JP2940854B2 - Steering wheel - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering wheel in which a pad body is attached to a steering wheel body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in a steering wheel of an automobile, a horn switch mechanism is provided on a boss portion of a steering wheel body, and a pat body constituting an airbag module is supported via the horn switch mechanism. Are known.

The horn switch mechanism includes a pair of left and right horn plates elastically supported on the steering wheel body so as to be able to move forward and backward.
A movable contact that is brought into contact with and separated from the fixed contact is provided. In addition, the pad body is configured such that an inflator for injecting gas, a folded airbag, and a resin cover body covering these are attached to a base plate, and detects a shock of a collision at the time of a vehicle collision or the like. To deploy the airbag.

[0004] The pad body is constructed by fastening a pair of mounting pieces projecting from the base plate to support pieces projecting from the horn plates using bolts such as cap bolts. Mounted on the wheel body. In this state, the horn plate is pushed down by pressing the pad body, the movable contact comes into contact with the fixed contact, and the horn blows.

However, in the above-mentioned conventional construction, when the mounting piece of the pad body is fastened to the support piece of the horn plate, it is necessary to accurately position the pad body and screw the bolt while supporting it by hand. In addition, when screwing the bolt, it is necessary to support the pad body so as not to incline against the tightening force of the bolt. Further, as seen from the operator, the fastening position of the bolt is located at a deep position behind the side surface, and it is difficult to visually confirm the position. Therefore, the mounting of the pad body becomes a complicated operation, and there is a problem that the operation cost increases.

In this regard, for example, a steering wheel described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-28778 is known. In this steering wheel, the insulator attached to the horn plate is provided with an elastically deformable locking portion, and this locking portion is press-fitted into a through hole provided in the base plate to temporarily fix the pad body to the steering wheel body. I can do it.

However, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 5-28778.
In the configuration described in the publication, the locking portion of the steering wheel body side press-fitted into the through hole of the pad body comes into contact with the folded airbag, and the engagement between the through hole and the locking portion. Since the portion is located on the back surface side of the pad body, it is difficult to visually confirm or check the alignment and the engagement by touch. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to accurately align the plurality of locking portions with each other and to engage with the through holes, thereby complicating the mounting operation of the pad body.

Further, for example, a steering wheel described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-191413 is known. In this steering wheel, a locking leg protrudes from the pad body side, and the locking leg is locked in a locking hole formed in the contact plate, so that the pad body can be temporarily fixed to the steering wheel body. ing.

However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
Also in the configuration described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3 (1994), since the engaging portion between the engaging leg provided on the pad body and the engaging hole of the steering wheel body is located on the back side of the pad body, the engagement is confirmed visually or by tactile sensation. This makes it difficult to accurately align the plurality of locking legs with each other and engage with the locking holes, complicating the work of mounting the pad body, and providing a temporary fixing member to the pad body. It is necessary to provide a stopper leg, and there is a problem that the number of parts increases and the manufacturing cost increases.

[0010]

As described above, in the conventional structure, when the mounting piece of the pad body is fastened to the support piece of the horn plate, the bolt is positioned accurately while supporting the pad body by hand. Screwing work is required,
When screwing a bolt, it is necessary to support the pad body not to incline against the tightening force of this bolt,
Also, from the point of view of the operator, the fastening position of the bolt is located at a deep position behind the side surface, and it is difficult to visually confirm it.Therefore, the mounting of the pad body is a complicated operation, and there is a problem that the operation cost increases. ing. In addition,
In the configuration described in Japanese Patent No. 28778, the locking portion on the steering wheel body side pressed into the through hole on the pad body side comes into contact with the folded airbag,
Since the engaging portion between the through hole and the locking portion is located on the back side of the pad body, it is difficult to visually check or feel the position and confirm the engagement, and accurately align the plurality of locking portions respectively. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to engage with the through hole, and the work of attaching the pad body becomes complicated. Further, in the configuration described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-191413, the engagement portion between the locking leg provided on the pad body and the locking hole of the steering wheel body is located on the back side of the pad body, so that the visual or tactile sensation can be obtained. It is difficult to confirm the engagement with the pad, it is difficult to accurately align the plurality of locking legs with each other and to engage with the locking hole, and the mounting work of the pad body becomes complicated, and In this case, it is necessary to provide a locking leg for temporary fixing, which causes a problem that the number of parts increases and the manufacturing cost increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a steering wheel capable of accurately and easily attaching a pad body to a steering wheel body.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering wheel including a pad body having a pad-side mounting portion, a cover body covering the pad body, and a pad body provided with the pad-side mounting portion. and a steering wheel body having a support portion having a body-side mounting portion which is fastened with a fastener, the cover member is engaged with the engaging portion provided on the supporting portion together with ,Longitudinal direction
Notched so as to be positioned at the main body side mounting part
An engagement receiving portion to be fitted is provided.

[0013] The steering wheel according to claim 2 is
2. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the engaging portion is provided on the body-side mounting portion.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering wheel,
3. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is elastically supported by the steering wheel body so as to be able to advance and retreat, and is provided with a movable contact of a horn switch mechanism.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering wheel,
In the steering wheel according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the engagement receiving portion is formed integrally with a synthetic resin cover body.

[0016]

In the steering wheel according to the first aspect, the pad body is attached to the steering wheel body by fastening the pad-side attachment portion to the body-side attachment portion with a fastener. And the cover body of the pad body is in front
Has an engagement receiving part that is cut out for positioning in the rear direction.
Then, by fitting with the mounting portion on the steering wheel body side , the pad body is positioned and held against the tightening force of the fastener.

In the steering wheel according to the second aspect, in addition to the function according to the first aspect, the engagement portion is provided on the main body side attachment portion, so that the shape is simplified and the engagement portion and the engagement receiving portion are provided. Are brought into contact near the fastener.

In the steering wheel according to the third aspect, in addition to the operation according to the first or second aspect, the support portion is elastically held so as to be able to advance and retreat, and the movable contact of the horn switch mechanism is provided. By accurately positioning and attaching to the steering wheel main body, the operability of the horn switch mechanism is improved.

In the steering wheel according to the fourth aspect,
Is an engagement in addition to the function of any one of claims 1 to 3.
The receiving part is molded integrally with the cover made of synthetic resin.
It is easily formed, and the manufacturing cost is reduced.

[0020]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 to 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a steering wheel main body.
Has an annular rim (ring) 2, a boss 3 located inside the rim 2, and a plurality of spokes 4 connecting the rim 2 and the boss 3. ing. A pad body 5 having a built-in airbag device and constituting an airbag module is attached to an upper portion (occupant side) of the boss portion 3. Also, as shown in FIG.
A substantially cylindrical metal boss 6 is provided below the boss portion 3 of the steering wheel body 1, and this boss 6 is fitted and fixed to a steering shaft of an automobile (not shown). . A boss body 7 is formed on the boss 6 by die-casting a light alloy such as an aluminum alloy or a magnesium alloy.
And is integrally fixed to it. Further, a core 4a of the spoke portion 4 is formed integrally with the boss body 7, and this core
4a is joined to the core 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, and covers the core metals 2a and 4a.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, near the four corners of the boss 7, horn switch mounting portions 9 are provided integrally or separately. 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. And
A not-shown fixed contact (contact boss) is formed.

A pair of left and right horn plates 21 as support portions are mounted above these horn switch mounting portions 9 to form a pair of left and right horn switch mechanisms.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the horn plate 21 is formed by pressing a metal plate, for example, a steel plate, an aluminum plate, or the like, and a substrate portion 24 having a longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction. A support piece 25 as a main body-side mounting portion bent upward from a central portion in the longitudinal direction outside the portion 24 is integrally formed. In addition, near the front and rear ends in the longitudinal direction of the substrate portion 24, movable contact points (not shown) having conductivity are fixed, and are electrically connected to the horn plate 21. The horn switch is closed by contact between the movable contact and the fixed contact of the steering wheel body 1.

In each of the substrate portions 24, an inner reinforcing plate portion 27 extending upward is integrally bent at an inner portion along the longitudinal direction, and an outer portion along the longitudinal direction is formed at the outer portion along the longitudinal direction.
The outer reinforcing plate portion 28 facing upward is integrally bent. Further, in the vicinity of the front and rear ends of the substrate portion 24, through holes 31 each having a downwardly directed flange portion are formed.

An upper insulator (insulating member) 33 integrally formed of an insulating synthetic resin or the like is attached to the upper surface of each horn plate 21 in the vicinity of the front and rear ends of the substrate portion 24, respectively. I have. Each of the upper insulators 33 has a substantially cylindrical positioning support portion 34 projecting upward so as to cover the upper side of the movable contact, and is fitted into the through hole 31 of the substrate portion 24. The corresponding cylindrical portion 35 is protruded downward.

Further, an annular lower insulator (resin cap) 37 integrally formed of an insulating synthetic resin or the like is attached to the lower surface of each horn plate 21 near the front and rear ends of the substrate portion 24. Have been. And each lower insulator 37
Is fitted to the cylindrical portion 35 of the upper insulator 33 so as to cover the flange portion of the substrate portion 24.

Each horn plate 21 is urged upward by a coil-shaped spring body 41 as an elastic means fitted into the cylindrical portion 35 of the upper insulator 33, and the cylindrical portion 35 It is latched downward by a so-called torx bolt 42 passing through 35, and is supported so as to be able to reciprocate elastically in the vertical direction.

That is, the torx bolt 42 has a threaded portion 42a having a thread groove and a head portion 42b having a larger diameter than the threaded portion 42a. A cylindrical portion 42c having a diameter between the screw portion 42a and the head portion 42b is formed between the screw portion 42a and the head portion 42b. Then, the cylindrical portion 42 of the Torx bolt 42
c is slidably inserted from above into the cylindrical 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.
In a state where the horn plate 21 is screwed and fixed to the fixing hole 11 of the horn 12, the horn plate 21 is vertically movably guided by the cylindrical portion 42 c of the torx bolt 42, and urged upward by the spring body 41. , Torx bolt 42 head 42b
Abuts on and separates from the upper surface of the upper insulator 33 so as to be able to contact and separate, and regulates the height position of the horn plate 21 so as to keep the distance between the movable contact and the fixed contact constant. .
In this state, the spring body 41 and the torx bolt 42 are separated by the upper insulator 33 and the lower insulator 37.
A cylindrical portion of the torx bolt 42 that is insulated from the horn plate 21 and passes through the inside of the spring body 41
42c prevents a change in elastic force due to the inclination of the spring body 41.

The support piece 25 bent upward from the substrate 24 of the horn plate 21 has a support piece main body 44 having a substantially rectangular plate shape. In the center, a circular through hole 45 is formed,
The outer edge of the support piece 25 is an engaging portion 46. Further, the upper end of the support piece main body 44 is bent outward in an expanded shape to form an inclined guide portion 47.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the pad body 5 has a base plate 51 constituting a pad main body. The base plate 51 is formed in a substantially box shape by pressing a metal plate such as a steel plate into a substantially box shape, and injects gas into a circular hole 52 formed in a central portion of the base plate 51. The inflator 53 is fixed. Further, on the upper surface of the base plate 51, a folded airbag (not shown) is attached using an annular retainer 54 so as to cover the inflator 53, and covers the base plate 51 and the airbag. And a cover body 55 is attached.

The cover 55 is made of a soft resin,
For example, a cover main body 56 is formed by injection molding a thermoplastic elastomer into a substantially box shape having an open lower surface, and covers a part of the upper surface of the boss portion 3 and the spoke portion 4. Is integrally formed with the peripheral wall portion 57 protruding therefrom. And this peripheral wall part 57 is a base plate
Side wall portion 58 bent downward from the periphery of 51
And is fixed to the side wall portion 58 by a plurality of rivets 59 as fixing means.

At both sides of the side wall 58 of the base plate 51 of the pad body 5, a mounting piece as a pad-side mounting portion is provided.
63 are formed. The mounting piece 63 is provided in a state where a part thereof protrudes downward from the side wall 58.
A through hole 64 is formed at the center of the mounting piece 63, and a nut 65 constituting a fastener is caulked to the inside of the through hole 64 and fixed by press fitting or welding. Have been. The nut 65 has a substantially cylindrical shape with a thread groove formed on the inner peripheral surface, and is fixed so as to protrude inside the mounting piece 63.

Further, the peripheral wall portion 57 of the cover body 55 is cut out so that the mounting piece 63 of the base plate 51 is exposed.
A substantially U-shaped engagement receiving portion 66 is formed. And
The width of the notch is equal to the width of the support piece 25 of the horn plate 21. A fragile tear line (not shown) is formed in the cover main body 56 of the cover body 55 in a substantially H-shaped plane.

A back cover 70 is provided on the lower side of the steering wheel main body 1 to cover the inside of the spokes 4 and the lower side of the boss 3. Openings (service holes) 71 are formed facing the support pieces 25 of the horn plates 21 on both sides.
A cable reel device (not shown) is attached to the lower side of the back cover 70 so as to be loosely fitted to the boss 6 and to electrically connect the body-side components and the steering wheel to be rotated. Have been.

The pad body 5 is fastened to the steering wheel body 1 by fastening the mounting piece 63 of the base plate 51 and the support piece 25 of the horn plate 21 using bolts 72 constituting a fastener. It is attached to the boss 3.

That is, when attaching the pad body 5 to the steering wheel body 1, first, the connector of the cable reel device is connected to the lead wire led out from the airbag device in advance as shown in FIG. ,
The horizontal position of the pad body 5 is aligned with the steering wheel body 1 and pushed into the boss portion 3 of the steering wheel body 1 so as to cover the steering wheel body 1 as it is. Then, the inclined guide portions 47 of the support piece portions 25 of the horn plates 21 on both sides slide and contact the mounting piece portions 63 on both sides of the pad body 5 to guide, respectively.
The mounting piece 63 of the base plate 51 fits inside the support piece 25 of the horn plate 21, and the position of the pad body 5 in the left-right direction is determined. Further, when the pad body 5 is pushed in, the positioning support part 34 of the horn switch mechanism is moved to the base plate 51.
, The position of the pad body 5 in the height direction is determined, and the engaging part 46 of the support piece part 25 and the engaging receiving part 66 of the cover body 55 slide to guide the pad body 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the position of the pad body 5 in the front-rear direction is determined in a state where the engagement portion 46 and the engagement receiving portion 66 are engaged, and the pad body 5 is temporarily held at an accurate position.

Subsequently, through the opening 71 of the back cover 70,
Check that the position of the through hole 45 of the support piece 25 of the horn plate 21 and the through hole 45 of the mounting piece 63 of the base plate 51 are aligned.
The screw portion 73 of the bolt 72 is inserted into the through hole 45 of the support piece portion 21 of 21, and the screw portion 73 is screwed into a nut 65 fixed to the mounting piece 63 of the base plate 51 and tightened. Then the bolt
The support piece 25 of the horn plate 21 is sandwiched and tightened between the enlarged diameter portion 74 of the base plate 51 and the mounting piece 63 of the base plate 51 so that the pad body 5 is firmly fixed to the steering wheel body 1. It has become.

When the pad body 5 is pushed downward in this state, the entire pad body 5 is lowered, and the mounting piece 63 of the base plate 51 is attached via the bolt 72 to the supporting piece of the horn plate 21. Along with pushing 25, the vicinity of the four corners of the base plate 51 pushes the positioning support portions 34 of the respective upper insulators 33 of the horn switch mechanism downward, and the horn plate 21 resists the urging force of the spring body 41. The horn plate 21 is pressed down to bring the movable contact of the horn plate 21 into contact with the fixed contact of the boss body 7, and the horn mechanism is operated to blow the horn.

In the event of an automobile collision, the airbag is inflated by gas injected from the inflator 53, and the pressure of the inflation causes the cover body 55 to be cleaved along the tear line to form a projecting opening. The airbag is projected from the projecting opening and inflated and deployed to the front side of the occupant, thereby protecting the occupant from impact.

According to the steering wheel of the present embodiment, the engagement receiving portion 66 is formed on the cover body 55 of the pad body 5, and the engagement receiving portion 66 is provided with the support piece portion 25 provided on the horn plate 21. Since the engaging portions 46 are engaged with each other, the pad body 5 can be guided to an accurate position and easily positioned by sliding contact and engagement between the engaging receiving portions 66 and the engaging portions 46. it can. Further, by the engagement between the engagement receiving portion 66 and the engagement portion 46,
Even when a torque for tightening the bolt 72 to the nut 65 is applied to the pad body 5, the pad body 5 does not rotate, so that the pad body 5 can be prevented from being attached to the horn plate 21 in an inclined state. Therefore, when the pad body 5 is mounted on the steering wheel main body 1, the mounting position can be easily and accurately determined, and the assembling work of the pad body 5 can be facilitated and the operation cost can be reduced. Further, since the pad body 5 can be mounted at an accurate position and the pad body 5 does not tilt even in the bolt 72 fastening process, the step between the cover body 55 of the pad body 5 and the member on the steering wheel body 1 side is reduced. By making the steering wheel smaller, the appearance of the steering wheel can be improved, and the horn stroke can be made constant to improve the operability of the horn switch.

Further, since the engagement receiving portion 66 is provided on the cover body 55 which covers the outside of the pad body 5, the engagement between the engagement receiving portion 66 and the engaging portion 46 can be easily confirmed from the outside, and Since the joining operation can be facilitated and the operation cost can be reduced, the engagement receiving portion 66 can be easily formed integrally with the synthetic resin cover body 55, and there is no need to change the shape of the base plate 51. Manufacturing costs can be reduced.

The engaging portion 46 of the horn plate 21
Since it is formed on the outer edge of the support piece 25, the shape of the member on the steering wheel body 1 side is not complicated, the shape is simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
Further, since the engaging portion 46 is formed on the support piece portion 25, the engaging portion 46 is formed.
And the engagement receiving portion 66 can be brought into contact near the bolt 72. Therefore, when the bolt 72 is tightened,
The force applied to the pad body 5 and the engagement receiving portion 66 can be reduced, and the pad body 5 can be reliably positioned against the tightening force of the bolt 72.

The positions and shapes of the cover engaging portion and the engagement receiving portion are not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, as shown in FIG.
A pair of ridges 81, 81 are integrally formed in an expanded shape along the front and rear of 66, so that the rigidity of the cover body 55 can be increased and accurate positioning can be performed. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the protrusions 82 serving as the engagement receiving portions are formed integrally with each other in the vicinity of each of the engagement receiving portions 66, and at the vicinity of the support piece portion 25 of the horn plate 21. However, the engaging portions 83, 83 with which the respective ridges 82, 82 are engaged may be cut out. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, while being located near the engagement receiving portion 66, the engagement receiving portion 85 is formed on the cover body 55, and located near the supporting piece portion 25 of the horn plate 21, An engagement portion 86 that engages with the engagement receiving portion 85 may be provided in a protruding manner. Further, in the configurations shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the engagement receiving portion 66 that engages with the engagement portion 46 of the support piece 25 may not be formed.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the airbag device is built in the pad body 5 has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to a steering wheel without an airbag device, such as a pad body having a built-in shock absorber. it can.

[0046]

According to the steering wheel of the first aspect , the positioning is performed in the front-rear direction on the cover body of the pad body.
By providing the notched engagement receiving portion and fitting with the steering wheel body side mounting portion, the pad body can be positioned and held against the tightening force of the fastener. Therefore, the pad body can be mounted at an accurate position, the work of mounting the pad body can be facilitated, and the step at the joint portion with the steering wheel body can be reduced to an expected amount. Appearance can be improved. In addition, the engagement receiving portion,
Since the engagement between the engagement receiving portion and the engagement portion can be easily confirmed from the outside since the cover is provided on the cover that covers the pad body, the operation cost can be reduced.

According to the steering wheel of the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, since the engaging portion is provided on the main body-side mounting portion, the shape can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Abut on the fastener in the vicinity of the fastener, thereby reducing the force applied to the engagement portion and the engagement receiver when the fastener is tightened, and reducing the tightening force of the fastener. The pad body can be reliably positioned in opposition.

In the steering wheel according to the third aspect, in addition to the effect according to the first or second aspect, the support portion is elastically held so as to be able to advance and retreat, and the movable contact of the horn switch mechanism is provided. By accurately positioning and attaching the pad body to the steering wheel body by engagement with the engagement receiving portion, it is possible to improve the operational feeling of the horn switch mechanism.

According to the steering wheel of the fourth aspect,
Then, in addition to the effects of any one of claims 1 to 3,
Because the mating part is integrally molded with a synthetic resin cover,
It can be easily formed and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a pad body and a part of a steering wheel body showing an embodiment of a steering wheel of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the steering wheel.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the steering wheel, taken along the line II in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a part of the steering wheel main body.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a state where the pad body is attached to a steering wheel body.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a pad body and a part of a steering wheel body according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a pad body and a part of a steering wheel body showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a pad body and a part of a steering wheel body according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steering wheel main body 5 Pad body 21 Horn plate as support part 25 Support piece part as body side attachment part 46 Engagement part 51 Base plate as pad body part 55 Cover body 63 Mounting piece part as pad side attachment part 65 Tightening Nut that constitutes a fixture 66 Engagement receiving part 72 Bolt that constitutes a fastener

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B62D 1/04-1/28

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] A pad body provided with a pad-side mounting portion, a pad body provided with a cover body covering the pad body portion, and a body-side mounting fastened and fixed to the pad-side mounting portion using a fastener. A steering wheel body provided with a support portion provided with a portion, wherein the cover body is notched so as to engage with an engagement portion provided on the support portion and position in a front-rear direction.
A steering wheel provided with an engagement receiving portion that fits with the body-side mounting portion . 2. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the engaging portion is provided on the main body side mounting portion. 3. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is elastically supported by the steering wheel body so as to be able to advance and retreat, and a movable contact of a horn switch mechanism is provided. Wherein the engagement receiving portion is claims 1 to 3 steering wheel of any <br/>, wherein the integrally molded with the cover body made of a synthetic resin.