Steering wheel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10196028-B2
Application number	US-201715473394-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2017
Priority date	Mar 29, 2016
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A steering wheel includes a steering wheel body including at least two insertion openings, and an airbag module including at least two hooks inserted into the insertion openings. The hooks are held by wires so that the airbag module is supported by the steering wheel body. Either the at least two hooks or the at least two insertion holes are provided with adjustment ribs which come into contact with the other ones of the at least two hooks and the at least two openings, thereby regulating the positions of the other ones, so as to receive the weight of the airbag module applied to the steering wheel body. Accordingly, a decrease in positioning performance of the airbag module is prevented, so as to regulate the position of the airbag module in the steering wheel body with high accuracy.

First claim

The invention claimed:

1. A steering wheel comprising:
a steering wheel body;
an airbag module;
at least two openings provided in one of the steering wheel body and the airbag module;
at least two column-shaped hooks provided in another one of the steering wheel body and the airbag module and inserted into the openings; and
at least two engaging members engaging with and holding the hooks inserted into the openings so that the airbag module is supported by the steering wheel body,
wherein the hooks are arranged separately from each other on right and left sides in one of the steering wheel body and the airbag module, and
the openings are arranged separately from each other on the right and left sides in another one of the steering wheel body and the airbag module,
each hook includes a positioning reference portion configured to come into contact with each opening, thereby regulating a position of the opening, so as to receive a weight of the airbag module applied to the steering wheel body,
wherein the positioning reference portion in one of the hooks is located at the bottom of the hook in cross section, and
the positioning reference portion in the other of the hooks is located at a position different from the bottom of the hook in cross section, and located on a lower arc of the hook in cross section within a central angle of 60° on each of right and left sides of a vertical line passing through a center of the hook.

2. The steering wheel according to claim 1 , wherein one of each hook and each opening includes an adjuster located at a position different from the positioning reference portion and elastically coming into contact with the other one of each hook and each opening in association with contact of the positioning reference portion with each opening.

3. The steering wheel according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a lock receiver provided in one of the steering wheel body and the airbag module; and
a lock member provided on another one of the steering wheel body and the airbag module and locked in the lock receiver.

Assignees

• Nihon Plast Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yamami Akihiko
• Kiuchi Yohei
• Inaba Yuta
• Mitobe Takashi

Classifications

• B60R21/2037 Primary

  the module or a major component thereof being yieldably mounted, e.g. for actuating the horn switch or for protecting the driver in a non-deployment situation (horn switches integrated in steering wheel covers with tear lines B60R21/21658) · CPC title

• B62D1/04 Primary

  Hand wheels · CPC title

• B60R21/2035

  using modules containing inflator, bag and cover attachable to the steering wheel as a complete sub-unit (steering wheel covers with tear lines B60R21/21656; assembling of modules B60R21/217) · CPC title

• B60R21/21656

  Steering wheel covers or similar cup-shaped covers · CPC title

• B60R21/2342

  Tear seams · CPC title