Key Safety Systems, Inc.

Roberto Ridolfi

Adolfo Ridolfi

Valerio Poli

Andrea Amselmi

Andrea Anselmi

Luciano Verda

Massimo Rabagliano

An assembly of an airbag module and a steering wheel of a vehicle has the airbag module moveable between a resting position and a working position, corresponding to the actuation of the horn of the vehicle. Advantageously, the retaining assembly drives the airbag module exclusively along parallel to the axis of rotation of the steering wheel, providing constant horn activation loads.

Assembly for retaining an airbag module to a steering wheel

The present invention relates to a steering wheel having a stationary hub mounted portion. The steering wheel has an armature with a hub and is coupled to a vehicle steering shaft. The hub is provided with an opening through which a coiled element passes. A non-rotating housing is assembled with the hub. The coiled element connects the non-rotating housing to a stationary component of the vehicle. The coiled element screwing or unscrewing itself to or from the hub via the opening when the steering wheel is rotated.

Steering wheel with non-rotating airbag

As improved airbag module retention assembly for attachment to a steering wheel has an airbag module housing having an airbag cover, an internally stored airbag. The airbag module housing has two pairs of attachment legs. A base plate assembly has a base plate with a pair of mounting brackets pivotally attached at ends of the mounting brackets to the hinge supports projecting from the base plate and being linearly movable relative to the hinge supports. A resilient member such as a spring returns the airbag module housing to a resting position upon activation of a horn. The resilient member is interposed between one mounting bracket and the base plate. The pair of mounting brackets are connected by a pin and a slot. Each end of a mounting bracket is attached to an attachment leg of the airbag module housing. Movement of the airbag module housing assembly is constrained to a displacement parallel to the axis of rotation of the steering wheel.

An assembly of a steering wheel with static airbag module has a rotor portion and a stator portion. A first gear and a second gear are at least partially superimposed. An intermediate supporting element is located between first and second gears with the gears directly axially coupled. An intermediate element has a portion that defines a path for the means for axially coupling said first and second gear to temporarily disengage them from the gears when a relative rotation between the intermediate element and the first and second gears occurs.

Steering wheel with a static driver airbag module

A horn actuating device for a steering wheel has a plurality of helical springs that return an airbag module to a raised resting position. Each helical spring has a free upper end that moves with the airbag module that also acts as a mobile electrical contact cooperating with the fixed electrical contact to bring about actuation of the horn.

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Tregnago, Italy

Roberto Ridolfi