Vehicle steering wheel with an airbag module

• US 7,481,450 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2005
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRW Automotive Safety Systems GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: TRW Automotive Safety Systems GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Weigand, Klaus, Staudt, Norbert, Wuschik, Lars, Lefringhausen, Heinz, Hirzmann, Guido
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Verley; Nicole
• Application Number:
  US11/284,387
• Publication Number:
  US 20060113775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 280/731, 200/61.54, 200/61.55
• 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 vehicle steering wheel (20) includes a movable airbag module (24) which can be depressed by a limited axial stroke for generating a horn signal. The vehicle steering wheel (20) further includes a sensor system (22a, 22b) operating in a contactless manner for determining the stroke.

Claims

1. A vehicle steering wheel, comprising a movable airbag module which can be depressed by a limited axial stroke for generating a horn signal, the vehicle steering wheel further comprising a sensor system operating in a contactless manner for determining the stroke.

2. The vehicle steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the airbag module is guided parallel to a steering axis of the steering wheel.

3. The vehicle steering wheel according to claim 2, wherein several radially arranged guide elements are provided between the airbag module and an airbag module mounting.

4. The vehicle steering wheel according to claim 3, wherein the guide elements are made of polyoxymethylene.

5. The vehicle steering wheel according to claim 2, wherein the airbag module is mounted on a guide device by means of only one compression spring.

6. The vehicle steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the sensor system comprises a continuous path measurement device yielding an analog output signal.

7. The vehicle steering wheel according to claim 6, wherein the path measurement device is connected with a microcontroller.

8. The vehicle steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the sensor system comprises a threshold path measurement device yielding a digital output signal.