KR102117997B1 - Cooled steering wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

A ventilated steering wheel is disclosed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the ventilated steering wheel includes: a first duct unit provided inside a cover of a steering column so that air can be introduced from an air conditioning system of a vehicle; a second duct unit provided inside a cover of the steering wheel to suck the air introduced into the first duct unit; and a discharge unit which is provided along the rim of the steering wheel to discharge the introduced air around the rim of the steering wheel and communicates with the second duct unit.

Description

Ventilated steering wheel {COOLED STEERING WHEEL}

The present invention relates to a ventilated steering wheel. More specifically, the present invention relates to a ventilated steering wheel in which air from the air conditioning system of a vehicle moves through a steering wheel cover and a duct built in the steering wheel to the rim of the steering wheel, and then blows out to the surface of the rim.

The steering wheel is a circular steering device used to change the direction of the vehicle by moving the wheels of the vehicle from side to side, and is one of the structures that have the most contact with the driver's body. Accordingly, when the temperature decreases, such as in winter, the temperature of the steering wheel also decreases, so the driver often feels difficult to drive.

Therefore, a technique for increasing the temperature of the steering wheel having a low temperature has been developed. Referring to Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0064326, a steering wheel heating device that periodically compares a driver's body temperature with a steering wheel temperature to maintain a constant temperature based on the driver's body temperature is provided. It has been developed.

However, there is a grip that heats the steering wheel in winter, but no steering wheel has been developed to lower the temperature of the hotly heated steering wheel in summer.

Accordingly, there is a need to develop a steering wheel for resolving driver discomfort caused by a high temperature steering wheel.

KR 10-2017-0064326 A (2017. 06. 09.)

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and has an object to lower the temperature of the steering wheel by discharging the circulating air of the air conditioning system to the periphery of the steering wheel.

In addition, in winter, the object is to improve the driving convenience of the driver by raising the temperature of the steering wheel using a heating wire.

Also, through the steering wheel internal structure. The aim is to ensure that the circulating air of the vehicle's air conditioning system is effectively released around the steering wheel.

In addition, it is an object to ensure that the flow of circulating air of the air conditioning system is efficiently performed inside the steering wheel.

It is also an object to control the flow of circulating air according to the steering wheel rotation angle.

Ventilated steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention. A first duct part provided inside the cover of the steering column so that air is introduced from the air conditioning system of the vehicle; A second duct portion provided inside the cover of the steering wheel to suck the air introduced into the first duct portion; And a discharge unit provided along the rim of the steering wheel and communicating with the second duct portion to discharge the introduced air around the rim of the steering wheel. The first duct portion and the second duct portion may be separated from each other.

In addition, the discharge portion, the third duct portion is formed along the rim of the steering wheel, the air can flow through the second duct portion and the communication; And a plurality of outlets provided in the third duct to discharge the air to the outside of the rim.

In addition, the third duct portion may be provided adjacent to the base layer of the rim.

In addition, the discharge portion may include a mesh fabric having a ventilation structure surrounding at least a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the third duct portion, corresponding to a portion where a plurality of the discharge ports are formed.

In addition, the discharge portion may include a hot wire portion formed along the rim.

In addition, the hot wire portion may be provided in a form that is embroidered on the mesh fabric.

In addition, a suction fan for sucking the air introduced from the first duct portion may be provided in the second duct portion.

In addition, a cross section of the suction port of the second duct portion facing the first duct portion may be larger than a cross section of the discharge port of the first duct portion facing the suction port.

In addition, the suction port of the second duct portion has an arc shape, and in a state in which the steering wheel is aligned, a cross section of the suction port may include a cross section of the discharge port projected as a cross section of the suction port.

In addition, the first duct portion, one end toward the second duct portion includes a first annular portion surrounding the steering column, and the second duct portion, one end toward the first duct portion surrounds the hub shaft of the steering wheel. Includes a second annular portion, and the first annular portion and the second annular portion are rotatably coupled to each other, so that the first duct portion and the second duct portion can communicate with each other in a rotating state of the steering wheel.

In addition, a rotation angle detection unit for detecting the rotation angle of the steering wheel; And a blocking unit blocking the first duct unit so that the circulation air is not discharged from the first duct unit to the second duct unit when the rotation angle sensing unit senses a rotation angle greater than a preset rotation angle. Can be.

In addition, a rotation angle detection unit for detecting the rotation angle of the steering wheel; And a ventilation control unit that stops or reduces the suction fan or changes the operation of the air conditioning system when the rotation angle sensing unit senses a rotation angle greater than a preset rotation angle.

The tungsten steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention may discharge the circulating air of the air conditioning system to the periphery of the steering wheel to lower the temperature of the steering wheel heated in direct sunlight in the summer.

In addition, in winter, the temperature of the steering wheel can be increased by using a hot wire, thereby improving the convenience of the driver.

Also, through the steering wheel internal structure. It is possible to effectively circulate air from the air conditioning system around the steering wheel.

In addition, the circulating air of the air conditioning system can efficiently flow inside the steering wheel.

In addition, it is possible to control the flow of circulating air according to the steering wheel rotation angle.

1 is a perspective view of a ventilation steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a side view of a ventilation steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a cross-sectional view of a steering wheel cover and a rim portion of a ventilation steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in FIG. 3.
5 is an enlarged view showing an interior of a steering column cover of a ventilation steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6a is a side view showing a ventilation steering wheel is applied to the first annular portion and the second annular portion according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C' of the first annular portion and the second annular portion.
6C is a sectional view taken along line D-D' of the first annular portion and the second annular portion.
7 is a block diagram of a ventilation steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily practice. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In addition, in order to clearly describe an embodiment of the present invention in the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted.

The terms used in this specification are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions may include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

In the present specification, terms such as “include”, “have” or “have” are intended to designate the existence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, one Or further features or numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof, may be understood as not precluding the possibility of being added.

In addition, the components shown in the embodiments of the present invention are shown independently to indicate different characteristic functions, and do not mean that each component is composed of separate hardware or one software component. That is, for convenience of description, each component is listed as each component, and at least two components of each component may be combined to form one component, or one component may be divided into a plurality of components to perform a function. The integrated and separated embodiments of each of these components are also included in the scope of the present invention without departing from the essence of the present invention.

In addition, the following embodiments are provided to more clearly explain to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the shape and size of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for a more clear description.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a ventilation steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the ventilation steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, the ventilation steering wheel 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a first duct part 100, a second duct part 200 and a discharge part 300. .

The first duct unit 100 may be provided inside the steering column cover 13 so that air is introduced from the vehicle air conditioning system (HVAC system). The second duct part 200 may be provided inside the steering wheel cover 12 to suck the air introduced into the first duct part 100. The discharge unit 300 may be provided along the rim 11 of the steering wheel 10 to discharge the air sucked from the second duct unit 200 around the rim 11 of the steering wheel 10, , It may be in communication with the second duct portion 200. The first duct part 100, the second duct part 200, and the discharge part 300 may be hollow pipes, and the material is not limited.

The first duct part 100 may be connected to the air conditioning system of the vehicle. In one embodiment, the first duct unit 100 may be connected to the air conditioning system and the connection pipe 16. The air circulated in the air conditioning system may be introduced into the first duct unit 100 connected to the connection pipe 16. For example, when operating in the cooling mode of the air conditioning system, circulating air circulating in the air conditioning system may be introduced into the first duct unit 100 through the connection pipe 16. In addition, the first duct portion 100 may be embedded inside the steering column cover 13 surrounding the steering column. Since it is buried inside the steering column cover 13, it is possible to maintain a clean and unobtrusive appearance. The connector 16 may have a corrugated shape for vertical tilting of the steering column. In this embodiment, the first duct portion 100 is exemplified as being provided separately from the steering column cover 13, but may be integrally formed with the steering column cover 13. In this case, the first duct portion 100 may have a rectangular cross section as well as a circular or arc cross section.

The second duct part 200 may be buried inside the steering wheel cover 12, and may inhale circulating air of the air conditioning system introduced into the first duct part 100. The first duct part 100 and the second duct part 200 may be physically separated so that the steering wheel 10 can rotate. In general, the steering wheel is fixed to the steering column and rotates with the steering column as the central axis of rotation, so that it has the same angular velocity as the steering column and rotates. Since the steering column cover provided on the rear of the steering wheel is a finishing material for aesthetics, it should not affect the rotation. Therefore, the steering column cover is physically separated from the steering wheel. If the first duct part 100 buried inside the steering column cover 13 and the second duct part 200 buried inside the steering wheel cover 12 are physically connected, the connected state is the steering wheel 10 ) Can be prevented from rotating, so that the steering wheel 10 is not affected by rotation through separation of the first duct part 100 and the second duct part 200. In this embodiment, the second duct portion 200 is provided as an example that is provided separately from the steering wheel cover 12, but may be formed integrally with the steering wheel cover 12. In this case, the second duct portion 100 may have a cross section of a rectangle as well as a cross section of a circular or circular arc.

The discharge unit 300 may be embedded inside along the rim 11 of the steering wheel 10. In addition, the second duct unit 200 may be physically connected. Accordingly, circulating air sucked by the second duct unit 200 may be introduced into the discharge unit 300. The discharge part 300 may include a third duct part 310 and a discharge port 320. The third duct part 310 may be a hollow tube connected to the second duct part 200 formed along the rim 11. The circulating air introduced from the second duct part 200 may flow to the third duct part 310. The discharge port 320 may be a hole for discharging the circulating air provided in the third duct part 310 to the outside of the rim 11. A plurality of outlets 320 may be provided. The circulating air introduced into the third duct part 310 may be discharged through the outlet 320. The circulating air leaked through the outlet 320 may lower the temperature of the steering wheel heated by sunlight or lower body heat of the driver's hand. Through this, the driver can comfortably drive even in the middle of summer.

In addition, the ventilation steering wheel 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include suction means for sucking the circulating air flowing in the first duct unit 100. In this embodiment, the suction means may be provided with a suction fan 400. The suction fan 400 may be provided in the second duct portion 200 to suck the circulating air flowing in the first duct portion 100. As described above, since the first duct part 100 and the second duct part 200 are physically separated, the circulation rate of the circulating air from the first duct part 100 to the second duct part 200 may not be high. have. The suction fan 400 can increase the inflow rate. Through this, the first duct unit 100 and the second duct unit 200 can be prevented from flowing out of the circulating air generated by separation, and the second duct unit 200 and the third duct unit 310 Backflow of circulating air can be prevented. In the present embodiment, the suction fan 400 is described as an example of the suction means, but unlike this, a separate negative pressure forming device may be provided.

3 is a cross-sectional view of a steering wheel cover and a rim portion of a ventilation steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' of FIG. 3, in one embodiment of the present invention It is a cross-sectional view showing the layer structure of the rim of the ventilated steering wheel.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the rim 11 may be formed with a base layer 21 around the armature 15 around the armature 15 constituting the skeleton of the steering wheel. The base layer 21 may be any material that is generally used for a steering wheel, and is not particularly limited. For example, the base layer 21 may be injection-molded to wrap the armature with a polymer material. Referring to FIG. 4, the emission part 300 may be provided adjacent to the base layer 21. The discharge unit 300 may be provided to surround at least a portion of the circumference of the base layer 21, and may be provided at a portion gripped by the user, that is, a portion in which the user's hand is in contact. The discharge unit 300 may include a mesh fabric 22 having a ventilation structure surrounding at least a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the third duct portion 310 in correspondence to a portion where the plurality of discharge ports 320 are formed. The mesh fabric 22 may disperse the circulating air discharged from the outlet 320 to the side, so that the circulating air can be emitted from the entire surface of the rim 11. A hot wire portion 23 may be provided on the outer circumferential surface of the mesh fabric 22. The hot wire portion 23 may increase the temperature of the cold rim 11 in winter to improve driver's driving convenience. Since the heating element 23 is integrated in the ventilation steering wheel 10, the circulating air is blown around the rim 11 in summer, and the rim 11 is heated in winter, so that the driver can safely and comfortably drive regardless of the season. Can help.

In addition, the hot wire portion 23 may be provided in a form that is embroidered on the mesh fabric (22). When the hot wire portion 23 is embroidered on the mesh fabric 22, the mesh fabric 22 and the hot wire portion 23 layer may be integrated. The heating wire 23 or the upper layer of the integrated mesh fabric may be covered with a finishing material 24 such as leather. The finishing material 24 may be made of a material according to the design concept of the steering wheel 10. In addition, a plurality of perforations are provided in the finishing material 24, and the circulating air that has passed through the outlet 320 and the mesh fabric 22 layer may escape to the outside of the rim 11 through the perforation of the finishing material 24. . The perforation of the finishing material 24 may be intensively arranged in a portion where the driver's hand is frequently contacted. For example, the rim 11 shown in FIG. 3 may be at 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock.

5 is an enlarged view of an interior of a steering column cover of a ventilation steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, in an embodiment according to the present invention, the first duct part 100 may include an outlet 110 and the second duct part 200 may include an intake port 210. The discharge port 110 may be an open portion at the end of the first duct part 100 facing the second duct part 200, and the suction port 210 may include a second duct part facing the first duct part 100 ( 200) may be an open portion. In addition, referring to FIG. 2, in one embodiment, a suction fan 400 may be provided at the suction port 210 to effectively suck the circulating air discharged from the discharge port 110.

In one embodiment, the cross section of the suction port 210 may be larger than the cross section of the discharge port 110. In a more specific embodiment, the cross section of the suction port 210 has an arc shape and may be larger than the cross section of the discharge port 110. In a general case, when the vehicle is driven, the steering wheel 10 is mostly in a neutral state or the vehicle is driven in a state with a small rotation angle. In addition, even when the rotation angle of the steering wheel 10 is large, after a short period of time, it is returned to a neutral state or a rotation angle range that is not large. For this reason, the intake port 210 located on the side of the rotating steering wheel 10 may have an arc shape to continuously inhale the circulating air discharged from the exhaust port 110 even when the steering wheel 10 is rotated. have. For example, if the range of the small rotation angle is -45 degrees to 45 degrees, the shape of the cross section of the outlet 110 may be an arc shape with a central angle of 90 degrees. In addition, when the steering wheel is aligned, that is, when the steering wheel is in a neutral state, the cross section of the intake port 210 may include a cross section of the discharge port 110 projected on the end surface of the intake port 210. Specifically, the cross section of the suction port 210 may include a trajectory surface of the cross section of the discharge port 110 projected on the cross section layer of the suction port 210 generated as the steering wheel 10 rotates.

Figure 6a is a side view showing the ventilation steering wheel is applied to the first annular portion and the second annular portion according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6b is a cross-sectional view of the first annular portion and the second annular portion C-C', Figure 6c Is a D-D' cross-sectional view of the first annular portion and the second annular portion.

6A to 6C, in an embodiment of the present invention, the first duct portion 100 includes a first annular portion (1) surrounding the steering column 14, one end facing the second duct portion 200 ( 120 ), and the second duct portion 200 may include a second annular portion 220, one end of which faces the first duct portion 100 and surrounds the steering column 14. The first annular portion 120 and the second annular portion 220 may be rotatably coupled to each other, and the first duct portion 100 and the second duct portion 200 may be rotated even when the steering wheel 10 is rotated. They can communicate with each other.

In more detail, the first annular portion 120 and the second annular portion 220 may be in the form of a hollow donut in cross section, and the steering column 14 may pass through the hollow. In addition, the first annular portion 120 and the second annular portion 220 may be formed with a space through which the circulating air can flow to the hollow outer periphery. For example, the cross section of the first annular portion 120 is larger than the second annular portion 220, and the second annular portion 220 may be inserted into the first annular portion 120. Therefore, the circulating air introduced from the first duct part 100 and circulating in the first annular part 120 may be sucked into the second annular part 220 and flow to the second duct part 200. The first annular portion 120 and the second annular portion 220 are capable of rotating the steering wheel 10 due to their shape, and at the same time, the second duct portion of the circulating air of the first duct portion 100 is immediately 200).

7 is a block diagram of a ventilation steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the ventilation steering wheel 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a rotation angle sensing unit 500 and a blocking unit 700. The rotation angle detection unit 500 may detect the rotation angle of the steering wheel 10. The blocking unit 700 is configured to prevent the circulation air from being discharged from the first duct unit 100 to the second duct unit 200 when the rotation angle sensing unit 500 detects a rotation angle greater than a preset rotation angle. 1 can block the duct 100. For example, if the shape of the suction port 210 corresponds to a rotation angle of -20 to 20 degrees based on the steering wheel 10 in a neutral state with respect to the discharge port 110, the preset rotation angle is -20 It may be 20 to 20 degrees. When the rotation of the steering wheel 10 exceeds -20 degrees or 20 degrees, the first duct portion 100 may be physically blocked by the blocking portion 700 according to the detection of the rotation angle detecting portion 500. . When the steering wheel 10 rotates beyond the preset rotation angle, since the positions of the outlet 110 and the intake port 210 do not correspond, the circulating air of the outlet 110 does not flow to the intake port 210, It can leak outside. Therefore, since the blocking part 700 can prevent the unnecessary leakage of the circulating air, it is possible to prevent the driver's inconvenience caused by the circulating air flowing out from the outlet 110.

In addition, in one embodiment, the ventilation steering wheel 10 may include a ventilation control unit 800. The ventilation control unit 800 may stop or reduce the suction fan 400 or change the operation of the air conditioning system when the rotation angle detection unit 500 detects a rotation angle greater than a preset rotation angle. As mentioned, when the steering wheel 10 rotates larger than the preset rotation angle, the positions of the outlet 110 and the intake 210 do not correspond, and the circulating air may leak outward. Accordingly, when the rotation angle detection unit 500 detects a rotation angle greater than the preset rotation angle, the ventilation control unit 800 may transmit a control signal to stop or reduce the suction fan 400. In addition, it is possible to transmit a control signal to change the operation of the air conditioning system. The ventilation control unit 800 controls the suction fan 400 to reduce suction of the circulating air to the second duct unit 200 or stop the air conditioning system to stop the circulating air to the first duct unit 100. To prevent flow. Since this also prevents the unnecessary leakage of the circulating air, it is possible to prevent the driver's inconvenience caused by the circulating air flowing out from the outlet 110.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, these are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

10: ventilated steering wheel 21: base layer
22: mesh fabric 23: hot wire
24: finishing material 100: first duct portion
200: second duct portion 300: discharge portion
400: suction fan 500: rotation angle detection unit
700: blocker 800: ventilation control

Claims (12)

A first duct part provided inside the cover of the steering column so that air is introduced from the air conditioning system of the vehicle;
A second duct portion provided inside the cover of the steering wheel to suck the air introduced into the first duct portion; And
It includes; and discharge unit provided along the rim of the steering wheel and in communication with the second duct portion to discharge the introduced air around the rim of the steering wheel.
The first duct part and the second duct part are separated from each other to enable rotation of the steering wheel,
The discharge unit,
A third duct portion formed along the rim of the steering wheel and provided adjacent to the base layer of the rim to communicate with the second duct portion to allow the air to flow;
A plurality of outlets provided in the third duct portion to discharge the air to the outside of the rim; And
It includes a mesh fabric of a ventilation structure surrounding at least a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the third duct portion, corresponding to a portion where a plurality of the outlet is formed to disperse the air discharged from the outlet to the side. Ventilated steering wheel.
delete delete delete According to claim 1,
The discharge unit,
Ventilation steering wheel comprising a heated wire formed along the rim.
The method of claim 5,
The heated steering wheel is provided in the form of embroidery on the mesh fabric ventilated steering wheel.
According to claim 1,
Ventilation steering wheel is provided in the second duct portion suction fan for sucking the air introduced from the first duct portion.
According to claim 1,
The cross section of the suction port of the second duct portion toward the first duct portion,
Ventilation steering wheel that is larger than the cross-section of the outlet of the first duct portion toward the intake.
The method of claim 8,
The suction port of the second duct portion has an arc shape,
With the steering wheel aligned, a cross-section of the intake port includes a ventilated steering wheel that includes a cross-section of the discharge port projected into the cross-section of the intake port.
According to claim 1,
The first duct portion,
One end toward the second duct portion includes a first annular portion surrounding the steering column,
The second duct portion,
One end toward the first duct portion includes a second annular portion surrounding the steering column,
The first annular portion and the second annular portion are rotatably coupled to each other, the ventilation steering wheel that is in communication with the first duct portion and the second duct portion in the rotating state of the steering wheel.
According to claim 1,
A rotation angle detection unit that senses a rotation angle of the steering wheel; And
If the rotation angle detection unit detects a rotation angle greater than a preset rotation angle, a blocking unit for blocking the first duct unit so that the air is not discharged from the first duct unit to the second duct unit; Ventilated steering wheel.
The method of claim 7,
A rotation angle detection unit that senses a rotation angle of the steering wheel; And
If the rotation angle detection unit detects a rotation angle greater than the preset rotation angle, the ventilation steering wheel further comprising; a ventilation control unit that stops or reduces the speed or changes the operation of the air conditioning system.

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