JP2001199300A - Steering wheel structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering wheel including an air bag module functioning as a horn button, which has high flexibility in design and saves a cost. SOLUTION: This steering wheel structure is composed of a steering wheel 10 provided with a ring portion 14, a boss portion 12, and a plurality of spoke portions 16a to 16c; and an air bag module 30 formed by fixing an air bag 32 and an inflator 34 to a base fitting 36 and covering them with a horn pad 38, wherein the module 30 is arranged in the boss portion 12 to function as a horn button. In the steering wheel structure, the base fitting is provided with a plurality of pad side attaching portions 50a to 50c corresponding to the plurality of spoke portions 16a to 16c, and the pad side attaching portions are united with steering side attaching fittings 52a to 52c fixed on a cored bar 18 through a spring 60 so as to displace with reference to the attaching fittings 52a to 52c. The steering side attaching fittings 52a to 52c are respectively provided at the plurality of spoke portions 16a to 16c.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering wheel structure for an automobile having an airbag module for a driver's seat.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an airbag module for a driver's seat is provided at a central portion of a steering wheel, and a folded airbag is housed inside a horn pad and an inflator is attached. Conventionally, as such an airbag module, there is one that functions as a horn button by being displaced (floating) toward the steering side by pressing a horn pad.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show a conventional example of this type of steering wheel structure.

[0004] A steering wheel 101 has a metal core 105 including an outer ring portion 102, a central boss portion 103, and three spoke portions 104a to 104c connecting the both.
The ring portion 102 is covered with a resin 106.

[0005] The airbag module 110 includes a folded airbag 111, an inflator 112 as a gas generator, and a base fitting 113 to which these are attached and fixed.
And a horn pad 114 covering the front surface of the airbag 111.
Consists of

The airbag module 110 is disposed in front of the boss 103 of the steering wheel 101. When the horn pad 114 is pressed, the entire module is displaced toward the boss 103, and the base metal 113 and the core 105 is energized, thereby functioning as a horn button (switch).

To attach the airbag module 110 to the steering wheel 101, the base fitting 113 is provided with three pad-side mounting portions 120a to 120c corresponding to the three spoke portions 104a to 104c, respectively.
This is achieved by elastically supporting a to c by respective mounting portions 122 a to 122 c of the steering-side mounting bracket 121 mounted on the metal core 105 of the steering wheel 101. The steering-side mounting bracket 121 has three mounting portions 122a to 122c corresponding to the three spoke portions 104a to 104c, respectively, and forms a frame shape in which these are integrally connected. Core 10
5 and fixed.

As shown in FIG. 12, an elastic connecting structure between the mounting portion 120a of the base metal fitting 113 and the mounting portion 122a of the steering mounting metal fitting 121 includes resin parts 131 and 132 in which horn switch contacts are incorporated. make use of,
The two mounting portions 120a and 122a are connected by bolts 130,
A spring 133 is mounted on the outer periphery of the bolt 130 so as to be interposed between the mounting portions 120a and 122a.

[0009]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional structure, the mounting bracket 121 on the steering side has three
Three mounting portions 1 corresponding to the spoke portions 104a to 104c of the book
Since this is an integrated product in which the components 22a to 22c are combined, the degree of freedom in space design is low and the manufacturing cost is high.

Further, in the above-described conventional structure, the point that the contact for the horn switch is formed by using the complicated resin parts 131 and 132 in which the contact is incorporated also leads to an increase in cost.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel structure having an airbag module functioning as a horn button, which has a high degree of design freedom and is low in cost and weight.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A steering wheel structure according to the present invention comprises a steering wheel and an airbag module. The steering wheel includes an outer ring portion, a central boss portion, and a plurality of bosses connecting the two. The airbag module includes a metal core having a spoke portion, wherein the airbag module is a folded airbag, an inflator for deploying the airbag, and an airbag disposed behind the airbag and the airbag and the inflator fixed. And a horn pad for covering the folded airbag, wherein the airbag module is disposed on the front surface of the boss portion of the steering wheel, and the horn portion side is pressed by pressing the horn pad. In the steering wheel structure which functions as a horn button by being displaced to A plurality of pad-side mounting portions are provided corresponding to the plurality of spoke portions, and an elastic member is interposed so that the pad-side mounting portions can be displaced with respect to the steering-side mounting bracket fixed to the cored bar. The steering-side mounting bracket is connected to the steering-side mounting bracket, and the steering-side mounting bracket is provided separately for each of the plurality of spokes.

With this steering wheel structure,
Since the steering-side mounting bracket, which has been conventionally integrated, is divided and provided for each of the plurality of spokes, the degree of freedom in designing the space in the mounting portion is improved, and the cost and weight are reduced.

[0014] The pad-side mounting portion may be provided integrally with the base fitting, or may be a separate pad-side mounting fitting fixed to the base fitting.

In the steering wheel structure according to the present invention, the pad-side mounting portion and the steering-side mounting bracket are provided with mutually opposing engaging surfaces, and both engaging surfaces are provided with:
It is preferable to provide horn switch contacts that come into contact with each other due to the displacement of the pad-side mounting portion.

Since the contact for the horn switch is provided on the opposing engagement surface between the pad-side mounting portion and the steering-side mounting bracket, the contact is simplified and the manufacturing cost is reduced.

In the steering wheel structure according to the present invention, a bolt is fixed to the pad-side mounting portion, and a body of the bolt is inserted into a mounting hole provided in the steering-side mounting bracket. A spring is mounted on the outer periphery as the elastic member, whereby the pad-side mounting portion is coupled so as to be displaceable with respect to the steering-side mounting bracket, and the displacement of the pad-side mounting portion causes the head of the bolt to be displaced. In some cases, a horn switch contact is provided such that the portion contacts the cored bar.

In the steering wheel structure according to the present invention, the pad-side mounting portion is provided with an extending portion extending toward the core bar, and the extension portion is moved by the displacement of the pad-side mounting portion. A horn switch contact may be provided so as to contact gold.

As in these cases, the contact for the horn switch can be simplified by adopting a structure in which the contact on the pad side is directly applied to the core of the steering wheel.

In the steering wheel structure according to the present invention, at least one of the plurality of pad-side mounting portions is provided.
In the mounting portion, the steering-side mounting bracket connected to the pad-side mounting portion is not directly fixed to the core bar, and the steering-side mounting bracket and the core bar are always brought into contact with each other by using a leaf spring. May have been

As described above, in the present invention, it is not necessary to directly fix all the steering-side mounting brackets connected to the plurality of pad-side mounting portions to the core metal of the steering wheel. As for the mounting bracket, it is preferable to use a leaf spring metal and to have a structure that is always energized with the core metal.

In the steering wheel structure according to the present invention, at least one of the plurality of pad-side mounting portions is provided.
The steering-side mounting bracket is not provided in the mounting portion of the horn switch, and a horn switch contact is provided so that the pad-side mounting portion comes into contact with the core metal by the displacement of the airbag module. is there.

As described above, all of the plurality of pad-side mounting portions need not be connected to the steering-side mounting bracket, but in this case, the steering wheel core metal is attached to the pad-side mounting portion from which the steering-side mounting bracket is omitted. It is preferable to provide a contact that makes contact with.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a steering wheel structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

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

The steering wheel structure of the present embodiment comprises a steering wheel 10 and an airbag module 30 which functions as a horn button disposed at the center.

The steering wheel 10 has a central boss 12 attached to the tip of the steering shaft 9.
And a ring portion 14 surrounding the outer periphery of the boss portion 12, and a plurality of spoke portions 1 connecting the boss portion 12 and the ring portion 14.
The ring part 14 is covered with a resin 20. At the center of the boss 12 is provided a bolt hole 22 to which the tip of the steering shaft 9 is attached. The spoke portions 16a to 16c extend from the boss portion 12 in three directions, that is, leftward, rightward, and downward. As shown in FIG. 10A, the steering of the three spokes a, b, and c is performed. It has a wheel structure.

The airbag module 30 includes a folded airbag 32, an inflator 34 for deploying the airbag 32, and a base fitting 36 to which these are fixed.
And a horn pad 38 for covering the folded airbag 32
Consists of

The base metal member 36 has a substantially rectangular plate shape, and has a flange portion 44 formed by bending a peripheral portion thereof downward. A circular opening 46 is provided at the center of the base fitting 36, and a gas ejection portion of the inflator 34 is inserted into the opening 46 from below, and the inflator 34 is attached to the lower surface of the base fitting 36 by a bolt nut 42. Fixed. The mouth of the airbag 32 is attached and fixed to the periphery of the opening 46 by a bolt nut 42 via a bag retainer 40.

The horn pad 38 has a substantially triangular shape that covers the entire boss portion 12 and the spoke portions 16a to 16c of the steering wheel 10, and has a mounting wall 48 attached to the flange portion 44 of the base fitting 36 on the back surface thereof. Is protruding. The mounting wall 48 is provided for the folded airbag 3.
2 has a frame shape surrounding the sides thereof,
2 is folded and stored in a space defined by the horn pad 38 including the mounting wall 48 and the base fitting 36.

The airbag module 30 can be displaced in the axial direction of the steering shaft 9 by attaching the base fitting 36 to the boss 12 of the steering wheel 10 via an elastic support structure.

Specifically, the flange portion 4 of the base fitting 36
4, three pad-side mounting brackets 50a to 50c are fixed to correspond to the three spoke portions 16a to 16c. Further, steering-side mounting brackets 52a to 52c to be mounted on the core bar 18 of the steering wheel 10 are provided corresponding to the pad-side mounting brackets 50a to 50c, respectively. FIG.
As shown in the figure, the steering-side mounting bracket 52a has a fixed surface portion 53 extending downward, and the fixed surface portion 53 is fastened and fixed to the boss portion 12 with a bolt nut 55. Reference numeral 13 denotes a boss portion 12 for the fixing surface portion 53.
It is a bolt hole provided in.

As shown in FIG. 3, the pad-side mounting bracket 50 is provided.
a and the steering-side mounting bracket 52a have a plate shape facing each other, and both are connected via a stopper bolt 54 fixed to the pad-side mounting bracket 50a. The steering-side mounting bracket 52a has a mounting hole 56, and the body of the bolt 54 is slidably inserted through an insulating member 58 such as resin in the mounting hole 56. And
The two mounting brackets 50a, 50
A coil spring 60 that urges the base 2a in a direction to separate the base metal 2a from each other is mounted, whereby the base metal member 36 is elastically supported by the steering wheel 10.

The pad-side mounting bracket 50a and the steering-side mounting bracket 52a have engaging surfaces 62, 6 opposed to each other.
4 are provided. A horn switch contact 66 is provided on each of the engagement surfaces 62 and 64 so as to come into contact with each other when the pad-side mounting bracket 50a is displaced toward the steering wheel.

As shown in FIG. 4, ribs 68 for positioning the pad-side mounting brackets 50a to 50c are provided upright on the back surface of the horn pad 38. The mounting wall 48 is provided with a concave portion 69 at a fixed position of the pad-side mounting metal members 50a to 50c, and ribs 68 are provided on both sides of the concave portion 69 so as to sandwich the metal member 50. Thereby, the base fitting 36
When attaching the horn pad 38 to the
6 can be prevented from rotating.

In the steering wheel structure of the present embodiment described above, when the horn pad 38 is pushed as shown by an arrow F in FIG. 2, the entire airbag module 30 is displaced toward the boss 12 and the pad side. The horn switches are turned ON when the mounting brackets 50a to 50c and the steering-side mounting brackets 52a to 52c come close to each other and the contact points 66 thereof come into contact with each other.

According to the steering wheel structure of the present embodiment, the steering-side mounting brackets 52a to 52c are provided separately for each of the three spokes 16a to 16c. Is improved, leading to cost reduction. In addition, pad-side mounting brackets 50a-
Since the horn switch contacts 66 are provided on the engaging surfaces 62 and 64 of the steering-side mounting brackets 52a to 52c facing each other, the contact structure is simplified, and the manufacturing cost is reduced.

FIG. 5A is a sectional view showing an example in which the horn switch contacts are changed in the above embodiment.
In this modified example, the pad-side mounting bracket 50 and the steering-side mounting bracket 52 have engagement surfaces 62, 6 having contacts 66.
Instead of providing the mounting bracket 4, the head 54 a at the lower end of the bolt 54 connecting the metal fittings 50 a and 52 a is connected to the pad-side mounting bracket 5.
0a, the predetermined part 1 of the core 18 opposing
8a, so that the contact for the horn switch is formed.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the resin 20 for covering the ring portion 14 is attached to the steering-side mounting bracket 52.
The resin extension 21 may support the distal end of the steering-side mounting bracket 52a. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5B, the resin extension 21 is attached to the distal end of the steering-side mounting bracket 52a.
5 is provided with a U-shaped receiving portion 57 for receiving
As shown in (c), the receiving portion 57 is assembled so as to cover the upper surface of the resin extension portion 21. Such a support structure can also be applied to the steering-side mounting bracket 52a of the above embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and is particularly suitable for the mounting portions corresponding to the left and right spoke portions 16a and 16b.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing still another modification of the horn switch contact. In this modification, the pad-side mounting bracket 50a is provided with an extending portion 70 that is bent downward and extends toward the cored bar 18, and this extended portion 70 is displaced by the pad-side mounting bracket 50a. The horn switch 18 is set so as to directly contact the spoke portion 16a.

FIG. 7 shows an example in which the mounting portion corresponding to the spoke portion 16c extending downward is changed in the above embodiment. In this example, three spoke portions 16
Of the spokes 16c extending downward from a to c, the steering-side mounting bracket 52c connected to the pad-side mounting bracket 50c is not fastened and fixed to the cored bar 18 directly using a bolt nut or the like.

In the three-spoke steering wheel structure as shown in FIG. 10A, the steering-side mounting brackets 52a to 52c are fastened to the steering wheel core 18 at all the mounting portions corresponding to the spokes a to c. There is no need to fix them. The attachment portions corresponding to the left and right spokes a and b are fastened and fixed as in the above embodiment, and the center spoke c need not be fastened and fixed.

In this case, in the mounting portions corresponding to the left and right spokes a and b, the steering-side mounting brackets 52a and 52b are provided.
Although 52b is directly fixed to the cored bar 18, the electric current is supplied. However, since the mounting portion corresponding to the center spoke c is not directly fixed to the cored bar 18, it is necessary to separately supply electric current. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8B,
A structure in which the leaf spring metal fitting 72 is attached to the center steering metal fitting 52 with the rivet 73 so as to be always in contact with the core metal 18 so that the steering metal fitting 52c and the metal core 18 are always energized. I have to. By using the leaf spring metal fitting 72, the dimensional variation of each component can be absorbed and the steering-side fitting metal fitting 52c and the core metal 18 can always be energized.

The steering-side mounting bracket 52c
As shown in FIG. 8 (a), the leaf spring metal fitting 72 is attached to the center portion thereof, and U-shaped receiving portions 71 for receiving the resin extension portion 21 are provided on both sides thereof.
Then, as shown in FIGS. 8C and 8D, the receiving portion 71 is assembled so as to cover the upper surface of the resin extension portion 21 so that the resin extension portion 21 supports the steering-side mounting bracket 52c. It is configured as follows.

FIG. 9 shows a spoke portion 16c extending downward.
13 shows another modification of the mounting portion corresponding to FIG. In this example, in the spoke portion 16c extending downward among the three spoke portions 16a to 16c, the steering-side mounting bracket 52c is eliminated, and the pad-side mounting portion 74 and the core metal 18 are not provided.
A horn switch contact is provided between the horn switch.

More specifically, in this example, the pad-side mounting portion 7
4 is cut out and bent from the lower end of the flange portion 44 of the base fitting 36 to be provided integrally with the base fitting 36. A contact 75 is provided on the pad-side mounting portion 74, and the contact 75 contacts the contact 76 of the cored bar 18 by the displacement of the base metal member 36 to constitute a horn switch contact.

Also, the core metal 1 from the back of the horn pad 38
A protruding portion 78 protruding to the side of the metal core 8 is provided.
A horn pad 38 is elastically supported by attaching a spring 79 interposed therebetween. Note that such a spring 79 need not be provided.

In each of the above embodiments, FIG.
Although the three-spoke steering wheel structure shown in FIG. 10 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and is similarly applied to, for example, a four-spoke steering wheel structure shown in FIG. Can be. In this case, the steering-side mounting bracket may be provided separately for each mounting portion corresponding to the four spokes d, e, f, and g.

[0049]

According to the steering wheel structure of the present invention, the mounting bracket on the steering side, which has been conventionally integrated, is divided and provided for each of the plurality of spokes, so that the degree of freedom of the space design in the mounting portion is improved. Is improved,
This leads to cost reduction and weight reduction.

Further, by simplifying the structure of the contact for the horn switch, the manufacturing cost is reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a steering wheel structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the steering wheel structure.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a coupling structure between a pad-side mounting bracket and a steering-side mounting bracket.

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of a horn pad.

5A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a steering wheel structure showing a modified example of a contact for a horn switch, FIG. 5B is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of a steering-side mounting bracket in the same structure, and FIG. It is a CC sectional view taken on the line a).

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of a steering wheel structure showing still another modified example of the contact for the horn switch.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a base metal fitting of a steering wheel structure according to another embodiment.

8A is a perspective view of a steering-side mounting bracket in the steering wheel structure according to FIG. 7, FIG. 8B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the same structure corresponding to a cross section taken along line BB of FIG. (c) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the same structure corresponding to a cross section taken along line CC of (a), and (d) is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of (c).

9A and 9B show a steering wheel structure according to still another embodiment, wherein FIG. 9A is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of a base metal fitting, and FIG. 9B is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the same structure.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are front views of a steering wheel structure.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional steering wheel structure.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a conventional steering wheel structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 steering wheel 12 boss portion 14 ring portion 16a-c spoke portion 18 core bar 30 airbag module 32 airbag 34 inflator 36 base bracket 38 Horn pad 50a-c Pad-side mounting bracket 52a-c Steering-side mounting bracket 54 Bolt 56 Mounting hole 60 Spring 62, 64 Engagement surface 66 66 Contact 70 Extended Part 72: leaf spring fitting 74: pad-side mounting part 75, 76 contact

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Takeshi Yamaji 1-17-18 Edobori, Nishi-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuaki Bito 1-17-18 Edobori, Nishi-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka No. Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3D030 DB75 DB77 3D054 AA02 AA13 AA26 BB06 FF13 FF20

Claims (6)

[Claims] The steering wheel includes a core metal including an outer ring portion, a central boss portion, and a plurality of spoke portions connecting the steering wheel and the airbag module. An airbag module having a folded airbag, an inflator for deploying the airbag, a base metal fitting disposed behind the airbag and having the airbag and the inflator fixed thereto, and a folded airbag A steering wheel structure, wherein the airbag module is disposed on the front surface of the boss portion of the steering wheel, and is displaced toward the boss portion by pressing the horn pad to function as a horn button. In the base fitting, a plurality of pad side chamfers are provided corresponding to the plurality of spoke portions. An attachment portion is provided, and the pad-side mounting portion is coupled to the steering-side mounting bracket via an elastic member so that the pad-side mounting portion can be displaced with respect to the steering-side mounting bracket fixed to the cored bar. The steering wheel structure, wherein the steering-side mounting bracket is provided separately for each of the plurality of spoke portions. 2. The pad-side mounting portion and the steering-side mounting bracket are provided with engaging surfaces facing each other, and two engaging surfaces are provided with horn switch contacts that come into contact with each other due to the displacement of the pad-side mounting portion. The steering wheel structure according to claim 1, wherein the steering wheel structure is provided. 3. A bolt is fixed to the pad-side mounting portion,
The body of the bolt is inserted through a mounting hole provided in the steering-side mounting bracket, and a spring is mounted on the outer periphery of the body of the bolt as the elastic member. A horn switch contact is provided such that the head of the bolt comes into contact with the core metal by the displacement of the pad-side mounting portion. The steering wheel structure according to claim 1. 4. A horn switch, wherein an extension is provided on the pad-side mounting portion so as to extend toward the core bar, and the displacement of the pad-side mounting portion causes the extension portion to contact the core bar. The steering wheel structure according to claim 1, further comprising a contact for use in the steering wheel. 5. At least one of the plurality of pad-side mounting portions, a steering-side mounting member coupled to the pad-side mounting portion is not directly fixed to the core bar, and a leaf spring metal member is provided. 3. The steering wheel structure according to claim 2, wherein the steering-side mounting bracket and the core metal are always brought into contact with each other by using. 6. The steering-side mounting bracket is not provided on at least one of the plurality of pad-side mounting portions, and the pad-side mounting portion is moved by the displacement of the airbag module. 2. The steering wheel structure according to claim 1, wherein a horn switch contact is provided so as to contact the cored bar.