Steering wheel

Abstract

A steering wheel (1), comprising a steering wheel body (101) and a functional member arranged on the steering wheel body, the functional member comprising a first conductive filament (40) and a second conductive filament (50) that are connected to each other at a predetermined position (C), wherein the first conductive filament has a first resistance value, the second conductive filament has a second resistance value, and the first resistance value is less than the second resistance value; and the first conductive filament and second conductive filament of the functional member jointly perform a hand off detection function, and a heating function is solely performed by the first conductive filament.

Description

steering wheel Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of automotive parts technology, and more particularly to a steering wheel. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of vehicle technology, vehicle intelligence has become an important development direction. Vehicle functions are also increasing, and these functions are activated or deactivated via switches and buttons. Therefore, the steering wheel, as a crucial component of the car's steering system, not only serves as a steering component but also incorporates a variety of other functions, such as audio control, cruise control, Bluetooth, and trip computer functions, all of which can be accessed through the steering wheel.

[0003] HOD (Hand Off Detection) is a type of ADAS (Advanced Driving Assistance System) and a requirement for Level 1 to Level 4 autonomous driving systems. HOD is increasingly valued by OEMs. However, due to limitations in the density of detection elements on the steering wheel, the sensitivity of HOD detection is relatively low.

[0004] Therefore, a steering wheel with a highly sensitive hands-off detection function is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure provides a steering wheel with highly sensitive hands-off detection.

[0006] This disclosure provides a steering wheel, which includes a steering wheel body and functional components arranged on the steering wheel body.

[0007] in,

[0008] The functional component includes a first conductive filament and a second conductive filament connected to each other at a predetermined position.

[0009] The first conductive filament has a first resistance value, the second conductive filament has a second resistance value, and the first resistance value is less than the second resistance value.

[0010] The first and second conductive filaments of the functional component jointly perform the off-hand detection function, and the heating function is performed only by the first conductive filament.

[0011] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the first conductive filament and the second conductive filament are arranged at intervals from each other at locations other than the predetermined location, and the maximum interval between the first conductive filament and the second conductive filament is in the range of 2.5 mm to 3 mm.

[0012] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the first resistance value is in the range of 1.3 ohms to 8 ohms.

[0013] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the second resistance value is in the range of 1,000 ohms to 10,000 ohms.

[0014] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the steering wheel includes a carrier layer, and the first conductive filament and the second conductive filament are embedded in the carrier layer.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first conductive filament and a second conductive filament are provided, and the first conductive filament and the second conductive filament extend along the same predetermined path in the carrier layer to cover the entire carrier layer.

[0016] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the carrier layer is fixed to a heating pad, the heating pad being arranged to cover the entire outer peripheral surface of the steering wheel body, and...

[0017] The steering wheel also includes a covering layer located outside the heating pad and a foam structure layer located between the heating pad and the steering wheel body.

[0018] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the steering wheel body is constructed as a metal body.

[0019] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the predetermined path has multiple curved segments.

[0020] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the covering layer is a skin. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The features, advantages, and technical effects of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same symbols denote the same elements, wherein:

[0022] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the rim of a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of some components in a steering wheel according to the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The following describes specific embodiments of the steering wheel according to the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The detailed description and drawings below are provided to illustrate the principles of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to the described preferred embodiments; the various embodiments described in the present disclosure can be used individually or in any combination. The scope of protection of the present disclosure is defined by the claims.

[0026] Furthermore, spatially related terms (such as "up," "down," "left," and "right") are used to describe the relative positional relationship between elements shown in the accompanying drawings and other elements. Therefore, spatially related terms can be applied to directions different from those shown in the accompanying drawings. Clearly, while all these spatially related terms refer to the directions shown in the accompanying drawings for ease of explanation, those skilled in the art will understand that directions different from those shown in the accompanying drawings can be used.

[0027] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figure 1.

[0028] As shown in Figure 1, the steering wheel 1 includes a rim 10, a center portion 20, and radial members 30 extending between the rim 10 and the center portion 20, with the rim 10 arranged around the center portion 20. It can be observed from Figure 1 that two radial members 30 are shown in this embodiment, and the following description will be based on the steering wheel shown in Figure 1. Of course, this is merely an example, and the present disclosure does not impose a specific limitation on the number of radial members. For example, the steering wheel of the present disclosure may be provided with other numbers (e.g., three) of radial members according to actual needs, and the steering wheel of the present disclosure may also not have radial members. Furthermore, although the rim shown in Figure 1 is a generally closed annular member, the steering wheel of the present disclosure is not limited to this; for example, the steering wheel of the present disclosure may also have a rim with circumferential notches.

[0029] Typically, a transmission component (not shown) is configured to transmit torque between the steering wheel 1 and the steering column (not shown), for example, between the steering wheel center portion 20 of the steering wheel 1 and the steering column, thereby transmitting the torque applied by the driver to the steering wheel 1 to the steering column to perform the vehicle steering operation.

[0030] Furthermore, the steering wheel assembly 1 of this disclosure also includes electrical components (not shown in FIG1) disposed on the rim 10, a first electronic device disposed at the center 20 of the steering wheel, and a second electronic device disposed at the radial member 30. As an example, the aforementioned electrical components may include electrical components for hands-off detection and / or electrical components for steering wheel heating. The first and second electronic devices may be configured as display devices, allowing the driver to trigger various functions, such as cruise control and multimedia playback. The specific structure of the steering wheel rim 10 is described in detail below.

[0031] Figure 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the rim of a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that Figure 2 is a schematic cross-section of the steering wheel rim obtained by cutting the rim with a plane perpendicular to the circumferential extension direction of the rim. The steering wheel rim according to the present disclosure is described in detail below.

[0032] As shown in Figure 2, the wheel rim 10 includes a steering wheel body 101, a foamed structure layer 102, a heating pad 103, and a covering layer 104, which are distributed sequentially from the inside to the outside. These parts of the wheel rim 10 are described in detail below.

[0033] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the steering wheel body 101 may be constructed as a metal body. This metal body may be made of, for example, a rigid alloy material, thereby ensuring sufficient rigidity throughout the steering wheel rim. Simultaneously, the steering wheel body 101, located at the innermost edge of the rim 10, acts as a skeleton to provide rigid support for other components or layers of the rim 10.

[0034] The foamed structural layer 102 covers the steering wheel body 101, defining the generally cylindrical shape of the rim 10. Moreover, the foamed structural layer is made of lightweight material, which helps to make the rim 10 and the entire steering wheel 1 lighter.

[0035] The covering layer 104 is located on the outermost side of the rim 10. The covering layer 104, as the outer surface of the rim 10, is, for example, set as a skin to give the steering wheel 1 an aesthetic appearance.

[0036] A heating pad 103 is disposed between the foamed structure layer 102 and the covering layer 104. The heating pad 103 is provided with the electrical components / functional parts mentioned above, which perform the off-hand detection function and the heating function. Figure 3 is a partial schematic diagram of the heating pad 103; the heating pad 103 will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 3.

[0037] As shown in Figure 3, the functional component includes a first conductive filament 40 and a second conductive filament 50, and the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament 50 are connected to each other at a predetermined position C. In one example, there is only one connection point between the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament 50; in another example, there may be more connection points between the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament 50, for example, two connection points.

[0038] In the steering wheel 1 of this disclosure, a first conductive filament 40 has a first resistance value, a second conductive filament 50 has a second resistance value, and the first resistance value is less than the second resistance value. In one example, the first resistance value is in the range of 1.3 ohms to 8 ohms. In another example, the second resistance value is in the range of 1000 ohms to 10000 ohms. Specifically, the first resistance value can be set to 1.8 ohms, and the second resistance value can be set to 1000 ohms.

[0039] It is understood that in the steering wheel of this disclosure, the second resistance value is set to be much greater than the first resistance value. Therefore, relative to the first conductive filament, the second conductive filament can be regarded as a conductive filament that hardly heats up. Furthermore, even if the first conductive filament and the second conductive filament come into contact, the contact between the two conductive filaments will not cause a short circuit.

[0040] Based on the above configuration, in the steering wheel of this disclosure, the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament 50 of the functional component jointly perform the off-hand detection function, and only the first conductive filament 40 performs the heating function.

[0041] It should be noted that since the contact between the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament 50 will not cause a short circuit, the distance between the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament 50 can be set to be very small. Specifically, except at the predetermined position C, the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament 50 are arranged at intervals, and the maximum interval between the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament 50 is in the range of 2.5 mm to 3 mm. Taking the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament 50 shown in FIG3 as an example, the two conductive filaments extend in a sinusoidal manner, and there is a first interval distance between a vertex of the first conductive filament 40 and a vertex of the second conductive filament 50 that corresponds to the corresponding vertex of the first conductive filament 40, which is, for example, 3 mm. Furthermore, there is a second interval distance between the midpoint at the longitudinal midpoint of the first conductive filament 50 and the midpoint laterally corresponding to the midpoint of the first conductive filament 50, which is, for example, 2.5 mm.

[0042] In contrast, existing steering wheels are equipped with conductive filaments that have only the same or similar resistance values. In order to reduce the risk of short circuits caused by contact between the conductive filaments, the spacing between the conductive filaments has to be set to be relatively large, usually greater than 5 mm, which results in a lower distribution density of conductive filaments on the rim 10.

[0043] In the steering wheel of this disclosure, by providing a first conductive filament 40 and a second conductive filament 50 with a large difference in resistance on the rim 10, the spacing between the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament 50 can be set to be small, thereby distributing the two conductive filaments on the rim with a high density. It is understood that a high distribution density of conductive filaments on the rim is beneficial for providing a highly sensitive hands-off detection function.

[0044] In one embodiment of this disclosure, a first conductive filament 40 and a second conductive filament 50 are provided, and the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament extend along the same predetermined path. For example, the predetermined path has multiple curved segments, and the predetermined path passes through various portions of the carrier layer 1031 of the heating pad 103, such that the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament 50 extending along the predetermined path are distributed throughout the entire carrier layer 1031. Of course, this is just an example, and the steering wheel of this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, multiple first conductive filaments may be provided, and these conductive filaments may be connected end to end in sequence to form a combined first conductive filament, and / or multiple first conductive filaments may be provided, and these conductive filaments may be connected end to end in sequence to form a combined second conductive filament.

[0045] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the carrier layer 1031 may be a braided piece formed by weaving together multiple filaments. In this arrangement, the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament 50, as portions of the multiple filaments, are embedded into the carrier layer 1031 together with the other filaments via weaving, thus placing the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament 50 in the same layer. Of course, this is merely an example, and the first and second conductive filaments can also be embedded into the carrier layer in other ways. Subsequently, the carrier layer can be fixed to a specific portion of the heating pad 103 by adhesive bonding. In one example, the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament 50 are connected to the same control module via a connection point at a predetermined location. This control module controls the activation and deactivation of the heating function and analyzes the hands-off detection signal. Specifically, when the driver applies a gripping force to the wheel rim 10, a hands-off detection electrode is formed based on the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament 50, generating a driver's grip signal. When the driver's hand leaves the wheel rim 10, a hands-off signal is generated to identify that the steering wheel 1 is in a hands-off state. Optionally, the steering wheel 1 is also equipped with a hands-off reminder device, which triggers a reminder function when the driver's hand is detected leaving the steering wheel 1 to improve driving safety. The hands-off reminder device may include a combination of one or more of acoustic reminder devices, optical reminder devices, and tactile reminder devices. It should be noted that although Figure 3 shows the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament 50 extending in a sinusoidal manner, this is only an example. In order to be distributed throughout the entire carrier layer 1031, the first conductive filament 40 and the second conductive filament 50 can have a variety of different predetermined paths, including a combination of straight paths and arc paths, adapted to the shape of the carrier layer 1031.

[0046] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the heating pad 103 is arranged to cover the entire outer peripheral surface of the steering wheel body 101. In other words, the heating pad 103 extends throughout the entire circumference of the steering wheel body 101, and similarly extends throughout the entire circumference of a cross-section perpendicular to the circumference of the steering wheel body 101 (as shown in FIG. 2), thereby covering the entire outer peripheral surface of the steering wheel body 101. It can be understood that this arrangement provides full coverage of hands-off detection for the rim 10 of the steering wheel 1, which helps to improve the accuracy of hands-off detection.

[0047] As mentioned above, although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and the scope of protection of the present disclosure should be defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A steering wheel (1) comprising a steering wheel body (101) and a functional member arranged on the steering wheel body (101), characterized in that, the functional member comprises a first conductive filament (40) and a second conductive filament (50) connected to each other at a predetermined position (C), the first conductive filament (40) has a first resistance value, the second conductive filament (50) has a second resistance value, and the first resistance value is smaller than the second resistance value, the first conductive filament (40) and the second conductive filament (50) of the functional member jointly perform a hands-off detection function, and only the first conductive filament (40) performs a heating function.

2. Steering wheel (1) according to claim 1, wherein The first conductive filament (40) and the second conductive filament (50) are arranged spaced apart from each other at positions other than the predetermined position (C), and the maximum spacing distance between the first conductive filament (40) and the second conductive filament (50) is in the range of 2.5 to 3 mm.

3. Steering wheel (1) according to claim 1, wherein The first resistance value is in the range of 1.3 to 8 ohms.

4. Steering wheel (1) according to claim 3, wherein The second resistance value is in the range of 1000 to 10000 ohms.

5. Steering wheel (1) according to claim 1, wherein The steering wheel (1) comprises a carrier layer (1031), and the first conductive filament (40) and the second conductive filament (50) are embedded in the carrier layer (1031).

6. Steering wheel (1) according to claim 5, wherein There is provided one first conductive filament (40) and one second conductive filament (50), and the first conductive filament (40) and the second conductive filament (50) extend along the same predetermined path in the carrier layer (1031) to cover the entire carrier layer (1031).

7. Steering wheel (1) according to claim 5, wherein The carrier layer (1031) is fixed to a heating pad (103) arranged to wrap the entire outer peripheral surface of the steering wheel body (101), and The steering wheel (1) further comprises a cladding layer (104) located outside the heating pad (103), and a foamed structure layer (102) located between the heating pad (103) and the steering wheel body (101).

8. Steering wheel (1) according to claim 7, wherein The steering wheel body (101) is configured as a metal body.

9. Steering wheel (1) according to claim 6, wherein The predetermined path has a plurality of curved sections.

10. Steering wheel (1) according to claim 7, wherein The cladding layer (104) is a skin.

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