, the side wall 1b of the bag holder 1 is formed with a claw 21 similar to the claw 12 by punching after punching, and the pad side wall 9 is formed.
It is fitted in the through hole 22 of. Further, the engaging projection 23 of the tip portion of the claw 21 protruding from the pad side wall 9 is engaged with the engaging recess 24 which is also located below the through hole 22.

According to the structure of the second embodiment, in addition to the description of the first embodiment, the following operational effects are obtained. That is, when the airbag 3 is inflated, the pad 7 is mainly subjected to the upward stress in the figure. At this time, the pad side wall 9 in the vicinity of the portion where the rupture first occurs is firmly supported and fixed by the engagement of the claw 21 and the engaging projection 23. Therefore, the expansion of the pad body 8 due to the expansion of the airbag 3 is suppressed to a minimum, and the pad 7 is expanded more smoothly and more quickly along the groove 10. as a result,
It is possible to shorten the time from the generation of gas from the inflator 2 until the pad 7 is expanded and the airbag 3 is completely inflated.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but may be configured as follows, for example. (1) In each of the above-described embodiments, the shape of the drawn portions of the claws 12 and 21 is formed to have a U-shaped cross section, but as shown in FIG. 6, the shape of the drawn portions of the claw 31 has a trapezoidal cross section. It may be formed in any shape. Further, the drawn portion may have a curved shape. That is, basically, the shape thereof is not particularly limited as long as it has an engaging projection at the tip of the claw, and it can relax the stress on the upper and lateral sides of the pad side wall 9. Good.

(2) In each of the above-described embodiments, the notch 11 is provided at each corner of the pad side wall 9, but the notch 11 may be omitted. (3) In each of the above-described embodiments, the shape of the through holes 14 and 22, that is, the opening direction of the through holes 14 and 22 is set to the direction orthogonal to the pad side wall 9. However, for example, the opening direction is downward toward the outside. The opening may be formed in a so-called tapered shape facing. With this configuration, the claws 12, 21
Can be smoothly guided into the through holes 14, 22.

(4) In the above-mentioned respective embodiments, the engaging recesses 13,
Although the engaging projections 13 and 23 are engaged with 23,
Instead of the engaging recesses 13 and 23, engaging holes may be used. What is not stated in each claim of the claims,
The technical ideas that can be understood from the above-described embodiments will be described below along with their effects.

(A) The steering wheel pad mounting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the tip end side of the pawl is formed to be narrower than the base end portion. To do. With this configuration, the claw can be fitted into the through hole relatively easily.

(B) The steering wheel pad mounting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5 or above (a), wherein a plurality of the pawls are formed.
With this configuration, the attachment state of the pad to the bag holder can be made more reliable.

(C) The steering wheel pad mounting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and the above-mentioned supplementary notes (a) or (b), wherein the opening of the through hole faces downward toward the outside. It is characterized in that it is formed in a so-called tapered shape. With this configuration, the claw can be easily guided to the through hole, and the attachment can be easily performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view showing a mounting structure of a steering wheel pad according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a pad mounting structure of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing enlargedly a claw and the like in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the action when the airbag is inflated in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a pad mounting structure in a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view showing enlargedly a claw and the like in another example.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a pad mounting structure in a conventional technique.

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view showing another conventional pad mounting structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Bag holder, 1a ... Main body, 1b ... Side wall, 3 ...
Airbag, 7 ... Steering wheel pad, 8 ... Pad body, 9 ... Pad side wall, 11 ... Notch, 12, 2
1, 31 ... Claws, 13, 23 ... Engaging projections, 14, 22 ... Through holes, 15, 24 ... Engaging recesses.

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Katsunobu Sakane 1 Ochiai, Nagachiji, Kasuga-cho, Nishikasugai-gun, Aichi Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. In the company

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A body portion (1a) and a side wall portion (1b) extending in a direction substantially orthogonal from a substantially end edge of the body portion (1a), at least one portion being fixed to a steering wheel, A bag holder (1) to which an airbag (3) is attached, a pad body (8) covering the bag holder (1), and a pad extending from the pad body (8) to the bag holder (1) side. And a steering wheel pad (7) having a side wall (9), the pad side wall (9)
A mounting structure for a steering wheel pad, which is attached to a side wall portion (1b) of the bag holder (1) so as to be located outside the side wall portion (1b), the bag holder (1) The side wall portion (1b) of the pad extends outward and below the pad side wall (9),
A claw (12, 21, 31) having an engaging projection (13, 23) protruding inward is formed at the tip end portion, and a through hole (14, 22) is formed in the pad side wall (9). In addition, engaging recesses (15, 24) or engaging holes are formed below the through holes (14, 22) on the outer surface of the pad side wall (9), and the through holes (14, 22) are formed. To the nail (1
2, 21, 31), and the engaging projections (13, 23) at the tips of the claws (12, 21, 31) protruding from the pad side wall (9) are fitted into the engaging recesses (15, 2).
4) or a mounting structure for a steering wheel pad, characterized by being engaged with an engagement hole. 2. The steering wheel pad mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein notches (11) are provided at least at respective corner portions of the pad side wall (9). Mounting structure. 3. The mounting structure for a steering wheel pad according to claim 1, wherein the claws (12, 2) are provided.
1, 31) at the widthwise end of the base, the side wall (1
A mounting structure for a steering wheel pad, characterized in that a standing wall portion (12a) connected to b) is formed. 4. The mounting structure for a steering wheel pad according to claim 1, wherein the claw (1
2, 21 and 31), the side wall portion (1b) below the engaging projections (13, 2) at the tips of the claws (12, 21, 31).
A mounting structure for a steering wheel pad, characterized in that an opening (1d) having a width (W1) larger than the width (W2) of 3) is provided. 5. The mounting structure for a steering wheel pad according to claim 1, wherein the through hole (14, 22) and the engaging recess (15, 24) or the engaging hole and the pawl. (12, 21, 31) is a mounting structure for a steering wheel pad, characterized in that it is provided in the vicinity of a portion where rupture occurs first when the airbag (3) is inflated.