Steering Wheel Decorative Member Screwless Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional steering wheels face challenges in mounting and fixing decorative members without screws or machine screws, which complicates assembly, limits design freedom, and restricts deformation necessary for impact absorption.
Innovation Solution
A steering wheel design that uses a fixing unit with engaging fixed units and an engaging unit to securely attach decorative members orthogonally to the steering main body, allowing for deformation and impact absorption without the need for screws or machine screws.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the decorative member is fixed to the steering main body using screws or machine screws, then the mounting and fixing is secure, but the assembly process becomes complicated and design freedom is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for screws or machine screws from the fixing mechanism. Instead, it uses a self-contained elastic deformation structure where the decorative member itself deforms to engage with the steering main body, achieving secure mounting without external fastening components.
Solution Approach 2:
The decorative member serves its own dual function: it is both the aesthetic component and the fixing mechanism. The elastic deformation capability of the decorative member allows it to self-lock onto the steering main body through its own structural properties, without requiring separate fixing parts.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the decorative member is rigidly fixed to the steering main body, then the mounting is stable, but the deformation necessary for impact absorption is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces dynamic characteristics to the fixing mechanism by allowing elastic deformation of the decorative member. The fixing structure is designed to be flexible rather than rigid, enabling the decorative member to deform elastically during impact events while maintaining stable mounting under normal conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state parameter of the decorative member from rigid to elastically deformable. By utilizing the elastic properties of the decorative member material, the system allows controlled deformation during impact absorption while maintaining structural integrity and mounting stability during normal operation.
3Reliability
If the decorative member is made deformable for impact absorption, then the safety is improved, but the mounting and fixing becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the decorative member and the impact-absorbing mechanism into a single integrated component. The elastic deformation capability is built into the decorative member itself, eliminating the need for separate impact absorption mechanisms and simplifying the overall assembly process.
Solution Approach 2:
The decorative member performs multiple functions simultaneously: aesthetic decoration, impact absorption through elastic deformation, and self-fixing to the steering main body. The elastic properties enable the decorative member to self-mount without requiring complex assembly procedures or additional fastening components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design simplifies part management, enhances design freedom, and ensures stable operability and impact absorption by allowing the decorative member to deform with the steering main body, reducing manufacturing costs and improving appearance.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic member (which corresponds to a resilient member in the broad sense) having a substantially L-shape in a cross section, and having an outer surface and an inner surface
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention aims to provide a steering wheel in which a decorative member is easily mounted and fixed to a steering main body without a need to employ fixing parts such as screws, and which is capable of effectively absorbing an impact by appropriately deforming the decorative member at the time of input of a load. The steering wheel of the present invention has: a plurality of engaging fixed units by which the decorative member is mounted and fixed to the steering main body's side via a fixing unit, and demounting of the fixing unit is restrained at the time of deformation of the decorative member; and an engaging unit which is arranged on a site configured to produce a bending deformation of the decorative member, and by which demounting is disallowed to be restrained at the time of deformation of the decorative member.