Steering wheel cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10106188-B2
Application number	US-201715499572-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2017
Priority date	Oct 21, 2016
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed is a steering wheel having cooling system inside. A steering wheel includes a hub connected to a steering column, a rim provided with a hollow formed therein and spokes configured to connect the hub and the rim. Cooling units located at the hub or the spokes of the steering wheel is provided to supply cooling air. Heat pipes thermally connect the cooling units and the rim of the steering wheel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A steering wheel cooling system for a vehicle, comprising:
a steering wheel including a hub connected to a steering column, a rim provided with a hollow channel formed therein, and spokes configured to connect the hub and the rim;
a cooling unit located at the hub or the spokes of the steering wheel so as to supply cool air; and
a first heat pipe configured to thermally connect the cooling unit and the rim of the steering wheel,
wherein the rim has a pipe shape and is formed of a metal, wherein a central portion of the first heat pipe is thermally connected to the cooling unit, wherein both ends of the first heat pipe pass by the spokes, extend in opposite directions along a circumference of the rim, and are thermally connected to an inner surface of the rim,
wherein the rim is provided with a protrusion protruding from an inner circumferential surface toward the central portion to form a groove on an inner side, and the first heat pipe is disposed in the groove of the protrusion so as to be spaced apart from an outer circumferential surface of the rim by a predetermined distance.

2. The steering wheel cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising a second heat pipe extending along a circumferential direction of the rim, located so as to traverse a portion of the rim connected to the spokes.

3. The steering wheel cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling unit comprises radiation fins, wherein the steering wheel cooling system further comprises a cooling duct configured to supply cool air from an air conditioner of the vehicle to the radiation fins.

4. The steering wheel cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling unit comprises a thermoelectric element, the thermoelectric element being provided with a cooling surface connected to the first heat pipe and a radiation surface coupled with a radiation fin,
wherein the steering wheel cooling system further comprises a cooling duct configured to supply cool air from an air conditioner of the vehicle to the radiation fins.

5. The steering wheel cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein an air insulating layer is formed in the hollow channel of the rim.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Sang Shin
• Park Jae Woo
• Park So Yoon
• Oh Man Ju
• Kim Jae Woong
• Chung So La

Classifications

• B60H1/00478

  Air-conditioning devices using the Peltier effect · CPC title

• B62D1/10

  Hubs; Connecting hubs to steering columns, e.g. adjustable (B62D1/11 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60H1/00335

  of the gas-air type (B60H1/18 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60H1/00292

  for steering wheels · CPC title

• B62D1/08

  Spokes, e.g. resilient (B62D1/11 takes precedence) · CPC title