Steering wheel

Abstract

To provide a steering wheel that can restrict movement of a held member without increasing the number of components and reduce costs.SOLUTION: In a steering wheel 1 including: a core 9; a resin base part 11 formed to cover the outer periphery of the core 9; and a resin coated part 13 formed to cover the outer periphery of the resin base part 11, a holding part 21 which has an opening 23 and on which a held member 15 is held is provided on the outer periphery of the resin base part 11. The holding part 21 includes an exposed holding part 25, an internal holding part 27, and an intermediate holding part 29. The exposed holding part 25 and the internal holding part 27 hold the held member 15 so that an outer surface 31 of the held member 15 is located inside of the opening 23. The intermediate holding part 29 holds the held member 15 so that the outer surface 31 of the held member 15 is located at the opening 23. An end surface 37 of the resin coating part 13 at which the resin base part 11 is exposed is disposed at the intermediate holding part 29.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, a steering wheel has been known that includes a core, a covering portion as a resin substrate portion molded to cover at least a portion of the outer periphery of the core, and a skin portion as the resin covering portion molded to cover at least a portion of the outer periphery of the resin substrate portion (see Patent Document 1). This steering wheel has a rim portion operated by the driver and a functional portion in which an airbag device or the like is disposed and which is integrally connected to the rim portion via spokes. In the rim portion, a heater wire serving as a held member for heating the rim portion is held in the covering portion, and the outer surface of the covering portion that holds the heater wire is covered by the skin portion.

[0003] The covering portion is molded integrally with the outer surface of the core metal by insert molding using a pair of molds or the like. The covering portion molded integrally with the core metal has a groove portion formed therein, which serves as a holding portion for holding the heater wire, and has an opening into which the heater wire can be inserted, and the heater wire is held in the groove. The outer surface of the heater wire held in the groove is positioned at the opening of the groove. The skin portion is molded integrally with the core metal and covering portion by insert molding using a pair of molds or the like on the outer surface of the covering portion that holds the heater wire. The end of the heater wire in such a steering wheel is drawn from the rim portion to the spoke portion and is electrically connected to the vehicle side, for example, at a portion located in the functional portion. At the spoke portion, the heater wire needs to be exposed from the covering portion and the skin portion to be electrically connected to the vehicle side.

[0004] In a steering wheel such as that described in Patent Document 1, the outer surface of the held member is positioned relative to the holding portion of the resin substrate portion so that it is located at the opening of the holding portion. Therefore, when the held member is held by the holding portion of the resin substrate portion, the outer surface of the resin substrate portion is substantially flush. By making the outer surface of the resin substrate portion flush, no gap is created between the mold and the resin substrate portion when molding the resin-coated portion. Therefore, at the end face of the resin-coated portion where the held member is exposed, when molding the resin-coated portion, the material of the resin-coated portion does not leak from between the mold and the resin substrate portion, and the end face of the resin-coated portion can be positioned at a targeted position. However, when the outer surface of the held member is positioned at the opening of the holding portion, the holding force of the holding portion for the held member by the holding portion is insufficient, and the held member may move when molding the resin-coated portion.

[0005] To improve the holding force of the wires as the held member, a steering wheel is known in which a covering member that covers the outer periphery of the wires is integrally molded with the exposed portion of the resin-coated portion of the wires, and a housing portion that holds the covering member is provided on the core metal (see Patent Document 2). In this steering wheel, the covering member is housed in the housing portion so that its outer surface is positioned in the opening of the housing portion. The covering member is held in the housing portion by wrapping a fixing member such as tape around it while housed in the housing portion. The covering member and the housing portion are arranged so that they are exposed from the end face of the resin-coated portion. Therefore, when the resin-coated portion is molded, the wires are prevented from moving due to the holding of the covering member in the housing portion. In addition, because the outer surface of the covering member is located in the opening of the housing portion, the material of the resin-coated portion does not leak out from between the mold and the covering member or housing portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-230777 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-10944 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in a steering wheel such as that disclosed in Patent Document 2, in order to restrict the movement of the held member, it is necessary to form a covering member, form a housing portion, and wrap a fixing member around it, which increases the number of parts and labor required, resulting in higher costs.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the problems inherent in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel that can restrict the movement of a held member without increasing the number of parts, and that can reduce costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The steering wheel according to this embodiment comprises a core metal, a resin substrate portion molded to cover at least a portion of the outer periphery of the core metal, and a resin coating portion molded to cover at least a portion of the outer periphery of the resin substrate portion. The outer periphery of the resin substrate portion has an opening through which a held member can be inserted, and a holding portion is provided through the opening to hold the held member. The holding portion has an exposed holding portion exposed from the resin coating portion, an internal holding portion disposed inside the resin coating portion, and an intermediate holding portion disposed between the exposed holding portion and the internal holding portion. The exposed holding portion and the internal holding portion hold the held member so that the outer surface of the held member is located inside the opening, and the intermediate holding portion holds the held member so that the outer surface of the held member is located at the opening, and the end face of the resin coating portion from which the resin substrate portion is exposed is disposed at the intermediate holding portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a steering wheel that can restrict the movement of a held member without increasing the number of parts and that can reduce costs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view of the steering wheel according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the steering wheel according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is an enlarged front view of a main portion of a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a resin base material portion is molded on a core metal. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a resin base material portion is molded on a core metal. FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a cross-sectional view of an exposed holding portion and an internal holding portion when a resin base material portion is molded on a core metal of the steering wheel according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 10 is a cross-sectional view of an intermediate holding portion when a resin base material portion is molded on a core metal of the steering wheel according to the present embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The steering wheel according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional proportions in the drawings are exaggerated for the sake of explanation and may differ from the actual proportions.

[0013] 1, a steering wheel 1 according to this embodiment is used as an operating part for a driver to operate the direction of a vehicle relative to the traveling direction of the vehicle. The steering wheel 1 includes a rim portion 3 and a functional portion 5.

[0014] The rim portion 3 is formed in an annular shape and serves as an operating part that the driver grips and rotates to change the orientation of the vehicle relative to the vehicle's traveling direction. The rim portion 3 is not limited to an annular shape, and may be, for example, a rim portion 3 with no upper portion and a continuous lower portion, or a pair of arc-shaped or linear rim portions 3, 3 formed on both the left and right sides. Electrical components (not shown) such as a heater that warms the rim portion 3 and a contact sensor that detects whether the driver has touched the rim portion 3 are arranged on the rim portion 3.

[0015] The functional part 5 is disposed in the center of the rim part 3, and is provided integrally with the rim part 3 via a plurality of (here, three) spoke parts 7. For example, a horn or an airbag device is disposed in the functional part 5. A connection part (not shown) is provided on the back side of the functional part 5, which is integrally rotatably connected to a steering shaft (not shown) that changes the direction of the wheels. The functional part 5 is electrically connected via wiring (not shown) to a controller (not shown) that controls the operation of each mechanism mounted on the vehicle.

[0016] As shown in Figures 1 to 6, the rim portion 3, functional portion 5, and spoke portion 7 are maintained in shape by a core metal 9, which is an integrally formed framework. At least a portion of the outer periphery of the core metal 9 is covered by a resin substrate portion 11. At least a portion of the outer periphery of the resin substrate portion 11 is covered by a resin coating portion 13.

[0017] The resin substrate portion 11 is made of polyurethane. For example, the resin substrate portion 11 is insert-molded integrally with the core metal 9 by placing the core metal 9 inside a pair of molds (not shown) and filling the interior of the pair of molds with a resin material, which is the raw material for polyurethane, so that the core metal 9 is located inside. The resin substrate portion 11 is molded in the rim portion 3 so as to cover the outer periphery of the core metal 9 over the entire area of ​​the rim portion 3. For example, a heater as an electrical component is disposed on the outer surface of the resin substrate portion 11 located in the rim portion 3. The heater may be a heater wire alone, or a sheet-like heater wire in which the heater wire is attached to a sheet. For example, if only the heater wire is used, a groove or the like may be provided on the outer surface of the resin substrate portion 11, and the heater wire may be held in the groove by press-fitting or the like. If the heater wire is in sheet form, it may be attached to the outer surface of the resin substrate portion 11. The electrical component may be a contact sensor, and the contact sensor may be a sensor wire alone, or a sheet-like sensor wire in which the sensor wire is attached to a sheet, like the heater.

[0018] The electrical components arranged in the resin base material portion 11 of the rim portion 3 are electrically connected to lead wires 17 serving as held members 15. The lead wires 17 are arranged in the spoke portions 7, and an end portion on the functional portion 5 side is electrically connected to, for example, a connector (not shown). The lead wires 17 are electrically connected to the vehicle side by fitting the connector into a vehicle-side connector (not shown) arranged in the functional portion 5 and electrically connected to the vehicle side. By electrically connecting the lead wires 17 to the vehicle side, a vehicle-side controller and the electrical components of the rim portion 3 are electrically connected via the lead wires 17. The lead wires 17 are held by the resin base material portion 11 in the spoke portions 7, and are exposed from an end surface 19 of the resin base material portion 11 toward the functional portion 5 side.

[0019] The resin substrate portion 11 is molded to cover the outer periphery of the core 9 over a portion of its length so as to have an end surface 19 at the spoke portion 7 from which the lead wire 17 is exposed. The resin substrate portion 11 located at the spoke portion 7 is provided with a retaining portion 21 that retains the lead wire 17. The retaining portion 21 has an opening 23 through which the lead wire 17 can be inserted from the outer surface of the resin substrate portion 11 to the interior, and is formed in a groove shape along the length of the spoke portion 7. The width of the retaining portion 21 is set smaller than the outer diameter of the lead wire 17, and the lead wire 17 is held in the retaining portion 21 by being press-fitted into it. The retaining portion 21 includes an exposed retaining portion 25, an inner retaining portion 27, and an intermediate retaining portion 29.

[0020] Exposed holding portion 25 is a portion of holding portion 21 that is exposed from resin-coated portion 13. As shown in FIG. 5 , when lead wire 17 is held in exposed holding portion 25, outer surface 31 of lead wire 17 is located inside exposed holding portion 25 beyond opening 23. By positioning outer surface 31 of lead wire 17 inside opening 23, lead wire 17 is held at a deeper position in exposed holding portion 25, thereby increasing the holding force for lead wire 17. Therefore, in holding portion 21, movement of lead wire 17 at exposed holding portion 25 that is exposed from resin-coated portion 13 can be restricted.

[0021] Internal holding portion 27 is a portion of holding portion 21 that is disposed inside resin-coated portion 13. As shown in FIG. 5 , when lead wire 17 is held in internal holding portion 27, outer surface 31 of lead wire 17 is positioned inside internal holding portion 27 beyond opening 23. By positioning outer surface 31 of lead wire 17 inside opening 23, similar to exposed holding portion 25, lead wire 17 is held at a deep position in internal holding portion 27, thereby increasing the holding force for lead wire 17. Therefore, in holding portion 21, movement of lead wire 17 in internal holding portion 27 that is positioned inside resin-coated portion 13 can be restricted.

[0022] The intermediate holding portion 29 is a portion of the holding portion 21 that is provided continuously between the exposed holding portion 25 and the internal holding portion 27. The intermediate holding portion 29 is provided in a stepped portion 33 that is formed in a stepped shape so as to be lower than the outer surface of the resin base material portion 11. As shown in FIG. 6 , when the lead wire 17 is held by the intermediate holding portion 29, the outer surface 31 of the lead wire 17 is positioned in the opening 23. By positioning the outer surface 31 of the lead wire 17 in the opening 23, the outer surface 35 of the resin base material portion 11 (step portion 33) and the outer surface 31 of the lead wire 17 become flush with each other. An end surface 37 of the resin coating portion 13 at which the resin base material portion 11 is exposed is arranged in the intermediate holding portion 29.

[0023] The resin coating portion 13 is made of polyurethane. The resin coating portion 13 is molded, for example, by placing the core 9, with the resin substrate portion 11 holding the lead wires 17, inside a pair of molds (not shown) and then filling the interior of the pair of molds with a resin material that is the raw material for polyurethane. The molded resin coating portion 13 is insert-molded integrally with the resin substrate portion 11 so that the resin substrate portion 11 is located inside. By using polyurethane for the resin coating portion 13 and the resin substrate portion 11, the resin substrate portion 11 and the resin coating portion 13 have good affinity with each other, allowing the resin substrate portion 11 and the resin coating portion 13 to be stably molded onto the core 9. The resin coating portion 13 is molded in the rim portion 3 so as to cover the outer periphery of the resin substrate portion 11 over the entire rim portion 3. Therefore, the electrical components placed on the resin substrate portion 11 are not exposed to the outside, and the appearance of the rim portion 3 can be maintained.

[0024] The resin coating portion 13 is molded to cover the outer periphery of the resin substrate portion 11 at a portion of the spoke portion 7 in the longitudinal direction thereof, so as to have an end surface 37 from which the resin substrate portion 11 is exposed. The end surface 37 of the resin coating portion 13 is disposed in an intermediate holding portion 29 (step portion 33) where the outer surface 31 of the lead wire 17 and the opening 23 of the holding portion 21 are flush with the outer surface 35 of the resin substrate portion 11. By disposing the end surface 37 of the resin coating portion 13 in the intermediate holding portion 29, no gap is generated between the mold and the outer surface 35 of the resin substrate portion 11 when the resin coating portion 13 is molded using a mold. Therefore, the material of the resin coating portion 13 does not leak from the gap between the mold and the outer surface 35 of the resin substrate portion 11, and the end surface 37 of the resin coating portion 13 can be disposed at a desired position. At this time, the lead wire 17 is held on both sides of the intermediate holding portion 29 by an exposed holding portion 25 exposed from the resin base material 11 and an internal holding portion 27 located inside the resin base material 11. The exposed holding portion 25 and the internal holding portion 27 hold the lead wire 17 inside the opening 23, strengthening the holding force of the lead wire 17. Therefore, the lead wire 17 does not move when the resin coating portion 13 is molded, preventing breakage of the lead wire 17 due to interference with the mold and molding defects of the resin coating portion 13 due to movement of the lead wire 17.

[0025] In one example of a method for molding such a steering wheel 1, first, the core metal 9 is molded to match the shape of the steering wheel 1. Next, the core metal 9 is placed in a mold, the mold is filled with the material of the resin substrate portion 11, the resin substrate portion 11 is solidified, and the resin substrate portion 11 is molded integrally with the core metal 9. Next, the retaining portion 21 and the step portion 33 are formed in the resin substrate portion 11. Note that the retaining portion 21 and the step portion 33 may be formed by providing a molding portion for molding the retaining portion 21 and the step portion 33 in one of the molds, and the retaining portion 21 and the step portion 33 may be formed simultaneously when molding the resin substrate portion 11. Next, the lead wire 17 is held by the retaining portion 21 of the resin substrate portion 11. Then, the core wire 9 with the lead wire 17 held in the holding portion 21 of the resin substrate portion 11 is placed in the mold, the material of the resin coating portion 13 is filled into the mold, the resin coating portion 13 is solidified, and the resin coating portion 13 is molded integrally with the resin substrate portion 11, thereby completing the molding of the steering wheel 1.

[0026] The steering wheel 1 includes a metal core 9, a resin substrate portion 11 molded to cover at least a portion of the outer periphery of the metal core 9, and a resin coating portion 13 molded to cover at least a portion of the outer periphery of the resin substrate portion 11. The outer periphery of the resin substrate portion 11 has an opening 23 that allows a held member 15 to be inserted, and a holding portion 21 is provided through the opening 23 to hold the held member 15 inside. The holding portion 21 has an exposed holding portion 25 exposed from the resin coating portion 13, an internal holding portion 27 disposed inside the resin coating portion 13, and an intermediate holding portion 29 disposed between the exposed holding portion 25 and the internal holding portion 27. The held member 15 is held by the exposed holding portion 25 and the internal holding portion 27 such that an outer surface 31 of the held member 15 is located inside the opening 23. The held member 15 is held by the intermediate holding portion 29 such that the outer surface 31 of the held member 15 is located inside the opening 23. An end surface 37 of the resin coating portion 13 where the resin base material portion 11 is exposed is disposed in the intermediate holding portion 29 .

[0027] Between exposed holding portion 25 and internal holding portion 27, held member 15 is held internally through opening 23, strengthening the holding force of held member 15. Therefore, before resin-coated portion 13 is molded, the movement of held member 15 can be restricted by the portion of resin substrate portion 11 exposed from resin-coated portion 13 and the portion located inside resin-coated portion 13 without increasing the number of parts. Therefore, held member 15 does not move when resin-coated portion 13 is molded, preventing interference between the mold and held member 15 and molding defects of resin-coated portion 13 due to movement of held member 15. Intermediate holding portion 29, located between exposed holding portion 25 and internal holding portion 27, has an end surface 37 where resin substrate portion 11 of resin-coated portion 13 is exposed. When the held member 15 is held by the intermediate holding portion 29, the outer surface 31 of the held member 15 is located in the opening 23, so the outer surface 35 of the resin substrate portion 11 and the outer surface 31 of the held member 15 are flush with each other. Therefore, when the resin-coated portion 13 is molded using a mold, no gap is created between the mold and the outer surface 35 of the resin substrate portion 11. Therefore, when the resin-coated portion 13 is molded, the material of the resin-coated portion 13 does not leak from the gap between the mold and the outer surface 35 of the resin substrate portion 11, and the end face 37 of the resin-coated portion 13 can be positioned at the desired position.

[0028] Therefore, in such a steering wheel 1, the movement of the held member 15 can be restricted without increasing the number of parts, and costs can be reduced.

[0029] The resin substrate portion 11 and the resin coating portion 13 are made of polyurethane.

[0030] Therefore, the resin substrate portion 11 and the resin coating portion 13 have good affinity with each other, and the resin substrate portion 11 and the resin coating portion 13 can be stably molded onto the core metal 9.

[0031] The held member 15 is a lead wire 17 electrically connected to an electrical component.

[0032] Therefore, when the resin coating portion 13 is molded, the lead wire 17 does not move, so that it is possible to prevent the lead wire 17 from being broken due to interference with the mold, and it is possible to maintain the reliability of the electrical connection.

[0033] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present embodiment.

[0034] For example, in the steering wheel according to this embodiment, the held member is a lead wire, but this is not limited to this. For example, the held member may be an engaging member that engages with and holds another part that is assembled to the steering wheel, and any held member may be held by the holding portion.

[0035] Furthermore, although one holding portion is exemplified for the resin substrate portion, this is not limited to this, and two or more holding portions may be provided, and the number of holding portions may be set according to the number of held members to be held in the resin substrate portion.

[0036] In addition, the electrical components arranged on the steering wheel are heaters and contact sensors arranged on the rim portion, but are not limited to these, and any electrical components may be used, for example, an operating switch arranged on the functional portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1 steering wheel 9 Core 11 Resin base material part 13 Resin coated part 15 Held member 17 Lead wire 21 Holding part 23 Opening 25 Exposure holding part 27 Internal holding part 29 Intermediate holding part 31 Exterior 37 End face

Claims

1. A core wire and a resin base material portion molded to cover at least a part of the outer periphery of the core metal; a resin coating portion formed to cover at least a part of the outer periphery of the resin substrate portion; Equipped with an opening formed on the outer periphery of the resin base material portion, through which a held member can be inserted, and a holding portion is provided through the opening to hold the held member therein; the holding portion has an exposed holding portion exposed from the resin-coated portion, an internal holding portion disposed inside the resin-coated portion, and an intermediate holding portion disposed between the exposed holding portion and the internal holding portion, The exposed holding portion and the internal holding portion hold the held member such that the outer surface of the held member is positioned inside the opening, The intermediate holding portion holds the held member such that the outer surface of the held member is positioned in the opening, The steering wheel has an end surface where the resin base material portion of the resin coating portion is exposed, the end surface being disposed on the intermediate holding portion.

2. 2. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the resin base material portion and the resin coating portion are made of polyurethane.

3. 3. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the held member is a lead wire electrically connected to an electric component.

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