Steering handle

Abstract

To suppress pealing off of a terminal part of an outer skin layer in a steering handle.SOLUTION: A steering handle includes: an illumination part; an illumination arrangement part where the illumination part is arranged; and an outer skin layer formed by a leather member. The illumination arrangement part has a cover part which is covered with the outer skin layer and in which a recess opening to an outside which stores at least a part of a terminal part of the leather member and the illumination part is formed. The illumination part has: a light emitting part; and a closing member which has light transmissivity emitted by the light emitting part and closes the opening of the recess. The cover part has: a recess side wall formation part forming a side surface of the recess; and a recess bottom wall formation part forming a bottom surface of the recess. A terminal part of the leather member is arranged in succession along the recess side wall formation part and the recess bottom wall formation part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a steering wheel. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a steering wheel in which a member that emits light such as visible light or infrared light (hereinafter referred to as an "illumination part") is attached at a position that is visible to the driver. The steering wheel of Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which an outer skin layer made of natural leather or the like is wrapped around the outer surface of a coating layer that surrounds a core metal, and a light bar that corresponds to the illumination part is fitted into a recess in the coating layer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-113040 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the steering wheel of Patent Document 1, the terminal portion of the skin layer is merely bent at the opening end of the recess and arranged along the side wall of the recess, and in a configuration in which the terminal portion is adhered to the side wall of the recess using an adhesive, there is a problem that the adhesive margin is small and the skin layer is easily peeled off. In addition, since the bending angle at the opening end of the recess is steep, the restoring force of the skin layer (natural leather, etc.) causes the fold to return to its original shape, and the skin layer is easily peeled off from the side wall of the recess. Therefore, a technology capable of suppressing peeling of the terminal portion of the skin layer in a steering wheel is desired. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve at least a part of the above-mentioned problems, and can be realized in the following forms.

[0006] (1) According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a steering wheel, comprising an illumination section that emits light, an illumination arrangement section in which the illumination section is arranged, and an outer skin layer formed of a leather member, the illumination arrangement section being a covering section that is covered by the outer skin layer and has a recess that opens outward and accommodates an end section of the leather member and at least a part of the illumination section, the illumination section having a light emitting section and a blocking member that is transparent to light emitted from the light emitting section and blocks the opening of the recess, the covering section having a recess sidewall forming section that forms a side surface of the recess and a recess bottom wall forming section that forms a bottom surface of the recess, the end section of the leather member being arranged continuously along the recess sidewall forming section and the recess bottom wall forming section. In this steering wheel, the terminal portion of the leather member is disposed continuously along the recess side wall forming portion and the recess bottom wall forming portion, so that the terminal portion can be extended along the wall surface of the recess longer than in a configuration in which the terminal portion is disposed only along the recess side wall forming portion, and the terminal portion can be prevented from peeling off from the wall surface of the recess. In addition, when an adhesive is used, a larger adhesive application area can be secured, and the terminal portion can be prevented from peeling off and the attachment work can be easily performed, compared to a configuration in which the terminal portion is bonded only to the recess side wall forming portion with an adhesive. (2) In the steering wheel of the above aspect, the recess may have a shape such that a cross-sectional area perpendicular to the depth direction of the recess gradually decreases with increasing distance from the opening along the depth direction of the recess. In this form of steering handle, the recess has a shape in which the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the depth direction gradually decreases as the distance from the opening along the depth direction of the recess is increased. This makes it possible to suppress excessive folding of the outer skin layer at the end of the opening and to further suppress peeling of the terminal portion of the outer skin layer due to the restoring force of the leather member, compared to a configuration in which the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the depth direction is the same at any position along the depth direction of the recess, or a configuration in which the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the depth direction increases as the distance from the opening along the depth direction is increased. (3) In the steering handle of the above form, the blocking member has an outer surface forming portion that is continuous with the outer skin layer to form the outer surface of the steering handle, and a protrusion that protrudes in the depth direction of the recess from the inner side surface facing the recess in the outer surface forming portion, and the tip of the protrusion may contact the terminal portion of the leather member arranged in the recess bottom wall forming portion. With this type of steering handle, the tip of the protrusion on the blocking member comes into contact with the terminal portion of the leather material arranged in the bottom wall forming portion of the recess, so that the protrusion holds down the terminal portion, further preventing the terminal portion from peeling off. (4) In the steering wheel of the above aspect, an adhesive member does not have to be disposed between the terminal portion of the leather member and the recess side wall forming portion and between the recess bottom wall forming portion and the terminal portion of the leather member. In this steering wheel, since no adhesive is disposed between the end of the leather member and the recess side wall forming portion and the recess bottom wall forming portion, the manufacturing process of the steering wheel can be simplified. Furthermore, even without using adhesive, peeling of the end of the leather member can be suppressed by the shape of the recess. (5) In the steering handle of the above form, the illumination section may further have a light guiding section that guides the light emitted from the light emitting section and at least a portion of which is accommodated in the recess, and at least a portion of the light guiding section that is closer to the blocking member may be arranged along the depth direction in the recess, and the protrusion may be arranged to surround the light guiding section. With this type of steering handle, at least a portion of the light-guiding portion closest to the blocking member is positioned along the depth direction in the recess, and the protrusion is positioned surrounding the light-guiding portion, so that the protrusion can suppress displacement of the portion of the light-guiding portion that is within the recess, and can also suppress light from being emitted from unexpected positions in the light-guiding portion. (6) In the steering wheel of the above aspect, an edge of the outer surface forming portion may come into contact with the leather member covering an end of the opening. With this type of steering wheel, the edge of the outer surface forming portion comes into contact with the leather material covering the end of the opening, so that the outer surface forming portion can press down on the leather material, further preventing the end portion of the leather material from peeling off. The present disclosure may be realized in various forms other than a steering wheel, for example, a method for manufacturing a steering wheel, etc. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing an external shape of a steering handle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Diagram 2] 4 is a plan view showing the external shape of the steering handle with the blocking member and the light guiding portion removed. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a detailed configuration of an illumination unit and an illumination arrangement unit. [Figure 4] 13 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the front side of the blocking member. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a steering handle. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a detailed configuration of the vicinity of a recess in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the rear side of the illumination arrangement section in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a steering handle of a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a detailed configuration of the vicinity of a recess in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] A. First embodiment: A1. Overall configuration of the steering wheel 100: FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an external shape of a steering wheel 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The steering wheel 100 is disposed in a driver's seat of a vehicle and used. Examples of the vehicle include a vehicle equipped with an engine, a hybrid vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV), an electric vehicle (BEV), and a fuel cell vehicle (FCV). The steering wheel 100 is a part of a steering device operated by a driver of the vehicle. FIG. 1 shows the steering wheel 100 in a state (hereinafter also referred to as a "reference state") when the steering wheel 100 is connected to a steering shaft SH in a vehicle and the vehicle is driven straight. FIG. 1 also shows the external configuration of the side of the steering wheel 100 facing the driver (the "rear" side described later). The steering wheel 100 is configured to be rotatable around an axis AX of the steering shaft SH. The rotation of the steering wheel 100 is transmitted to a steering gear box (not shown) via the steering shaft SH.

[0009] In this embodiment, the direction along the axis AX of the steering shaft SH is referred to as the "forward / rearward direction" (forward and rearward directions) in correspondence with the traveling direction of the vehicle. In addition, among the directions perpendicular to the axis AX, the direction that overlaps with the vertical direction (vertically upward and downward) as seen by the driver is referred to as the "upward / downward direction." In addition, among the directions perpendicular to the axis AX, the direction parallel to the left-right direction (width direction) of the vehicle is referred to as the "left-right direction."

[0010] The steering handle 100 comprises a ring-shaped grip portion 110, a boss portion 130 located approximately in the center of the grip portion 110, three spoke portions 120, and an illumination portion 200 located in part of the grip portion 110.

[0011] The grip portion 110 is gripped by the driver when operating the steering wheel 100. In this embodiment, the grip portion 110 has a substantially annular shape. The central axis of the grip portion 110 coincides with the axis AX of the steering shaft SH. The grip portion 110 may have any shape, such as a polygonal shape or an elliptical shape, instead of a substantially annular shape, and may also have an asymmetric shape such as a so-called D-shape. Furthermore, the shape of the grip portion 110 is not limited to an annular shape, and may be any shape formed by a plurality of parts provided at positions separated from each other. As described later, the grip portion 110 is configured by stacking a plurality of members in the thickness direction. The outermost layer is formed by an outer skin layer (an outer skin layer 80 described later) formed of a leather member. Although not shown in FIG. 1, a recess (a recess C1 described later) that accommodates a part of the illumination unit 200 is formed in a part of the upper side of the grip portion 110 in the reference state. The recess C1 accommodates a part of the illumination section 200. In other words, the illumination section 200 is fitted into the recess C1. The opening of the recess C1 is closed by the illumination section 200.

[0012] The three spoke parts 120 connect the grip part 110 and the boss part 130. The boss part 130 corresponds to a connection part when connecting the steering wheel 100 to the steering shaft SH. A folded airbag and an inflator, neither of which are shown, are housed inside the boss part 130. Note that the boss part 130 may further house a temperature control circuit constituting a heater device, and various sensor devices for detecting room temperature and the grip of the grip part 110 by the user. The three spoke parts 120 and the boss part 130 may be provided with various operation buttons for operating a navigation device, an audio device, etc. mounted on the vehicle.

[0013] The illumination unit 200 emits light. In this embodiment, the light emitted by the illumination unit 200 is visible light and infrared light (infrared light). By emitting visible light from the illumination unit 200, various information can be notified to the driver. For example, by emitting light of various colors or blinking light, some information can be notified to the driver. Specifically, by emitting red light, the driver can be prompted to grip the steering wheel. In addition, by emitting infrared light from the illumination unit 200, a part of the driver's body can be beautifully photographed by an infrared camera in a dark vehicle interior at night.

[0014] Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the external shape of the steering wheel with the blocking member 10, the light guiding section 20, and the illumination arrangement section 40 removed. As described later, in the illumination section 200, the blocking member 10 having optical transparency is arranged at a position facing the driver, and the light guiding section 20 and the illumination arrangement section 40 described later are arranged on the front side of the blocking member 10. Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the steering wheel 100 with the blocking member 10, the light guiding section 20, and the illumination arrangement section 40 removed.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, when the blocking member 10, the light guide 20, and the illumination arrangement 40 are removed, the light emitting unit 30, which is one of the elements constituting the illumination unit 200, is exposed. The light emitting unit 30 includes a substrate 31, a plurality of first LEDs 32 attached to the substrate 31, and a plurality of second LEDs 33 attached to the substrate 31. The substrate 31 has an arc-shaped and band-shaped appearance curved along the circumferential direction of the grip 110 (hereinafter also simply referred to as the "circumferential direction") as seen by the driver. In addition, the radial direction of the grip 110 (direction perpendicular to the axis AX) is also simply referred to as the "radial direction" hereinafter. The plurality of first LEDs 32 are disposed at positions close to the lower end of the rear surface of the substrate 31, and are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance along the circumferential direction. The first LEDs 32 emit visible light. In this embodiment, a visible light LED capable of emitting red light, green light, and blue light is used as the first LED 32. The second LEDs 33 form two groups g1 and g2 spaced apart from each other. Each group g1 and g2 is made up of a plurality of second LEDs 33 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction. Both of the two groups g1 and g2 are disposed near the upper end of the rear surface of the substrate 31. The two groups g1 and g2 are spaced apart from each other so as to sandwich the first LEDs 32 between them when viewed in the circumferential direction.

[0016] A2. Detailed configuration of the illumination unit 200 and the illumination arrangement unit 40: Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the illumination unit 200 and the illumination arrangement unit 40. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the front side of the blocking member 10. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the steering handle 100. Fig. 5 shows the VV cross section shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 3, the illumination unit 200 includes the above-mentioned light-emitting unit 30, as well as a blocking member 10 and a light-guiding unit 20. The illumination unit 200 has a structure in which the light-emitting unit 30, the light-guiding unit 20, and the blocking member 10 are assembled together in the front-rear direction with the illumination arrangement unit 40 in between, and integrated.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 4, the blocking member 10 includes an outer surface forming portion 11, an enclosing portion 12, and a plurality of engagement walls 15. The outer surface forming portion 11 shown in FIG. 5 is continuous with the outer skin layer 80 to form the outer surface of the steering wheel 100. As with the above-mentioned substrate 31, the outer surface forming portion 11 has an arc-shaped and band-shaped appearance curved along the circumferential direction of the grip portion 110 when viewed from the driver. The outer surface forming portion 11 is transparent to visible light and infrared light. In this embodiment, the outer surface forming portion 11 has a transmittance of approximately 25% for visible light and a transmittance of approximately 90% for infrared light. The transmittances of visible light and infrared light may each be any value higher than 0%. In this embodiment, the outer surface forming portion 11 is formed of a black transparent synthetic resin to match the black outer skin layer 80. The outer surface forming part 11 has a function of protecting the light emitting part 30, a function of limiting an area transmitting the visible light emitted from the first LED 32 (in other words, a function of masking an area not to be illuminated), and a function of deflecting the emission direction of the infrared light emitted from the second LED 33 toward the rearward and upward direction toward the driver. Furthermore, the outer surface forming part 11 may have a function of diffusing the visible light emitted from the first LED 32.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 4, the surrounding portion 12 is provided on the front side surface (inner surface) of the outer surface forming portion 11. In a state where the illumination portion 200 is assembled (hereinafter also simply referred to as the "assembled state"), the surrounding portion 12 is arranged so as to surround the light guide housing portion 41 protruding rearward from the recess C1 of the illumination arrangement portion 40 shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, and a part of the light guide portion 20 accommodated in the light guide housing portion 41. The recess C1 has a groove-like structure that opens on the front side of the illumination arrangement portion 40 and extends along the circumferential direction. Of the surrounding portion 12, the protruding portion 13 corresponding to the side wall along the radial direction protrudes in the depth direction of the recess C1 from the front side surface of the outer surface forming portion 11, in other words, from the inner surface. In this embodiment, the "depth direction of the recess C1" is approximately the same as the front-rear direction as is clear from FIG. 3 and FIG. 5. Hereinafter, the "depth direction of the recess C1" is also simply referred to as the "depth direction". As shown in FIG. 4, the protruding portion 13 is formed with a plurality of engagement holes 14. In the assembled state, engagement claws 44 (see FIG. 3) provided on the outer peripheral surface of the light guide housing portion 41 of the illumination arrangement portion 40 engage with the engagement holes 14. Such engagement is realized as a so-called snap fit. As shown in FIG. 4, the plurality of engagement walls 15 have a thin wall-like external shape protruding forward, and are provided with engagement holes. In the assembled state, the engagement walls 15 are arranged in contact with engagement walls 45 (see FIG. 3) of the illumination arrangement portion 40. In the assembled state, the engagement claws provided on the engagement walls 45 engage with the engagement holes of the engagement walls 15. Such engagement is also realized as a so-called snap fit.

[0019] The light guide 20 guides the light emitted from the light emitting unit 30. Specifically, the light guide 20 guides the visible light emitted from the first LEDs 32 in the light emitting unit 30 toward the blocking member 10 along the rear direction. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, the light guide 20 has an external shape in which the cross section along the axis AX is L-shaped. The light guide 20 has an external shape in the shape of an arc as seen from the driver in accordance with the arrangement positions of the first LEDs 32. The light guide 20 has a shape in which the first light guide 21 and the second light guide 22 are connected to each other at the deflection section 23. As is clear from the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 5, the visible light emitted from the first LEDs 32 travels upward and enters the first light guide 21. The visible light that has entered the first light guide 21 travels upward while reflecting off the inner surface of the first light guide 21, and is deflected forward at the deflection section 23 and guided to the second light guide 22. The visible light then travels forward while reflecting off the inner surface of second light guiding section 22, and is emitted from the front end face of second light guiding section 22 to closure member 10 (outer surface forming section 11). As shown in Fig. 5, in the assembled state, second light guiding section 22 is housed in recess C1. On the other hand, in the assembled state, first light guiding section 21 and deflection section 23 are located on the front side of illumination arrangement section 40, and are not housed in recess C1.

[0020] The illumination arrangement section 40 has an illumination section 200 arranged therein. Specifically, the illumination arrangement section 40 holds the light guide section 20 and the light emitting section 30 on its forward side, and holds the blocking member 10 on its rearward side. As shown in FIG. 3, the illumination arrangement section 40 has an external shape of a circular arc and a band curved along the circumferential direction as seen from the driver. In this embodiment, the illumination arrangement section 40 is configured as a single part formed of ABS resin. Note that the illumination arrangement section 40 may be configured as a single part formed of polycarbonate (PC) instead of or in addition to ABS resin. It may also be configured as a composite part combining a plurality of parts. As described above, a recess C1 that is continuous in the circumferential direction is formed on the front side surface of the illumination arrangement section 40. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, a covering section 42 that is continuous in the circumferential direction is provided on the upper side and the lower side of the recess C1 on the front side surface of the illumination arrangement section 40. 5, the cross-sectional shape of the outer surface of the covering portion 42 has an acute angle between the surface lying above and the surface lying below the top portion 43. The covering portion 42 is covered with an outer skin layer 80, which will be described later. The illumination arrangement portion 40 is also called a holding member or a base member.

[0021] In the recess C1, a through hole penetrating in the thickness direction is formed in a portion corresponding to the light guiding section 20. As shown in FIG. 5, the second light guiding section 22 of the light guiding section 20 is inserted into the through hole. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, the above-mentioned light guiding container 41 is provided in the recess C1 so as to surround the through hole into which the second light guiding section 22 is inserted. The light guiding container 41 is formed to protrude forward so as to surround the through hole and the second light guiding section 22 inserted into the through hole, similar to the surrounding section 12 of the blocking member 10 shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the light guiding container 41 has an external shape of a flattened cylinder curved in an arc shape. As described above, a plurality of engagement claws 44 are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the light guiding container 41, and the engagement claws 44 engage with the engagement holes 14 of the blocking member 10 in the assembled state. The detailed configuration of the recess C1 will be described later.

[0022] A3. Detailed configuration of gripping portion 110: In the gripping portion 110, the cross-sectional configuration of the other parts except for the part where the illumination unit 200 is attached differs from the cross-sectional configuration of the part where the illumination unit 200 is attached shown in Figure 5 in that the illumination unit 200 is not attached, but the other configurations are the same.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 5, the grip portion 110 includes a core metal 50, a core portion 60, an element layer 70, the illumination arrangement portion 40 described above, and an outer layer 80.

[0024] The core 50 is made of metal and is a member that forms the framework of the gripping part 110. In this embodiment, the core 50 is made of an aluminum alloy. Instead of an aluminum alloy, the core 50 may be made of any type of metal, such as a magnesium alloy or steel. The core part 60 is arranged so as to cover the entire core 50, and forms the core of the gripping part 110. The core part 60 is formed of a soft synthetic resin having cushioning properties. Specifically, in this embodiment, the core part 60 is formed of a soft foam material such as foamed polyurethane. The element layer 70 partially covers the core part 60. The element layer 70 is a layer in which an electric heating wire constituting a heater device and an electrode for detecting gripping are provided. For example, the element layer 70 is formed of a conductive cloth in which a surface treatment such as a carbon coat or metal plating is applied to a fiber cloth. As shown in FIG. 5, in the part of the gripping part 110 where the illumination part 200 is attached, the element layer 70 also covers a part of the illumination arrangement part 40. The outer surface of the element layer 70 and a part of the outer surface of the illumination arrangement section 40 form a continuous curved surface. The skin layer 80 continuously covers the outer surface of the element layer 70, the outer surface of the covering section 42 of the illumination arrangement section 40, and the inside of the recess C1 of the illumination arrangement section 40. As shown in FIG. 5, the end portion 81 of the leather member constituting the skin layer 80 is accommodated in the recess C1. The detailed configurations of the covering section 42 and the end portion 81 will be described later. The skin layer 80 is formed of a leather member. In this embodiment, the leather member is made of natural leather such as top leather or split leather divided from the top leather. The leather member may be made of any type of leather material such as synthetic leather or artificial leather instead of natural leather.

[0025] A4. Manufacturing method of the steering wheel 100: A method for manufacturing the steering wheel 100 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described. First, the core metal 50 is formed. The core portion 60 and the element layer 70 are formed so as to surround the core metal 50. Hereinafter, the member obtained in this manner will be called the "handle material". The handle material may be formed, for example, by two-color molding. Apart from forming the handle material, the illumination portion 200 is attached to the illumination arrangement portion 40. In addition to the above-mentioned snap fit, the illumination portion 200 may be attached to the illumination arrangement portion 40 by using a screw. Hereinafter, the member in which the illumination arrangement portion 40 and the illumination portion 200 are assembled will be called the "illumination sub-assembly". Next, the illumination sub-assembly is fastened to the core metal 50 by using a screw. As a result, the handle material and the illumination sub-assembly are integrated. Note that FIG. 5 shows a cross section at a portion without a fastening screw. In this way, the illumination sub-assembly and the core metal 50 are fastened to each other by the screw, so that the heat generated by the light emission of the light emitting unit 30 can be transferred to the core metal 50, and the temperature of the illumination unit 200 can be prevented from rising excessively. Next, a leather material is wrapped around the outer surface of the member in which the handle material and the illumination sub-assembly are integrated to form the skin layer 80. The skin layer 80 may be formed, for example, by wrapping a plurality of leather material parts in the circumferential direction. Next, an adhesive is applied to the wall surface of the recess C1, and the terminal portion 81 of the skin layer 80 is bent along the shape of the covering portion 42 to be accommodated in the recess C1, and the terminal portion 81 is adhered to the wall surface of the recess C1. Next, the blocking member 10 is fitted into the recess C1. In addition to the above steps, there are steps such as accommodating an airbag or an inflator (not shown) in the boss portion 130, but the explanation of these steps is omitted.

[0026] A5. Detailed configuration of the terminal portion 81 in the recess C1: FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a detailed configuration in the vicinity of the recess C1 in the first embodiment. More specifically, FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of the area Ar1 indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 5. As described above, in the illumination arrangement section 40, the recess C1 is formed in the covering section 42. The covering section 42 has a recess sidewall forming section S1 that forms the upper and lower sidewalls of the recess C1, and a recess bottom wall forming section S2 that forms the bottom surface of the recess C1. In this embodiment, the recess sidewall forming section S1 is formed parallel to the front-rear direction. Therefore, the recess C1 has the same cross-sectional area perpendicular to the depth direction at any position along the depth direction. The recess bottom wall forming section S2 is formed parallel to the up-down direction. Therefore, the angle formed by the recess sidewall forming section S1 and the recess bottom wall forming section S2 is 90 degrees in this embodiment.

[0027] The skin layer 80 is disposed in contact with the outer surface of the covering portion 42 to cover the covering portion 42. As shown in FIG. 6, the terminal portion 81 of the skin layer 80 (leather member) is bent at the top portion 43 of the covering portion 42 and accommodated in the recess C1. The terminal portion 81 is disposed continuously along the recess side wall forming portion S1 and the recess bottom wall forming portion S2. Therefore, the terminal portion 81 is bent at approximately 90 degrees in the recess C1. In this embodiment, the terminal portion 81 is bonded to the recess side wall forming portion S1 with an adhesive. The terminal portion 81 is also bonded to the recess bottom wall forming portion S2 with an adhesive. The terminal portion 81 is disposed along not only the recess side wall forming portion S1 but also the recess bottom wall forming portion S2, so that the terminal portion 81 can be extended along the wall surface. Therefore, the terminal portion 81 can be prevented from peeling off from the wall surface constituting the recess C1. In addition, since the terminal portion 81 is adhered with an adhesive not only to the recess side wall forming portion S1 but also to the recess bottom wall forming portion S2, peeling of the terminal portion 81 can be further suppressed.

[0028] The upper and lower edges 11e of the outer surface forming portion 11 are in contact with the outer skin layer 80 (leather member) covering the top 43. More specifically, the edges 11e of the outer surface forming portion 11 press the leather member against the top 43. Also, the front end of the protruding portion 13, i.e., the tip 13e, is in contact with the terminal portion 81 arranged on the recess bottom wall forming portion S2. More specifically, the tip 13e of the protruding portion 13 presses the leather member against the recess bottom wall forming portion S2. In this way, the closing member 10 presses the terminal portion 81 of the leather member against the covering portion 42, thereby preventing the terminal portion 81 from peeling off.

[0029] According to the steering wheel 100 of the first embodiment described above, the terminal portion 81 of the skin layer 80 (leather member) is disposed continuously along the recess sidewall forming portion S1 and the recess bottom wall forming portion S2, so that the terminal portion 81 can be placed along the wall surface of the recess C1 for a longer distance compared to a configuration in which the terminal portion 81 is disposed only along the recess sidewall forming portion S1, and the terminal portion 81 can be prevented from peeling off from the wall surface of the recess C1. Also, compared to a configuration in which the terminal portion 81 is bonded only to the recess sidewall forming portion S1 with an adhesive, a larger adhesive application margin can be secured, the terminal portion 81 can be prevented from peeling off, and the attachment work can be easily performed.

[0030] In addition, the tip of the protrusion 13 of the blocking member 10 (enclosing portion 12) comes into contact with the terminal portion 81 of the leather material arranged in the recess bottom wall forming portion S2, so that the protrusion 13 presses down on the terminal portion 81, thereby further preventing the terminal portion 81 from peeling off.

[0031] Furthermore, in the light-guiding section 20, the second light-guiding section 22 is arranged along the depth direction in the recess C1, and the protrusion 13 is arranged surrounding the second light-guiding section 22. Therefore, the displacement of the second light-guiding section 22 can be suppressed by the protrusion 13, and visible light can be suppressed from being emitted from an unexpected position in the second light-guiding section 22.

[0032] In addition, since the edge 11e of the outer surface forming portion 11 comes into contact with the leather material (outer skin layer 80) covering the end of the opening of the recess C1, the outer surface forming portion 11 can further prevent the leather material from being pressed down by the leather material and the terminal portion 81 of the leather material from peeling off.

[0033] In addition, since the blocking member 10 is fixed by snap-fitting between the engagement hole 14 provided in the protruding portion 13 and the engagement claw 44 provided in the illumination arrangement portion 40, 40a (light-guiding housing portion 41), the vertical length of the recess bottom wall forming portion S2 can be increased as the vertical width of the blocking member 10 is increased. Therefore, the length of the terminal portion 81 that is aligned with the recess bottom wall forming portion S2 can be increased.

[0034] B. Second embodiment: FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the rear side of the illumination arrangement portion 40a of the second embodiment. The steering handle 100a of the second embodiment is different from the steering handle 100 of the first embodiment in that the illumination arrangement portion 40a is used instead of the illumination arrangement portion 40, and the terminal portion 81 of the skin layer 80 is not bonded to the covering portion 42 by an adhesive. The other configurations of the steering handle 100a of the second embodiment are the same as those of the steering handle 100 of the first embodiment, so the same components are given the same reference numerals and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted. The illumination arrangement portion 40a is different from the illumination arrangement portion 40 of the first embodiment in that a recess C1a is formed instead of the recess C1. The other components of the illumination arrangement portion 40a are the same as those of the illumination arrangement portion 40 of the first embodiment, so the same components are given the same reference numerals and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0035] Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a steering wheel 100a of a second embodiment. Fig. 8 shows a cross section at a position similar to the VV cross section shown in Fig. 2, as in Fig. 5. Fig. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a detailed configuration near the recess C1a in the second embodiment. More specifically, Fig. 9 shows an enlarged view of the area Ar2 indicated by the dashed line in Fig. 8.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, in the second embodiment 40a, the covering portion 42 includes a recess sidewall forming portion S1a instead of the recess sidewall forming portion S1, and a recess bottom wall forming portion S2a instead of the recess bottom wall forming portion S2. The recess sidewall forming portion S1a of the second embodiment is not parallel to the front-rear direction, unlike the recess sidewall forming portion S1 of the first embodiment. Specifically, in the region Ar2, the recess sidewall forming portion S1a is formed as a slope that gradually slopes downward toward the front direction. As a result, the recess bottom wall forming portion S2a of the second embodiment is configured to have a shorter length in the direction parallel to the up-down direction than the recess bottom wall forming portion S2 of the first embodiment.

[0037] Since the recess side wall forming portion S1a and the recess bottom wall forming portion S2a have the above-mentioned configuration, the recess C1a of the second embodiment has a shape in which the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the depth direction gradually decreases as the distance from the opening of the recess C1a in the depth direction (front-rear direction) increases. Also, since the recess side wall forming portion S1a and the recess bottom wall forming portion S2a have the above-mentioned configuration, the cross-sectional shape of the rear end of the covering portion 42, i.e., the vicinity of the apex 43, is not sharp and is blunt compared to the cross-sectional shape of the first embodiment, as is clear from comparing FIG. 6 with FIG. 9. In other words, the angle formed by the two sides extending from the apex 43 is larger in the steering handle 100a of the second embodiment than in the steering handle 100 of the first embodiment. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the restoring force generated in the terminal portion 81 that is bent at the apex 43 to be aligned with the recess side wall forming portion S1a. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress peeling of the terminal portion 81. In addition, since the above-mentioned restoring force can be suppressed, the terminal portion 81 can be prevented from peeling off from the recess side wall forming portion S1a and the recess bottom wall forming portion S2a without using an adhesive to bond the terminal portion 81 and the recess side wall forming portion S1a, and without using an adhesive to bond the terminal portion 81 and the recess bottom wall forming portion S2a.

[0038] The steering wheel 100a of the second embodiment described above has the same effects as the steering wheel 100 of the first embodiment. In addition, since the recess C1a has a shape in which the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the depth direction gradually decreases with increasing distance from the opening along the depth direction, excessive folding of the skin layer at the opening end can be suppressed and peeling of the terminal portion 81 of the skin layer 80 (leather member) caused by the restoring force of the leather member can be further suppressed compared to a configuration in which the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the depth direction is the same at any position along the depth direction of the recess, or a configuration in which the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the depth direction increases with increasing distance from the opening along the depth direction.

[0039] In addition, since no adhesive material is disposed between the terminal portion 81 of the skin layer 80 (leather member) and the recess side wall forming portion S1a and the recess bottom wall forming portion S2a, the manufacturing process of the steering wheel 100a can be simplified. Furthermore, as described above, even without using adhesive, peeling of the terminal portion 81 can be suppressed by utilizing the shape of the recess C1a.

[0040] C. Other embodiments: (C1) In each embodiment, the tip 13e of the protrusion 13 contacts the portion of the terminal portion 81 that is aligned with the recess bottom wall forming portions S2, S2a, but the tip 13e may be separated from the terminal portion 81. Similarly, in each embodiment, the edge 11e of the outer surface forming portion 11 contacts the skin layer 80 (leather member) that covers the top portion 43, but the edge 11e may be separated from the skin layer 80 (leather member). Even in this configuration, the terminal portion 81 is disposed so as to be aligned not only with the recess side wall forming portions S1, S1a but also with the recess bottom wall forming portions S2, S2a, so that the terminal portion 81 can be prevented from peeling off.

[0041] (C2) In each embodiment, the illumination arrangement portion 40, 40a has the covering portion 42 including the recesses C1, C1a, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the illumination arrangement portion 40, 40a may be omitted, and the shape of the core portion 60 may be changed so that the core portion 60 has the function of the illumination arrangement portion 40, 40a, the core portion 60 has the covering portion 42, and the recesses C1, C1a are formed in the core portion 60. In such a configuration, the core portion 60 corresponds to the illumination arrangement portion of the present disclosure.

[0042] (C3) In each embodiment, the illumination arrangement portion 40, 40a is provided on the grip portion 110, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the illumination arrangement portion 40, 40a may be provided on any part of the steering wheel 100, such as the boss portion 130 or the spoke portion 120. In this case, the shape and configuration of the illumination portion 200 can be appropriately changed according to the size and shape of the place where the illumination arrangement portion 40, 40a is provided. Note that the position of the illumination arrangement portion 40, 40a is preferably a position that is directly visible from the driver. However, for example, when the light emitted from the illumination portion 200 is reflected on the surface of any part in the vehicle, such as the surface of the instrument panel, and such reflected light is visible to the driver, the position of the illumination arrangement portion 40, 40a may be a position that is not directly visible from the driver.

[0043] (C4) The configuration of the steering handle 100, 100a of each embodiment is merely an example and can be modified in various ways. For example, in each embodiment, the light guide section 20 may be omitted. In each embodiment, the protruding section 13 may be omitted. In each embodiment, either one of the plurality of first LEDs 32 and the plurality of second LEDs 33 may be omitted. In addition, the substrate 31 is located in the forward direction with respect to the illumination arrangement section 40, 40a, but may be located in the rear direction instead. In addition, only the second light guide section 22 of the light guide section 20 is accommodated in the recess C1, C1a, but in addition to the second light guide section 22, at least a part of the first light guide section 21 and the deflection section 23 may be accommodated in the recess C1, C1a.

[0044] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the technical features in each embodiment corresponding to the technical features in the form described in the Summary of the Invention column can be appropriately replaced or combined in order to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems or to achieve some or all of the above-mentioned effects. Furthermore, if the technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10...blocking member, 11...outer surface forming portion, 11e...edge, 12...enclosing portion, 13...protruding portion, 13e...tip, 14...engagement hole, 15...engagement wall, 20...light guiding portion, 21...first light guiding portion, 22...second light guiding portion, 23...deflection portion, 30...light emitting portion, 31...substrate, 32...first LED, 33...second LED, 40...illumination arrangement portion, 40a...illumination arrangement portion, 41...light guiding housing portion, 42...covering portion, 43...top portion, 44...engagement claw, 45...engagement wall, 50...core metal, 60...core portion, 70...element layer, 80...outer skin layer, 81...terminal portion, 100...steering handle, 100a...steering handle, 110...grip portion, 120...spoke portion, 130...boss portion, 200...illumination portion, AX...axis, Ar1...region, Ar2...region, C1...recess, C1a...recess, S1...recess side wall forming portion, S1a...recess side wall forming portion, S2...recess bottom wall forming portion, S2a...recess bottom wall forming portion, SH...steering shaft, g1...group, g2...group

Claims

1. A steering wheel, an illumination unit that emits light; an illumination arrangement section in which the illumination section is arranged; an outer skin layer formed by a leather member; Equipped with the illumination arrangement portion is a covering portion covered by the outer skin layer, and has a recess formed therein that opens outward and accommodates an end portion of the leather member and at least a part of the illumination portion; The illumination unit includes: A light emitting portion; a blocking member that is transparent to light emitted from the light emitting portion and blocks the opening of the recess, the covering portion has a recess sidewall forming portion that forms a side surface of the recess and a recess bottom wall forming portion that forms a bottom surface of the recess, The end portion of the leather member is disposed continuously along the recess side wall forming portion and the recess bottom wall forming portion. Steering handle.

2. 2. The steering wheel according to claim 1, The recess has a shape such that a cross-sectional area perpendicular to a depth direction of the recess gradually decreases with increasing distance from the opening along the depth direction of the recess.

3. A steering wheel according to claim 1 or 2, the blocking member has an outer surface forming portion that is continuous with the outer skin layer and forms an outer surface of the steering wheel, and a protruding portion that protrudes in a depth direction of the recess from an inner surface of the outer surface forming portion that faces the recess, A steering handle, wherein a tip of the protrusion contacts the terminal portion of the leather member arranged on the recess bottom wall forming portion.

4. A steering wheel according to claim 3, A steering wheel in which no adhesive member is disposed between the terminal portion of the leather member and the recess side wall forming portion and the recess bottom wall forming portion.

5. A steering wheel according to claim 3, the illumination unit further includes a light guide unit that guides light emitted from the light emitting unit and is at least partially accommodated in the recess; At least a portion of the light guiding portion adjacent to the blocking member is disposed in the recess along the depth direction, The protrusion is disposed surrounding the light guiding portion.

6. A steering wheel according to claim 3, A steering handle, wherein the edge of the outer surface forming portion contacts the leather member covering the end of the opening.

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