JP2001510762A - Steering wheel fixed to the steering column supported in the car - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] In a steering wheel fixed to a steering column supported in an automobile, a metal frame (2) of a boss (1) of the steering wheel is manufactured integrally with a projecting mounting member (5). ing. The mounting member (5) serves to fix the steering wheel to the steering column. The steering wheel therefore does not have any fastening or fastening elements on its side facing the driver for fastening to the steering column. This allows the steering wheel to be preassembled particularly cheaply.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a boss-equipped steering wheel fixed to a steering column supported in an automobile.

[0002] Steering wheels known in the field generally have internal teeth at their center, by means of which the steering wheel is fitted onto a steering column. The steering column has external teeth formed corresponding to the internal teeth of the steering wheel for introducing torque. In order to secure the steering wheel securely, the internal teeth are generally clamped against the external teeth by clamping elements.

The disadvantages of this known steering wheel are that the fixing of the steering wheel on the steering column is very expensive and the fastening elements are generally arranged on the side of the steering wheel facing the driver in order to facilitate assembly. That is being done. However, in today's motor vehicles, the area of the steering wheel boss facing the driver is often required, for example, to accommodate electronics or airbags.

The problem imposed on the present invention is that a steering wheel of the type mentioned at the outset can be fixed in a very simple manner to the steering column, and the boss gives the driver The aim is to have as large a free surface as possible on the facing side.

According to the present invention, this problem is solved as follows. That is, the boss and the projecting mounting member are configured as a structural unit that can be preassembled, and the mounting member is provided to be fixed to the steering column.

[0006] With this arrangement, no fastening element is required which is arranged on the side of the steering wheel boss facing the driver. This allows the steering wheel to be completely assembled during pre-assembly. The assembly of a steering wheel in a motor vehicle can be easily performed by fixing a mounting member protruding from the steering wheel to a steering column. As a result, the steering wheel according to the invention has a large free surface in the area of the boss that can be used for placing components of the electronic device. by this,
For example, a telephone or satellite navigation device together with the operating elements required for this can be arranged on the boss before assembling the steering wheel in the motor vehicle.

The mounting member can be welded to the boss of the steering wheel. However, according to another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the mounting element is securely connected to the boss by being made in one piece with the metal frame. Furthermore, with this configuration, it is not necessary to center the mounting member with respect to the steering wheel. As a result, the steering wheel according to the invention can be manufactured particularly inexpensively. If the steering wheel according to the invention is mounted on a steering column that is assembled from a plurality of pieces, the mounting member can be configured, for example, as one piece of the steering column. Thereby, the steering wheel according to the invention further reduces the number of cuts in the steering column.

In order to further reduce the production cost of the steering wheel according to the invention, the mounting member and the metal frame of the boss of the steering wheel may be made from light metal by die-casting. Integrating the boss and the mounting member according to the invention can be performed using only one mold. This furthermore makes the steering wheel according to the invention particularly light in weight.

[0009] Modern automotive steering wheels often include an airbag and a gas generator for activating the airbag. In such a steering wheel, it is often very expensive to place the gas generator in the center of the boss to uniformly inflate the airbag. That is, in steering wheels known in the field, assembling the gas generator and other components of the airbag is often performed during the final assembly of the steering wheel in a motor vehicle. The steering wheel according to the invention allows all the parts of the airbag to be assembled in a particularly inexpensive pre-assembled unit if the mounting member is configured in a tubular shape to accommodate the gas generator of the airbag. . With this arrangement, the gas generator is located at the center of the steering wheel, as in known steering wheels, so that a particularly uniform pressure builds up in the airbag. Furthermore, the center of gravity of the steering wheel is located in the center of the boss, which makes the steering wheel particularly low in mass inertia. Of course, two gas generators or two-stage gas generators can be arranged in the mounting member. This is advantageous with so-called intelligent airbags. This is because this allows the opening of the airbag to be adjusted, for example, in relation to the driver's weight.

[0010] In order to avoid pressure escaping in the direction of the steering column, the gas generator can be glued, for example, in a mounting member. According to another advantageous embodiment of the invention, however, the mounting member is airtightly closed by a partition wall, so that pressure does not escape in the direction of the steering column.
The gas generator can be particularly easily integrated into the mounting element. If the mounting member is made of light metal by die-casting, the partition wall can be easily provided, for example, when manufacturing a piece.

The gas generator must be particularly rigidly mounted in the mounting member in order to ensure that the airbag operates. According to another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the fixing of the gas generator can be carried out in a particularly simple manner if the mounting element is designed as a housing of the gas generator. With this configuration, the steering wheel according to the invention consists of very few parts and, in addition, has a particularly low weight.

The present invention may be embodied in a number of embodiments, one of which is illustrated in the drawings and will be described below.

The steering wheel according to the invention has a boss 1, which has a metal frame 2 and a plastic cover 3. The boss 1 supports the steering ring 4 via spokes (not shown). The metal frame 2 is integrally formed with a tubular mounting member 5 provided for fixing to a steering column (not shown). An airbag 6 is provided on the side of the boss 1 opposite to the mounting member 5.
Is arranged. The mounting member 5 is formed in a tubular shape and is hermetically closed by a partition wall 7 near its free end.

The free end of the mounting member 5 has internal teeth 8 which are correspondingly formed by a lateral screw tightening mechanism 9 for a final assembly in the motor vehicle, not shown, of a steering column. Is tightened against the external teeth that are being used. Furthermore, the drawing shows that the gas generator 10 is arranged in the mounting member 5 near the airbag 6. The gas generator 10 is constructed in two stages, so that the predetermined opening of the airbag 6 can be adjusted, for example, in relation to the degree of destruction of the motor vehicle or the weight of the occupant.

According to the invention, there is no fastening or fastening element on the side of the steering wheel facing the driver for assembling the steering wheel to the steering column. This allows the steering wheel to pre-assemble the airbag 6 or an electronic device (not shown) at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a steering wheel according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 boss, 2 metal frame, 3 cover, 4 steering ring, 5
Mounting material, 6 airbag, 7 partition wall, 8 internal teeth, 9 horizontal screw tightening mechanism, 10 gas generator

[Procedural Amendment] Submission of translation of Article 34 Amendment of the Patent Cooperation Treaty

[Submission date] January 25, 2000 (2000.1.25)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 1

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (71) Applicant Kruppstrabe 105, Frank kfurt am Main, BRD (72) Inventor Klaus-Jürgen Kul Germany Babenhausen Schärstraße 6 (72) Inventor Rolf Wich Germany Heinburg Bach Gasse 12 F term (reference) 3D030 DA82 DA83 DB48 DB81 3D054 AA02 AA13 BB03 BB06 EE09 EE29 FF17

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A steering wheel provided with a boss fixed to a steering column supported in an automobile, wherein the boss (1) and a protruding mounting member (5) are configured as a pre-assembled structural unit. A steering wheel fixed to a steering column mounted in an automobile, wherein the mounting member (5) is provided for fixing to the steering column. 2. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the mounting member (5) is made in one piece with the metal frame (2) of the boss (1). 3. A mounting member (5) and a boss (1) of a steering wheel.
3. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the metal frame is made of light metal by a die casting method. 4. The mounting device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting member is formed in a tubular shape for receiving at least one gas generator of the airbag. The steering wheel according to any one of claims 3 to 3. 5. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the mounting member is airtightly closed by a partition wall. 6. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the mounting member (5) is designed as a housing of the gas generator (10).