Steering wheel having a steering wheel hollow

• US 6,312,011 B1
• Filed: 10/21/1998
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Darling Subco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Kaufmann, Veit, Döhring, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, J. J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHRIVER II, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US09/176,383
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728.2, 280/731, 280/732, 280/777, 280/750, 745/52, 188/371
• US Class Current: 280/731
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2173 the module or part thereof being movably mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/203 in steering wheels or steering columns
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/11 incorporating energy-absorbing arrangements, e.g. by being yieldable or collapsible padded linings associated with the steering wheel B60R21/05; shock absorbers using plastic deformation of members in general F16F7/12

Abstract

A steering wheel is fastened on a steering column by a steering wheel hollow (1). Within this steering wheel hollow (1), an airbag (15) is fastened on a plate (11) which in the rest position bears against the base (2) of the steering wheel hollow (1) and, as the airbag (15) inflates, the plate is displaced within the steering wheel hollow (1) away from the base (2). The steering wheel has travel limitation members (screw 12) for the maximum possible travel of the plate (11). Release of the airbag (15) produces a free space (16) between the plate (11) and the base (2) of the steering wheel hollow (1), which free space is formed so as to receive end regions of spokes (4, 5), which end regions are remote from a steering wheel rim (6).

Claims

1. A steering wheel for a vehicle adapted to be connected to a steering column, said steering wheel comprising:

a steering wheel hollow having a casing and a base, said base being adapted to be connected to said steering column;

an airbag disposed in said steering wheel hollow, said airbag inflating in event of a vehicle impact;

a steering wheel rim, with respect to the steering wheel hollow, being offset axially toward a position of a driver;

spokes connected between said casing and said steering wheel rim, said spokes having end regions remote from said steering wheel rim;

a plate displaceably disposed in said steering wheel hollow;

wherein the airbag is fastened on said plate, said plate in a rest position being substantially against the base of the steering wheel hollow and, as the airbag inflates, said plate is displaced within said steering wheel hollow away from said base defining a space between said plate and said base;

wherein said steering wheel has at least one travel limiting member limiting maximum displacement of said plate away from said base; and

wherein with the airbag inflated in a released position, when a sufficient load occurs on said spokes, said end regions of said spokes and end regions of the casing of the steering wheel hollow break off from said casing such that said broken off end regions of said spokes enter said space between the plate and the base of the steering wheel hollow, whereby the steering wheel is easily axially collapsable.

2. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein

said base has a recess, said travel limiting member is formed as a bolt which is fastened to said plate and penetrates through said recess in the base; and

on a side of the base which is remote from the plate, in said rest position with the plate bearing against the base, said bolt has, at a distance from the base, a head, which upon inflation of said airbag and said displacement of said plate, does not fit through said recess in the base.

3. The steering wheel according to claim 2, wherein the bolt has a shank and a conical surface widening from said shank towards the head of the bolt.

4. The steering wheel according to claim 2, wherein the bolt is a screw which is screwed into the plate.

5. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the steering wheel has two of said travel limiting members.

6. The steering wheel according to claim 2, further comprising a rotation-preventing element preventing rotation of said plate relative to said steering wheel hollow, and wherein said plate is guided in said steering wheel hollow by said rotation-preventing element, and the bolt has a clearance in the recess in the base, said clearance remaining after maximum rotation play of the plate with respect to the base.

7. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein each of said spokes, on a side facing the steering column, has a web directed toward a side of the steering column and extending against an outer casing surface of the casing, and

wherein, in a region of each of said webs, said casing of said steering wheel hollow and said webs are provided with a respective predetermined breaking region.

8. The steering wheel according to claim 7, wherein the webs extend in the axial direction of the steering wheel hollow overlapping said plate in the rest position.

9. The steering wheel according to claim 6, wherein said rotation-preventing element comprises said steering wheel hollow having at least one rotation-preventing recess into which said plate is slidably and non-rotatably disposed.

10. The steering wheel according to claim 9, wherein there are two of said rotation-preventing recesses which are radially aligned.

11. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein said end regions are pivotal into said space in said released position and load occurrence.

12. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein said end regions at a connection of said spokes and said casing are breakable.

13. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein said end regions are formed with predetermined breaking regions, said plate while in the rest position is adjacent to and providing support for said predetermined breaking regions, whereby said predetermined breaking regions are supported against breaking when said plate is in the rest position.

14. The steering wheel according to claim 13, wherein said breaking regions are recesses on said casing at said connection.

16. The steering wheel according to claim 7, wherein said webs enlarge in direction toward said breaking regions at the end regions at the outer casing surface and are axially connected to said casing thereof along a length of said casing substantially equal to the axial length of said space.

15. A steering wheel for a vehicle adapted to be connected to a steering column, said steering wheel comprising:

a steering wheel hollow having a casing adapted to be connected to said steering column;

an airbag disposed in said steering wheel hollow, said airbag inflating in event of a vehicle impact;

a steering wheel rim, with respect to the steering wheel hollow, being offset axially toward a position of a driver;

spokes connected between said casing and said steering wheel rim, said spokes having end regions remote from said rim, said end regions being connected adjacent end regions of said casing;

said casing defining a predetermined compartment space adjacent said end regions predetermined to receive said regions upon the vehicle impact, wherein with the airbag inflated in a released position, said end regions of the spokes and of the casing break off from said casing, said end regions of said spokes and said casing being formed such that upon breaking the end regions of the spokes and of the casing enter said predetermined compartment space, whereby the steering wheel is collapsable and said end regions of the spokes and of the casing enter into said compartment space.