Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-27
2003-04-29
Dickson, Paul N. (Department: 3616)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S731000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06554312
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air bag module mounting structure for mounting an air bag module on a steering wheel of a vehicle or the like.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Applications No. 2000-193461, 2000-196553, 2000-198184, 2001-21280 and 2001-23088, which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
An air bag mounting structure disclosed, for example, in JP 10-500922 is known as an air bag mounting structure of this kind. Namely, in the disclosed conventional structure, a plurality of (for example, four) pins are provided on the bottom of an air bag module in such a manner as to protrude therefrom and hook portions are formed on distal ends of the plurality of pins. A plurality of (for example, two) holding members are mounted on a core of a steering wheel and a plurality of (For example, two) passage holes are formed in the plurality of holding members in such a manner as to confront the pins. A resilient Locking wire is mounted on each of the holding members and the locking wires so mounted are disposed in such a manner as to partially extend over the respective passage holes in a direction in which the locking wires intersect with the axes of the passage holes. In addition, working holes are formed in a back cover of the steering wheel, which working holes are adapted to confront four locking locations where the hook portions and the locking wires are locked to each other.
Then, in a case where the air bag module is mounted on the steering wheel, the plurality of pins are allowed to pass through the passage holes so that the hook portions on the respective pins are brought into engagement with the locking wires in the passage holes, whereby the air bag module is locked and held onto the steering wheel in a locked fashion.
On the contrary, in a case where the air bag module is removed from the steering wheel, a removing tool such as a screw driver is inserted into the respective locking locations from the working holes so as to release the locking wires from the engagement with the hook portions sequentially against the resiliency of the locking wires. In this state, the air bag module is separated away from the steering wheel in such a manner that the pins on the air bag module are drawn out of the passage holes in the holding members so that the air bag module is removed from the steering wheel.
In the aforementioned conventional air bag module mounting structure, however, for example, in a case where the air bag module needs to be replaced after it has been mounted once, there has occurred a problem that the air bag module so mounted is difficult to be removed from the steering wheel.
Namely, with a steering wheel of a four-spoke type, working holes are formed in a back cover of the steering wheel in such a manner as to confront four locking locations where the hook portions and the locking wires are locked to each other. In this construction, in order to remove the air bag module from the steering wheel, a removing tool such as a screw driver is inserted into each of the mounting locations from the working hole so that the locking wires are deformed against their resiliency to thereby be released from the engagement with the hook portions. Thus, the engagement between the hook portions and the locking wires at the plurality of locking locations needs to be released sequentially using the screw drivers or the like, and therefore the removing work tends to become extremely troublesome and a long working time is needed.
Further, the air bag module is required to be separated from the steering wheel in a state in which the engagement between the hook portions and the locking wires is released with the removing tools at the plurality of locking locations. In this removing construction, in the event that the removing tool is dislocated from the locking location for some reason, the resilient deformation of the locking wires is released, whereby there may be caused a risk that the locking wires are abruptly returned to the lock positions thereof. Here, the steering wheel is mounted in an inclined fashion with a side of the steering wheel where the air bag module is mounted being oriented upwardly relative to the steering shaft. This has led to a problem that the pin or pins which are released from the engagement with the locking wires are caused to fall in the passage holes again by virtue of the gravity of the steering wheel for re-engagement with the locking wires.
Moreover, with the steering wheel being mounted on the steering shaft, air bag module removing work needs to be carried out from the back side of the steering wheel or within a narrow space formed between the steering wheel and the instrument panel. This makes extremely troublesome the insertion of the removing tools into the locking locations in trying to release the engagement between the hook portions and the locking wires, and moreover, the inserted removing tools have tended to be easily dislocate, requiring a long working time for removal of the air bag module.
Further, a steering wheel with an air bag device disclosed, for example, in JP 11-59304 is also known as a steering wheel with an air bag device of this type.
Namely, as shown in
FIG. 29
, the conventional steering wheel
100
comprises an air bag module
110
adapted to oscillate relative to a core
101
thereof and a plurality of horn switch mechanisms
130
. A hole
103
is formed in each spoke portion
102
of the core
101
of the steering wheel
100
, and locking members
111
are provided on a bottom of the air bag module
110
which are adapted to engage with the holes
103
, respectively, in such a manner as to oscillate relative to the holes
103
. The locking member comprises a base portion
112
a
and a plurality of locking pawls
113
forming as a whole a cylindrical shape adapted to be contracted diametrically. A through hole
112
a
is formed in the base portion
112
at a central portion thereof, and an annular breakable groove is formed in the outer circumference of the base portion
112
. On the other hand, a taper portion
113
a
is formed at an inner circumferential distal portion of the locking pawls
113
which is formed such that the inner circumference thereof expands diametrically toward the distal end thereof. The locking member
111
is screwed to the core with a pin
120
having a threaded portion
121
which is allowed to pass through the through hole
112
a
and a mounting hole
110
a
in the air bag module
110
and a nut
123
screwed on the threaded portion
121
. Provided at an opposite end to the threaded portion
121
of the pin
120
is a head portion
122
which is spaced away from the locking pawls
113
and which has an outer circumferential surface tapered so as to conform to the taper portion
113
a
of the locking pawls
113
. In addition, springs
125
are provided between the air bag module
110
and the spoke portions
102
for biasing the air bag module
110
and the spoke portion
102
in directions in which they are separated away from each other.
In the air bag module
110
disposed as described above, when a cover
110
b
disposed at an upper portion thereof is pressed in a direction toward the core
101
(in a direction indicated by an arrow A in
FIG. 29
) against the biasing force exerted by the springs
125
, the locking members
111
and the pins
120
are also displaced in the same direction. On the contrary, when the force pressing down the cover
110
b
is removed the locking members
111
and the pins
120
are displaced by the biasing force of the springs
125
in an opposite direction to the direction in which they are pressed down to a position where the locking pawls
113
are brought into engagement with circumferential edge portions of the holes
103
in the spoke portions
102
.
In addition, the horn switch mechanisms
130
are provided in the vicinity of the locking members
111
, respectively, between the air bag module
110
and the spoke portions
102
. The horn switch
Nagata Norinari
Sakane Katsunobu
Fleming Faye M.
Law Offices Of David G. Posz
Toyoda Gosei Co,., Ltd.
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