JP7409353B2 - Steering wheel with airbag device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a steering wheel configured to be equipped with an airbag device equipped with functional components such as a camera.

In some conventional steering wheels equipped with airbag devices, the airbag device is provided with a functional component such as a camera for photographing a driver (for example, see Patent Document 1). This airbag device includes an airbag that is expanded and inflated from a folded state by introducing inflation gas into it, an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag, an airbag cover, a holder, functional parts, and a support plate. It was composed of The holder was configured to hold the airbag, inflator, airbag cover, functional parts, and support plate, and to be connected and held to the main body side of the steering wheel. The airbag cover includes a ceiling wall that covers the folded airbag and has a door that opens when pushed by the airbag when inflated, and a substantially cylinder that extends downward from near the outer periphery of the ceiling wall. It was configured to have a side wall portion connected to the holder. The support plate includes a top plate portion that is disposed above the folded airbag to hold the functional components, and a holding portion that extends downward from the base side of the top plate portion and is connected and held to the holder. It was composed of The functional parts consist of a functional body part consisting of a camera body etc. held on the top plate part, and a door part, which covers the upper part of the functional body part and is exposed from approximately the center of the ceiling wall part. It was configured to include an outer plate portion consisting of a lens, a visible light cut filter, etc. to be disposed. In conventional airbag devices, when the airbag is inflated, the door portion of the airbag cover is pushed open while holding the outer plate of the functional component to form an opening for the airbag to protrude. The functional body of the airbag deforms the support plate and moves away from the area above the folded airbag.

JP 2020-63017 Publication

However, in conventional steering wheels, the door section of the airbag cover is configured to open by rupturing a thin-walled rupture section on the periphery, and the outer plate section, which is a functional component, is assembled near the center of one door section. Since the door portion was surrounded by the surrounding rupture portion, the rupture portion bypassed the outer plate portion located approximately in the center of the ceiling wall of the airbag. It was arranged in a curved manner. In other words, the length of the part scheduled to rupture was increased by the amount of curvature, and furthermore, since the part scheduled to rupture was arranged so as to detour around the center of the ceiling wall, when the airbag was inflated, the part scheduled to rupture was There is room for improvement in that the tensile load associated with the inflation of the airbag is difficult to act on, that is, it is difficult for stress concentration to occur suitably, and the portion scheduled for rupture is quickly ruptured. In other words, with the conventional steering wheel, there was a problem in opening the airbag protrusion opening formed by opening the door more quickly.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a steering wheel equipped with an airbag device that can quickly form an opening for protruding the airbag when the airbag is inflated.

A steering wheel according to the present invention includes a steering wheel body and an airbag device,
The airbag device is
An airbag that expands and inflates from a folded state by introducing inflation gas;
an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag;
a ceiling wall that covers the folded airbag and is provided with a door that opens when pushed by the airbag when inflated; and a generally cylindrical shape that extends downward from near the outer periphery of the ceiling wall. an airbag cover having a side wall portion;
a holder that holds the airbag, the inflator, and the airbag cover and is connected and held to the steering wheel body;
a functional component disposed above the folded airbag;
The airbag includes a top plate portion disposed above the folded airbag and holding the functional component, and a holding portion extending downward from the base side of the top plate portion and held by the holder. a supporting plate,
configured with
a functional main body part in which the functional component is held by the top plate part; an outer plate part disposed to cover the upper part of the functional main body part and to be exposed from approximately the center of the ceiling wall part; configured with
When the airbag is inflated, the door portion of the airbag cover is pushed open to form an opening for the airbag to protrude, and the functional component deforms the support plate to open the folded A steering wheel equipped with an airbag device configured to move away from an area above the airbag, the steering wheel comprising:
The outer plate portion of the functional component is held by the top plate portion, and the airbag is inflated with respect to an assembly hole provided vertically penetrating approximately the center of the ceiling wall portion. The functional component is removable when the functional component is moved due to the movement of the functional component, and is assembled so as to close the assembly hole.
A plurality of the door portions of the airbag cover are arranged such that the edge of the tip portion is continuous with the inner peripheral edge of the assembly hole,
When the airbag is inflated, each of the door parts ruptures a scheduled rupture part that extends substantially radially from the inner periphery of the assembly hole, and ruptures the rupture part on the base side away from the inner periphery of the assembly hole. It is characterized by being arranged so as to open with the hinge part as the center of rotation.

In the steering wheel according to the present invention, when the airbag is inflated, the functional component held on the top plate of the support plate disposed above the folded airbag and the ceiling wall of the airbag cover, Being pushed up. At that time, the ceiling wall part of the airbag cover is broken at the planned breakage part to open each door part to form an ejection opening, and the functional part is the outer plate part of each door to be opened. The supporting plate is removed from the inner circumferential edge of the assembly hole on the distal end side of the part to open the assembly hole, while deforming the support plate and detaching from the area above the folded airbag (bag cover area). That is, in the ceiling wall portion of the airbag cover, each door portion is quickly opened by rupturing a short rupture portion that extends approximately radially from the inner peripheral edge of the assembly hole, and the door portion is disposed near the center. The outside plate part does not break the part itself that is scheduled to break, but simply detaches from the periphery of the assembly hole, allowing the assembly hole located near the center of the ceiling wall to be quickly opened. At the same time, it separates from the bag cover area together with the functional body part to form an opening for protruding the airbag. In other words, when the airbag is inflated, each door is opened while the short length of the planned rupture part is ruptured in the ceiling wall, and the assembly hole near the center of the ceiling wall is opened by the outer plate. By detaching (removing) the part from the periphery of the assembly hole, the opening can be opened to quickly and smoothly form an opening for protruding the airbag.

Therefore, in the steering wheel according to the present invention, when the airbag is inflated, the opening for protruding the airbag can be formed quickly.

In the steering wheel according to the present invention, a horn switch that is held by the holder and is pressed down to bring the airbag device closer to the steering wheel body is disposed on the lower side of the airbag device. If you are
The outer plate portion of the functional component releasably engages a plate-side engaging portion provided on an outer peripheral edge with a cover-side engaging portion provided on an inner peripheral edge of the assembly hole, and ,
The plate-side engaging portion includes a lower extending portion extending downward at an outer peripheral edge of the outer plate portion,
The cover-side engaging portion is capable of fitting the lower end of the lower extending portion, and has an outer surface that can come into contact with an outer circumferential surface of the lower extending portion, and a lower end surface of the lower extending portion. The fitting recess has a bottom surface that can be contacted and an inner surface that can come into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the lower extension part, and the lower surface when moving downward is folded. It is preferable that the support plate be disposed so as to be able to be supported by coming into contact with any one of the airbag, the functional main body portion, or the top plate portion of the support plate.

With such a configuration, even if the outer plate part of the functional component is strongly pressed down when the horn switch is pressed down, the plate-side engaging part provided on the outer periphery of the outer plate part will not touch the inner periphery of the assembly hole. Since it is engaged with the provided cover-side engaging portion, it can move downward together with the airbag device without falling off. That is, even if the plate-side engaging portion of the outer plate portion is pressed down with a strong force, the lower extending portion of the plate-side engaging portion is fitted into the fitting recess of the cover-side engaging portion, and the fitting is not completed. In the mating recess, the lower extension part can be fitted, the outer surface of the fitting recess regulates the position of the outer peripheral surface of the lower extension part, and the inner peripheral surface of the lower extension part is positioned inside the mating recess. The side controls the position. Therefore, the fitting recess portion restricts the movement of the outer plate portion in the direction from the center side toward the outer peripheral edge side, and brings the lower end surface of the lower extension portion into contact with the bottom surface, and descends together with the lower extension portion. Moving. The cover-side engaging part provided with the fitting recess during downward movement is supported by bringing its lower surface into contact with either the folded airbag, the functional body part, or the top plate part of the support plate. Therefore, it is possible to stably move the outer plate portion downward while the lower extension portion of the outer plate portion is fitted. As a result, even if the outer plate part of the functional component is pressed down strongly when the horn switch is pressed down, the outer plate part remains assembled to the inner peripheral edge of the assembly hole and does not fall off, together with the airbag device. It can move downward and smoothly press down the horn switch of the airbag device.

In this case, in the steering wheel according to the present invention, the cover side engaging portion of the airbag cover is configured to include an upper surface side projecting portion that comes into contact with the upper surface side of the outer peripheral edge of the outer plate portion. is desirable.

In such a configuration, the upper surface side of the outer peripheral edge of the outer plate portion is covered by the upper surface side protrusion of the cover-side engaging portion of the airbag cover, so that the upper surface side from the fitting recess of the outer plate portion is Dislodgement can be restricted, and the assembly strength of the outer peripheral edge of the outer plate portion can be improved. In addition, the upper surface side of the outer periphery of the outer plate portion is covered by the upper surface side protrusion of the cover-side engaging portion of the airbag cover, and the boundary surface between the outer periphery surface of the outer plate portion and the airbag cover is Since it is not exposed, the outer periphery of the outer plate part has a good separation, and the outer plate part can be arranged with good design.

Further, in this case, in the steering wheel according to the present invention, the outer plate portion has an upper surface of the outer peripheral edge covered by the upper surface side projecting portion of the outer peripheral edge corresponding to a lower surface of the upper surface side projecting portion, It is preferable that the outer plate portion be configured as an inclined surface that is inclined so as to extend gently upward from the outer peripheral edge side of the outer plate portion.

In such a configuration, even if the outer peripheral edge of the outer plate part is widely covered by the upper side protrusion of the airbag cover, the upper surface of the outer peripheral edge is sloped so as to gently extend upward from the outer peripheral edge. The surface is inclined, so that when the outer plate part is removed from the inner circumference of the assembly hole, the outer circumferential edge of the outer plate part slides smoothly on the lower surface of the upper side overhang with little resistance. , can be removed from the assembly hole.

Further, in the steering wheel according to the present invention, the functional main body portion of the functional component is held by the top plate portion by providing a lower protrusion portion that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the top plate portion of the support plate. As a configuration,
It is desirable that the folded airbag is configured such that a storage recess shaped to accommodate the lower protrusion is provided on the upper side of the airbag, recessed from the periphery.

In such a configuration, even if the functional main body of the functional component has a large thickness, a lower protrusion that protrudes downward from the top plate is provided, and the function main body of the functional component is provided with a lower protrusion that protrudes downward from the top plate of the support plate. The protrusion height can be suppressed. Even if the lower protruding part of the functional component protrudes downward from the top plate, the folded airbag can be stored in a shape that corresponds to the lower protruding part without positioning the entire upper part downward. The recess allows the lower protrusion to be accommodated. That is, the combined height of the folded airbag and the functional components disposed above the airbag can be suppressed, and the height of the airbag device itself can be made compact.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a steering wheel on which an airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an airbag device according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view along the front-rear direction of an airbag device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the airbag device according to the embodiment, viewed from the top side. FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the airbag device according to the embodiment, viewed from the bottom side. It is a perspective view seen from the bottom side of an airbag device of an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view along the left-right direction of the airbag device of the embodiment. 3 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view illustrating a state of the airbag device of the embodiment before activation, and corresponds to the section VIII-VIII in FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the state of the airbag device of the embodiment after activation, and corresponds to the cross-sectional area of FIG. 8 . FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing the state of the airbag device of the embodiment immediately before and after activation, showing the vicinity of the tip of the top plate portion of the support plate. FIG. 3 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the state of the airbag device of the embodiment immediately before and after activation, showing the vicinity of the base of the top plate portion of the support plate. FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the camera of the embodiment and the top plate portion of the support plate as seen from the top side. FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the camera of the embodiment and the top plate portion of the support plate as seen from the bottom side. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the airbag cover of the embodiment and a bottom view of the ceiling wall (portion XIVB-XIVB in FIG. 3). FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an engaged state between the plate-side engaging portion of the outer plate portion and the cover-side engaging portion of the airbag cover in a modification of the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating an engaged state between the plate-side engaging portion of the outer plate portion and the cover-side engaging portion of the airbag cover in another modification of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a folded body in which an airbag is folded and a bag assembly in which the folded body is wrapped in a wrapping material in an airbag device according to an embodiment. It is a figure explaining the initial stage of the folding process of the airbag of embodiment. 19 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a small diameter folding step as a first step in the airbag folding step of the embodiment, and shows a step after FIG. 18. FIG. 20 is a schematic plan view illustrating a small diameter folding process of the airbag according to the embodiment, and shows a process after FIG. 19. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a small-diameter folding process of the airbag according to the embodiment, and shows a process after FIG. 20. FIG. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a small diameter folding process of the airbag according to the embodiment, and shows a process after FIG. 21. FIG. It is a figure explaining the compression process as a 2nd process in the folding process of the airbag of embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a process in which the airbag of the embodiment becomes a folded body and is wrapped in a wrapping material. It is a top view of the state where the wrapping material of an embodiment is expanded flatly. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the folded body of the embodiment is wrapped with a wrapping material.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an airbag device 20 of the embodiment is mounted on a steering wheel W of a vehicle that is steered by a driver. As shown in FIG. 1, the steering wheel W includes a ring portion R to be gripped during steering, a boss portion B disposed at the center of the ring portion R, and spoke portions S connecting the ring portion R and the boss portion B. The steering wheel body 1 includes a steering wheel body 1 having a steering wheel body 1, and an airbag device 20 disposed above a boss portion B.

Note that the directions of up and down, left and right, and front and back in this specification are based on the state in which the steering wheel W is connected to the steering shaft SS of the vehicle (see FIG. 3) with a nut N, and the vehicle is steered in a straight line. The vertical direction corresponds to the vertical direction along the axial direction of the steering shaft SS, the left-right direction corresponds to the left-right direction of the vehicle in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the steering shaft SS, and the longitudinal direction corresponds to the axial direction of the steering shaft SS. This corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in the orthogonal direction (see FIGS. 1 and 3).

The steering wheel body 1 includes a core metal 2 arranged to interconnect a ring portion R, a boss portion B, and a spoke portion S, and a core metal of the ring portion R and the spoke portions S near the ring portion R. A covering layer 7 made of urethane or the like covers the portion 2. A leather 8 is wrapped around the surface of the covering layer 7. Furthermore, a decorative bezel 14 is disposed on the upper surface side of the boss portion B from the periphery of the airbag device 20 to the ring portion R.

The core metal 2 includes a ring core metal part 3 arranged in the ring part R, a boss core metal part 4 arranged in the boss part B and connected to the steering shaft SS, and a ring core part arranged in each spoke part S. It is composed of a spoke core metal part 5 that connects the metal part 3 and the boss core metal part 4. The spoke core metal part 5 is composed of two pieces separated on the left and right at the spoke part S on the rear side.

A fixing part 10 for fixing an assembly pin 97 of each horn switch 96, which will be described later, of the airbag device 20 is provided on the boss core part 4 of the core bar 2 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). . The fixing part 10 includes a locking hole 11 that penetrates in a tapered shape that narrows downward, and a locking pin 12 that is disposed on the lower surface side of the boss core metal part 4 and locks the tip of the assembly pin 97. It is configured with the following settings. The locking pin 12 is made of a spring material that can be bent along the lower surface of the boss core metal part 4 so as to be restorable.

Further, the steering wheel main body 1 is configured by disposing a lower cover (not shown) on the lower surface side of the boss portion B.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the airbag device 20 includes an airbag 32 that is inflated by introducing inflation gas, an inflator 26 that supplies the inflation gas to the airbag 32, and a cover that covers the folded airbag 32. An airbag cover 37 made of synthetic resin is arranged on the upper surface side of the boss part B, and an airbag cover 37 made of sheet metal is connected to the steering wheel body 1 while holding the airbag 32, the inflator 26, and the airbag cover 37. It is configured to include a holder 21 and a retainer 28. Further, in the airbag device 20 of the embodiment, a camera 70 for photographing the driver is provided as a functional component disposed above the folded airbag 32, and the camera 70 is held and connected to the holder 21. A support plate 85.

The airbag 32 has a fully inflated shape of a thick, generally circular disk that approximates a spherical shape, and is provided with an inflow opening 33 that is circularly opened at the lower side to allow inflation gas to flow in (see FIG. 18). Four through holes 34a are formed in the peripheral edge 34 of the opening 33 for passing the bolts 28b of the retainer 28. The airbag 32 of the embodiment is mounted on the airbag device 20 as a compact, substantially cylindrical folded body 110 that is folded and compressed (see FIG. 17). On the upper surface 114a of the ceiling portion 114 of the folding body 110, there is provided a storage recess 115 recessed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that can store the lower protrusion 71b of the camera body 71 of the camera 70 as a functional component. (See Figure 4). In the case of the embodiment, the storage recess 115 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped concave shape with a slightly larger volume than the lower protrusion 71b of the camera body 71.

The inflator 26 includes a cylindrical main body part 26a having a plurality of gas discharge ports 26b for discharging inflation gas in an upper part 26aa, and a square annular flange part 26c protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the main body part 26a. ing. A through hole 26d through which a bolt 28b of the retainer 28 passes is formed in the flange portion 26c. The upper portion 26aa of the main body portion 26a of the inflator 26 is accommodated in the recess 112 of the bottom portion 111 of the folded body 110 of the airbag 32 when installed in the airbag device 20.

The retainer 28 includes a rectangular ring-shaped main body 28a made of sheet metal, and bolts 28b projecting downward are provided at the four corners. The retainer 28 is arranged around the periphery 34 of the inflow opening 33 in the airbag 32, and each bolt 28b is inserted into a through hole 34a of the airbag 32, a through hole 22b of the holder 21, and a through hole of the flange portion 26c of the inflator 26. The airbag 32 and the inflator 26 are attached to the holder 21 by sequentially passing through the bolts 26d and tightening nuts 29 to each bolt 28b. The retainer 28 is housed in the bottom portion 111 of the folded body 110 of the airbag 32. Note that on the bottom surface 111 side of the folded body 110, when the retainer 28 is fastened to the holder 21, a portion other than the peripheral edge 34 of the inflow opening 33 of the airbag 32 is caught between the retainer 28 and the holder 21. A recess 113 is formed to prevent jamming.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 and 8, the holder 21 is made of a metal plate and includes a bottom wall portion 22 and a side wall portion 23 extending upward from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion 22. There is. The bottom wall portion 22 has a circular insertion hole 22a in the center thereof into which the main body portion 26a of the inflator 26 can be inserted from below, and a through hole 22a on the periphery of the insertion hole 22a to allow the bolt 28b described above to pass therethrough. A hole 22b is provided. Further, near the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion 22, locking holes 22c for attaching and fixing the airbag cover 37 are provided at four locations. Each of the locking holes 22c is a part that locks a locking leg 65 of the airbag cover 37, which will be described later. , a tongue piece 22e is bent upward so as to enter into the locking hole 22c and press the locking leg portion 65 toward the locking edge 22d side to strengthen the locking of the locking leg portion 65. (See Figures 3, 6, and 8).

In addition, the locking hook 89 at the lower end of the holding portion 88 of the support plate 85 is also inserted into the locking hole 22cA on the rear edge side of the bottom wall portion 22 together with the locking leg 65A, so that the locking leg 65A is interposed. Then, the holding portion 88 of the support plate 85 is locked to the locking edge 22d of the locking hole 22cA of the holder 21, and is connected and held to the holder 21.

Further, a plurality of (three in the embodiment) horn switches 96 are attached to each assembly seat 22f of the bottom wall portion 22, and the assembly pins 97 of these horn switches 96 are used to attach the holder. 21 , that is, the airbag device 20 is attached and fixed to the boss core metal portion 4 of the steering wheel body 1 .

Each horn switch 96 has a movable contact 96a and a fixed contact 96b disposed therein (see FIG. 3), and when the airbag device 20 is pushed down, the movable contact 96a contacts the fixed contact 96b. , arranged to operate the horn. Each horn switch 96 is provided with an assembly pin 97 extending downward, and as described above, the assembly pin 97 is inserted into the locking hole 11 in the fixing part 10 of the steering wheel body 1 to lock it. When the pin 12 is locked, the airbag device 20 equipped with the holder 21 to which the horn switch 96 is attached secures a predetermined horn stroke HS and enables downward movement when the horn switch 96 is operated. It will be mounted above the boss core metal part 4.

Further, the side wall portion 23 is disposed on the outer edge side of each locking hole 22c, and the vicinity of the locking leg portion 65 that is locked in each locking hole 22c in the airbag cover 37 when the airbag 32 is inflated. It is configured to provide support when expanding outward.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 and 14, the airbag cover 37 is made of synthetic resin such as olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer and is disposed on the upper surface side of the boss portion B near the center of the steering wheel W. The airbag cover 37 is disposed on the upper side and includes a substantially disk-shaped ceiling wall 38 that covers the upper side of the airbag 32 that is folded and stored inside the boss portion B, and an outer surface of the ceiling wall 38. It is configured to include a side wall portion 64 that extends in a substantially cylindrical shape from the lower surface near the peripheral edge 38a and covers the outer peripheral side of the folded airbag 32 (folded body 110).

The ceiling wall portion 38 is provided with an assembly hole 47 in the center for assembling an outer plate portion (visible light cut filter) 77 that transmits infrared rays and blocks visible light in the camera 70 as a functional component. A plurality of (two in the embodiment) door portions 39 (L, R) that are pushed open by the inflating airbag 32 are arranged around the periphery of the assembly hole 47 . The assembly hole 47 opens in an elliptical shape with its long axis disposed along the left-right direction corresponding to the external dimensions of the outer plate portion 77. When the airbag 32 is inflated, the door parts 39L and 39R are configured to open to the left and right by breaking a thin rupture portion 43 on the periphery. The planned rupture portion 43 extends radially from the inner end 44 a of the inner circumferential edge 48 of the assembly hole 47 and opens around the hinge portion 41 on the base side, which is away from the inner circumferential edge 48 of the assembly hole 47 . It is located in. Specifically, the planned rupture portion 43 straddles the assembly hole 47 and is located between a straight portion 44 (F, B) (see FIG. 14) disposed along the front-rear direction, and a front side and a rear side. Curved parts 45 (FL, FR, BL, BR) extending in an arc shape of approximately 1/6 circle from the outer ends 44b of the straight parts 44F and 44B, respectively, along the outer peripheral edge 38a of the ceiling wall part 38. It is configured. The ends 45a and 45a of the curved parts 45FL and 45BL extending from the outer end 44b of the straight parts 44F and 44B to the left side serve as the hinge part 41L when the door part 39L on the left side is opened. The space between the ends 45a and 45a of the curved portions 45FR and 45BR extending to the right from the outer end 44b of 44F and 44B serves as a hinge portion 41R when the right door portion 39R is opened.

The inner peripheral edge 48 of the assembly hole 47 has a cover-side engaging portion 50 that engages a later-described plate-side engaging portion 80 of the outer plate portion 77 so that the outer plate portion 77 of the camera 70 as a functional component can be assembled. (L, R) are arranged. The cover-side engaging portions 50L and 50R are disposed on the left side edge 48a and the right side edge 48b of the inner peripheral edge 48 of the assembly hole 47, respectively.

The cover-side engaging portion 50 (L, R) includes a fitting recess 51 into which the lower end of a lower extending portion 81 (described later) in the plate-side engaging portion 80 of the outer plate portion 77 can be fitted. (See Figures 3, 7, 10, 11). The fitting recess 51 is configured by providing a recess with a substantially rectangular cross section, and has an outer surface 51a that can come into contact with the outer peripheral surface 81a of the lower extending part 81 on the inner peripheral side, and a lower part of the lower extending part 81. It has a bottom surface 51b that can come into contact with the end surface 81b, and an inner surface 51c that can come into contact with the inner circumferential surface 81c of the lower extension part 81. The fitting recess 51 has an outer vertical wall portion 52 on the outer surface 51a side of the fitting recess 51, a bottom wall portion 53 on the bottom surface 51b side, and an inner vertical wall portion on the inner surface 51c side at the inner peripheral edge 48 of the assembly hole 47. It is surrounded by a wall 54.

Further, the cover-side engaging portion 50 (L, R) is provided with an upper surface side projecting portion 56 that comes into contact with the upper surface 82a side of the outer peripheral edge 77c of the outer plate portion 77. The upper surface side projecting portion 56 has a thin fin-like thickness, and is arranged so that its lower surface 56a side is along the inclined surface 82a that gently extends upward from the outer peripheral edge 77c side of the outer plate portion 77. ing.

Furthermore, the bottom wall portion 53 of the cover side engaging portion 50 (L, R) of the embodiment has two types of thick wall portions 58, which have different thickness dimensions of the bottom wall portion 53 (t1>t2). It is composed of a thin wall portion 59. The thick portion 58 having a thicker thickness t1 is a portion directly below which only the folded body 110 of the airbag 32 is disposed, and the thin portion 59 having a thinner thickness t2 is a portion directly under which a support plate is disposed. 85 and a top plate portion 86 is provided. Since the bottom wall portion 53 has a different thickness depending on the location where it is disposed, the airbag cover 37 is moved downward together with the outer plate portion 77 when the horn switch 96 is pressed down. Also, the lower surface 53a of the bottom wall portion 53, that is, the lower surface 50a of the cover side engaging portion 50, is brought into contact with the folded airbag 32 (folded body 110) or the top plate portion 86 of the support plate 85. Therefore, the horn switch 96 can be pressed down by moving downward together with the folding body 110 and the holder 21 without tilting.

The side wall portion 64 of the airbag cover 37 has a plurality of locking legs 65 (four in the embodiment) protruding from the lower end. Each locking leg 65 is inserted into the locking hole 22c of the holder 21 and attached to the lower end of the neck 65a so as to be attached to the outer peripheral surface (outer surface) 64b of the side wall 64 (see FIG. (see) is provided with a locking head 65b that protrudes to the side. The locking head 65b of each locking leg 65 is inserted into the locking hole 22c of the holder 21, and when locked by pressing the tongue piece 22e, the lower surface of the locking edge 22d on the outer edge side of the locking hole 22c It will be firmly fixed.

Note that the upward movement of the airbag cover 37 with respect to the holder 21 is restricted by the locking of the locking leg portions 65, and the abutment of the tip 64c of the side wall portion 64 (see FIGS. 3 and 5) against the bottom wall portion 22. Since the downward movement is regulated, the vertical movement is regulated and it is attached.

Furthermore, a locking groove 66 is formed at the lower end of the rear left locking leg 65A to lock a locking hook 89 having a U-shaped cross section provided at the lower end of the holding portion 88 of the support plate 85. ing.

Further, a plate storage recess 68 for storing the top plate part 86 and the holding part 88 of the support plate 85 is formed at the peripheral edge of the locking groove part 66 from the door part 39L to the inner peripheral surface side of the side wall part 64. (See Figures 5 and 14).

A camera 70 for photographing the driver, which is a functional component, uses infrared rays to photograph the vicinity of the driver's eyes, and determines whether the driver is in a drivable state in which the steering wheel W can be smoothly steered or in a state in which the driver is unable to drive due to a state such as dozing off. The photographic data is output to a determining means that determines whether the state is the same or not. The camera 70 includes a camera body 71 as a functional body held by a top plate 86 of a support plate 85, a camera body 71 that covers the upper part of the camera body 71 and is held by the top plate 86, and a ceiling of the airbag cover 37. An outer plate portion 77 is installed in the assembly hole 47 so as to be exposed from approximately the center of the wall portion 38, and constitutes a visible light shielding filter that transmits infrared rays and blocks visible light. (See Figures 2-5 and 7-13).

The camera body 71 includes a lens portion 72 of an outer plate portion 77 and an infrared LED 73 that emits infrared rays, and is held on a top plate portion 86 of a support plate 85 (see FIGS. 4, 5, 12, and 13). . The camera body 71 has a flange portion 71c formed on the outer periphery, is arranged on the lower surface 86d side of the top plate portion 86, and the mounting screw 74 is fastened to the flange portion 71c through the through hole 86h of the top plate portion 86. Three mounting holes 71d and three positioning protrusions 71f inserted into positioning holes 86g of the top plate portion 86 are provided. Further, a through hole 71e is formed in the flange portion 71c, through which a mounting screw 83 fastened to the mounting boss 77e of the outer plate portion 77 is inserted through the through hole 86i of the top plate portion 86.

When the camera body 71 is fixed with the screws 74 to the lower surface 86d of the top plate 86, it protrudes upward from the upper surface 86c of the top plate 86 through the lens hole 86e and the LED hole 86f of the top plate 86. It is held by the top plate part 86 by disposing an upper part 71a that projects downward from the lower surface 86d of the top plate part 86, that is, a lower protrusion part 71b.

As described above, the outer plate portion 77 constitutes a visible light cut filter that transmits infrared rays and blocks visible light, and is made of polycarbonate or the like, and is elongated in the left-right direction with the center raised upward. It is shaped like an elliptical plate with an axis. A decorative body 78 is disposed on the upper surface 77a side of the outer plate portion 77 by passing a mounting leg portion 78a through a through hole 77d of the outer plate portion 77 and thermally caulking the decorative body 78 (FIG. 3, 10). The decorative body 78 is arranged so as to avoid above the lens portion 72 and the infrared LED 73.

The outer peripheral edge 77c of the outer plate part 77 has an inner peripheral edge 48 of the assembly hole 47 so that the outer plate part 77 can be removably assembled into the assembly hole 47 provided in the ceiling wall part 38 of the airbag cover 37. A plate-side engaging portion 80 that engages with the cover-side engaging portion 50 provided on the plate side engaging portion 80 is provided.

The plate-side engaging portion 80 includes a lower extending portion 81 extending downward at the outer peripheral edge 77c of the outer plate portion 77. When the inner circumferential edge 48 of the assembly hole 47 engages with the cover-side engaging portion 50, the lower extending portion 81 basically has a substantially rectangular cross section, and the lower extending portion 81 is formed into a substantially rectangular cross section so as to fit into the fitting recess 51 of the cover-side engaging portion 50. an outer peripheral surface 81a that can come into contact with the outer surface 51a of the fitting recess 51, a lower end surface 81b that can come into contact with the bottom surface 51b of the fitting recess 51, and an inner peripheral surface 81c that can come into contact with the inner surface 51c of the fitting recess 51. It is configured with.

However, in the lower extending portion 81 of the outer plate portion 77, the lower extending portion 81 between the front edge 77ca and the rear edge 77cb of the outer peripheral edge 77c is formed as a thick lower extending portion 81k on the outer peripheral surface. 81a and the inner circumferential surface 81c in the vertical direction, and the lower extending portion 81 of the left edge 77cc and right edge 77cd of the outer circumferential edge 77c is formed as a thin lower extending portion 81n. The vertical width dimension h2 of the outer circumferential surface 81a and the inner circumferential surface 81c is reduced. In such a shape, the lower end surface 81b of the lower extension part 81 of the outer plate part 77, which has an elliptical plate shape and has its center raised upward, is made into a flat surface with the same height throughout the outer peripheral edge 77c. It's for a reason. In addition, in the vicinity of the lower extension part 81 near the bent part 87 of the support plate 85 at the outer peripheral edge 77c of the outer plate part 77 shown in FIG. 11, the thin wall shown in FIG. Unlike the lower extension portion 81n, when the support plate 85 is deformed due to the expansion of the airbag 32, compressive stress is applied due to interference with the cover side engagement portion 50L during movement, so the rigidity is reduced. The thick lower extending portion 81k is configured to increase the thickness.

Furthermore, the outer plate part 77 gently moves the upper surface 82a of the outer peripheral edge part 82 covered with the upper surface side overhang part 56 of the cover side engaging part 50 at the outer peripheral edge 77c upward from the outer peripheral edge 77c side of the outer plate part 77. It is an inclined surface that extends to the top. The upper surface side protruding portion 56 of the cover side engaging portion 50 is formed thin so that its lower surface 56a corresponds to the upper surface (slanted surface) 82a.

The outer plate portion 77 is provided with three mounting bosses 77e on the lower surface 77b to which the mounting screws 83 are screwed (see FIG. 13). Therefore, in the outer plate part 77, each attachment boss 77e is arranged at the part of the through hole 86i on the upper surface side of the top plate part 86 of the support plate 85, and the through hole 86i is inserted from the lower surface 86d side of the top plate part 86. After that, if the mounting screw 83 is fastened to the mounting boss 77e, it will be fixed to the top plate part 86. In this state, the plate side engaging part 80 of the outer peripheral edge 77c is engaged with the cover side engaging part 50. When fitted together, the airbag cover 37 is assembled to the ceiling wall portion 38 of the airbag cover 37 so as to close the assembly hole 47.

The support plate 85 is made of sheet metal and has a top plate part 86 disposed between the ceiling wall part 38 of the airbag cover 37 and the folded body 110 of the airbag 32 in a direction orthogonal to the steering shaft SS. A holding part 88 extends downward from a base part 86b remote from a tip part 86a of the plate part 86, and is connected and fixed to be held by the holder 21 (see FIGS. 12 and 13). . The top plate part 86 has a substantially rectangular plate shape extending in the left-right direction, and the holding part 88 extends from the top plate part 86 at the rear left edge side of the ceiling wall part 38 of the airbag cover 37 when mounted on the vehicle. (See Figure 2).

As described above, the top plate section 86 has a structure in which the camera body 71 is attached to the lower surface 86d side using the mounting screws 74, and the lens section 72 of the camera body 71 and the infrared LED are attached to the upper surface 86c side. It is configured to include a lens hole 86e and an LED hole 86f for protrusion, and a positioning hole 86g into which the positioning protrusion 71f of the camera body 71 is inserted. Further, the top plate portion 86 includes a through hole 86i through which a mounting screw 83 for attaching the outer plate portion 77 to the top plate portion 86 is inserted.

The holding part 88 is formed to extend downward from the left rear edge of the top plate part 86, and has a locking hook 89 having a U-shaped cross section that flips outward at its lower end (see FIG. 8). . The locking hook 89 is locked in the locking groove 66 of the locking leg 65A in the side wall 23 of the airbag cover 37, and is locked by locking the locking leg 65A in the locking hole 22cA of the holder 21. It is connected and fixed to the holder 21 together with the stop leg part 65A (airbag cover 37). Note that when this connection is fixed, the holding portion 88 is stored in the plate storage recess 68 on the inner peripheral side of the airbag cover 37.

When the airbag 32 is inflated, the vicinity of the bent portion 87 where the top plate portion 86 and the holding portion 88 intersect is a deformed portion 92 that plastically deforms to hold the camera 70 (see FIGS. 9 and 11). . When the airbag 32 is inflated, the top plate part 86, with the camera body 71 and the outer plate part 77 attached, rotates toward the left and rear around the bending part 87, and rotates along with the door parts 39L and 39R. , it separates from the area above the folded airbag 32, that is, the bag cover area CA, and forms an opening 62 for protruding the airbag 32 (see FIGS. 8 and 9).

A folded body 110 formed by folding the airbag 32 housed in the airbag cover 37 is formed by a folding process of folding the airbag 32 with the retainer 28 assembled, as shown in FIGS. 18 to 22. Further, when it is mounted on the airbag device 20, it is mounted as a bag assembly 150 that has undergone a wrapping process (see FIGS. 23 and 24) in which the folded body 110 is wrapped with a wrapping material 140. Further, the folding process of the airbag 32 includes a small diameter folding process and a compression process.

Note that the wrapping material 140 is made of a nonwoven fabric or the like that easily breaks when the airbag 32 is inflated, and prevents the folded body 110 from collapsing. As shown in FIG. 25, the wrapping material 140 includes a ceiling cover part 141 that is arranged at the center and covers the ceiling part 114 of the approximately cylindrical folded body 110, and a side part 118 to a bottom part 111 of the folded body 110. and a side cover portion 143 that covers. The side cover part 143 includes four short parts 144 extending outward from the ceiling cover part 141 and four long parts 145 extending outward from the ceiling cover part 141. It is configured with. A slit 142 is provided around the short part 144 and the long part 145 so that each short part 144 and the long part 145 can be bent to easily cover the side surface 118 and the bottom surface 111 of the folded body 110. has been done. Furthermore, protruding parts 146 and 147 are provided around the short part 144 to connect them to each other so that the edges do not protrude when the short part 144 wraps the side surface 118 side of the folded body 110. . The wrapping material 140 is used in a state where the ceiling cover part 141 covers the ceiling part 114 of the folded body 110, as shown in FIGS. 26A and 26B, and as shown in FIGS. 26B and C. , the short parts 144 wrap the side part 118 to the bottom part 111 of the folded body 110, and the overhanging parts 146, 146 and the overhanging parts 147 are sutured together, as shown in FIG. 26D. , the nearby bolt 28b is locked in the locking hole 144b of the tip portion 144a. Next, as shown in FIGS. 26E and F, while crossing each other in the vicinity of the long parts 145, the bottom part 111 is wrapped from the side part 118 of the folded body 110, and the tip part 145a is locked. By locking the nearby bolt 28b into the hole 145b, the wrapping material 140 can cover the ceiling part 114, side part 118, and bottom part 111 of the folded body 110. In addition, in FIGS. 4 and 5, the wrapping material 140 is omitted and the folded body 110 is illustrated.

To explain the small-diameter folding process of the folding process, as shown in FIG. Then, the driver side wall portion 32b is stacked on the vehicle body side wall portion 32a constituting the peripheral wall of the airbag 32, and an initial preparation body (also called an initial deployment body) 100 in which the airbag 32 is flattened is prepared. Form.

Next, as shown in FIG. 18B, a folding preparation body 104 is formed. The folding preparation body 104 is formed by providing a fold line 102 along the left-right direction on the front edge 101 side of the initial preparation body 100, and folding the front edge 101 so as to approach the inflow opening 33 side in the vehicle body side wall portion 32a. , can be formed.

Next, the folding preparation body 104 is set in the bag folding machine 120 as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, and the outer peripheral edge 105 side is gathered above the inlet opening 33 as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22. and fold it to make a small diameter.

As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the bag folding machine 120 includes a bottom substrate 121, a ceiling substrate 124 that is arranged to be movable up and down above the bottom substrate 121, and a It is configured to include two types of pushers 127 and 128, eight each, which move toward the center 121b of the bottom substrate 121. At the center 121b of the top surface of the bottom substrate 121, a set portion 122 is provided in which each bolt 28b of the retainer 28 protruding from the folding preparation body 104 is fitted. The part of the set part 122 on the upper surface side of the bottom substrate 121 has small irregularities that can form the recesses 112 and 113 of the folded body 110 of the airbag 32. surface) 121a. Further, the setting portion 122 is configured to be movable upward from the bottom substrate 121 (see C in FIG. 22), and is configured to move the folded body 110 (pre-folded body 109) after the small diameter folding process into the compression process. It is configured so that it can be pushed out and taken out so that it can be transferred to Further, the pushing tool 127 is configured so that it can grip eight locations 106 on the outer peripheral edge 105 of the folding preparation body 104 and push it toward the center 121b (see FIGS. 20 and 21). (See B). Furthermore, a mold surface 127a corresponding to the arc-shaped curved surface of the cylindrical side surface portion 118 of the folded body 110 is formed on the set portion 122 side of the pusher 127. The pusher 128 has a substantially triangular plate shape tapered toward the set portion 122 side.

Further, near the center on the lower surface side of the ceiling-side substrate 124 is a molding surface (mold surface) 124a for forming the ceiling portion 114 of the folded body 110. At the center of the forming surface 124a is a set part 124b for assembling a pushing jig 125 for shaping the storage recess 115 of the folded body 110. The pushing jig 125 includes a flange-shaped assembly part 125a that is attached to the periphery of the assembly hole 124c of the set part 124b, a disc-shaped base plate part 125b that is fitted into the assembly hole 124c, and a base plate part 125b that extends downward from the base plate part 125b. It is configured to include a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped protrusion portion 125c that protrudes toward. The protruding portion 125c is configured as a convex shape corresponding to the concave shape of the storage recess 115 of the folded body 110, as shown in FIG. 19C. Then, the lower surface 125ba side of the substrate portion 125b shapes the peripheral edge 114c of the recessed portion 115 on the upper surface 114a of the ceiling portion 114 of the folded body 110.

In the small diameter folding process of the folding process using the bag folding machine 120, first, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19A and B, with the folding preparation body 104 formed, each bolt 28b is 122, and then, as shown in C of FIG. ) The ceiling-side substrate 124 is placed at a position where .

Next, as shown in FIG. 20, each of the pushing tools 127 and 128 is moved to the setting section 122 side, and the pushing tools 127 are made to grip eight predetermined locations 106 on the outer peripheral edge 105 of the folding preparation body 104. . Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 21A, first, each pushing tool 128 is moved to the setting section 122 side (inflow opening 33 side), and the region of the pushing tool 127 on the setting section 122 side in the folding preparation body 104 is , and push the eight pushing points 107 on the outer peripheral edge 105 of the folding preparation body 104 toward the set portion 122 side.

Thereafter, the grasping portions 106 of the outer peripheral edge 105 of each pushing tool 127 are released, and each pushing tool 127 is moved toward the setting section 122 to set the eight locations 106 as shown in B in FIG. Push it into the section 122 side.

Then, as shown in FIG. 22A, the folding preparation body 104 is folded in a small diameter into a substantially cylindrical pre-folded body 109 which is equivalent to the substantially cylindrical folded body 110. Although this preliminary folded body 109 has not been subjected to the compression process, it has a ceiling portion 114 having a storage recess 115 similar to that of the folded body 110, a side surface portion 118, and a bottom portion 111 having a recess 112 and a recess 113. (See A and B in FIG. 22).

After passing through the small-diameter folding process, as shown in FIGS. 22A and 22B, the ceiling-side substrate 124 provided with a pushing jig 125 is moved to the ceiling-side substrate 124 provided with a tube jig 130 so that a compression process can be performed. Replace with. The tube jig 130 includes a cylindrical tube portion 130a into which the pre-folded body 109 can be inserted, and a flange portion 130b which can be assembled around the periphery of the assembly hole 124c. Furthermore, a locking pin 130c that locks the locking holes 144b and 145b of the short portion 144 and the long portion 145 of the wrapping material 140 is provided in the cylindrical portion 130a.

Thereafter, as shown by the solid lines from B in FIG. 22 to C in FIG. 22, and further by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 109 and move the preliminary folded body 109 into the cylindrical portion 130a of the tube jig 130. In addition, as shown in FIG. 22C, the wrapping material 140 is arranged so that the ceiling cover part 141 is arranged at the open end 130aa of the cylindrical part 130a, and the tips 144a and 145a of the short part 144 and the long part 145 are engaged. The locking pin 130c is locked using the locking holes 144b and 145b.

Next, the tube jig 130 containing the preliminary folded body 109 is set in the setting part 133a of the fixed side part 133 of the bag press machine 132 that performs the compression process, as shown in FIG. 23A.

The bag press machine 132 includes a fixed side part 133 and a movable side part 136. The fixed side part 133 includes a block 134 for storing the tube jig 130 assembled with the wrapping material 140, and a pushing jig 135 arranged to face the ceiling part 114 side of the pre-folded body 109. ing. The pushing jig 135 includes a disk-shaped base portion 135a and a protrusion portion 135b that projects upward from the base portion 135a. The protruding portion 135b has a convex shape corresponding to the concave shape of the storage recess 115 of the folded body 110. Then, the upper surface 135aa side of the substrate portion 135a shapes the upper surface 114a of the ceiling portion 114 of the folded body 110.

The movable side part 136 is provided with a pushing jig 137 at the lower end that forms a recess 112 for storing the inflator 26 in the folded body 110, and is arranged to be movable up and down, and on the upper edge side of the pushing jig 137, A flange portion 138 that comes into contact with the bottom surface portion 111 of the folded body 110 is provided. The collar portion 138 is formed with through holes (not shown) through which each bolt 28b passes.

Then, as shown in FIG. 23A, the tube jig 130 containing the pre-folded body 109 is set in the setting part 133a of the fixed side part 133, and then, as shown in FIG. The folded body 110 can be formed by lowering the side portion 136, shaping the recess 112 with the push jig 137, and reshaping the storage recess 115 with high accuracy using the push jig 135. can.

In FIG. 23, in order to make it easier to understand the shapes of the wrapping material 140 and the pushing jig 135, they are shown with a gap between them and the pre-folded body 109, but in reality, the pushing jig 135 is attached to the ceiling. The portion 114 and the wrapping material 140 are in close contact.

After the compression process, as shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B, the tube jig 130 is pulled out, the movable side part 136 is returned to its original position, and the overhanging parts 146 and 147 of the wrapping material 140 are sutured as appropriate. Furthermore, if the short portion 144 and the long portion 145 are locked to predetermined bolts 28b using the locking holes 144b and 145b (see B in FIG. 17), the folded body 110 can be attached to the wrapping material 140. A wrapped bag assembly 150 can be obtained. In addition, in the case of the embodiment, the ceiling cover part 141 of the wrapping material 140 is substantially flat above the storage recess 115 of the folded body 110, and covers the upper surface 114a of the ceiling part 114.

When assembling the airbag device 20 of the embodiment, first, the bag assembly 150 is formed by wrapping the folded body 110 with the wrapping material 140 as described above. Further, the camera body 71 of the camera 70 is attached and fixed to the top plate part 86 of the support plate 85 using the mounting screws 74, and the outer plate part 77 of the camera 70 with the decorative body 78 attached is attached to the airbag cover 37. It is assembled onto the inner peripheral edge 48 of the assembly hole 47. To attach the camera body 71 to the top plate part 86, the lens part 72 and the infrared LED 73 are inserted into the corresponding lens hole 86e and LED hole 86f from the lower surface 86d side of the top plate part 86, and the positioning protrusion 71f is inserted into the positioning hole 86g from the lower surface 86d side of the top plate part 86, and the mounting screw 74 is screwed into the mounting hole 71d of the camera body 71 from the upper surface 86c side of the top plate part 86 through the through hole 86h. If so, you can do it.

Next, while fitting the vicinity of the holding portion 88 of the support plate 85 into the plate storage recess 68 on the inner peripheral surface side of the airbag cover 37, the locking hook 89 at the lower end of the holding portion 88 is inserted into the locking groove portion 66 of the airbag cover 37. and assemble the support plate 85 to the inner peripheral side of the airbag cover 37. At this time, the outer plate part 77 assembled into the assembly hole 47 of the airbag cover 37 is attached to the top plate part 86 because each attachment boss 77e is arranged in each through hole 86i of the top plate part 86 of the support plate 85. By screwing the mounting screws 83 into each mounting boss 77e from below through the through hole 71e of the camera body 71 and the through hole 86i of the top plate part 86, the outer plate part 77 is fixedly attached to the top plate part 86. can do.

Further, each bolt 28b of the retainer 28 extending from the bag assembly 150 is passed through the through hole 22b of the holder 21 to which the horn switch 96 is attached, and the main body 26a of the inflator 26 is inserted into the holder 21 from below. While inserting into the holes 22a, each bolt 28b is passed through each through hole 26d of the flange portion 26c of the inflator 26, and a nut 29 is fastened to each bolt 28b, so that the airbag 32 and the inflator 26 are attached to the holder 21. Install and fix. At this time, the upper part 26aa side of the main body part 26a of the inflator 26 is housed in the recess 112 of the folded body 110 of the bag assembly 150.

Thereafter, each locking leg 65, 65A on the side wall 64 of the airbag cover 37 is inserted into each locking hole 22c, 22cA of the holder 21, and each tongue piece 22e is inserted around the inner circumference of the locking leg 65, 65A. The airbag cover 37 is attached to the holder 21 by pressing it against the surface 64a side so that the locking head 65b of each locking leg 65, 65A is locked with the locking edge 22d of each locking hole 22c, 22cA. The airbag device 20 can be assembled by attaching and fixing the airbag device to the airbag device. At this time, since the locking hook 89 at the lower end of the holding portion 88 is locked in the locking groove portion 66 of the locking leg portion 65A, the support plate 85 is attached to the holder 21 along with the side wall portion 64 of the airbag cover 36. It will be installed and fixed. Furthermore, the lower protrusion 71b of the camera body 71 is stored in the storage recess 115 of the folded body 110 of the bag assembly 150 while a part of the ceiling cover portion 141 of the wrapping material 140 is pushed.

Thereafter, the assembly pins 97 of each horn switch 96 of the airbag device 20 are inserted into the locking holes 11 of each fixing part 10 of the steering wheel body 1 that has already been fastened to the steering shaft SS, and are locked. If the airbag device 20 is attached to the steering wheel main body 1 by being engaged with the pin 12, the airbag device 20 can be mounted on the vehicle together with the steering wheel W.

Note that lead wires (not shown) for outputting photographic data and inputting power extending from the camera 70 are placed along the support plate 85 so that they deform in the same way as the support plate 85 when the door portion 39L is opened, and are connected to the holder 21. is passed through the steering wheel body 1, and is connected to a predetermined connector extending from the steering wheel body 1 together with a lead wire (not shown) for inputting a signal for operating the inflator 26.

In the airbag device 20 of the embodiment installed in a vehicle, in the state before activation, the camera body 71 of the camera 70 as a functional component utilizes an outer plate portion 77 that cuts visible light and transmits infrared rays. The reflected infrared rays emitted from the infrared LED 73 are made to enter through the lens section 72 to photograph the vicinity of the driver's eyes, and the photographed data is output to a predetermined determination means.

When the airbag device 20 is activated, the airbag 32 is inflated by the inflation gas G from the inflator 26, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, and as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. The inflation is completed so as to cover the ring portion R of the steering wheel W. At that time, the camera 70 as a functional component held on the top plate part 86 of the support plate 85 disposed above the folded airbag 32 (folded body 110) and the ceiling wall part of the airbag cover 37 are attached. 38 is pushed up. At this time, the ceiling wall part 38 of the airbag cover 37 is opened by opening each door part 39 (L, R) in order to break the scheduled breakage part 43 and form the protrusion opening 62 (see FIG. 2). In addition, the camera 70 is configured such that the outer plate portion 77 comes out of the inner peripheral edge 48 of the assembly hole 47 on the tip side of each opening door portion 39 (L, R) and opens the assembly hole 47. , the support plate 85 is deformed to separate from the area (bag cover area) CA above the folded airbag 32 (see FIG. 9). That is, in the ceiling wall portion 38 of the airbag cover 37, the straight portions 44 (F, B) of the short length scheduled rupture portion 43 extending substantially radially from the inner circumferential edge 48 of the assembly hole 47 are broken, and By breaking the portion 45 (FL, FR, BL, BR), each door portion 39L, 39R opens quickly, and the outer plate portion 77 located near the center breaks the portion 43 scheduled to break itself. Rather, it simply separated from the inner peripheral edge 48 of the assembly hole 47 (see A and B in FIG. 10 and A to C in FIG. 11) and was placed near the center of the ceiling wall portion 38. While rapidly opening the assembly hole 47, the camera body 71 as a functional body part is removed from the bag cover area CA to form an opening 62 for protruding the airbag 32. In other words, when the airbag 32 is inflated, the ceiling wall section 38 breaks the straight portions 44 (F, B) of the short expected breakage section 43 while opening each door section 39L, 39R, and , the assembly hole 47 near the center of the ceiling wall portion 38 is opened by detaching (coming off) the inner peripheral edge 48 of the assembly hole 47 of the outer plate portion 77, and the airbag 32 is quickly and smoothly opened. A protrusion opening 62 can be formed.

Therefore, in the steering wheel W of the embodiment, when the airbag 32 is inflated, the opening 62 for protruding the airbag 32 can be formed quickly.

Further, in the steering wheel W of the embodiment, a horn switch 96 that is held in the holder 21 and is pressed down to bring the airbag device 20 closer to the steering wheel body 1 is disposed on the lower side of the airbag device 20. has been done. Then, the outer plate portion 77 of the camera 70 connects the plate-side engaging portion 80 provided on the outer peripheral edge 77c to the cover-side engaging portion 50 (L, R) provided on the inner peripheral edge 48 of the assembly hole 47. On the other hand, the plate-side engaging portion 80 includes a lower extending portion 81 (F, B, L, R) that is releasably engaged and extends downward at the outer peripheral edge 77c of the outer plate portion 77. There is. Further, the cover-side engaging portion 50 (L, R) is capable of fitting the lower end of the lower extending portion 81, and has an outer surface 51a that can come into contact with the outer circumferential surface 81a of the lower extending portion 81, and a lower end of the lower extending portion 81. A fitting recess 51 is provided and has a bottom surface 51b that can come into contact with the lower end surface 81b of the side extending portion 81 and an inner surface 51c that can come into contact with the inner circumferential surface 81c of the lower extending portion 81. At the same time, the lower surface 50a during the downward movement can be brought into contact with any of the folded airbag 32 (folded body 110), the camera body 71, or the top plate portion 86 of the support plate 85 to be supported. , is arranged.

Therefore, in the embodiment, even if the outer plate portion 77 of the camera 70 is strongly pressed down when the horn switch 96 is pressed down to push down the airbag device 20 itself, the plate-side engagement provided on the outer peripheral edge 77c of the outer plate portion 77 Since the mating part 80 is engaged with the cover-side engaging part 50 provided on the inner peripheral edge 48 of the assembly hole 47, it can move downward together with the airbag device 20 without falling off. can. That is, even if the plate-side engaging portion 80 of the outer plate portion 77 is pressed down with a strong force, the lower extending portion 81 of the plate-side engaging portion 80 does not fit into the fitting recess 51 of the cover-side engaging portion 50. After being fitted, in the fitting recess 51, the lower extending portion 81 can be fitted, and the outer surface 51a of the fitting recess 51 regulates the position of the outer circumferential surface 81a of the lower extending portion 81, and the lower extending portion 81 is fitted into the fitting recess 51. The position of the inner peripheral surface 81c of the fitting portion 81 is controlled by the inner surface 51c of the fitting recess 51 (see FIGS. 3 and 7, A in FIG. 10, and A in FIG. 11). Therefore, the fitting recess 51 allows the lower end surface 81b of the lower extending portion 81 to abut against the bottom surface 51b while restricting the movement of the outer plate portion 77 in the direction from the center side to the outer peripheral edge side. It moves downward together with the extension part 81. Then, the cover-side engaging portion 50 provided with the fitting recess 51 when moving downward has its lower surface 50a attached to the top of the folded airbag 32 (folded body 110), the camera body 71, or the support plate 85. Since it is supported in contact with one of the plate parts 86, it can stably move downward while the lower extension part 81 of the outer plate part 77 is fitted. As a result, even if the outer plate portion 77 of the camera 70 as a functional component is strongly pressed down when the horn switch 96 is pressed down, the outer plate portion 77 remains assembled to the inner peripheral edge 48 of the assembly hole 47. It moves downward together with the airbag device 20 without falling off, and the horn switch 96 of the airbag device 20 can be pressed down smoothly.

Specifically, in the case of the embodiment, the bottom wall portion 53 of the cover side engaging portion 50 (L, R) has two types of thick walls with different thickness dimensions (t1>t2). The thick part 58, which has a thicker thickness t1, has only the folded body 110 of the airbag 32 directly below it (more specifically, the ceiling cover part 141 of the wrapping material 140). However, since it is thin, it is similar to the single folded body 110) (see FIGS. 3 and 10), and the thin part 59 with the reduced thickness dimension t2 is directly below it. , where the top plate portion 86 of the support plate 85 is disposed (see FIGS. 7 and 11). Since the bottom wall portion 53 has a different thickness depending on the location where it is disposed, the airbag cover 37 is moved downward together with the outer plate portion 77 when the horn switch 96 is pressed down. Also, the lower surface 53a of the bottom wall portion 53, that is, the lower surface 50a of the cover-side engaging portion 50, is attached to either the folded airbag 32 (folded body 110) or the top plate portion 86 of the support plate 85. When brought into contact with each other, the horn switch 96 can be pressed down by moving downward integrally with the folding body 110 and the holder 21 without tilting. Of course, the difference in the thickness dimension of these bottom wall parts 53 is that the upper surface of the bottom wall part 53, that is, the bottom surface 51b of the fitting recess 51 corresponds to the lower surface 81b of the outer peripheral edge 77c of the outer plate part 77, The height is made to be the same over the entire circumference of the inner peripheral edge 48 of the assembly hole 47, and the lower surface 50a of the cover-side engaging portion 50 is configured to have the same height over the entire circumference of the inner peripheral edge 48 of the assembly hole 47. It is set according to the top plate part 86 and the airbag 32, and when the outer plate part 77 moves downward, each part of the bottom wall part 53 of the fitting recess 51 is interposed over the entire circumference of the outer peripheral edge 77c, The top plate part 86 and the airbag 32 directly below are in equal contact with each other, and when the horn switch 96 is pressed down, the vicinity of the outer plate part 77 can evenly move downward without being tilted.

In addition, when the camera body 71 as a functional body part is disposed directly below the bottom wall part 53 of the fitting recess 51, the thickness of the bottom wall part 53 is determined according to the distance from the camera body 71. All you have to do is match the dimensions.

Further, in the embodiment, the cover-side engaging portion 50 of the airbag cover 37 is configured to include an upper surface-side projecting portion 56 that comes into contact with the upper surface 77a side of the outer peripheral edge 77c of the outer plate portion 77 (FIG. , 7, 10, 11).

Therefore, in the embodiment, since the upper surface 77a side of the outer peripheral edge 77c of the outer plate part 77 is covered by the upper surface side overhang part 56 of the cover side engaging part 50 of the airbag cover 37, the fitting of the outer plate part 77 is prevented. It is possible to restrict upward dislodgement from the recess 51, and it is possible to improve the assembly strength of the outer peripheral edge 77c of the outer plate portion 77. Further, the upper surface 77a side of the outer peripheral edge 77c of the outer plate portion 77 is covered by the upper surface side overhang portion 56 of the cover side engaging portion 50 of the airbag cover 37, and the outer peripheral surface 81a of the outer peripheral edge 77c of the outer plate portion 77 Since the boundary surface between the airbag cover 37 and the airbag cover 37 is not exposed, the outer peripheral edge 77c of the outer plate portion 77 has a good separation, and the outer plate portion 77 can be arranged with good design.

Furthermore, in the steering wheel W of the embodiment, the outer plate portion 77 makes the upper surface 82a of the outer peripheral edge portion 82 covered by the upper surface side overhang portion 56 of the outer peripheral edge 77c correspond to the lower surface 56a of the upper surface side overhang portion 56. The outer plate portion 77 is configured as an inclined surface extending gently upward from the outer peripheral edge 77c side (see FIGS. 3, 7, 10, and 11).

Therefore, in the embodiment, even if the outer peripheral edge part 82 of the outer plate part 77 is widely covered by the upper surface side projecting part 56 of the airbag cover 37, the upper surface 82a of the outer peripheral edge part 82 is gently extended from the outer peripheral edge 77c side. As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, when the outer plate part 77 is separated from the inner peripheral edge 48 of the assembly hole 47, the outer peripheral edge of the outer plate part 77 82 can slide smoothly on the lower surface 56a of the upper surface side projecting portion 56 with little resistance, and can be smoothly removed from the assembly hole.

Note that if the configuration is such that the plate-side engaging part of the outer plate part is fitted into the fitting recess of the cover-side engaging part of the airbag cover, the airbag shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 without the upper side overhang part It may be used as cover side engaging portions 50B and 50C of bag covers 37B and 37C.

Further, in the steering wheel W of the embodiment, the camera body 71, which is a functional body part of the camera 70 as a functional component, is provided with a lower protrusion part 71b that protrudes downward from the lower surface 86d of the top plate part 86 of the support plate 85. In this structure, the folded body 110, which is the folded airbag 32, is held on the top plate part 86, and the folded body 110, which is the folded airbag 32, has a storage recess 115 shaped to accommodate the lower protrusion 71b on the upper surface 114a side from the surroundings. It is configured to be disposed in a recessed manner.

Therefore, in the embodiment, even if the camera body 71 of the camera 70 has a large thickness, the lower protrusion 71b that protrudes downward from the top plate 86 is provided, and the top plate 86 of the support plate 85 The height of the upward protrusion can be suppressed. Even if the lower protruding part 71b of the camera body 71 protrudes downward from the top plate part 86, the folded body 110 of the folded airbag 32 does not position the entire area of the upper surface 114a downward. The lower protrusion 71b can be accommodated by the storage recess 115 having a shape corresponding to the lower protrusion 71b. That is, the combined height of the folded body 110 of the folded airbag 32 and the camera 70 disposed above the folded body 110 can be suppressed, and the height of the airbag device 20 itself can be made compact. Can be configured.

In addition to a camera, a light emitting device consisting of a liquid crystal panel or the like can be used as a functional component. Then, the outer plate covering the light emitting device may be assembled into an assembly hole provided at the tip of a door portion of the airbag cover that opens when the airbag is inflated.

Further, the holding structure of the holder of the holding portion of the support plate may be configured such that the holding portion is held on the bottom wall portion or side wall portion of the holder using attachment means such as bolts and nuts.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Steering wheel body, 20... Airbag device, 21... Holder, 26... Inflator, 32... Airbag, 37, 37B, 37C... Airbag cover, 38... Ceiling wall part, 38a... Outer periphery, 39 (L, R)...door part, 40...leading edge part,
40a... Leading edge, 41 (L, R)... Hinge part, 43... Scheduled breakage part, 44 (F, B)... Straight line part, 44a... Inner end part, 44b... Outer end part, 45 (FL, FR, BL) , BB)...Curved part, 47...Assembling hole, 48...Inner peripheral edge, 50 (L, R), 50B, 50C...Cover side engaging part, 50a...Bottom surface, 51...Fitting recess, 51a...Outer surface, 51b...Bottom surface, 51c...Inner surface, 56...Top surface side overhang, 56a...Bottom surface, 62...Protrusion opening, 64...Side wall portion, 70...(Functional parts) Camera, 71...(Functional body part) Camera body, 71b...Lower side part/lower protrusion part, 77...Outside plate part, 77a...Top surface, 77b...Bottom surface, 77c...Outer periphery, 80...Plate side engaging part, 81 (F, B, L, R)...Bottom Side extending portion, 81a...outer peripheral surface, 81b...lower end surface, 81c...inner circumferential surface, 82...outer peripheral edge, 82a...slanted surface/upper surface, 85...support plate, 86...top plate portion, 86c...upper surface, 86d ... lower surface, 88 ... holding part, 96 ... horn switch, 110 ... folding body, 115 ... storage recess,
G...Inflation gas, W...Steering wheel.

Claims (5)

Consisting of a steering wheel body and an airbag device,
The airbag device is
An airbag that expands and inflates from a folded state by introducing inflation gas;
an inflator that supplies inflation gas to the airbag;
a ceiling wall that covers the folded airbag and is provided with a door that opens when pushed by the airbag when inflated; and a generally cylindrical shape that extends downward from near the outer periphery of the ceiling wall. an airbag cover having a side wall portion;
a holder that holds the airbag, the inflator, and the airbag cover and is connected and held to the steering wheel body;
a functional component disposed above the folded airbag;
The airbag includes a top plate portion disposed above the folded airbag and holding the functional component, and a holding portion extending downward from the base side of the top plate portion and held by the holder. a supporting plate,
configured with
a functional main body part in which the functional component is held by the top plate part; an outer plate part disposed to cover the upper part of the functional main body part and to be exposed from approximately the center of the ceiling wall part; configured with
When the airbag is inflated, the door portion of the airbag cover is pushed open to form an opening for the airbag to protrude, and the functional component deforms the support plate to open the folded A steering wheel equipped with an airbag device configured to move away from an area above the airbag, the steering wheel comprising:
The outer plate portion of the functional component is held by the top plate portion, and the airbag is inflated with respect to an assembly hole provided vertically penetrating approximately the center of the ceiling wall portion. The functional component is removable when the functional component is moved due to the movement of the functional component, and is assembled so as to close the assembly hole.
A plurality of the door portions of the airbag cover are arranged such that the edge of the tip portion is continuous with the inner peripheral edge of the assembly hole,
When the airbag is inflated, each of the door parts ruptures a scheduled rupture part that extends substantially radially from the inner periphery of the assembly hole, and ruptures the rupture part on the base side away from the inner periphery of the assembly hole. A steering wheel equipped with an airbag device, characterized in that the steering wheel is arranged so as to be opened with the hinge portion as the center of rotation. A horn switch held by the holder and pressed down to bring the airbag device closer to the steering wheel body is disposed on the lower side of the airbag device,
The outer plate portion of the functional component releasably engages a plate-side engaging portion provided on an outer peripheral edge with a cover-side engaging portion provided on an inner peripheral edge of the assembly hole, and ,
The plate-side engaging portion includes a lower extending portion extending downward at an outer peripheral edge of the outer plate portion,
The cover-side engaging portion is capable of fitting the lower end of the lower extending portion, and has an outer surface that can come into contact with an outer circumferential surface of the lower extending portion, and a lower end surface of the lower extending portion. The fitting recess has a bottom surface that can be contacted and an inner surface that can come into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the lower extension part, and the lower surface when moving downward is folded. The airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag device is disposed so as to be supported by being brought into contact with any one of the airbag, the functional main body portion, or the top plate portion of the support plate. Steering wheel with. The air bag cover according to claim 2, wherein the cover-side engaging portion of the airbag cover includes an upper side projecting portion that comes into contact with an upper surface side of an outer peripheral edge of the outer plate portion. Steering wheel with bag device. The outer plate portion is arranged such that the upper surface of the outer peripheral edge portion covered by the upper side overhang portion of the outer peripheral edge corresponds to the lower surface of the upper surface side overhang portion, and gently moves upward from the outer peripheral edge side of the outer plate portion. A steering wheel equipped with an airbag device according to claim 3, characterized in that the steering wheel is configured as an inclined surface that is inclined so as to extend. The functional main body portion of the functional component is configured to be held by the top plate portion by providing a lower protrusion portion that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the top plate portion of the support plate;
Claim 1, wherein the folded airbag is configured such that a storage recess shaped to accommodate the lower protrusion is provided on the upper side of the airbag, recessed from the periphery. A steering wheel comprising the airbag device according to any one of claims 4 to 5.

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