handle

Abstract

To provide a steering wheel in which processing of a terminal part of a skin body is facilitated.SOLUTION: A steering wheel comprises a steering wheel body part 3, a skin body 14, and a cover member 45. The skin body 14 covers at least a part of a rim part of the steering wheel body part 3. The cover member 45 covers a rear face side of the steering wheel body part 3. A spoke part 7 has a surface part 30 along a front face rear face direction at an end on an opposite side of an end that is continuous with the rim part. The surface part 30 includes a corner part 31 formed into an acute angle at a part of a side edge. In the skin body 14, a terminal part extending from a rim part side to a spoke part 7 side is folded and positioned along the surface part 30, and is bent inward from a position of the corner part 31 to be supported by the interior of the cover member 45.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a handle in which the terminal portion of a skin covering at least a portion of the rim portion of the handle body is positioned so as to extend toward the spoke portion. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a steering wheel used in a vehicle such as an automobile includes a steering wheel main body having a boss connected to a steering shaft on the vehicle body, an annular rim surrounding the boss, and a plurality of spokes connecting the boss and the rim. Known examples of such steering wheels include those in which components such as finishers for improving the appearance and operating units for various electronic devices installed in the vehicle are attached to the gaps between the spokes and a module such as an airbag device attached to the boss (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-233986 A (pages 7-14, Figures 1-4) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Depending on the shape of the parts between the module and the spokes, the part that faces the part on the steering wheel body to which the part is attached may have an acute angle. When wrapping a skin around the rim to improve the luxury feel of the steering wheel, it is not easy to attach the end of the skin that extends toward the spokes along the acute angle, so it is necessary to maintain a good appearance even in such a shape.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide a handle whose end portion of the skin can be easily processed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The handle described in claim 1 comprises a handle body having a boss connected to a steering shaft, a rim located outside the boss, and spokes connecting the boss and the rim; a skin covering at least a portion of the rim of the handle body; and a cover member covering the back side of the handle body, wherein the spokes have a surface extending in the front-to-back direction at an end opposite to the end connected to the rim, and the surface has a corner formed at an acute angle on part of the side edge, and the skin has a terminal extending from the rim side to the spokes side that is bent along the surface and is bent inward from the corner so as to be held inside the cover member.

[0007] The handle described in claim 2 is the handle described in claim 1, which includes a part attached to the handle main body, and when attached to the handle main body, the part is positioned so that the terminal portion of the skin body is sandwiched between the part and the face portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the handle of claim 1, the end portion of the skin body is recessed inside the cover member, and can be easily disposed so that the end portion of the skin body is not exposed to the outside.

[0009] According to the handle of claim 2, in addition to the effect of the handle of claim 1, at the boundary position between the cover member, the part, and the terminal part of the skin body, the terminal part of the skin body is covered by the cover member and the part without being exposed to the outside, thereby obtaining a good appearance. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a portion of a handle according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 8 is a view taken along the arrow A in FIG. 7. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a part of the handle body of the handle. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the handle cover in an expanded state. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a front view showing the cover member of the handle. [Figure 6] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line II in FIG. 7. [Figure 7] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] In Fig. 7, reference numeral 1 denotes a steering wheel, which is, for example, the steering wheel (steering handle) of an automobile as a vehicle. The steering wheel 1 is normally mounted in an inclined state on a steering shaft, which is a steering shaft provided in a vehicle. In the following description, when viewing the steering wheel 1 from the driver (passenger) side, the direction of arrow U is the upper side, the direction of arrow D is the lower side, the front side of the vehicle, i.e., the windshield side above the front side, is the front side or rear side, and the rear side of the vehicle, i.e., the lower rear side, is the rear side, near side, or front side. The vertical, horizontal, and other positions of each part of the steering wheel main body 3 are based on the neutral position of the steering wheel 1.

[0013] The steering wheel 1 includes a steering wheel body 3, which is the handle body. The steering wheel body 3 has a boss 5 connected to the steering shaft, a rim (grip) 6 positioned outside the boss 5 as a handle, and a plurality of spokes 7 connecting the boss 5 and the rim 6.

[0014] The boss portion 5 is a portion that is connected to the steering shaft. A module 10 is attached to the passenger side of the boss portion 5. The module 10 may be, for example, an airbag device or a pad that houses a shock absorber.

[0015] The rim portion 6 is a portion that is gripped and operated by the driver (passenger). At least a portion of the rim portion 6 is formed in an arc shape. Preferably, the rim portion 6 is formed in an annular shape. In this embodiment, the rim portion 6 is formed in an annular shape.

[0016] The spokes 7 are located at least on both the left and right sides of the boss 5. In this embodiment, the spokes 7 are located on both the left and right sides of the boss 5 and below the boss 5 (at the 6 o'clock position on an analog clock when viewed from the front).

[0017] The steering wheel body 3 shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 is formed such that a part of the core metal 12 is covered with a covering portion 13, and a part of the covering portion 13 is covered with a skin body .

[0018] The core 12 is made of a metal such as aluminum or magnesium. The core 12 has a rim core 20, which is a grip core that forms part of the rim 6, a boss core 21 that forms part of the boss 5, and spoke cores 22 that form part of the spokes 7.

[0019] The rim core metal portion 20 is formed in a shape that corresponds to the shape of the rim portion 6. In other words, the rim core metal portion 20 has an annular shape, for example, with at least a portion formed along an arc, in accordance with the shape of the rim portion 6. In this embodiment, the rim core metal portion 20 is formed in an annular shape.

[0020] The boss core portion 21 is configured by integrally fixing a boss plate, which constitutes a core body, to a boss having a serration structure that meshes with the steering shaft.

[0021] The spoke cores 22 extend radially from the boss plate of the boss core 21. The spoke cores 22 do not necessarily correspond to all spokes 7; at least some of the spokes 7 may be formed by finishers, covers, or the like, without having a spoke core 22. In this embodiment, the spoke cores 22 connect the left and right sides of the boss core 21 to the rim core 20. In other words, the spoke cores 22 form part of the left and right spokes 7.

[0022] As shown in Figure 6, the rim core metal portion 20 and portions of the spoke core metal portions 22 are covered by the covering portion 13. That is, the covering portion 13 integrally comprises a rim covering portion 25 that covers the rim core metal portion 20 and constitutes part of the rim portion 6, and spoke covering portions 26 that cover portions of the spoke core metal portions 22 and constitute part of the spoke portions 7 on both the left and right sides. The covering portion 13 is made, for example, from a finely foamed soft polyurethane resin.

[0023] The rim covering portion 25 is formed, for example, to have a circular cross section (including a substantially circular cross section).

[0024] The spoke covering portions 26 are formed to extend from the rim covering portion 25 toward the inside of the steering wheel body 3. The tip ends of the spoke covering portions 26, i.e., the ends opposite the ends connected to the rim covering portion 25, are located in front of the spoke core portions 22 exposed from the spoke covering portions 26. Note that in Figures 3 and 6, the spoke covering portions 26 located on the right-hand spoke 7 will be used as an example for explanation, but the left-hand spoke 7 also has a similar shape, symmetrical to the left.

[0025] A surface portion 30 is formed at the tip of each spoke covering portion 26. The surface portion 30 is formed in a planar shape that extends in the front-to-back direction, i.e., the front-to-rear direction. In the illustrated example, the surface portion 30 is gradually inclined from the bottom to the top toward the center of the width direction of the steering wheel main body 3 when viewed from the front. In this embodiment, the surface portion 30 is formed in a planar shape that extends in the up-down direction and the front-to-rear direction.

[0026] A corner 31 is formed on a part of the side edge of the face portion 30. In the example shown, the corner 31 is located at the upper end of the face portion 30. The corner 31 is formed so as to gradually taper from the general portion side of the face portion 30 toward the tip end. The corner 31 is formed in an acute angle when viewed from the front.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 7, the surface portion 30 faces the outer edge of the component 35. In this embodiment, a ridge 30a, which is a front edge forming the outer edge of the surface portion 30, is located along the outer edge of the component 35. The component 35 is an operating unit and / or a decorative finisher that allows the driver (occupant) to operate various electronic devices provided in the vehicle. In this embodiment, the component 35 has a switch 35a located on the side of the module 10. In addition, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the component 35 is located between the spoke portions 7 on both sides and the module 10 with respect to the steering wheel main body 3. That is, the component 35 is located on the occupant side of the spoke core portion 22. In the illustrated example, the component 35 is formed elongated in the vertical direction, extending from the spoke portions 7 on both sides to the lower spoke portion 7.

[0028] 1 and 6, the covering portion 13, including the surface portion 30, is covered with a skin body 14. The skin body 14 is a portion that is directly gripped by a driver (passenger) and is a decorative portion of the steering wheel 1. The skin body 14 is formed in a sheet shape from leather such as natural leather or synthetic leather, or synthetic resin.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 4, the skin body 14 integrally comprises a skin body main body portion 37 and an extension portion 38 extending from the skin body main body portion 37. The skin body main body portion 37 is formed in a long rectangular shape and is wrapped around the rim portion covering portion 25 (Fig. 3) in the meridian direction, with its side edges joined together at the inner edge of the rim portion 6 by a joining portion 40 (Fig. 2) such as sewing, thereby covering the rim portion covering portion 25 (Fig. 3). The skin body main body portion 37 may be formed from a single sheet member, or may be formed by joining multiple sheet members together to form a single sheet.

[0030] The extension portions 38 extend from both side edges of the skin body main body 37. The extension portions 38 may have any shape as long as they cover at least the exposed portions of the spoke covering portions 26 (FIG. 3). For example, one extension portion 38a is formed in a rectangular shape with a U-shaped notch at the tip, which is the terminal portion of the skin body 14, and the other extension portion 38b is formed in a rectangular shape. As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, one extension portion 38a covers the front side of the spoke covering portions 26, and the other extension portion 38b covers the back side of the spoke covering portions 26. The one extension portion 38a and the other extension portion 38b are joined by joining portions 40 (FIG. 2) such as stitching to cover the entire spoke covering portions 26. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the terminal portion of one of the extension portions 38a is bent along the surface portion 30 of the spoke covering portion 26 to form a knob portion 42, which is the bent tip. The knob portion 42 is located by extending further from the tip of the corner portion 31. The knob portion 42 is bent downward, starting from the tip of the corner portion 31, toward the inside with respect to the extension direction of the surface portion 30. The extension direction of the surface portion 30 refers to the direction of the tangent line L at the position of the corner portion 31 when viewed from the front. The tip of the knob portion 42 is formed at an acute angle when viewed from the front side.

[0031] The tip of the knob 42 is held inside the cover member 45. In this embodiment, the tip of the knob 42 is held inside the cover member 45 and is covered by the component 35. In other words, the knob 42 is sandwiched and positioned between the surface portion 30 and the component 35 when the component 35 is attached to the steering wheel main body 3.

[0032] The cover member 45 is also called a rear cover, lower cover, back cover, lower cover, or body cover. The cover member 45 is made of, for example, synthetic resin. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the cover member 45 integrally includes a base plate 50 that covers the back side of the boss core 21 and a side wall 51 that rises from the outer edge of the base plate 50, and the side wall 51 has an arm 52 formed thereon that covers the back side of the spoke core 22.

[0033] The base plate portion 50 has an opening 54 formed therein, through which part of the boss core metal portion 21 is exposed.

[0034] The arm portions 52 are formed on at least the left and right sides of the side wall portion 51. In the present embodiment, the arm portions 52 are formed on the left and right sides and the lower portion of the side wall portion 51. The arm portions 52 extend in radial directions relative to the base portion 50.

[0035] 1 and 2, the side edge 52a of the arm 52 is adjacent to the surface 30 at the tip of the spoke covering portion 26, and the terminal portion of the extension 38 of the skin body 14 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the side edge 52a of the arm 52 and the spoke covering portion 26. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the front edge 52b on the front side of the arm 52 is adjacent to the component 35. Therefore, the arm 52 of the cover member 45, the component 35, and the terminal portion of the skin body 14 are separated from one another by a boundary that passes through the same position P. In other words, the arm 52 of the cover member 45 and the terminal portion of the skin body 14 are adjacent to each other on the left and right via boundaries that extend front-to-back and up-down from position P, and the component 35, the arm 52 of the cover member 45, and the skin body 14 are adjacent to each other on the front and back via boundaries that extend left and right from position P.

[0036] When manufacturing the steering wheel 1 of this embodiment, the covering portion 13 is formed on the pre-formed core metal 12, and then the skin body 14 is wrapped around the rim covering portion 25 and the spoke covering portion 26 of the covering portion 13 to form the steering wheel main body portion 3.

[0037] The skin body 14 has the skin body main body portion 37 wrapped around the rim covering portion 25, and one extending portion 38a and the other extending portion 38b of the extending portion 38 covering the spoke covering portions 26, and they are joined at a joint 40. At this time, the terminal portion of the extending portion 38 is bent downward starting from a corner 31 of the surface portion 30 at the tip of the spoke covering portion 26 to form a tab 42 (FIGS. 1 and 3). The extending portion 38 is then attached from the position of the tab 42 in the direction of arrow X in FIG. 1 along the surface portion 30, moving away from the corner 31. This allows the wrinkles to be shifted from a position near the corner 31, which is the boundary between the cover member 45 and the component 35 and the skin body 14 and is likely to be exposed on the design surface, to a position where the wrinkles are sandwiched between the component 35 and have little effect on the design surface.

[0038] Then, the cover member 45 and the component 35 are attached to the steering wheel main body 3 from the front and rear, and the module 10 is attached, whereby the steering wheel 1 is completed.

[0039] In this way, the terminal portion of the skin body 14 extending from the rim portion 6 side to the spoke portion 7 side is bent and positioned along the surface portion 30 formed at the tip portion of the spoke portion 7 opposite the end portion connected to the rim portion 6, and the tab portion 42 bent inward from the position of the corner portion 31 formed on the side edge of the surface portion 30 is held inside the cover member 45, so that the tab portion 42 of the terminal portion of the skin body 14 can be easily recessed inside the cover member 45 and the terminal portion of the skin body 14 can be easily prevented from being exposed to the outside. Furthermore, even if there is dimensional variation in the tab portion 42 of the skin body 14, this variation is unlikely to be exposed to the outside, resulting in a good appearance.

[0040] Furthermore, when the cover member 45 and the component 35 are attached to the steering wheel main body 3 from the front and rear, the component 35 is positioned so that the terminal portion of the skin body 14 is sandwiched between the cover member 45 and the surface portion 30. Therefore, at position P, which is the boundary point between the arm portion 52 of the cover member 45, the component 35, and the terminal portion of the skin body 14, the end face (edge ​​surface) of the terminal portion of the skin body 14 is covered by the cover member 45 and the component 35 without being exposed to the outside. This results in a good appearance. Furthermore, there is no need to cut the terminal portion of the skin body 14 to match the shapes of the cover member 45 or the component 35 so as not to interfere with the cover member 45 and the component 35. This reduces the number of steps, eliminates variations such as the end face of the cut terminal portion being exposed to the outside, and maintains a stable shape, improving product precision.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the terminal portion of the skin body 14 extending from the rim portion 6 side to the spoke portion 7 side may be covered from the front side by the module 10 which is a part instead of the part 35. [Industrial Applicability]

[0042] The present invention can be suitably used as, for example, a steering wheel for an automobile. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1. Steering wheel 3. Steering wheel body, which is the handle body 5 Boss section 6 Rim 7 Spokes 14 Epidermis 30 sides 31 Corner 35 parts 45 Cover member

Claims

1. a handle body having a boss portion connected to a steering shaft, a rim portion located outside the boss portion, and spoke portions connecting the boss portion and the rim portion; a skin covering at least a portion of the rim portion of the handle body; a cover member that covers the rear side of the handle body, the spoke portion has a surface portion extending along a front-to-back direction at an end opposite to an end portion connected to the rim portion, The surface portion has a corner portion formed at an acute angle on a part of a side edge, The skin body has terminal portions extending from the rim portion side to the spoke portion side, which are bent along the surface portion and are bent inward from the corner portions and held inside the cover member. A handle characterized by:

2. A part is provided which is attached to the handle body, The component is positioned such that the end portion of the skin is sandwiched between the surface portion and the component when attached to the handle body.

2. The handle of claim 1.

Images