Steering wheel equipped with airbag device

• US 7,484,754 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2006
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Funahashi, Ryoji, Sasaki, Yasunori, Yamachi, Ippei, Kaneko, Naoki, Fukushima, Masanobu, Kobayashi, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; John Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coker; Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US11/488,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20070024035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728.3, 280/731, 745/52
• US Class Current: 280/731
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/21543 with emblems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/21656 Steering wheel covers or similar cup-shaped covers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration

Abstract

A ring portion of a steering wheel is disposed to be inclined relative to a vertical direction with an inclined angle between 40 and 90 degrees, when viewed from a vehicle width direction, and a bag portion has a larger configuration than the ring portion so as to cover over the ring portion when an airbag inflation is completed. Accordingly, there can be provided the steering wheel equipped with the so-called donut type of airbag portion of a airbag device that can perform its advantages fully and thereby improve the driver'"'"'s protection.

Claims

1. A steering wheel equipped with an airbag device, comprising:

a ring portion to be gripped by a driver;

a pad portion coupled to said ring portion via a spoke portion and located at a central portion of the ring portion; and

an airbag device disposed in said pad portion,

wherein said airbag device comprises a bag portion that is accommodated in said pad portion substantially in a ring shape, when viewed from the driver, and operative to inflate toward a driver'"'"'s head at a vehicle frontal crash, part of said pad portion located on a side of the driver includes a cover member that comprises a fixed cover portion that is located at a central portion of the bag portion and does not open at inflation of the bag portion and an open cover portion that is disposed around the fixed cover portion and opens outside so as to form a substantially-ring-shaped opening portion through which the bag portion inflates toward the driver'"'"'s head at the inflation of the bag portion, said ring portion is disposed to be inclined relative to a vertical direction with an inclined angle between 40 and 90 degrees, when viewed from a vehicle width direction, said bag portion has a larger configuration than said ring portion so as to cover over the ring portion, inflating outwardly beyond an outer peripheral portion of the ring portion when the inflation is completed in such a manner that a chest portion of the driver hits against a rear-side part of an outer peripheral portion of the inflated bag portion before hitting against the ring portion, and

the bag portion is configured to inflate in such a manner that the bag portion gets out of the opening portion formed by opening of the open cover portion and expands with a hollow portion thereof which is formed at a central portion of the bag portion above the fixed cover portion and shrinks gradually according to an expansion of the bag portion, and that when the bag portion is substantially fully inflated, an inner peripheral surface of the shrinking hollow portion contacts each other with a substantial elimination of the hollow portion so as to make a central portion of a top end face of the inflated bag portion and the fixed cover portion of the cover member be coupled via the inner peripheral surface of the hollow portion, whereby a forward movement of the bag portion which is caused by pushing of the chest portion of the driver hitting against the rear-side part of the outer peripheral portion of the inflated bag portion can be suppressed.

2. The steering wheel equipped with an airbag device of claim 1, wherein a front-side part of said open cover portion that is located forward relative to the fixed cover portion in a vehicle traveling direction is configured so as to open forward around a hinge portion that is located near a front-side end of the cover member on an opposite side to a location of a drivers head relative to said ring portion.

3. The steering wheel equipped with an airbag device of claim 2, wherein a meter is provided at an instrument panel in front of said ring portion, and part of said cover member that extends forward in the vehicle traveling direction from a front-side boundary of the fixed cover portion and the front-side part of the open cover portion to the front-side end of the cover member is configured so as to be inclined toward the opposite side to the location of the driver'"'"'s head, whereby the driver can have a view of the meter through a front- side space formed between the pad portion and the ring portion.

4. The steering wheel equipped with an airbag device of claim 1, wherein an outer peripheral portion of said fixed cover portion that is located on a side of a location of a driver'"'"'s head is configured so as to be disposed substantially on the same level as an inner peripheral portion of said open cover portion or to project toward the driver'"'"'s head.

5. The steering wheel equipped with an airbag device of claim 1, wherein said fixed cover portion is of a substantially circular shape when viewed from the driver'"'"'s-head side.

6. The steering wheel equipped with an airbag device of claim 1, wherein said pad portion is provided relative to said ring portion in a vehicle traveling direction such that a distance between a front-side end of said cover member of the pad portion and a front-side end of an inner peripheral portion of the ring portion is greater than a distance between a rear-side end of the cover member of the pad portion and a rear-side end of the inner peripheral portion of the ring portion, a rear-side part of the ring portion is configured to be deformable by hitting of a driver'"'"'s body moving forward at the vehicle frontal crash, said open cover portion is comprised of a plurality of parts that open separately at the inflation of the bag portion, and a rear-side part of said open cover portion that is located rearward relative to the fixed cover portion is configured so as to open laterally around a hinge portion that is located near a side end of the cover member of the pad portion.

7. The steering wheel equipped with an airbag device of claim 6, wherein said hinge portion of the rear-side part of the open cover portion is located near a connecting portion of the pad portion to the spoke portion, and said rear-side part of the open cover portion is configured to open over the spoke portion.

8. The steering wheel equipped with an airbag device of claim 1, wherein said pad portion is provided relative to said ring portion in a vehicle traveling direction such that a distance between a front-side end of said cover member of the pad portion and a front-side end of an inner peripheral portion of the ring portion is greater than a distance between a rear-side end of the cover member of the pad portion and a rear-side end of the inner peripheral portion of the ring portion, a rear-side part of the ring portion is configured to be deformable by hitting of a driver'"'"'s body moving forward at the vehicle frontal crash, said open cover portion is comprised of a plurality of parts that open separately at the inflation of the bag portion, and a rear-side part of said open cover portion that is located rearward relative to the fixed cover portion is configured so as to open rearward around a hinge portion that is located near a rear end of the cover member of the pad portion, whereby the rear-side part of the cover member can open and move forward getting through a space formed between the pad portion and the ring portion.

9. The steering wheel equipped with an airbag device of claim 1, wherein said pad portion is provided relative to said ring portion in a vehicle traveling direction such that a distance between a front-side end of said cover member of the pad portion and a front-side end of an inner peripheral portion of the ring portion is greater than a distance between a rear-side end of the cover member of the pad portion and a rear-side end of the inner peripheral portion of the ring portion, said open cover portion is comprised of a plurality of parts that open separately at the inflation of the bag portion, and a rear-side part of said open cover portion that is located rearward relative to the fixed cover portion is configured so as to be supported partially at the pad portion and open without contacting a rear-side part of the ring portion, whereby the rear-side part of the open cover portion that has opened does not cover a space formed between the pad portion and the ring portion.

10. The steering wheel equipped with an airbag device of claim 9, wherein a portion of said rear-side part of said open cover portion that is supported at the pad portion is a hinge portion that is provided near a side end of the cover member of the pad portion, and the rear-side part of the open cover portion is configured so as to open laterally around the hinge portion.

11. The steering wheel equipped with an airbag device of claim 1, wherein said fixed cover portion is positioned in such a manner that a location thereof substantially overlaps with said ring portion, when viewed from the vehicle width direction.

12. A steering wheel equipped with an airbag device, comprising:

a ring portion to be griped by a driver;

a pad portion coupled to said ring portion via a spoke portion and located at a central portion of the ring portion; and

an airbag device disposed in said pad portion,

wherein said airbag device comprises a bag portion that is accommodated in said pad portion substantially in a ring shape, when viewed from the driver, and operative to inflate toward a driver'"'"'s head at a vehicle frontal crash, part of said pad portion located on a side of the driver includes a cover member that comprises a fixed cover portion that is located at a central portion of the bag portion and does not open at inflation of the bag portion and an open cover portion that is disposed around the fixed cover portion and opens outside so as to form a substantially-ring-shaped opening portion through which the bag portion inflates toward the driver'"'"'s head at the inflation of the bag portion, said ring portion is disposed to be inclined relative to a vertical direction with an inclined angle between 40 and 90 degrees, when viewed from a vehicle width direction, and said bag portion has a larger configuration than said ring portion so as to cover over the ring portion when the inflation is completed,

said pad portion is provided relative to said ring portion in a vehicle traveling direction such that a distance between a front-side end of said cover member of the pad portion and a front-side end of an inner peripheral portion of the ring portion is greater than a distance between a rear-side end of the cover member of the pad portion and a rear-side end of the inner peripheral portion of the ring portion, said open cover portion is comprised of a plurality of parts that open separately at the inflation of the hag portion, and a rear-side part of said open cover portion that is located rearward relative to the fixed cover portion is configured so as to be supported partially at the pad portion and open without contacting a rear-side part of the ring portion, whereby the rear-side part of the open cover portion that has opened does not cover a space formed between the pad portion and the ring portion, and

an operational switch for an onboard device is provided near a rear-side end of said pad portion behind said rear-side part of the open cover portion.