JP2597509Y2 - Steering wheel core - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a metal core for a steering wheel of a large vehicle such as a heavy-duty truck, and more particularly, to a metal core having a ring-shaped rear portion formed of an arc-shaped solid material and a metal core formed of a ring. The present invention relates to a steering wheel core bar that is cast and connected to a spoke core bar.

[0002] In this specification, the front side means a front part of the vehicle when mounted on the vehicle, and the rear side means
Refers to the rear part of the vehicle when mounted on the vehicle. Also,
The vertical direction refers to the vertical direction along the steering shaft when the steering wheel is mounted on the steering shaft of the vehicle.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a steering wheel core of a large truck or the like, in order to increase the moment of inertia in consideration of stability during operation and to increase the natural frequency in consideration of vibration prevention. The ring core is formed from an arc-shaped steel solid material on the rear side and an arc-shaped steel hollow material on the front side, and the solid material and the hollow material are joined to form a circle. It was formed in a ring.

After the ring core is formed, the left and right rear sides of the ring core are connected to the spoke cores, and the spoke cores and the boss cores are connected. Manufactured steering wheel cores. When connecting the cores of the respective parts, in addition to welding, the spoke cores are formed of die-cast metal, and the ring cores and the cores on the boss side are connected at the time of die casting of the spoke cores. There were cases.

[0005]

In a conventional steering wheel core for a heavy-duty truck or the like, the rear side is formed from a solid material, and the solid material is applied from the rear side of the steering wheel core to the front side. In some cases, it was difficult to be deformed by the impact force.

As a countermeasure in this case, it is conceivable to reduce the wire diameter of the solid material. However, if the wire diameter of the solid material is reduced, the impact applied from the rear side to the front side of the steering wheel core metal is reduced. Although it can be deformed smoothly with respect to the force, there is a possibility that the solid material is deformed when a load acts on the steering wheel core bar in the vertical direction during normal steering operation.

This invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem, and the solid material has sufficient rigidity against a load acting in the vertical direction, and has a sufficient resistance against an impact force applied from the rear side to the front side. It is another object of the present invention to provide a steering wheel core that can be smoothly deformed.

[0008]

In the steering wheel core according to the present invention, the spoke core is connected to the left and right rear sides of the annular ring core by die-casting metal. A ring core is provided with a core material having an arc-shaped solid material on the rear side , a connection part made of the die-cast metal obtained by casting the core material for connecting with a spoke part core metal, and the connection part A die casting coating layer extending from the solid material to cover the rear side of the solid material, and the die casting coating layer, at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the ring core metal, With a rib along the solid material, in the radial direction of the annular shape of the ring core, it is thin near the connection with the spoke core, and at the rear end side of the solid material, further thin or coating No way, characterized in that it is configured.

[0009]

[Operation and effect of the invention] In the steering wheel core metal according to the invention, a die-cast coating layer for covering a solid material is provided.
At least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the ring core is provided with ribs extending along the solid material, and in the radial direction of the ring shape of the ring core, thin near the connection with the spoke core, The rear end side of the actual material is configured so as not to be further thinned or covered.

[0010] Therefore, when a load is applied to the solid material in the vertical direction, the ribs formed in the die-cast coating layer covering the solid material function as reinforcement, and deformation of the solid material is prevented. Is prevented.

Further, when an impact force acts on the solid material from the rear side to the front side, the solid material is most deformed due to the difference in the thickness of the die-cast coating layer covering the solid material. The rear end that is easy to bend starts to dent forward, and then the vicinity of the connection with the spoke cores on the left and right sides becomes the deformation starting point, plastically deforms greatly forward, and smoothly absorbs the energy of impact force Will be done.

Therefore, in the steering wheel core metal according to the present invention, the solid material has sufficient rigidity against a load acting in the vertical direction, and does not respond to an impact force applied from the rear side to the front side. It can be deformed smoothly.

[0013]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The steering wheel core 1 of the embodiment is
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the boss core metal 2 is disposed at the center.
And two spoke cores 3 extending obliquely upward from the boss core 2 to the rear side of the steering wheel core 1, and an annular ring portion connected to the ends of the spoke cores 3. And a metal core 5.

The boss core 2 is composed of a steel boss 2a connected to a steering shaft (not shown) and a boss plate 2b covering the periphery of the boss 2a. In the case of the embodiment, the boss plate portion 2a and the spoke portion core metal 3.
Reference numeral 3 denotes a die cast metal 4 formed by die casting using an aluminum alloy or the like.

The ring core 5 has an annular core 6 formed by joining an arcuate solid material 8 on the rear side and an arcuate hollow material 7 on the front side. Around the connecting part 9 made of die-cast metal 4 for connecting the ring core 5 to the spoke core 3, and a solid material 8 from the connecting part 9.
And a die-casting coating layer 10 extending to the rear side.

The hollow member 7 is formed by bending a steel pipe, and the solid member 8 is formed by bending a steel rod. The core material 6 is formed by inserting both ends 8a of the solid material 8 into the hollow material 7, caulking the hollow material 7 toward the solid material 8 so as to dent the hollow material 7, and further using welding if necessary. · It is formed by combining 8.

A connecting portion 9 made of die-cast metal 4 for connecting each of the spoke cores 3 to the ring core 5.
9 is arranged near both ends 7 a of the hollow member 7.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, each of the die-casting coating layers 10, 10 made of the die-cast metal 4 and covering the solid material 8, is provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the ring core 5.
Ribs 11 protruding vertically along the solid material 8 respectively
Are formed.

Each of the die-casting coating layers 10 and 10 is provided with the die-cast metal 4 in the radial direction of the ring-shaped core metal 5 in order from the connecting portion 9 of the solid material 8 toward the rear end. A thin portion 12 for reducing the thickness and a thick portion 13 for increasing the thickness of the die-cast metal 4 are formed. Each thin portion 12 is thinner than the thickness of the die-cast metal 4 of the connecting portion 9.

In the case of the embodiment, the portions of the thin portion 12 and the thick portion 13 are formed with the same thickness of the die-cast metal 4 around the solid material 8 except for the rib 11. ing. The reason why the thick portion 13 is formed in the solid member 8 is to increase the moment of inertia of the steering wheel core 1.

At the rear end of the solid material 8, there is formed an uncoated portion 14 on which the die-cast coating layer 10 is not formed.

The manufacture of the steering wheel core 1 of the embodiment will be described. First, a solid material 8 formed in an arc shape is used.
Are inserted into the hollow material 7 formed in an arc shape,
The two are joined using caulking or welding to form an annular core material 6.
To form

Then, the annular core member 6 and the boss 2a are set in a predetermined die casting mold, and the mold is clamped, so that the boss plate portion 2a, the spoke cores 3.3, the connecting portions 9.9,
And, if the die-cast coating layers 10 are formed by casting, the steering wheel core 1 can be manufactured.

After that, a predetermined coating layer is formed on the ring core 5 and a part of the spoke core 7 on the ring core 5 side, and a horn pad or the like is assembled, so that it can be mounted on a vehicle. A steering wheel can be manufactured.

Then, the manufactured steering wheel is mounted on a vehicle, and when a load is applied to the solid material 8 in the vertical direction during the steering operation, a die-cast coating layer 10. Since the ribs 11 formed on the upper and lower surfaces 10 function as reinforcement, deformation of the solid material 8 is prevented.

When an impact force F acts on the solid material 8 from the rear side to the front side, the difference in the thickness of the die-cast coating layer 10 covering the solid material 8 causes 8
The uncovered portion 14 at the rear end, which is most easily deformed, starts to dent forward, and thereafter, the thin portions 12 near the connecting portion 9 with the spoke cores 3 on the left and right sides serve as deformation starting points. ,
As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the plastic deformation is largely performed in the forward direction, and the energy of the impact force F is smoothly absorbed. .

In the steering wheel core 1 of the embodiment, the uncoated portion 14 which is not coated with the die-cast metal 4 is formed at the rear end of the solid material 8. In the ring-shaped radial direction, if the thickness is smaller than the thickness of the die-cast metal 4 of the thin portion 12, a coating layer in which the die-cast coating layer 10 is extended on the rear end of the solid material 8 is provided.
It may be formed.

Further, in the steering wheel core 1 of the embodiment, the uncoated portion 14 at the rear end of the solid material 8
Thin portion 12 of die casting coating layer 10 near connecting portion 9.9
12 and the thick part 13 of the die-cast coating layer 10
However, if the thickness is smaller than the thickness of the die-cast metal 4 of the connecting portion 9 in the radial direction of the annular shape of the ring core 5, the rear end of the solid material 8 is excluded. Thus, the die-cast coating layer 10 may be formed with the same thickness.

Further, in the steering wheel mandrel 1 of the embodiment, the ribs 11 formed on the die-cast coating layer 10 are formed.
Is formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the ring core 5, but may be formed on only one of the upper and lower surfaces.

Further, in the embodiment, the die-casting coating layer 10 is formed on the solid material 8 side. However, in order to increase the rigidity in the vertical direction on the hollow material 7 side, the die-casting coating layer provided with the rib 11 is provided. The layer may extend from the connecting portion 9 to the hollow member 7 side.

Further, in the embodiment, the two-spoke type steering wheel core 1 has been described as an example.
The present invention can be applied to a four-spoke type steering wheel core. In this four-spoke steering wheel core, two spoke cores are used before and after the left and right sides, and the solid material of the ring core is the same as the left and right spoke cores on the rear side. Will be disposed between the connecting portions of.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the same example, showing a II-II portion in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the same example, and shows a portion III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the same example, showing an IV-IV portion in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Steering wheel core metal, 4 ... Die-cast metal, 5 ... Ring core metal, 7 ... Hollow material, 8 ... Solid material, 9 ... Connection part, 10 ... Die-cast coating layer, 11 ... Rib, 12 ... Thin-walled part, 14 ... uncoated portion.

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] Respect 1. A yen rear side of the left and right annular ring portion core metal spoke cores by Gurung cast in die cast metal are connected, the ring portion core metal, solid material in the arc to the rear side a core having a coating and the connecting portion made of the core material cast the die cast metal's glove do for coupling with spoke core, to the rear side of said solid material is extended from the connecting portion A die-casting coating layer, wherein the die-casting coating layer has a rib along the solid material on at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the ring portion core metal, and the ring portion in the radial direction of the annular shape of the core, wherein in the connecting portion near the metal spoke cores are thinner, in the rear end side of said solid material, as no further <br/> to thin or coated, structure Steari characterized by being done Guhoru metal core.