JPH08253099A - Steering wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To restrain a controller provided with an impact sensor from being removed erroneously. CONSTITUTION: A controller 46 provided with an impact sensor is built in a steering wheel to detect some impact and control an air bag. A controller 46 is mounted by fixing four attaching pieces 48 onto the boss element 7 of a steering wheel main body 1 with mounting screws 49 respectively. The mounting screws 49 on both sides are covered with a hone plate 21. An air bag module is attached onto the hone plate 21. The mounting screws 49 for fixing the controller 46 are blocked by the hone plate 21, so as not to be exposed to the outside even if the air bag module is removed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering wheel provided with an airbag device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in an automobile, an airbag system for protecting an occupant from an impact at the time of a collision has been used. In this airbag system, a bumper is provided with a collision sensor, and an acceleration sensor for measuring deceleration (negative acceleration) at the time of a collision is provided at the front part of the vehicle body, for example, below the inside of the instrument panel. It is connected to the controller unit provided below the inside of the instrument panel. Further, the steering wheel is provided with an airbag device provided with an inflator for injecting gas, a bag-shaped airbag inflated and expanded by the gas, and the igniter of this inflator is connected to the controller unit. There is. And
In the event of a vehicle collision, the controller unit analyzes the measurement results of each sensor, and when it is determined that the vehicle is in a collision, the inflator is actuated as necessary to inflate and deploy the airbag.

However, in the above-mentioned conventional structure, there is a problem that wiring is required from the front end portion of the automobile to the inside of the steering wheel, so that the number of work steps and the number of parts are increased and the cost is increased. .

In this respect, for example, a steering wheel described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 4-5155 is known.
In this configuration, a controller unit having an acceleration sensor and an electronic circuit is attached to the boss of the steering wheel, and a pad body having an inflator and an airbag is attached to the occupant side of the controller unit to simplify the configuration. I am trying to

However, as described above, when the controller unit incorporating the sensor is attached to the steering wheel, the sensor is incorporated in order to accurately detect the impact of the collision transmitted from the vehicle body through the steering shaft. The controller unit must be attached to the steering wheel accurately and securely.
When performing such maintenance, inspection, and adjustment of the steering wheel, the pad body may be removed and the nut that is screwed onto the steering shaft may be removed to remove the steering wheel from the steering shaft. When removed, the controller unit is exposed to the outside, and the controller unit can be easily removed. Therefore, if the controller unit attached to the boss of the steering wheel is intentionally or mistakenly removed, there is a problem that a complicated work of attaching the controller unit again accurately and surely becomes necessary. Further, when the wiring such as the power supply connected to the controller unit is removed, there is a problem that a complicated work for connecting the wiring again is required.

[0006]

As described above, when the controller unit incorporating the sensor is attached to the steering wheel, in order to reliably detect the impact of the collision transmitted from the vehicle body through the steering shaft, There is a problem that the controller unit needs to be accurately and surely attached to the steering wheel, and if the controller unit is removed, a complicated work of accurately and surely attaching the controller unit again is required.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel capable of suppressing removal of a controller including a sensor of an airbag device.

[0008]

A steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein a steering wheel body, a controller having a sensor and a mounting portion mounted on the steering wheel body, and the steering wheel body covering the mounting portion. It is provided with attached parts and an airbag device attached to the steering wheel body, covering the parts and the controller.

According to another aspect of the steering wheel of the present invention,
In the steering wheel according to the first aspect, the component covers all of the plurality of mounting portions provided.

A steering wheel according to claim 3 is
In the steering wheel according to claim 1 or 2, the component is a horn plate having a movable contact of a horn switch mechanism.

[0011]

In the steering wheel according to the first aspect of the present invention, the mounting portion for mounting the controller equipped with the sensor on the steering wheel body is covered with the components mounted on the steering wheel body. Is not exposed to the outside, and the controller is prevented from being removed from the steering wheel body.

According to the steering wheel of the second aspect, in addition to the operation of the first aspect, the component covers all of the plurality of mounting portions provided, so that the controller is reliably prevented from being removed from the steering wheel body. It

In the steering wheel according to a third aspect of the invention, in addition to the operation of the first or second aspect, the component is a horn plate having a movable contact of a horn switch mechanism, so that a separate component for covering the mounting portion of the controller is provided. Therefore, the number of parts is reduced.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The construction of one embodiment of the steering wheel of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a steering wheel body, which is a steering wheel body 1.
Has a ring-shaped rim portion (ring portion) 2, a boss portion 3 located inside the rim portion 2, and a plurality of spoke portions 4 connecting the rim portion 2 and the boss portion 3. ing. An airbag module 5 as an airbag device is attached to the upper portion (passenger side) of the boss portion 3 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a substantially cylindrical metal boss 6 is provided below the boss portion 3 of the steering wheel body 1, and the boss 6 is attached to a steering shaft of an automobile (not shown). It is designed to be fitted and fixed. Also,
On the upper part of the boss 6, the boss body 7 is an aluminum alloy,
A light alloy such as a magnesium alloy is formed by die casting or the like, and is integrally fixed to the boss 6. Further, a core metal 4a of the spoke portion 4 is integrally formed on the boss body 7, and the core metal 4a is joined to the core metal 2a of the rim portion 2. A covering portion 8 made of a soft synthetic resin or the like is formed on the outer portion of the spoke portion 4 and the rim portion 2,
Cores 2a and 4a are covered.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, horn switch mounting portions 9 are provided integrally or separately near the four corners of the boss body 7. The horn switch mounting portion 9 is formed with a mounting seat portion 12 having a fixing hole 11 opened upward, and a copper contact rivet is press-fitted adjacent to the mounting seat portion 12. The fixed contact (contact boss) 14 is formed. Also,
In the vicinity of the front side portion and the side edge portion of the boss body 7, controller mounting screw holes 16 are formed at a total of four places on both sides thereof. Further, a cover mounting hole 18 is formed in each of the cored bar 4a of each spoke portion 4.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, a pair of left and right horn plates 21 constituting parts are attached to the upper side of each horn switch mounting portion 9, and a pair of left and right horns are attached. A switch mechanism is configured.

Each horn plate 21 is a metal plate,
For example, pressing a steel plate, aluminum plate, etc.,
A board portion 24 having a longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction, a support piece portion 25 as a main body side mounting portion bent upward from a central portion in the longitudinal direction outside the board portion 24, and the like are integrally formed. . Further, in the vicinity of the front and rear ends in the longitudinal direction of the substrate portion 24,
Movable contacts 26 having conductivity are fixedly provided, and are electrically connected to the horn plate 21, respectively. When the movable contact 26 and the fixed contact 14 of the steering wheel body 1 come into contact with each other, the horn switch is closed.

In addition, in each of the base plate portions 24, an inner reinforcing plate portion 27 that extends upward is integrally formed by bending on the inner side portion along the longitudinal direction, and the outer side portion along the longitudinal direction,
The outer reinforcing plate portion 28 extending upward is integrally bent. Further, in the vicinity of the front and rear ends of the base plate portion 24, through holes 31 each having a downwardly facing flange portion are formed.

The upper insulators (insulating members) 33 integrally formed of insulating synthetic resin are attached to the upper surfaces of the front and rear ends of the substrate portion 24 of each horn plate 21, respectively. There is. Then, in each upper insulator 33, a substantially cylindrical positioning support portion 34 is provided so as to cover the upper side of the movable contact 26 so as to project upward, and at the through hole 31 of the substrate portion 24. A tubular portion 35 to be fitted is provided so as to project downward, and a hook-shaped locking piece 36 is provided at the lower end portion of the tubular portion 35.
Are formed.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, on the lower surfaces near the front and rear ends of the substrate portion 24 of each horn plate 21, an annular ring integrally formed of insulating synthetic resin or the like is used. A lower insulator (resin cap) 37 is attached. Then, each lower insulator 37 fits into the tubular portion 35 of the upper insulator 33 and also engages with the locking piece 36 so as to cover the flange portion of the substrate portion 24.

Each horn plate 21 is biased upward by a coil-shaped spring body 41 as an elastic means that fits into the tubular portion 35 of the upper insulator 33, and the tubular portion It is locked downward by a so-called Torx bolt 42 through which 35 is inserted, and is supported elastically in the vertical direction so as to be able to move forward and backward.

That is, the Torx bolt 42 is provided with a threaded portion 42a having a thread groove and a head portion 42b having a diameter larger than that of the threaded portion 42a, and the threaded portion 42a and the head portion 42b are formed. And a columnar portion 42c having a diameter dimension between the threaded portion 42a and the head portion 42b is formed therebetween. Then, the cylindrical portion 42 of the Torx bolt 42
c is slidably inserted from the upper side into the tubular portion 35 of the upper insulator 33, and the screw portion 42a is attached to the mounting seat portion of the horn switch mounting portion 9.
The horn plate 21 is vertically movably guided by the cylindrical portion 42c of the Torx bolt 42 in a state of being screwed into the fixing holes 11 of 12 and is urged upward by the spring body 41. , Torx bolt 42 head 42b
Engages with the upper surface of the upper insulator 33 so that it can come into contact with and separates from the upper surface of the upper insulator 33, and regulates the height position of the horn plate 21 to keep the distance between the movable contact 26 and the fixed contact 14 constant. ing. In this state, the spring body 41 and the Torx bolt 42 are insulated from the horn plate 21 by the upper insulator 33 and the lower insulator 37, and the Torx bolt 42 of the Torx bolt 42 inserted inside the spring body 41. The columnar portion 42c prevents the change of the elastic force due to the inclination of the spring body 41. The head 42b of the Torx bolt 42 is formed with an engaging portion 42d having a substantially hexagonal star shape that can be engaged by only a special tool.

Further, the support piece portion 25 formed by bending upward from the base plate portion 24 of the horn plate 21 has a through hole 44 having a circular hole shape, and the upper end of the support piece portion 25. The part is bent outward so as to expand, and the inclined guide part
45 are formed.

Further, on the upper surface of the boss body 7, a controller 46 having a substantially U-shaped plane is attached so as to surround the boss 6. In the controller 46, an acceleration sensor and a circuit board of a collision diagnosis circuit for activating the inflator 53 by analyzing the waveform of the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor are housed inside the controller case 47. . Also, mounting piece portions 48 as a pair of mounting portions are provided on the front side portion and the side portion of the controller case 47 so as to be paired with each other, and the through holes 48 a formed in these mounting piece portions 48 are formed. Insert the mounting screw 49 into the boss 7
By screwing into the controller mounting screw hole 16 of
It is firmly fixed to a predetermined position of the steering wheel body 1.

The mounting pieces 48 provided on both sides of the controller 46 and the mounting screws 49 inserted into the mounting pieces 48 are located below the horn plate 21 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Then, as seen from the passenger side, the horn plate
It is hidden behind 21.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the airbag module 5 has a base plate 51 having a substantially rectangular plane shape which is formed by pressing a metal plate such as a steel plate into a substantially box shape. A substantially cylindrical inflator 53 for injecting gas is fixed to a circular hole 52 formed in the center of the base plate 51. In addition, this base plate
A folded air bag 54 is attached to the upper surface of the inflator 53 using an annular retainer 54a so as to cover the inflator 53, and a cover body 55 is formed so as to cover the base plate 51 and the air bag 54. Is attached.

The cover 55 is made of a soft resin,
For example, a cover main body 56 that is injection-molded with a thermoplastic elastomer into a substantially box-like shape with an open lower surface, covers the upper surfaces of part of the boss portion 3 and the spoke portion 4, and a rectangular tubular shape from the lower surface of the cover main body portion 56. The peripheral wall portion 57 projecting from the base is integrally formed. And this peripheral wall portion 57 is a base plate.
Side wall portion 58 bent downward from the peripheral portion of 51
It is fitted to the outside of and is fixed to the side wall portion 58 by a plurality of rivets 59 as fixing means.

A mounting piece 63 is formed on each side of the side wall 58 of the base plate 51 of the airbag module 5 with a part of the side wall 58 projecting downward. A nut 65 is caulked, press-fitted or welded to be fixed to a through hole formed in the portion. The nut 65 has a substantially cylindrical shape with a thread groove formed on the inner peripheral surface, and is fixed in a state of protruding inside the mounting piece 63.

The cover body 56 of the cover body 55 includes
A fragile tear line 56a is formed in a substantially H-shaped plane.

The airbag module 5 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the threaded portion 68a of a bolt 68 such as a so-called cap bolt is inserted into the through hole 44 of the support piece 25 of the horn plate 21 from both outer sides of the airbag module 5, and the threaded portion 68a is inserted into the base plate. By tightening by screwing it onto the nut 65 fixed to the mounting piece 63 of the 51, the expanded portion 68b of the bolt 68 and the mounting piece 63 of the base plate 51.
And the support piece 25 of the horn plate 21 is sandwiched and tightened, the attachment piece 63 of the base plate 51 and the support piece 25 of the horn plate 21 are fastened, and the airbag module 5 is attached to the steering wheel body 1. It is designed to be firmly fixed. Further, in this state, the positioning support portions 34 of the respective upper insulators 33 abut the base plate 51 at a total of four positions, position the airbag module 5 in the horizontal direction, and fasten the airbag module 5 with the bolts 68. It is designed to facilitate the work to be done.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a back cover 70 is provided on the lower side of the steering wheel body 1 to cover the inner side of the spokes 4 and the lower side of the boss 3. There is. A mounting boss 71 having a substantially cylindrical shape is formed on the back cover 70, and the steering wheel body 1
The back cover 70 is fixed to the steering wheel body 1 by screwing through screws 72 that pass through the cover mounting holes 18 into these mounting bosses 71. Also, this back cover
A reel device mounting portion 74 for mounting a cable reel device (not shown) that electrically connects a vehicle body side component and a steering wheel that is rotationally operated is formed in the lower portion of 70. Further, the back cover 70 is provided with a pair of side opening portions facing the supporting piece portions 25 of the horn plates 21 on both sides.
76 is formed, and a rear opening 77 is formed on the front side of the passenger side. Also, these side openings
76 and the rear opening 77 are openably and closably covered by a side cover 78 and a rear cover 79, respectively.

Further, the controller 46 is connected to the cable reel device and is supplied with power, and the controller 46, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, connects the lead wire 8 to the horn plate 21 and the inflator 53, respectively.
Connected via 1,82.

When assembling the steering wheel body 1 thus constructed, first, the boss body 7 is used.
The back cover 70 is fixed to the back surface of the above using the through screw 72, and then the controller 46 is fixed to the boss body 7 with the mounting screw 49. At this time, the wiring connector of the controller 46 and the horn plate 21 (not shown) to the vehicle body side is led out from the rear opening 77 of the back cover 70. Subsequently, the upper insulator 33, the lower insulator 37, and the spring body 41 are assembled to the horn plate 21, and the horn plate 21 is attached to the boss body 7 by means of the Torx bolt 42 so as to be able to move back and forth. Further, a cable reel device is attached to the back cover 70 with screws or the like, and the controller 46 and the wiring connector to the vehicle body side of the horn plate 21 are connected to the cable reel device.

Then, the steering wheel body 1
By pushing the airbag module 5 downward with the airbag module 5 attached thereto, the entire airbag module 5 is lowered, and the mounting piece portion 63 of the base plate 51 is attached to the horn plate 21 via the bolt 68. Of the horn switch mechanism, the horn plate 21 is urged by the spring body 41 while pushing the support piece 25 of the base plate 51 in the vicinity of the four corners of the base plate 51. The movable contact 26 of the horn plate 21 is brought into contact with the fixed contact 14 of the boss body 7 by pushing down against the above, and the horn mechanism is operated to blow the horn.

Also, in the event of a vehicle collision, the acceleration sensor of the controller 46 measures the impact transmitted to the steering wheel via the steering shaft, and the collision diagnosis circuit analyzes the waveform measured by this acceleration sensor,
Operate the inflator 53. Then the inflator 53
The airbag 54 is inflated by the gas injected from the cover 54, and the cover body 55 is cleaved along the tear line 56a due to the pressure of the inflation to form a projecting opening. It is inflated and deployed on the front side to protect the occupants from impact.

According to the steering wheel of this embodiment, at least two of the mounting piece 48 and the mounting screw 49 for mounting the controller 46 having the impact sensor on the steering wheel body 1 are mounted on the steering wheel body 1. Because it was covered with horn plate 21, etc.,
The airbag module 5 is attached to the steering wheel body 1
Even when the controller 46 is removed from the steering wheel main body 1, the mounting screw 49 is not directly exposed to the outside of the occupant side and a tool or the like cannot be inserted, so that the controller 46 can be prevented from being accidentally removed from the steering wheel body 1. So, when you accidentally remove the controller 46,
Prevents complicated reassembly work and wiring work,
The management cost after manufacturing the steering wheel can be reduced, and the state in which the controller 46 is securely attached can be maintained to smoothly operate the airbag device. The necessity of the work for connecting the controller 46 and the inflator 53 is intuitively clear, and even if the controller 46 and the inflator 53 are once removed, they can be restored properly.

Also in the manufacturing process of the steering wheel, since the steering wheel can be supplied to the assembly line of the vehicle body in a state where the controller 46, the cable reel device and the like are assembled,
Reel device for cable Body terminal and controller of device
It is possible to easily carry out the energization operation inspection of the wiring connector and the horn switch of the airbag module side of 46 on a line other than the vehicle body assembly line. Since the steering wheel that has undergone the quality inspection in this way can be assembled to the vehicle body, it is possible to reduce the defective rate in the inspection line after the steering wheel is attached to the vehicle body, and it becomes easy to identify the defective part, It is possible to improve the property.

Then, an attachment piece portion 48 and an attachment screw 49 for attaching the controller 46 to the steering wheel body 1.
Since it was covered with the horn plate 21, there is no need to provide a separate part for covering the mounting screw 49,
In addition to reducing the number of parts and manufacturing costs,
Since the horn plates 21 are arranged in pairs on both sides with the front-back direction as the longitudinal direction, the mounting screws 49 and the like can be easily covered with the normal shape and normal arrangement of the horn plate 21.

Further, since the horn plate 21 is attached by the Torx bolt 42 and cannot be easily removed by a tool other than a dedicated tool, this horn plate 21
It is possible to prevent the mounting screw 49 of the controller 46 hidden behind the 21 from being accidentally removed.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the like,
Of the four mounting screws 49 for fixing the four mounting pieces 48 of the controller 46 to the boss body 7, the two mounting screws 49 located on both sides are covered with the horn plate 21.
As shown in FIG. 5, the tips 90 of the horn plates 21 on both sides
Can be extended to cover the two mounting screws 49 on the front side and cover all the four mounting screws 49. By thus covering all of the plurality of mounting pieces 48 and mounting screws 49, it is possible to reliably prevent the controller 46 from being removed from the steering wheel body 1.

Further, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the mounting screw 49 is covered with the horn plate 21 which is a movable part, but it can be covered with other parts provided in the steering wheel. For example, a damper (weight) or the like used to adjust the resonance frequency of the steering wheel is used. The damper covers the pair of mounting screws 49 on the front side, and the pair of mounting screws 49 on both sides can be covered by the horn plate 21. it can.

[0043]

According to the steering wheel of the first aspect of the invention, since the mounting portion for mounting the controller equipped with the sensor on the steering wheel body is covered with the components mounted on the steering wheel body, the airbag device is removed. However, the mounting portion is not exposed to the outside, and it is possible to prevent the controller from being removed from the steering wheel body.

According to the steering wheel of the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the component covers all of the plurality of mounting portions provided, so that it is ensured that the controller is removed from the steering wheel main body. Can be suppressed.

According to the steering wheel of the third aspect, in addition to the effect of the first or second aspect, since the component is a horn plate provided with a movable contact of the horn switch mechanism, a separate component for covering the mounting portion of the controller is provided. Since it is not necessary to provide the parts, the number of parts can be reduced, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the controller can be easily arranged so as to cover the mounting portion.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a steering wheel body showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the steering wheel taken along line I-I of the same as above.

FIG. 3 is an ABCDEF cross-sectional view of the same steering wheel.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the same steering wheel body.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a steering wheel body showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Steering wheel body 5 Air bag module as an air bag device 21 Horn plate as a part 26 Movable contact 46 Controller 48 Mounting piece as a mounting part

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A steering wheel main body, a controller including a sensor and an attachment portion attached to the steering wheel main body, a component attached to the steering wheel main body to cover the attachment portion, and a component attached to the steering wheel main body to cover the component and the controller. A steering wheel comprising: an airbag device attached to a steering wheel body. 2. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the component covers all of the plurality of mounting portions provided. 3. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the component is a horn plate provided with a movable contact of a horn switch mechanism.