Steering device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10081383-B2
Application number	US-201514793968-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2015
Priority date	Jul 9, 2014
Publication date	Sep 25, 2018
Grant date	Sep 25, 2018

Abstract

A steering device is disclosed in which multiple notches are formed at two edge portions of a sheet-shaped base member by partially cutting out the sheet-shaped base member. An enlarged portion that is an enlarged part of each notch is formed at a leading end position of the notch. The two edge portions of the base member are wound along a cover portion while facing each other at an inner side of a curved portion of the cover portion. The enlarged portions cancel out a difference in length between the outer and inner sides due to the curved portion of the cover portion, thereby enabling suppression of formation of a wrinkle of the base member. The steering device can have a good appearance and provide a good touch-feeling to a driver when the driver holds the steering device in a state where the heater is covered by a skin portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A steering device comprising:
a grip-part core metal that is formed at least partially along a circumferential direction of the steering device;
a cover portion that covers the grip-part core metal;
a heater that is attached to the cover portion; and
a skin portion that covers the heater, wherein the heater includes:
a sheet-shaped base member having a rectangular shape including long and short directions, which is long in one direction and short in a direction perpendicular to the one direction, wherein the sheet-shaped base member is formed to be stretchable in the short direction of the sheet-shaped base member and to gradually increase in stretch rate from a center of the sheet-shaped base member to two edge portions thereof, and wherein the sheet shaped base member is wound along the cover portion such that the two edge portions of the sheet-shaped base member along the long direction thereof are placed to face each other at an inner circumferential side of the steering device;
a heating wire that is held by the sheet-shaped base member integrally and that is configured to generate heat by energization; and
a plurality of notches that each includes a notch main body and an enlarged portion, the notch main body being formed from one of the two edge portions of the sheet-shaped base member toward the center of the sheet-shaped base member in the short direction thereof, and the enlarged portion being enlarged at a leading end portion of the notch main body toward the center of the sheet-shaped base member in the short direction thereof.

2. The steering device according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet-shaped base member includes a plurality of holes along each of the two edge portions of the sheet-shaped base member.

3. The steering device according to claim 1 , wherein the cover portion includes a mark, and wherein the sheet-shaped base member includes an opening that enables the mark of the cover portion to be exposed through the opening when the sheet-shaped base member is wound around the cover portion.

Assignees

• Nihon Plast Co Ltd

Inventors

• Seki Takaaki
• Sasaki Ken

Classifications

• B62D1/06 Primary

  Rims, e.g. with heating means; Rim covers (B62D1/11 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H05B3/36

  heating conductor embedded in insulating material · CPC title

• H05B3/34

  flexible, e.g. heating nets or webs · CPC title

• B62D1/065

  Steering wheels with heating and ventilating means (heating and ventilation of steering wheel when connected to vehicle HVAC B60H1/00292) · CPC title

• H05B3/16

  the conductor being mounted on an insulating base · CPC title