Automobile Steering Wheel

Abstract

A steering wheel of a vehicle includes a steering wheel armature made of metal, a steering wheel rear cover made of plastic, and an airbag module. The steering wheel rear cover is located on a bottom of the steering wheel armature and the airbag module is mounted above the steering wheel armature. An spring assembles the airbag module onto the armature. At least a supporting rib extends from the steering wheel rear cover and is located between the spring and the steering wheel armature for supporting the spring. The supporting rib erases a gap between the spring and the steering wheel armature and it is formed by plastic, thereby reducing noise efficiently.

Claims

1-8. (canceled)

9. A steering wheel of a vehicle comprising: a steering wheel armature made of metal; a steering wheel rear cover made of plastic, the steering wheel rear cover is located on a bottom of the steering wheel armature; an airbag module airbag module mounted above the steering wheel armature with two hooks extending downward from the airbag module and inserting into the steering wheel armature; a spring provided to assemble the airbag module onto the steering wheel armature, two free ends of the spring engage with the two hooks; and at least a supporting rib for supporting the spring extend from the steering wheel rear cover and located between the spring and the steering wheel armature.

10. The steering wheel of the vehicle of claim 9, wherein a spring clamping groove and a spring stopping bridge are formed on the steering wheel armature, and the spring includes a middle section hung on the spring clamping groove, two side sections pressed by the spring stopping bridge, and two free ends contacting the ribs.

11. The steering wheel of the vehicle of claim 10, comprising four spring stopping bridges, wherein every two spring stopping bridges press one side section of the spring.

12. The steering wheel of the vehicle of claim 9, wherein at least a supporting rib extends from the steering wheel rear cover, and extends above the steering wheel armature.

13. The steering wheel of the vehicle of claim 12, wherein the steering wheel armature has inserting holes into which the hooks are inserted, and the inserting holes provide a space for the extension of the supporting rib.

14. The steering wheel of the vehicle of claim 9, wherein the supporting rib is in shape of long strip.

15. The steering wheel of the vehicle of claim 9, wherein the spring is made of metal.

16. The steering wheel of the vehicle of claim 9, wherein two supporting ribs extend from the back cover to support two free ends of the spring, respectively.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1 is a cross-section of the prior vehicle steering wheel;

[0019] FIG. 2 is a top view of a steering wheel armature in a prior vehicle steering wheel;

[0020] FIG. 3 is a top view of a steering wheel armature in a vehicle steering wheel according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0021] FIG. 4 is a principal scheme of a vehicle steering wheel with ribs supporting an spring according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022]

TABLE-US-00001 List of Reference numbers 1-steering wheel armature 3-airbag module 4-DAB decoration cover 5- spring 11-spring stopping bridge 41-hook 51-free end 1-steering wheel armature 2-steering wheel rear cover 5- spring 11-clamping groove 12-spring stopping bridge 13-inserting hole 21-rib 51-free end 52-middle section 53-side section

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Hereinafter, several embodiments of the present disclosure would be illustrated in detail by referring to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] The present disclosure mentions some directions, such as vertical, horizontal, upper, lower, left, right or the like, which mean the orientations of the steering wheel mounted on the vehicle.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 3-4, the steering wheel comprises a steering wheel armature 1 made of metal, a steering wheel rear cover 2 made of plastic, an airbag module and an airbag decoration cover. The steering wheel rear cover 2 is located at a bottom of the steering wheel armature 1. The airbag module is mounted onto the steering wheel frame 1, and is located above the steering wheel armature 1. The airbag decoration cover is used to package the airbag module, and is located at a central position above the steering wheel armature 1. A spring 5 is assembled on the steering wheel armature 1. Two hooks (not shown) extend downwards from the airbag module. These two hooks insert into inserting holes 13 in the steering wheel armature 1. The spring 5 has two side sections 53, which engage with the two hooks respectively. At least one supporting rib 21 extends from the steering wheel rear cover 2 and is located below the spring 5 to support the spring 5.

[0026] The hooks insert into the steering wheel armature 1 in order to assemble the airbag module onto the steering wheel armature 1. The hooks comprise barbs, which insert into the inserting holes 13 so that the airbag module is locked with the steering wheel armature 1 in a vertical direction. The side sections 53 of the spring 5 are clamped within the barbs of the hooks, and then the two hooks would restrain the spring 5. Under this circumstance, the airbag decoration cover will be locked in a horizontal direction by an elastic force caused by the spring 5, to prevent the airbag module from swinging in the horizontal direction.

[0027] Regarding the interface between the airbag module and steering wheel armature according to the present invention, the airbag module and the hooks, it can be understood by referring to the prior art interface between the airbag decoration cover 4, the airbag module 3 and the hooks 41 as shown in FIG. 1. The airbag decoration cover covers the airbag module, and the hook is configured to extend from the airbag module.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, a gap is existed between two free ends 51 of the current spring 5 and the spring stopping bridge 11, so the contact of the spring 5 with the spring stopping bridge 11 may cause the rattle noise. Further, as the spring 5 and the spring stopping bridge 11 both are made of metal, the noise caused by contact of different metal elements, deteriorate the comfortable sensation during the usage of the vehicle.

[0029] By comparison, in the embodiment as shown in FIGS. 3-4, as the supporting rib 21 extends from the steering wheel rear cover 2 and is located below the spring 5, the existence of supporting rib makes the spring 5 run upwards to reach the spring stopping bridge 12, that is, by the upward supporting of the rib 21, the gap of 0.3 mm between the spring 5 and the spring stopping bridge 12 will be removed, and an interference fit will be nearly achieved. Under this circumstance, the spring 5 will not swing up and down, thereby avoiding the noise. Furthermore, the supporting rib 21 is formed of plastic, therefore, even if a contact occurs between the spring 5 and the supporting rib 21, it occurs between a metal element and a plastic element, and thus the noise is substantially decreased, thereby avoiding the high noise.

[0030] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the spring 5 is shaped as a door, i.e. a rectangle frame with an opening on one side.

[0031] Preferably, the spring 5 of the present disclosure is not limited in the above shape. In particular, the spring 5 may be near to the shape of , i.e. its main body is in an arc shape, and its two free ends are bent respectively to form short sides.

[0032] Preferably, as shown in FIG. 3, the steering wheel armature 1 provides a spring clamping groove 11 and a spring stopping bridge 12. The spring 5 comprises a middle section 52 which is hung on the spring clamping groove 11, two side sections 53 which are restrained by the spring stopping bridge 12, and two free ends 51 which contact the supporting rib 21. When the spring 5 is mounted, the two free ends 51 of the spring 5 go through below the spring stopping bridge 12, and then the middle section 52 of the spring 5 is hung on the spring clamping groove 11. After the assembling, the two side sections 53 of the spring 5 are restrained by the spring stopping bridge 12, and a gap is existed between the two free ends 51 of the spring 5 and the steering wheel armature 1. Two supporting ribs 21 extend from the back cover to support the two free ends of the spring respectively. As supporting ribs 21 are located between the spring 5 and the steering wheel armature 1, the supporting ribs 21 have a function for compensating the gap. The spring 5 directly contacts the ribs 21 at the two free ends 51, so that the supporting ribs 21 can avoid the noise caused by the contact between the two free ends 51 of the spring 5 and the spring stopping bridge 12. After the middle section 52 of the spring 5 is hung on the spring clamping groove 11, the spring 5 is positioned primarily, so as to define the location of the spring 5 in a up-down direction relative to a horizontal plane. The two side sections 53 of the spring 5 are restrained by the spring stopping bridge 12, to define a motion range of the spring 5 in a left-right direction relative to a vertical plane. When the spring 5 is assembled onto the steering wheel armature 1 in an initial state, the hooks have not inserted into the steering wheel armature 1 at this time, and there is still a larger distance between the two side sections 53 of the spring 5. After the hooks insert into the steering wheel armature 1, the two side sections 53 of the spring 5 are compressed, and said distance is decreased.

[0033] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, there exist four spring stopping bridges 12, wherein every two spring stopping bridges 12 press one free end 51 on one side of the spring 5.

[0034] Preferably, two additional spring stopping bridges 12 may be provided, each one on each of left and right sides. Alternatively, the additional spring stopping bridges 12 may be provided, so that every three are provided on each of left and right sides.

[0035] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the ribs 21 extend from the steering wheel rear cover 2, and extend above the steering wheel armature 1. The steering wheel armature 1 form inserting holes 13 into which hooks insert. The inserting holes 13 provide a space for the extension of the ribs 21. The ribs 21 extend from the provided space of the rear cover 2 for the ribs 21, and extend above the steering wheel armature 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the location of the reserved space, within the prior steering wheel armature 1, coincides with the location of the collision with the two free ends 51 of the spring 5. In the present embodiment, such a portion of the armature has been removed, and a respective space appears for the extension of the ribs.

[0036] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the ribs are in shape of long strip. Certainly, the supporting rib may be shaped as cuboid, ball or other irregular shapes. As long as the shape of the ribs can assure supporting the spring 5, this shape will fall into the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0037] The illustration as above only focuses on the principle of the present invention and the preferable embodiments thereof. It should be noted that, for the skilled in the art, any other modification based on the principle of the present invention should fall into the protection scope of the present invention.