Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
  • B62D1/00—Steering controls, i.e. means for initiating a change of direction of the vehicle
  • B62D1/02—Steering controls, i.e. means for initiating a change of direction of the vehicle vehicle-mounted
  • B62D1/04—Hand wheels
  • B62D1/06—Rims, e.g. with heating means; Rim covers

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a steering wheel for a motor vehicle, with a steering wheel body with an inner steering wheel core and at least one groove running around the circumference formed in the steering wheel body and having a groove base and groove side walls for receiving free ends of strips of a sheathing in a secured position Process for manufacturing such a steering wheel.
• steering wheels are usually manufactured using an injection molding process.
• an injection mold consisting of several parts is used, into which a steering wheel skeleton made of aluminum or steel is inserted and then a foam layer, e.g. made of polyurethane, is applied to the round steering wheel rim.
• this groove like all elements manufactured using the injection molding process, must have a minimum bevel of 1 to 2 degrees, otherwise the injection mold can no longer be easily removed after the material has been shaped and parts of the steering wheel casing can be damaged by a vacuum and surface friction can be damaged.
• a minimal bevel later reduces the hold of the sheathing ends in the groove.
• the materials pressed into a steering wheel groove, such as leather, can loosen over time in the groove and possibly slip out due to their softness, their different expansions in heat and cold and their material changes due to aging.
• the present invention is therefore based on the task of providing a permanently secure and age-resistant fixation of the casing ends in a groove.
• a steering wheel having the features of claim 1 and a method having the features of claim 8 .
• Further advantageous configurations can be found in the respective dependent subclaims.
• barbs protruding into the groove are provided in the steering wheel body on the groove side walls.
• One or more barbs may be provided on each side of the groove.
• the barbs should be shaped so narrowly and pointing inwards that they can relatively easily push through any steering wheel body material that may still be present and can also reliably prevent the ends of the casing from slipping out.
• the tips of the barbs should be wedge-shaped or tapered to provide a good bite into the sheath material. Other embodiments such as rounded wire ends etc. are also conceivable.
• the barbs can point towards the bottom of the groove or in another direction. The decisive factor is that they prevent the sheathing from slipping out of the groove.
• the barbs are particularly preferably resilient in relation to the depth of penetration into the groove, so that they can retreat through the side walls of the groove when the ends of the sheath are inserted and engage in the material when the sheath is pulled out and prevent it from slipping out.
• the Widerha ken are arranged at the end of spring arms of the groove at least partially surrounding, located in the steering wheel body mounting brackets.
• the mounting brackets can have different shapes, with the spring arms at least partially surrounding the side walls of the groove and with a web connecting the spring arms ver the bottom of the groove.
• the design of the spring arms and the web connecting the spring arms can take on various forms. In the case of a round or U-shape, the bar is omitted and the spring arms merge into one another.
• the fastening clip has the approximate shape of an open, almost round spring clip (D-shaped configuration) with barbs at the ends.
• the distance between the openings between the barbs corresponds approximately to the width of the groove in all versions, with the distance between the tips of the barbs themselves being somewhat smaller than the width of the groove.
• the spring arms of the mounting clip are preferably bent slightly inward to allow some compression on the side walls of the groove after being sheathed in a suitable material in a mold. This pressure must Large enough to allow the barbs of the mounting clip to penetrate any wrapping material that may be present, but weak enough that the barbs only reach a little into the groove.
• the length of the barbs in the groove depends on the width of the groove and the desired material in it. The length of the barbs can be significantly greater in a wide groove than in a clamping groove, which must only provide space for the two ends of the inserted material.
• the fastening clip can be easily pushed over the projection of a molding tool that later forms the groove.
• the spring arms of the mounting bracket are pushed apart a little so that they are under some tension. This can easily be done by machine or by hand as the barbs point inwards and thus simply slide over the mold boss.
• the casing is inserted with its free ends into the at least one groove, with the barbs pressing into the casing and preventing it from slipping out of the groove.
• a circumferential projection is provided in a mold for producing the at least one groove in the steering wheel body, giving the shape of the groove, onto which a required number of fastening clips, held by their clamping force in the area of the barbs, is placed .
• the steering wheel core is then surrounded with a suitable material and, after the steering wheel core has been surrounded, the steering wheel body is separated from the mold, with the fastening clips being pulled from the front and protruding through the side walls of the groove into the groove with the barbs due to their spring force.
• a steering wheel body is manufactured by applying a fastening clip with its barbs to a projection of a molding tool which will later produce a groove.
• a suitable foam material such as polyurethane foam (PU foam)
• the mounting bracket is cast and is now within the foam that forms the steering wheel body.
• PU foam polyurethane foam
• other embodiments are also possible, such as other foam material, non-foam plastics or synthetic resins, and their corresponding associated molds.
• the following text also speaks of an injection mold, although this usually always consists of several individual parts, because otherwise the part produced in the injection mold would not be accessible.
• the fastening clip pushes its barbs a little way into the groove.
• the sheath ends When the sheath ends are now inserted into the groove, they can simply be pushed past the barbs, because the barbs are directed inwards and may also recede a little into the foam.
• the barbs bite into the inserted sheath material adjacent to them. If an attempt is made to pull out one or both ends of the casing, the barbs will bite even deeper into the casing material and thus prevent the ends of the casing inserted in the groove from being pulled out further.
• the spring arms Preference is given to using D-shaped fastening clips, the spring arms preferably being arcuate and having a smaller spacing at the free end in the relaxed state than the thickness of the projection.
• FIG. 1 shows a cross section of a steering wheel rim
• FIG. 2 shows a section of an injection mold with a projection and a fastening clip
• Figure 3 shows the mounting bracket of Figure 2 pushed onto the projection of the injection mold
• FIG. 4 shows a detail of a steering wheel, the injected material for the steering wheel body also enclosing the fastening bracket from FIG. 3;
• FIG. 5 shows the detail of the steering wheel from FIG. 4 when the projection is pulled out while the injection mold is being removed
• FIG. 6 shows the section from FIG. 5 after the injection mold has been removed
• FIG. 7 shows the detail from FIG. 6 after the sheathing ends have been inserted into the groove
• FIG. 8 shows a section of an injection mold with a projection and an assembly of individual fastening clips which are to be pushed onto the projection;
• FIG. 9 shows the clamp assembly from FIG. 8, which has been pushed onto the projection of the injection mold
• Figure 10 shows some exemplary features of the clip and groove
• FIG. 11 shows some examples of special designs and variations of the fastening clip.
• Figure 1 shows a steering wheel, which has a steering wheel core 1 and a steering wheel body 2, and with a covering 3, such as leather, is wrapped, the ends of which are in a groove 4 are introduced.
• a covering 3 such as leather
• FIG. 2 shows a fastening clamp 5 which is to be pushed onto the projection 6a forming the groove 4 in the injection mold 6.
• the mounting bracket 5 has the approximate shape of an open, almost round spring clip with barbs 5c hook at the ends.
• the distance between the openings between the barbs 5c corresponds approximately to the width 4a (FIG. 10) of the groove 4, the distance between the tips of the barbs 5c itself being slightly smaller than the groove width 4a.
• the side arms 5b of the mounting bracket 5 are slightly bent inwards to allow some pressure on the inner walls 4b of the groove 4 after molding. This pressure must be so great that the barbs 5c of the fastening clip 5 can penetrate through any casting material that may be present, but so weak that the barbs 5c only reach a little into the groove 4.
• the length of the barbs 5c in the groove 4 depends on the groove width 4a and the desired material in it. The length of the barbs can be significantly greater in a wide groove than in a clamping groove, which must only provide space for the two ends of the material introduced.
• the fastening clamp 5 can easily be pushed over the projection 6a of the injection mold 6, which later forms the groove 4, because of its shape.
• the arms 5b of the fastening clamp 5 are pushed apart a little, so that they are somewhat under tension. This can easily be done by machine or by hand since the barbs 5c point inwards and thus simply slide over the projection 6a.
• the molding compound for example polyurethane
• the molding compound for example polyurethane
• the injected material for the steering wheel body 2 encloses the fastening bracket 5 from FIG.
• the injection mold 6 is removed from the formed steering wheel body 2 .
• the projection 6a of the injection mold 6 leaves a cavity in the steering wheel body 2, which forms the groove 4.
• FIG. 8 For easier and faster handling, as shown in FIG. 8, several fastening clips 5 can be joined together to form a composite 8, e.g.
• the composite 8 is realized by two thin connecting wires 9 .
• the number and spacing of the individual elements can easily be varied if required.
• FIG. 9 shows the clamp assembly 8 from FIG. 8, which has been pushed onto the projection 6a of the injection mold 6.
• FIG. The thin connectors 9 allow the composite 8 to flex easily and conform to the curved projection 6a of the injection mold 6 when fitted.
• other connection options and materials are also conceivable.
• the attachment of mounting clips and fittings is done by machine, but manual attachment is also possible.
• the mounting bracket 5 can be built up in different shapes and variations, but preferably D-shaped wire, as shown in Figure 10 to over their spring arms 5b, which are connected via a web 5a, to be able to exert a certain pressure on the barbs 5c when they are pulled off the projection 6a of the injection mold 6, so that they then reach into the groove 4.
• Other embodiments and variations are also conceivable, such as O-shaped, U-shaped, round, angular or flat (see also FIG. 11).
• FIG. 10 shows the material with the groove 4 and groove width 4a by way of example.
• the mounting bracket 5 can be produced in a wide variety of variations and combinations; some examples of this can be seen in Figure 11.
• Variant 5k shows a simple, circular, O-shaped fastening clip.
• Style 5v shows a square U-shaped clip with small springs in the material to create the pressure for the barbs into the groove. With version 5w you can see an additional spacer, so that the mounting brackets can always be attached at the same distance from the groove.
• the Be fastening clip 5x has a widened web 5a, which can provide increased resistance to the train of the ends 3a, 3b of the casing 3.
• Variant 5y shows an example of a fastening clip 5 with a plurality of barbs 5c, in order to be able to produce an even stronger connection with the sheathing material 3.
• the fastening clip 5f is a clip made from a wide, flat material, e.g. stamped and bent steel, which, simply because of its width, offers considerable resistance to the sheath ends being pulled out.
• barbs protruding outwards are bent out, so that the fastening clip can resist even more against the sheath ends being pulled out.
• the fastening clip 5 can be made of different types of material, preferably spring steel, but plastic, aluminum or other materials are also conceivable.
• the mounting bracket 5 should be re relatively hard and heat-resistant compared to the injection molding process, but still so flexible and soft that when attached to the projection 6a of the Injection mold 6 can be bent apart a little, in order to then bend back again later after pouring in and removing, and thus build up a small contact pressure in the groove 4.
• the fastening clip 5 is cast, but since its barbs 5c sit exactly on the projection 6a of the injection mold 6, i.e. no foam gets between the barbs 5c and the projection 6a, the barbs 5c are already directly on the edge 4b of the groove when the injection mold 6 is pulled out 4, so that not much pressure of the fastening clip 5 in the soft foam is necessary to press the barbs 5c a little more into the groove 4.
• the fastening clip 5 should be slightly larger than the groove 4, preferably so much larger that a certain pressure can be built up for the barbs 5c by its bent arms 5b.
• these barbs 5c should reach far enough into the groove 4 that they can securely hold the casing ends 3a and 3b, but on the other hand not so far that they would impede the insertion of the casing ends 3a and 3b into the groove 4 .
• the barbs 5c should be formed so narrow and pointing inwards that they can press relatively easily through any foam that may be present and can also reliably prevent the casing ends 3a and 3b from slipping out.
• the tips of the barbs 5c should be wedge-shaped or tapered to be able to bite well into the material of the casing ends 3a and 3b.
• Other configurations such as rounded wires etc. are also conceivable.
• the fastening clamp 5 should be as thin and small as possible, so that when the injection mold 6 is filled, it presents only little resistance and is not displaced.
• the structure and size of a groove 4 can be designed arbitrarily.
• the groove 4 can be formed with different widths and depths, for example as a clamping groove, matching the thickness of the casing ends 3a and 3b, or as an insertion groove, wider than the casing ends 3a and 3b, or in a different form.
• a groove 4 with sloping or bulbous walls or other designs such as a depression or the like is also conceivable.
• the mounting bracket 5 must be adjusted according to the width and depth of the groove 4.
• the orientation of the groove 4 in the steering wheel rim does not play a major role; it does not necessarily have to be straight, it could also be slanted, curved, kinked, etc.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Steering Controls (AREA)
• Clamps And Clips (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=76958663

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Citations (3)

• 2021
  • 2021-05-31 WO PCT/DE2021/100468 patent/WO2022253368A1/de active Application Filing
  • 2021-05-31 DE DE112021007760.0T patent/DE112021007760A5/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2021-05-31 CN CN202180098474.2A patent/CN117355455A/zh active Pending

Patent Citations (3)

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