Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

Matsuo Industries, Inc.

Kenji Sasaki

Osamu Hirose

Hitoshi Iida

Norio Suzuki

Naohiko Ishiguro

Tsutomu Ishii

Mikine Hayashi

Kenichi Fukurono

Koji Sakurai

Toshihito Yanagisawa

Yoshiteru Banno

Masakazu Asano

Toshihiko Yanagisawa

Akira Urayama

Tomoki Okada

Kento Saito

An airbag apparatus attachment mechanism includes a holder, a supporting member, an urging member, and a functional member. The holder is fastened to a metal core with a fastening member. The supporting member protrudes further forward than an airbag apparatus and is inserted into the holder. The urging member urges the airbag apparatus rearward. The functional member is attached to a part of the supporting member that is inserted in the holder. The functional member includes a spring portion that is thinner than a gap between the supporting member and the holder. The spring portion is disposed in the gap. The functional member is configured such that the spring portion is elastically deformed in a radial direction of the supporting member due to vibration of the airbag apparatus, thereby suppressing the vibration.

Airbag apparatus attachment mechanism

A steering wheel includes: a cylindrical slider which is disposed on an outer side of a support member so as to slide in a front-to-rear direction and which is biased to the rear; a cap member which covers at least respective rear end portions of the support member and the slider from the rear; a movable-side contact portion which is provided inside the cap member; an annular damper holder which is mounted inside the cap member; an annular elastic member which is interposed between the slider and the damper holder; a transmitting portion which is provided in an inner circumferential portion of the damper holder; and a movement catch portion which is provided on an outer circumferential portion of the slider so as to be positioned immediately before the transmitting portion and to which a forward movement of the damper holder is transmitted through the transmitting portion.

Steering wheel

An airbag of an airbag device for a driver's seat includes an exhaust strap which includes a cover section that closes off an outer opening of a vent hole at airbag deployment and connecting bands extending from opposite sides of the cover section and joined to the center of a driver-side wall. When the driver-side wall of the airbag cushions the driver at airbag deployment and moves toward a vehicle-side wall, the connecting bands of the exhaust strap loosen and allow a distant edge region of the cover section to loosen and pass through the outer opening such that the outer opening and an inner opening communicate to open the vent hole. The cover section includes a reinforcing element that prevents the distant edge from slipping towards a proximate edge while allowing a bending deformation of the distant edge to pass through the outer opening and open the vent hole.

Airbag device for a driver's seat

An airbag of an airbag device for a driver's seat includes an exhaust strap which includes a cover section that closes off an outer opening of a vent hole at airbag deployment in an openable fashion and connecting bands extending from opposite sides of the cover section and joined to a driver-side wall. The exhaust strap is so configured, when the driver-side wall of the airbag cushions the driver at airbag deployment and moves toward a vehicle-side wall, that the connecting bands loosen and allow a region towards a distant edge of the cover section to loosen and pass through the outer opening such that the outer opening and an inner opening communicate to open the vent hole. The length of the distant edge of the exhaust strap is shorter than a length of a proximate edge of the exhaust strap.

A horn switch mechanismhas a securing pinserving as a support member, a movable memberserving as an insulating portion, a compression coil springserving as an urging member, and a contact terminalserving as a movable contact. The securing pinis fixed to a metal coreof a steering wheel bodyand supports a bag holderin such a manner that the bag holderselectively proceeds toward and retreats from the metal core. The movable memberis arranged between the securing pinand the bag holderand electrically insulates the securing pinand the bag holderfrom each other. The coil springurges the bag holderaway from the metal core. The contact terminalmoves together with the bag holder. When the bag holdermoves toward the metal coreagainst the urging force of the compression coil spring, the contact terminalcontacts the securing pinand permits conduction between the contact terminaland the securing pin. This activates a horn deviceof the vehicle.

Steering wheel with airbag device

In an airbag-equipped steering wheel, a plurality of horn switch mechanisms assembled to a bag holder each have a securing pin, which is inserted into a corresponding one of through holes formed in a metal core. A clip is engaged with a locking groove of each securing pin, so that each horn switch mechanism is fastened to the metal core. The through holes include one or more normal through holes that restrict inclination of the corresponding securing pins, and a special through hole that has an inclination permitting portion. The inclination permitting portion permits the corresponding securing pin to be inclined about the corresponding clipserving as a fulcrum. In the special through hole, the securing pin is permitted to be inclined about the clip serving as a fulcrum only when the clips are disengaged from the securing pin in all the normal through holes.

Airbag-equipped steering wheel device

A folded airbag is accommodated between a bag holder, to which horn switch mechanisms are secured, and a pad secured to the bag holder. The horn switch mechanisms are installed by being inserted in attachment holes formed in the bag holder. The pad has switch support portions for supporting the horn switch mechanisms.

Steering wheel with airbag device and method for assembling the same

A bag holder has a plurality of engagement holes about parts to which an airbag device is attached. Each engagement hole has a first long inner wall surface and a second long inner wall surface that extend along a substantially tangential direction of a circle the center of which coincides with the central axis of the bag holder, or of an opening. Engagement claws of a pad cover each include an insertion portion inserted into one of the engagement holes and a claw portion protruding from the lower end of the insertion portion toward the first long inner wall surface. The bag holder has integrally formed fastening pieces, each of which includes a support portion and a pair of coupling portions. The support portion is located in the vicinity of one of the engagement holes, and the coupling portions connect the support portion to the corresponding second long inner wall surface at several positions. Each fastening piece is bent at the coupling portions so as to contact a side surface of the insertion portion on which no claw portion is provided.

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Kiyosu, Japan

Kenji Sasaki