阅读说明：本技术 方向盘的减震器机构和车辆用方向盘装置 (Steering wheel damper mechanism and vehicle steering wheel device ) 是由 广田豊 安部和宏 下野博贤 于 2019-07-11 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明题为“方向盘的减震器机构和车辆用方向盘装置”。本发明目的在于提供一种方向盘的减震器机构和车辆用方向盘装置,其能够确保不逊色于以往的减震效果,并使气囊模块小型化,进而够实现成本降低。该方向盘的减震机构具有：减震器单元(11),其在方向盘(1)与作为减震块的气囊模块(2)之间设置两个,对该方向盘的振动进行减震；以及卡合机构(板状减震器(18)的钩),其在方向盘与气囊模块之间与减震器单元并列地设置,以能够对方向盘与气囊模块进行相对移位的方式对方向盘与气囊模块进行保持。(The invention provides a steering wheel damper mechanism and a vehicle steering wheel device. The invention aims to provide a steering wheel damper mechanism and a vehicle steering wheel device, which can ensure the conventional damping effect, miniaturize an air bag module and further reduce the cost. The steering wheel damping mechanism comprises: two damper units (11) that are provided between a steering wheel (1) and an airbag module (2) that is a damper block, and that damp vibrations of the steering wheel; and an engagement mechanism (hook of a plate-shaped damper (18)) which is provided between the steering wheel and the airbag module in parallel with the damper unit and which holds the steering wheel and the airbag module so as to be able to displace relative to each other.)

1. A steering wheel damper mechanism, comprising: a damper unit provided with one or two damper units between a steering wheel and an airbag module as a damping block to damp vibration of the steering wheel; and

and an engagement mechanism provided between the steering wheel and the airbag module in parallel with the damper unit, for holding the steering wheel and the airbag module so as to be relatively displaceable.

2. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the engaging mechanism has a hook portion.

3. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the engagement mechanism constitutes a plate damper that damps vibration of the steering wheel.

4. The damper mechanism for a steering wheel according to claim 3, wherein the plate-like damper is formed of a synthetic resin material by resin molding.

5. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the airbag module includes a synthetic resin case that holds the damper unit, and the plate-shaped damper and the case are integrally formed by resin molding.

6. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the damper unit has a sleeve that holds an elastic body, the sleeve being formed integrally with the synthetic resin-made housing and the plate-like damper.

7. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the airbag module includes a metal housing that holds the damper unit, and the plate-shaped damper and the housing are integrally formed by secondary resin molding.

8. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the airbag module includes a metal housing that holds the damper unit and forms a horn contact that is in contact with and separated from the horn contact on the steering wheel side, and the plate-shaped damper is made of an insulating synthetic resin material and attached to the housing.

9. The damper mechanism of a steering wheel according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the damper unit has a sleeve that holds an elastic body, the sleeve being formed integrally with the housing.

10. The damper mechanism for a steering wheel according to any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein the plate-shaped damper includes a plate spring having an engaging portion that engages with the airbag module and a joint portion to the steering wheel,

the leaf spring is elastically deformable between the joint portions and the engagement portions.

11. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to claim 10, wherein the damper unit is provided on the airbag module side with a pin for mounting to the steering wheel,

the pin protrudes from the joint portion so as to be mounted prior to the joint portion.

12. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to claim 10 or 11, wherein an elastic piece that can elastically contact the steering wheel is provided at the joint portion.

13. The damper mechanism for a steering wheel according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein a holding portion that holds the plate-like damper to the steering wheel is provided at the joint portion.

14. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to claim 13, wherein a gap is formed between the holding portion and the steering wheel when the elastic piece is in contact with the steering wheel.

15. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the airbag module includes: the joint portion of the plate-shaped damper is joined to the housing at a position closer to the horn cover than the inflator mounting surface.

16. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein the plate-shaped damper includes a plate spring having an engaging portion that engages with the steering wheel and a joint portion to the airbag module,

the leaf spring is elastically deformable between the joint portions and the engagement portions.

17. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to claim 16, wherein the damper unit is provided to the steering wheel, and has a pin for attachment to the airbag module, the pin protruding from the joint portion so as to be attached prior to the joint portion.

18. The damper mechanism for a steering wheel according to claim 16 or 17, wherein an elastic piece that can elastically contact the airbag module is provided at the joint portion.

19. The damper mechanism for a steering wheel according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein a holding portion that holds the plate-like damper to the airbag module is provided at the joint portion.

20. The damper mechanism for a steering wheel according to claim 19, wherein a gap is formed between the holding portion and the airbag module when the elastic sheet is in contact with the airbag module.

21. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to any one of claims 3 to 20, wherein an elastic support member is provided between the steering wheel and the airbag module in parallel with the plate-like damper.

22. The damper mechanism for a steering wheel according to any one of claims 8 to 20, wherein an insulating sheet portion is integrally formed on the plate damper, a metal elastic support member is provided between the steering wheel and the airbag module in parallel with the plate damper, and the metal elastic support member is provided to the housing via the insulating sheet portion.

23. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to claim 22, wherein the airbag module includes a housing to which an inflator is fixedly mounted and a mounting plate to which a horn cover covering the inflator is fixedly mounted,

the insulating sheet portion is opposed to the case, temporarily fixed to the mounting plate, and fixed by the mounting plate and the case being mounted.

24. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein the damper unit is disposed at a center in a vertical direction of the airbag module with reference to a neutral position of the steering wheel.

25. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein the damper unit is disposed on an upper end side of a vertical center of the airbag module with reference to a neutral position of the steering wheel.

26. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 25, wherein the damper units are disposed at positions close to both sides in the left-right direction of the airbag module with reference to a neutral position of the steering wheel in the case where two damper units are provided.

27. The steering wheel damper mechanism according to any one of claims 3 to 26, wherein the plate-like damper is disposed at a position closer to a vertically lower side of the steering wheel with reference to a neutral position of the steering wheel.

28. A steering wheel device for a vehicle, characterized by having the shock absorber mechanism of a steering wheel according to any one of claims 1 to 27.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a steering wheel damper mechanism and a vehicle steering wheel device, which can ensure a conventional damping effect, miniaturize an airbag module, and reduce the cost.

Background

Conventionally, patent document 1 discloses the following technique: a damper unit that damps vibration of the steering wheel is assembled between the steering wheel and an airbag module as a damper block.

In the "steering wheel device" of patent document 1, the steering wheel includes: a boss region; an airbag module that is provided in the boss region and also functions as a horn switch; a plurality of holes provided on a back surface of a housing of the airbag module; a damper engaged with an inner edge thereof inside each hole portion; and a pin having a rod shape, one end of which is inserted into each hole and is joined to the damper provided in the hole, and the other end of which is connected to the boss region. The shock absorber absorbs vibration transmitted from the steering shaft while the vehicle is running between the boss region and the airbag module by its elastic force, and further presses the airbag module, which is released by the occupant at the time of horn operation, back to the initial position before being pressed by the occupant.

The three dampers are disposed at each vertex of the inverted isosceles triangle so that two dampers are disposed at positions close to both sides in the left-right direction of the airbag module disposed in the boss region with reference to the neutral position of the steering wheel, and one damper is disposed at a position close to the lower side in the left-right direction center of the airbag module.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The unit form shock absorbers have a cylindrical portion with a large outer dimension, and therefore each shock absorber is large in size. Therefore, a large space is required for providing three dampers. Thus, the size of the airbag module provided with the three dampers is also increased.

Further, since the three dampers are disposed at the respective vertexes of the isosceles triangle and one damper is attached to the lower side of the airbag module, the vertical dimension of the airbag module increases. Further, the use of the three-unit type shock absorber causes a cost increase.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel damper mechanism and a vehicle steering wheel device that can reduce the size of an airbag module and can reduce the cost while securing a damping effect comparable to that of the conventional steering wheel damper mechanism.

Means for solving the problems

The steering wheel damper mechanism according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: a damper unit, which is provided between the steering wheel and the airbag module as a damping block, and which damps vibration of the steering wheel; and an engagement mechanism provided between the steering wheel and the airbag module in parallel with the damper unit, for holding the steering wheel and the airbag module so as to be relatively displaceable.

Preferably, the engaging mechanism has a hook portion. Preferably, the engagement mechanism constitutes a plate damper that damps vibration of the steering wheel. Preferably, the plate-shaped damper is formed of a synthetic resin material by resin molding.

Preferably, the airbag module includes a synthetic resin case for holding the damper unit, and the plate-shaped damper and the case are integrally formed by resin molding. Preferably, the damper unit includes a sleeve for holding an elastic body, and the sleeve is formed integrally with the synthetic resin case and the plate damper.

Preferably, the airbag module includes a metal housing for holding the damper unit, and the plate-shaped damper and the housing are integrally formed by secondary resin molding.

Preferably, the airbag module includes a metal housing that holds the damper unit and forms a horn contact that is in contact with and separated from the horn contact on the steering wheel side, and the plate-shaped damper is made of an insulating synthetic resin material and attached to the housing.

Preferably, the damper unit has a sleeve that holds the elastic body, the sleeve being formed integrally with the housing.

Preferably, the plate-shaped damper includes a plate spring having an engagement portion engaged with the airbag module and a joint portion to the steering wheel, the plate spring being elastically bending-deformable between the joint portion and the engagement portion.

Preferably, the damper unit includes a pin provided on the airbag module side for attachment to the steering wheel, the pin protruding from the joint portion so as to be attached prior to the joint portion.

Preferably, the joint portion is provided with an elastic piece capable of elastically contacting the steering wheel.

Preferably, the joint portion is provided with a holding portion for holding the plate damper to the steering wheel. Preferably, when the elastic piece is in contact with the steering wheel, a gap is formed between the holding portion and the steering wheel.

Preferably, the airbag module comprises: the joint portion of the plate-shaped damper is joined to the housing at a position closer to the horn cover than the inflator mounting surface.

Preferably, the plate-shaped damper includes a plate spring having an engagement portion engaged with the steering wheel and a joint portion to the airbag module, the plate spring being elastically bending-deformable between the joint portion and the engagement portion.

Preferably, the damper unit includes a pin provided on the steering wheel side for attachment to the airbag module, the pin protruding from the joint portion so as to be attached prior to the joint portion.

Preferably, an elastic piece capable of elastically contacting the airbag module is provided at the joint portion.

Preferably, the joint portion is provided with a holding portion for holding the plate-like damper to the airbag module. Preferably, when the elastic piece is in contact with the airbag module, a gap is formed between the holding portion and the airbag module.

Preferably, an elastic support member is provided between the steering wheel and the airbag module in parallel with the plate-shaped damper.

Preferably, an insulating piece portion is integrally formed on the plate-shaped damper, and a metal elastic support member is provided between the steering wheel and the airbag module in parallel with the plate-shaped damper, and the metal elastic support member is provided to the housing through the insulating piece portion.

Preferably, the airbag module includes a housing to which the inflator is fixedly attached, and a mounting plate to which a horn cover covering the inflator is fixedly attached, and the insulating strip portion is temporarily fixed to the mounting plate so as to face the housing, and is fixed by the mounting plate being attached to the housing.

Preferably, the damper unit is disposed at a center in a vertical direction of the airbag module with reference to a neutral position of the steering wheel. Preferably, the damper unit is disposed on an upper end side of a center in a vertical direction of the airbag module with reference to a neutral position of the steering wheel. Preferably, the two damper units are disposed at positions close to both sides of the airbag module in the left-right direction with reference to a neutral position of the steering wheel.

Preferably, the plate damper is disposed at a position closer to a vertically lower side of the steering wheel with reference to a neutral position of the steering wheel.

The steering wheel device for a vehicle according to the present invention is characterized by having the damper mechanism for a steering wheel.

Advantageous effects

The present invention provides a steering wheel damper mechanism and a vehicle steering wheel device, which can ensure a conventional damping effect, miniaturize an airbag module, and reduce the cost.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic overall perspective view of an example of a vehicle steering wheel device to which a damper mechanism of a steering wheel according to the present invention is applied.

Fig. 2 is a side view showing a first embodiment of a damper mechanism for a steering wheel and a steering wheel device for a vehicle of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the airbag module of the damper mechanism of the steering wheel shown in fig. 2, as viewed from the housing side.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the plate-shaped damper of the damper mechanism of the steering wheel shown in fig. 2, as viewed from the horn cover side of the airbag module, and as viewed from the side of the horn cover.

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an airbag module of a damper mechanism of the steering wheel shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of a plate-shaped damper of the damper mechanism of the steering wheel shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line a-a of fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of a main portion of the plate-like damper shown in fig. 6 before being held on the steering wheel.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of a main portion of the plate-like damper shown in fig. 8 after being held on the steering wheel.

Fig. 10 is a side view showing an operation of attaching the plate-shaped damper shown in fig. 6 to a steering wheel.

Fig. 11 is a side view showing an operation of removing the plate-shaped damper shown in fig. 10 from the steering wheel.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the structure for joining the plate-like damper to the air bag module side of the damper mechanism of the steering wheel shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 13 is an explanatory view explaining another modified example of the structure of joining the plate-like damper to the air bag module side of the damper mechanism of the steering wheel shown in fig. 2, fig. 13(a) is a perspective view showing a state before joining, and fig. 13(B) is a cross-sectional view showing a state after joining.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing a damper mechanism for a steering wheel and an airbag module included in a second embodiment of a steering wheel device for a vehicle according to the present invention.

Fig. 15 is an exploded perspective view of an airbag module of the shock absorber mechanism of the steering wheel shown in fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing an airbag module included in a third embodiment of a steering wheel damper mechanism and a vehicle steering wheel device according to the present invention.

Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing an airbag module included in a fourth embodiment of a steering wheel damper mechanism and a vehicle steering wheel device according to the present invention.

Fig. 18 is a plan view of a plate-like damper included in the airbag module shown in fig. 17.

Fig. 19 is a side view of an airbag module showing a modified example of the arrangement of the pin and the plate damper, which can be applied to each embodiment of the steering wheel mechanism and the vehicle steering wheel device of the present invention.

Fig. 20 is an explanatory view for explaining the arrangement of the damper units of the damper mechanism of the steering wheel shown in fig. 2, 14, 16, and 17, fig. 20(a) is a view showing a case where the damper units are arranged at the center in the vertical direction of the airbag module with reference to the neutral position of the steering wheel, and fig. 20(B) is a view showing a case where the damper units are arranged at a position on the upper end side than the center in the vertical direction of the airbag module.

Fig. 21 is a side view of a main portion showing an example of a structure for attaching a damper mechanism applicable to a steering wheel and a horn cover to an attachment plate of a steering wheel device for a vehicle according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a damper mechanism for a steering wheel and a steering wheel device for a vehicle according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 and 2 are schematic diagrams illustrating a steering wheel 1 of a vehicle steering wheel device to which a damper mechanism of a steering wheel according to the present invention is applied.

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the entire steering wheel 1, and fig. 2 illustrates a side sectional view of the entire steering wheel 1. In the following drawings including fig. 1, a case is assumed where the steering position of the steering wheel 1 attached to the vehicle is a neutral position, and each direction is exemplified. For example, the Z axis is directed downward in the front wheel direction of the vehicle with a steering column (steering shaft) not shown and upward in the direction of the steering wheel 1.

In a plane perpendicular to the Z axis, a 12-point position of the analog 12-hour wristwatch is defined as a vehicle front side, a 9-point direction (left direction) to 3-point direction (right direction) is defined as an X axis, and a 6-point direction (rear direction) to 12-point direction (front direction) is defined as a Y axis. Note that the side viewed from the driver side is described as the front side, and the opposite side is described as the back side.

The steering wheel 1 is provided in a driver's seat of a vehicle, is coupled to a steering shaft passing through an inside of a steering column, not shown, and transmits an operation force of a driver to a steering gear and the like.

An airbag module 2 functioning as a front airbag in an emergency is attached to the center of the steering wheel 1. Although not described, the airbag module 2 also functions as a horn switch that is pressed by the driver when the driver sounds a horn in a normal state.

The driver side of the airbag module 2 is covered with a horn cover 3 made of resin, and the horn cover 3 serves to show the appearance. A disc-like housing 4 is provided inside the horn cover 3. An airbag cushion 5 that is folded and inflated in an emergency is housed inside the bell jar 3. An inflator 6 is attached to the housing 4, and the inflator 6 is housed in the airbag cushion 5.

When a signal is sent from a sensor of the vehicle at an emergency, inflator gas is supplied from the inflator 6 to the airbag cushion 5, and the airbag cushion 5 cracks the horn cover 3 and expands and inflates the vehicle interior space, thereby restraining the driver.

The base portion of the steering wheel 1 is formed of a metal core member 7. The core metal member 7 is substantially constituted to include: a central boss region 8, a circular rim 9 to be held by the rider, and spokes 10 connecting the boss region 8 and the rim 9. A steering shaft is coupled to the boss region 8.

The airbag module 2 has a function as a horn switch and a function as a module damper for damping vibration, in addition to a function as a front airbag, as described above. The following describes the constituent elements that realize the function as the horn switch and the function as the module damper.

The structure of the airbag module 2 included in the first embodiment of the steering wheel damper mechanism and the vehicle steering wheel device according to the present invention will be briefly described with reference to fig. 3 to 5. The airbag module 2 includes: a metal housing 4 formed in a disk shape having a peripheral wall 4b formed around a bottom surface serving as an inflator mounting surface 4a, having an inflator insertion hole 4c at the center thereof, and having two damper unit mounting through holes 4d at both sides thereof; two damper units 11 attached to the through hole 4 d; a metal pin 12 slidably inserted from the housing 4 toward the boss region 8 into the damper unit 11; an inflator 6 inserted into the inflator insertion hole 4c from the opposite side (core member 7 side) of the peripheral wall 4b, the outer peripheral flange 6a being provided so as to abut against the inflator mounting surface 4a of the housing 4; a metal attachment plate 13 that is provided from the peripheral wall 4b side with respect to the pin 12 and is housed in the case 4; a metal retaining ring 14 having bolts 14a, overlapping the attachment plate 13 from the side of the peripheral wall 4b, and fastening nuts 15 to the bolts 14a penetrating the attachment plate 13, the bottom surface 4a of the case 4, and the outer peripheral flange 6a of the inflator 6, thereby fixing the inflator 6 and the like to the case 4; and a synthetic resin horn cover 3 that houses the airbag cushion 5, is provided so as to cover the inflator 6 and the like from the side opposite to the bottom surface of the inflator mounting surface 4a, and has an opening peripheral edge portion fixed to the peripheral wall 4b of the case 4 by a rivet 16.

A horn spring (coil spring) 17 is provided around the pin 12 protruding from the bottom surface 4a of the housing 4. Further, on the bottom surface 4a of the housing 4, two metal coil springs 19 as elastic support members are provided on the opposite side of the peripheral wall 4b so as to sandwich a plate-like damper 18, which will be described later, from both sides in the X-axis direction. These coil springs 19 are provided between the core metal member 7 and the airbag module 2 (housing 4).

As shown in fig. 2 to 5, one or two (two in the drawing) damper units 11 are provided on the housing 4 of the airbag module 2. The damper unit 11 is a member in which the case 4 is elastically attached to the core member 7, and forms the center of the module damper mechanism.

As shown in fig. 20 a, the two damper units 11 are disposed at the vertical center of the airbag module 2 (housing 4) in the vertical direction (Y-axis direction) with reference to the neutral position of the steering wheel 1.

The damper units 11 are disposed at positions close to both the left and right sides in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) of the airbag module 2 (housing 4) with reference to the neutral position of the steering wheel 1. The two damper units 11 are preferably disposed at equal distances from the central axis C in the left-right direction of the airbag module 2 (housing 4).

The rod-shaped pin 12 protrudes from the damper unit 11 toward the boss region 8 of the core member 7 in the Z-axis direction (see fig. 2). The pin 12 is fixed to the metal core member 7, and couples the steering wheel 1 and the airbag module 2. A damper unit 11 that suppresses vibration of the steering wheel 1 is disposed between the airbag module 2 and the steering wheel 1.

As shown in fig. 3, the pin 12 is inserted into the coil-shaped horn spring 17 and inserted into the core metal member 7. The horn spring 17 is provided between the airbag module 2 and the core metal member 7 to secure a gap therebetween. Then, the airbag module 2 released by the driver from the pressing operation (see arrow B in fig. 2) at the time of the horn operation is returned to the original position away from the core metal member 7.

In short, the damper unit 11 is configured such that a ring-shaped elastic body for damping vibration is covered and held by a ring-shaped synthetic resin cover, and a pin 12 of the damper unit 11 is inserted slidably inside the elastic body.

The damper unit 11 is fixed to the airbag module 2 by fitting the damper to a through hole 4d formed in the housing 4 constituting the airbag module 2.

The airbag module 2 is provided on the steering wheel 1 side via a pin 12 so as to be slidable in a state of being elastically supported by the steering wheel 1 by a damper unit 11 having an elastic body.

The vibration of the steering wheel 1 is transmitted to the damper unit 11 via the pin 12, and the transmitted vibration is attenuated in the damper unit 11 having the airbag module 2 as a damper mass.

In the horn function, when the airbag module 2 is pushed toward the steering wheel 1 and moves forward, the damper unit 11 provided in the airbag module 2 slides with respect to the pin 12, and the horn spring 17 is compressed. As a result, the contacts (not shown) provided on the airbag module 2 side and the steering wheel 1 side are electrically connected, and the horn sounds.

When the pressing of the airbag module 2 is released, the horn spring 17 elastically returns, and the airbag module 2 moves backward, whereby the contacts are separated and the ringing is stopped.

As shown in fig. 2 to 5, a plate-like damper 18 as an engaging mechanism is disposed between the core metal member 7 of the steering wheel 1 and the housing 4 of the airbag module 2 in parallel with the damper unit 11, and the plate-like damper 18 holds the steering wheel 1 and the airbag module 2 so as to be able to displace the steering wheel 1 and the airbag module 2 relative to each other.

The relative displacement is specifically a variation in the separation distance between the steering wheel 1 and the airbag module 2 due to vibration of the steering wheel 1 and vibration reduction of the damper unit 11, and the engagement mechanism allows the variation in the separation distance.

The plate damper 18 is disposed at a position closer to the lower side in the vertical direction (Y-axis direction) of the steering wheel 1 with reference to the neutral position of the steering wheel 1. The positional relationship with the damper unit 11 is a position located below (6 o' clock side) the two dampers 11 at the center between the dampers 11.

Therefore, the absorber unit 11 and the plate-like absorber 18 are disposed at the respective apexes of an inverted isosceles triangle with respect to the airbag module 2. The two coil springs 19 are disposed on both left and right sides of the plate-like damper 18 along the X-axis direction.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the plate damper 18 is configured by mainly mounting a plate spring (made of metal or synthetic resin) 20 and an elastic piece 21. The plate damper 18 transmits vibration from the steering wheel 1 to the airbag module 2 by its elastic action, and damps vibration of the steering wheel 1 (mainly vibration in the Y-axis direction) by the elastic action of plate bending in cooperation with the airbag module 2 as a damper.

The plate damper 18 may be made of metal such as steel or stainless steel, or may be formed of a synthetic resin material by resin molding. As the synthetic resin material, 66 nylon or glass-blended 66 nylon, polypropylene (PP), Polyacetal (POM) are preferable.

When the housing 4 is made of synthetic resin, it can be integrally molded with the plate damper 18, and the sleeve can be integrally molded with the housing 4 and the plate damper 18.

In the state shown in fig. 6, the plate-shaped damper 18 has an upper end portion side as an engaging portion 18a to be engaged with the case 4 of the airbag module 2 and a lower end portion side as a joint portion with respect to the steering wheel 1 along the vertical longitudinal direction (Z-axis direction), and in the first embodiment, the joint portion has an elastic piece 21 described later and functions as a holding portion 18b to be held by a holding rod 22 formed in the core metal member 7 of the steering wheel 1.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 6, a small hole 24 for inserting the rivet 23 is formed in the joint portion 18a of the plate-shaped damper 18, a window portion 25 is formed between the joint portion 18a and the holding portion 18b, an insertion hole 27 for fitting the elastic piece 21 by press-fitting is formed in a ledge 26 below the window portion 25 as shown in fig. 7, and a concave cutout portion 28 is formed below the ledge 26.

The joining portion 18a abuts against the peripheral wall 4b of the housing 4 and is joined to the housing 4 by a rivet 23. Since the peripheral wall 4b of the case 4 is formed to stand from the bottom surface as the inflator mounting surface 4a and the position of the horn cover 3 is fixed by the rivet 16, the joining portion 18a is joined to the case 4 on the horn cover 3 side of the inflator mounting surface 4 a.

The holding portions 18b are formed in a pair so as to protrude from both edges in the width direction of the plate surface of the plate spring 20 in either direction in the thickness direction of the plate spring 20.

In the holding portion 18b, a tapered edge portion is formed from an upper end projecting largely from the plate surface toward a lower end projecting gradually to zero along the vertical longitudinal direction of the plate spring 20 as a slide guide 29, and the upper end projecting largely is formed as a hook 30.

The holding portion 18b is formed by folding back the plate-shaped damper 18 mainly including the plate spring 20, and includes a plate-shaped hook 30 as shown in the drawing.

The plate damper 18 is deformable by the plate spring 20 so as to be elastically restored between the holding portion 18b and the engaging portion 18 a.

The elastic sheet 21 is made of rubber materials such as ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM), silicone rubber, nitrile rubber (NBR), etc.; 66 nylon, glass-blended 66 nylon, polypropylene (PP), Polyacetal (POM), and the like.

The elastic piece 21 is integrally molded from: a body portion 21a on the holding portion 18b side of the plate-like damper 18; an insertion portion 21b protruding from the main body portion 21a and inserted into the insertion hole 27; and an engaging portion 21c that protrudes from the insertion portion 21b, engages with the crosspiece 26 on the side opposite to the main body portion 21a, and fixes the elastic piece 21 to the leaf spring 20. A flange 21d is provided at the upper end of the body 21a to cover the lower edge of the window 25.

The elastic piece 21 is attached by pressing the locking portion 21c against the plate spring 20 through the insertion hole 27 so that the insertion portion 21b is positioned in the insertion hole 27. The elastic piece 21 is arranged to be sandwiched between the pair of holding portions 18 b. The body portion 21a is attached to the leaf spring 20 such that the height position of the flange portion 21d is the same as the height position of the hook 30 or slightly higher than the height position of the hook 30.

As shown in fig. 4 and 8 to 11, the plate-like damper 18 having the elastic piece 21 is held by the support rod 22 of the core metal member 7 of the steering wheel 1. The support rod 22 is provided to cross the vertical longitudinal direction of the plate spring 20 in which the engaging portion 18a and the holding portion 18b are formed.

The support rod 22 protrudes in the vertical longitudinal direction of the plate spring 20 at a position corresponding to the elastic piece 21 from a position corresponding to the pair of holding portions 18b of the plate damper 18, and forms a convex step portion 22 a.

The positional relationship (dimensional relationship) among the support rod 22, the holding portion 18b of the plate-like damper 18, and the elastic piece 21 will be described. When the plate damper 18 is attached to the support rod 22, as shown in fig. 8, the slide guide 29 abuts the support rod 22 from above in the vertical longitudinal direction of the plate spring 20.

At this time, in the main body portion 21a of the elastic piece 21, the thickness of the plate spring 20 in the plate thickness direction is set to a thickness dimension not in contact with the step portion 22 a. In contrast, the step portion 22a is set to an upward projecting size not contacting the main body portion 21 a.

The slide guide 29 is set to a protruding dimension such that the step portion 22a does not contact the body portion 21a when it contacts the support rod 22.

When the slide guide 29 moves downward, the protrusion of the holding portion 18b gradually increases, and therefore the body portion 21a does not abut against the step portion 22 a. Then, as shown in fig. 9, the slide guide 29 is interrupted, and the hook 30 of the holding portion 18b is submerged below the support rod 22.

When the hook 30 is inserted under the support rod 22, the flange portion 21D contacts the step portion 22a from below, and a gap D is formed between the hook 30 of the holding portion 18b and the support rod 22. Further, the setting is made such that a gap is maintained between the plate spring 20 and the support rod 22.

Specifically, in the main body portion 21a of the elastic piece 21, the thickness of the plate spring 20 in the plate thickness direction is set to a thickness dimension that contacts the step portion 22a from below and forms a gap between the plate spring 20 and the support rod 22. In addition, the downward projecting dimension of the step portion 22a is set to a dimension that forms a gap D between the hook 30 and the support rod 22 when the flange portion 21D is in contact.

In short, in the plate-shaped damper 18, only the elastic piece 21 on the airbag module 2 side is set to a size that can elastically contact the support rod 22 on the steering wheel 1 side. The plate damper 18 has the hook 30, and thus can be reliably held by the steering wheel 1.

Fig. 10 shows an attaching operation of the plate damper, and fig. 11 shows a removing operation of the plate damper.

When the plate-like damper 18 joined to the airbag module 2 at the joining portion 18a is pushed downward (see arrow E in fig. 10) with respect to the support rod 22 of the steering wheel 1 in a state of being in contact with the slide guide 29 of the holding portion 18b, the plate spring 20 is elastically deformed by bending.

When the hook 30 of the holding portion 18b reaches below the support rod 22, the plate spring 20 is elastically restored, and the hook 30 is submerged below the support rod 22, whereby the plate damper 18 is attached to and held by the support rod 22.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 11, when the plate damper 18 is removed from the steering wheel 1 and the plate spring 20 is elastically deformed when the hook 30 is pressed so as to be disengaged from the support rod 22 (see arrow F in the figure), the slide guide 29 is brought into contact with the support rod 22 and lifted up, and is disengaged from the support rod 22.

To explain the operation of the steering wheel damper mechanism and the vehicle steering wheel device according to the first embodiment, an engaging mechanism for holding the steering wheel 1 and the airbag module 2 so as to be able to displace the steering wheel 1 and the airbag module 2 relative to each other is provided between the steering wheel 1 and the airbag module 2 in parallel with the damper unit 11, and as a specific example, a plate-shaped damper 18 having an engaging function is provided, whereby the airbag module 2 can be stably held on the steering wheel 1 by the engaging mechanism, the performance of the damper unit 11 can be appropriately and sufficiently exhibited, and an excellent damping effect can be secured against vibration of the steering wheel 1.

The engagement mechanism has a hook 30 formed in a plate shape, and the steering wheel 1 and the airbag module 2 are held by the hook 30 so as to be able to relatively displace the steering wheel 1 and the airbag module 2, so that the engagement mechanism having high productivity and good attachment performance can be configured. As the engaging mechanism instead of the hook 30, it is needless to say that a known flexible fin member used for mounting the curtain airbag to the roof side rail may be hung on the support rod 22 of the steering wheel 1.

Since the plate-shaped damper 18 has a plate shape as shown in the figure, it occupies a small space, and can be arranged in parallel with other damper units 11 instead of any damper unit 11, for example, thereby making it possible to downsize the airbag module 2.

Further, by disposing the plate-shaped damper 18 instead of the damper unit 11, cost reduction can be achieved.

The plate damper 18 couples the steering wheel 1 and the airbag module 2, and the vibration of the steering wheel 1 is damped by the plate damper 18 using the airbag module 2 as a damper. Therefore, together with the other damper units 11, a damping effect comparable to that of the conventional damper unit can be ensured.

The plate damper 18 includes a plate spring 20, and is configured to damp vibration of the steering wheel 1 (mainly vibration in the Y-axis direction) by an elastic action of the plate spring 20 due to plate bending.

By adjusting the elasticity of the plate spring 20, the damped vibration frequency can be adjusted.

Further, the plate damper 18 can be attached to the steering wheel 1 by elastic bending deformation of the plate spring 20.

Further, since the plate-like damper 18 is disposed at a position close to the lower side in the vertical direction of the airbag module 2 (the 6-point side in the Y-axis direction), the vertical dimension of the airbag module 2 can be reduced.

Since the plate-shaped damper 18 is provided with an elastic piece 21 made of rubber or synthetic resin that can elastically contact a support rod 22 of the steering wheel 1 and transmits the vibration of the steering wheel 1 to the airbag module 2 side via the elastic piece 21, the damping frequency can be adjusted by the hardness of the elastic piece 21 and the amount of contact between the elastic piece 21 and the support rod 22.

In addition, by adjusting the hardness of the elastic body of the damper unit 11, the damped vibration frequency can also be adjusted.

When the elastic piece 21 comes into contact with the support rod 22, the gap D is formed between the hook 30 of the holding portion 18b and the support rod 22, and therefore, generation of abnormal noise due to vibration of the steering wheel 1 can be prevented.

Since the joining of the joining portion 18a of the plate damper 18 to the case 4 is set to a position closer to the horn housing 3 than the inflator mounting surface 4a, the joining operation is simple, and the positions where the damper action is generated by the damper unit 11 and the plate damper 18 can be matched with each other.

Since the coil spring 19 is provided in parallel with the plate damper 18, the connection position of the steering wheel 1 and the airbag module 2 by the plate damper 18 and the periphery thereof can be stably supported.

Fig. 12 and 13 show a modified example of the structure in which the plate damper 18 is attached to the housing 4.

In fig. 12, the joint portion 18a of the plate-like damper 18 is joined to the peripheral wall 4b of the housing 4 by spot welding 31.

Fig. 13(a) is a perspective view explaining before mounting the plate-like damper 18, and fig. 13(B) is a side sectional view showing the mounting operation.

A window hole 32 is formed in the housing 4 vertically in the height direction of the peripheral wall 4b, and the window hole 32 includes a wide portion 32a and a narrow portion 32b in series. In the case 4, a through hole 33 through which the plate spring 20 with the elastic piece 21 passes is formed in the inflator mounting surface 4a on the bottom surface in correspondence with the position of the window hole 32. In this modified example, the holding portion 18b is not provided.

A projection 34 is formed on the joint portion 18a of the plate-like damper 18 so as to straddle the peripheral wall 4b of the housing 4 at the upper end, and a clip portion 35 connected to the projection 34 and directed downward is formed. The clamping portion 35 is formed by a narrow insertion portion 35a and a wide protrusion portion 35 b.

The plate spring 20 is inserted into the through hole 33, the holding portion 35 is extended from the outside of the peripheral wall 4b to the inside of the peripheral wall 4b through the window hole 32, the insertion portion 35a is inserted into the narrow portion 32b, and the protrusion portion 35b is inserted into the wide portion 32 a.

By pressing the leaf spring 20, the holding portion 35 holds the peripheral wall 4b from the inside and the outside, and the engaging portion 18a is engaged with the housing 4.

Of course, these modifications can also provide the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

Fig. 14 and 15 show a second embodiment of a steering wheel damper mechanism and a vehicle steering wheel device according to the present invention.

In the first embodiment, as a configuration of the airbag module 2, a plate-shaped damper 18 made of metal or synthetic resin is provided on the metal case 4. In the second embodiment, the housing 4 and the plate-like damper 18 are made of synthetic resin.

The plate-like damper 18 is integrally formed with the housing 4 by resin molding. Specifically, the plate-like damper 18 is integrated with the housing 4 at the position of the joint portion 18 a. This can reduce the number of components and the cost.

The damper unit 11 is held on the housing 4 as described above. When the case 4 and the plate-like damper 18 are integrally molded by resin molding, the synthetic resin cover 11a of the damper unit 11 is preferably integrally formed on the case 4 by resin molding. This can further reduce the number of components and the cost.

Fig. 15 shows a configuration of an airbag module 2 provided in the second embodiment. The airbag module 2 includes: a synthetic resin case 4 having an inflator insertion hole 4c at the center thereof and two sleeves 11a integrally formed at both sides thereof; two damper units 11 each including a sleeve 11a and an elastic body 11b attached thereto; a metal pin 12 slidably inserted from the housing 4 toward the boss region 8 into the damper unit 11; an inflator 6 inserted into the inflator insertion hole 4c from the core member 7 side, the outer peripheral flange 6a being provided so as to abut against the inflator mounting surface 4a of the housing 4; a metal or synthetic resin mounting plate 13 having a plurality of slits 13a at the outer periphery thereof for engaging with the horn cover 3, and disposed opposite to the inflator mounting surface 4a, and the housing 4 is housed inside thereof; a metal retaining ring 14 having bolts 14a, overlapping the mounting plate 13 from the horn cover 3 side, and fastening nuts 15 to the bolts 14a penetrating the mounting plate 13, the bottom surface 4a of the case 4, and the outer peripheral flange 6a of the inflator 6, thereby fixing the inflator 6 and the like to the case 4; and a synthetic resin horn cover 3 which houses the airbag cushion 5, is provided so as to cover the inflator 6 and the like from the side opposite to the bottom surface of the inflator mounting surface 4a, and is locked to the slit 13a of the mounting plate 13 by a plurality of locking claw pieces 3a of the opening peripheral edge portion.

The other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment. Of course, the second embodiment can also provide the same operational effects as the first embodiment.

Fig. 16 shows a third embodiment of a steering wheel damper mechanism and a vehicle steering wheel device according to the present invention. In the third embodiment, the case 4 holding the damper unit 11 is made of metal, and the plate-like damper 18 is integrally formed with the case 4 by secondary resin molding.

Since the plate-shaped damper 18 is formed integrally with the housing 4, the number of components and cost can be reduced as in the second embodiment. The structure of the third embodiment can be performed in the same manner as the assembly of the second embodiment shown in fig. 15.

The other structures are the same as those of the first and second embodiments. Of course, the third embodiment can also exhibit the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiments.

Fig. 17 and 18 show a fourth embodiment of a steering wheel damper mechanism and a vehicle steering wheel device according to the present invention.

The fourth embodiment is the case where: the case 4 assembled to the airbag module 2 side is made of conductive metal, and the pin 12 provided to the steering wheel 1 side is also made of conductive metal, and a horn contact for bringing the case 4 and the pin 12 close to and away from each other is performed.

When the horn cover 3 of the airbag module 2, which receives the biasing force of the horn spring 17, is pressed toward the metal core member 7, the housing 4 comes into contact with the pin 12, and the horn sounds.

When the airbag module 2 (horn cover 3) is pushed back by the horn spring 17, the housing 4 is separated from the pin 12, and the ringing stops.

The plate-like damper 18 attached to the housing 4 is formed of an insulating synthetic resin material in this case.

In each of the above embodiments, a metal elastic support member 19 is provided between the case 4 and the core member 7 in parallel with the plate damper 18. When the housing 4 is used as a horn contact, if conduction is present in the elastic support member 19, the horn function cannot be ensured.

In the fourth embodiment, the plate-like damper 18 made of an insulating synthetic resin material is provided with the elastic support member 19.

As shown in fig. 18, the insulating piece portion 36 is formed integrally with the joint portion 18a of the plate damper 18 so as to extend on both sides in the X-axis direction. A pair of projections 36a are formed on both end sides of the insulating sheet portion 36.

One ends of the two elastic support members 19 are fitted to the projections 36a, and are provided on the housing 4 via the insulating piece 36. This blocks conduction by the elastic support member 19, and the horn function can be ensured.

In the fourth embodiment, the plate damper 18 is configured by a member different from the housing 4, unlike the second and third embodiments.

In mounting the plate damper 18, first, the insulating piece portion 36 of the plate damper 18 is temporarily fixed to the mounting plate 13 so as to face the case 4 between the case 4 on the inflator 6 side and the mounting plate 13 on the horn cover 3 side.

Then, by an operation of attaching the attachment plate 13 to the housing 4 (an operation of fastening the inflator 6 to the retainer ring 14), the joint portion 18a of the plate damper 18 including the insulating piece portion 36 is sandwiched between the attachment plate 13 and the housing 4, and thereby the plate damper 18 is fixed to the housing 4 side.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, even when the housing 4 is used as a horn contact, the plate damper 18 and the elastic support member 19 can be assembled by a simple operation with a reasonably small number of parts and at a low cost.

Fig. 19 shows a modified example of the arrangement of the pin 12 and the plate damper 18, which can be applied to the above embodiments. This modified example is a structure capable of improving the attachment of the airbag module 2, in which the pin 12 and the plate damper 18 are assembled, to the core metal member 7.

The damper unit 11 provided on the airbag module 2 side has the pin 12 as described above, and the pin 12 is inserted into and attached to the boss region 8 of the steering wheel 1.

As shown by the imaginary line H in the figure, the pin 12 protrudes from the tab 18b so as to be attached to the core metal member 7 prior to the tab 18 b.

The pin 12 of the core metal member 7 is mounted first, so that when the elastic piece 21 of the plate-shaped damper 18 is engaged with the steering wheel 1, for example, the support rod 22, the positional displacement of the pin 12 in the 3-point direction and the 9-point direction due to the operation reaction force can be suppressed, and the accuracy of the mounting position of the damper unit 11 can be improved.

In each of the above embodiments, as shown in fig. 20 a, the damper unit 11 is disposed at the center in the vertical direction (Y-axis direction) of the housing 4 of the airbag module 2 with reference to the neutral position of the steering wheel 1, and therefore, the adjustment of the damped vibration frequency can be easily performed.

However, as shown in fig. 20B, the damper unit may be disposed at a position closer to the upper end side from the center of the housing 4 of the airbag module 2 in the vertical direction (Y-axis direction) with reference to the neutral position of the steering wheel 1 (shown by a positional offset of the through hole 4d with respect to the distance G from the center to the upper end in the vertical direction of the housing 4).

Fig. 21 shows an example of a mounting structure of the horn cover 3 to the mounting plate 13.

The mounting plate 13 is formed with a slit 13a into which the locking claw piece 3a of the horn cover 3 is inserted so as to be swingable.

The inflator 6 is fastened to the retainer ring 14 by a nut 15 on the attachment plate 13, and thereby overlaps the inflator attachment surface 4a of the housing 4. When the housing 4 is overlapped with the mounting plate 13, the peripheral edge of the housing 4 partially covers the slit 13 a.

Thus, the locking claw piece 3a inserted into the slit 13a is pressed from the state shown by the broken line to the position shown by the solid line by the peripheral edge of the housing 4, and the swing thereof is regulated.

The horn cover 3 is attached to the attachment plate 13 by restricting the swing of the locking claw piece 3a with respect to the attachment plate 13. Thus, the horn cover 3 can be easily and cleanly fixed to the attachment plate 13 only by fastening the nut 15 to the bolt 14a of the retaining ring 14.

In the above embodiments, the case where two damper units 11 are disposed at positions on both sides in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) of the airbag module 2 with reference to the neutral position of the steering wheel 1 has been described, but it is needless to say that only one damper unit may be provided.

In the above embodiments, the case where the absorber unit 11 is provided on the airbag module 2 side (the through hole 4d of the housing 4) has been described, but may be conversely provided on the steering wheel 1 side.

In the above embodiments, the case where the engaging portion 18a of the plate-shaped damper 18 is engaged with the airbag module 2 and the holding portion 18b is held on the steering wheel 1 side has been described, but conversely, the engaging portion 18a may be engaged with the steering wheel 1 side and the holding portion 18b may be held on the airbag module 2 side.

In the case of a structure in which the absorber unit 11 and the plate-like absorber 18 are attached from the steering wheel 1 side to the airbag module 2 side, for example, the following structure may be employed: the plate-shaped damper 18 includes a plate spring 20, the plate spring 20 having a joint portion 18a to be joined to the steering wheel 1 and a joint portion 18b to the airbag module 2, and the plate spring 20 being elastically deformable between the joint portion 18b and the joint portion 18 a.

In addition, the following structure may be adopted: the damper unit 11 includes a pin 12, the pin 12 is provided on the steering wheel 1 side and is attached to the airbag module 2, and the pin 12 protrudes from the joint 18b so as to be attached prior to the joint 18 b.

Further, the following structure is preferably employed: an elastic piece 21 capable of elastically contacting with the airbag module 2 is provided on the plate-shaped damper 18; a holding portion 18b for holding the plate-like damper 18 to the airbag module 2 is provided at the joint portion; when the elastic piece 21 comes into contact with the airbag module 2, a gap D is formed between the holding portion 18b and the airbag module 2.

The damper mechanism for a steering wheel and the steering wheel device for a vehicle described above are preferred examples of the present invention, and other embodiments may be implemented or executed by various methods. In particular, the present invention is not limited to the shapes, sizes, structural arrangements, and the like of the detailed components shown in the drawings, as long as the description of the present invention is not limited to the contents defined by the gist of the present invention. The expressions and terms used in the specification of the present application are for illustrative purposes only and are not limited to the embodiments as long as they are not limited to the gist of the present invention.

Description of the marks

1 steering wheel

2 airbag module

3 horn cover

4 casing

4a inflator mounting surface

6 inflator

11 damper unit

11a sleeve

11b elastomer

12 pin

13 mounting plate

18 plate-shaped shock absorber

18a joint part

18b holding part (joint part)

19 helical spring

20 leaf spring

21 elastic sheet

30 hook

36 insulating sheet part

D the clearance between the elastic sheet and the supporting rod