Steering device pad

Abstract

To provide a steering device pad capable of achieving weight and cost reduction by suppressing an increase in the number of components while maintaining excellent designability.SOLUTION: A steering device pad 22 is configured to be disposed on an upper surface side of a boss part 4 in a steering device 1 to allow a design part 45 to be disposed in an area of a ceiling wall part 26 that covers the boss part. The pad comprises a pad body 23 and a light source part 55 disposed on a rear surface side of the ceiling wall part of the pad body. The ceiling wall part comprises a low light-transmission part 51 and a high light-transmission part 52 different in light transmission rate. The high light-transmission part allows light emitted from the light source part to pass through and comprises the design part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pad for a steering device that is disposed on the upper surface side of a boss portion of a steering device and has a design portion disposed in the area of ​​a ceiling wall that covers the boss portion. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, pads for steering devices (steering wheels) have had decorative bodies as design parts in the ceiling wall area, and have been configured to be able to illuminate these decorative bodies (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-238879 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, conventional pads were configured so that a decorative body separate from the pad was attached to the ceiling wall, and a light source was also provided to illuminate the decorative body, resulting in a large number of parts and leaving room for improvement in terms of weight reduction, reduction in manufacturing labor and costs, etc.

[0005] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a pad for a steering device that has a good design while suppressing an increase in the number of parts, thereby achieving weight reduction and cost reduction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The steering device pad according to the present invention is arranged on an upper surface side of a boss portion of a steering device, and has a design portion arranged in an area of ​​a ceiling wall portion covering the boss portion, The pad body, a light source unit disposed on the back surface side of the ceiling wall portion of the pad body and configured to be able to illuminate the design portion; The device is configured to include: The ceiling wall portion has a low light-transmitting portion and a high light-transmitting portion having different light transmittances, The highly light-transmitting portion is capable of transmitting light emitted from the light source portion and constitutes the design portion.

[0007] In the steering device pad of the present invention, the ceiling wall portion of the pad body is configured to include a low-transmittance portion and a high-transmittance portion having different light transmittances, and the high-transmittance portion is configured to transmit light emitted from a light source portion disposed on the back side of the ceiling wall portion. This high-transmittance portion then constitutes a design portion disposed in the ceiling wall portion. That is, in the steering device pad of the present invention, a portion of the ceiling wall portion is configured as the high-transmittance portion (design portion), and a separate decorative component is not attached. Furthermore, the design portion constituted by this high-transmittance portion can be illuminated at a predetermined time. This prevents an increase in the number of parts, and also contributes to weight reduction.

[0008] Therefore, the steering device pad of the present invention can suppress an increase in the number of parts while maintaining a good design, thereby realizing weight reduction and cost reduction.

[0009] Specifically, in the steering device pad of the present invention, the ceiling wall portion is configured by laminating a light-transmitting layer and a non-light-transmitting layer disposed on the surface side of the light-transmitting layer, and is configured to have an opening formed by cutting out the non-light-transmitting layer, It is preferable that the opening and the light-transmitting layer constitute a highly light-transmitting portion.

[0010] With this configuration of the steering device pad, the highly translucent portion (i.e., the design portion) can be formed simply by cutting out the non-translucent layer laminated on the surface side of the translucent layer to form an opening, resulting in a simple configuration and easy manufacturing. Furthermore, when irradiated by the light source, visible light emitted from the light source can be diffused within the translucent layer and emitted from the opening, allowing the opening (i.e., the design portion) to shine evenly.

[0011] Furthermore, in the steering device pad having the above configuration, if the pad body is formed from a translucent base material and the non-translucent layer is formed as a thin film so as to cover the surface of the ceiling wall portion, the translucent layer will be composed of the pad body itself, which is preferable as it allows for an even simpler configuration.

[0012] Furthermore, in the steering device pad having the above configuration, if the base material is colored in a cloudy white color, even if the base material (translucent layer) is configured to be visible through the opening, the area below the base material, i.e., the parts housed in the boss portion, is difficult to see, which is preferable as it further improves the design.

[0013] Furthermore, in the steering device pad having the above configuration, if the surface side of the ceiling wall portion is covered entirely with a coating layer, steps are less likely to occur around the periphery of the opening, the design can be further improved, and the feel when in use can also be improved, which is preferable.

[0014] Furthermore, in the steering device pad having the above configuration, the light source unit may include a substrate, a visible light source attached to the substrate and emitting visible light when lit, and a light guide that deflects and diffuses the visible light emitted from the visible light source, The light guide is disposed so as to entirely cover the area below the opening, It is preferable to configure the visible light source to be disposed to the side of the light guide.

[0015] With this configuration of the steering device pad, when the visible light source is turned on, visible light emitted from the visible light source enters the light guide from the side and is radiated from the opening (design portion) disposed above the light guide. This allows the visible light to be radiated from the opening in a diffused state while being sufficiently deflected within the light guide. Furthermore, the light guide is disposed so as to completely cover the area below the opening. Therefore, when the visible light source is turned on, unevenness is suppressed, and the entire opening (design portion) can be illuminated uniformly, further improving the design. Furthermore, in the steering device pad configured as described above, the visible light source is disposed to the side of the light guide, which also suppresses the bulkiness of the light source portion.

[0016] Furthermore, in the steering device pad having the above-mentioned configuration, a folded airbag is housed inside the boss portion, The ceiling wall is configured so that when the airbag is inflated, predetermined breaking portions disposed at predetermined positions are broken to open the plurality of door portions, It is preferable that the breakable portion be formed so as to bypass the light source portion.

[0017] By configuring the steering device pad in this way, even if the airbag is stored inside and the light source unit is disposed on the back side of the ceiling wall unit, the door unit can be smoothly opened while the intended rupture unit is ruptured in the early stages of inflation of the airbag, allowing the airbag to inflate quickly. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of a steering wheel (steering device) using a pad according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the steering wheel according to the embodiment, showing the II-II portion of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a region near a pad in the steering wheel according to the embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a region near a pad in the steering wheel according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the front-rear direction showing the location of a light source unit in the pad. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic bottom view of a pad body in the steering wheel according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a light source unit used in the pad of the embodiment. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the state of diffusion of visible light by a light guide in the steering wheel of the embodiment. [Figure 9] 4 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a lighting state of a visible light LED in the steering wheel of the embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A steering device pad (hereinafter simply referred to as "pad") 22 of the embodiment is used in a steering device (steering wheel) 1 as shown in Figs. 1 to 4. In the embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the steering wheel 1 as a steering device includes an annular ring portion 2 that is gripped during rotational steering, a boss portion 4 disposed in the center of the ring portion 2, and a plurality of spokes 3 (three in the embodiment) that connect the ring portion 2 and the boss portion 4. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the steering wheel 1 includes, as components, a steering wheel main body (steering device main body) 7 and an airbag device 15 disposed above the boss portion 4.

[0020] In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the front-to-rear, up-down, and left-to-right directions are based on the straight-ahead steering state of the steering wheel 1 when mounted on a vehicle, and the up-down direction is the direction along the rotation center axis C of the ring portion 2 (see Figure 2), the front-to-rear direction is the direction perpendicular to the rotation center axis C of the ring portion 2 and along the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, and the left-to-right direction is the direction perpendicular to the rotation center axis C of the ring portion 2 and along the left-to-right direction of the vehicle.

[0021] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the steering wheel body 7 includes a core 8 arranged to interconnect the ring portion 2, boss portion 4, and spoke portion 3, a coating layer 9 covering the periphery of the core 8 around the ring portion 2 and the spoke portion 3, a skin layer 10 covering the outer periphery of the coating layer 9, and a lower cover 12 covering the underside of the boss portion 4. The core 8 is made of a metal such as an aluminum alloy. The coating layer 9 is formed of a soft foam material such as polyurethane foam. The skin layer 10 is formed of a synthetic resin sheet or leather such as natural leather, synthetic leather, or artificial leather. The lower cover 12 is made of a synthetic resin.

[0022] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the airbag device 15 includes an airbag 16 that is folded and stored, an inflator 17 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 16, a pad 22 that is disposed on the upper surface side of the boss portion 4 and covers the folded airbag 16, a bag holder 19 that holds the airbag 16, the inflator 17, and the pad 22, and a retainer 18 that attaches the airbag 16 and the inflator 17 to the bag holder 19.

[0023] The airbag 16 is a bag-shaped bag formed from a flexible sheet body, and although detailed illustrations are omitted, when it is fully inflated with inflation gas flowing into it, it is in the shape of a disk that can cover the entire upper surface of the ring portion 2.

[0024] The inflator 17 includes a cylindrical main body 17a having a plurality of gas discharge ports 17b at the top for discharging inflation gas, and a flange 17c protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the main body 17a.

[0025] The retainer 18 is made of a rectangular annular metal plate and has bolts (not shown) protruding downward from its four corners. The retainer 18 is disposed inside the airbag 16. The bolts (not shown) pass through the airbag 16, the bag holder 19, and the flange portion 17c of the inflator 17, in that order, and nuts (not shown) are fastened to the bolts protruding from the flange portion 17c, thereby attaching the airbag 16 and the inflator 17 to the bag holder 19.

[0026] The bag holder 19 is made of sheet metal and, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, holds the airbag 16, the inflator 17, and the pad 22, and is a component that attaches the airbag device 15 to the steering wheel main body 7 side using a horn switch unit (not shown).

[0027] 1 to 4, the pad 22 is disposed on the upper surface side of the boss portion 4 of the steering wheel 1. In this embodiment, the pad 22 includes a pad main body 23 and a light source unit 55 disposed on the back surface side of the pad main body 23 to a ceiling wall portion 26 (described later).

[0028] The pad main body 23 is made of a soft synthetic resin, and in this embodiment, is made of a polyolefin thermoplastic elastomer (TPO). More specifically, the pad main body 23 is formed using a TPO base material that is colored opaque white to provide translucency. As shown in Figures 2, 4, and 6, the pad main body 23 includes a ceiling wall portion 26 that covers the upper part of the airbag 16 that is folded and stored inside the boss portion 4, and side wall portions 25 that extend cylindrically from the underside of the ceiling wall portion 26 and cover the front, rear, left, and right sides of the folded airbag 16.

[0029] The ceiling wall 26 includes a door mounting section 27 formed from the inner region of the side wall 25, and a peripheral edge section 33 formed from the outer region of the side wall 25. Within the door mounting section 27, there are disposed a front door section 28 that opens forward when opened, and a rear-left door section 29 and a rear-right door section 30 that open rearward when opened (see FIGS. 2, 4, and 6). The front door section 28 is formed from approximately the front half of the door mounting section 27, and has a semicircular outer shape when viewed from above. The rear-left door section 29 and the rear-right door section 30 are formed so as to divide approximately the rear half of the door mounting section 27 into two, left and right, and have a quarter-circular outer shape when viewed from above. Around the front door portion 28, the rear left door portion 29, and the rear right door portion 30, there are arranged breakable portions 31 that can be broken when the airbag 16 is inflated (see FIGS. 1, 3, and 6). In this embodiment, the breakable portions 31 are formed by cutting out the ceiling wall portion 26 from the back surface side, and specifically, are configured by arranging a series of cutouts with a V-shaped cross section (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

[0030] Furthermore, a coating film 36 is formed on the surface (upper surface) of the ceiling wall portion 26 by applying a non-transparent paint over the entire surface (except for the openings 46 described below) (see FIGS. 4 and 5). In this embodiment, specifically, a black paint such as an acrylic or urethane paint is used as the paint. The coating film 36 formed by applying this paint is configured to be non-transparent. That is, the ceiling wall portion 26 is configured by laminating a translucent layer 40 made of a base portion 35 made of a cloudy white base material itself, and a black non-translucent layer 41 (coating film 36) disposed on the surface side of the translucent layer 40 (base portion 35).

[0031] Furthermore, a design portion 45 is disposed on the front door portion 28 of the ceiling wall portion 26. Specifically, in the case of the embodiment, the design portion 45 is formed of a plurality of English letters L (specifically, the letters "GOSEI") arranged side by side on the left and right sides near the rear edge 28a of the front door portion 28, as shown in FIG. 3 . Specifically, in the front door portion 28 of the embodiment, openings 46 are formed by cutting out the non-transmitting layer 41 in the shape of each English letter L, and the portions (openings 46) formed by cutting out these non-transmitting layer 41 constitute the design portion 45. In the case of the embodiment, the openings 46 are formed by forming the coating film 36 except for the portions of each English letter L. Specifically, the design portion 45 is disposed widely on the left and right sides near the rear edge 28a of the front door portion 28 so as to cover the entire left and right area. In this embodiment, a transparent layer 48 formed by applying a colorless and transparent paint such as an acrylic or urethane paint is formed inside the opening 46 so as to fill the opening 46 and make its surface flush with the surface of the non-light-transmitting layer 41 (so as to have the same thickness as the coating film 36) (see FIGS. 4 and 5). Also, a coating layer 49 is formed over the entire surface (including the area of ​​the opening 46) on the surface side of the ceiling wall portion 26 (surface of the non-light-transmitting layer 41) as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The coating layer 49 is disposed to protect the surface of the pad 22 (ceiling wall portion 26), and uses a colorless and transparent coating agent such as an acrylic or urethane coating agent.

[0032] In the pad 22 of the embodiment, the region of the ceiling wall 26 where the non-light-transmitting layer 41 is disposed does not have light transmittance, and only the region of the opening 46 has light transmittance. That is, the ceiling wall 26 is configured to include a low light-transmitting portion 51 (the region where the non-light-transmitting layer 41 is disposed) and a high light-transmitting portion 52 (the opening 46 (transparent layer 48) and the light-transmitting layer 40 (base 35)) with different light transmittances. Note that instead of a transparent layer, a plating color layer that can exhibit a metallic color and has light transmittance may be disposed in the opening 46. Specifically, in the pad 22 of the embodiment, the light transmittance of the low light-transmitting portion 51 is set to 0%, and the light transmittance of the high light-transmitting portion 52 is set to approximately 1 to 99% (preferably approximately 1 to 10%).

[0033] The light source unit 55 is disposed on the back side of the ceiling wall unit 26, specifically, on the back side of the arrangement area of ​​the design unit 45, i.e., on the back side of the area on the rear side of the front door unit 28 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The light source unit 55 includes a substrate 56, a visible light source (visible light LED 57) attached to the substrate 56, and a light guide 59.

[0034] The substrate 56 is disposed on the lower side facing the airbag 16, and in this embodiment, has an outer shape larger than that of the light guide 59 and is a rectangular plate that covers the entire area below the light guide 59. Specifically, the substrate 56 has a rectangular shape that is wide in both the left and right directions. In this embodiment, a visible light source (visible light LED 57) is attached to the upper surface of the front end of the substrate 56 (see FIG. 5). In this embodiment, four visible light sources (visible light LED 57) are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7.

[0035] A visible light LED 57 is used as a visible light source that emits visible light when illuminated. In this embodiment, the visible light LED 57 is a full-color LED (so-called three-color LED) in which light sources capable of emitting red, green, and blue light are sealed in a single package and the color can be changed by changing the brightness of each light source. The visible light LED 57 is disposed on the side of the light guide 59. In this embodiment, the visible light LED 57 is disposed on the front side, which is the long side of the rectangular light guide 59, as described below. Specifically, as described above, a plurality of visible light LEDs 57 (four in this embodiment) are arranged in a row in front of the light guide 59 along the long side (i.e., the left-right direction) of the light guide 59. Each visible light LED 57 is attached to the substrate 56 so as to be able to emit visible light VL toward the rear, which is the light guide 59 side (see FIGS. 5 and 8 ). The visible light LED 57 is electrically connected to an operating circuit (not shown) and is capable of receiving an operating signal from this operating circuit (not shown) and turning on to emit visible light VL of a predetermined color.

[0036] The light guide 59 is disposed directly below the design portion 45 (i.e., the opening 46). Its external shape completely covers the area below the design portion 45 and is rectangular, wider in both the front-to-rear and left-to-right directions than the design portion 45 (see FIGS. 3 and 7). The light guide 59 receives visible light VL emitted from the visible light LEDs 57 disposed in front of it through an incident surface 59a, which is the front end face. The light guide 59 deflects and diffuses the light internally (refracting and guiding the light), and then emits the light widely from an upper surface 59b (see FIG. 8). The light guide 59 is made of a synthetic resin such as polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin. In the embodiment, a reflective layer 61 is provided on the lower surface 59c of the light guide 59 (between the light guide 59 and the substrate 56) (see FIG. 5). The reflective layer 61 is disposed to deflect upward the visible light VL that has entered the light guide 59, and in this embodiment, is formed by applying white paint to parts of the lower surface 59c of the light guide 59. Specifically, the reflective layer 61 is partially formed on the lower surface 59c side of the light guide 59 at five locations directly below the letters L (openings 46) that form the design portion 45 (see FIG. 7).

[0037] The light source unit 55 is attached to the back side of the front door unit 28 so that the entire top surface 59b of the light guide 59 abuts against the underside (back surface) of the ceiling wall unit 26 (front door unit 28) (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The light source unit 55 (more specifically, the substrate 56) is disposed within the area of ​​the front door unit 28 when viewed from the top-bottom direction, i.e., it is disposed at a position that does not overlap in the top-bottom direction with the intended rupture portion 31 formed on the ceiling wall unit 26. In other words, the intended rupture portion 31 is formed so as to bypass the light source unit 55. In the case of the embodiment, when the visible light LEDs 57 are turned on, the visible light VL emitted from the upper surface 59b of the light guide 59 is further diffused within the base 35 (light-transmitting layer 40) of the ceiling wall 26, and is then emitted to the outside through the opening 46 (transparent layer 48) in a diffused state within the base 35 (light-transmitting layer 40) (see FIG. 8). That is, in the pad 22 of the embodiment, when the visible light LEDs 57 are turned on, the visible light VL is deflected and diffused within the light guide 59 and the base 35 (light-transmitting layer 40). As shown in FIG. 9, when the steering wheel 1 is viewed from above, the plurality of English letters L (the letters "GOSEI," i.e., the design portion 45) constituting the opening 46 are illuminated uniformly as a whole, suppressing unevenness in brightness (the illuminated state is shown shaded).

[0038] The pad 22 of this embodiment can be manufactured as follows. First, a resin portion is formed by injection molding or the like. After this, a black paint is applied to the surface of the ceiling wall portion 26 (specifically, the base portion 35) to form the non-light-transmitting layer 41 (and the opening 46). Next, a transparent layer 48 is formed in the area of ​​the opening 46. After that, a coating agent is applied to the entire surface of the ceiling wall portion 26 (non-light-transmitting layer 41), including the area of ​​the opening 46, to form the coat layer 49, thereby forming the pad main body 23 having the design portion 45. Thereafter, the light source unit 55 is attached to the back side of the design portion 45 of the ceiling wall portion 26 (the back side of the area on the rear edge 28a side of the front door portion 28), and the pad 22 can be manufactured.

[0039] The pad 22 manufactured in this manner is placed so as to cover the periphery of the folded airbag 16, and the tip end of the side wall portion 25 is attached to the bag holder 19 to which the folded airbag 16 and inflator 17 are attached, thereby assembling the airbag device 15. Thereafter, the airbag device 15 is attached to the steering wheel main body 7, which is attached to the vehicle body, using a horn switch unit (not shown), and lead wires (not shown) extending from the inflator 17 and the light source portion 55 are connected to a predetermined activation circuit, whereby the airbag device 15 is assembled to the steering wheel main body 7 and the steering wheel 1 can be mounted on the vehicle.

[0040] In the pad 22 of the embodiment, the ceiling wall portion 26 of the pad main body 23 is configured to include a low light-transmitting portion 51 and a high light-transmitting portion 52 having different light transmittances, and the high light-transmitting portion 52 is configured to be able to transmit light (visible light VL) emitted from a light source unit 55 disposed on the back side of the ceiling wall portion 26. The high light-transmitting portion 52 then constitutes the design portion 45 disposed in the area of ​​the ceiling wall portion 26. That is, in the pad 22 of the embodiment, a part of the ceiling wall portion 26 is made into the high light-transmitting portion 52 (design portion 45), and a separate component is not attached for decorative purposes. Furthermore, the design portion 45 formed by the high light-transmitting portion 52 can be illuminated at a predetermined time. This prevents an increase in the number of parts, and also contributes to weight reduction.

[0041] Therefore, the pad 22 of the embodiment can suppress an increase in the number of parts while maintaining a good design, thereby realizing weight reduction and cost reduction.

[0042] Specifically, in the pad 22 of the embodiment, the ceiling wall portion 26 is configured by laminating a light-transmitting layer 40 and a non-light-transmitting layer 41 disposed on the surface side of the light-transmitting layer 40, and is configured to include an opening 46 formed by cutting out the non-light-transmitting layer 41, and the opening 46 and the light-transmitting layer 40 constitute the high light-transmitting portion 52. That is, in the pad 22 of the embodiment, the high light-transmitting portion 52 (i.e., the design portion 45) can be formed simply by cutting out the non-light-transmitting layer 41 laminated on the surface side of the light-transmitting layer 40 to form the opening 46, resulting in a simple configuration and easy manufacturing. Furthermore, when irradiated by the light source unit 55, visible light VL emitted from the light source unit 55 can be radiated from the opening 46 so as to be diffused within the light-transmitting layer 40, and therefore the opening 46 (i.e., the design portion 45) can be illuminated evenly. If such points are not taken into consideration, the ceiling wall portion may be formed from a non-translucent material (for example, black TPO), and an opening may be provided at a predetermined location on the ceiling wall portion by cutting out the ceiling wall portion itself.

[0043] In the pad 22 of the embodiment, the pad body 23 is formed from a translucent base material, and the non-translucent layer 41 is formed as a thin film so as to cover the surface of the ceiling wall portion 26. That is, in the pad 22 of the embodiment, the translucent layer 40 is formed from the pad body 23 itself (the base portion 35 of the ceiling wall portion 26), which allows for an even simpler configuration.

[0044] Furthermore, in the pad 22 of the embodiment, the substrate (base 35) is colored in a milky white color, so even if the configuration is such that the substrate (base 35, i.e., the translucent layer 40) can be seen from the opening 46, the area below the base 35, i.e., the parts stored in the boss portion 4 (in the embodiment, the folded airbag 16, etc.), is difficult to see, thereby further improving the design.

[0045] Furthermore, in the pad 22 of the embodiment, the entire surface side of the ceiling wall portion 26 is covered with the coating layer 49, which makes it difficult for a step to occur around the periphery of the opening 46, improving the design and providing a good tactile feel during use. In particular, in the pad 22 of the embodiment, by disposing the transparent layer 48 within the opening 46, it is possible to make it even more difficult for a step to occur between the opening 46 and the surrounding non-transparent layer 41, and also to provide a good tactile feel during use. If such points are not taken into consideration, it is not necessary to dispose a transparent layer or the like within the opening, and it is also possible to use a configuration in which no coating layer is disposed.

[0046] Furthermore, in the pad 22 of the embodiment, the light source unit 55 is configured to include a substrate 56, a visible light LED 57 (visible light source) attached to the substrate 56 and emitting visible light when turned on, and a light guide 59 that deflects and diffuses the visible light VL emitted from the visible light LED 57. The light guide 59 is disposed so as to cover the entire area below the opening 46, and the visible light LED 57 is disposed to the side of the light guide 59. Therefore, when the visible light LED 57 is turned on, the visible light VL emitted from the visible light LED 57 enters the light guide 59 from the side and is radiated from the opening 46 (design portion 45) disposed above the light guide 59. Therefore, the visible light VL can be radiated from the opening 46 in a state in which it has been sufficiently deflected and diffused within the light guide 59. The light guide 59 is disposed so as to cover the entire area below the opening 46. As a result, when the visible light LEDs 57 are turned on, unevenness can be suppressed, and the entire opening 46 (design portion 45) can be illuminated uniformly, resulting in a more improved design. Furthermore, in the pad 22 of the embodiment, the visible light LEDs 57 are configured to be disposed on the side of the light guide 59, which also suppresses the light source portion 55 from becoming bulky. If these points are not taken into consideration, the visible light LEDs (visible light source) may be configured to be disposed in a region below the light guide rather than on the side, and the light guide may not be configured to cover the entire region below the opening.

[0047] In particular, in the pad 22 of the embodiment, the light source unit 55 is attached to the back side of the front door unit 28 so that the entire upper surface 59b of the light guide 59 abuts against the lower surface (back side) of the ceiling wall unit 26 (front door unit 28), and the base 35 of the ceiling wall unit 26 is made of a translucent base material. Therefore, when the visible light LEDs 57 are turned on, the visible light VL emitted from the upper surface 59b of the light guide 59 is further diffused within the base 35 (translucent layer 40) of the ceiling wall unit 26 and, in a diffused state within the base 35 (translucent layer 40), is emitted to the outside through the opening 46 (transparent layer 48). Furthermore, since the base 35 is colored opaque white, it has good light diffusion properties and can further diffuse the visible light VL that enters the interior compared to when it is made of a transparent material. That is, in the pad 22 of the embodiment, the visible light VL emitted from the light guide 59 can be further diffused by the pad body 23 itself (strictly speaking, by the base 35 itself constituting the ceiling wall portion 26), thereby suppressing brightness differences and enabling the entire opening 46 (design portion 45) to be lit uniformly and stably. Furthermore, in the pad 22 of the embodiment, a plurality of visible light LEDs 57 (visible light sources) are arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) on the short side (front in the embodiment) of the rectangular light guide 59. Therefore, even if the light guide 59 has a rectangular shape that is wide on both sides, the visible light VL can be diffused inside the light guide 59 so that the entire light guide 59 is lit uniformly, and the design portion 45, which is arranged wide on both sides, can be lit uniformly across the entire area.

[0048] Furthermore, the pad 22 of the embodiment is configured to cover the airbag 16 that is folded and stored inside the boss portion 4, but the breakable portion 31 formed in the ceiling wall portion 26 is formed to bypass the light source portion 55. Therefore, even in a configuration in which the airbag 16 is stored inside and the light source portion 55 is disposed on the back side of the ceiling wall portion 26, the breakable portion 31 can be broken at the initial stage of inflation of the airbag 16, allowing the door portions (front door portion 28, rear left door portion 29, rear right door portion 30) to be opened smoothly, thereby enabling the airbag 16 to be quickly inflated. Note that, although the embodiment has been described taking a pad as an airbag cover as an example, the pad to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to the embodiment, and the present invention can also be applied to a pad for a steering wheel (steering device) that is configured without an airbag. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1...steering wheel (steering device), 4...boss portion, 15...airbag device, 16...airbag, 22...pad (steering device pad), 23...pad body, 26...ceiling wall portion, 28...front door portion, 29...rear left door portion, 30...rear right door portion, 32...intended fracture portion, 40...light-transmitting layer, 41...non-light-transmitting layer, 45...design portion, 46...opening, 49...coating layer, 51...low-transmitting portion, 52...high-transmitting portion, 55...light source portion, 56...substrate, 57...visible light source (visible light LED), 59...light guide.

Claims

1. A steering device pad is disposed on an upper surface side of a boss portion of a steering device, and a design portion is disposed in an area of ​​a ceiling wall portion that covers the boss portion, The pad body, a light source unit disposed on the back surface side of the ceiling wall portion of the pad body and configured to be able to illuminate the design portion; The device is configured to include: The ceiling wall portion includes a low light-transmitting portion and a high light-transmitting portion having different light transmittances, The steering device pad, wherein the highly light-transmitting portion is capable of transmitting light emitted from the light source portion and constitutes the design portion.

2. the ceiling wall portion is configured by laminating a light-transmitting layer and a non-light-transmitting layer disposed on a surface side of the light-transmitting layer, and is configured to include an opening formed by cutting out the non-light-transmitting layer, 2. The steering device pad according to claim 1, wherein the opening and the light-transmitting layer constitute the highly light-transmitting portion.

3. the pad body is formed from a light-transmitting base material, 3. The steering device pad according to claim 2, wherein the non-light-transmitting layer is formed as a thin film so as to cover the surface of the ceiling wall portion.

4. 4. The steering device pad according to claim 3, wherein the base material is colored opaque white.

5. 5. The steering device pad according to claim 2, wherein the entire surface of the ceiling wall portion is covered with a coating layer.

6. the light source unit includes a substrate, a visible light source attached to the substrate and emitting visible light when lit, and a light guide that deflects and diffuses the visible light emitted from the visible light source, The light guide is disposed so as to entirely cover the area below the opening, 2. The steering pad according to claim 1, wherein the visible light source is disposed on a side of the light guide.

7. A folded airbag is housed inside the boss portion, The ceiling wall portion is configured to open the plurality of door portions by breaking predetermined breaking portions disposed at predetermined positions when the airbag is inflated, 7. The steering device pad according to claim 6, wherein the breakable portion is formed so as to bypass the light source portion.

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