JPH0997663A - Steering wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out a work related to a connector in a condition in which a pad body is attached to a steering wheel main body. SOLUTION: A connector 31 to connect a connector 35 in a horn side and a connector 36 in a reel side is joined to and held in a cover body 33 for part protection installed in a steering wheel main body 2. An installation part 45, a first engaging part 46, a second engaging part 47, and a contacting part 48 are formed in the cover body 33 for part protection. a first claw part extended to a pair of first arm parts projected upward in both sides and to their inside is formed in the first engaging part 46 to join and hold both side parts and an upper part of the connector 35 in the horn side. A second claw part 47 to engage the rear end part of the connector 36 in the reel side is formed in the second engaging part 47. The contacting part 48 is brought into contact with the front end part of the connector 35 in the horn side. An aperture part 16 opened to the installation part 45 is formed in a lower part cover 11.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steering wheel having a connector fixing structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a steering wheel described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-85182 is known. And this steering wheel, the steering wheel body fixed to the steering shaft,
A pad body attached to the occupant side of the steering wheel body is provided, and a horn switch mechanism is provided at a spoke portion of the steering wheel body. Also, on the body side of the boss of the steering wheel body,
A lower cover is attached to cover the passenger side of the boss and the spokes, and the lower cover has electrical components such as a horn mechanism provided on the vehicle body side and electrical components such as a horn switch mechanism provided on the steering wheel. A reel device for cables (spiral cable) for connecting with and is attached. Further, the harness derived from the cable reel device and the harness derived from the horn switch mechanism are detachably connected by a connector. Further, from the lower cover, a pair of hooks that project to the occupant side of the boss plate by engaging with the boss plate are provided in a protruding manner, and the connector is engaged and held between these hooks.

When assembling this steering wheel, first, the steering wheel main body from which the pad body has been removed is fitted on the steering shaft, and the nut is tightened and fixed. Then, the connector that connects the harness of the cable reel device and the harness of the horn switch mechanism is pushed between the occupants along the longitudinal direction of the steering shaft into the hooks to be engaged and held between the hooks. Subsequently, the pad body is fixed to the steering wheel main body with bolts so as to cover the occupant side of the boss plate.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the above conventional configuration,
When the pad body is attached to the steering wheel main body, there is a problem that the connector-related work such as the connector fixing work or the connector removing work cannot be performed. In particular, when the pad body is an airbag module in which an airbag device is incorporated, attachment and detachment of the pad body is complicated, and there is a problem that work efficiency of work relating to the connector is deteriorated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a steering wheel that can easily perform work relating to a connector.

[0006]

A steering wheel according to claim 1 comprises a steering wheel main body and a pad body attached to the steering wheel main body, wherein the steering wheel main body includes a first connector portion and a first connector portion. A connector in which the two connector parts are detachably connected to each other, and a mounting part in which the connector is arranged,
A first locking portion provided on the attachment portion for releasably holding the first connector portion; and a second locking portion for detachably holding a second connector portion connected to the first connector portion. It is provided with a base body provided with two locking portions, and a cover body provided with an opening portion that opens facing the first connector portion.

In this structure, with the pad body attached to the steering wheel body, the opening of the cover body is used for the first connector portion held by the first locking portion, The second connector part is connected or disconnected. The second connector portion connected to the first connector portion is retained by being retained by the second retaining portion.

[0008] The steering wheel according to claim 2 is
The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the base body is provided with a positioning portion that abuts against the first connector portion and prevents movement in a direction of connecting the second connector portion to the first connector portion. It is a thing.

With this structure, when the second connector portion is pressed against the first connector portion held by the first locking portion to be connected, the first connector portion does not move, and the connector Connection work is easy and reliable.

The steering wheel according to claim 3 is
The steering wheel according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first locking portion includes a pair of first arm portions projecting from the mounting portion and holding the first connector portion, and the first arm portions. A first claw portion projecting in a direction approaching each other, and a second locking portion is a second claw portion formed along the attachment portion.
And an second claw portion that projects from the second arm portion and locks the second connector portion.

In this structure, the connector in which the first connector portion and the second connector portion are connected to each other is pushed into the mounting portion between the first arm portions, so that the first arm portion is inserted into the first arm portion. It is sandwiched and held by the base by being locked by the first claw portion. Further, when the first connector portion and the second connector portion are separated, the first connector portion is
By being pushed toward the attachment portion between the arm portions of the first arm portion, the first arm portion is clamped, the first claw portion is retained by the base body, and the second connector portion is attached. By being pushed toward the first connector portion along the portion, it is connected to the first connector portion and locked and held by the second claw portion.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a steering wheel according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a steering wheel of an automobile. The steering wheel 1 is composed of a steering wheel main body 2 and a pad body 3 attached to an upper side of the steering wheel main body 2 which is an occupant side. ing.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the steering wheel main body 2 has an annular rim portion 5, a boss portion 6 located inside the rim portion 5, and these rim portions. 5 and a plurality of spokes 7 that connect the boss 6 to each other. A boss 8 fitted to a steering shaft (not shown) is provided in the lower portion of the boss 6 on the vehicle body side, and the boss 8a is attached to the boss 8.
Are fixed together. And on this boss body 8a,
The core metal 4a of the spoke portion 4 is connected, and further, this core metal 4a
The core metal of the rim portion 5 (not shown) is connected to. A skin portion 9 made of a soft polyurethane foam resin or the like is formed on an outer peripheral portion of the core metal of the rim portion 5 and a portion of the spoke portion 4 on the rim portion 5 side of the core metal 4a.

A lower cover 11 is attached to the lower side of the steering wheel body 2 as a cover body for covering the lower side portions of the boss portion 6 and the spoke portion 7 on the boss portion 6 side. As shown in FIG. 1, the lower cover 11 is formed with a boss through hole 12 through which the boss 8 is inserted, and surrounds the boss through hole 12 as shown in FIG.
A cable reel device mounting portion 14 that opens downward is formed. Then, the reel device mounting portion 14 for the cable
As shown in FIG. 3, the cable reel device 15 is fitted in the cable. The cable reel device 15 is fixed to the column side of the steering shaft in advance, and the wound flat cable (spiral cable) is housed inside a hollow annular case. It is possible to electrically connect between the rotating steering wheel 1 side and the like. Further, a substantially rectangular opening 16 is formed on the rear side of the lower cover 11 (front side to the occupant), and the opening 16 is opened and closed by a removable lid body 17. It is like this.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the boss portion 6 of the steering wheel body 2 is provided with a pair of horn switch mechanisms 20, 20 on both sides. Each horn switch mechanism 20 is provided with a fixed contact (not shown) and a horn plate 21 provided with a movable contact facing the fixed contact. The horn plate 21 is provided so as to be elastically movable up and down, and the horn plate 21 is
The pad body 3 is attached to the 21 using bolts or the like, and when the pad body 3 is pushed, the fixed contact and the movable contact come into contact with each other, and the horn is blown. .

The pad body 3 constitutes an air bag module provided with an air bag device. The base plate 24 includes a bag-shaped air bag 25, a gas inflator 26, and a folded air bag 25. It is configured by attaching a cover body 27 and the like for covering. And, this airbag device is used for an inflator in the event of a car collision.
Gas is injected from 26 into the airbag 25 to
Is inflated, the cover body 27 is cleaved by the pressure of this inflation, and the airbag 25 is inflated and deployed on the front surface of the occupant.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a connector 31 for electrically connecting the cable reel device 15 and the horn switch mechanism 20 and the connector 31 are attached to the steering wheel body 2. A component protection cover body 33 as a base body is provided. And
The connector 31 includes a horn-side connector 35 as a first connector portion and a reel-side connector as a second connector portion.
36, and the horn side connector 35 and the reel side connector 36 are detachably and electrically and mechanically connected to each other. The horn-side connector 35 is a 4-pole female connector connected to the horn harness 37 connected to the horn switch mechanism 20, while the reel-side connector 36 is connected to the lead wire 38 led out from the cable reel device 15. It is a connected 4-pole male connector, and the horn switch mechanism 20 is connected to the cable reel device 15 connected to the horn mechanism (horn power supply) on the vehicle body side via the connector 31.

The component protecting cover body 33 protects the horn harness 37 and the like from coming into contact with the boss body 8a, and extends from the board portion 41 and a part of the edge of the board portion 41 to the upper and lower sides. The protruding flange portion 42 and the mounting piece portions 43 protruding from a plurality of positions of the board portion 41 are integrally formed of synthetic resin or the like, and the mounting piece portion 43 is used as the core metal 4a of the spoke portion 4. Alternatively, it is attached to the boss body 8a or the like by screwing. Further, the board portion 41 is provided with a mounting portion 45 on which the connector 31 is arranged, and the mounting portion 45 of the board portion 41 is configured such that the horn side connector 35 is detachably engaged and held.
Second engaging portion 47 for detachably engaging and retaining the engaging portion 46 of the reel connector 36 connected to the horn connector 35.
And so on are formed. The first engaging portion 46 is provided with a pair of elastically deformable first arm portions 46a projecting upward from the base plate portion 41, and the upper end portions of the first arm portions 46a approach each other. And a first claw portion 46b that is provided so as to project in the direction. Further, the second locking portion 47 is provided on the base plate portion 41.
An elastically deformable second arm portion 47a is formed by notching in a substantially U-shape in a plane, and a second claw portion 47b protruding upward from the tip end portion of the second arm portion 47a is formed. ing. further,
A pair of abutting portions 48 serving as positioning portions are formed on the board portion 41 so as to face the second claw portions 47b, and the horn harness 37 is sandwiched at a position separated from the mounting portion 45. A cord retainer 51 for holding the cord is projected.

When attaching or detaching the connector 31 to or from the component protecting cover body 33 when assembling the steering wheel 1, two methods can be adopted.

First, when the pad body 3 is removed from the steering wheel body 2, as shown in FIG. 6, the connector 31 is formed by connecting the horn side connector 35 and the reel side connector 36 to each other. By pushing 31 toward the lower side, that is, along the axial direction of the steering shaft, between the first arm portions 46a of the first locking portion 46, the horn-side connector 35 is provided between the first arm portions 46a. Both sides of the horn are clamped, and the horn side connector is attached to the first claw portion 46b.
The upper surface of 35 is locked and the connector 31 is engaged and held. Further, in this state, the contact portion 48 and the second
The claw portion 47b of the connector 31 contacts and the connector 31 is positioned and held so as not to move in the direction along the surface of the mounting portion 45, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the steering shaft.

On the other hand, when connecting the connectors with the pad body 3 assembled to the steering wheel main body 2, the horn side connector 35 is first set in advance as shown in FIG.
Of the reel side connector 36 while the second arm 47a is deformed while the second arm 47a is deformed by performing the work using the opening 16 of the lower cover 11 from this state. Is inserted along the upper surface of the board portion 41 and connected to the horn-side connector 35. In this case, since the front end of the horn-side connector 35 is positioned by contacting the contact part 48, the reel-side connector
Positional displacement when pushing in 36 is prevented and work is easy, and the rear end of the reel-side connector 36 has a second claw portion 47.
Since it is locked by b and positioned, the reel-side connector 36
Does not come off from the horn-side connector 35, and rattling and abnormal noise of the entire connector 31 are prevented.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the connector 31 can be engaged with the component protection cover body 33 from two directions from the upper side and the rear side, the pad body is attached to the steering wheel body 2. The connector 31 can be positioned and held easily with good workability in both the state where the connector 3 is attached and the state where it is removed. As described above, since the work on the connector 31 can be performed even with the pad body 3 attached, the workability of assembling and maintaining the steering wheel 1 can be improved.

Further, since the connector 31 is positioned and held by the first locking portion 46, the second locking portion 47, the abutting portion 48, etc., abnormal noise is generated due to disconnection and rattling of the connector 31. Can be prevented.

Further, the horn harness 37 connected to the horn-side connector 35 is guided by the flange portion 42 and the cord retainer 51 provided integrally with the component protection cover body 33 to avoid contact with other components. it can.

In the above embodiment, the first locking portion 46 and the contact portion 48 are provided on the board portion 41 of the component protecting cover body 33.
Although the and are provided at positions separated from each other, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the first locking portion 46 and the contact portion 48 may be integrally formed, and in this case, Horn side connector 35
Alternatively, a pair of plate-shaped regulating ribs 61 may be provided on both sides of the projecting rib 61 so as to project therefrom.

Further, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the connector 31 used for connection between the cable reel device 15 and the horn switch mechanism 20 is explained, but for example, the connector used for connection of the airbag device. Also, the present invention can be applied to connectors of other electrical components such as a configuration using a slip ring.

[0028]

According to the steering wheel of the first aspect, the second connector portion can be attached and detached while the pad body is still attached to the steering wheel main body.
The connector-related work such as connecting the second connector portion to the first connector portion held by the locking portion can be performed. Therefore, the workability of assembling and maintaining the steering wheel can be improved. In addition, the first locking portion and the second locking portion can securely hold the connector and prevent disconnection and abnormal noise.

According to the steering wheel of the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the invention, the base body is brought into contact with the first connector portion and the second connector portion is connected to the first connector portion. Since the positioning portion is provided to prevent the movement in the moving direction, the first connector is held when the second connector portion is pressed and connected to the first connector portion held by the first locking portion. Since the parts do not move, the connector connection work can be performed easily and reliably.

According to the steering wheel of the third aspect, in addition to the effect of the first or second aspect, the steering wheel can be easily connected to the first connector portion either in the connected state or in the separated state. Moreover, the connector can be securely attached, and the workability of assembling and maintaining the steering wheel can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a connector mounting operation showing an embodiment of a steering wheel of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a base body and a connector of the same steering wheel.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the above steering wheel.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the above steering wheel main body.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a base body of the same steering wheel.

[Fig. 6] Fig. 6 is an explanatory view of a work for attaching the connector of the steering wheel.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a base and a connector showing another embodiment of the steering wheel of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Steering wheel 2 Steering wheel main body 3 Pad body 11 Lower cover 16 as cover body 16 Opening 31 Connector 33 Cover body for protecting parts as base body 35 Horn side connector as first connector portion 36 Second connector portion Reel-side connector 45 Mounting part 46 First locking part 46a First arm part 46b First claw part 47 Second locking part 47a Second arm part 47b Second claw part 48 Positioning part Contact

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A steering wheel main body and a pad body attached to the steering wheel main body, wherein the steering wheel main body has a connector in which a first connector portion and a second connector portion are detachably connected to each other. And a mounting portion on which the connector is arranged, a first locking portion provided on the mounting portion for releasably holding the first connector portion, and a second connecting portion connected to the first connector portion. A base body provided with a second locking portion for detachably holding the connector portion, and a cover body provided with an opening opening to face the first connector portion. Steering wheel. 2. The base body is in contact with the first connector portion,
The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the first connector portion is provided with a positioning portion that prevents movement in a direction in which the second connector portion is connected. 3. The first locking portion is a pair of first arm portions projecting from the mounting portion and sandwiching the first connector portion, and the first locking portions project from the first arm portions in directions approaching each other. First set
The second locking portion locks the second connector portion projecting from the second arm portion and the second arm portion formed along the attachment portion. The steering wheel according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a second claw portion.