VEHICLE STEERING WHEEL

Abstract

A vehicle steering wheel comprising: - a hub (20), - a movable structure, movable between a driving position and at least one console position, wherein the movable structure includes a first driving position stop (11) and the hub (20) includes a second driving position stop (21), - locking means comprising a locking member (40) arranged to lock the movable structure in the driving position, characterized in that the locking means include a control member (50), arranged to exert a pushing force on the locking member (40) such that the locking member (40) pushes the first driving position stop (11) onto the second driving position stop (21). Figure for the abbreviation: Fig. 2

Description

Title of the invention: VEHICLE STEERING WHEEL

[0001] The present invention relates generally to steering wheels for motor vehicles.

[0002] Vehicle steering wheels comprising an articulated rim are known in the prior art, as disclosed for example in document DE 20 2017 107 359 A1. However, such a steering wheel is exposed to vibrations when driving, and with an articulated rim there is an increased risk of unwanted noise or clicking, and this document does not propose any solution. In addition, it is important to ensure that in a driving situation the steering wheel rim cannot be folded, and no secure solution is proposed by this document.

[0003] An aim of the present invention is to address the drawbacks of the prior art mentioned above and in particular, first of all, to propose a motor vehicle steering wheel, which comprises an articulated rim without increasing the risk of rattling, or of misuse.

[0004] For this purpose, a first aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle steering wheel comprising: - a hub, - a movable structure comprising at least a portion of a rim of the steering wheel, articulated relative to the hub to be movable between a driving position in which the rim can be grasped by a user to drive the vehicle and at least one console position in which the user can place an object on the rim, wherein the movable structure comprises a first driving position stop and the hub comprises a second driving position stop arranged to enter into mechanical abutment with the first driving position stop when the movable structure is moved from the console position to the driving position so as to define the driving position, - locking means comprising a locking member arranged to lock the mobile structure in the driving position, characterized in that the locking means comprise a control member, arranged to exert a thrust force on the locking member so that, when the mobile structure is in the driving position, the locking member pushes the first driving position stop onto the second driving position stop.

[0005] The vehicle steering wheel according to the above implementation comprises a control member which generates a thrust force on the locking member to keep the second driving position stop constantly in contact with the first driving position stop, when the movable structure is in the driving position. Thus, the vibrations applied to the steering wheel do not generate noise, since the second driving position stop is constantly in contact with the first driving position stop: the articulated movable structure does not hit the hub.

[0006] According to one implementation, the locking member may comprise at least one rocker. A rocker offers more freedom to position the control member in a small environment. Indeed, an angle transmission offers the possibility of offsetting the control member, and the lever arm makes it possible to adjust the strokes.

[0007] According to one implementation, the mobile structure can be movable relative to the hub according to a rotation about a first axis of rotation, and the rocker can be movable in rotation relative to the hub according to a rotation about a second axis of rotation, parallel to the first axis of rotation. In other words, the two axes of rotation are contained in the same plane and are parallel. The thrust forces thus generate moments of force efficiently, because the two axes of rotation are parallel.

[0008] According to one implementation, when the mobile structure is in the driving position and when the locking member pushes the first driving position stop onto the second driving position stop: - a distance between the first axis of rotation and a point of contact between the locking member and the mobile structure is noted Ll, - a distance between the second axis of rotation and the point of contact between the locking member and the mobile structure is noted L2, - a distance between the first axis of rotation and the second axis of rotation is noted L3, in which Ll + L2 can be greater than L3.

[0009] According to one implementation, the control member can be mounted fixed relative to the hub. This implementation further limits the risks of clicking or parasitic noise.

[0010] According to one implementation, the control member can be connected to the locking member by at least one linear rectilinear connection formed for example by a rod sliding in an oblong hole.

[0011] According to one implementation, the mobile structure may comprise at least one locking portion, and, when the mobile structure may be in said at least one console position, the locking member may be arranged to couple with said at least one locking portion, to maintain the mobile structure in said at least one console position. It is the same locking member which carries out the locking in the driving position and in the console position, which limits the costs and reduces clutter.

[0012] According to one implementation, the mobile structure may comprise several locking portions, and the locking member may be arranged to couple with each locking portion, so as to define several console positions for the mobile structure. A first console position may be provided with a portion of the rim folded horizontally to rest a laptop there, for example. A second console position may also be provided, where the articulated portion of the rim is inclined, to rest a touch pad there, for example.

[0013] According to one implementation, the plurality of locking portions may form a rack, and the locking member may comprise a locking projection, such as a tooth or a rod or a shaft, arranged to couple with the rack. A rack makes it possible to provide several console positions with reduced cost, and it is always the same locking member which performs the locking in position.

[0014] According to one implementation, the mobile structure may comprise a thrust surface, and the locking member may comprise a thrust projection arranged to cooperate with the thrust surface when the mobile structure is in the driving position, to push the first driving position stop onto the second driving position stop. According to this implementation, the locking member comprises two separate interfaces: one for locking the articulated mobile structure in the driving position, and another for locking the articulated mobile structure in the console position.

[0015] According to one implementation, when the mobile structure is in the driving position and when the locking member pushes the first driving position stop onto the second driving position stop, then, at the point of contact between the locking member and the movable structure, an angle, between a tangent to the surface of the locking member and a tangent to the surface of the movable structure, may be greater than an angle of the friction cone defined by a coefficient of friction between the locking member and the movable structure. This implementation makes it possible to avoid jamming.

[0016] According to one implementation, when the mobile structure is in the driving position, the first driving position stop can be arranged between the second driving position stop and the locking member.

[0017] According to one implementation, the control member may comprise at least one electromechanical actuator, such as an electromagnet. In other words, the control member is not manual. Consequently, the driving position may be maintained by a member whose control is carried out by the vehicle. The control may therefore be subject to conditions, such as for example that the vehicle is stationary, or that the parking brake is actuated, or that the steering wheel is disengaged from the steering column. Thus, it is impossible to move the console to the position if the vehicle is moving, or in the manual driving phase.

[0018] According to one implementation, the control member may comprise at least one elastic return member, such as a spring, arranged to generate the thrust force. Maintaining the driving position is guaranteed by the elastic return member, which does not require electrical energy. In other words, when the mobile structure is in the driving position, the first driving position stop is constantly pushed against the second driving position stop by a spring, and an electrical member (an electromagnet) can compress the spring punctually to release the locking member and allow the transition to the console position.

[0019] The elastic return member also plays the role of taking up play and guarantees the absence of clicking or parasitic noise.

[0020] Another aspect of the invention relates to a motor vehicle, comprising a vehicle steering wheel according to the first aspect of the invention.

[0021] Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly on reading the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention given by way of non-limiting example and illustrated by the appended drawings, in which:

[0022] [fig. 1] represents a front view of a vehicle steering wheel according to the present invention;

[0023] [fig.2] represents a section of the steering wheel of [fig.l];

[0024] [fig.3] represents a perspective view of a part of the vehicle steering wheel of the [fig.l] ;

[0025] [fig-4] represents a detail of the section of [fig.2].

[0026] [Fig. 1] represents a steering wheel comprising a rim 10 connected by branches 30 to a hub 20 arranged to couple to a vehicle steering column or an electric steering box.

[0027] In order to improve the ergonomics of use of the vehicle, the rim 10 is articulated relative to the hub 20, so that it can be positioned either in a driving position (in which the plane of the rim 10 is typically perpendicular to an axial direction of the hub coincident with an axis of rotation of the steering wheel when driving the vehicle), or in a console position (in which the plane of the rim 10 is then inclined relative to the axial direction of the hub 20, so that a user can place, for example, a computer on the rim 10).

[0028] In detail, a mobile structure comprising the rim, at least a part of the branches 30 and a central part with an eccentric 16 is pivotally mounted relative to the hub 20. As shown in the section of [fig.2], the mobile structure is mounted rotatably on the hub 20 to pivot around a first axis of rotation Al.

[0029] According to the example shown, the rim 10 comprises a reinforcement 15, which also forms a reinforcement of the branches 30 and of the central part with the eccentric 16. This reinforcement can typically be in one piece and produced by injection, but it is possible to envisage a reinforcement in several parts, with or without machined portions.

[0030] In [fig.2], the movable structure is in the driving position and comprises a first driving position stop 11 which is in contact with a second driving position stop 21 secured to the hub 20. In the driving position, the steering wheel is arranged to be pivoted about a steering wheel axis R (which is both the axial direction of the hub 20 and the axis of a steering column when the vehicle is equipped with a steering column) to drive the vehicle, and the rim 10 may be generally perpendicular to this steering wheel axis R.

[0031] It is important to ensure the absence of unwanted noise while driving the vehicle, even if vibrations are transmitted to the steering wheel and the moving structure. A locking member 40 is therefore provided, which is a rocker, to constantly push the first driving position stop 11 against the second driving position stop 21. In fact, the locking member 40 comprises a thrust projection 41 arranged to come into contact with a thrust surface 14 of the moving structure and push it against the second driving position stop 21.

[0032] For this purpose, the steering wheel comprises a control member 50 comprising in particular an electromagnet 51 and a spring 52 connected to the locking member 40. In the configuration shown [fig.2], the control member 50 exerts, by means of the spring 52, a continuous force on the locking member 40 so that the latter constantly exerts a thrust force of the first driving position stop 11 against the second driving position stop 21. Thus, the thrust force is generated by the spring 52, which does not require electrical energy, and the driving position is guaranteed without play or parasitic noise.

[0033] To move the mobile structure, it is necessary to unlock the latter from the hub 20, and for this purpose, the control member 50 can be actuated (by a control button for example) so that the electromagnet 51 retracts and drives the locking member 40 in an anticlockwise rotation as the arrow in [fig.2] shows. Thus, the thrust projection 41 is released from the thrust surface 14 and the mobile structure and in particular the rim 10 can pivot in an anticlockwise direction around the first axis of rotation A1, as shown by the two arrows around the rim 10. In the embodiment shown, the rim 10 is pivoted manually but a motor, for example of the stepper type, can also be implemented. It may only be powered once the control member 50 is actuated.

[0034] The first driving position stop 11 disengages from the second driving position stop driving position 21 and one of the three notches 12 forming a locking portion of the mobile structure comes opposite a rod 42 of the locking member 40 forming a locking projection. The control member 50 can then pivot the locking member clockwise to engage the rod 42 in one of the notches 12, so as to lock the mobile structure and the rim 10 in a console position. In this position, not shown, the rim 10 is then inclined relative to the steering wheel axis R, and a user can place objects on the rim (papers, a computer, a tablet, etc.). It is noted that the mobile structure comprises three notches 12, and advantageously, one of these notches is provided so that the rim 10 is horizontal or substantially horizontal in the console position.

[0035] [fig. 3] represents a perspective view of a part of the vehicle steering wheel of [fig. 1], where a part of the covering is not shown. To ensure good retention of the mobile structure and the rim 10, two control members 50 are distributed on either side of the central part of the hub 20. Two first driving position stops 11 and two second driving position stops 21 are therefore provided in order to effectively lock the mobile structure and the rim 10 in the driving position as shown.

[0036] Furthermore, it can be noted that the control members 50 are mounted fixedly on the hub 20, that is to say according to a connection of the embedding type (all the degrees of freedom between these parts are blocked) to avoid any parasitic noise.

[0037] [Fig. 4] shows a detail of [Fig. 2], with the eccentric 16, the second driving position stop 21 and the locking member 40. In connection with the fixed mounting of the control members 50, it can be noted that the locking member 40 comprises an oblong hole 43 which receives a control shaft of the control member 50, to allow isostatic mounting with a linear type connection between the oblong hole 43 and the control shaft of the control member 50.

[0038] The spring 52 ensures that the clearances will be taken up and no parasitic noise is generated by this connection between the oblong hole 43 and the control shaft of the control member 50.

[0039] As mentioned above, the locking member 40 is a rocker, which pivots around a second axis of rotation A2, parallel to the first axis of rotation AL

[0040] To ensure good maintenance in the driving position, when the locking member 40 pushes the first driving position stop 11 onto the second driving position stop 21: - a distance between the first axis of rotation Al and a point of contact between the locking member 40 and the mobile structure is noted Ll, - a distance between the second axis of rotation A2 and the point of contact between the locking member 40 and the mobile structure is noted L2, - a distance between the first axis of rotation Al and the second axis of rotation A2 is noted L3, and the following inequality is provided: L1 + L2 > L3

[0041] Furthermore, [fig.4] represents an angle a between the thrust surface 14 of the eccentric 16 and a straight line connecting the second axis of rotation A2 to the point of contact between the locking member and the eccentric 16. To ensure constant contact between the parts when the mobile structure and rim 10 are in the driving position, the angle a is provided to be strictly greater than 90°. In detail, it is noted that the angle a is formed between a tangent to the thrust surface 14 of the eccentric 16 (at the point of contact) and a straight line connecting the second axis of rotation A2 to the point of contact between the locking member and the eccentric 16, in the case where the thrust surface 14 is curved and / or non-planar.

[0042] Thus, in the driving position, the locking member 40 effectively pushes the first driving position stop 11 against the second driving stop position 21, to ensure reliable holding in position without unwanted noise.

[0043] It will be understood that various modifications and / or improvements obvious to those skilled in the art may be made to the various embodiments of the invention described in the present description without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims. In particular, reference is made to an eccentric 16 which carries the first driving position stop 11, the notches 12 and the thrust surface 14, but any other embodiment may be envisaged.

[0044] Furthermore, it is noted that the locking member 40 is a rocker, but it is possible to envisage a rod, an angle transmission, or any other force transmission member. It is also possible to envisage that the locking member 40 is integrated into the control member 50 to form a specific part thereof (a support pad directly integrated into an electromagnet).

Claims

Claims

1. A vehicle steering wheel comprising: - a hub (20), - a movable structure comprising at least a portion of a rim (10) of the steering wheel, articulated relative to the hub (20) to be movable between a driving position in which the rim (10) can be grasped by a user to drive the vehicle and at least one console position in which the user can place an object on the rim (10), wherein the movable structure comprises a first driving position stop (11) and the hub (20) comprises a second driving position stop (21) integral with the hub (20) and arranged to enter into mechanical abutment with the first driving position stop (11) when the movable structure is moved from the console position to the driving position so as to define the driving position, - locking means comprising a locking member (40) arranged to lock the movable structure in the driving position,characterized in that the locking means comprise a control member (50), arranged to exert a thrust force on the locking member (40) so that, when the mobile structure is in the driving position, the locking member (40) pushes the first driving position stop (11) onto the second driving position stop (21).,

2. Vehicle steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the locking member (40) comprises at least one rocker.

3. Vehicle steering wheel according to claim 2, in which the movable structure is movable relative to the hub (20) according to a rotation about a first axis of rotation (A1), and in which the rocker is movable in rotation relative to the hub (20) according to a rotation about a second axis of rotation (A2), parallel to the first axis of rotation (A1).

4. Vehicle steering wheel according to claim 3, wherein, when the movable structure is in the driving position and when the locking member (40) pushes the first driving position stop (11) onto the second driving position stop (21): - a distance between the first axis of rotation (Al) and a point of contact between the locking member (40) and the movable structure is noted Ll, - a distance between the second axis of rotation (A2) and the point of contact between the locking member (40) and the mobile structure is noted L2, - a distance between the first axis of rotation (Al) and the second axis of rotation (A2) is noted L3, in which L1 + L2 > L3.

5. Vehicle steering wheel according to one of claims 1 to 4, in which the control member (50) is mounted fixed relative to the hub (20).

6. Vehicle steering wheel according to claim 5 in its dependency on claim 2, in which the control member (50) is connected to the locking member (40) by at least one linear rectilinear connection formed for example by a rod sliding in an oblong hole (43).

7. Vehicle steering wheel according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the movable structure comprises at least one locking portion, and wherein, when the movable structure is in said at least one console position, the locking member (40) is arranged to couple with said at least one locking portion, to maintain the movable structure in said at least one console position.

8. A vehicle steering wheel according to claim 7, wherein the movable structure comprises a plurality of locking portions, and wherein the locking member (40) is arranged to mate with each locking portion, so as to define a plurality of console positions for the movable structure.

9. A vehicle steering wheel according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of locking portions form a rack, and wherein the locking member (40) comprises a locking projection, such as a tooth or a rod or shaft, arranged to mate with the rack.

10. Vehicle steering wheel according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the movable structure comprises a thrust surface (14), wherein the locking member (40) comprises a thrust projection (41) arranged to cooperate with the thrust surface (14) when the movable structure is in the driving position, to push the first driving position stop (11) onto the second driving position stop (21).

11. Vehicle steering wheel according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, when the movable structure is in the driving position and when the locking member (40) pushes the first driving position stop (11) onto the second driving position stop (21), then, at the point of contact between the locking member (40) and the movable structure, an angle, between a tangent to the surface of the locking member (40) and a tangent to the surface of the movable structure, is greater than an angle of the friction cone defined by a coefficient of friction between the locking member (40) and the movable structure.

12. Vehicle steering wheel according to one of claims 1 to 11, wherein, when the movable structure is in the driving position, the first driving position stop (11) is arranged between the second driving position stop (21) and the locking member (40).

13. Vehicle steering wheel according to one of claims 1 to 12, in which the control member (50) comprises at least one electromechanical actuator, such as an electromagnet.

14. Vehicle steering wheel according to one of claims 1 to 12, in which the control member (50) comprises at least one elastic return member, such as a spring (52), arranged to generate the thrust force.

15. Motor vehicle, comprising a vehicle steering wheel according to one of claims 1 to 14.

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