handle

Abstract

To provide a handle with improved appearance. [Solution] The handle 1 comprises a rim portion 6 having a rim portion body portion 19 and a sheet-like covering member 11 that covers at least a part of the surface of the rim portion body portion 19. The rim portion body portion 19 has at least a part of a curved portion that is curved in an arc shape when viewed from the front. The covering member 11 comprises a first piece portion 23 that forms a mark component portion that constitutes a mark component portion of the mark portion 31, and second pieces portion 24 that form side portions adjacent to both sides of the mark component portion, and is wrapped around and attached to the rim portion body portion 19 from the outer circumference side to the inner circumference side of the curve. The first piece portion 23 has a shape that gradually widens from the center to both ends in a direction perpendicular to the direction of both sides. The second piece portion 24 has sides opposite to the first piece portion 23 that have shapes complementary to the shape of the sides of the first piece portion 23.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a handle provided with a gripping portion having a sheet-like covering member that covers at least a part of the surface of the gripping portion main body portion.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in the rim portion of a steering wheel, which is a handle for steering an automobile, it is covered with a covering member such as genuine leather or synthetic leather for the purpose of improving the design. It is known to make it possible to easily recognize the steering angle of the steering wheel, or to provide a center mark along the radial direction at the 12 o'clock position of the rim portion for improving the design (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By its nature, it is desirable that the center mark is formed on the rim portion such that both side edges are straight in the vertical direction as seen by the driver. However, when forming the center mark by sewing both sides of one covering member to the side portions of another covering member, if it is attached so as to be wound from the outer peripheral side to the inner peripheral side with respect to the base material of the rim portion while pulling the covering member, a shrinking force acts on the inner peripheral side of the steering wheel, causing both side edges of the center mark to incline obliquely from the outer peripheral side to the inner peripheral side, which becomes a factor for the occurrence of defects such as poor appearance.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such points, and an object thereof is to provide a handle with improved appearance.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A handle according to an aspect of the present invention comprises a gripping portion having a gripping portion body and a sheet-like covering member covering at least a part of the surface of the gripping portion body, wherein the gripping portion body has at least a curved portion that is curved in an arc shape when viewed from the front, and the covering member comprises a marking component that constitutes a marking portion and side portions adjacent to both sides of the marking component, and is wrapped around and attached to the curved portion from the outer circumference to the inner circumference of the curve, the marking component has a shape that gradually widens from the center to both ends in a direction perpendicular to both sides, and the side portions have a shape that is complementary to the shape of the side portion of the marking component on the side portions facing the marking component. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the appearance can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] (a) is a plan view showing each component of the covering member of a handle according to one embodiment of the present invention, (b) is a front view showing an enlarged portion of the same handle, and (c) is a view taken along arrow A in Figure 7. [Figure 2] This is a plan view showing an enlarged view of a part of one of the covering members. [Figure 3] This is a plan view showing an enlarged view of a part of another component of the same covering member. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view showing each component of the covering member for the handle shown above. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which each component of the covering member is joined together. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view showing an example of the operation of wrapping the covering member around the main body of the gripping part. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view of the position corresponding to II in Figure 8. [Figure 8] This is a front view showing the handle shown above. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] In Figure 8, 1 indicates a steering wheel for a vehicle such as an automobile. In this embodiment, the steering wheel 1 is given as an example, but it is not limited to this and may be a control stick type, such as a so-called yoke type. The steering wheel 1 is attached to the steering shaft, which is a steering shaft that is normally installed in the vehicle in an inclined state. Hereafter, the steering wheel 1 will be described with the direction of arrow U being the upper side and the direction of arrow D being the lower side when viewed from the occupant's side. Furthermore, the position and shape of each part of the steering wheel 1 will be described with reference to the steering reference state shown in Figure 8, i.e., the neutral position.

[0011] The steering wheel 1 is constructed by attaching a module 3 to the steering wheel body 2. The module 3 can be, for example, a pad containing an airbag system or an impact absorber. The module 3 may also have a horn switch mechanism or similar integrated into it.

[0012] The handle body 2 is constructed such that a rim portion (grip) 6, which is the gripping portion, surrounds a boss portion 5 located in the center, and the boss portion 5 and the rim portion 6 are connected by spoke portions 7, which are radial connecting portions.

[0013] The boss portion 5 is mounted on the steering shaft and is located at the center of rotation of the steering wheel 1. Module 3 is attached to the occupant side of the boss portion 5, and the rear side is covered by a cover body.

[0014] The rim portion 6 is the part that the occupant (driver) grips in order to operate the steering wheel 1. In other words, the rim portion 6 is the part used for steering. At least a portion of the rim portion 6 is formed in an arc shape or annular shape with the steering shaft as the central axis. In this embodiment, the rim portion 6 is formed to extend in the rotational direction of the steering wheel 1, i.e., in the circumferential direction.

[0015] A plurality of spoke portions 7 are provided. In the present embodiment, two spoke portions 7 are provided so as to connect the left and right side portions of the boss portion 5 and the rim portion 6, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, three or more may be provided.

[0016] Next, the structure of the handle main body portion 2 will be described.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the handle main body portion 2 includes a base material 10 and a covering member 11 that covers at least a part of the base material 10.

[0018] The base material 10 includes a core metal 12 and a covering portion 13 that covers the core metal 12.

[0019] The core metal 12 is made of a metal such as aluminum or magnesium. The core metal 12 has at least a boss core metal portion that forms a part of the boss portion 5 (shown in FIG. 8) and a rim core metal portion 15 that forms a part of the rim portion 6 and serves as a gripping portion core metal portion. Further, the core metal 12 may have a spoke core metal portion that forms a part of the spoke portion 7 (shown in FIG. 8).

[0020] The rim core metal portion 15 is formed in a shape corresponding to the shape of the rim portion 6. That is, this rim core metal portion 15 is formed in an arc shape or an annular shape, for example, when viewed from the front, according to the shape of the rim portion 6.

[0021] The boss core metal portion is configured by integrally fixing a boss plate that constitutes a core body to a boss having a serration structure that meshes with a steering shaft.

[0022] The spoke core metal portion is formed to extend radially from the boss plate of the boss core metal portion. The spoke core metal portion does not necessarily correspond to all the spoke portions 7 (shown in FIG. 8), and at least a part of the spoke portions 7 (shown in FIG. 8) may be configured by a finisher, a cover body, or the like without including a spoke core metal portion.

[0023] The covering portion 13 is formed to cover at least the rim core portion 15. Therefore, the covering portion 13 is formed in an arc shape or an annular shape when viewed from the front. The covering portion 13 is formed, for example, in a circular cross-section (including substantially circular, elliptical, and substantially elliptical cross-sections). The covering portion 13 is, for example, a resin layer made by finely foaming a soft foamed polyurethane resin. The rim core portion 15 and the covering portion 13 that covers the rim core portion 15 constitute the rim portion body portion 19 as the gripping portion body portion. As shown in Figures 6 and 8, at least a part of the rim portion body portion 19 is an arc-shaped curved portion. In this embodiment, when viewed from the front, the rim portion body portion 19 is a curved portion that is entirely circular or substantially circular in shape. The rim portion body portion 19 is located extending in the rotational direction of the handle 1, that is, in the circumferential direction of the steering shaft.

[0024] The covering member 11 is the part that is directly gripped by the driver (occupant) and is a decorative part that is exposed on the surface of the steering wheel 1. The covering member 11 is in the form of a sheet. In this embodiment, the covering member 11 is made of synthetic leather, but it is not limited to this and may be made of any material that can perform a similar function, such as natural leather or synthetic resin. The covering member 11 may have a sheet-like functional component having a predetermined function integrally laminated on the back side, i.e., the side facing the covering part 13. Examples of functional components include a sensor part such as a capacitance sensor, contact detection sensor, or pressure detection sensor that has a grip detection function for the rim part 6, and / or a heater part that has a heating function for the rim part 6. The base material of the functional component is made of synthetic rubber such as chloroprene rubber (neoprene rubber).

[0025] The covering member 11 is wrapped around the entire surface of the rim body portion 19 and is positioned to continuously cover the entire surface of the base material 10.

[0026] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 8, the covering member 11 consists of a plurality of separate covering member pieces 21. The covering member pieces 21 are joined together by sewing (primary sewing) or the like in the circumferential direction, i.e., the longitudinal direction (indicated by arrow L), which is the direction in which the rim portion 6 (rim portion main body portion 19) extends, thereby integrally forming a longitudinally elongated covering member 11 in the longitudinal direction. The covering member pieces 21 are set to include, for example, a first piece 23, a second piece 24, and a third piece 25. The second piece 24 and the third piece 25 cover the majority of the rim portion main body portion 19, and the first piece 23 covers the remaining small portion. In this embodiment, for example, one first piece 23 is set between the second pieces 24, 24, and three third pieces 25 are set for the remaining portion. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the covering member 11 is attached to the surface of the covering portion 13 of the rim body portion 19 so as to be wrapped around the rim portion 6 in the meridian direction (indicated by arrow M), which is the direction of the smaller diameter of the rim portion 6, from the outer circumference to the inner circumference of the latitudinal curved shape of the rim portion 6, and the opposing ends on the inner circumference are joined together by the joint portion 26. As shown in Figure 1(c), the joint portion 26 in this embodiment is a sewing portion (secondary sewing) that itself constitutes the design, and in this embodiment, a so-called baseball stitch type in which the sewing thread is V-shaped is given as an example, but it is not limited to this and may be constructed by any sewing method such as European stitch.

[0027] The first piece 23 shown in Figure 1(a) is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view. In this embodiment, the first piece 23 is formed in a strip shape. The first piece 23 is positioned with its short side in the parallel direction of the rim 6 and its long side in the longitude direction of the rim 6. The first piece 23 is a portion where both sides 28, 28 forming the long side are integrally joined with the second piece 24, 24 by sewing or the like, and both ends 29, 29 forming the short side are facing each other on the inner circumference side of the rim body 19 and are joined at a joint 26 (shown in Figure 1(c)).

[0028] The first piece 23, as shown in Figures 1(b) and 8, constitutes a marker component that forms a marker portion 31 covering a small area of ​​the rim body 19 in the latitudinal direction of the rim 6. Here, the marker portion 31 is located on the rim 6 of the steering wheel 1, for example, at the 12 o'clock position on an analog clock, i.e., upward, and forms a center mark (top mark) of a constant or approximately constant width in the latitudinal direction. The marker portion 31 has the function of allowing the driver to easily recognize the steering angle of the steering wheel 1, and / or the function of improving the design of the steering wheel 1. For example, when attached to the rim body 19, the marker portion 31 has a width of 10 to 20 mm in the latitudinal direction of the rim 6, for example, a width of about 15 mm. Therefore, for example, the first piece 23 constituting the marker portion 31 may have a highly visible color or pattern on its surface (silver surface), which is the design surface, different from that of the second piece 24.

[0029] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1(a), both sides 28, 28 of the first piece 23 are curved in a concave shape, that is, they are curved so as to be recessed toward the center in the width direction, which is the direction of both sides of the first piece 23. For example, both sides 28, 28 are curved along a circular arc. In this embodiment, both sides 28, 28 are curved along a circular arc having a predetermined radius of curvature centered on a virtual point located on a virtual line in the width direction that passes through the center or approximate center in the longitudinal direction of the first piece 23. Therefore, the first piece 23 is enlarged so as to gradually widen from the center in the longitudinal direction, which is perpendicular to the width direction, toward both ends. Thus, the first piece 23 has a constricted shape in which the center is recessed in the width direction toward both ends in the longitudinal direction. The width of the enlargement of both sides 28, 28 of the first piece 23 is set appropriately according to the thickness and shape of the rim body 19 (shown in Figure 6).

[0030] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the longitudinal dimension of the first piece 23 is extended longitudinally by a predetermined amount relative to the required length calculated from the shape of the rim body 19, that is, the meridian-direction circumference of the covering portion 13 (shown in Figure 7) at the position where the first piece 23 is placed, or the length based thereon (shown by the dashed line LI1).

[0031] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, both sides 28, 28 of the first piece 23 are formed to be thinner than the rest of the first piece 23 over a predetermined range in the width direction of the first piece 23. In this embodiment, the back sides of both sides 28, 28 of the first piece 23, that is, the parts corresponding to the edge and flesh of the leather material, are thinned over a predetermined range in the short direction of the first piece 23, for example, over a range of 5 mm from the outer edge of the first piece 23, thereby forming a thin-walled portion 30. Therefore, the thin-walled portion 30 is formed to curve along the side 28 with a constant or approximately constant width. The first piece 23 is then folded back and overlapped over the range of the thin-walled portion 30, with both sides 28, 28 being the back side. As shown in Figure 5, the folded sides 28, 28 are fixed to the back side of the first piece 23, for example, by adhesive.

[0032] Furthermore, the second piece 24 shown in Figure 1(a) is formed in a roughly rectangular shape in plan view. The second piece 24 is positioned with its short side in the direction of the longitude of the rim 6 (shown in Figure 8) and its long side in the direction of the latitude of the rim 6 (shown in Figure 8). Of the two sides 32, 32 that make up the short side portion of the second piece 24, one side 32 that faces the first piece 23 is integrally joined to the side 28 of the first piece 23 by sewing or the like, while the two ends 33, 33 that make up the long side portion face each other on the inner circumference side of the rim body portion 19 and are joined by sewing or the like at a joining portion 26. The second piece 24 then forms side portions adjacent to both sides of the marker portion 31, as shown in Figures 1(b) and 8.

[0033] One side 32 of the second piece 24 has a shape complementary to the curved shape of the side 28 of the opposing first piece 23. That is, one side 32 is curved to protrude outward in the width direction, which is both sides of the second piece 24. For example, one side 32 is curved along a circular arc. In this embodiment, one side 32 is curved along a circular arc having a predetermined radius of curvature centered on a virtual point located on a virtual line in the width direction passing through the central or approximate central part of the longitudinal direction of the second piece 24. Thus, the curved shape of one side 32 of the second piece 24 and the curved shape of the side 28 of the first piece 23 fit together so that they face each other with virtually no gap or with a small, constant gap. In addition, the other side 32 of the second piece 24, opposite to the first piece 23, is curved to protrude outward in the width direction, which is both sides of the second piece 24. The curved shape of this part is intended to conform the second piece 24 to the curved shape in the meridian direction of the covering portion 13 (shown in Figure 7) of the rim body 19. The other side portion 32 is curved in an arc shape with a smaller radius of curvature compared to the other side portion 32, and the amount of outward protrusion in the width direction of the second piece portion 24 is greater. Therefore, the second piece portion 24 is formed so that it gradually narrows from the center to both ends in the longitudinal direction perpendicular to both sides, i.e., the width direction. Thus, the second piece portion 24 has a bulging shape in which the central part protrudes in the width direction relative to both ends in the longitudinal direction. The other side portion 32 is the part that is integrally joined with the third piece portion 25 by sewing or the like. Note that the other side portion 32 may have a joining allowance (seam allowance) formed with the third piece portion 25.

[0034] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the length of one side 32 of the second piece 24 is extended by a predetermined amount from the required length calculated from the shape of the rim body 19, that is, the meridian circumference of the covering portion 13 (shown in Figure 7) at the position where the second piece 24 is placed, or the length based thereon (shown by the dashed line LI2), and is set to be approximately equal to the side 28 (shown in Figure 2) of the first piece 23.

[0035] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the second piece 24 is formed with a thinner thickness over a predetermined range in the width direction of the second piece 24 with respect to one side 32 facing the first piece 23. In this embodiment, the back side portion of one side 32 of the second piece 24, that is, the portion corresponding to the edge and flesh of the leather material, is thinned over a predetermined range in the longitudinal direction of the second piece 24, for example, over a range of 5 mm from the outer edge of the second piece 24, thereby forming a thin-walled portion 35. Therefore, the thin-walled portion 35 is formed to curve along one side 32 with a constant or approximately constant width. Then, the second piece 24 is overlapped by folding one side 32 back to the thin-walled portion 35. As shown in Figure 5, the folded side 32 is fixed to the back side of the second piece 24, for example, by adhesive. One side 32 of the folded second piece 24 is joined to the folded side 28 of the opposing first piece 23 by a joining part 38 such as sewing, with this side 32 facing and butting against it. In other words, the thin portion 30 of the side 28 of the first piece 23 and the thin portion 35 of the one side 32 of the second piece 24 are within the joining allowance (seam allowance) range of the joining part 38 between the first piece 23 and the second piece 24.

[0036] Furthermore, the third piece 25 shown in Figure 1(a) is formed in a roughly rectangular shape in plan view. Similar to the second piece 24, the third piece 25 is positioned with its short side in the direction of the longitude of the rim 6 and its long side in the direction of the latitude of the rim 6. Of the two sides 32 that make up the short side portion of the third piece 25, one side 40 that faces the second piece 24 is integrally joined to the other side 32 of the second piece 24 by sewing or the like, and the other side 40 is integrally joined to the other second piece 24 by sewing or the like. The two ends 41, 41 that make up the long side portion face each other on the inner circumference side of the rim body portion 19 and are joined by sewing or the like at a joint 26. One side 40 of the third piece 25 has a shape that is complementary to the curved shape of the other side 32 of the opposing second piece 24. In other words, one side portion 40 is curved so as to be recessed in the width direction, which is both sides of the third piece portion 25. Both sides of the 40 may have joining allowances (seam allowances) for joining with the second piece portion 24 or other third pieces portion 25. Furthermore, the third piece portion 25 may have shapes formed at its ends 41, 41 to cover a portion along a part of the spoke portion 7 (shown in Figure 8).

[0037] Next, we will explain how to manufacture the handle 1.

[0038] When manufacturing the handle 1, first, a pre-formed core metal 12 is set in the mold, and then synthetic resin raw material is stirred and mixed into the cavity and injected. As a result, the synthetic resin raw material reacts with foaming and flows towards the end of the flow while becoming polyurethane.

[0039] Next, the intermediate body formed in the cavity with the covering portion 13 covering the rim core metal portion 15 is removed from the mold and burrs and other debris are cut off.

[0040] Next, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the surface of the covering portion 13 of the intermediate body is covered with the covering member 11. The covering member 11 is first formed by joining the sides of multiple covering member pieces 21 together by sewing (primary sewing) or the like. For example, in the first piece 23 of the covering member piece 21, as shown in Figure 5, both sides 28, 28 are folded back to the reverse side and overlapped and fixed, and then joined to one of the folded sides 32 of the second piece 24 that sandwiches the first piece 23, and joined by a joining portion 38.

[0041] Then, as shown in Figure 6, the covering member 11 is attached to the rim body 19 by wrapping it around the covering member 13, and the opposing inner circumference ends are joined together by the joint 26 (shown in Figure 1(c)) to fix it to the rim body 19.

[0042] Next, the module 3 and cover body are attached to the completed handle body 2 to complete the handle 1.

[0043] When wrapping the covering member 11 around the curved rim body 19, it is wrapped in the meridian direction while being pulled from the outer circumference to the inner circumference, causing a compressive force to act on the covering member 11 on the inner circumference side of the rim body 19. In this embodiment, the first piece 23 that forms the marking component of the marking portion 31 is shaped to gradually widen from the central part in the longitudinal direction perpendicular to the width direction to both ends 29, 29, and the second piece 24, 24 that form the side portion adjacent to the marking portion 31 has a shape that is complementary to the shape of the side 32 of the first piece 23, so that the difference in elongation of the first piece 23 on the outer and inner circumference sides of the rim body 19 due to the compressive force acting on the inner circumference side of the rim body 19 can be absorbed by its shape. Therefore, by suppressing the inclination of both side edges of the marker portion 31, as shown by the dashed line LI3 in Figure 1(b), the marker portion 31 can be made almost straight in the vertical direction when viewed from the front, thus improving its appearance.

[0044] Furthermore, by extending the first piece 23 longitudinally beyond the required dimension calculated from the shape of the rim body 19, gaps are less likely to occur between the two ends 29, 29 when the covering member 11 is wrapped around the rim body 19, and when joined by the joint 26, a decrease in appearance due to these gaps can be prevented.

[0045] In particular, when a functional component made of synthetic rubber is laminated onto the covering member 11, the softness of the functional component absorbs the stretching of the covering member 11, which makes both side edges of the marker portion 31 more likely to be inclined and more likely to create a gap between the two ends 29, 29. However, by setting the shape of the first piece 23 and the second piece 24 as described above, it is possible to improve the appearance at the position of the marker portion 31 while using a covering member 11 laminated with a functional component made of synthetic rubber.

[0046] Furthermore, since both sides 28, 28 of the first piece 23 are curved along an arc, in a covering member 11 that is wrapped around a rim body 19 having a circular or substantially circular cross-section, the difference in elongation of the first piece 23 between the outer and inner sides of the rim body 19 due to the contracting force acting on the inner side of the rim body 19 can be absorbed more efficiently, and both side edges of the marker portion 31 can be made closer to being straight.

[0047] In this embodiment, the first piece 23, which constitutes the marker component of the marker portion 31, and the second piece 24, which constitutes the side portion, are treated as separate components. The covering member 11 is constructed by integrally joining both sides 28, 28 of the first piece 23 and one side 32 of each second piece 24 that faces the first piece 23 by sewing. Therefore, by appropriately selecting the material and color of the first piece 23, the marker portion 31 can be made into a desired design without affecting the functionality of the covering member 11.

[0048] In one embodiment, the marker portion 31 is not limited to the 12 o'clock position of the analog clock when viewed from the front, but may also be provided at the 6 o'clock position or other locations.

[0049] Furthermore, the rim portion 19 does not have to be arc-shaped in other parts, as long as the portion covered by the first piece 23 and the second piece 24 of the covering member 11 is at least an arc-shaped curved portion. It may have a shape that includes straight sections, etc.

[0050] Furthermore, although an example has been shown in which the marker component constituting the marker portion 31 is composed of a first piece 23 and the side portion is composed of a second piece 24, the example is not limited to this. Even when the boundary with the side portion is demarcated by forming the marker component constituting the marker portion 31 in an integrally formed covering member 11 by painting or the like, the same effects as in the above embodiment can be achieved by forming the marker component so that it gradually widens towards the end in the longitudinal direction. [Industrial applicability]

[0051] The present invention can be suitably used, for example, as a steering wheel for an automobile. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0052] 1 handle 6. Rim portion which is the gripping part 11 Covering member 19. Rim body, which is the gripping body that forms the curved portion. 23 First piece, which is one of the components forming the marking structure. 24 The second piece, which is another component forming the side portion. 28,32 Side 29 End 31 Marker section

Claims

1. The gripping part comprises a gripping body and a sheet-like covering member that covers at least a portion of the surface of the gripping body. The gripping body has at least a portion of a curved section that is curved in an arc shape when viewed from the front, The covering member comprises a marking component that constitutes the marking portion, and side portions adjacent to both sides of the marking component, and is wrapped around the curved portion from the outer circumference to the inner circumference of the curve and attached thereto. The aforementioned marker component has a shape that gradually widens from the center to both ends in a direction perpendicular to both sides, The side portion has a shape that is complementary to the shape of the side portion of the marker component, with each side portion facing the marker component having a shape that is complementary to the shape of the side portion of the marker component. A handle characterized by its features.

2. The covering member comprises one member forming a marker component and other members forming side portions, with both sides of the first member and the sides of each of the other members facing the first member being integrally joined by sewing. The handle according to claim 1, characterized in that it is as described above.

3. The marker component is curved along an arc on both sides, causing it to gradually widen from the center to both ends in a direction perpendicular to the direction on both sides. A handle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is as described above.

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