handle

Abstract

To provide a steering wheel that is able to achieve both improvement in grip performance of a steering part and improvement in tactile feeling according to a portion of the steering part.SOLUTION: A steering wheel 10 includes: a steering part 1 that is gripped by a driver and rotated and steered; and a boss part 3 disposed inside the steering part 1 and coupled to a steering center shaft of the steering part 1. A surface of the steering part 1 is provided with a region E1 in which a plurality of first recesses are formed at a first pitch and a region E2 in which a plurality of second recesses having diameters larger than those of the first recesses are formed at a second pitch wider than the first pitch.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a steering wheel that is mounted on a vehicle and has a recessed portion on the surface of the steering portion. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a configuration has been known in which, as described in Patent Document 1, a recess is provided on the surface of the steering section of a steering wheel mounted on a vehicle, which is gripped by the driver to steer, thereby giving the driver a moist and smooth feeling when gripping the steering section, thereby improving the tactile feel of the steering section. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-302549 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a vehicle is traveling, if the driver does not steer the steering unit by rotation, such as when traveling in a straight line, the driver is likely to simply place his or her hands on the steering unit. On the other hand, when the driver steers the steering unit by rotation, such as when turning the vehicle right or left, the driver is likely to grip certain parts of the steering unit tightly and place his or her hands on other parts without gripping them tightly. For this reason, it is desirable that the steering unit have good grip properties in parts that are likely to be gripped tightly by the driver when the driver steers the steering unit by rotation, and good tactile feel in parts that are not likely to be gripped tightly and are likely to be simply placed with the hands.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel that can achieve both improved gripping performance and improved tactile feel at the steering section depending on the location of the steering section. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A typical configuration of a steering wheel according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a steering wheel comprising a steering section that is gripped by a driver and rotated to steer, and a boss section that is arranged inside the steering section and connected to the steering center axis of the steering section, wherein the surface of the steering section is provided with a first region in which a plurality of first recesses are formed at a first pitch, and a second region in which a plurality of second recesses that are larger in diameter than the first recesses are formed at a second pitch that is wider than the first pitch.

[0007] In the present invention, the surface of the steering section of the steering wheel is provided with a first region in which a plurality of first recesses are formed at a first pitch, and a second region in which a plurality of second recesses, each having a larger diameter than the first recesses, are formed at a second pitch wider than the first pitch. By satisfying the above-described relationship between the diameter and pitch of the recesses in these two regions, the recesses are arranged relatively densely in the first region, and relatively sparsely in the second region. In the first region where the recesses are arranged densely, the driver's hands are less likely to come into contact with the surface of the steering section, making the driver less likely to feel the stickiness of the surface of the steering section, thereby improving the tactile feel of the steering section. On the other hand, in the second region where the recesses are sparsely arranged, the driver's hands are more likely to come into contact with the surface of the steering section, making the driver's hands more likely to receive frictional force from the surface of the steering section, thereby improving the grip of the steering section. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to achieve both improved grip and improved tactile feel of the steering section depending on the location of the steering section.

[0008] At least a part of the first region may be provided on a side surface of the steering unit, and at least a part of the second region may be provided on a lower surface of the steering unit. This configuration improves the grip of the lower surface of the steering unit and the tactile feel of the side surface of the steering unit.

[0009] The steering section may have a left straight section located on the left side of the boss section and extending substantially linearly in the longitudinal direction, a left protruding section protruding from the left straight section toward the boss section, a right straight section located on the right side of the boss section and extending substantially linearly in the longitudinal direction, and a right protruding section protruding from the right straight section toward the boss section, wherein the first region is provided on an upper surface and a left side surface of the left straight section and an upper surface and a right side surface of the right straight section, respectively, and the second region is provided on a lower surface of the left protruding section and a lower surface of the right protruding section, respectively. With this configuration, it is possible to improve the grippability of the lower surfaces of the left protruding section and the right protruding section, which are likely to be tightly gripped by the driver when the driver turns the steering section, and to improve the tactile feel of the upper surfaces and left side surfaces of the left straight section and the upper surfaces and right side surfaces of the right straight section, which are unlikely to be tightly gripped and are likely to simply be placed on by the driver's hands.

[0010] Preferably, the second pitch is 1.2 times or more the first pitch, and the diameter of the second recess is twice or more the diameter of the first recess, which can further improve the tactile feel of the first region and the grip of the second region.

[0011] Preferably, the diameter of the first recess is 0.35 mm or less, and the diameter of the second recess is 0.75 mm or more. This configuration can further improve the tactile feel of the first region and the gripping ability of the second region. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a handle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the steering portion of the handle. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are an enlarged plan view and a cross-sectional view of a first cover member provided on the right straight section of the steering section. [Figure 5]10A and 10B are an enlarged plan view and a cross-sectional view of a second cover member provided on the right protrusion of the steering unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A steering wheel 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The steering wheel 10 is mounted on a vehicle (not shown). In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the up-down direction refers to the up-down direction along the axial direction of a steering shaft (not shown), the front-rear direction refers to the front-rear direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the steering shaft when the vehicle is steered straight ahead, and the left-right direction refers to the left-right direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the steering shaft when the vehicle is steered straight ahead.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a steering wheel 10. FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the steering wheel 10. The two-dot chain lines in FIGS. 1 and 2 indicate the left hand of a vehicle driver when gripping a steering section 1 of the steering wheel 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the steering wheel 10 has a steering section 1 that the driver grips to rotate and steer, a hub section 2 located in the center of the steering wheel 10 and connected to the steering section 1, and a pad 5 that covers the top of the hub section 2. The hub section 2 is provided with a boss section 3 that is connected to a steering shaft (not shown) that serves as a steering central axis, and an airbag (not shown).

[0015] The boss portion 3 is a member located inside the steering unit 1, approximately at the center of the handle 10, and is integrally molded by die-casting on the underside 2a of the hub portion 2. The boss portion 3 has a shaft hole 3a into which a steering shaft (not shown) is inserted and fitted. With the tip of the steering shaft inserted and fitted into the shaft hole 3a of the boss portion 3, the tip of the steering shaft is fastened with a nut, thereby connecting the boss portion 3 and the steering shaft.

[0016] The steering unit 1 is a substantially rectangular annular member whose length is in the left-right direction and whose shape is symmetrical with respect to the boss unit 3. The steering unit 1 is located on both the left and right sides of the boss unit 3 and has a left straight portion 1a and a right straight portion 1b that extend substantially linearly in the longitudinal direction. The steering unit 1 also has a rear straight portion 1c that is located rearward of the boss unit 3 and extends substantially linearly in the left-right direction, connecting the left straight portion 1a and the right straight portion 1b. A substantially central portion in the left-right direction of the rear straight portion 1c is connected to the hub unit 2. The steering unit 1 also has a left connecting portion 1d that connects the front end of the left straight portion 1a to the hub unit 2 and a right connecting portion 1e that connects the front end of the right straight portion 1b to the hub unit 2. In other words, the steering unit 1 is connected to the hub unit 2 at the rear straight portion 1c, the left connecting portion 1d, and the right straight portion 1b, and is connected to the boss unit 3 via the hub unit 2.

[0017] The steering section 1 also has a left protruding section 1f that protrudes rightward from the inner periphery of the left straight section 1a at approximately the center in the longitudinal direction toward the boss section 3, and a right protruding section 1g that protrudes leftward from the inner periphery of the right straight section 1b at approximately the center in the longitudinal direction toward the boss section 3. An upper surface 1f1 of the left protruding section 1f and an upper surface 1g1 of the right protruding section 1g are provided with operation buttons 4 that the driver can press to set the volume of a speaker (not shown) and the air conditioning of an air conditioner (not shown), for example.

[0018] 3A is a cross-sectional view of the rear straight section 1c of the steering section 1 taken along the cutting line A1-A1 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3A, the rear straight section 1c is composed of a metal core 1w and a resin surface layer 1z that covers the outer periphery of the core 1w. The core 1w and the surface layer 1z extend over the entire area of ​​the steering section 1, and portions of the steering section 1 other than the rear straight section 1c are similarly composed of the core 1w and the surface layer 1z. In this embodiment, the core 1w is made of an aluminum alloy and the surface layer 1z is made of an acrylic resin, but they may be made of other materials.

[0019] 3B is a cross-sectional view of the right straight portion 1b and the right protruding portion 1g of the steering unit 1 taken along the cutting line A2-A2 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3B, a first cover member 30 is provided on the right straight portion 1b so as to cover the outer periphery of the surface layer portion 1z from the right end side of the upper surface 1b1 of the right straight portion 1b to the right end side of the lower surface 1b2. Furthermore, since the steering unit 1 has a bilaterally symmetrical shape with respect to the boss portion 3, a first cover member 30 having a bilaterally symmetrical shape with the first cover member 30 provided on the right straight portion 1b is also provided on the left straight portion 1a of the steering unit 1. In other words, first cover members 30 are provided on both side surfaces (both end surfaces in the left-right direction) of the steering unit 1.

[0020] The first cover member 30 is made of resin and is bonded and fixed to the outer periphery of the surface layer portion 1z with an adhesive. The surface of the first cover member 30 is provided with a region E1 (indicated by dots on the first cover member 30 in FIGS. 1 and 2) as a first region in which a plurality of recesses 30a (first recesses) are formed at a predetermined pitch. In this embodiment, the region E1 covers the entire surface of the first cover member 30, but may be provided in a partial region that is likely to be touched by the driver's hands. In this embodiment, the first cover member 30 is made of urethane resin (Shore A65) and is formed by casting, but may be formed using other materials and methods.

[0021] Furthermore, a second cover member 31 is provided on the right protruding portion 1g of the steering unit 1 so as to cover the outer periphery of the surface layer portion 1z from the right end side to the left end side of the underside 1g2 of the right protruding portion 1g. Furthermore, since the steering unit 1 has a bilaterally symmetrical shape with respect to the boss portion 3, a second cover member 31 having a bilaterally symmetrical shape with respect to the second cover member 31 provided on the right protruding portion 1g is also provided on the left protruding portion 1f of the steering unit 1.

[0022] The second cover member 31 is made of resin and is bonded and fixed to the outer periphery of the surface layer portion 1z with an adhesive. The surface of the second cover member 31 is provided with a region E2 (indicated by dots on the second cover member 31 in FIG. 2) as a second region in which a plurality of recesses 31a (second recesses) are formed at a predetermined pitch. In this embodiment, in order to provide region E2 in a portion that is particularly likely to be touched by the driver's hands, region E2 is provided on the underside 1g2 of the right protruding portion 1g of the second cover member 31, but is not provided on the inner periphery of the right protruding portion 1g. In this embodiment, the second cover member 31 is made of urethane resin (Shore A65) and is formed by casting, but may be formed using other materials and methods.

[0023] The driver holds the left straight section 1a and the right straight section 1b with both hands and turns the vehicle right or left by rotating the steering unit 1 around a steering shaft (not shown) connected to the boss section 3, thereby changing the direction of travel of the vehicle. In this embodiment, a steer-by-wire system is employed in which a control unit (not shown) steers the vehicle tires in accordance with the rotation angle when the steering unit 1 is rotated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which the vehicle tires are mechanically steered when the steering unit 1 is rotated is also possible.

[0024] When the driver grips the left straight portion 1a and the right straight portion 1b with both hands, most of the driver's palms come into contact with the first cover members 30 provided on both sides of the steering unit 1. The driver's thumbs are likely to come into contact with the upper surfaces 1f1, 1g1 of the left protruding portion 1f and the right protruding portion 1g, and the tips of the other four fingers are likely to come into contact with the second cover members 31 provided on the lower surfaces 1f2, 1g2 of the left protruding portion 1f and the right protruding portion 1g. When the driver does not turn the steering unit 1, such as when the vehicle is traveling in a straight line, the driver is likely to simply place his or her hands on the left straight portion 1a, the right straight portion 1b, the left protruding portion 1f, and the right protruding portion 1g. In contrast, when turning the steering unit 1 to the right or left, the driver tends to tightly grip the underside 1f2 of the left protruding portion 1f and the underside 1g2 of the right protruding portion 1g of the steering unit 1 with the tips of the four fingers other than the thumb, and to place their hands loosely on other parts of the steering unit 1. In particular, both side surfaces of the steering unit 1 are likely to be placed on the steering unit 1 without being tightly gripped, whether the driver is turning the steering unit 1 or not. For this reason, it is desirable that the steering unit 1 has good gripping properties on the underside 1f2 of the left protruding portion 1f and the underside 1g2 of the right protruding portion 1g, which are easy for the driver to grip tightly when turning the steering unit 1, and that the tactile feel of the side surfaces of the steering unit 1, which are easy for the driver to place their hands on without being tightly gripped, is good. Therefore, in the steering wheel 10 of this embodiment, the diameter and pitch of the recesses 30a of the first cover member 30 are different from the diameter and pitch of the recesses 31a of the second cover member 31, thereby improving the gripping properties and tactile feel at the above positions. This will be explained in more detail below.

[0025] FIG. 4 shows an enlarged plan view and a cross-sectional view of region X1 shown in FIG. 1 in the first cover member 30 provided on the right linear portion 1b. As shown in FIG. 4, the recess 30a formed on the surface of the first cover member 30 has a circular bottom surface 30a1 with a diameter D1. The distance from the surface of the first cover member 30 to the bottom surface 30a1 is H1, and the corners recessed from the surface are chamfered with a curvature radius R1. The distance H1 is set to a value that minimizes contact between the driver's hand and the bottom surface 30a1 of the recess 30a when the driver grips the steering unit 1. The recesses 30a are arranged in parallel in two directions, the directions of arrow V1 and arrow V2, at a pitch P1 (first pitch). The pitch P1 here refers to the distance between the centers C1 of the bottom surfaces 30a1 of two adjacent recesses 30a in the directions of arrow V1 or V2. In addition, the recesses 30a are arranged so that the shape of an imaginary line connecting the centers C1 of the bottom surfaces 30a1 of four adjacent recesses 30a in the directions of arrow V1 and arrow V2 forms a diamond S1, and the length of the shorter diagonal of the diamond S1 is J1.

[0026] FIG. 5 shows an enlarged plan view and a cross-sectional view of region X2 shown in FIG. 2 in the second cover member 31 provided on the right protrusion 1g. As shown in FIG. 5, the recess 31a formed on the surface of the second cover member 31 has a circular bottom surface 31a1 with a diameter D2, a distance H2 from the surface of the second cover member 31 to the bottom surface 31a1, and a chamfered corner recessed from the surface with a curvature radius R2. The distance H2 is set to a value that minimizes contact between the driver's hand and the bottom surface 31a1 of the recess 31a when the driver grips the steering unit 1. The recesses 31a are arranged in parallel in two directions, the direction of arrow V1 and the direction of arrow V2, at a pitch P2 (second pitch). The pitch P2 here refers to the distance between the centers C2 of the bottom surfaces 31a1 of two adjacent recesses 31a in the direction of arrow V1 or the direction of arrow V2. In addition, the recesses 31a are arranged so that the shape of an imaginary line connecting the centers C2 of the bottom surfaces 31a1 of four adjacent recesses 31a in the directions of arrow V1 and arrow V2 forms a diamond S2, and the length of the shorter diagonal of the diamond S2 is J2.

[0027] Here, the pitch P1 and diameter D1 of the recesses 30a of the first cover member 30 and the pitch P2 and diameter D2 of the recesses 31a of the second cover member 31 are set so as to satisfy the following conditions 1 and 2. P1 <P2···(1) D1 <D2···(2)

[0028] That is, the pitches P1 and P2 are set so that the pitch P2 of the recesses 31a of the second cover member 31 is wider than the pitch P1 of the recesses 30a of the first cover member 30. Furthermore, the diameters D1 and D2 of the recesses 31a of the second cover member 31 are set so that they are larger than the diameters of the recesses 30a of the first cover member 30.

[0029] This configuration achieves the following effects. That is, by setting the pitches P1 and P2 and the diameters D1 and D2 of the recesses 30a and 31a as described above, the recesses are arranged relatively densely in region E1, and relatively sparsely in region E2. In region E1, where the recesses are arranged densely, the driver's hand is less likely to come into contact with the surface of the steering unit 1, specifically, with the flat portion 30b (FIG. 4) where no recesses 30a are provided. In other words, the contact rate between the driver's hand and the surface of the steering unit 1 in region E1, where the driver's hand is projected, is lower than the contact rate between the driver's hand and the surface of the steering unit 1 in region E2, where the driver's hand is projected. As a result, the driver is less likely to feel the stickiness of the surface of the steering unit 1, improving the tactile feel of the steering unit 1. On the other hand, in the region E2 where the recesses are sparsely arranged, the driver's hand is more likely to come into contact with the surface of the steering unit 1, specifically the flat portion 31b (FIG. 5) where no recesses 31a are provided, and the driver's hand is more likely to receive frictional force from the surface of the steering unit 1, improving the grip of the steering unit 1. Therefore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, it is possible to achieve both an improvement in the grip of the steering unit 1 and an improvement in the tactile feel, depending on the part of the steering unit 1.

[0030] In this embodiment, the following are set: P1 = 1.00 mm, P2 = 1.25 mm, J1 = 1.35 mm, J2 = 1.68 mm, D1 = 0.35 mm, D2 = 0.75 mm, H1 = 0.1 mm, H2 = 0.1 mm, J1 = 1.35 mm, θ2 = 1.68 mm. These values ​​can be changed as appropriate within a range that satisfies the above conditions 1 and 2. However, it is preferable that the distances H1 and H2 be set to values ​​that minimize contact between the bottom surfaces 30a1 and 31a1 of the recesses 30a and 31a and the driver's hands.

[0031] The applicant also conducted a questionnaire survey of 48 people to investigate the gripping properties and tactile sensations in areas E1 and E2 when the pitches P1 and P2 and diameters D1 and D2 of the recesses 30a and 31a were set to different values. As a result, it was found that satisfying the following conditions 3 and 4 makes it easy to realize that the gripping properties of area E2 are good and the tactile sensation of area E1 is good. For this reason, it is preferable to set the pitches P1 and P2 and diameters D1 and D2 of the recesses 30a and 31a to values ​​that satisfy the following conditions 3 and 4. P2 ≥ P1 × 1.2 (3) D2 ≥ D1 × 2.0 (4)

[0032] Furthermore, the results of the above questionnaire survey revealed that satisfying the following conditions 5 and 6 makes it easier to realize that the grip of area E2 is good and the tactile feel of area E1 is good. For this reason, it is preferable to set the pitches P1 and P2 and diameters D1 and D2 of recesses 30a and 31a to values ​​that satisfy the following conditions 5 and 6. D1≦0.35mm (5) D2≧0.75mm (6)

[0033] In this embodiment, the present invention has been described by exemplifying a non-circular steering wheel 10 in which the steering section 1 has a left straight section 1a and a right straight section 1b, but the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to a steering wheel in which the steering section 1 is circular. That is, in a steering wheel having a circular steering section 1, an area in which a plurality of recesses 30a are formed is provided in a portion of the surface of the steering section 1 where it is desired to prioritize tactile feel, and an area in which a plurality of recesses 31a are formed is provided in a portion where it is desired to prioritize grip, and the pitches P1, P2 and diameters D1, D2 of the recesses 30a, 31a are set and configured to satisfy the above conditions 1 and 2. As a result, in a steering wheel 10 having a circular steering section 1, it is possible to achieve both grip performance and tactile feel of the steering section 1 depending on the portion of the steering section 1.

[0034] However, with the shape of the handle 10 of this embodiment, the areas in the steering unit 1 where priority should be placed on grip performance are the underside 1f2 of the left protruding portion 1f and the underside 1g2 of the right protruding portion 1g, and the areas where priority should be placed on tactile feel are both side surfaces of the steering unit 1. However, when the present invention is applied to a handle 10 having a circular steering unit 1, it is difficult to clearly distinguish between the areas where priority should be placed on grip performance and the areas where priority should be placed on tactile feel. Therefore, a configuration may be adopted in which an area where force is likely to be applied during rotational steering of the steering unit 1 is detected using a sensor such as a shear force sensor, and an area with multiple recesses 31a is provided in that area to improve grip performance in that area, and an area with multiple recesses 30a is provided in another area to improve tactile feel.

[0035] Also, in the steering wheel 10 of this embodiment, a sensor such as a shear force sensor may be used to detect areas where force is likely to be applied during rotational steering of the steering section 1, and an area with multiple recesses 31a may be provided in those areas to improve the grip of those areas, while areas with multiple recesses 30a may be provided in other areas to improve the tactile feel. Furthermore, for example, areas with multiple recesses having a diameter smaller than the diameter D1 of the recesses 30a and provided at a pitch narrower than the pitch P1 of the recesses 30a may be further provided in areas where force is particularly likely to be applied on the underside 1f2 of the left protruding portion 1f and the underside 1g2 of the right protruding portion 1g.

[0036] Furthermore, although the present embodiment has been described with reference to a configuration in which the recess 30a is provided on the surface of the first cover member 30 and the recess 31a is provided on the surface of the second cover member 31, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the first cover member 30 and the second cover member 31 may be integrally molded, and the recesses 30a, 31a may be provided on the integrally molded product. Alternatively, the first cover member 30 and the second cover member 31 may not be provided, and the recesses 30a, 31a may be provided on the surface of the surface layer portion 1z. Furthermore, the shape of the bottom surfaces 30a1, 31a1 of the recesses 30a, 31a does not necessarily have to be circular, and may be elliptical or polygonal. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1...Steering section, 1a...Left straight section, 1b...Right straight section, 1f...Left protruding section, 1g...Right protruding section, boss section...3, handle...10, 30a...Recessed section, 31a...Recessed section

Claims

[Claim 1] a steering unit that is gripped by a driver and rotated for steering; a boss portion disposed inside the steering portion and connected to a steering central shaft of the steering portion; In a handle comprising: a first region in which a plurality of first recesses are formed at a first pitch, and a second region in which a plurality of second recesses having a diameter larger than that of the first recesses are formed at a second pitch wider than that of the first recesses, The steering unit includes: a left linear portion located to the left of the boss portion and extending substantially linearly in the longitudinal direction; a left protruding portion protruding from the left linear portion toward the boss portion; a right linear portion located on the right side of the boss portion and extending substantially linearly in the longitudinal direction; a right protruding portion protruding from the right linear portion toward the boss portion; and the first region is provided on an upper surface and a left side surface of the left linear portion and an upper surface and a right side surface of the right linear portion, The handle is characterized in that the second region is provided on the lower surface of the left protrusion and the lower surface of the right protrusion, respectively.

Images