Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

Akihiko Sonobe

Tadashi Yamamoto

Hiroshi Ogawa

Michio Inoue

Tetsushi Hiramitsu

Takanobu Ikeda

Minoru Niwa

Ichizo Shiga

Mitsuru Harata

Takahiro Hashiba

Isamu Ito

Ichiro Hirata

Suzuaki Hongo

First and second spoke cores are arranged linearly through the boss plate so that most of the lower ends of the first and second spoke cores are located above a middle line. A third spoke core is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the first and second spoke cores. A pair of tine portions are provided in the third spoke core so as to be connected to the first and second spoke cores, thereby the tine portions and the first and second spoke cores intersect each other obliquely. In the tine portions, through holes and reception seats are provided so that the air bag module is fixed with screws and the through holes while the air bag module abuts on the reception seats.

Steering wheel

A pad for an air bag apparatus is provided which assures that a part of the pad between a breakage portion and a side wall portion is not scattered away in pieces when the air bag expands. The pad includes an upper wall portion and side wall portions extending downward from the periphery of the upper wall portion. Cover portions adapted to be opened upon breakage of a breakage portion at the time of expansion of the air bag are formed over the upper wall portion. A predetermined number of vertically extending triangular plate-shaped ribs are integrally molded with the upper wall portion and the side wall portions along the periphery of the breakage portion and extend from the side wall portions to the breakage portion.

Air bag cover having reinforcing ribs

In a steering wheel for vehicles, a self-aligning plate comprises a boss fitting portion, a spoke fitting portion and a plurality of plastically deformable arm portions arranged in radial direction in an annular space formed between both fitting portions so as to connect between an assembled body of rim/spokes and a boss. Each plastically deformable arm portion of the self-aligning plate has a curved portion at intermediate portion, and when impact force is applied to the rim, the rim surface is slanted in approximately perpendicular direction with respect to the line of impact force due to plastic deformation of the plastically deformable arm portion. Intersection angle between the adjacent plastically deformable arm portions near the spokes mounted on the spoke fitting portion is made obtuse angle, thereby stress concentration at edge portion of the boss fitting portion in the intersection position between these plastically deformable arm portions is prevented.

Steering wheel for vehicles

Growing community of inventors

Nishikasugai-gun, Japan

Akihiko Sonobe