Steering wheel

Abstract

To provide a steering wheel that prevents light which is emitted from a light source inside a steering portion from becoming difficult to be recognized by a driver due to an adverse effect of sunlight.SOLUTION: A steering wheel 10 includes: a boss portion 2 which is coupled to a steering shaft 75 of a vehicle 70; a steering portion 1 which is grasped by a driver and is operated so as to rotate around the steering shaft 75; an LED 54 which is provided inside the steering portion 1; and a light emitting portion 50a which is provided at at least a part of the steering portion 1 and emits light from a back surface of the steering portion 1 by allowing the light emitted from the LED 54 to pass through. A mat layer 56w which is translucent and contains fine particles 56w2 for mat finishing is provided on a surface of the light emitting portion 50a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a steering wheel mounted on a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in steering wheels, a configuration has been known in which a light source is provided inside the steering section that is gripped by the driver and rotated to steer, and light is emitted from the rear surface of the steering section (the surface on the driver's side) to convey predetermined information to the driver (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

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

[0004] In a steering wheel that emits light from the rear surface of the steering section in this manner, there is a risk that the light emitted from the light source may be difficult for the driver to recognize due to the influence of sunlight reflected on the surface of the steering section when driving during the day.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel that can prevent light emitted from a light source inside the steering section from becoming difficult for the driver to recognize due to the influence of sunlight. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A typical configuration of a steering wheel according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems includes a boss portion connected to the steering center axis of the vehicle, a steering portion that is gripped by the driver and steered to rotate around the steering center axis, a light source provided inside the steering portion, and a light emitting portion that is provided in at least a part of the steering portion and transmits light emitted from the light source to emit light from the rear surface of the steering portion, and is characterized in that a matte layer that is translucent and contains fine particles for matting is provided on the surface of the light emitting portion.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent light emitted from a light source inside the steering section of a steering wheel from becoming difficult for the driver to recognize due to the influence of sunlight. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a view of the area around the driver's seat of a vehicle equipped with a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the left side. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a steering portion of a steering wheel. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the steering section lighting unit with the rear cover removed. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear cover of the lighting unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the lighting unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A steering wheel 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Note that the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of the components described below are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a view from the left side of the area around a driver's seat 79 of a vehicle 70 equipped with a steering wheel 10 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a front view of the steering wheel 10, and for convenience, the pad 3x is made transparent and only the outline is shown by a two-dot chain line. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the steering unit 1 of the steering wheel 10 taken along the A1-A1 cross section shown in Fig. 2.

[0011] In the following description, the directions described with respect to the steering wheel 10 refer to the directions when the steering wheel 10 is mounted on the vehicle 70 shown in Fig. 1. In other words, the left-right direction refers to the left and right directions of the vehicle 70 on which the steering wheel 10 is mounted, specifically the left and right directions as seen from the driver M. The front-rear direction refers to the front and rear directions of the vehicle 70, specifically the front and rear directions as seen from the driver M. The up-down direction refers to the up and down directions in the vertical direction.

[0012] 1, the steering wheel 10 is mounted on a vehicle 70 by being connected to a steering shaft 75 serving as a steering axis. The vehicle 70 is equipped with a steering column 76 that is made up of a column tube 76a that partially covers the outer periphery of the steering shaft 75 to support the steering shaft 75, and a column cover 76b that covers the portion of the steering shaft 75 that protrudes rearward from an instrument panel 77. The steering wheel 10 is attached to the tip of the steering shaft 75 that protrudes rearward from the instrument panel 77.

[0013] 2 and 3, the steering wheel 10 includes a steering section 1 that is gripped by a driver M of a vehicle 70, a boss section 2 that is disposed inside the steering section 1 and connected to a steering shaft 75, and spoke sections 3 that connect the steering section 1 and the boss section 2. The steering wheel 10 also includes a front cover 9 (FIG. 1) on its front side.

[0014] The steering unit 1 is an annular member that is gripped by the driver M and steered in rotation. A lighting unit 50 that constitutes part of the steering unit 1 and conveys predetermined information to the driver M by lighting up is provided on the upper part of the steering unit 1 (the area between the spokes 3a and 3b). The lighting unit 50 has a light source inside and emits light toward the driver M from a light emitting portion 50a provided on the rear surface of the lighting unit 50. The rear surface of the lighting unit 50 referred to here can also be said to be the rear surface of the steering unit 1 (the surface on the driver M side) because the lighting unit 50 constitutes part of the steering unit 1. The detailed configuration of the lighting unit 50 will be described later.

[0015] The steering section 1, except for the lighting unit 50, is formed by laminating an intermediate layer 1b and a skin layer 1c in this order on a metal core material 1a having a generally inverted U-shaped cross section. The intermediate layer 1b is made of a cushioning material such as polyurethane foam. The skin layer 1c is made of leather such as natural leather or synthetic leather.

[0016] The boss portion 2 is a metal member that is disposed at the center of the steering unit 1 and is connected to the steering shaft 75. The boss portion 2 has an axial hole 2a through which the steering shaft 75 is inserted, and with the tip of the steering shaft 75 inserted and fitted into the axial hole 2a, the tip of the steering shaft 75 is fastened with a nut, thereby connecting the boss portion 2 and the steering shaft 75. The boss portion 2 is also molded integrally with a metal core material 2b.

[0017] In this embodiment, the core material 1a of the steering unit 1, the core material 2b of the boss unit 2, and the core materials 3a1, 3b1, and 3c1 of the spoke unit 3, which will be described later, are integrally molded by die-casting, thereby connecting the steering unit 1, the boss unit 2, and the spoke unit 3. However, the core material 1a of the steering unit 1, the core material 2b of the boss unit 2, and the core materials 3a1, 3b1, and 3c1 of the spoke unit 3 may be formed separately and then connected by welding or the like.

[0018] The spoke portion 3 is composed of spoke portions 3a and 3b extending to both the left and right sides from the boss portion 2, and spoke portion 3c extending rearward from the boss portion 2. Spoke portions 3a and 3b have metal core members 3a1 and 3b1 extending to both the left and right sides so as to connect core member 1a of the steering portion 1 and core member 2b of the boss portion 2, respectively. Spoke portion 3c has metal core member 3c1 extending rearward from core member 2b of the boss portion 2 and branching to the left and right before connecting to core member 1a of the steering portion 1. In addition, spoke portions 3a, 3b, and 3c have resin pads 3x that cover core members 3a1, 3b1, and 3c1.

[0019] The driver M holds the steering unit 1 with both hands and rotates the steering unit 1 around the steering shaft 75, thereby mechanically steering the tires of the vehicle 70 via the steering shaft 75 to change the traveling direction of the vehicle 70. Note that a steer-by-wire system may be employed in which a sensor (not shown) that detects the rotation angle of the steering unit 1 is provided on the steering wheel 10, and the vehicle 70 steers the tires in accordance with the detection result of this sensor.

[0020] Furthermore, when the continuous driving time of the vehicle 70 reaches or exceeds a predetermined time, the lighting unit 50 lights up to alert the driver M. The timing of lighting the lighting unit 50 is not limited to this, and for example, if the vehicle 70 is capable of autonomous driving, the lighting unit 50 may be configured to light up when switching between the normal driving mode and the autonomous driving mode.

[0021] Next, the detailed configuration of the lighting unit 50 will be described. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the lighting unit 50 with the rear cover 56 removed. Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the lighting unit 50. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the rear cover 56 as seen from the back side. Fig. 7A is a cross-sectional view of the lighting unit 50 taken along the A2-A2 cross section shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 7B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of area S shown in Fig. 7A.

[0022] As shown in Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7A, the lighting unit 50 is composed of a base material 51, a case 52, a circuit board 53, an LED 54 (light source) mounted on the circuit board 53, a light guide 55 (guide member) that guides the light emitted from the LED 54, and a rear cover 56 (cover member).

[0023] The base material 51 is a member that constitutes the front side of the lighting unit 50, and has a curved shape that follows the curved shape of the steering section 1 when viewed from the front-to-rear direction. The base material 51 is composed of a metal core material 51a that is integrally molded by die-casting with a core material 1a that is provided in the portion of the steering section 1 other than the lighting unit 50, an intermediate layer 51b that covers the core material 51a and has cushioning properties that is integrally molded with an intermediate layer 1b that is provided in the portion of the steering section 1 other than the lighting unit 50, and a front cover 51c that constitutes part of the front surface of the steering section 1. The cross-sectional shape of the core material 51a is approximately inverted U-shaped like the core material 1a, but the rear is thinner and flatter to accommodate the placement of other members of the lighting unit 50.

[0024] The case 52 is a metal member that curves along the curved shape of the steering unit 1 when viewed from the front-rear direction and has a generally U-shaped cross section with an open rear side. The case 52 has a plate-shaped bottom wall 52a that curves along the curved shape of the steering unit 1 and a side wall 52b that extends rearward from the outer edge of the bottom wall 52a. A circuit board 53, an LED 54, and a light guide 55 are housed in the space enclosed by the bottom wall 52a and the side wall 52b of the case 52. The bottom wall 52a of the case 52 is placed on a core material 51a of the base material 51, and the case 52 is attached to the base material 51 by inserting and fastening screws 91 through screw holes 51a1 formed in the core material 51a and screw holes 52a1 formed in the bottom wall 52a.

[0025] The circuit board 53 is a component that curves along the curved shape of the steering unit 1 when viewed from the front-rear direction, has a length equivalent to the longitudinal length of the case 52, and is housed inside the case 52. A mounting surface 53a of the circuit board 53 on which the LEDs 54 are mounted is provided on the front surface of the circuit board 53, and the circuit board 53 is disposed so that the mounting surface 53a and the bottom wall portion 52a of the case 52 are approximately parallel. The circuit board 53 is placed on an incident portion 55a of a light guide 55 (described later), and is attached to the case 52 by inserting and fastening screws 92 into screw holes 53b formed in the circuit board 53 and screw holes 52a2 formed in the bottom wall portion 52a of the case 52. The circuit board 53 is electrically connected to a control device (not shown) provided in the vehicle 70 by a cable (not shown), and the LEDs 54 mounted on the circuit board 53 are controlled by the control device.

[0026] The LEDs 54 are mounted on a mounting surface 53a disposed on the front surface of the circuit board 53, aligned at equal intervals along the circumferential direction (rotation direction) of the steering section 1. In this embodiment, a total of six LEDs 54 are mounted, two of each of which emits red light, green light, and blue light. These LEDs 54 emit light under the control of a control device (not shown). The number of LEDs 54 can be changed arbitrarily according to the required light intensity, and all of the LEDs may emit the same color. Although this embodiment uses LEDs 54 as the light source, other types of light sources may be used as long as they are electronic components that emit visible light.

[0027] The light guide 55 is a transparent member made of synthetic resin such as acrylic resin and having a substantially L-shaped cross section. The light guide 55 transmits light emitted from the LEDs 54 and guides the light from the front side to the rear side of the circuit board 53 while diffusing the light internally. When viewed from the front to rear direction, the light guide 55 is curved to follow the curve of the steering unit 1, and its longitudinal length is slightly shorter than the longitudinal length of the case 52. The light guide 55 is disposed in front of the mounting surface 53a of the circuit board 53, facing the mounting surface 53a and the LEDs 54, and has an incident portion 55a extending vertically and an exit portion 55b bent substantially perpendicularly from the incident portion 55a and extending rearward toward the rear cover 56. A deflection surface 55c is provided at the bent portion of the light guide 55, where the light guide 55 transitions from the incident portion 55a to the exit portion 55b, to deflect light incident on the incident portion 55a rearward. A white diffusion sheet 55d (a light diffusion sheet) for diffusing light is attached to the rear end of the emission portion 55b. The light guide 55 has its entrance portion 55a placed on a protrusion 52a3 formed on the bottom wall portion 52a of the case 52 and is sandwiched between the bottom wall portion 52a and the circuit board 53 in the front-rear direction, thereby determining its position in the front-rear direction. Light emitted from the LED 54 enters the entrance portion 55a of the light guide 55, is deflected by the deflection surface 55c, enters the emission portion 55b, and is diffused by the diffusion sheet 55d and emitted rearward from the emission portion 55b.

[0028] The rear cover 56 is a member that constitutes part of the rear surface of the steering unit 1, and has a curved shape that follows the curved shape of the steering unit 1 when viewed from the front-to-rear direction. The rear cover 56 is made of a black, transparent synthetic resin that is translucent, and the light transmittance of the area other than the area where a light-shielding layer 56v and a matte layer 56w, which will be described later, are provided is set to 10% to 30% in terms of total light transmittance. In this embodiment, the rear cover 56 is made of a bio-engineering plastic whose main raw material is isosorbide, and the light transmittance is set by adjusting the pigment content.

[0029] The rear cover 56 is curved along the curved shape of the steering unit 1 when viewed from the front-rear direction, covers the substrate 51, the case 52, the circuit board 53, the LED 54, and the light guide 55 from the rear, and has a base 56a that forms part of the rear surface of the steering unit 1, and two ribs 56b1 and 56b2 that protrude forward from the front surface of the base 56a. The rear cover 56 also has a positioning protrusion 56c that is disposed between the ribs 56b1 and 56b2 in the front-rear direction and protrudes forward from the front surface of the base 56a, and claws 56d that are provided at both longitudinal ends of the base 56a and protrude forward from the front surface of the base 56a.

[0030] The ribs 56b1 and 56b2 are provided to ensure the strength of the base 56a. They are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction and extend substantially parallel to each other. The rib 56b1 is arranged adjacent to the light exit portion 55b of the light guide 55 in the front-rear direction and extends substantially parallel to the light exit portion 55b. The positioning protrusion 56c is arranged adjacent to the light exit portion 55b of the light guide 55 in the front-rear direction and extends substantially parallel to the light exit portion 55b and the ribs 56b1 and 56b2. The light exit portion 55b of the light guide 55 is sandwiched between the rib 56b1 and the positioning protrusion 56c in the front-rear direction, thereby determining its position in the front-rear direction. The light transmittance of the rib 56b1 and the positioning protrusion 56c is lower than that of the light guide 55, and thus the light exit portion 55b is sandwiched between them, thereby preventing light passing through the light exit portion 55b from leaking to the outside.

[0031] The claw portion 56d is formed by two protrusions 56d1 and 56d2, and is inserted into the fitting hole 51d of the base material 51 to attach the rear cover 56 to the base material 51. The protrusions 56d1 and 56d2 of the claw portion 56d are inserted into the fitting hole 51d in a state in which they are elastically deformed so that the distance between them becomes closer by contacting the inner periphery of the fitting hole 51d, and the restoring force returns the distance between them to the original value, thereby preventing them from coming out of the fitting hole 51d.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 7B , a light-shielding layer 56v (light-reducing layer) and a matte layer 56w are laminated on the rear surface (front surface, outer peripheral surface) of the base 56a of the rear cover 56. The light-shielding layer 56v is formed by applying black paint to the rear surface of the base 56a and is configured to have a lower light transmittance than the base 56a. In this embodiment, the total light transmittance of the light-shielding layer 56v is set to 0%. Furthermore, the light-shielding layer 56v is partially removed by laser cutting, thereby forming an opening 56v1 for passing light emitted from the LEDs 54. In this embodiment, the opening 56v1 is formed in the light-shielding layer 56v at approximately the center in the width direction of the steering unit 1 and in an area other than the circumferential ends of the steering unit 1. In the rear cover 56, the light emitted from the LEDs 54 passes through the matte layer 56w filled in the base 56a and the opening 56v1, and is emitted toward the driver M. 1 is the portion where the opening 56v1 of the light-shielding layer 56v of the rear cover 56 is formed. The method for forming the opening 56v1 in the light-shielding layer 56v is not limited to laser cutting; for example, masking tape may be applied to the portion where the opening 56v1 is to be formed when applying paint. However, when using masking tape, burrs tend to form on the edge of the masking tape, so laser cutting is preferable for improving the appearance.

[0033] The matte layer 56w is disposed on the rear end surface (outermost surface) of the rear cover 56 and is formed by applying a paint containing transparent resin and matte particles 56w2 to the rear surface of the light-shielding layer 56v and to the rear surface of the base 56a in a portion corresponding to the opening 56v1 of the light-shielding layer 56v. That is, the matte layer 56w is provided on the surface of the light-emitting portion 50a of the lighting unit 50 shown in FIG. 1. The matte particles 56w2 diffusely reflect light incident on the matte layer 56w, creating a matte effect. In this embodiment, silica is used as the particles 56w2, but other materials may also be used. The matte layer 56w also protects the base 56a by coating the surface side of the base 56a, including the light-shielding layer 56v. In this embodiment, the total light transmittance of the matte layer 56w is set to approximately 70% to 90%.

[0034] Next, the lighting operation of the lighting unit 50 and the influence of sunlight will be described. First, when the vehicle 70 has been continuously driven for a predetermined period of time or more, the LED 54 emits light (lights up) based on a control signal from a control device (not shown). The light emitted from the LED 54 enters the incident portion 55a of the light guide 55, is deflected by the deflection surface 55c, enters the exit portion 55b, and is diffused by the diffusion sheet 55d before being emitted rearward from the exit portion 55b. The light emitted from the exit portion 55b enters the rear cover 56. The light passes through the base 56a of the rear cover 56, the opening 56v1 of the light-shielding layer 56v, and the matte layer 56w, and is diffused by the fine particles 56w2 of the matte layer 56w before being emitted rearward from the rear surface of the matte layer 56w.

[0035] Furthermore, when sunlight is incident on the rear cover 56 during daytime driving, the sunlight is diffused by the fine particles 56w2 of the matte layer 56w on the surface (rear surface) of the rear cover 56. This reduces the amount of sunlight that is specularly reflected on the surface of the rear cover 56 and reaches the eyes of the driver M, making it easier for the driver M to recognize the light emitted from the LEDs 54. As described above, according to the configuration of this embodiment, the matte layer 56w is provided on the surface of the rear cover 56, so it is possible to prevent the light emitted from the LEDs 54 inside the steering unit 1 from being difficult for the driver M to recognize due to the influence of sunlight. Furthermore, because the light emitted rearward from the rear cover 56 is diffused by being diffused by the fine particles 56w2 of the matte layer 56w, it is possible to emit light uniformly from the rear cover 56.

[0036] Furthermore, the LEDs 54 are mounted on the front surface of the circuit board 53, and light emitted from the LEDs 54 is guided from the front surface to the rear surface of the circuit board 53 while being diffused by the light guide 55. Therefore, the optical path length within the light guide 55 can be made longer compared to a configuration in which the LEDs 54 are mounted on the surface of the circuit board 53, making it easier to diffuse the light within the light guide 55 and to make it easier to emit the light uniformly from the rear cover 56. Furthermore, when LEDs 54 with different emission colors are provided and colors are mixed as in this embodiment, it is easier to mix the light within the light guide 55, thereby suppressing the occurrence of color unevenness.

[0037] Furthermore, because the diffusion sheet 55d attached to the rear end of the light guide 55 is white, sunlight passing through the rear cover 56 is likely to be reflected by the surface (rear surface) of the diffusion sheet 55d. This could result in the sunlight reaching the eyes of the driver M and making it difficult for the driver M to recognize the light emitted from the LEDs 54. In response to this, in the present embodiment, the total light transmittance of the base 56a of the rear cover 56 is set to a range of 10% to 30%. This reduces the amount of sunlight incident on the diffusion sheet 55d and the amount of sunlight reflected by the diffusion sheet 55d at the base 56a, making it difficult for the light to be emitted from the rear cover 56 toward the driver M and therefore difficult for the light to reach the eyes of the driver M. This further reduces the influence of sunlight on the light emitted from the LEDs 54 and makes it difficult for the light to be recognized by the driver M. In addition, because the total light transmittance of the base 56a of the rear cover 56 is set low, components inside the rear cover 56 are unlikely to be visible to the driver M when the LEDs 54 are not lit, thereby improving the design of the steering wheel 10.

[0038] In this embodiment, the configuration in which the lighting unit 50 is provided in the area between the left and right spoke portions 3a, 3b in the steering section 1 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the same effect as above can be obtained even if the lighting unit 50 is arranged in another position on the steering section 1 or arranged over the entire area of ​​the steering section 1.

[0039] Furthermore, although the present embodiment has been described with reference to the steering wheel 10 having a circular steering section 1, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the same effect as described above can be obtained even if the lighting unit 50 is provided on a steering section 1 having another shape, such as a square ring or a rod. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1...Steering section, 2...Boss section, 10...Steering wheel, 50...Lighting unit, 50a...Light output section, 53...Circuit board, 54...LED (light source), 55...Light guide (guide member), 55d...Diffusion sheet (sheet for diffusing light), 56...Rear cover (cover member), 56a...Base, 56v...Light-shielding layer (light-reducing layer), 56v1...Opening, 56w...Matte layer, 56w2...Fine particles (fine particles for matting), 70...Vehicle, 75...Steering shaft (steering center axis), M...Driver

Claims

1. a boss portion connected to a steering center shaft of a vehicle; a steering unit that is held by a driver and is rotatably steered around the steering central axis; a light source provided inside the steering unit; a light emitting section provided in at least a part of the steering section, which transmits light emitted from the light source and thereby emits light from a rear surface of the steering section; Equipped with a matte layer having translucency and containing matte particles is provided on a surface of the light emitting portion; a cover member that covers the light source and has the light emitting portion provided thereon; The cover member is a translucent base; a light-reducing layer formed by applying paint to a rear surface of the base and having lower light transmittance than the base, the light-reducing layer having an opening for forming the light exit portion; the matte layer formed by applying paint to a rear surface of the light reducing layer and to a portion of the base corresponding to the opening; A steering wheel comprising:

2. 2. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the openings in the light reducing layer are formed by laser cutting.

3. a circuit board on which the light source is mounted, the circuit board having a mounting surface disposed on a front surface of the circuit board on which the light source is mounted; a guide member that guides the light emitted from the light source from the front surface side to the rear surface side of the circuit board; 2. The steering wheel of claim 1, further comprising:

4. A white light diffusing sheet is attached to the rear end of the guide member, 4. The steering wheel according to claim 3, wherein the total light transmittance of the base is set in the range of 10% to 30%.

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