Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

Toyoda Goset Co., Ltd.

Akio Hosoi

Atsushi Nagata

Katsunobu Sakane

Tooru Koyama

Tetsuya Takamori

Takanori Mizuno

Hitoshi Yamamoto

Tadashi Yamamoto

Yoshiyuki Fujita

Norio Umemura

Takanobu Ikeda

Norinari Nagata

Koichi Kaga

Tetsuo Yasuda

Ichizou Shiga

Takao Yamaguchi

Akiyoshi Ishikawa

A steering wheel has a rim part, and the rim part includes a rim core portion which is made through die casting and a rim cover portion which covers an outer surface of the rim core portion. The rim cover portion is provided with a rim cover body and a garnish made of a synthetic resin. A reinforcement member is provided on the garnish.

Steering wheel

A steering wheel includes a boss for fastening the steering wheel to a steering shaft. Among other features, the steering wheel has a pair of lower spokes that are deformable to absorb energy in a collision. The boss conserves space and has relatively long splines for engaging the steering shaft. The boss includes a plate that facilitates insert molding and conserves space. The spokes include integrally formed airbag supports. A bolt retainer is included in the steering wheel. The bolt retainer holds a bolt for tightening the boss on the steering shaft, and the bolt retainer permits one-handed attachment.

Connecting pins are provided at connecting portions on the airbag device side in such a manner as to project therefrom, whereas connecting parts adapted to rotate in directions normal to an axial direction of the connecting pins are disposed on the main body side. The hook portions of the connecting parts interfere with a guide surfaces of the connecting pins which are forced in along the axial direction thereof to thereby be disposed at waiting positions where the hook portions can rotate in the lock releasing direction.

Steering wheel with an airbag device

A steering wheel has a steering wheel body which includes a boss for being fixed to a steering shaft, a ring portion metal core, spoke portion metal cores, a covering portion covering the ring portion metal core and the spoke portion metal cores, and a pad portion provided generally centrally of a ring portion, the pad portion being molded integrally with the covering portion. The steering wheel further includes an air bag device provided between the pad portion and the boss. A cloth insert is mounted on a metal core portion, forming part of the steering wheel body, and is embedded in the pad portion so that the insert can flex when the air bag device is expanded.

Steering wheel with integral air bag pad

A steering wheel mounted on a steering shaft with a boss plate. The steering wheel has a gripping ring for manually turning a steering shaft. The steering wheel includes a metal ring core embedded in the gripping ring and connecting pieces formed integrally with the boss plate. Spoke cores extend between the ring core and the connecting pieces and each has a first end coupled to the ring core and a second end overlapping one of the connecting pieces. A fastener fastens together the spoke cores and connecting pieces at the second end of each spoke core.

A steering wheel for vehicles includes a metal ring core connected to a steering shaft by a boss plate and at least one spoke core. The ring core and the spoke core are covered with surface layers. A pad is arranged above the boss plate and at the center of the ring core. The pad is formed integrally with the surface layers. An air bag device is arranged between the pad and the boss plate to protect the driver of a vehicle when an impact is applied to the vehicle. The air bag device is supported by a holder which is connected to the spoke cores. The holder includes a mechanism for absorbing load that is applied to the steering wheel.

A steering wheel has a ring core embedded in a gripping ring, a plurality of spokes extending in the ring core, a plurality of spoke cores embedded in the associated spokes. A connecting member connects at least two spoke cores together. A coupling mechanism couples the boss to the connecting member. The coupling mechanism includes an cylindrical support formed on the connecting member, and a pair of spaced ribs formed on the boss for holding the support. The connecting member fits between the ribs when the connecting member is coupled to the boss. A bolt fastens the support to the ribs.

Steering wheel and method of manufacture, and horn switch

A steering wheel includes an air bag device located centrally of a steering wheel. The air bag device includes an air bag, an inflator for supplying gas to the air bag to inflate the air bag, and a bag holder for holding the air bag and the inflator. Bolts, which are attached to the inflator, are inserted in bolt holes of the air bag and bolt holes of the bag holder. This couples the air bag, the inflator and the bag holder to each other. The bolts and nuts are used for securing the integrally joined air bag, inflator and bag holder to the steering wheel. As a result, the number of bolts and nuts need to secure the air bag device to the steering wheel is reduced.

The cores of the spoke portions which extend to both right and left each comprises an outer portion and an inner portion. The outer portion and inner portion are coupled by a joint. The joint is coupled to the boss plate below the outer portions and centering on the steering shaft, it extends to both right and left. Each of the outer portions extends starting from the core of the ring portion at a point more forward than the steering shaft. The inner portions connecting the outer portions and the joint extend obliquely as seen in a plan view. While four connecting cores are provided to run along the edge profile of the pad portion, one of the connecting cores couples the two inner portions obliquely extending. The air bag device can be inserted through an opening formed by the joint and the like. Not only the stiffness of the coupled cores but also the stiffness of die casting molds is secured. Leather member is installed on part of the surface of the steering wheel. The cover of the ring portion has a groove formed on the border between the leather member and the exposed area on either side and the leather member is installed by fitting its edge portions into the grooves.

Steering wheel with an integral pad portion

A steering wheel body 1 comprises sheaths 7a, 7b which covers a ring core bar 5 and spoke core bars 6A-6C, and a pad 3 formed integrally with the sheaths. A boss 8, 51, 28 is integral with the spoke core bars. A steering shaft 30 is formed at a distal end thereof with a serration 31 and an annular groove 32. The boss 8, 51, 28 includes a boss plate 33, a cylindrical portion 34, 74 with a serration 38, 68, 78, and a yoke portion 35 with through holes 36, 37, 66, 67, 76, 77. The cylindrical portion 34, 64, 74 is fitted on the end of the steering shaft 30 such that the serrations 31, 38, 68, 78 mesh with each other, and a bolt 41, 81, 91 is inserted and screwed into the through holes 36, 37, 66, 67, 76, 77. A collar 47 fitted on the bolt 41, 81, 91 is fitted in the annular groove 32. Strain stress is never transmitted directly to the bolt 41, 81, 91. The boss 8, 51, 28 comprises a boss body 66 composed of the cylindrical portion 34, 64, 74 and the yoke portion 35, 65, 75, and the boss plate 33 fixed by welding to the boss body. When casting the spoke core bars 6A-6C from aluminum, the boss plate 33, 53 serves as a seal in a die so that molten aluminum is prevented from going around to the inside of the cylindrical portion 34, 64, 74 through an opening of the yoke portion 35, 65, 75, and therefore the extreme edge of the boss plate 33, 53 can be embedded in the spoke core bars 6A-6C.

Steering wheel assembly, and a mounting structure and boss structure of

The steering wheel assembly disclosed herein is mountable on a steering shaft and includes at least a bolt, a boss, and a steering wheel body. The boss is adapted to be fitted on the steering shaft and includes a cylindrical portion and a yoke portion formed integrally with the cylindrical portion. The cylindrical portion has a boss serration corresponding to a serration of the steering shaft. The yoke portion has through holes formed near both ends thereof. The steering wheel body includes a ring core bar, spoke core bars coupled to the ring core bar, sheaths covering the ring core bar and spoke core bars, and a pad formed integrally with the sheaths. Part of the spoke core bars are connected to the boss. The bolt has and external thread that is receivable by the through holes and engageable with internal threads of at least one of the through holes so as to permit the boss, to which the steering wheel body is connected, to be fixed on the steering shaft. The boss includes a boss body and flange formed integrally with the boss body. The boss body includes the cylindrical and yoke portions. The boss flange has a larger area than the yoke portion and is embedded in the spoke core bars.

Steering wheel assembly and a mounting structure and boss structure of

A steering wheel body has covering materials for covering a ring core and spoke cores and a pad member integrally formed with the covering materials. An adaptor is fitted to the tip of a steering shaft, the adaptor having an inside serration engaging with the serration of the steering shaft and an outside serration engaging with the serration of a boss member. Moreover, the boss member of a boss plate is provided with a through-hole extending in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the steering shaft. A bolt for fastening the adaptor of the steering shaft is screwed into the through-hole.

Steering wheel mounting assembly

An attaching system for a steering wheel assembly including a ring portion, a plurality of spokes, as well as integrally formed ring and spoke covering layers, and a pad portion. A steering shaft is formed at its distal end with external screw threads, a portion of which project beyond the upper surface of a boss plate. A nut includes a wheel gear having a plurality of teeth that are engagable with screw threads as a fastening tool. The nut is screwed onto or off from the steering shaft by the fastening tool that engages and rotates the nut, relative to steering shaft.

Growing community of inventors

Komaki, Japan

Akio Hosoi