Steering wheel

• US 7,475,902 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2007
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishii, Tsutomu, Tomita, Akira, Sakamoto, Masanari, Shiga, Ichizo, Asaoka, Michihisa, Ishiguro, Naohiko, Masatsugu, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Toan C
• Application Number:
  US11/727,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20070235995A1
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 280/731, 744/92, 744/93, 744/95, 744/96, 745/52
• US Class Current: 280/731
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/203 in steering wheels or steering columns
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/10 Hubs; Connecting hubs to steering columns, e.g. adjustable B62D1/11 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20834 Hand wheels

Abstract

The steering wheel includes a wheel body and an airbag apparatus disposed on top of a boss. The wheel body is divided into a shaft side division joined to the steering shaft, and a ring side division disposed proximate the ring. The ring side division is rotatable with respect to the shaft side division such that a ring plane is aligned generally vertically. The boss includes an actuator that rotates and moves the ring side division to align the ring plane generally vertically. The actuator completes its operation to align the ring plane generally vertically by the time a driver contacts the inflated airbag in the course of forward motion.

Claims

1. A steering wheel comprising a wheel body joined to a steering shaft and an airbag apparatus,

the wheel body includes as components a ring for holding at steering operation, a boss disposed proximate a center of the ring to be coupled to the steering shaft, and a spoke connecting the ring and the boss,

when the boss is coupled to the steering shaft, a ring plane on top of the ring is disposed diagonally downward and rearward,

the wheel body is divided into a shaft side division disposed proximate the steering shaft and joined to the steering shaft, and a ring side division disposed proximate the ring, the ring side division being rotatable with respect to the shaft side division such that the ring plane is aligned along the vertical direction,

the boss includes a rotation drive mechanism that rotates the ring side division to align the ring plane generally vertically,

the airbag apparatus includes an inflatable airbag and is disposed on top of the boss of the wheel body,

the airbag when inflated expands from inside of the ring toward outside of the ring, and is formed greater than an outer diameter of the ring, and

the rotation drive mechanism completes its operation to align the ring plane generally along the vertical direction by the time a driver contacts the inflated airbag in the course of forward motion.

2. The steering wheel of claim 1, wherein:

the rotation drive mechanism comprises a rotary axis about which the ring rotates, the rotary axis extending along the lateral direction when the steering wheel is steered straight ahead; and

the rotation drive mechanism is activated only when the steering wheel is steered straight ahead.

3. The steering wheel of claim 2 wherein:

the rotation drive mechanism further comprises an actuator for pressing and rotating the ring side division downward; and

the rotary axis is disposed forward relative to the steering shaft whereas the actuator is disposed rearward relative to the steering shaft.

4. The steering wheel of claim 1 wherein:

the steering wheel comprises a control device for activating the rotation drive mechanism, the control device being capable of estimating a crash before an actual crash; and

the control device returns the ring side division to the original position if the actual crash is avoided after the rotation drive mechanism is once operated.

5. The steering wheel of claim 1 wherein the airbag apparatus is attached to the ring side division.

6. The steering wheel of claim 1, wherein:

when the inflated airbag receives the driver moving forward, the rotation drive mechanism holds the ring side division at a position where the ring plane is aligned generally vertically.

7. The steering wheel of claim 1, wherein:

in the course the inflated airbag receives the driver moving forward, the rotation drive mechanism stops controlling the movement of the ring side division after once rotating the ring side division, such that the ring side division is allowed to return toward an original position.

8. The steering wheel of claim 1, wherein:

in the course the inflated airbag receives the driver moving forward, the rotation drive mechanism rotates the ring side division once moved to return toward an original position and holds the ring side division at a point on the way back.

9. The steering wheel of claim 1, wherein:

the rotation drive mechanism allows for a return of the ring side division once moved toward an original position; and

when the rotation drive mechanism determines a position of the ring side division on the way back to the original position, the rotation drive mechanism adjusts an angle of the ring plane from the vertical direction depending upon the driver to be received by the airbag.

10. A steering wheel comprising:

a ring for holding at steering operation,

a boss disposed proximate a center of the ring to be coupled to the steering shaft,

a spoke connecting the ring and the boss,

an alignment control unit plastically deformed when the steering wheel contacts with a driver moving forward such that a ring plane formed on top of the ring is aligned generally along the vertical direction, the alignment control unit comprising an adjusting mechanism adjusting a plastic deformation load required to deform the alignment control unit at the alignment of the ring plane.

11. The steering wheel of claim 10 wherein:

the steering wheel further comprises a control device for activating the adjusting mechanism, the device being capable of detecting a size of kinetic energy of the driver approaching the ring; and

the control device activates the adjusting mechanism to adjust the deformation load depending on the size of the kinetic energy of the driver.

12. The steering wheel of claim 10, wherein:

the steering wheel includes a core interconnecting the ring, the boss and the spoke, the core comprising a bendable region bendable in such a manner as to bring the ring side division close to the shaft side division;

the alignment control unit is located on the bendable region;

the adjusting mechanism comprises;

a resistive element held between the shaft side division and the ring side division when the alignment control unit is plastically deformed, and a moving mechanism for moving the resistive element; and

the moving mechanism moves the resistive element such that the deformation load required to deform the alignment control unit is adjusted depending on the way the resistive element is held between the shaft side division and the ring side division when the alignment control unit is plastically deformed.

13. The steering wheel of claim 12, wherein:

when the plastic deformation load is set to a minimum, the moving mechanism removes the resistive element from a position between the shaft side division and the ring side division at the plastic deformation of the alignment control unit.

14. The steering wheel of claim 12, wherein:

the resistive element comprises a shift portion varying a load required to deform the resistive element along a moving direction of the resistive element when the resistive element is held between the shaft side division and the ring side division upon the plastic deformation of the alignment control unit.

15. The steering wheel of claim 12, wherein:

the resistive element has a rod-like shape extending orthogonal to a moving direction of the ring side division toward the shaft side division when the alignment control unit is plastically deformed; and

each of the shaft side division and ring side division has a butt portion to butt against and hold the resistive element at two spaced positions on an axis of the resistive element.

16. The steering wheel of claim 12, wherein:

the moving mechanism is capable of returning the resistive element to an original position after once moving the resistive element.

17. The steering wheel of claim 12, wherein:

the bendable portion is located in a boss core disposed in the boss area of the core;

the boss core includes a tubular region extending along the axial direction of the steering shaft and a plate-shaped region extending from an upper side of the tubular region outward and orthogonally to the axial direction of the steering shaft; and

the shaft side division is arranged on an outer circumference of the tubular region whereas the ring side division is arranged on a lower side of the plate-shaped region.

18. The steering wheel of claim 17, wherein:

the steering wheel comprises more than one alignment control units around the steering shaft, each of which unit including the shaft side division, the ring side division and the adjusting mechanism disposed between the shaft side division and the ring side division; and

the plastic deformation takes place in one of the alignment control units located rearward of the steering shaft with the plastic deformation load adjusted by the adjusting mechanism.

19. The steering wheel of claim 10, wherein:

the alignment control unit is plastically deformed such that the ring plane of at least a rear part of the ring is aligned vertically.

20. The steering wheel of claim 10, wherein:

the alignment control unit is plastically deformed such that the entire ring plane is aligned vertically.