Steering device

Abstract

To provide a steering device, even when configured to illuminate a predetermined area during operation, capable of ensuring a favorable tactile feel when gripped, thereby enabling comfortable steering.SOLUTION: A steering device 1 includes a grip part 2 that is gripped during rotational steering, and a display device 20 disposed at a predetermined position on the grip part visible to a driver and capable of emitting visible light during operation. The grip part comprises a core material 12 having a roughly circular cross section and disposed centrally, a cover layer 13 that covers a surrounding area of the core material, and a sheet-like surface skin layer 14 that covers an outer periphery of the cover layer. The display device is disposed on an upper surface side, which is the driver's side, and configured to emit visible light upward. The outer periphery is covered by the surface skin layer which is opaque and formed of a light-transmitting base material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a steering device having a grip portion that is gripped during rotational steering, and a display device that is disposed on the grip portion at a predetermined position that is visible to a driver. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, steering devices having a display device disposed in a grip portion have been configured to have a light bar as a display device disposed on the upper surface of a ring portion serving as the grip portion, which faces the driver (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, in conventional steering devices, the light bar has a visible light source that lights up and emits visible light, and a light guide that diffuses the visible light emitted from the visible light source, and is configured to emit visible light from the upper end of the light guide upward, toward the driver. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-113040 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional steering devices, the light bar is provided with a cover that covers the outer periphery (upper side) of the light guide, and this cover is made of synthetic resin. In conventional steering devices, a skin layer made of synthetic leather, artificial leather, natural leather, or the like is disposed on the outer surface of the grip portion excluding the light bar. That is, in conventional steering devices, when the grip portion is held, the synthetic resin cover that constitutes the light bar and the skin layer come into contact with the palm in the area where the light bar is disposed. Therefore, the tactile sensation when holding the area where the light bar is disposed is not satisfactory, and there is room for improvement.

[0005] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a steering device that provides a good tactile feel when gripped and allows for comfortable steering, even when configured to illuminate specified areas when activated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The steering device according to the present invention has a grip portion to be gripped during rotational steering, and a display device capable of emitting visible light when activated is disposed at a predetermined position on the grip portion so as to be visible to a driver, A steering device in which a grip portion has a substantially circular cross section and includes a core material disposed at a center side, a coating layer covering the periphery of the core material, and a sheet-like skin layer covering an outer peripheral side of the coating layer, The display device is arranged in the upper surface area of ​​the grip portion facing the driver and is configured to be able to emit visible light upward, and the outer periphery is covered, together with the surrounding covering layer, by a skin layer formed from an opaque yet translucent base material.

[0007] In the steering device of the present invention, a display device is disposed in an upper surface area of ​​the grip portion facing the driver, but the display device is covered on its outer periphery by a skin layer along with a surrounding covering layer. In other words, in the steering device of the present invention, the display device is not exposed to the outside, and even in the display device arrangement area, the outer periphery of the grip portion is covered by the skin layer. Therefore, even when gripping the display device arrangement area while driving, only the skin layer touches the palm, providing a good tactile feel when gripping the display device arrangement area. Furthermore, since the skin layer is formed from an opaque yet translucent base material, it can transmit visible light emitted upward when the display device is activated, allowing for stable visual confirmation of the display device's operating state. Furthermore, since the display device is not visible from the outside when it is deactivated, the design is also good.

[0008] Therefore, even if the steering device of the present invention is configured to illuminate a predetermined portion when activated, it provides a good feel when gripped, allowing for comfortable steering.

[0009] Specifically, in the steering device of the present invention, the display device is configured to include a substrate, a visible light source attached to the substrate and emitting visible light when turned on, a light guide body that diffuses the visible light emitted from the visible light source, and a holding member that holds the light guide body, the light guide has an emission surface at an upper end side facing the driver, which emits visible light emitted when the visible light source is turned on upward; The holding member is made of a non-transparent material and configured to cover the periphery of the light guide except for the light exit surface, It is preferable that the outer peripheral surface of the holding member and the light emitting surface of the light guide are formed so as to be continuous with the outer peripheral surface of the coating layer in the cross section of the gripping portion and abut against the inner peripheral surface of the skin layer.

[0010] In the steering device of the present invention, since the outer peripheral side of the display device is covered by the skin layer, even when the steering device includes a light guide, the surface side of the light guide does not need to be covered by a cover as in the past. Instead, the outer peripheral side of the outer peripheral surface of the holding member that holds the light guide and the outer peripheral side of the exit surface formed by the upper end portion of the light guide can be directly covered by the skin layer. This configuration of the steering device eliminates the need for a cover that covers the light guide as in the past steering devices, suppressing an increase in the number of parts and achieving a simple configuration. Furthermore, since the exit surface of the light guide and the outer peripheral surface of the holding member are formed to be continuous with the outer peripheral surface of the coating layer, even if the driver's hand comes into contact with the display device arrangement area or the boundary between the display device and the coating layer when holding the grip, a smooth and pleasant tactile sensation can be obtained.

[0011] Furthermore, the steering device may be configured such that, in addition to the holding member, the display device is provided with a cover made of a translucent material that covers at least the upper part of the light guide. In such a configuration, the outer peripheral surface of the cover, together with the outer peripheral surface of the holding member, is formed so as to be continuous with the outer peripheral surface of the coating layer and is configured to abut against the inner peripheral surface of the skin layer. Although providing the cover increases the number of parts, this configuration of the steering device makes it possible to protect the light guide with the cover. It is also possible to provide the cover with a diffusion layer or the like that can diffuse visible light emitted from the light guide. Even in such a configuration, because the outer peripheral surfaces of the cover and the holding member are formed so as to be continuous with the outer peripheral surface of the coating layer, even if the driver's hand comes into contact with the display device placement area or the boundary between the display device and the coating layer when holding the grip, a smooth and pleasant tactile feel can be obtained.

[0012] Furthermore, in a steering device having the above configuration, it is preferable that the light guide has an incident surface, which receives visible light emitted from the visible light source, disposed at the lower end, and that the cross section has an approximately L-shaped shape so that the lower end region extends toward the visible light source.With such a configuration, a long distance (optical path) can be secured from the incident surface to the exit surface of the light guide, and visible light can be diffused more widely within the light guide. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of a steering device (steering wheel) according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged plan view showing an arrangement portion of a light bar as a display device in the steering wheel of the embodiment. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the steering wheel according to the embodiment, corresponding to the section III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the steering wheel according to the embodiment, corresponding to the section IV-IV in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] 1 is a partially enlarged schematic view showing the vicinity of a light guide in the steering wheel of the embodiment, illustrating the state of diffusion of visible light. FIG. [Figure 6] 3 is a schematic partial enlarged plan view showing a state in which a visible light LED is lit in the steering wheel according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a ring portion in a steering wheel according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 8 is a cross-sectional view of another portion of the ring portion of the steering wheel of FIG. 7. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, a steering device 1 (steering wheel) of the embodiment is configured to have an annular ring portion 2 as a grip portion to be gripped during rotational steering, a boss portion 4 disposed approximately in the center of the ring portion 2, and a plurality of spoke portions 3 (three in this embodiment) connecting the ring portion 2 and the boss portion 4. The steering wheel 1 is also configured to have, as components, an airbag device 6 above the boss portion 4, a light bar 20 as a display device disposed on the ring portion 2, and a steering wheel main body (steering device main body) 10.

[0015] In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the front-to-rear, up-down, 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 rotational axis of the ring portion 2, the front-to-rear direction is the direction perpendicular to the rotational axis 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 rotational axis of the ring portion 2 and along the left-to-right direction of the vehicle.

[0016] The airbag device 6, which is disposed above the boss portion 4, includes an airbag (not shown) that is folded and stored, an inflator (not shown) that supplies inflation gas to the airbag, and a pad 7 that covers the upper surface of the folded airbag. As shown in FIG. 1, the pad 7 is disposed so as to cover the entire upper surface of the boss portion 4.

[0017] 1, 3 and 4, the steering wheel body 10 includes a core metal 11 as a core material arranged to interconnect the ring portion 2, the boss portion 4 and the spoke portions 3, a coating layer 13 that covers the periphery of the core metal 11 at the location of the ring portion 2 and the spoke portions 3, a skin layer 14 that covers the outer periphery of the coating layer 13, and a lower cover (not shown) that covers the underside of the boss portion 4. The ring portion 2 as a grip portion has a substantially circular cross section (more specifically, a substantially elliptical cross section) and includes a ring portion core metal 12 (described later) as a core material arranged in the center, the coating layer 13 that covers the periphery of the ring portion core metal 12, and a sheet-like skin layer 14 that covers the outer periphery of the coating layer 13 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

[0018] The core 11 is made of a metal such as an aluminum alloy. In the core, a ring portion core 12 disposed at the portion of the ring portion 2 has a cross section that is substantially inverted U-shaped (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

[0019] The covering layer 13 is made of a soft synthetic resin with cushioning properties, and in this embodiment, is made of a soft foam material such as foamed polyurethane. This covering layer 13 is configured to cover the outer periphery of the ring core metal 12 in the area of ​​the ring portion 2, and has a substantially elliptical cross section. In addition, in the area where the light bar 20 serving as the display device is disposed, the covering layer 13 is disposed in approximately the lower half of the ring portion 2 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

[0020] The skin layer 14 is disposed so as to cover the outer peripheral surface 13a side of the covering layer 13, including the arrangement region of the light bar 20 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), and in the present embodiment is formed from a synthetic resin sheet or leather such as synthetic leather or artificial leather. In the present embodiment, the skin layer 14 is divided into a plurality of pieces arranged along the circumferential direction of the ring portion 2, and specifically, is divided into four parts, front, rear, left and right (see FIG. 1). In the steering wheel 1 of the present embodiment, the front portion 14a of the skin layer 14, which is arranged in the arrangement region of the light bar 20, is formed from an opaque yet translucent base material. In detail, in the embodiment, the general portions other than the front portion 14a (left portion 14c, right portion 14d, rear portion 14b) are made of synthetic leather colored gray, and the front portion 14a is colored gray, which is substantially the same color as the left portion 14c, right portion 14d, and rear portion 14b, and is made of opaque, translucent synthetic leather. At the position where the light bar 20 is disposed, the skin layer 14 (front portion 14a) is disposed so as to cover the entire outer peripheral surface side in the cross section of the ring portion 2, including the light bar 20 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

[0021] The light bar 20 as a display device is disposed on the steering wheel 1 at a predetermined position visible to the driver (not shown). In the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the light bar 20 is disposed on the upper surface of the front portion 2a between the left and right spoke portions 3L and 3R of the ring portion 2 that is gripped by the driver when steering, with the light bar 20 curved so that its longitudinal direction is approximately along the circumferential direction of the ring portion 2. In detail, the light bar 20 has an outer shape when viewed from above that is approximately band-like, with the longitudinal direction curved so that it is approximately along the circumferential direction of the ring portion 2, and is continuously formed over an area of ​​about 1 / 4 of the ring portion 2. The light bar 20 is disposed so that its longitudinal center is approximately aligned with the front end of the ring portion 2.

[0022] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the light bar 20 comprises a substrate 28, a plurality of visible light sources (visible light LEDs 30) mounted in a row approximately along the longitudinal direction of the substrate 28, a light guide 32, and a holding member 22 that holds the light guide 32.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, the holding member 22 is disposed over substantially the entire area of ​​the arrangement area of ​​the light bar 20 and is configured to be able to hold the light guide 32 in a central area in the longitudinal direction. The holding member 22 is formed from a non-translucent material, and in this embodiment, is made from a black synthetic resin (specifically, black ABS resin or a mixture of polycarbonate resin and ABS resin, etc.). The holding member 22 forms an upper area in the front part 2a of the ring part 2 and, as shown in Fig. 3, includes a peripheral wall part 23 curved so that its outer surface (outer peripheral surface 23a) is continuous with the outer surface (outer peripheral surface 13a) of the coating layer 13, and a support wall part 24 formed to extend downward from the upper end area of ​​the peripheral wall part 23 and able to support the outer periphery (front, rear, left and right) of the light guide 32. The holding member 22 is configured to have an opening 22a at the upper end of the peripheral wall portion 23, through which the light guide 32 can be inserted, and this opening 22a forms an emission opening 26 through which visible light VL emitted when the visible light LEDs 30 are turned on can be emitted upward. The holding member 22 covers the entire upper side of the front portion 2a of the ring portion 2 except for the emission opening 26, that is, is configured to cover the periphery of the light guide 32 except for an emission surface 37, which will be described later. The support wall portion 24 is arranged in the front and rear regions of an opening side portion 34, which will be described later, of the light guide 32 so as to cover almost the entire top and bottom areas of the front and rear sides of the opening side portion 34, as shown in FIG. 3 .

[0024] The substrate 28 is disposed so as to extend substantially along the front-rear direction, and when viewed from the top-bottom direction, has a substantially band-like shape curved along the longitudinal direction so as to substantially follow the curved shape of the ring portion 2 (see FIGS. 2 to 4). In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the substrate 28 is disposed in an area excluding both left and right ends of the arrangement area (holding member 22) of the light bar 20. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, both left and right ends of the substrate 28 are attached to the holding member 22 using screws 29, and the substrate 28 is disposed so as to provide a gap between the upper surface of the covering layer 13 disposed below.

[0025] In this embodiment, the visible light source is a visible light LED 30 capable of emitting light of a predetermined color. A plurality of visible light LEDs 30 are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction in an area near the rear end on the upper surface of the substrate 28. In this embodiment, the visible light LEDs 30 are scattered at six locations across substantially the entire longitudinal area of ​​the substrate 28 (see FIG. 2). Each visible light LED 30 is attached so as to be able to emit visible light VL forward (outward) toward the light guide 32, and its operation is controlled by an operating circuit (not shown).

[0026] The light guide 32 is disposed in an area of ​​the holding member 22 excluding both left and right ends (an area equivalent to the substrate 28), and is formed to be curved in a substantially arc shape so as to substantially follow the curved shape of the ring portion 2 when viewed from the top-bottom direction, as shown in Fig. 2. The light guide 32 is formed from a synthetic resin such as polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin. The light guide 32 is disposed on the upper surface of the substrate 28 in front of the visible light LEDs 30, and is bent so as to extend forward from the front side of the visible light LEDs 30 and then upward, forming a plate-like shape with a substantially L-shaped cross section (see Fig. 3). More specifically, the light guide 32 includes a light source portion 33 disposed in front of the visible light LEDs 30, and an opening portion 34 disposed so as to extend upward from the front end of the light source portion 33. A rear end surface 33a (the surface on the visible light LED 30 side) of the light source portion 33 serves as an incident surface 36 for incident visible light emitted from the visible light LEDs 30, and an upper end surface 34a of the opening portion 34 serves as an exit surface 37 for exiting the visible light incident from the incident surface 36 upward (see FIG. 5). That is, the light guide 32 has the incident surface 36 disposed at its lower end, and is configured with a substantially L-shaped cross section so that this lower end region (light source portion 33) projects toward the visible light LEDs 30. In the steering wheel 1 of the embodiment, the upper end surface 34a (emission surface 37) of the opening side portion 34 of the light guide 32 is formed so as to be continuous with the outer peripheral surface 23a of the peripheral wall portion 23 of the holding member 22 (i.e., so as to be continuous with the outer peripheral surface 13a of the coating layer 13) in the cross section of the ring portion 2, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, and is formed to be curved slightly bulging upward. In the steering wheel 1 of the embodiment, the outer peripheral surface 23a of the peripheral wall portion 23 of the holding member 22 and the emission surface 37 of the light guide 32 abut against the inner peripheral surface 15 of the skin layer 14 (front portion 14a) (see FIGS. 3 and 5). That is, in the cross section of the ring portion 2 of the steering wheel 1 of the embodiment, the light bar 20 and the surrounding coating layer 13 are covered with the same skin layer 14 (front portion 14a) over the entire outer periphery with almost no gaps.

[0027] In the steering wheel 1 of the embodiment, the light bar 20 as a display device is mounted on the upper surface of the covering layer 13 with the substrate 28, to which the visible light LEDs 30 and the light guide 32 are attached, attached to the holding member 22 with screws 29, and then the skin layer 14 (front portion 14a) is arranged to cover the outer peripheral surface 13a of the covering layer 13 and the outer peripheral surface of the light bar 20 (the outer peripheral surface 23a of the peripheral wall portion 23 of the holding member 22 and the emission surface 37 of the light guide 32), so that it can be attached to the ring portion 2. In the steering wheel 1 of the embodiment, the light bar 20 is operated to turn on the visible light LEDs 30 by inputting an activation signal from an activation circuit (not shown), for example, when alerting the driver. When the visible light LED 30 is turned on, the visible light VL emitted from the visible light LED 30 enters the light guide 32 from the incident surface 36, is diffused inside the light guide 32, and is emitted from the upper exit surface 37, as shown in Fig. 5. When the steering wheel 1 is viewed from above, the entire upper surface area of ​​the light guide 32 appears to glow (the glowing state is shown shaded), as shown in Fig. 6.

[0028] In the steering wheel 1 of the embodiment, a light bar 20 as a display device is disposed in an area on the upper surface side of the ring portion 2 as a grip portion, which is on the driver's side, but the outer periphery of this light bar 20 is covered by the skin layer 14 (front portion 14a) together with the surrounding covering layer 13. That is, in the steering wheel 1 of the embodiment, the light bar 20 is not exposed to the outside, and even in the area where the light bar 20 is disposed, the outer periphery of the ring portion 2 is covered by the skin layer 14 (front portion 14a). Therefore, even when gripping the area where the light bar 20 is disposed while driving, only the skin layer 14 (front portion 14a) comes into contact with the palm of the hand, and the tactile sensation when gripping the area where the light bar 20 is disposed is good. Furthermore, in the steering wheel 1 of the embodiment, the front portion 14a of the skin layer 14, which is disposed in the arrangement area of ​​the light bar 20, is formed from an opaque and translucent base material (translucent synthetic leather in the case of the embodiment), and therefore can transmit the visible light VL emitted upward when the light bar 20 is activated (when the visible light LEDs 30 serving as the visible light source are lit in the case of the embodiment), and the operating state of the light bar 20 (the lit state of the visible light LEDs 30, i.e., the light emitting state of the light guide 32) can be stably seen. Furthermore, when the light bar 20 is not activated, the light bar 20 cannot be seen from the outside, which also contributes to good design.

[0029] Therefore, even though the steering wheel 1 of the embodiment is configured to illuminate predetermined locations when activated, it provides a good feel when gripped, allowing for comfortable steering.

[0030] Furthermore, in the steering wheel 1 of the embodiment, the outer periphery of the light bar 20 is covered by the skin layer 14, so that the surface side of the light guide 32 does not need to be covered by a cover portion that has been used conventionally, and the outer periphery of the outer periphery surface (outer periphery surface 23a of the peripheral wall portion 23) of the holding member 22 that holds the light guide 32 and the emission surface 37 that is formed by the upper end portion of the light guide 32 are directly covered by the skin layer 14 (front portion 14a). Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a cover that covers the light guide that has been used in conventional steering devices, and an increase in the number of parts can be suppressed, resulting in a simple configuration. Furthermore, because the emission surface 37 of the light guide 32 and the outer peripheral surface of the holding member 22 (the outer peripheral surface 23a of the peripheral wall portion 23) are formed to be continuous with the outer peripheral surface 13a of the covering layer 13, even if the driver's hand comes into contact with the arrangement area of ​​the light bar 20 or the boundary area between the light bar 20 and the covering layer 13 when gripping the ring portion 2, a smooth and satisfactory tactile feel can be obtained. Furthermore, in the steering wheel 1 of the embodiment, the light guide 32 (specifically, the opening side portion 34 of the light guide 32) can be made longer compared to when a cover is provided, and therefore the visible light VL can be diffused more widely within the light guide 32 (opening side portion 34), and the entire area on the upper surface of the light guide 32 can be illuminated approximately uniformly with less unevenness.

[0031] In particular, in the steering wheel 1 of this embodiment, the light guide 32 has an incident surface 36, which receives the visible light VL emitted from the visible light LEDs 30, disposed on the lower end side, and is configured to have a substantially L-shaped cross section so that the lower end region (light source side portion 33) including this incident surface 36 protrudes toward the visible light LEDs 30. This makes it possible to ensure a long distance (optical path) from the incident surface 36 to the exit surface 37 of the light guide 32 and to diffuse the visible light more widely within the light guide 32. This also makes it possible to reduce the number of visible light LEDs arranged and to make the entire arrangement region of the light guide 32 illuminate uniformly with reduced unevenness.

[0032] 7 and 8, the steering wheel 1A may be configured to include a light bar 20A configured to cover the upper surface of the light guide 32A with a cover portion 40. In the steering wheel 1A, the components other than the light bar 20A have the same configuration as the steering wheel 1 described above, and therefore the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0033] 7 and 8, the light bar 20A includes a substrate 28, a plurality of visible light LEDs 30 mounted so as to be arranged side by side substantially along the longitudinal direction of the substrate 28, a light guide 32A, a cover portion 40 that covers the upper part of the light guide 32A, and a holding member 22A that holds the light guide 32A and the cover portion 40. The substrate 28 and the visible light LEDs 30 have the same configuration as the substrate 28 and visible light LEDs 30 in the light bar 20 described above, and therefore are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0034] Similar to the aforementioned holding member 22, the holding member 22A includes a peripheral wall portion 23A curved in cross section of the ring portion 2 so as to connect its outer surface (outer peripheral surface 23a) to the outer surface (outer peripheral surface 13a) of the coating layer 13, and a support wall portion 24A extending downward from the upper end region of the peripheral wall portion 23A and capable of supporting the outer peripheral sides (front, rear, left, and right) of the light guide 32A and the cover portion 40. In the holding member 22A, an opening 22a for inserting the cover portion 40 is formed on the upper end side of the peripheral wall portion 23A, and this opening 22a constitutes the emission opening 26A. The holding member 22A is configured to cover the entire upper side of the front region 2a of the ring portion 2 except for the emission opening 26A. The support wall 24A is configured to abut against side wall 42 (described later) of the cover 40, and to support the cover 40 and the light guide 32A arranged between the side wall 42 of the cover 40, and is provided with locking claws 24a at a location disposed on the front side of the cover 40 that can be inserted into locking holes 42a formed in the side wall 42 for locking (see FIG. 8). The locking claws 24a are formed to protrude rearward, and although not shown in detail, are disposed at multiple locations along the longitudinal direction of the support wall 24A (the circumferential direction of the ring portion 2).

[0035] The cover 40 is made of a translucent material, specifically, a transparent polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin in this embodiment. The cover 40 is generally box-shaped (having a generally U-shaped cross section in the front-rear direction) with an open bottom so as to cover the upper surface of the light guide 32A and the periphery of the upper region (see FIGS. 7 and 8). The cover 40 has an upper wall 41 covering the upper portion of the light guide 32A. The upper wall 41 is formed to be continuous with the outer peripheral surface 23a of the peripheral wall 23 of the holding member 22 (i.e., continuous with the outer peripheral surface 13a of the coating layer 13) in the cross section of the ring portion 2, and is slightly curved upward. In other words, the outer peripheral surface 41a of the upper wall 41 of the cover 40 is formed to be continuous with the outer peripheral surface 23a of the peripheral wall 23 and the outer peripheral surface 13a of the coating layer 13 in the cross section of the ring portion 2 (see FIGS. 7 and 8). In this steering wheel 1A, the outer peripheral surface 23a of the peripheral wall portion 23 of the holding member 22A and the outer peripheral surface 41a of the upper wall portion 41 of the cover portion 40 abut against the inner peripheral surface 15 of the skin layer 14 (front portion 14a). In the cover portion 40, side wall portions 42 extending downward from both front and rear ends of the upper wall portion 41 are interposed between the light guide 32A (more specifically, the opening-side portion 34A of the light guide 32A) and the support wall portion 24A of the holding member 22A. Locking holes 42a are formed in the portions of the side wall portions 42 disposed in front of the light guide 32A, into which locking claws 24a formed on the support wall portion 24A of the holding member 22A can be inserted for locking (see FIG. 8). Although detailed illustration is omitted, the locking holes 42a are provided at multiple locations corresponding to the locking claws 24a.

[0036] The light guide 32A has a similar configuration to the aforementioned light guide 32, except that the length dimension of the opening side portion 34A is slightly smaller than that of the aforementioned light guide 32, and the exit surface 37A is arranged below the upper wall portion 41 of the cover portion 40.

[0037] In the steering wheel 1A configured as described above, the provision of the cover portion 40 increases the number of parts compared to the steering wheel 1 described above, but the cover portion 40 can protect the light guide 32A. Also, in the steering wheel 1A configured as described above, the outer peripheral surface of the cover portion 40 (the outer peripheral surface 41a of the upper wall portion 41) and the outer peripheral surface of the holding member 22A (the outer peripheral surface 23a of the peripheral wall portion 23) are formed to be continuous with the outer peripheral surface 13a of the coating layer 13. Therefore, even if the arrangement area of ​​the light bar 20A or the boundary portion between the light bar 20A and the coating layer 13 comes into contact with the driver's hand when gripping the ring portion 2, a smooth and satisfactory tactile sensation can be obtained.

[0038] In the steering wheel 1, 1A of the embodiment, the skin layer 14 (front portion 14a) covering the outer periphery of the light bar 20, 20A is formed from an opaque and translucent base material, so that the skin layer 14 itself can diffuse light, and when the steering wheel 1, 1A is viewed from above, the entire area of ​​the light guide 32, 32A (opening portion 34, 34A) can be illuminated substantially uniformly without unevenness. To further improve the light diffusion performance, a light diffusion layer can be provided on the light exit surface of the light guide to improve the light diffusion performance of the light guide, or a light diffusion layer can be provided on the outer surface (upper surface) or inner surface (lower surface) of the upper wall portion of the cover portion. Furthermore, the cover portion itself can be formed from a translucent, opaque material instead of a transparent material. In this way, by providing a light diffusion layer on the light output surface of the light guide or on the upper wall of the cover, or by forming the cover itself from an opaque, translucent material, it is possible to sufficiently diffuse the light within the light guide or the cover, even when using a reduced number of high-output visible light LEDs, thereby suppressing unevenness in brightness when viewed from above and allowing the entire area where the light guide is placed to illuminate evenly. Of course, such light diffusion layer arrangements and changes in the material of the cover can be used in combination as appropriate.

[0039] In the steering wheels 1, 1A of the embodiments, the light bar 20, 20A is arranged in a partial region of the ring portion 2 (on the upper surface side of the front portion 2a), but the light bar may be arranged around the entire circumference of the ring portion. The position of the light bar is not limited to the front portion, and it may be arranged in another region, such as the rear portion of the ring portion. Furthermore, the steering wheels 1, 1A of the embodiments are arranged to have a circular ring portion 2 (grip portion), but the steering devices to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to those having a circular ring portion. For example, the present invention can also be applied to steering devices having a grip portion that is partially cut out, such as an arc-shaped or square ring-shaped grip portion, or a type of steering device that is not circular but has a rod-shaped grip portion that partially protrudes from a boss portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1,1A...Steering wheel (steering device), 2...Ring part (gripping part), 2a...Front side part, 12...Ring part core metal (core material), 13...Coating layer, 13a...Outer circumferential surface, 14...Skin layer, 15...Inner circumferential surface, 20,20A...Ra light bar (display device), 22,22A...holding member, 23,23A...peripheral wall section, 23a...outer circumferential surface, 30...visible light LED (visible light source), 32,32A...light guide, 37,37A...outgoing surface, 40...cover section, 41a...outer circumferential surface.

Claims

1. The steering device has a grip portion that is gripped during rotational steering, and a display device that can emit visible light when activated is disposed at a predetermined position on the grip portion that is visible to the driver, In a steering device, the grip portion has a substantially circular cross section and includes a core material disposed at a center thereof, a coating layer covering the periphery of the core material, and a sheet-like skin layer covering an outer periphery of the coating layer, a steering device characterized in that the display device is disposed in an upper surface area of ​​the grip portion facing the driver and is configured to be able to emit the visible light upward, and the outer periphery of the display device is covered together with the surrounding covering layer by the skin layer formed from an opaque and light-transmitting base material.

2. The display device is configured to include a substrate, a visible light source attached to the substrate and emitting visible light when lit, a light guide body that diffuses the visible light emitted from the visible light source, and a holding member that holds the light guide body, the light guide has an exit surface at an upper end side facing the driver, which emits visible light emitted when the visible light source is turned on upward, the holding member is made of a non-transparent material and is configured to cover the periphery of the light guide except for the light exit surface, 2. The steering device according to claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the holding member and the light exit surface of the light guide are formed so as to be continuous with the outer peripheral surface of the coating layer in the cross section of the grip portion and are configured to abut against the inner peripheral surface of the skin layer.

3. the display device is configured to include a substrate, a visible light source attached to the substrate and emitting visible light when turned on, a light guide body that diffuses the visible light emitted from the visible light source, a holding member made of a non-transparent material and holding the light guide body, and a cover part made of a transparent material and covering at least an upper part of the light guide body, 2. The steering device according to claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the retaining member and the outer peripheral surface of the cover portion are formed so as to be continuous with the outer peripheral surface of the coating layer in a cross section of the grip portion and are configured to abut against the inner peripheral surface of the skin layer.

4. 4. The steering device according to claim 2, wherein the light guide has an incident surface, which receives the visible light emitted from the visible light source, disposed on a lower end side, and has a cross-sectional shape that is substantially L-shaped so that the lower end region extends toward the visible light source.

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