A steering wheel and column assembly for a vehicle includes a steering column housing and a steering column shaft rotatably coupled to the steering column housing. A steering wheel includes a central hub coupled to the steering column shaft and a steering wheel rim connected to the central hub by one or more spokes extending radially from the central hub. A dampening system cooperates with the steering wheel and includes at least one mass damper body disposed adjacent to central hub. One or more vibration damping elements extend at least partially through the at least one mass damper body and the central hub. One or more resilient support members cooperate with the at least one mass damper body, central hub and the one or more vibration damping elements to absorb vibrations in the steering wheel and column assembly.

A system 300 for controlling vibratory motion in a vehicle steering wheel 20 prone to oscillate in a given direction due to extraneous inputs at one or more frequencies. The system 300 has a steering wheel 20 of the type exhibiting a vibratory motion along a defined axis at one or more frequencies, at least one sensor for sensing the acceleration of the steering wheel 20 along the defined axis and an active control mechanism responsive to the output of the at least one sensor. The sensor is an accelerometer having a movable first mass 70 and a solenoid coil 56 which when activated moves the mass 70 in a direction opposite to the motion of the steering wheel 20 and at the frequency of motion of the steering wheel 20.

Driver airbag cushion assemblies comprising dampening means. In some embodiments, the assembly may comprise a driver airbag module, a steering wheel armature, and an intermediate plate positioned between the driver airbag module and the steering wheel armature. The assembly may further comprise one or more horn actuators, such as horn springs coupled to the airbag module, and one or more dampening members. The one or more dampening members may be used to couple two or more of the armature, plate, and airbag module together. In some embodiments, the dampening member(s) may be functionally and/or physically decoupled from the one or more horn actuators.

A control system and method for a hydraulic-power steering system of a vehicle including magnetic torque overlay (MTO) is provided. The control system and method minimize undesirable vibration in a handwheel of the vehicle as a result of disturbance in its front road wheels (e.g., road-wheel imbalance). In the control system and method, a base torque command is determined or generated. At least the base torque command is passed to a disturbance-rejection module. The disturbance-rejection module modifies the base torque command to minimize the vibration.

A steering wheel enabling support of an airbag module by distributing a load when the airbag activates to ensure prescribed deployment performance of the airbag without affecting the horn function. The steering wheel includes: a support unit that supports the airbag module enabling the airbag module to move along the Z-axis direction relative to the core metal; and a horn mechanism having a movable contact provided on the airbag module and a fixed contact provided on the pin of the support unit. When in a horn non-operating state, a stopper is separated by a distance D2 in the Z-axis direction relative to the airbag module and the distance D2 is farther than the distance D1 of the movable contact and the fixed contact in the Z-axis direction.

It is provided a vibration damper system for a steering wheel arrangement of a motor vehicle, which is provided for arrangement on a steering wheel element of the steering wheel arrangement. The vibration damper system comprises a vibration damping mass for damping the vibration of the steering wheel arrangement, an elastic bearing element which comprises a fastening element for fastening the elastic bearing element to one of bearing element and vibration damping mass, and a fastening means for fastening to the other of steering wheel element and vibration damping mass, wherein the elastic bearing element sectionally rests against the fastening means.

A steering wheel is disclosed enabling suppressing unnecessary rocking of the airbag module during airbag activation and thereby ensures prescribed deployment performance of the airbag cushion. In detail, the steering wheel is provided with a core metal having a boss part configured so as to be mountable on a steering shaft and an airbag module movably provided with respect to the core metal and having an airbag cushion that can be expanded and deployed. The stopper of the core metal is separated from the stopper contact part of the airbag module in a non-activated state of the airbag, and comes into contact with the stopper contact part due to movement or deformation of the airbag module caused by expansion and deployment of the airbag cushion during activation of the airbag.

A vibration suppressor can include a mass element that can be mounted to a steering wheel of a vehicle, with the steering wheel defining a rotational axis about which the steering wheel is rotated when installed in the vehicle. The vibration suppressor can include a spring system that mounts the mass element to the steering wheel. The spring system can include multiple spring elements, each of which can have a compliance in the third dimension that is greater than a compliance in either a first or a second dimension (which are orthogonal to the third dimension) to permit the mass element to rotate back and forth about the rotational axis of the steering wheel to absorb rotational vibrations of the steering wheel.

A steering wheel structure includes: a steering wheel main body supported by a steering shaft; a horn block to which a horn operation unit and an air-bag module are attached; and a connection unit that connects the horn block to the steering wheel main body such that the horn block can be elastically displaced with respect to the steering wheel main body, wherein the connection unit includes a support pin having one end supported by any one of the horn block and the steering wheel main body, a cylinder component having an outer circumferential part attached to the other of the horn block and the steering wheel main body, and an elastic component arranged between the cylinder component and the support pin, and wherein the elastic component is fixed to the cylinder component.

A steering wheel for a motor vehicle, includes a rim skeleton and at least one rim casing surrounding the rim skeleton, wherein the rim skeleton and the at least one rim casing rest upon each other with respective border surfaces, and wherein the border surfaces are displaceable relative to each other in at least one section.