Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

Kosuke Shigeta

Tsutomu Ishii

Norio Umemura

Osamu Hirose

Mikine Hayashi

Hitoshi Iida

Hajime Kitte

Hisashi Takaya

A damping system includes: a fixed member; an airbag device including a back holder and disposed on a rear side of the fixed member; an elastic member mounted in a mounting hole of the back holder; and a horn switch mechanism including a support member supported on the fixed member on a front side of the back holder, and a slider disposed between the support member and the elastic member. The airbag device functions as a damper mass of a dynamic damper, and the elastic member functions as a spring thereof. The horn switch mechanism includes an extended portion extending forwards. An engaged portion is formed at a circumferential edge portion of the mounting hole to extend rearwards. The elastic member includes an engaging portion opened in a front surface thereof. The elastic member is sandwiched by the engaged portion fitted in the engaging portion and the extended portion.

Damping system for steering wheel

An actuator includes: a gas generator which generates an operation gas when actuated; an accommodation-side portion which accommodates and holds the gas generator; and a push-side portion which is pushed by the operation gas generated from the gas generator to advance relatively so as to move away from the accommodation-side portion, wherein: a seal material which realizes watertightness between the push-side portion and the accommodation-side portion before actuation is provided in an external surface side portion between the push-side portion and the accommodation-side portion by being poured and set through molding; and the seal material doubles as an adhesive which enables the push-side portion to move relatively when actuated and which provides a joining force with which the push-side portion can be restricted from moving relatively before actuation so as to join the push-side portion and the accommodation-side portion together.

Actuator

A vibration suppression structure for a steering wheel includes elastic support portions for elastically supporting an inflator of an airbag apparatus. Each elastic support portion is formed as a cylinder having an axis extending in the longitudinal direction of a steering shaft. At any cross section orthogonal to the axis, each elastic support portion has an outer periphery of the same oval or the same circle and an inner periphery of the same oval or the same circle. When the outer periphery is circular, the inner periphery is oval. When the inner periphery is circular, the outer periphery is oval.

Vibration suppression structure for steering wheel

An airbag apparatus, which is incorporated in a steering wheel, includes a bag holder in the longitudinal direction of the steering wheel. An inflator is elastically supported by the bag holder with elastic support portions. A retainer includes an annular bag attachment portion. The retainer is fastened to the bag holder such that the periphery of the airbag opening is held between the bag attachment portion and the bag holder. The retainer further includes arch portions and bag encompassing portions. The arch portions extend rearward in the longitudinal direction of the steering wheel from the inner rim of the bag attachment portion, and surround the inflator. The bag encompassing portions extend inward in a radial direction of the steering shaft from the inner rim of the bag attachment portion, and encompass the periphery of the airbag opening.

Airbag apparatus

A vibration damping structure for a steering wheel includes an airbag mounted in the steering wheel, an inflator arranged forward of the airbag, and a support member elastically supporting the inflator at a position forward of the inflator. The inflator includes a peripheral wall portion and gas ports formed in the wall portion. The support member has a hole facing the inflator. A sealing portion is provided to surround the hole. Through contact between the inflator and the support member at the sealing portion, gas leakage via the hole is prevented. The inflator has a pressure receiving portion in the vicinity of the gas ports to change the flow direction of gas, which is discharged outward from the gas ports in the radial direction of the wall portion, to a direction toward a rear side. The pressure receiving portion produces force acting forward by receiving pressure from the gas.

Growing community of inventors

Kiyosu, Japan

Kosuke Shigeta