Steering wheel structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10023221-B2
Application number	US-201415106869-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 1, 2014
Priority date	Dec 27, 2013
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

This steering wheel structure has: a steering wheel main unit; a horn block; a support block; horn contacts; and a horn spring, wherein the support block has: a lock member; and an elastic body, wherein a load bypass member is provided that transmits an operation load in a push-in direction, which has been applied to the horn block, to the lock member while circumventing the elastic body, and wherein the load bypass member is configured so as to be in a non-contact state between itself and at least either of the horn block side and the lock member side when the horn block is in a vicinity of a default position, and so as to be brought into contact with the horn block side and the lock member side in a manner capable of transmitting a load when the horn block is pushed in by a predetermined amount or greater.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A steering wheel structure, comprising:
a steering wheel main unit that is supported by a steering shaft;
a horn block in which a horn operation portion and an airbag module are assembled;
a support block that causes the horn block to be supported by the steering wheel main unit;
horn contacts that activate a horn when the horn block is pushed in by a set stroke or longer; and
a horn spring that biases the horn block toward a default position,
the support block having: a lock member that is locked on a steering wheel main unit side in a longitudinal direction of the steering shaft; and an elastic body that is interposed between the lock member and the horn block so as to connect the horn block to the lock member in an elastically deformable manner, and
the horn spring being interposed between the steering wheel main unit and the lock member,
wherein a load bypass member is provided that transmits an operation load in a push-in direction, which has been applied to the horn block, to the lock member while circumventing the elastic body,
wherein the load bypass member is configured so as to be in a non-contact state between itself and at least either of a horn block side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft and a lock member side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft when the horn block is in a vicinity of the default position, and so as to be brought into contact with the horn block side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft and the lock member side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft in a manner capable of transmitting a load when the horn block is pushed in by a predetermined amount or greater,
wherein the support block has: a first pin block that is locked on the horn block side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft a second pin block as the lock member that is locked on the steering wheel main unit side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft and the elastic body that connects between the first pin block and the second pin block in an elastically deformable manner, and
wherein the load bypass member has: a lock fixation portion that is fixed to the second pin block; and a surrounding wall that surrounds a circumferential area between the elastic body and the first pin block, an end surface of the surrounding wall being brought into abutment with the horn block side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft when the horn block is pushed in by a predetermined amount or greater.

2. The steering wheel structure according to claim 1 ,
wherein an end surface of the surrounding wall that is brought into abutment with the horn block side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft is an annular flat surface.

3. The steering wheel structure according to claim 2 ,
wherein the load bypass member is provided with a spring lock portion to which a first end side of the horn spring is attached.

4. The steering wheel structure according to claim 3 ,
wherein an end portion of the first pin block that is on an opposite side to a connection portion to the elastic body is joined integrally to the horn block side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft, and
wherein an end portion of the second pin block that is on an opposite side to a connection portion to the elastic body is locked on the steering wheel main unit side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft by a snap-fit structure while a second end side of the horn spring is in abutment with the steering wheel main unit side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft.

5. The steering wheel structure according to claim 1 ,
wherein the load bypass member is provided with a spring lock portion to which a first end side of the horn spring is attached.

6. The steering wheel structure according to claim 5 ,
wherein an end portion of the first pin block that is on an opposite side to a connection portion to the elastic body is joined integrally to the horn block side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft, and
wherein an end portion of the second pin block that is on an opposite side to a connection portion to the elastic body is locked on the steering wheel main unit side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft by a snap-fit structure while a second end side of the horn spring is in abutment with the steering wheel main unit side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft.

7. The steering wheel structure according to claim 1 ,
wherein the support block has: an attachment pin as the lock member that is locked on the steering wheel main unit side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft; and the elastic body that connects between the horn block side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft and the attachment pin in an elastically deformable manner, and
wherein the load bypass member has a protrusion portion that is provided protrudingly on the horn block side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft and is abuttable with an abutment seat on an attachment pin side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft, the protrusion portion on the horn block side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft being brought into abutment with the abutment seat on the attachment pin side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft when the horn block is pushed in by a predetermined amount or greater.

8. The steering wheel structure according to claim 7 ,
wherein the load bypass member has, in an interior thereof, a barrel portion to which the elastic body is joined, and an end portion of the barrel portion on the steering wheel main unit side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft is the protrusion portion that is abuttable with the abutment seat on the attachment pin side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft, and
wherein an end portion of the attachment pin that is locked on the steering wheel main unit side in the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft is joined to the elastic body.

9. The steering wheel structure according to claim 8 ,
wherein the abutment seat is provided with a spring lock portion to which a first end side of the horn spring is attached.

10. The steering wheel structure according to claim 7 ,
wherein the abutment seat is provided with a spring lock portion to which a first end side of the horn spring is attached.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Obayashi Yuya
• Kurata Eisuke
• Kondo Takashi

Classifications

• B60R2021/0004

  Frontal collision · CPC title

• B60Q5/003

  mounted on the steering wheel · CPC title

• B60R2021/0032

  Position of passenger · CPC title

• B62D1/04 Primary

  Hand wheels · CPC title

• B62D7/222

  acting on the steering wheel · CPC title