Steering system

Abstract

To provide a steering device that offers a high degree of freedom in the placement of electronic components on the pad. [Solution] A steering device comprising a pad 30 positioned on the upper side of a boss portion, a retaining member 20 positioned on the lower side of the pad to hold the pad, and an electronic component 70 positioned on the pad and electrically connected to a control device provided on the vehicle body side. The pad comprises a ceiling wall portion 31 positioned on the driver side, and a peripheral wall portion 40 extending downward in a cylindrical shape from near the periphery of the ceiling wall portion. Lead wires 82 extending from the area where the electronic component is positioned in the ceiling wall portion extend from the back side of the ceiling wall portion through an insertion opening 48 provided in the peripheral wall portion to the outer periphery of the peripheral wall portion, and a connector 88 positioned at the tip 82a is attached to the lower side of the retaining member, while the intermediate portion 82c is positioned on the outer periphery of the peripheral wall portion so as to intersect with the axial direction of the peripheral wall portion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a steering device configured to dispose an electronic component on a pad disposed on the upper side of a boss portion.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a steering device, there has been a configuration in which a decorative body (emblem) that can emit light at a predetermined time, as an electronic component, is disposed on a ceiling wall portion disposed on the driver side in a pad. In this steering device, a lead wire extending from the arrangement region of the decorative body in the ceiling wall portion is inserted through an opening formed in the peripheral wall portion of the pad, exposed on the outer peripheral side of the peripheral wall portion, and extended downward (extended along the axial direction of the peripheral wall portion) on the outer peripheral side of the peripheral wall portion, and a connector provided on the tip side is fixed to the lower surface side of a bag holder which is a holding member holding the pad (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In this conventional steering device, the lead wires extending from the decorative element are simply positioned along the axial direction of the peripheral wall on the outer circumference, and the connector at the tip is fixed to the underside of the bag holder. This configuration limits the placement of the connector on the bag holder, and in other words, the placement of the decorative element (electronic component) on the pad is also somewhat limited. Furthermore, considering these points, it is conceivable to change the placement of the connector by positioning the lead wires along the underside of the bag holder, but this presents a challenge in securing sufficient placement space because other components are placed in close proximity.

[0005] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a steering device that offers a high degree of freedom in the placement of electronic components on the pad. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The steering device according to the present invention comprises a steering body and A pad located on the upper side of the boss, A retaining member is positioned on the underside of the pad to hold the pad and is attached to the steering wheel body, An electronic component is placed on the pad and electrically connected to a control device provided on the vehicle body side, A steering device comprising, The pad comprises a ceiling wall portion positioned on the driver's side, and a peripheral wall portion extending downward in a cylindrical shape from near the periphery of the ceiling wall portion. Lead wires extending from the area where electronic components are arranged in the ceiling wall extend from the back side of the ceiling wall through an insertion opening provided in the peripheral wall to the outer periphery of the peripheral wall, and a connector disposed at the tip is attached to the lower side of the holding member, and the intermediate portion is arranged on the outer periphery of the peripheral wall so as to intersect with the axial direction of the peripheral wall.

[0007] In the steering device of the present invention, the intermediate portion of the lead wires extending from the electronic component placement area is positioned on the outer circumference of the pad's peripheral wall so as to intersect with the axial direction of the peripheral wall. This allows the connector at the tip to be easily positioned in the holding member at a distance from below the electronic component. In other words, the steering device of the present invention offers a high degree of freedom in the placement position of the connector in the holding member, and conversely, the placement position of the electronic component on the pad is not affected by the placement position of the connector.

[0008] Therefore, the steering device of the present invention offers a high degree of freedom in the placement of electronic components on the pad.

[0009] Furthermore, in the steering device of the present invention, if a holding portion capable of holding the intermediate portion of the lead wire is provided on the outer peripheral surface side of the peripheral wall, the intermediate portion of the lead wire can be prevented from moving relative to the peripheral wall by holding the intermediate portion with the holding portion, which is preferable as it improves handling workability when holding the pad with the holding member.

[0010] Furthermore, in the steering device with the above configuration, the pad is configured to be able to cover the folded airbag, The retaining member is composed of a bag holder that holds the airbag, Ribs for strength reinforcement are formed on the outer surface of the peripheral wall portion, projecting outward and extending substantially along the axial direction of the peripheral wall portion. It is preferable to form a retaining recess in the rib, through which the intermediate portion can be inserted and held, as a retaining part.

[0011] If the steering device is configured as described above, even if ribs for strength reinforcement are positioned to protrude from the outer surface of the peripheral wall, by providing retaining recesses in these ribs that allow lead wires to be inserted and held, it is possible to prevent the intermediate portion of the lead wire from being positioned outside the ribs and floating away from the peripheral wall. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the outer diameter dimension of the peripheral wall (width dimension on the side perpendicular to the axis of the peripheral wall) including the lead wires from becoming too large.

[0012] Furthermore, in the steering device with the above configuration, the retaining recess is arranged on the lower end side of the rib, with an opening at the bottom. It is preferable to configure the bag holder so that the side wall portion covers the outside of the peripheral wall portion and extends at least to the vicinity of the lower end of the rib.

[0013] In the steering device with the above configuration, the retaining recess is positioned on the lower end of the rib, with an opening at the bottom. In other words, since the retaining recess is formed along the mold removal direction when forming the pad, an increase in the manufacturing cost of the pad can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the side wall of the bag holder, which is positioned to cover the outside of the peripheral wall of the pad, is positioned to extend at least to the vicinity of the lower end of the rib, even if the lead wire were to detach from the retaining recess with an opening at the bottom, the outer circumference of the lead wire can be held in place by the side wall of the bag holder, effectively preventing the lead wire from separating from the peripheral wall. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a plan view of a steering wheel (steering device) which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the steering wheel of the embodiment, showing the area II-II in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a plan view of the airbag device in the steering wheel of an embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 3 is a bottom view of the airbag system. [Figure 5] Figure 3 is an enlarged front view of the airbag system. [Figure 6] Figure 3 is an enlarged left side view of the airbag system. [Figure 7] Figure 3 is a schematic enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the airbag system in the front-rear direction. [Figure 8]It is a schematic enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the airbag device in FIG. 3 in the left-right direction side. [Figure 9] It is a schematic perspective view of the pad in the steering wheel of the embodiment. [Figure 10] It is a partially enlarged bottom view of the pad in FIG. 9. [Figure 11] In the pad of FIG. 9, it is a partially enlarged vertical cross-sectional view showing the slit part. [Figure 12] It is a cross-sectional view of the XII-XII part in FIG. 11. [Figure 13] In the pad of FIG. 9, it is a partially enlarged vertical cross-sectional view showing the rib part provided on the left wall part. [Figure 14] In the airbag device of FIG. 3, it is a schematic partially enlarged vertical cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the slit part. [Figure 15] In the airbag device of FIG. 3, it is a partially enlarged perspective view showing the region on the left rear end side of the bag holder. [Figure 16] It is a schematic view showing a holding recess which is another form of the present invention.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In the embodiment, as an example of the steering device, a steering wheel 1 having an annular ring portion 2 (grip portion) will be described. As shown in FIG. 1 in the case of the embodiment, the steering wheel 1 includes an annular ring portion 2 to be gripped during rotational steering, a boss portion 4 disposed substantially at the center of the ring portion 2, and a plurality (in the case of the embodiment, three) of spoke portions 3 connecting the ring portion 2 and the boss portion 4. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, as component parts, the steering wheel 1 includes a steering wheel main body 7 and an airbag device 15 disposed above the boss portion 4.

[0016] In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the forward / backward, up / down, and left / right directions are defined as follows: the direction along the rotational axis C of the ring portion 2 (see Figure 2) is considered the up / down direction, the direction perpendicular to the rotational axis C of the ring portion 2 and along the forward / backward direction of the vehicle is considered the forward / backward direction, and the direction perpendicular to the rotational axis C of the ring portion 2 and along the left / right direction of the vehicle is considered the left / right direction.

[0017] As shown in Figure 2, the steering wheel body 7, as the steering unit, comprises a core metal 8 arranged to connect the ring portion 2, the boss portion 4, and the spoke portion 3; a covering layer 9 covering the area around the ring portion 2 and the spoke portion 3 of the core metal 8; a surface layer 10 covering the outer circumference of the covering layer 9; and a lower cover 12 covering the lower surface of the boss portion 4. The core metal 8 is made of metal such as an aluminum alloy. The covering layer 9 is formed from a soft foam material such as foamed polyurethane. The surface layer 10 is formed from a synthetic resin sheet or from leather such as natural leather, synthetic leather, or artificial leather. The lower cover 12 is made of synthetic resin, although detailed illustration is omitted and it is shown with a dashed line.

[0018] As shown in Figures 3 to 8, 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 (airbag cover) 30 disposed on the upper side of the boss portion 4 and covering the folded airbag 16, a decorative body 70 as an electronic component provided on the pad 30, a bag holder 20 as a holding member that holds the airbag 16, the inflator 17 and the pad 30, and a retainer 18 for attaching the airbag 16 and the inflator 17 to the bag holder 20.

[0019] The airbag 16 is a bag-like structure formed from a flexible sheet material. Although detailed illustrations are omitted, the inflated shape, formed by introducing inflation gas into the interior, is roughly disc-shaped, capable of covering almost the entire upper surface of the ring portion 2 (see the dashed line in Figure 1).

[0020] The inflator 17 comprises a substantially cylindrical main body 17a with a plurality of gas outlets 17b at its top for discharging expansion gas, and a flange portion 17c protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the main body 17a. Although detailed illustrations are omitted, the inflator 17 is also electrically connected to the control device 90 provided on the vehicle body side.

[0021] The retainer 18 is made of sheet metal in a roughly rectangular ring shape and is equipped with bolts 18a (see Figure 4) at its four corners. This retainer 18 is installed inside the airbag 16. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the bolts 18a protruding downwards are passed through the airbag 16, the bottom wall portion 21 of the bag holder 20 (described later), and the flange portion 17c of the inflator 17 in that order. Nuts 19 (see Figure 4) are fastened to each bolt 18a protruding from the flange portion 17c, thereby attaching the airbag 16 and the inflator 17 to the bag holder 20.

[0022] In this embodiment, the bag holder 20, as a retaining member, is made of sheet metal and, as shown in Figure 2, holds the airbag 16, inflator 17, and pad 30, and is a member that attaches the airbag device 15 to the steering wheel body 7 using a horn switch unit (not shown). Specifically, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the bag holder 20 has a substantially rectangular bottom wall portion 21 to which the airbag 16 and inflator 17 are attached using a retainer 18, and side wall portions 22 that are arranged to extend upward from the periphery of the bottom wall portion 21. The pad 30 is held by connecting predetermined locations of the side wall portions 22 to the peripheral wall portion 40 of the pad 30 using rivets (not shown). As shown in Figures 5 to 8, the side wall portions 22 are arranged at four locations on the outer periphery of the bottom wall portion 21, excluding the areas near the four corners, and each is arranged to extend upward on the outer periphery side of the peripheral wall portion 40 of the pad 30. In the steering wheel 1 of this embodiment, the left side wall portion 22L covering the left side of the peripheral wall portion 40 of the pad 30 is arranged to extend to the vicinity of the lower end 62a of the rib 62, which will be described later and is located on the left wall portion 43 of the peripheral wall portion 40 (the upper end 22a is positioned close to the lower end 62a of the rib 62) (see Figures 5, 6, 8, and 15). In addition, in the bag holder 20 of this embodiment, an insertion recess 24 is formed near the left rear corner, through which a lead wire 82, which will be described later and extends from a decorative body 70 located on the pad 30, is inserted, as shown in Figures 4 and 15, by cutting out the corner. This insertion recess 24 has an opening width that allows the tip 82a side (connector 88 side) of the lead wire 82, which is covered on its outer circumference by a protective tube 84 made of an elastic material, to be inserted together with the protective tube 84, and the depth of the recess is set to a size that allows the entire lead wire 82 to be inserted inside. In other words, in the steering wheel 1 of this embodiment, the lead wire 82 is secured near its tip 82a to the left rear end of the bag holder 20. Furthermore, in the bag holder 20 of this embodiment, a locking projection 25 capable of locking the connector 88, which is positioned on the tip 82a side of the lead wire 82, is formed on the lower surface side near the left rear end, which is close to the insertion recess 24 in the bottom wall portion 21 (see Figure 4).As shown in Figures 5-7, the locking projection 25 is formed to protrude downward from the bottom wall portion 21.

[0023] The pad 30 is positioned on the upper side of the boss portion 4 and, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, is configured to cover the folded airbag 16 from above to the sides. The pad 30 is made of a soft synthetic resin, and in this embodiment, it is made of polyolefin thermoplastic elastomer (TPO). Specifically, the pad 30 is formed using TPO colored in a dark color such as black as the base material. The pad 30 comprises a ceiling wall portion 31 positioned above on the driver's side to cover the top of the folded airbag 16, and a peripheral wall portion 40 that extends cylindrically from near the periphery of the ceiling wall portion 31 to cover the front, rear, left, and right sides of the folded airbag 16 (see Figures 7-9).

[0024] The ceiling wall section 31 comprises a door mounting section 34 formed from the inner region of the peripheral wall section 40, and a peripheral edge section 32 formed from the outer region of the peripheral wall section 40. Within the area of ​​the door mounting section 34, a front door section 35 that opens forward and a rear door section 36 that opens backward are provided (see Figures 1 and 3). Around these front door section 35 and rear door section 36, there are planned rupture sections 37 that are designed to rupture when the airbag 16 inflates. In this embodiment, the planned rupture sections 37 are formed by cutting out the ceiling wall section 31 from the back side (bottom side), and specifically, they are formed by continuously providing V-shaped notches in cross-section (see Figure 7).

[0025] In the ceiling wall section 31, a decorative element 70, which serves as an electronic component, is provided in the front door section 35. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3, 7, and 8, the decorative element 70 is provided in a wide area on the left and right sides of the rear edge 35a side of the front door section 35. The front door section 35 has through-holes 35b that allow projections 73 formed on the surface (upper surface) side of the main body section 72 of the decorative element 70 to pass through, and connecting projections 35c for connecting the decorative element 70 to the pad 30 (see Figures 3 and 8). The through-holes 35b are formed to allow projections 73 to pass through, and are opening to correspond to the outer shape of projections 73. In this embodiment, the outer shape when viewed from above is approximately rectangular, and five of them are arranged side by side on the left and right sides (see Figure 3). As shown in Figure 3, the connecting protrusions 35c are arranged at four locations between the protrusions 73 (between the through-holes 35b) when the pad 30 is viewed from above. As shown in Figure 8, these connecting protrusions 35c penetrate the entire decorative body 70, which is positioned on the back side of the front door 35, by passing the protrusions 73 through the through-holes 35b. The decorative body 70 is connected to the pad 30 (front door 35) by melting the lower end of the decorative body 70 that protrudes from the retaining member 80, which will be described later. The external shape of the connecting protrusions 35c before melting is cylindrical, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 8.

[0026] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 7-9, the peripheral wall portion 40 is rectangular in shape, with its front end (lower end) positioned near the upper surface of the bottom wall portion 21 of the bag holder 20, and its outer circumference near the lower end covered by the side wall portion 22 of the bag holder 20. The peripheral wall portion 40 comprises a front wall portion 41 and a rear wall portion 42 that face each other front and rear, and a left wall portion 43 and a right wall portion 44 that face each other left and right.

[0027] A slit 48 is formed in the front wall portion 41 of the peripheral wall portion 40, serving as an insertion opening for inserting lead wires 82 extending from the decorative body 70. Specifically, the slit 48 is formed in the area near the original end when the front door portion 35 is open (the area covering the front of the airbag 16), at a position approximately in the center of the left and right sides of the front wall portion 41 (see Figure 9). The slit 48 is formed so as to cut out the front wall portion 41 from the lower end 41b side and extend along the vertical direction. In this embodiment, an inclined portion 45 is provided on the upper end 41a side of the front wall portion 41, which is inclined to extend outward (forward) and upward, with its tip connected to the back side of the peripheral edge portion 32 (see Figure 11). The slit 48 is formed continuously from the lower end 41b of the front wall portion 41 to the inclined portion 45, as shown in Figures 9 to 12. The slit 48 comprises a groove-shaped general section 49 and a round hole section 50 formed on the upper end side of the general section 49. The round hole section 50 is located in the region of the inclined section 45 (specifically, approximately in the center of the front and rear of the inclined section 45). The inner diameter dimension d of the round hole section 50 is set to be larger than the opening width dimension H1 of the general section 49 (see Figure 12). In this embodiment, the lead wire 82 extending from the decorative body 70 is flattened as two linear bodies 83, 83 arranged side by side, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 12. In this embodiment, the opening width dimension H1 of the general section 49 in the slit 48 is set to be approximately equal to the thickness dimension T of the lead wire 82, and the inner diameter dimension d of the round hole section 50 is set to be larger than the thickness dimension T of the lead wire 82 and smaller than the width dimension W of the lead wire 82 (see Figure 12). Then, the lead wire 82 is inserted into the round hole 50 formed in the inclined portion 45 while passing through the general portion 49, with the insulating tube (not shown in the figure) covering the outer circumference slightly bent, and is positioned so that it is bent below the round hole 50 (see the dashed line in Figure 10 and Figure 14). When the lead wire 82 is inserted into the slit 48, it is inserted into the round hole 50 formed in the inclined portion 45 which is inclined with respect to the front wall portion 41, thereby preventing it from entering the general portion 49 and preventing it from coming out of the slit 48 (general portion 49).Furthermore, since the opening width dimension H1 of the general section 49 is set to be approximately the same as the thickness dimension T of the lead wire 82, the lead wire 82 is less likely to move downward within the general section 49 and less likely to come out due to the frictional force generated between the inner periphery of the slit 48 (general section 49) and its outer surface (outer surface of the insulating tube).

[0028] Furthermore, a cover portion 46 is provided in front of the front wall portion 41, covering the front of the upper end 41a side of the front wall portion 41, extending across the entire left and right sides of the front wall portion 41 (see Figures 4, 5, 9, 11, and 14). The cover portion 46 is formed to extend downward from the intermediate front-to-rear part of the inclined portion 45, specifically extending downward at a position in front of the round hole portion 50 in the slit 48 (see Figure 11). Between the front wall portion 41 and the cover portion 46, a connecting rib 55 is provided as a plate-like structure along the front-to-rear direction, connecting the front wall portion 41 and the cover portion 46 (see Figure 10). The connecting rib 55 extends downward from the inclined portion 45 and is positioned to connect the front wall portion 41 and the cover portion 46 (in other words, to protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the front wall portion 41), and in the area to the left of the slit 48, it is provided in three locations as shown in Figure 10. A guide recess 58 (holding part) is formed at the lower end 55a side of each connecting rib 55 to guide and hold the lead wire 82 (intermediate portion 82c) protruding from the slit 48 (see Figure 11). Each guide recess 58 is formed by recessing the connecting rib 55 upward from the lower end 55a side, and in detail, its position in the front-rear direction is formed to approximately coincide with the position of the round hole portion 50 in the slit 48 (see Figures 10 and 11). The opening width dimension H2 of this guide recess 58 is approximately the same as the thickness dimension T of the lead wire 82, and the length dimension (depth) L1 is set to be slightly larger than the width dimension W of the lead wire 82 (see Figure 11). This guide recess 58 is also configured to hold the lead wire 82 by slightly bending the insulating tube (not shown in the figure) covering the outer circumference and inserting it into the recess, thereby utilizing the frictional force generated between the inner circumference and the outer surface of the lead wire 82 (outer surface of the insulating tube). The intermediate portion 82c of the lead wire 82 is inserted into and held in each guide recess 58, and is positioned to extend to the left on the front side of the front wall portion 41 (intersecting (perpendicular to) the axial direction of the peripheral wall portion 40) (see the dashed line in Figures 4, 5, and 10).

[0029] On the outer circumferential surface 40a side of the peripheral wall portion 40 of the pad 30, ribs 60, 61, 62, and 65 for strength reinforcement are formed so as to protrude outward (see Figures 7-9). Each of the ribs 60, 61, 62, and 65 is a thin, plate-like structure that protrudes outward, and multiple ribs are arranged in each of the front wall portion 41, rear wall portion 42, left wall portion 43, and right wall portion 44, respectively, so as to be roughly aligned with the axial direction (roughly aligned in the vertical direction) of the peripheral wall portion 40. In detail, in this embodiment, the ribs 60 and 61 provided on the front wall 41 and rear wall 42 are arranged to extend to the lower ends of the front wall 41 and rear wall 42 (see Figure 7), and the ribs 62 and 65 provided on the left wall 43 and right wall 44 are arranged so that their tips (lower ends) are located in the upper and lower intermediate portion of the left wall 43 and right wall 44 (more specifically, slightly below the upper and lower center) (see Figure 8).

[0030] In this embodiment, each rib 62 arranged on the left wall portion 43 has a retaining recess 63 formed therein, which serves as a retaining part into which the intermediate portion 82c of the lead wire 82 can be inserted and held. Specifically, as shown in Figures 9 and 13, the retaining recess 63 is formed by recessing the rib 62 upward from the lower end 62a side. That is, the retaining recess 63 is arranged on the lower end 62a side of the rib 62 with an opening at the bottom. In this embodiment, five ribs 62 are arranged on the left wall portion 43, and retaining recesses 63 are formed on all five ribs 62. More specifically, the retaining recess 63 is formed by cutting out the lower right end side of the rib 62, and the right edge is formed from the outer surface of the left wall portion 43 (see Figure 13). In this embodiment, the retaining recess 63 has an opening width dimension H3 that is approximately the same as the thickness dimension T of the lead wire 82, and a length dimension (depth) L2 that is slightly larger than the width dimension W of the lead wire 82 (see Figure 13). In this embodiment, the external shape of the retaining recess 63 is approximately the same as that of the guide recess 58 described above. That is, in this embodiment, the retaining recess 63 is configured to hold the lead wire 82 by slightly bending the insulating tube (not shown in the figure) covering the outer circumference and inserting it into the recess, thereby utilizing the frictional force generated between the inner periphery and the outer surface of the lead wire 82 (outer surface of the insulating tube). On the outer periphery of the left wall portion 43, the intermediate portion 82c of the lead wire 82 is inserted into and held in each retaining recess 63, and is positioned to extend in the front-rear direction on the outer periphery of the left wall portion 42 (intersecting (perpendicular to) the axial direction of the peripheral wall portion 40) (see the dashed line in Figures 4, 6, and Figure 10).

[0031] The decorative element 70, as an electronic component, is electrically connected to a control device 90 provided on the vehicle body side, and is capable of emitting light at predetermined times. The decorative element 70 is disposed in the area of ​​the front door portion 35 on the ceiling wall portion 31 of the pad 30, and specifically, as described above, it is disposed in the area on the back side of the rear edge 35a of the front door portion 35, in a wide area on both the left and right sides. As shown in Figure 3, the decorative element 70 has an external shape when viewed from the vertical direction that is elongated along the left-right direction, and is constructed by stacking the main body portion 72, the light source portion 75, and the holding member 80 (see Figures 7 and 8). In this embodiment, as described above, only the protrusion portion 73 of the main body portion 72 of the decorative element 70 is exposed on the surface side of the pad 30 (see Figure 3). The main body 72, the light guide 78 and substrate 76 of the light source unit 75 (described later), and the holding member 80 each have through holes through which the connecting projection 35c protruding from the back side of the front door portion 35 of the pad 30 can pass (though these are not shown in the figures).

[0032] The main body 72 is a roughly rectangular plate that is wide from left to right, and has projections 73 on its upper surface that protrude upward. In this embodiment, the projections 73 have a roughly rectangular shape and are arranged in a row of five on the left and right sides, and each is capable of passing through the through-hole 35b provided in the front door 35 (see Figures 7 and 8). The upper surface 73a of these projections 73 is configured to be roughly flush with the upper surface of the front door 35. The main body 72 emits visible light from the light source 75 from the upper surface 73a side of the projections 73 while further diffusing it internally, and is formed from a synthetic resin such as polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin.

[0033] The light source unit 75 comprises a substrate 76, a visible light source (visible light LED 77) mounted on the substrate 76 and capable of emitting visible light when lit, and a light guide 78 laminated on the substrate 76. The light guide 78 is located on the lower side of the main body 72. The substrate 76 is set to have a larger external shape than the light guide 78 so as to cover almost the entire area below the light guide 78. In this embodiment, the visible light source (visible light LED 77) is arranged in parallel at five locations on the front edge side of the substrate 76 (in front of the light guide 78), corresponding to each protrusion 73 of the main body 72 (see Figures 3 and 7). In this embodiment, a full-color visible light LED 77 is used as the visible light source, which has light sources capable of emitting red, green, and blue light sealed in a single package and can change color by changing the brightness of each light source. These visible light LEDs 77 are electrically connected to a control device 90 located on the vehicle body side via lead wires 82 connected to the back side of the substrate 76, and are capable of being lit up to emit visible light of a predetermined color in response to an operating signal from the control device 90.

[0034] The holding member 80 is capable of covering the entire lower surface of the substrate 76 of the light source unit 75 and holding the substrate 76 (light source unit 75). It has a connector mounting portion 80a that partially protrudes downward at a position in the center in the left-right direction (see Figures 7 and 8). This connector mounting portion 80a is the part to which a connector 87 provided on one end (root end 82b) of the lead wire 82 is attached and to which the lead wire 82 is connected.

[0035] The decorative body 70 is formed by laminating the main body 72, the light source 75, and the holding member 80 together so that they are locked in place at predetermined locations, and is positioned on the back side of the front door 35 so that it passes through the connecting projection 35c extending from the front door 35. The tip of the connecting projection 35c is melted on the underside of the holding member 80 to attach it to the front door 35 (see Figure 8). The lead wire 82, which extends from the connector mounting portion 80a provided on the back side of the decorative body 70 (i.e., the back side of the area where the decorative body 70 is positioned on the front door 35) and passes through the back side of the ceiling wall 31, is inserted through a slit 48, which is an insertion opening formed in the front wall portion 41 of the peripheral wall portion 40, so that the connector 88 at the other end (tip 82a side) protrudes outside the pad 30 (see Figure 14). The lead wire 82 protruding from the slit 48 extends to the left, with its intermediate portion 82c held by a guide recess 58 (holding portion) located on the front wall portion 41 side, passing through the left rear corner portion 40b of the peripheral wall portion 40, and on the outer circumference side of the left wall portion 43, it is held by a holding recess 63 (holding portion) and is positioned roughly along the front-rear direction so as to cross the left wall portion 43 (intersecting with the axial direction of the peripheral wall portion 40), with its tip 82a being inserted into an insertion recess 24 formed in the bottom wall portion 21 of the bag holder 20 (see Figures 4-6). The connector 88 provided on the tip 82a side of the lead wire 82 is positioned on the lower surface side of the bag holder 20 (bottom wall portion 21) so as to be locked by a locking projection 25 that protrudes downward from the bottom wall portion 21 of the bag holder 20, as shown in Figures 4-7. In other words, in the steering wheel 1 of the embodiment, the intermediate portion 82c of the lead wire 82 extending from the decorative body 70 is positioned to extend from the front center of the peripheral wall portion 40 of the bag holder 20 to the left rear end of the peripheral wall portion 40, intersecting with the axial direction of the peripheral wall portion 40 (so that the intermediate portion 82c is wrapped around the outer circumference of the peripheral wall portion 40 for about 1 / 3 of its circumference) (see Figures 4-6).

[0036] Next, the mounting of the steering wheel 1 of the embodiment onto the vehicle will be described. With the decorative body 70 attached to the pad 30, the lead wire 82 extending from the back side of the decorative body 70 (the back side of the front door portion 35) is inserted through the slit 48, and the intermediate portion 82c is held in the guide recess 58 provided on the front wall portion 41 side and the retaining recess 63 formed in the rib 62 of the left wall portion 43. Then, by attaching this pad 30 to the bag holder 20 with the folded airbag 16 and inflator 17 attached, so as to cover the periphery of the folded airbag 16, the airbag device 15 can be assembled. At this time, the portion of the lead wire 82 near the tip 82a is inserted through the insertion recess 24 formed in the bottom wall portion 21 of the bag holder 20, and the connector 88 on the tip 82a side is locked to the locking projection 25 formed in the bottom wall portion 21. Subsequently, the airbag device 15 is attached to the steering wheel body 7, which is already mounted to the vehicle body, using a horn switch unit (not shown). The lead wires 82 extending from the decorative body 70 are connected to the lead wires (not shown) extending from the control device 90. The inflator 17 is also electrically connected to the control device 90. By doing so, the airbag device 15 is assembled to the steering wheel body 7, and the steering wheel 1 can be mounted on the vehicle.

[0037] Furthermore, in the steering wheel 1 (steering device) of this embodiment, the intermediate portion 82c of the lead wire 82 extending from the placement area of ​​the decorative element 70 as an electronic component is positioned on the outer circumference side of the peripheral wall portion 40 of the pad 30 so as to intersect with the axial direction of the peripheral wall portion 40. This allows the connector 88 on the tip 82a side to be easily positioned in the bag holder 20, which serves as a holding member, at a position away from below the decorative element 70 (in this embodiment, at a position away from directly below the decorative element 70, which is positioned on the front side, and at the rear left end). In other words, in the steering wheel 1 of this embodiment, there is a high degree of freedom in the positioning of the connector 88 in the bag holder 20, and to put it another way, the position of the decorative element 70 on the pad 30 is not affected by the positioning of the connector 88.

[0038] Therefore, in the steering wheel 1 (steering device) of this embodiment, there is a high degree of freedom in the placement of the decorative element 70 (electronic component) on the pad 30.

[0039] Furthermore, in the steering wheel 1 of this embodiment, retaining parts (guide recess 58, retaining recess 63) capable of holding the intermediate portion 82c of the lead wire 82 are provided on the outer circumferential surface side of the peripheral wall portion 40. Therefore, by holding the intermediate portion 82c in these guide recess 58 and retaining recess 63, movement of the intermediate portion 82c of the lead wire 82 relative to the peripheral wall portion 40 can be suppressed, resulting in improved handling workability, such as when holding the pad 30 in the bag holder 20 which serves as a retaining member.

[0040] Furthermore, in the steering wheel 1 of this embodiment, a retaining recess 63 is provided as a retaining part in a rib 62 that protrudes outward on the outer peripheral surface 40a side of the peripheral wall portion 40, by recessing the rib 62 so that the intermediate portion 82c of the lead wire can be inserted through it and held in place. Therefore, even if a rib 62 for strength reinforcement is arranged to protrude from the outer peripheral surface side of the peripheral wall portion 40, by providing a retaining recess 63 in the rib 62 so that the intermediate portion 82c of the lead wire 82 can be prevented from being positioned so that it passes outside the rib 62 and floats away from the peripheral wall portion 40 (left wall portion 43). As a result, it is possible to prevent the outer diameter dimension of the peripheral wall portion 40 (width dimension on the side perpendicular to the axis of the peripheral wall portion) including the lead wire 82 from becoming larger. If these points are not taken into consideration, a configuration may be used in which a retaining recess is not provided in the rib, and a separate retaining member is provided so that the lead wire passes outside the rib.

[0041] Furthermore, in the steering wheel 1 of this embodiment, the guide recess 58 and the retaining recess 63 that constitute the retaining portion are arranged on the lower end 55a, 62a side of the connecting ribs 55 and 62, which are arranged along the axial direction (vertical direction) of the peripheral wall portion 40, with the lower end open. In other words, since the guide recess 58 and the retaining recess 63 are formed along the mold removal direction (not shown) when forming the pad 30, an increase in the manufacturing cost of the pad 30 can be suppressed. If this point is not taken into consideration, the retaining recess may be formed, for example, by cutting out from the outer edge side (left edge side in this embodiment) at the intermediate portion between the upper and lower parts of the rib. Furthermore, in the steering wheel 1 of this embodiment, the side wall portion 22L of the bag holder 20, which is located on the left wall portion 43 side, covers the outside of the peripheral wall portion 40 (left wall portion 43) and extends to the vicinity of the lower end 62a of the rib 62 which is disposed on the left wall portion 43 and has a retaining recess 63. Therefore, even if the lead wire 82 were to detach from the retaining recess 63 which is open at the bottom, the outer circumference of the lead wire 82 can be held in place by the side wall portion 22L of the bag holder 20, and the lead wire 82 (intermediate portion 82c) can be effectively prevented from separating from the peripheral wall portion 40 (left wall portion 43). If this point is not considered, the side wall portion of the bag holder does not need to be arranged to extend to the vicinity of the lower end of the rib. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 16, the retaining recess 63A may be configured to have a projection 63a that protrudes inward from the inner peripheral edge (in this embodiment, the right edge away from the left wall) to prevent the lead wire 82 from detaching. In Figure 16, the projection 63a is formed in the upper and lower intermediate portion so that it can enter the recess that occurs between the linear bodies 83, 83 that make up the lead wire 82. The projection 63b may be provided on the open end side (lower end side), as shown by the dashed line in Figure 16.

[0042] Furthermore, in the steering wheel 1 of this embodiment, an insertion recess 24 is formed near the left rear end of the bag holder 20, into which the tip 82a of the lead wire 82 can be inserted and locked. Therefore, after the connector 88 on the tip 82a side is locked to the bottom wall portion 21 (locking projection piece 25) of the bag holder 20, the area of ​​the tip 82a side of the lead wire 82 can be prevented from moving significantly relative to the bag holder 20, and the lead wire 82 can also be prevented from detaching from the retaining recess 63 provided in the rib 62. As a result, the workability when attaching the airbag device 15 to the steering wheel body 7 is improved.

[0043] In the steering wheel 1 of this embodiment, a decorative element 70 that emits light at a predetermined time is provided as an electronic component on the pad 30, but the electronic component is not limited to the decorative element 70. The present invention can also be applied to steering devices in which, for example, a display or a camera for driver monitoring is mounted on the pad as an electronic component. Furthermore, although the steering wheel 1 of this embodiment is configured to include an airbag device 15, the present invention can also be applied to steering wheels (steering devices) of a type that does not include an airbag device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1...Steering wheel (steering device), 4...Boss part, 7...Steering wheel body (steering body), 15...Airbag device, 16...Airbag, 20...Bag holder (holding member), 21...Bottom wall part, 22,22L...Side wall part, 22a...Upper end, 30...Pad, 31...Top wall part, 40...Peripheral wall part, 40a...Outer surface, 41...Front wall part, 43...Left wall part, 48...Slit (insertion opening), 55...Connecting rib, 55a...Lower end, 58...Guide recess (holding part), 62...Rib, 62a...Lower end, 63...Retaining recess (holding part), 70...Decorative part (electronic component), 82...Lead wire, 82a...Tip, 82c...Intermediate part, 87,88...Connector, 90...Control device.

Claims

1. The steering wheel itself, A pad located on the upper side of the boss, A retaining member is disposed on the lower side of the pad to hold the pad and is attached to the steering body side, An electronic component is placed on the aforementioned pad and electrically connected to a control device provided on the vehicle body side, A steering device comprising, The pad comprises a ceiling wall portion positioned on the driver's side, and a peripheral wall portion extending downward in a cylindrical shape from near the periphery of the ceiling wall portion. A steering device characterized in that lead wires extending from the area where the electronic components are arranged in the ceiling wall extend from the back side of the ceiling wall through an insertion opening provided in the peripheral wall to the outer periphery of the peripheral wall, and a connector disposed at the tip is attached to the lower side of the holding member, and the intermediate portion is arranged on the outer periphery of the peripheral wall so as to intersect with the axial direction of the peripheral wall.

2. The steering device according to claim 1, characterized in that a holding portion capable of holding the intermediate portion of the lead wire is provided on the outer circumferential surface side of the peripheral wall portion.

3. The aforementioned pad is configured to cover the folded airbag, The retaining member is composed of a bag holder that holds the airbag, Ribs for strength reinforcement are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion, protruding outward and substantially aligned with the axial direction of the peripheral wall portion. The steering device according to claim 2, characterized in that the retaining portion is formed such that the rib is recessed, and a retaining recess into which the intermediate portion can be inserted and held is formed as the retaining portion.

4. The retaining recess is provided on the lower end side of the rib, with an opening at the bottom. The steering device according to claim 3, characterized in that the side wall portion of the bag holder is arranged to cover the outside of the peripheral wall portion and to extend at least to the vicinity of the lower end of the rib.

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