Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

Other

Toyo Boseki Kabushiki Kaisha

Matsuo Industries, Inc.

Toyoda Goset Co., Ltd.

Yoshiyuki Fujita

Motoi Isomura

Katsunobu Sakane

Atsushi Nagata

Hiroshi Yasuda

Mitsuhiro Kikuta

Toshihiro Kimura

Hiroyuki Kobayashi

Tadashi Yamamoto

Tetsushi Hiramitsu

Naohiko Ishiguro

Akio Hosoi

Kazumasa Suzuki

Tooru Koyama

Norio Umemura

Keisuke Imai

Osamu Hirose

Koji Sakurai

Yuji Sekitomi

Masao Okumura

Sadao Uchida

Masaaki Sekino

Kazutoshi Hayashi

Kouichi Kaga

Tetsuo Ukai

Suzuaki Hongou

Katsumi Sakakida

Hideto Fujita

Kouji Sakurai

Masanori Yajima

Koji Shiraki

Youji Hamamoto

Osamu Kudo

Toyokazu Maeda

Yohei Fukasawa

A steering wheel incorporating an air bag device that facilitates the attachment and removal of an air bag module with respect to a steering wheel body while reducing manufacturing costs. The steering wheel body has a spoke core, which includes a hook. A horn plate, which forms part of the air bag module, includes a catch that is flexed to engage the hook.

Steering wheel incorporating air bag device

A steering wheel of the present invention has an airbag-apparatus. The airbag apparatus has a pad for covering the airbag, and the pad has a plurality of doors that can open. Each door opens around a hinge as a rotation center. The hinge is located below an outer periphery of the pad. That is, an area of the door itself can widely be secured, and the door can open as wide as possible. A switch operating portion is disposed in an area other than the door, but of a boss or a spoke that is not covered with the door when it opens. When doors open around the hinge as the rotation center, the doors are disposed in the three spaces between the spokes. The opened doors are disposed smoothly in the three spaces between the three spokes without interference with the switch operating portion. A widely opening state of each door can stably be secure.

Steering wheel having airbag apparatus

A steering wheel of the present invention has an airbag apparatus. The airbag apparatus has a pad for covering the airbag, and the pad has a plurality of doors that can open. Each door opens around a hinge as a rotation center. The hinge is located below an outer periphery of the pad. That is, an area of the door itself can widely be secured, and the door can open as wide as possible. A switch operating portion is disposed in an area other than the door, but of a boss or a spoke that is not covered with the door when it opens. When doors open around the hinge as the rotation center, the doors are disposed in the three spaces between the spokes. The opened doors are disposed smoothly in the three spaces between the three spokes without interference with the switch operating portion. A widely opening state of each door can stably be secure.

A steering wheel horn switch includes two contact members and a support member, which supports the contact member and is formed from a light metallic material, and the contact member and the support member are electrically conducted to each other in such a manner to form a horn operating circuit. An electric conductor having electrical conductivity, which is higher than the electrical conductivity of the support member, is disposed between the contact member and the support member in such a way as to come in contact with both the contact member and the support member. The electric conductor is in contact with the support member so that the contact area therebetween is larger than the contact area between the contact member and the support member in the case when the contact member is singly brought into contact with the support member, or so that the electric conductor is brought into contact with the support member by being pushed by the support member.

Steering wheel horn switch

A horn switch includes a stationary member, a movable member, a spring and a connecting bolt. The stationary member has a stationary contact and is supported on a steering wheel body The movable member has a movable contact and is arranged above the stationary member. The connecting bolt allows downward movements of the movable member and prescribes a distance of the movable contact from the stationary contact. The connecting bolt is provided with a head and a shank. The head abuts against an underside of the stationary member. The shank extends upward from the head to be fastened to a threaded hole in the movable member. Prior to fastening, the connecting bolt is temporarily fixed to the stationary member by latch legs. The latch legs latch a lower surface of the head in a manner to permit the connecting bolt to be fastened to the movable member.

Horn switch for a steering wheel

An automotive steering wheel includes a heavy air bag system held by a horn-switching mechanism. Although the air bag system is heavy, the operator has a good feel for the operation of the horn-switching mechanism. The horn-switching mechanism includes a stationary member, a movable member, a switch main body, coil springs, and a jawed bolt. The switch main body comprises a stationary contact mounted on the stationary member and a movable contact mounted on the movable member. The coil springs bias the movable member upward. The jawed bolt permits the movable member to be moved toward the stationary member and limits the distance of the movable member from the stationary member. At least one of the coil springs is located at a height substantially equal to the height of the resultant center of gravity of all components biased upward by all the coil springs.

Steering wheel

A hardness tester for a large test material is downsized by shortening a stroke length of the x-y stage. A hardness tester in accordance with the invention transfers the laser irradiating unit,two-dimensionally along the X or Y axis and irradiate a laser beam on the material W under test placed on the stage,The tester also monitors the laser beam visually and determine a target position to be measured and transfers the monitoring unit,to the determined target position along the X or Y axis and monitor the position by means of the monitoring unit,If the position does not fall on a boundary between crystals, the loading unit,is two-dimensionally transferred and forms a dent on the position by means of the penetrator,An image of the dent is captured by the monitoring unit,and the hardness is determined by calculating a diagonal length of the dent by image processing.

Hardness tester

There is disclosed an automotive steering wheel W,including a heavy air bag system,. This air bag system,is held by a horn-switching mechanism,. Although the air bag system,is heavy, the operator has a good feel for the operation of the horn-switching mechanism,. This horn-switching mechanism,comprises a stationary member,, a movable member,, a switch main body,, coil springs,, and a jawed bolt,. The switch main body,comprises a stationary contact,mounted on the stationary member,and a movable contact,mounted on the movable member,. The coil springs,bias the movable member,upward. The jawed bolt,permits the movable member,to be moved toward the stationary member,and limits the distance of the movable member,from the stationary member,. At least one of the coil springs,is located at a height substantially equal to the height of the resultant center of gravity G of all components biased upward by all the coil springs

The horn switch assembly includes a fixed plate on a connector arm and a movable plate in an air bag module. When those plates are electrically continuous, a horn sounds. The movable plate is urged upward apart from the fixed plate. The movable plate is disposed such that a distance from the movable plate to the fixed plate is set at a fixed distance by two mounting bolts, screwed into the connector arm. Fore-spoke arm sections include torsional deformation parts, torsionally deformable, located outside the mounting seats of an air bag module. Back-spoke arm sections include first bending deformation parts located on the inner side of the mounting seats of the air bag module, and second bending deformation parts located on the outer side of the mounting seats and a column cover. The first bending deformation part has a lower bending rigidity than the second bending deformation part. A lower cover is made of synthetic resin, e.g., polypropylene, and includes a bottom wall portion and a circumferential side wall. On the back side of the lower cover, the upper end portion of the back side of the side wall of the lower cover is attached to the outer portions of the back-spoke arm sections.

Steering wheel and horn switch assembly for the steering wheel

An air bag device including a pad made of a synthetic resin and a bag holder consisting of metal. The pad includes a top wall that covers an air bag and includes extending doors, which are adapted to be broken when the air bag expands. The top wall also includes a unitary mounting wall extending downwardly from the outer peripheral edge of the top wall. The bag holder includes a bottom wall for holding the air bag and a side wall extending vertically from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall. The unitary mounting wall includes mounting holes extending horizontally in the inner side surface above the mounting holes. The side wall includes mounting holes extending therethrough to correspond to the mounting holes of the mounting wall and retaining pawls arranged at a location extending upwardly from the bottom wall. The retaining pawls are capable of being retained on the peripheral edges of the retaining grooves. The pad is held in the bag holder by retaining grooves and by inserting an attachment device into the mounting holes of the unitary mounting wall portion and the side wall to securely fasten the unitary mounting wall and the side wall.

Air bag device

A steering wheel is disclosed which includes a steering wheel main body, a horn-switching assembly, and an air bag assembly. The horn-switching assembly includes a stationary member mounted on the steering wheel main body, a support plate, a movable member movable away from the stationary member into non-activated and activated positions, and a plurality of horn-switching subassemblies mounted on the support plate of the stationary member. The horn-switching subassemblies each includes a spring, a limiting member, and a switch main body. The springs are mounted between the stationary member and the movable member to collectively bias the movable member upward towards the non-activated position. The limiting member interconnects the support plate with the movable member to form an installable unit which is mountable to the stationary member, and limits the distance by which the movable member moves away from the stationary member. The switch main body includes stationary contacts mounted on the stationary member and movable contacts mounted on the movable member. The air bag assembly, which includes an air bag and inflator, is supported by the movable member and is interconnected to the support plate by the limiting members. The springs are mounted higher than the inflator.

The horn switch assembly includes a fixed plate on a connector arm and a movable plate in an air bag module. When those plates are electrically continuous, a horn sounds. The movable plate is urged upward apart from the fixed plate. The movable plate is disposed such that a distance from the movable plate to the fixed plate is set at a fixed distance by two mounting bolts, screwed into the connector arm. Fore-spoke arm sections include torsional deformation parts, torsionally deformable, located outside the mounting seats of an air bag module. Back-spoke arm sections include first banding deformation parts located on the inner side of the mounting seats of the air bag module, and second bending deformation parts located on the outer side of the mounting seats and a column cover. The first bending deformation part has a lower bending rigidity than the second bending deformation part. A lower cover is made of synthetic resin, e.g., polypropylene, and includes a bottom wall portion and a circumferential side wall. On the back side of the lower cover, the upper end portion of the back side of the side wall of the lower cover is attached to the outer portions of the back-spoke arm sections.

A steering wheel in which a ceiling portion of a pad of an air bag module has adjacent peripheral edges extending along the individual spoke portions of a steering wheel body to be positioned close to a cover layer of the individual spoke portions. Each of the adjacent peripheral portions has a push rib. A bag holder has extensions capable of abutting against the individual push ribs. Movable contacts of the individual switch bodies are individually supported by the extensions under the push ribs. Stationary contacts of the individual switch bodies are individually supported by a stationary plate which is supported in abutment by the individual spoke portion cores in the vicinity of the individual stationary contacts. The steering wheel enables the operation of a horn switch with a reduced operational load when the peripheral edge of the pad of the air bag module is depressed and retains a clear feel of arrival at the bottom. This improves the operational feel of the horn switch.

Steering wheel having air bag module

An air bag apparatus including an air bag to be inflated with inflation gas flowing therein through a gas inlet, a tether structure disposed inside the air bag for limiting inflation thereof, a diffuser disposed inside the air bag for limiting and directing flow of inflation gas and having a gas in-flowing hole corresponding to the air bag gas inlet, a retainer disposed inside the air bag about the periphery of the air bag gas inlet, and a bag holder disposed outside and beneath the air bag and extending about the periphery of the air bag gas inlet. The bag holder is fastened to the retainer such that a portion of the air bag is retained between the bag holder and the retainer. The retainer is connected to the diffuser so that the retainer and the diffuser constitute a sub-assembly, thus allowing the sub-assembly to be inserted into the air bag through the gas inlet. The diffuser also includes connecting portions attaching to the retainer to prevent the diffuser from disconnecting from the retainer.

Air bag apparatus

An air bag assembly mountable in an automobile vehicle, which assembly includes an air bag, a pad, and a bag holder. The air bag is expandable between a folded state and a deployed state. The pad has a ceiling wall structure and a side wall structure. The ceiling wall structure is configured to cover the air bag when in the folded state and constructed and arranged to rupture when the air bag expands from the folded state to the deployed state to create a passageway which permits the air bag to deploy into an interior compartment of the vehicle. The side wall structure of the pad extends from the ceiling wall structure to define a substantially annular cross section and includes a plurality of spaced lock holes formed therein. The bag holder, which holds the air bag and the pad, includes first and second plates which are substantially horizontally and vertically oriented, respectively, when the air bag assembly is mounted in the vehicle. The horizontal plate has a plurality of spaced insertion holes formed therein, which are arranged to receive portions of the side wall structure of the pad. The vertical plate includes a plurality of locking claws, which are disposed to extend radially inward and engage the lock holes of the pad to thereby secure the pad to the bag holder.

Growing community of inventors

Aichi-ken, Japan

Yoshiyuki Fujita