STEERING WHEEL ASSEMBLY FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE

• US 20110233905A1
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Germany GmbH (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata-Petri AG
• Inventors: Marotzke, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,608,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/731
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/003 mounted on the steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2037 the module or a major component thereof being yieldably mounted, e.g. for actuating the horn switch or for protecting the driver in a non-deployment situation horn switches integrated in steering wheel covers with tear lines B60R21/21658

Abstract

A steering wheel assembly for a motor vehicle comprising a steering wheel that can be mounted rotatably about a steering axle on a motor vehicle is provided. The steering wheel assembly comprises an airbag module disposed in a pre-determinable use position on the steering wheel, and an adjusting device disposed on the steering wheel assembly. Said adjusting device is adapted and provided for adjusting the spatial position of the airbag module relative to the steering wheel for the purposes of compensating for tolerances perpendicular to the steering axle. In the process, the adjusting device comprises adjusting means for generating an adjusting force that has at least one force component along the adjusting direction of the airbag module and also a guide device for guiding the airbag module along the adjustment direction thereof.

Claims

1. A steering wheel assembly for a motor vehicle with

a steering wheel that can be mounted rotatably about a steering axle on a motor vehicle, and

an airbag module disposed in a pre-determinable use position on the steering wheel,

further comprising an adjusting device disposed on the steering wheel assembly said adjusting device being adapted and provided for adjusting the spatial position of the airbag module relative to the steering wheel for the purposes of compensating for tolerances perpendicular to the steering axle,

wherein the adjusting device comprises adjusting means for generating an adjusting force that has at least one force component along the adjusting direction of the airbag module, and

wherein the adjusting device comprises furthermore a guiding device for guiding the airbag module along the adjustment direction thereof.

2. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the steering wheel defines a receptacle for the airbag module, wherein the airbag module is disposed on the steering wheel by forming at least one gap between the steering wheel and the airbag module.

4. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 2, wherein the adjusting device is being adapted and provided to adjust the dimension of the gap defined by the gap to a pre-determinable value.

5. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 4, wherein the airbag module is separated from the steering wheel on at least two gap areas being spatially distanced from each other, wherein the adjusting device is designed such that the gap dimensions of the two gap areas are adjusted such that they are brought in correlation to each other.

8. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting device can be already operated before the positioning of the airbag module on the steering wheel in order to be able to carry out a pre-adjustment of the adjusting device before the positioning of the airbag module on a steering wheel.

10. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting means have an excentric component, wherein the excentric component has an eccentricity which is directed perpendicular to the steering axle and is rotatably mounted on a rotation axle continuing parallel to the steering axle.

13. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 10, wherein the excentric component is provided for generating an adjusting force with at least one force component along the adjusting direction of the airbag module by rotating the excentric component around a rotation axle or by resting the excentric component as a rotatable element.

14. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 13, wherein the excentric component has an excentric body via which the excentric component is rotatably mounted around a rotation axle and a guiding part arranged excentrically relatively to the rotation axle for generating an adjusting force with a force component along the adjusting direction of the airbag module during a rotational movement of the eccentric.

15. The steering wheel according to claim 13, wherein the excentric component has a receiving opening arranged excentrically relative to its rotation axle in which an element is mounted, via which the adjusting force generated by the excentric component during a rotational movement can be guided into the airbag module to be adjusted.

19. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the guiding device defines a guiding path along which a movement is imposed onto the airbag module when operating the adjusting means.

21. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the guiding device has at least a guiding connecting member into which an assigned guiding element is inserted along the adjustment direction.

22. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 21, wherein at least two guiding connecting members being distanced from each other are provided.

25. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein a locking means is assigned to the adjusting device with which the adjusting device can be locked in a respective setting position.

26. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 25, wherein the locking means are provided for locking a rotational position of the eccentric.

27. The steering wheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein the airbag module is mounted on the steering wheel via a contact bridge, wherein the airbag module is adjustable along the adjustment direction across to the to the steering axle together with the contact bridge or relatively to the contact bridge.

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