Vehicle handle device

Abstract

This vehicle handle device comprises a handle base, a handle main body, a main gear, and a cam member. The handle main body has a driven portion that comes into contact with the cam member, and is configured to be displaceable by the cam member via the driven portion. Engaged portions are formed at both ends of the cam member in the direction of the axis of rotation of the cam member, and the shapes of the engaged portions differ between one end side and the other end side in the direction of the axis of rotation.

Description

Steering device for vehicle

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a steering device for a vehicle.

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art A known handle device having a handle body that can be pulled out from an initial position when operating a door is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-222999.

[0003] Conventional so-called pop-up handle devices, including those disclosed in Patent Document 1, have, for example, a handle body rotatably connected to one end of an operating lever driven by an electric actuator fixed on a handle base, and an unlocking lever connected to the end of the handle body opposite the end connected to the operating lever. When the electric actuator is operated, the handle body moves from an initial position where it is located on the same plane as the door panel to an operating position where it is raised above the door panel, and when the handle body is operated in the operating position, the door latch device can be released.

[0004] In such a handle device, a cam member is rotated via a gear by a motor serving as an electric actuator, and the rotation of the cam member activates an operating lever, moving the handle body to an operating position where it is raised above the door panel.

[0005] The above-mentioned handle devices may be fixed to both the left and right doors of a vehicle, and the left and right handle devices are configured with opposite orientations in the left-right direction and with opposite rotational motions (i.e., opposite rotation directions), which means that different parts (particularly gears and cam members) must be prepared to match the left and right handle devices.

[0006] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-168689

[0007] The present disclosure provides a vehicle handle device that can use standardized parts regardless of whether it is fixed to the left or right door of the vehicle.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, a vehicle handle device comprises: a handle base fixed to a vehicle; a handle main body connected to the handle base and displaceable from an initial position by a drive unit; a gear that is rotationally driven by the drive unit; and a cam member that has a fitted portion that fits into a fitting portion formed on an axial end of the gear and is rotationally driven by the gear via the fitted portion, wherein the handle main body has a driven portion that abuts against the cam member and is configured to be displaceable by the cam member via the driven portion, and the fitted portion of the cam member is formed at both ends of the cam member in the rotational axis direction, and the shape of the fitted portion differs between one end side and the other end side in the rotational axis direction.

[0009] The fitted portion may be shaped so that the engagement angle between the gear and the cam member differs between one end and the other end.

[0010] Furthermore, one of the mating portion and the mated portion may be formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, the other of the mating portion and the mated portion may be formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, the mating portion may be provided with one of a protruding portion that protrudes radially and a groove portion that engages with the protruding portion, the mated portion may be provided with the other of the protruding portion and the groove portion, the mated portion may have an uneven region in which the protruding portion or the groove portion is provided, and an arc region in which the protruding portion or the groove portion is not provided, and the uneven region and the arc region may be positioned circumferentially offset between the one end side and the other end side.

[0011] The handle may further include an initial position detection sensor for detecting that the handle body is placed in the initial position, a pop-up position detection sensor for detecting that the handle body is placed in a pop-up position pulled out from the initial position, and a circuit board on which the initial position detection sensor and the pop-up position detection sensor are mounted.

[0012] The gear may have a detectable portion on the circumference of the rotational surface of the gear, and the circuit board may have the initial position detection sensor and the pop-up position detection sensor arranged on the surface facing the detectable portion, and the steering wheel device of the vehicle may be configured so that the initial position detection sensor detects the approach of the detectable portion to detect that the steering wheel main body has been placed in the initial position, and the pop-up position detection sensor detects the approach of the detectable portion to detect that the steering wheel main body has been placed in the pop-up position, and the circuit board may be formed so that the front and back surfaces are symmetrical.

[0013] According to the present disclosure, a vehicle handle device can be provided that can use common parts regardless of whether it is fixed to the left or right door of the vehicle.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a steering wheel device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X1-X1 of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the steering wheel device for the vehicle shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the steering wheel device for the vehicle shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a rotation drive mechanism of the steering wheel device for the vehicle shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6A is a top view of FIG. 5, showing a contact state between a rib of the main gear and an initial position detection sensor. FIG. 6B is a top view of FIG. 5, showing a contact state between a rib of the main gear and a pop-up position detection sensor. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the motor, worm, two-stage gear, main gear, and cam member shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 8A is a top view of the cam member. FIG. 8B is a bottom view of the cam member. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a rotation drive mechanism of another steering wheel device paired with the steering wheel device for the vehicle shown in FIG. 1, and corresponds to FIG. 6A.

[0015] Specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] For convenience of explanation, the following definitions are used to refer to "front," "rear," "left," "right," "upper," and "lower," as shown in Figure 1 etc. The "front-rear direction," "left-right direction," and "up-down direction" are perpendicular to each other.

[0017] Here, the above-mentioned directions may correspond to the directions when the steering wheel device 1 is mounted on a vehicle. In this case, the steering wheel device 1 shown in Fig. 1 is a steering wheel device mounted on the left side of the vehicle. However, the left-side steering wheel device and the right-side steering wheel device have the same configuration except that their left-right orientations are opposite to each other and their rotational movements are reversed (i.e., their rotational directions are opposite).

[0018] For the sake of convenience in the following explanation, the configurations shown in Figures 1 to 8B will be taken as the configuration of the handle device 1 fixed to the left side of the vehicle, and the configuration shown in Figure 9 will be taken as the configuration of the handle device 1 fixed to the right side of the vehicle, but in reality, the configurations shown in Figures 1 to 8B may be the configuration of the handle device 1 fixed to the right side of the vehicle, or the configuration shown in Figure 9 may be the configuration of the handle device 1 fixed to the left side of the vehicle.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the handle device 1 includes a handle base 2, a handle main body 3, and a rotation drive mechanism 16 for moving the handle main body 3 between an initial position and a pop-up position, and is fixed to the vehicle door at the handle base 2.

[0020] The handle body 3 is connected to the handle base 2 by a first link 11 and a second link 12, and has a handle portion 3a formed in the center in the front-to-rear direction to serve as a handle when operating the door.When the handle base 2 is fixed to the door, the surface 3b is approximately flush with the door surface 5 (door panel) (see Figure 2).

[0021] In addition, the handle body 3 can be moved between an initial position (see Figure 2) in which the handhold portion 3a is housed inside the door, a pop-up position (see Figure 3) in which the handhold portion 3a pops out from the door panel and the handle body 3 can be operated by placing a hand on the handhold portion 3a, and a latch operation position (see Figure 4) in which one end (the rear end in this example) of the handle body 3 is pulled up from the pop-up position.

[0022] The first link 11 is driven to rotate around the connecting shaft (A1) to the handle base 2 by having the driven part 11a pressed against the rotation drive mechanism (specifically, the cam member 13) that is driven to rotate. To maintain the pressure contact state between the driven part 11a and the cam member 13, a counterclockwise rotational moment is applied to the first link 11 by the torsion spring 14. The detailed configuration of the rotation drive mechanism 16 including the cam member 13 will be described later.

[0023] The end of the first link 11 opposite to the end connected to the handle base 2 is connected to one end of the handle body 3 so as to be rotatable about a connecting shaft (B1).

[0024] One end of the second link 12 is rotatably connected to the handle base 2 around a connecting shaft (A2). The opposite end of the second link 12 is formed with a long hole 12a, into which a connecting shaft (B2) fixed to the other end of the handle body 3 is inserted so as to be rotatable and slidable.

[0025] Therefore, the components of the handle device 1 form a five-section link mechanism (see Figures 2 to 4) consisting of the handle base 2 as a fixed link, a first link 11 and a second link 12 each connected to the fixed link by a swivel pair with a gap between the connecting axes (A1, B1), a slider (long hole 12a) connected to the second link 12 by a sliding pair, and the handle main body 3 whose both ends are connected to the first link 11 and the slider by a swivel pair.

[0026] Furthermore, the end of the sliding stroke of the slider sliding on the second link 12 is predetermined as the end position of the long hole 12a, and by applying a counterclockwise rotational moment to the second link 12 by the torsion spring 15 in addition to the rotational moment applied to the first link 11 described above, the slider is held at the stroke end position on the side of the connecting shaft (A2) of the second link 12 with the handle base 2.

[0027] Furthermore, the link lengths of the fixed link and the handle body 3 are approximately the same, and furthermore, the distance between the slider and the connecting axis (A2) of the fixed link of the second link 12 at the stroke end position (i.e., the distance between A2 and B2 in Figure 2) is formed to be approximately the same as the link length of the first link 11. Therefore, when the first link 11 is electrically rotated as a driving link, it essentially operates as a four-section parallel link.

[0028] Therefore, when the first link 11 is rotated clockwise from the initial state (see Figure 2) in which the surface 3b of the handle body 3 is approximately flush with the door panel (door surface 5), the handle body 3 moves in parallel to the pop-up position (see Figure 3).

[0029] From this state, when the handle body 3 is manually rotated clockwise to the latch operation position (see Figure 4), clockwise rotation of the first link 11 around the connecting axis (A1) with the handle base 2 is restricted, so in response to the rotation of the handle body 3, the second link 12 rotates around the connecting axis (B1) and the connecting axis B2 moves in a translational manner through the long hole 12a, and essentially the mechanism functions as a slider crank mechanism with the handle body 3, second link 12, and slider as movable links, and the second link 12 rotates a further predetermined angle from the state shown in Figure 3.

[0030] Meanwhile, the handle base 2 is provided with a latch operating mechanism (not shown) that is actuated by the rotation of the connecting shaft (B1) of the second link 12 with the handle base 2 from Fig. 3 to Fig. 4, and as the handle body 3 rotates to its actuated position, the latch operating mechanism releases the door latch device fixed to the door via an appropriate transmission means such as a cable device. Here, the latch operating mechanism may be a switch, and the transmission means may be configured to transmit a signal from the switch to the door latch device.

[0031] The following describes the detailed configuration of the rotation drive mechanism 16. As shown in Figures 5 to 7 and 9, the rotation drive mechanism 16 is composed of a motor 17, a worm 18, a two-stage gear 19, a main gear 20 (corresponding to the "gear" in this disclosure), a shaft portion 21 of the main gear 20, a circuit board 22, an initial position detection sensor 23, a pop-up position detection sensor 24, and a cam member 13.

[0032] The rotation drive mechanism 16 operates the worm 18, the two-stage gear 19, the main gear 20, and the cam member 13 in conjunction with the operation of the motor 17, thereby moving the handle body 3 between the initial position and the pop-up position.

[0033] In the rotation drive mechanism 16, an initial position detection sensor 23 and a pop-up position detection sensor 24 are mounted on the circuit board 22 on the rotation path of the rib 20a of the main gear 20. Here, the initial position detection sensor 23 and the pop-up position detection sensor are tactile switches that detect contact with the rib 20a. However, they may be replaced with any other sensor capable of detecting the approach of the rib 20a. For example, a magnet may be provided in place of the rib 20a, and a Hall sensor may be used to detect the approach of the magnet, or other non-contact sensors may be used. When the initial position detection sensor 23 or the pop-up position detection sensor 24 detects the rib 20a, it determines that the handle body 3 is in the initial position or the pop-up position based on the rotation angle of the cam member 13 via the main gear 20. The operation of the motor 17 (i.e., the rotational drive of the cam member 13) is controlled based on the detection result. Each component will be described in detail below.

[0034] 5 to 7, the motor 17 has a motor shaft 17a, and receives a supply of electric power to rotate the motor shaft 17a. The worm 18 is a screw-shaped gear and is attached to the tip side of the motor shaft 17a.

[0035] The dual gear 19 is a gear in which a first gear 19a and a second gear 19b, each having a different number of teeth, are stacked on top of each other and integrally provided on the same rotation axis. In the dual gear 19, the first gear 19a is arranged in mesh with the worm 18, and the second gear 19b is arranged in mesh with the main gear 20. The number of teeth of the first gear 19a is greater than the number of teeth of the second gear 19b. The dual gear 19 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the worm 18.

[0036] The main gear 20 is a gear that meshes with the second gear 19b of the double gear 19. An arc-shaped rib 20a serving as a detection target is provided on the upper surface of the main gear 20, corresponding to the circumferential shape of the main gear 20. The shaft portion 21 is integrally provided on the lower surface of the main gear 20, and its lower end forms a fitting portion 21a that fits into the fitted portion 13a of the cam member 13 (upper region 13aa in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 8B, and lower region 13ab in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9). Therefore, the fitting portion 21a is formed in a shape that corresponds to the fitted portion 13a of the cam member 13. The fitting portion 21a has multiple (five in this example) protruding portions that protrude radially and extend vertically, and the protruding portions fit into grooves of the fitted portion 13a, which will be described later.

[0037] The circuit board 22 is a printed circuit board on which are mounted, for example, circuits for controlling the operation of the motor 17. Here, the surface of the circuit board 22 facing the main gear 20 is referred to as surface A, and the opposite surface is referred to as surface B. On surface A of the circuit board, an initial position detection sensor 23 and a pop-up position detection sensor 24 are mounted on the rotation trajectory of the rib 20 a of the main gear 20. In other words, contact of the rib 20 a with the initial position detection sensor 23 or the pop-up position detection sensor 24 is detected by circuits mounted on the circuit board 22.

[0038] The circuit board 22 is formed symmetrically from top to bottom, and can be used by flipping the upper and lower surfaces (see particularly Figures 6A, 6B, and 9). That is, side B can be the main gear 20 side, and the initial position detection sensor 23 and the pop-up position detection sensor 24 can be mounted on side B. Therefore, the circuit board can be flipped over depending on the left or right hand, and components can be mounted on it, allowing for standardization of the circuit board.

[0039] The cam member 13 is a member that is rotated in accordance with the rotation of the main gear 20, thereby driving the first link 11. As shown in Figures 8A and 8B, the cam member 13 is formed with a fitted portion 13a that extends in the vertical direction and into which the fitting portion 21a of the main gear 20 is fitted.

[0040] The mating portion 13a is a substantially cylindrical through hole, and has an uneven region 13b in which multiple (five in this example) groove portions are provided into which the protrusions of the mating portion 21a are fitted, and an arc region 13c in which multiple groove portions are not provided.

[0041] The cam member 13 has an outer peripheral shape that is vertically symmetrical. Meanwhile, as described above, the fitted portion 13a is arranged such that the concave-convex region 13b and the arc region 13c are circumferentially offset between the upper region 13aa and the lower region 13ab (in this example, offset by 60 degrees around the rotation axis). That is, the fitted portion 13a of the cam member 13 is formed in an opposite direction. As a result, the cam member 13 can be used in the handle device 1 regardless of whether it is fixed to the left or right door of the vehicle, without the need to prepare an opposite cam member.

[0042] The orientation of the cam member 13 for use can be clarified by providing a mark or the like on at least one of the upper end surface and the lower end surface of the cam member 13. In the fitted portion 13a, the amount of circumferential positional deviation of the concave-convex region 13b and the arc region 13c in the upper region 13aa and the lower region 13ab is determined appropriately in consideration of the mounting positions of the initial position detection sensor 23 and the pop-up position detection sensor 24 on the circuit board 22, the positional relationship between each of these detection sensors and the rib 20a of the main gear 20, etc.

[0043] As described above, according to this embodiment, the shape of the engaging portion 13a of the cam member 13 is different between the upper region 13aa and the lower region 13ab (i.e., the engaging portion is formed in an opposite shape), so that it is not necessary to prepare opposite cam members to match the left and right handle devices as in conventional handle devices, and parts including the cam member 13 can be standardized regardless of whether the handle device 1 is fixed to the left or right door of the vehicle.

[0044] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the fitted portion 13a is formed so that the fitting angle with the main gear 20 differs between the upper region 13aa and the lower region 13ab, and by adjusting this fitting angle, the shape of the fitted portion 13a can be formed as desired. In other words, according to this embodiment, with a simple structure, parts including the cam member 13 can be standardized regardless of whether the door is fixed to the left or right door of the vehicle.

[0045] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the concave-convex region 13b and the arc region 13c are arranged with a circumferential offset between the upper region 13aa and the lower region 13ab of the fitted portion 13a, and by adjusting the amount of offset (i.e., the magnitude of the angle of offset about the rotation axis), the shape of the fitted portion 13a can be formed as desired. That is, according to this embodiment, with a simple structure, parts including the cam member 13 can be standardized regardless of whether the handle device 1 is fixed to the left or right door of the vehicle.

[0046] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, an initial position detection sensor 23, a pop-up position detection sensor 24, and a circuit board 22 on which the initial position detection sensor 23 and the pop-up position detection sensor 24 are mounted are further provided, thereby making it easier to control the movement of the handle body 3 between the initial position and the pop-up position.

[0047] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the circuit board 22 is formed symmetrically on the front and back, so that the circuit board 22 can be used in common regardless of whether the handle device 1 is fixed to the left or right door of the vehicle.

[0048] It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present disclosure.

[0049] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the handle device 1 has a slider crank structure using a link, but it may also be a rotating type handle device in which the handle main body 3 is directly journaled on the handle base 2. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the handle main body 3 is a pop-up handle that pops up, but it may also be a retractable type handle in which the handle main body is stored inside the door. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the rotation axis of the handle main body 3 extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle, but the rotation axis of the handle main body 3 may also extend in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

[0050] The vehicle handle device (1) of the present disclosure comprises: a handle base (2) fixed to the vehicle; a handle body (3) connected to the handle base (2) and displaceable from an initial position by a drive device (motor 17); a gear (main gear 20) that is rotationally driven by the drive device (motor 17); and a cam member (13) that has a fitted portion (13a) that fits into a fitting portion (21a) formed on an axial end of the gear (main gear 20), and is rotationally driven by the gear (main gear 20) via the fitted portion (13a), wherein the handle body (3) has a driven portion (11a) that abuts against the cam member (13), and is configured to be displaceable by the cam member (13) via the driven portion (11a), and the cam member (13) The fitted portion (13a) is formed on each end of the cam member (13) in the direction of the rotation axis, and the shape of the fitted portion (13a) differs between one end side and the other end side in the direction of the rotation axis.

[0051] According to this configuration, the shape of the mating portion of the cam member is different between one end and the other end in the rotation axis direction. Generally, conventional steering devices are fixed to both the left and right doors of a vehicle, and cam members with opposite orientations must be prepared to match the left and right steering devices. However, according to this configuration, the shape of the mating portion is different between one end and the other end in the rotation axis direction, i.e., the mating portion is formed with an opposite orientation, so that the components can be standardized regardless of whether the steering device is fixed to the left or right door of a vehicle.

[0052] The fitted portion (13a) may be shaped such that the engagement angle between the gear (main gear 20) and the cam member (13) differs between one end and the other end.

[0053] With this configuration, the mating portion is formed so that the mating angle with the gear is different on one end and the other end, and by adjusting this mating angle, the shape of the mating portion can be made to be different. In other words, with this configuration, the structure is simple and the parts can be standardized regardless of whether it is fixed to the left or right door of the vehicle.

[0054] Furthermore, one of the engaging portion (21 a) and the engaged portion (13 a) may be formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, the other of the engaging portion (21 a) and the engaged portion (13 a) may be formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, the engaging portion (21 a) may be provided with one of a protruding portion that protrudes radially and a groove portion that engages with the protruding portion, the engaged portion may be provided with the other of the protruding portion and the groove portion, and the engaged portion may have an uneven region (13 b) in which the protruding portion or the groove portion is provided, and an arc region (13 c) in which the protruding portion or the groove portion is not provided, and the uneven region (13 b) and the arc region (13 c) may be positioned circumferentially shifted between the one end side and the other end side.

[0055] With this configuration, the concave-convex region and the arc region are circumferentially offset between one end and the other end of the mating portion, and by adjusting the amount of offset (i.e., the magnitude of the angle of offset around the rotation axis), the shape of the mating portion can be formed as desired. In other words, with this configuration, the simple structure allows for the use of standard parts regardless of whether the mating portion is fixed to the left or right door of a vehicle.

[0056] The device may further include an initial position detection sensor (23) for detecting that the handle body (3) has been placed in the initial position, a pop-up position detection sensor (24) for detecting that the handle body (3) has been placed in a pop-up position pulled out from the initial position, and a circuit board (22) on which the initial position detection sensor (23) and the pop-up position detection sensor (24) are mounted.

[0057] According to this configuration, by further providing an initial position detection sensor, a pop-up position detection sensor, and a circuit board on which the initial position detection sensor and the pop-up position detection sensor are mounted, it becomes easier to control the movement of the handle body between the initial position and the pop-up position.

[0058] Furthermore, the gear (main gear 20) may have a detectable portion (rib 20a) on the circumference of the rotational surface of the gear (main gear 20), and the circuit board (22) may have the initial position detection sensor (23) and the pop-up position detection sensor (24) arranged on a surface facing the detectable portion (rib 20a), and the steering wheel device (1) of the vehicle may be configured so that the initial position detection sensor (23) detects the approach of the detectable portion (rib 20a) to detect that the steering wheel main body (3) has been placed in the initial position, and the pop-up position detection sensor (24) detects the approach of the detectable portion (rib 20a) to detect that the steering wheel main body (3) has been placed in the pop-up position, and the circuit board (22) may be formed so that the front and back surfaces are symmetrical.

[0059] According to this configuration, the circuit board is formed symmetrically on the front and back sides, so that whether it is fixed to the left or right door of the vehicle, it is only necessary to turn the circuit board over and mount the components, thereby enabling the circuit board to be standardized.

[0060] Although various embodiments have been described above, it goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the components of the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of the disclosure.

[0061] This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Patent Application No. 2023-202813) filed on November 30, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0062] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Handle device 2 Handle base 3 Handle body 5 Door surface 11 First link 12 Second link 13 Cam member 13a Engaged portion 13aa Upper region 13ab Lower region 13b Concave and recessed region 13c Arc region 16 Rotation drive mechanism 17 Motor 18 Worm 19 Two-stage gear 20 Main gear 20a Rib 21 Shaft portion 21a Engaged portion 22 Circuit board 23 Initial position detection sensor 24 Pop-up position detection sensor

Claims

1. A handle device for a vehicle comprising: a handle base fixed to a vehicle; a handle main body connected to the handle base and displaceable from an initial position by a drive unit; a gear rotated by the drive unit; and a cam member having a fitted portion that fits with a fitting portion formed on an axial end of the gear, the cam member being rotated by the gear via the fitted portion, wherein the handle main body has a driven portion that abuts against the cam member and is configured to be displaceable by the cam member via the driven portion, the cam member having a fitted portion formed on each end of the cam member in the direction of a rotation axis, the fitted portion having a different shape between one end and the other end in the direction of the rotation axis.

2. A steering wheel device for a vehicle as described in claim 1, wherein the shape of the fitted portion is such that the engagement angle between the gear and the cam member differs between one end and the other end.

3. A handle device for a vehicle as described in claim 1, wherein one of the mating portion and the mated portion is formed in a generally cylindrical shape, the other of the mating portion and the mated portion is formed in a generally cylindrical shape, the mating portion is provided with one of a protrusion protruding in the radial direction and a groove portion that engages with the protrusion, and the mated portion is provided with the other of the protrusion and the groove, the mated portion has an uneven region in which the protrusion or the groove is provided, and an arc region in which the protrusion or the groove is not provided, and the uneven region and the arc region are circumferentially shifted between the one end side and the other end side.

4. A steering wheel device for a vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: an initial position detection sensor for detecting that the steering wheel main body has been placed in the initial position; a pop-up position detection sensor for detecting that the steering wheel main body has been placed in a pop-up position pulled out from the initial position; and a circuit board on which the initial position detection sensor and the pop-up position detection sensor are mounted.

5. A steering wheel device for a vehicle as described in claim 4, wherein the gear has a detectable portion on the circumference of the rotational surface of the gear, and the initial position detection sensor and the pop-up position detection sensor are arranged on the surface of the circuit board facing the detectable portion, the steering wheel device for the vehicle is configured so that the initial position detection sensor detects the approach of the detectable portion to detect that the steering wheel main body has been placed in the initial position, and the pop-up position detection sensor detects the approach of the detectable portion to detect that the steering wheel main body has been placed in the pop-up position, and the circuit board is formed so that its front and back surfaces are symmetrical.

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