Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-05
2001-03-27
Mai, Lanna (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S728200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06206413
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a steering wheel with steering wheel member and a container connected thereto for receiving a gas generator as well as a gas bag folded into the container. A cover for covering the outlet opening for the gas bag and designed to open is provided, whereby the steering wheel is to be connected to a steering column of a motor vehicle.
A steering wheel with the aforementioned features is known from British Patent Application 2 287 305 in which the steering wheel is provided with a recess placed onto the cup-shaped container that contains the folded gas bag and the gas generator. The container and steering wheel member of the steering wheel are fastened together by respectively arranged flanges to a support part which, in turn, is connected to or connectable to the steering column of a motor vehicle. The gas bag is connected with an edge portion surrounding the gas bag mouth by separate fastening means, respectively, according to one embodiment of the known steering wheel, is clamped between parts placed on top of one another, i.e., the container bottom and the gas generator such that the gas bag with its gas bag mouth is positioned at the gas generator and extends in the direction of unfolding above the gas generator and above its clamping plane.
The known steering wheel has the disadvantage that the recess in the steering wheel for receiving the container and the container itself are embodied with relatively large surface areas so that such an arrangement can not be used especially for steering wheels of sports vehicles in which a very open spoke arrangement at the steering wheel member is preferred. Also, the steering wheel with the integrated cover and steering wheel member and must be adapted in its shape to the container so that the components of the steering wheel with integrated airbag unit can not be varied. Furthermore, the known steering wheel is comprised of a plurality of individual parts which can not be preassembled in a sensible manner so that mounting of the known steering wheel assembly itself as well as mounting on the vehicle is complicated.
It is an object of the invention to eliminate for a steering wheel with the aforementioned features the aforementioned disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The basic idea of the invention is that the container can be connected with its end that receives the gas generator to the steering column, that the steering wheel member is positioned on and connected to the upper end of the container having the outlet opening, and that the gas bag with its gas bag mouth and the surrounding edge portion is clamped between the steering wheel member and the container and that the gas bag mouth is folded into the interior of the container such that the closed envelope of the gas bag is positioned between the gas generator and the outlet opening. The invention has the advantage that the container is used for transmitting forces and moments resulting from the steering process because the container is the only connection between the steering wheel member and the steering column of the motor vehicle because the container is positioned below the steering wheel member and is arranged between it and the steering column and is a connected respectively to these parts. Because of this arrangement, the gas bag with the edge portion surrounding the gas bag mouth is clamped between the steering wheel member and the housing and is folded through the gas bag mouth into the interior of the housing such that the closed envelope of the gas bag is positioned between the gas generator and the outlet opening. This deviates from the known concept of the prior art to place the gas bag mouth about the gas generator and to fasten it in the area of the gas generator so that the gas bag in its folding arrangement is positioned in the inflation direction above the gas generator. In the invention, the gas bag is positioned below the clamping plane and thus unfolds upon inflation through the outlet opening in the steering wheel member outwardly. Accordingly, the housing can have a cylindrical or relative narrow design so that at the respective end of the housing only a comparatively small outlet opening results which allows the embodiment of open spokes at the steering wheel member. This allows for the desired sporty design of a steering wheel with integrated airbag unit. Furthermore, the design allows the use of different steering wheel members for unchanged airbag modules. As a further advantage it should be noted that only comparatively few individual parts must be mounted whereby the steering wheel member can be pre-mounted to the container and the cover so that the final assembly at the steering column of the vehicle is simplified.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the container at its end facing the steering wheel member has a laterally projecting flange whereby the steering wheel member is connected to the flange by threaded connections distributed about its circumference. This has the advantage that different steering wheel members can be placed onto the container flange and to thus realize different steering wheel designs because the respective steering wheel member has as its only design requirement the provision of fastening possibilities for the threaded connections to the container flange.
According to one embodiment of the invention, it may be expedient that the cover is snapped into place by snap-in pins that penetrate openings in the steering wheel member and engage openings in the container flange so that an advantageous simple assembly is provided. It may be expedient to arrange the threaded connections and the snap-in connections alternatingly about the circumference of the flange of the container.
For fastening the edge portion of the gas bag it is suggested that the threaded connections and the snap-in connections penetrate the edge portion of the gas bag between the steering wheel member and the flange of the container. This has the advantage that the fastening action for the gas bag is realized over large surface areas about a large circumference portion and at a location remote from the gas generator so that the forces acting during the sudden inflation process onto the respective fastening locations are reduced.
According to one embodiment of the invention it is suggested that the container is provided at its end correlated with the gas generator with an adaptor for connection to the steering column of a motor vehicle whereby the adaptor has a receiving space for a coil spring integrated into the adaptor. First, the adaptor is to be connected to the steering column of the vehicle and, subsequently the container with the pre-assembled parts such as the steering wheel member and the cover are to be connected to the adaptor.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the housing is a crumple part with a deformable wall so that the inventive design further improves the functionality such that in addition to impact reduction by the steering wheel member and the inflated gas bag, the steering wheel assembly in the longitudinal direction toward the steering column is embodied as a crumple zone so that it can receive a respective impact load.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3600003 (1971-08-01), Carey
patent: 3822894 (1974-07-01), Muller et al.
patent: 3907330 (1975-09-01), Kondo et al.
patent: 4101146 (1978-07-01), Oehm
patent: 5609356 (1997-03-01), Mossi
patent: 5676396 (1997-10-01), Fohl
patent: 3126079 (1982-04-01), None
patent: 0615889 (1994-09-01), None
patent: 2287305 (1995-09-01), None
Autoliv Development AB
Ilan Ruth
Mai Lanna
Robert W. Becker & Associates
LandOfFree
Steering wheel with integrated airbag unit does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Steering wheel with integrated airbag unit, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Steering wheel with integrated airbag unit will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2510865