US1140943A - Steering-wheel. - Google Patents

Description

J. BJORN.

STEERING WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED OCT.28| 1912. LMQMS@ Patented May 25, 1915.

J/fcg,

0 which may b@ Perforated s at JOHN BJORN, OF KENOSHA, WISCONSIN., ASSIGNOR TO THE COMPANY, OF KENOSHA, 1WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION THOMAS B. JEFFREY or WISCONSIN.

STEERING-WHEEL.

i ,tropea Specification of Letters Patent.

Talented May 25, 1915.

Application filed october 2s, 1912. serial No. 728,054.

To all r11/i 0//1 17mg/ concern.'

lie it known that I. Jon'N BJORN, a citizen ot' the lnited States, residing` at Kenosha. eountjv ot Kenosha. State of Wiscona sin, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Steering-Wheels, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and cX- act description of the same, such as will e11- alile others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, which form a part oi' this specification.

My invention has for its object to produce a strong, lightl` cheap steering wheel for automobiles or the like.

A further object of my invention is to produce a novel form of steering wheel which will permit the use of a single piece of sheet metal for its construction.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is cl'iaracterized will hereinafter be pointed ont with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and ad vantages, reference may be had to the 't'ollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a bottom plan view of a wheel arranged in accordance with a preferred form of my invention; Fig. Q is a section on line 2-9 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a transverse section on an enlarged scale through one of the arms or spokes of the wheel; and Fig. l is a section on line fl-s of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing. 1 represents an annular rim, 2 a hub and 3 a series of arms or spokes extending radially t'rom the hub to the rim. rThese parts are all made of sheet metal, preferably from a single piece which is suitably stamped out and shaped to give the desired configuration and strength. The rim portion of the blank is cut wider than the width'otl the finished rim so as to permit llanges 4 and 5 to be bent down from the two edges of the rim; thus giving the rim the ross section of an inverted U. 'l`he outer flange '11 is preferably cut away adjacent to the ends of the spokes so as to leave at these points widened portions G 7 to receive taf-toning devices for grips or hand holds, (not .slio\\nl, without weakening the rim. 'lhe inner flange, 5, is also made sectional, terminating at its ends at a considerable distance from the completed spokes. This shortening of the sections of the innervflange is only incidental to the construction of the spokes or arms which I shall now describe. In making the blank, radialpi'eces of a greater width than the ultimate width of the spokes are retained and about a third on ich side ot the spoke pieces is severed from the rim and hub portions at its ends, thus leaving' on each spoke member two side pieces or flaps which may be rolled down until their edges touch each other, thus forming radial tubes extending from the hub to the rim. The hub is in the form of a disk having its central portion perforated and punched up to produce a short cylindrical tubular member, 2a. The center of the wheel is pref-r erably depressed so as to bring the hub at some distance below the plane of the rim, thus permitting the spokes to act as struts under a downward pressure upon the rim. Lying beneath and engaging with the underside of the hub portion is a spider S having a tubular piece 9 extending up through the hub sleeve and having arms 10 projecting a short distance into the adjacent ends of the spokes. The arms l0 are arranged at an angle so as to tend to hold the spokes at the proper inclination after the parts are assembled. Furthermore, there is preferably a shoulder l1 on each of the members l0 for engaging with the inner edge of the under portion of the tubular spoke in which the arm is positioned. By this arrangement, downward pressure upon the rim is resisted by the spokes acting as struts arranged between the rim and shoulders on the rigid spider. The bore 12 through the spider is designed to lit the upper end of a steering post in the usual manner, there being a keyway 1S for receiving a key and preventing the wheel from turning on the post. The edges of the disk-like portion et' the hub are preferably bent down into engagement with the sides of the spider, as shown at 2b.

It will thus be seen that have produced a strong and durable steering wheel which is neat and attractive and may be manufactured at a low cost as it consists of only two parts one of which is a stamping and the other a drop forging or the like.

lVhile I have illustrated and described in detail only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limitedto the exact structural details thus illustrated'and described, but intend to cover all 1. Avwheel made of a single piece of sheet metal comprising a rim member, a hub member, and spokes connecting said members together, the spokes being in the form of radial tubes. j n

2. A wheel made/or` a single piece of sheet metal comprising a rim member, a hub member, and spokes connectingsaid members together, the outer edge of the rim member being bent down to form a stiening flange, said stiening flange being made in sections terminating adjacent to spokes so as to leave Wide rim at the ends of the spokes. y

3. A Wheelmade of a single piece of sheet metal comprising a rim member, a hub member, and spokes connecting said members together, the outer edge of the rim member being bent down to form a stiening flange, said stiiening flange being made in sections terminating adjacent to the outer ends of the spokes so as to leave Wide portions in portions in the the outer ends of the the rim at the ends of the spokes, said wide portions being perforated to receive screws or rivets.

A Wheel comprising a rim member, a hub member, and spokes connecting said members together, all made of a single piece of sheet metal, the spokes being in the form of lradial tubes, a stifening piecc.underly ing the hub and haring a tubular portion extending through vthe same, and arms on said stiffening piece itting into'the adjacent ends of the spokes.

5. A Wheel made of a single piece of sheet metal comprising a rim member, a hub member, and spokes connecting said membersy to-v gether, the inner and outer edges of the rim member being bent laterally to form stil'ening flanges, and the sides of the spokes being bent laterally in the same direction as the edges of the rim member.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two Witnesses.

' JOHN BJ ORN.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK' TAYLOR, CAROLYN PETERSON.

Images