JP7363849B2 - steering wheel - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a steering wheel in which an airbag device is assembled to a steering wheel body with a horn switch mechanism interposed therebetween.

Conventionally, in a steering wheel in which an airbag device is assembled to the steering wheel body with this type of horn switch mechanism interposed, three horn switch bodies are assembled to a mounting base on the lower side of the airbag device, and these horn switch It is known that an airbag device is assembled to a steering wheel body using a switch body (for example, see Patent Document 1). The airbag device includes an airbag, an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag, an airbag cover that covers the folded airbag, and a mounting base that holds the airbag, the inflator, and the airbag cover. It was configured with. The assembly area for each horn switch body in the steering wheel body is an assembly hole into which the horn switch body assembly leg (assembly pin) is inserted, and a periphery on the lower side of the assembly hole that crosses the assembly hole. At the same time, when the assembly pin (assembly leg) is inserted, it deforms so as to move toward the periphery of the assembly hole, and then restores itself to lock the tip of the assembly pin. A locking spring is provided with a locking shaft portion that can be locked in the groove. Each horn switch body also includes a metal assembly pin (assembly leg), a movable contact material with a movable contact, a synthetic resin cover, a coil spring, and a synthetic resin cylindrical spring seat. , was configured with. The assembly pin had a structure in which the head at the upper end was used as a fixed side contact, extended downward from the head placed on the mounting base, and the locking groove on the tip side of the lower end was locked to the locking spring. . The cover was attached to the mounting base by assembling a movable contact material having a movable contact on the inner peripheral surface so as to cover the fixed contact (head) on the upper end side of the assembly pin. The spring seat was externally mounted on the assembly pin, and was disposed so as to provide insulation between the head of the assembly pin and the mounting base to which the cover was attached, and supported the upper end of the coil spring. The lower end of the coil spring was brought into contact with the periphery of the assembly hole of the steering wheel body, and the upper end was supported by the spring seat. The negative electrode side of the horn operating circuit is the core material side of the steering wheel body, the assembly pin is the negative electrode side, and the mounting base side is the positive electrode side of the horn operating circuit, which is electrically connected to the movable contact material. When operating the horn, when the mounting base side is pressed down, the contact of the movable contact material connected to the mounting base moves downward together with the cover and comes into contact with the head of the assembly pin of the fixed contact, and the horn is pressed down. The operating circuit was to be made conductive (closed) to operate the horn.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-209009

However, in conventional steering wheels, the parts that are assembled to the locking springs of each assembly part on the steering wheel body side, that is, the horn switch bodies of the horn switch mechanism on the mounting base side that is the airbag device side. At least five parts are required: the movable contact material, the cover that holds the movable contact material, the assembly pin, the coil spring, and the spring seat. The challenge was to reduce the amount of

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel that can reduce the number of parts of a horn switch mechanism.

A steering wheel according to the present invention includes an airbag, an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag, an airbag cover that covers the folded airbag, the airbag, the inflator, and the airbag. an airbag device comprising: a mounting base for holding a cover;
a steering wheel body in which the airbag device is mounted on an upper side near the center of a steering section steered by a driver;
configured with
The assembly legs provided at at least three locations on the lower surface side of the airbag device are inserted into the assembly site provided on the steering wheel body, and the locking springs provided at the assembly site are inserted into the assembly leg portions provided at least three locations on the lower surface side of the airbag device. The airbag device is assembled to the steering wheel body by being locked, and
When the airbag device is pressed down, a movable contact on the airbag device that is electrically connected to one positive electrode of the horn operating circuit is brought into contact with a fixed contact on the steering wheel body that is electrically conductive to the other negative electrode. A steering wheel configured by disposing a horn switch mechanism capable of operating a horn,
The assembly parts are each
an assembly hole into which the assembly leg is inserted;
disposed on the periphery of the lower surface of the assembly hole so as to cross the assembly hole, and deformed so as to move toward the periphery of the assembly hole when the assembly leg is inserted; a locking spring that is restored and has a locking shaft portion that can lock the assembly leg portion;
In addition to being configured by arranging
The locking shaft portion of the locking spring forms the fixed side contact,
The assembly leg portions each include:
a metal script body arranged to extend downward from the mounting base and conductive to the positive electrode side;
a holder made of insulating synthetic resin that is assembled on the tip side of the script body;
a spring member made of a metal leaf spring held by the holder so as to bias the script body upward;
configured with
The holder is
an insertion shaft inserted into the assembly hole, having an insertion hole through which the script body is inserted so as to be movable downward; and a regulating portion that restricts the script body from coming off upward after insertion; Department and
a locking groove that is disposed on the lower end side of the insertion shaft and is locked to the locking shaft of the locking spring so as to restrict separation from the assembly site after assembly;
a flange portion that is disposed on the upper end side of the insertion shaft portion, abuts against the periphery of the assembly hole on the upper surface side of the assembly portion, and restricts movement in the insertion direction into the assembly portion;
a holding part that holds the spring member;
Equipped with
The spring member is
a held part held by the holding part of the holder;
an abutting support part that abuts the script body and supports the script body so as to bias the script body upward;
Between the held part and the abutting support part, on the side of the concave part of the locking groove in the holder, when pressing down on the upper surface side of the locking shaft part locked in the locking groove. a contact part that is contactably disposed above the locking shaft part and forms the movable contact;
configured with
The script font is
When the holder is inserted into the insertion hole and is pressed down, the contact support portion and the contact portion are moved downward so that the movable contact can come into contact with the fixed contact. a spring receiving seat in which a contact surface that contacts the contact support portion of the member is arranged on the lower surface side;
a locking portion that comes into contact with the restriction portion of the holder and is restricted from coming off upward from the holder;
It is characterized by being configured with the following.

In the steering wheel according to the present invention, when the airbag device is pressed down, the spring receiving seat of the script body extending downward from the lower surface side of the mounting base is activated by the spring held against the holder assembled at the mounting site. It descends against the biasing force of the member, and lowers the abutting support portion and the contact portion that are in contact with the spring receiving seat of the spring member. Then, when the contact part descends, the contact part approaches the locking shaft part of the spring member of the assembly part on the steering wheel body side that was locked in the locking groove of the holder, and then the contact part of the spring member The movable contact of the locking groove comes into contact with the locking shaft that constitutes the fixed contact disposed in the recess of the locking groove, and the horn operating circuit is electrically connected (closed). It will be activated.

In addition, the airbag device side corresponding to each assembly part on the steering wheel body side that makes up the horn switch mechanism has a script body extending from the mounting base, and the script body is inserted to prevent it from slipping out of the locking part of the script body. Three parts: an insulating holder having a regulating part, and a spring member having an abutting support part that comes into contact with the spring receiving seat of the script body so as to bias the mounting base upward. It consists of Then, the holder can hold the held part with the holding part and assemble the spring member, and in the assembled state, the script body is further inserted into the insertion hole to prevent the script body from coming off from the locking part. By using the regulating portion, the screen is prevented from coming off from the screenplay body, and can be assembled to the screenplay body. Therefore, the holder with the spring member assembled can be assembled to the script body, and in the assembled state, simply insert the insertion shaft of the holder into the assembly hole of the assembly part of the steering wheel body. By moving the locking shaft of the locking spring to the periphery of the assembly hole and restoring it, the locking shaft can be locked in the locking groove on the tip side of the insertion shaft of the holder, and , the flange on the upper end side of the insertion shaft of the holder is brought into contact with the periphery of the assembly hole on the upper surface side of the assembly site, so that the holder does not come off from the assembly site, and the flange portion Therefore, movement in the insertion direction is also restricted, and it is fixedly attached to the assembly site. The spring member held by the holder urges the script body upward, and the locking part of the script body is regulated by the regulating part of the holder, so that the script body is prevented from coming off upward from the holder. From this point on, the mounting base provided with the script body, that is, the airbag device, is assembled to the steering wheel body while maintaining the operating stroke (horn stroke) during the pressing operation. Therefore, by assembling the holder holding the spring member to the script body that constitutes the horn switch mechanism, the assembly leg consisting of the holder and script body can be simply inserted into the assembly hole of the steering wheel body. The airbag device can be easily assembled to the steering wheel body by simply interposing the horn switch mechanism.

Therefore, in the steering wheel according to the present invention, the horn switch mechanism can be composed of three types of parts: the locking spring of the steering wheel body, the script body on the mounting base side, the holder, and the spring member, The number of parts of the horn switch mechanism can be reduced, and the airbag device can be easily assembled to the steering wheel body.

Further, in the steering wheel according to the present invention, the script body is
It is preferable that the mounting base is cut and raised from a sheet metal material forming the mounting base and formed integrally with the mounting base.

In this configuration, since the script body that makes up the horn switch mechanism is formed integrally with the mounting base, the number of parts that make up the horn switch mechanism is reduced to the locking spring on the steering wheel body side, Since there are only two types of parts, the holder and the spring member, the number of parts can be further reduced.

Further, in the steering wheel according to the present invention, the spring member is formed as an annular body having an opening in the center through which the script body and the insertion shaft portion of the holder can be inserted.
The held part is disposed on one side of a point-symmetrical position on the periphery of the opening, and the abutment support part is disposed on the other side, so that the held part and the abutment support part are arranged. It is desirable that both sides of the opening between them serve as the contact portions.

In such a configuration, one spring member is formed as an annular body, and the contact portions on both sides are provided with the movable side contacts that are elastically deformed when pressed, and the distal ends are connected to each other by the abutting support portion. Since the base parts are connected to each other by the held part, even if the pressing operation is performed for a long period of time when operating the horn, the deformation of the horn from shifting along the locking shaft part is suppressed. The durability of the spring member during operation can be improved. In addition, since the contact support part of the spring member urges the script body upward with both ends connected and supported by the two contact parts, the repulsive force of the two contact parts provides sufficient Even if the airbag device is heavy, the biasing force can be secured and the script body can be smoothly biased upward to achieve a predetermined horn stroke, that is, the upward separation distance of the movable contact from the fixed contact. Can be secured.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the steering wheel of the embodiment, corresponding to the II-II section in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic partially enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the airbag device of the embodiment, corresponding to the III portion in FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a steering wheel main body according to an embodiment. It is a perspective view of the bottom side of the airbag device of an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of an airbag device according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an upper plate of the mounting base used in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a lower plate of the mounting base used in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a mounting base (lower plate) and an assembly leg of the horn switch mechanism of the airbag device according to the embodiment. It is an exploded perspective view of a mounting base (lower plate) and an assembly leg part in a horn switch mechanism of an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a spring member used in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a holder used in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a left side view of a holder used in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a right side view of a holder used in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the assembly leg portion of the embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the state before and after making the holder of embodiment hold a spring member. It is a figure explaining the state where the airbag device of an embodiment is assembled to a steering wheel main body. It is a figure explaining the state of the steering wheel at the time of horn operation of an embodiment.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. As shown in FIGS. A main body (steering wheel main body) 1 of a steering wheel W having a boss part B disposed at the center of the steering wheel W, and spoke parts S (L, R, B) connecting the ring part R and the boss part B; An airbag device 20 disposed above the boss portion B.

Note that the directions of up and down, left and right, and front and rear in this specification are based on when the vehicle is steered in a straight line with the steering wheel W connected to the steering shaft SS of the vehicle (see FIG. 2) with a nut N. The vertical direction corresponds to the vertical direction along the axial direction of the steering shaft SS, the left-right direction corresponds to the left-right direction of the vehicle in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the steering shaft SS, and the longitudinal direction corresponds to the vertical direction along the axial direction of the steering shaft SS. It corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in the direction perpendicular to the axis.

The steering wheel main body 1 includes a ring portion R, a boss portion B, a core bar 2 arranged so as to interconnect the spoke portions S (L, R, B), and a ring portion R and the vicinity of the ring portion R. A coating layer 4 made of urethane or the like covers a portion of the core metal 2 of the spoke portion S. A leather 5 is wrapped around the surface of the covering layer 4. Furthermore, a decorative garnish 7 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the rear portion of the ring portion R. Further, the steering wheel main body 1 is configured with a lower cover 9 disposed on the lower surface side of the boss portion B (see FIG. 2).

The core metal 2 includes a ring core metal part 2a arranged in the ring part R, a boss core metal part 2b arranged in the boss part B and connected to the steering shaft SS, and each spoke part S (L, R, B ), the spoke core metal parts 2c and 2d connect the ring core metal part 2a and the boss core metal part 2b. The spoke core metal parts 2c are arranged at the two left and right spoke parts SL and SR on the front side, and the two spoke core metal parts 2d are arranged at the spoke part SB on the rear side, branching left and right. ing. A bezel 8 is disposed above the boss portion B so as to surround the airbag cover 39.

An assembly portion 11 (L, R, B) for assembling the airbag device 20 to the steering wheel body 1 side is provided on the periphery of the boss core metal portion 2b of the core metal 2 (Figs. (see 4). The assembly parts 11L, 11R, and 11B are arranged at three locations on the left, right, and rear sides of the boss core metal part 2b, and are respectively provided at the assembly hole 12 that opens in a substantially rectangular shape and on the lower surface side of the boss core metal part 2b. A locking spring 14 is disposed to lock each assembly leg portion 49 (L, R, B) of a horn switch mechanism 45, which will be described later. Each of the locking springs 14 is formed from an electrically conductive rod-shaped spring material such as steel, and is attached to the mounting seat 13 on the periphery of the lower surface of the assembly hole 12 . The locking spring 14 attached to each mounting seat 13 is disposed so as to cross the mounting hole 12, and is configured to move toward the peripheral edge of the mounting hole 12 when the mounting leg portion 49 is inserted. It is provided with a locking shaft portion 15 that deforms and restores to lock the assembly leg portion 49 (see FIG. 17). In the case of the embodiment, the locking shaft portion 15 is electrically connected to the boss core metal portion 2b on the core metal 2 side, which is the negative electrode side of the horn operating circuit, and is connected to the switch portion 46 (L, R, B) in the horn switch mechanism 45. ) constitutes the fixed side contact 48 side (see FIG. 4). In other words, the locking shaft portion 15 constitutes the assembly portion 11 that locks the airbag device 20, and also fixes the lower portion 46b side of each switch portion 46 (L, R, B) of the horn switch mechanism 45. It constitutes a side contact 48. Note that a movable contact 47, which will be described later, is provided above the fixed contact 48 and is located on the upper 46a side of each switch section 46 (see FIGS. 5 and 18).

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, 5, and 6, the airbag device 20 includes an airbag 35 that is inflated by introducing inflation gas (see the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 1 and 2); an inflator 30 that supplies airbags, an airbag cover 39 made of synthetic resin that covers the folded airbag 35 and is placed on the upper surface side of the boss part B, It is configured to include a mounting base 21 made of sheet metal for holding and a retainer 32 made of sheet metal, and each assembly leg 49 (L, R, B) of the horn switch mechanism 45 is arranged on the lower side. I'm letting you do it.

In addition, in the case of the embodiment, the horn switch mechanism 45 includes an assembly portion 11 (L, R, B) in which an assembly hole 12 on the steering wheel body 1 side and a locking spring 14 are disposed, and each assembly portion 11 (L, R, B). The assembly leg portion 49 (L, R, B) is assembled to the part 11 (L, R, B), and each assembly leg portion 49 is made of sheet metal and is electrically connected to the positive electrode side of the horn operating circuit. A spring consisting of a script body 50, a holder 60 made of insulating synthetic resin that is assembled to the script body 50, and a metal plate spring held by the holder 60 so as to bias the script body 50 upward. It is composed of a member 80. The horn switch mechanism 45 includes a switch section 46 (L, R, B) having a movable contact 47 and a fixed contact 48 that actuate the horn when they come into contact with each other. (See FIGS. 4 and 5), each spring member 80 arranges the movable side contact 47, each locking spring 14 conducts with the core metal 2 which becomes the negative electrode side of the horn operating circuit, and arranges the fixed side contact 48. (See FIG. 18).

The airbag 35 of the airbag device 20 has a fully inflated shape that is a thick, approximately circular disk that approximates a spherical shape (see the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 1 and 2), and has a circular shape to allow inflation gas to flow into the lower part. The inflow opening 36 is provided with an inflow opening 36 (see FIG. 3), and four through holes 37a (see FIG. 6) are formed in the periphery 37 of the inflow opening 36, through which bolts 32b serving as fixing means for the retainer 32 are passed. ing.

The inflator 30 includes a cylindrical main body part 30a provided with a plurality of gas discharge ports 30b for discharging inflation gas at the upper part, and a square annular flange part 30c (see FIG. 6) on the outer peripheral surface of the main body part 30a. is installed protrudingly. A through hole 30d through which the bolt 32b of the retainer 32 passes is formed in the flange portion 30c.

The retainer 32 includes a rectangular ring-shaped main body 32a made of sheet metal, and bolts 32b (see FIGS. 5 and 6) projecting downward are provided at the four corners. The retainer 32 is disposed on the periphery 37 of the inflow opening 36 in the airbag 35, and each bolt 32b is connected to the through hole 37a of the airbag 35, the through holes 23b and 26b of the mounting base 21, and the flange portion 30c of the inflator 30. The airbag 35 and the inflator 30 are attached to the mounting base 21 by sequentially passing through the through holes 30d and tightening nuts 33 to each bolt 32b (see FIG. 3).

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 6, the airbag cover 39 is made of synthetic resin such as olefin thermoplastic elastomer and is disposed on the upper surface side of the boss B near the center of the steering wheel W. . The airbag cover 39 includes a ceiling wall portion 40 that covers the upper side of the airbag 35 folded and stored inside the boss portion B, and a substantially cylindrical shape extending from the lower surface of the ceiling wall portion 40 to cover the folded airbag 35. and a side wall portion 41 that covers the front, rear, left and right sides (outer circumferential side) of.

A door portion 40a that opens forward when pushed by the inflating airbag 35 is disposed on the ceiling wall portion 40 (see the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 1 and 2). The door portion 40a is configured to open by breaking a thin-walled portion around it that is scheduled to break.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the side wall portion 41 of the airbag cover 39 has six locking legs 42 disposed at its lower end. Each locking leg portion 42 is inserted into a locking hole 23c provided in the upper plate 22 of the mounting base 21, and is locked to the periphery of the locking hole 23c. Then, with the lower end surface of the side wall portion 41 in contact with the upper surface of the upper plate 22 of the mounting base 21, the locking head portion 42a of each locking leg portion 42 is locked to the periphery of the locking hole 23c. The airbag cover 39 can be attached to the mounting base 21 without shifting vertically or longitudinally or horizontally.

In the case of the embodiment, the mounting base 21 is composed of two plates, an upper plate 22 and a lower plate 26, both of which are made of sheet metal, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 to 8. The upper plate 22 and lower plate 26 of the mounting base 21 have insertion holes 23a and 26a into which the main body 30a of the inflator 30 can be inserted, so as to be able to hold the airbag 35, the inflator 30, and the airbag cover 39. The retainer 32 includes through holes 23b and 26b through which each bolt 32b of the retainer 32 can pass.

In the upper plate 22, a locking hole 23c for locking each locking leg portion 42 of the airbag cover 39 is provided in the annular portion 23 having the insertion hole 23a and the through hole 23b. A side wall portion 24 that covers the outer peripheral surface side of the side wall portion 41 of the airbag cover 39 is disposed on the outer peripheral edge (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the lower plate 26 has a cut-and-raised portion 28 (L, R, B) provided on the outer peripheral edge of the sheet metal material when the lower plate 26 is press-formed from the sheet metal material. are doing. Each cut-and-raised portion 28 is formed to extend downward from the planar mounting seat 27 in which the insertion hole 26a and the through hole 26b are provided, and in the case of the embodiment, each assembly leg portion 49 of the horn switch mechanism 45 A script body 50 of (L, R, B) is formed. The mounting seat 27 can be attached to the peripheral edge 37 of the inflow opening 36 of the airbag 35 by passing the bolts 32b of the retainer 32 through it together with the annular part 23 of the upper plate 22, and by fastening the nuts 33 to each bolt 32b. This is the part where the flange portion 30c of the inflator 30 is attached.

Each assembly leg part 49 (L, R, B) of the horn switch mechanism 45 is connected to each assembly part 11 (L, R, B) of the steering wheel body 1, as shown in FIGS. R, B), each of which is arranged to extend downward from the lower plate 26 of the mounting base 21 and conductive to the positive electrode side, as described above. , a holder 60 made of synthetic resin made of insulating polypropylene, etc., which is assembled on the tip side of the script body 50, and a metal plate held by the holder 60 so as to bias the script body 50 upward. A spring member 80 made of a spring.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 9, 10, 15, and 16, each script body 50 is formed by pressing the sheet metal material of the sheet metal lower plate 26 on the mounting base 21, as described above. When forming the mounting seats 27 of 26, at the same time, they are formed from cut and raised portions 28 (L, R, B) that are cut and raised so as to protrude downward. The script body 50 has a substantially rectangular plate shape that is elongated in the vertical direction, and connects a narrow side surface 51a on the center side (inflator 30 side) of the boss portion B, a narrow side surface 51b on the outside, and mutually connects the narrow side surfaces 51a and 51b. The outer circumferential surface 51 includes wide side surfaces 51c, 51c. The tip portion 53 of the script body 50 has a tapered surface 53a on a narrow side surface 51a, and a rectangular opening is provided on the narrow side surface 51a above the tapered surface 53a, and a rectangular opening is provided on the narrow side surface 51b side. A concave portion 55 is formed.

The upper surface of the inner circumferential side of the recess 55 is a spring receiving seat 56 that abuts and is supported by a later-described abutting support part 86 of a spring member 80 (see FIG. 9). Further, the lower surface of the inner circumferential side of the recess 55 comes into contact with a regulating surface 64b on the lower surface side of the regulating portion 64 of the holder 60, which will be described later, so that the holder 60 can come off downward from the script body 50. A locking portion 57 is used to restrict the movement (see FIG. 17). Note that, when the holder 60 is fixedly attached to the assembly portion 11, the locking portion 57 comes into contact with the regulating surface 64b of the regulating portion 64, and causes the script body 50 to move upward relative to the holder 60, that is, when the script body 50 This means that upward removal from the assembly portion 11 is restricted.

The holder 60 has an insertion shaft portion 61, a locking groove 69, a collar portion 72, and a holding portion 75 that holds a spring member 80, as shown in FIGS. Configured with the necessary features.

The insertion shaft portion 61 has a slit-like insertion hole 74 through which the script body 50 is inserted so as to be movable downward, and a restriction portion 64 that restricts the script body 50 from coming off upward after insertion. , is inserted into the assembly hole 12 of the assembly part 11. The tip portion 67 on the lower end 61b side of the insertion shaft portion 61 comes into contact with the locking shaft portion 15 of the locking spring 14 when inserted into the assembly hole 12, and causes the locking shaft portion 15 to move around the circumference of the assembly hole 12. A tapered surface 67a is provided so as to move it toward the edge.

Above the tapered surface 67a on the lower end 61b side of the insertion shaft portion 61, a locking shaft portion 15 of the locking spring 14 is locked so that separation from the assembly portion 11 after assembly is restricted. A locking groove 69 is formed. The locking groove 69 has a lower inner circumferential surface as a locking surface 70 that locks the locking shaft portion 15 .

The flange portion 72 on the upper end 61a side of the insertion shaft portion 61 is configured so that when the locking surface 70 is locked to the locking shaft portion 15 of the locking spring 14 in the mounting portion 11, the flange portion 72 is attached to the mounting hole 12 of the mounting portion 11. The holder 60 comes into contact with the upper surface 11a side of the periphery of the holder 60, thereby restricting movement of the holder 60 in the direction of insertion into the assembly site 11 (see FIG. 17). Therefore, in the holder 60, when the locking surface 70 of the locking groove 69 is locked to the locking shaft portion 15 of the locking spring 14, the collar portion 72 comes into contact with the upper surface 11a side of the peripheral edge of the assembly hole 12. As a result, vertical movement is restricted and the assembly portion 11 is fixedly attached to the assembly portion 11 . Further, a substantially square column-shaped fitting portion 72 a that fits into the upper edge side of the assembly hole 12 is formed on the lower surface of the flange portion 72 .

Further, in the case of the embodiment, the insertion shaft portion 61 is inserted from the lower surface of the flange portion 72 to each other with the insertion hole 74 in between, that is, with a substantially equivalent gap h slightly wider than the thickness dimension t of the script body 50. It is composed of two plate-shaped parts 62 and 63 that protrude parallel to each other. The plate portions 62 and 63 have the same outer shape and include a tapered surface 67a and a locking groove 69 having a locking surface 70. A restricting portion 64 that restricts the script body 50 from coming off upward after being inserted into the insertion hole 74 is disposed on the side of the plate portion 63 that faces the plate portion 62 . The regulating portion 64 has a triangular prism shape, and a regulating surface 64b on the lower surface side locks the locking portion 57 on the lower edge side of the recess 55 of the script body 50. The regulating part 64 has an upper surface side as a guide surface 64a inclined so as to approach the plate-like part 62 side on the lower side, and when the script body 50 is inserted into the insertion hole 74, the tip part 53 side of the script body 50 is restricted. The structure is such that it is easy to climb over the portion 64.

Further, the edges of the plate-like portions 62 and 63 on the opposite side to the locking groove 69 are connected to each other by a connecting plate portion 65. Therefore, the peripheral wall of the insertion hole 74 into which the main body 50 of the insertion shaft portion 61 is inserted is formed by the flange portion 72, the plate portions 62 and 63, and the connecting plate portion 65 on the periphery of the insertion hole 74. That will happen. When the script body 50 is inserted into the insertion hole 74, the position of the outer circumferential surface 51 is regulated by the collar portion 72, the plate portions 62 and 63, and the connecting plate portion 65 on the periphery of the insertion hole 74. Then, by regulating the position of the locking part 57 by the regulating part 64, the script body 50 is removed upward from the holder 60, that is, the legs of the holder 60 are prevented. Falling from the main body 50 will be prevented.

The holding part 75 that holds the spring member 80 of the holder 60 is disposed above the connecting plate part 65, and is located in a concave-like recess 76 in the plate parts 62 and 63 where the connecting plate part 65 is not arranged. , an insertion port 77 that communicates with the recess 76 and opens so as to widen the upper end side of the insertion hole 74 toward the outer edge side, and a locking rod portion 78 that is disposed on the outer edge side of the insertion hole 77; It is configured with.

As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, 15, and 16 to 18, the spring member 80 is placed in contact with a held part 81 held by the holding part 75 of the holder 60 and a spring receiving seat 56 of the script body 50, The contact support part 86 supports the main body 50 so as to bias it upward, and the contact part 88 forms the movable contact 47.

The held part 81 has a hook part 84 having an inverted U-shaped cross section that is fitted and assembled from above into the locking rod part 78 of the holding part 75 of the holder 60, and a hook part 84 of the vertical rod part 83 extending in the vertical direction. It is arranged and configured at the upper end. The vertical rod portion 83 is arranged so as to be inserted through the insertion opening 77 of the holder 60 from below to the upper side, and at the lower end of the vertical rod portion 83, direction), and is connected to a horizontal rod portion 82 extending on both sides. The lower edge 82a of the horizontal rod portion 82 is supported by the upper end surface 65a of the connecting plate portion 65 of the holder 60, and the vertical rod portion 83 is accommodated in the recess 76 of the holder 60. It is arranged so as to extend upward. That is, when the held portion 81 of the spring member 80 is assembled to the holding portion 75 of the holder 60, the hook portion 84 on the upper end side of the vertical rod portion 83 engages with the locking rod portion 78 of the holding portion 75 of the holder 60. The lower edge 82a side of the horizontal rod part 82 on the lower end side of the vertical rod part 83 is positionally regulated by the upper end surface 65a of the connecting plate part 65 on the lower surface side of the recess 76 in the holding part 75 of the holder 60. , the held part 81 extending from the horizontal rod part 82 to the hook part 84 is fitted into the recess 76 of the holder 60, and the contact part 88 is prevented from shifting downward, front, rear, left and right (opposing the plate parts 62 and 63). (in other words, in the direction in which the held part 81 and the abutting support part 86 face each other when viewed from above, or in the direction perpendicular to the opposing direction). , will be assembled to the holding part 75 of the holder 60.

The contact portion 88 is arranged to extend obliquely upward from both ends of the horizontal rod portion 82, and is connected to the abutting support portion 86 so as to connect the ends thereof. Then, the contact portions 88 , 88 are engaged with the engagement groove 69 between the held portion 81 and the contact support portion 86 on the side of the recess 69 a of the engagement groove 69 in the holder 60 . A movable contact 47 is formed above the locking shaft 15 so as to be able to come into contact with the upper surface of the shaft 15 during a pressing operation (see FIGS. 17 and 18).

In the case of the embodiment, the spring member 80 is formed as a square annular body having an opening 80a in the center through which the script body 50 and the insertion shaft portion 61 can be inserted. Then, the held part 81 is arranged on one side of a point-symmetrical position on the periphery of the opening 80a, and the abutting support part 86 is arranged on the other side, so that the held part 81 and the abutting support part Contact portions 88, 88 are provided on both sides of the opening 80a between the contact portion 86 and the opening 80a.

Note that the external dimensions of the spring member 80 when viewed from above are smaller than the opening shape of the assembly hole 12, except for the tip of the hooking claw portion 84, and the hooking claw portion 84 is smaller than the opening shape of the assembly hole 12. Since it is surrounded by the flange 72 of the flange 72, when the assembly leg 49 is assembled into the assembly hole 12, it comes into contact with the core 2 (boss core 2b) side of the steering wheel body 1. There is no conduction to the negative pole side of the horn operating circuit. Similarly, since the script body 50 is also covered by the holder 60, it is not electrically connected to the core metal 2 (boss core metal part 2b) side of the steering wheel body 1. Further, the script body 50 is configured such that the recess 55 is larger than the recess 69a of the locking groove 69 of the holder 60, so that it does not come into direct contact with the locking shaft portion 15 of the locking spring 14. Therefore, even if the script body 50 is electrically connected to the positive pole side of the horn operating circuit, the movable side contact 47 of the contact portion 88 is Unless it comes into contact with the locking shaft portion 15 that constitutes the fixed side contact 48, the horn operating circuit will not conduct (close).

To assemble each assembly leg portion 49 (L, R, B) of the embodiment, first, the spring member 80 is assembled to the holder 60. This operation involves inserting the insertion shaft portion 61 of the holder 60 into the opening 80a of the spring member 80 from above, and inserting the hook portion 84 of the held portion 81 of the spring member 80 into the insertion opening 77 from below. , and then fit into the locking rod part 78 from above to lock the hook part 84 to the locking rod part 78, and the horizontal rod part 82 is inserted into the connecting plate part 65 in the recess 76 of the holder 60. When fitted onto the upper end surface 65a side, the held portion 81 is held by the holding portion 75 of the holder 60. Next, the script body 50 is inserted into the insertion hole 74 of the holder 60 from above, and the locking part 57 is locked with the regulating part 64 of the holder 60. During this assembly, the contact support portion 86 of the spring member 80 contacts the spring receiving seat 56 of the script body 50. Therefore, since the holder 60 is locked by the locking part 57 and the restricting part 64, downward displacement in the falling direction with respect to the script body 50 is restricted. Further, the upward displacement of the holder 60 with respect to the script body 50 is caused by the fact that the abutting support portion 86 of the spring member 80 that holds the held portion 81 in the holder 60 is in contact with the spring receiving seat 56 of the script body 50. , will be regulated by the urging force of the spring member 80. That is, the holder 60 can be assembled to the script body 50 without falling downward and without being significantly displaced upward due to the biasing force of the spring member 80.

The airbag device 20 of the embodiment is assembled by first inserting the retainer 32 into the airbag 35 with each bolt 32b protruding from the through hole 37a, and folding the airbag 35 to prevent it from collapsing. Wrap with wrapping material (not shown). Next, the insertion holes 23a and 26a and the through holes 23b and 30d are aligned with each other, and the lower plate 26 with the assembly legs 49 of the horn switch mechanism 45 assembled is placed below the upper plate 22, and then, The peripheral edge 37 of the inflow opening 36 of the airbag 35 is arranged on the annular portion 23 of the upper plate 22, and each bolt 32b of the retainer 32 is passed through the through holes 23b, 30d of the upper plate 22 and the lower plate 26. Then, while inserting the main body 30a of the inflator 30 into the airbag 35 through the insertion holes 22a, 26a of the upper plate 22 and lower plate 26, insert the through holes 23b, 30d of the upper plate 22 and lower plate 26. By passing each bolt 32b of the retainer 32 protruding from the through hole 30d of the inflator 30 and tightening a nut 33 to each bolt 32b, the upper plate 22 and the lower plate 26 are connected to the mounting base 21. At the same time, the airbag 35 and the inflator 30 can be attached to the attachment base 21. After that, when the airbag cover 39 is placed over the airbag 35 and each of the locking legs 42 at the lower end of the side wall portion 41 is inserted into the locking hole 23c of the mounting base 21 and locked, the airbag cover 39 is closed. After being coupled to the mounting base 21, the assembly of the airbag device 20 is completed.

The airbag device 20 is mounted on the vehicle by attaching each horn switch to the assembly hole 12 of each assembly portion 11 of the steering wheel body 1 already assembled to the steering shaft SS, as shown in A and B of FIG. The assembly leg part 49 of the mechanism 45 is inserted, and the locking shaft part 15 of each locking spring 14 is deformed so as to move toward the peripheral edge of the assembly hole 12, and then restored, and the assembly leg part 49, the airbag device 20 can be assembled to the steering wheel body 1, and the assembly of the steering wheel W is completed, and the steering wheel W, together with the airbag device 20, is attached to the vehicle. It can be installed on.

Note that when assembling (installing) the airbag device 20 to the steering wheel body 1, the lead wire (not shown) of the lower plate 26 is connected to the positive pole side of the horn operating circuit, and the inflator 30 is connected to the Lead wires (not shown) for signal input will be connected.

When an activation signal is input to the inflator 30 after being installed in a vehicle, the inflator 30 discharges inflation gas from the gas discharge port 30b, so that the folded airbag 35 allows the inflation gas to flow into the folded airbag 35. It inflates, pushes open the door part 40a of the ceiling wall part 40 of the airbag cover 39, protrudes from the open opening of the door part 40a, and expands and inflates so as to cover the upper surface of the ring part R from above the boss part B. (See the two-dot chain line in Figures 1 and 2).

In addition, during normal use when the inflator 30 is not activated, if the airbag cover 39 of the airbag device 20 is pressed down in the same way as operating the horn switch mechanism 45, the airbag cover 39 of the airbag device 20 can be installed as shown in A and B in FIG. The spring receiving seat 56 of the script body 50 extending downward from the lower surface side of the lower plate 26 of the base 21 resists the biasing force of the spring member 80 held against the holder 60 assembled in the assembly portion 11. , and lowers the contact support portion 86 and the contact portion 88 of the spring member 80 that are in contact with the spring receiving seat 56 . When the contact portion 88 descends, the contact portion 88 approaches the locking shaft portion 15 of the spring member 14 of the assembly portion 11 on the steering wheel body 1 side that was locked in the locking groove 69 of the holder 60, Then, the movable side contact 47 of the contact portion 88 of the spring member 80 comes into contact with the locking shaft portion 15 constituting the fixed side contact 48 disposed in the recess 69a of the locking groove 69, and the horn operating circuit conducts, activating the horn.

Further, the airbag device 20 side corresponding to each assembly portion 11 on the steering wheel body 1 side constituting the horn switch mechanism 45 has the script body 50 extending from the lower plate 26 of the mounting base 21 and the script body 50 inserted therein. , an insulating holder 60 having a restricting portion 64 that restricts the locking portion 57 of the script body 50 from slipping out, and a spring of the script body 50 that biases the lower plate 26 side of the mounting base 21 upward. It is composed of three parts: a spring member 80 having an abutting support portion 86 that abuts against the receiving seat 56; Then, the holder 60 can hold the held part 81 with the holding part 75 and assemble the spring member 80. In the assembled state, the script body 50 is further inserted into the insertion hole 74, and the script body 50 is inserted into the insertion hole 74. By using a regulating portion 64 that restricts the locking portion 57 from coming off, it is prevented from coming off from the script body 50, so that it can be assembled to the script body 50. Therefore, the holder 60 with the spring member 80 assembled can be assembled to the script body 50, and in the assembled state, the insertion shaft portion 61 of the holder 60 is simply inserted into the assembly portion 11 of the steering wheel body 1. Once inserted into the hole 12, the locking shaft portion 15 of the locking spring 14 is moved to the periphery of the assembly hole 12 and restored, thereby fitting into the locking groove 69 on the distal end side of the insertion shaft portion 61 of the holder 60. The locking shaft portion 15 can be locked, and the flange portion 72 on the upper end side of the insertion shaft portion 61 of the holder 60 can be brought into contact with the periphery of the assembly hole 12 on the upper surface 11a side of the assembly portion 11. As a result, the holder 60 is fixedly attached to the assembly site 11 without being removed from the assembly site 11, and movement in the insertion direction (downward) is also restricted by the collar portion 72. Then, the spring member 80 held by the holder 60 urges the script body 50 upward, and the locking part 57 of the script body 50 is restricted by the regulating part 64 of the holder 60, so that the script body 50 moves upward from the holder 60. Since the operation stroke (horn stroke) HS during the pressing operation is maintained, the mounting base 21 (lower plate 26) provided with the script body 50, that is, the airbag device 20 is prevented from coming off the steering wheel. It will be assembled into the main body 1. Therefore, by assembling the holder 60 holding the spring member 80 to the script body 50 constituting the horn switch mechanism 45, the assembly leg portion 49 consisting of the holder 60 and script body 50 can be simply attached to the steering wheel body. The airbag device 20 can be easily assembled to the steering wheel body 1 by simply inserting the airbag device 20 into the first assembly hole 12 with the horn switch mechanism 45 interposed therebetween.

Therefore, the steering wheel W of the embodiment has three types of horn switch mechanisms 45: the locking spring 14 of the steering wheel body 1, the script body 50 on the mounting base 21 side, the holder 60, and the spring member 80. The number of parts of the horn switch mechanism 45 can be reduced, and the airbag device 20 can be easily assembled to the steering wheel body 1.

In the embodiment, the script body 50 is cut and raised from a sheet metal material that forms the lower plate 26 of the mounting base 21, and is formed integrally with the lower plate 26 of the mounting base 21.

Therefore, in the embodiment, since the script body 50 constituting the horn switch mechanism 45 is integrally formed with the lower plate 26 of the mounting base 21, the number of parts constituting the horn switch mechanism 45 is reduced. In addition to the locking spring 14 on the first side, there are two types: a holder 60 and a spring member 80, further reducing the number of springs.

Further, in the embodiment, the spring member 80 is formed as an annular body (square annular body) having an opening 80a in the center through which the script body 50 and the insertion shaft portion 61 of the holder 60 can be inserted. The held part 81 is disposed on one side of the periphery in a point-symmetrical position, and the abutment support part 86 is disposed on the other side, thereby creating a gap between the held part 81 and the abutment support part 86. Contact portions 88, 88 are provided on both sides of the opening 80a.

Therefore, in the embodiment, one spring member 80 is formed as an annular body, and the contact portions 88, 88 on both sides provided with the movable side contact 47 that elastically deforms when pressed are in contact with each other on the tip 88a side. Since they are connected by the contact support part 86 and the base parts 88b sides are connected by the held part 81, even if the pressing operation when operating the horn is performed for a long period of time, the locking shaft part 15 will not Since the deformation of the spring member 80 along the horn is suppressed, the durability of the spring member 80 during operation of the horn can be improved. In addition, since the contact support portion 86 of the spring member 80 urges the script body 50 upward with both ends connected and supported by the two contact portions 88, the two contact portions 88 repulse. Even if the airbag device 20 is heavy, the script body 50 can be smoothly urged upward to reach the predetermined horn stroke HS, that is, the fixed side contact of the movable side contact 47. 48 can be secured upwardly.

In the case of the embodiment, the mounting base 21 has a two-piece structure including the upper plate 22 and the lower plate 26, but the lower plate 26 has a locking hole for locking the locking leg portion 42 of the airbag cover 39. If 23c is provided, the mounting base 21 may be constructed from one piece of the lower plate 26. That is, in that case, the mounting base 21 that holds the airbag 35, the inflator 30, and the airbag cover 39 can be configured only by the lower plate 26, and in the present invention, the mounting base may be configured as a single piece. .

Further, in the embodiment, the assembly portion 11 (L, R, B) of the horn switch mechanism 45 and the assembly leg portion 49 (L, R, B) are arranged at three locations in correspondence with each other. As long as they correspond to each other, the assembly parts and the assembly legs may be arranged at four or more positions.

Furthermore, in the case of the embodiment, a rectangular plate-shaped script body 50 formed by cutting and raising the lower plate 26 of the mounting base 21 is inserted into the insertion hole 74 of the holder 60 holding the square annular spring member 80, and the holder 60 is assembled to the script body 50 to form the assembly leg part 49 of the horn switch mechanism 45, and the fixed side contact 48 itself corresponding to the movable side contact 47 is assembled to the assembly leg part 49. The switch part 46 can be configured from the locking shaft part 15 of the locking spring 14 of the part 11 and disposed below the inflator 30 and close to the inflator 30. Therefore, when a conventional cylindrical horn switch body is disposed below the inflator 30, the mounting base that holds the inflator 30 is drawn to have a concave shape, and the horn switch body is mounted on the mounting base. In this case, the mounting seat becomes an inverted truncated conical shape by drawing, and the external dimensions of the mounting base including the mounting seat become large. In contrast, in the present invention, since such a drawn assembly seat is not required, the external dimensions of the mounting base can be reduced, the external dimensions of the airbag device 20 can be reduced, and the external dimensions of the airbag device 20 can be reduced. This will contribute to miniaturization.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Steering wheel body, 11 (L, R, B)... Assembly part, 11a... Upper surface (around the assembly hole), 12... Assembly hole, 14... Locking spring, 15... (Fixed side contact) engagement Stop shaft part, 20...Airbag device, 21...Mounting base, 26...Lower plate, 28 (L, R, B)...(Screenplay body) cut-and-raised part, 30...Inflator, 35...Airbag, 39...Airbag Cover, 45... Horn switch mechanism, 46 (L, R, B)... Switch part, 47... Movable side contact, 48... Fixed side contact, 49 (L, R, B)... Assembly leg part, 50... Script body , 53... Tip part, 55... Recessed part, 56... Spring receiving seat, 57... Locking part, 60... Holder, 61... Insertion shaft part, 64... Regulating part, 67... Tip part, 69... Locking groove, 69a... Recessed part, 70... Locking surface, 72... Flange part, 74... Insertion hole, 75... Holding part, 80... Spring member, 80a... Opening, 81... Holding part, 86... Contact support part, 88... Contact part,
R... (steering section) ring section, B... boss section, W... steering wheel.

Claims (3)

an airbag, an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag, an airbag cover that covers the folded airbag, and a mounting base that holds the airbag, the inflator, and the airbag cover; An airbag device comprising:
a steering wheel body in which the airbag device is mounted on an upper side near the center of a steering section steered by a driver;
configured with
The assembly legs provided at at least three locations on the lower surface side of the airbag device are inserted into the assembly site provided on the steering wheel body, and the locking springs provided at the assembly site are inserted into the assembly leg portions provided at least three locations on the lower surface side of the airbag device. The airbag device is assembled to the steering wheel body by being locked, and
When the airbag device is pressed down, a movable contact on the airbag device that is electrically connected to one positive electrode of the horn operating circuit is brought into contact with a fixed contact on the steering wheel body that is electrically conductive to the other negative electrode. A steering wheel configured by disposing a horn switch mechanism capable of operating a horn,
The assembly parts are each
an assembly hole into which the assembly leg is inserted;
disposed on the periphery of the lower surface of the assembly hole so as to cross the assembly hole, and deformed so as to move toward the periphery of the assembly hole when the assembly leg is inserted; a locking spring that is restored and has a locking shaft portion that can lock the assembly leg portion;
In addition to being configured by arranging
The locking shaft portion of the locking spring forms the fixed side contact,
The assembly leg portions each include:
a metal script body arranged to extend downward from the mounting base and conductive to the positive electrode side;
a holder made of insulating synthetic resin that is assembled on the tip side of the script body;
a spring member made of a metal leaf spring held by the holder so as to bias the script body upward;
configured with
The holder is
an insertion shaft inserted into the assembly hole, having an insertion hole through which the script body is inserted so as to be movable downward; and a regulating portion that restricts the script body from coming off upward after insertion; Department and
a locking groove that is disposed on the lower end side of the insertion shaft and is locked to the locking shaft of the locking spring so as to restrict separation from the assembly site after assembly;
a flange portion that is disposed on the upper end side of the insertion shaft portion, abuts against the periphery of the assembly hole on the upper surface side of the assembly portion, and restricts movement in the insertion direction into the assembly portion;
a holding part that holds the spring member;
Equipped with
The spring member is
a held part held by the holding part of the holder;
an abutting support part that abuts the script body and supports the script body so as to bias the script body upward;
Between the held part and the abutting support part, on the side of the concave part of the locking groove in the holder, when pressing down on the upper surface side of the locking shaft part locked in the locking groove. a contact part that is contactably disposed above the locking shaft part and forms the movable contact;
configured with
The script font is
When the holder is inserted into the insertion hole and is pressed down, the contact support portion and the contact portion are moved downward so that the movable contact can come into contact with the fixed contact. a spring receiving seat in which a contact surface that contacts the contact support portion of the member is arranged on the lower surface side;
a locking portion that comes into contact with the restriction portion of the holder and is restricted from coming off upward from the holder;
A steering wheel comprising: The script font is
The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the steering wheel is cut and raised from a sheet metal material forming the mounting base and is formed integrally with the mounting base. The spring member is formed as an annular body having an opening in the center through which the script body and the insertion shaft portion of the holder can be inserted,
The held part is disposed on one side of a point-symmetrical position on the periphery of the opening, and the abutment support part is disposed on the other side, so that the held part and the abutment support part are arranged. The steering wheel according to claim 1 or 2, wherein both sides of the opening between the two are used as the contact portions.

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