Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-17
2003-09-30
Dickson, Paul N. (Department: 3616)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S731000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06626458
ABSTRACT:
The present application claims priority to Japanese patent application of Fujita et al, filed Sep. 26, 2000, No.2000-293164, and Japanese patent application of Fujita et al, filed Sep. 26, 2000, No.2000-293166, the entirety of each is hereby incorporated into the present application by this reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering wheel for a vehicle having an airbag apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to a steering wheel having an airbag apparatus and in which switch operating portion of a function part is disposed. Examples of the function part are drive monitor switch, constant-speed running apparatus, audio equipment, air conditioner equipment, navigation system, telephone, shift change and the like.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a steering wheel having an airbag apparatus is know in Japanese Patent Applications Laid-open No.100907/1998 and No.11246/1999. The airbag apparatus comprises an airbag, an inflator, a pad and a bag holder. The airbag is folded such that the airbag can expand. The inflator supplies expansion gas to the airbag. The pad covers the folded airbag. The bag holder holds the airbag, the inflator and the pad, and is connected to a steering wheel body.
The pad includes a door that is pushed by the expanding airbag and opened. The door is provided at its periphery with a to-be ruptured portion, and is provided at its portion of an outer periphery with a hinge. The door is pushed when the airbag expands to rupture the to-be ruptured portion, and opens around the hinge as a rotation center.
In these days, it is increasingly required to dispose switch operating portions for the function part that are drive monitor switch, constant-speed running apparatus, audio equipment, air conditioner equipment, navigation system, telephone, shift change and the like on the pad of the boss or the spokes near the boss. These switch operating portions are constituted such that they can be operated from above. That is, the switch operating portion comprised operation button or operation lever operated by being pushed downward or swung. In order to facilitate the operation of the switch operating portion, the switch operating portion is disposed upward such that its operating surface approaches a ring surface. The ring surface is the plane formed by an upper surface of a ring when the steering wheel is viewed from a direction perpendicular to a steering shaft.
However, when the airbag is developed and expanded when a driver is close to the steering wheel, it is necessary that the airbag does not apply a partial pushing force to the driver. For this purpose, it is preferable to develop the airbag widely at initial stage of expansion and to inflate the airbag toward the driver. At that time, if the door of the pad interferes with the switch operating portion uselessly, the door can not open widely. That is, the airbag at its initial expanding stage can not be developed widely.
In the present specification, the upper-lower, front-rear and right-left directions are based on the steering shaft when the steering wheel is mounted to the vehicle unless otherwise stated. That is, the upper-lower direction in the present specification is a vertical direction along the axial direction of the steering shaft. The front-rear direction in the present specification is the front and rear direction (a longitudinal direction) of the vehicle along a direction perpendicular to the axis of the steering shaft when the steering wheel is steered straightly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves the above problems. That is, the present invention provides a steering wheel having an airbag apparatus capable of widely open a door of a pad even if a switch operating portion is disposed.
A first steering wheel having an airbag apparatus of the present invention has the following structure. That is, the steering wheel comprises a ring grasped at the time of steering, a boss disposed on a center of the ring, three spokes for connecting the ring and the boss, and a space between the spokes. The steering wheel also includes, as constituent parts, a steering wheel body, the airbag apparatus disposed on the boss, and a switch operating portion that can be operated from above. The switch operating portion is disposed at least one of the boss and the spoke. The airbag apparatus comprises an airbag folded such that the airbag can expand, an inflator for supplying expansion gas to the airbag, a pad for covering the folded airbag. Further the airbag apparatus comprises a bag holder connected to the steering wheel body for holding the folded airbag, the inflator and the pad. The pad includes three doors such that one opening through which the airbag projects can be formed in a center of the pad. Each of the doors is provided at its periphery with to-be ruptured portion. And hinges are disposed on the periphery side of each of the doors. The door is pushed by the airbag when it is expanded and the to-be ruptured portion is ruptured, the door opens around a hinge disposed on the side of an outer periphery of the pad as a rotation center. A pad is held against the bag holder in the proximity to the hinge of each of the doors. The hinge of each of the doors is disposed at a position near the space between the spokes, and on the side of an outer periphery of the pad that is lower than an portion above a holding portion by the bag holder near the hinge. Each of the doors is disposed in the three spaces between the spokes when the door opens around the hinge as a rotation center. The switch operating portion is disposed on an area other than the doors and on the boss or the spoke that is not covered with the door when it opens.
According to the first steering wheel of the present invention, if the airbag is expanded to push the three doors of the pad, each of the doors of the pad ruptures the to-be ruptured portion there around and opens around the hinge as the rotation center.
At that time, the hinge of each door is disposed at a position near the space between the spokes and at the side of the outer periphery of the pad lower than a portion above the holding portion by the bag holder near the hinge. Thus, the door opens around the hinge as the rotation center at a position lower than the outer periphery of the pad. That is, the door can secure the wide area of its own and can open as wide as possible.
If the hinge of the door is disposed above the holding portion by the bag holder, the area of the door itself becomes narrow. Thus, the door can not open widely.
Further, the switch operating portion is disposed in an area other than the doors, but of a boss or a spoke that is not covered with the doors when they open. When doors open around the hinge as the rotation center, the doors are arranged so as to be disposed in the three spaces between the spokes. The opened doors are disposed smoothly in the three spaces between the three spokes without interference with the switch operating portion. A widely opening state of each door can stably be secure.
Therefore, according to the first steering wheel having the airbag apparatus of the present invention, even if the switch operating portion is disposed in an area of the boss or the spoke, the doors of the pad can widely open. Thus, in the first steering wheel, the initial expanding airbag can widely develop.
It is preferable that the to-be ruptured portion at a portion of the adjacent doors is substantially T-shape as viewed from above. That is, the to-be ruptured portion has a lateral line portion disposed in the right-left direction and a longitudinal line portion extending rearward from a substantially central portion of the lateral line portion. The left and right opposite ends of the lateral line portion are directed to disposition directions of the front left and right spokes of the spokes, and a rear end of the longitudinal line portion is directed to a disposition direction of the rear spoke in the spoke. With this steering wheel, the following working effe
Fujita Yoshiyuki
Isomura Motoi
Dickson Paul N.
Dunn David R.
Posz & Bethards, PLC
Toyoda Gosei Co,., Ltd.
LandOfFree
Steering wheel having airbag apparatus 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 having airbag apparatus, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Steering wheel having airbag apparatus will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3086445