JP7760982B2 - handle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a steering wheel mounted on a vehicle, having a recess on the surface of the steering portion.

Conventionally, a known configuration, such as that described in Patent Document 1, is used in steering wheels mounted on vehicles, in which recesses are provided on the surface of the steering section that the driver grips to steer, giving the driver a moist and smooth feeling when gripping the steering section, thereby improving the tactile feel of the steering section.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-302549

When the driver is driving a vehicle and does not rotate the steering wheel, such as when driving in a straight line, the driver is likely to simply place their hands on the steering wheel. On the other hand, when the driver rotates the steering wheel, such as when turning the vehicle right or left, the driver is likely to grip certain parts of the steering wheel tightly and place their hands on other parts without gripping tightly. For this reason, it is desirable for the steering wheel to have good grip in areas that are likely to be gripped tightly by the driver when rotating the steering wheel, and a good feel in areas that are not likely to be gripped tightly and are likely to simply be placed on.

The present invention therefore aims to provide a handle that can achieve both improved grip and improved tactile feel at the steering wheel, depending on the location of the steering wheel.

A typical configuration of a steering wheel according to the present invention for solving the above problem comprises a steering section that is gripped by the driver and rotated for steering, and a boss section that is disposed inside the steering section and connected to the steering center axis of the steering section, characterized in that the surface of the steering section is provided with a first region in which a plurality of first recesses are formed at a first pitch, and a second region in which a plurality of second recesses that are larger in diameter than the first recesses are formed at a second pitch that is wider than the first pitch.

In this invention, the surface of the steering wheel steering section is provided with a first region in which a plurality of first recesses are formed at a first pitch, and a second region in which a plurality of second recesses, each with a larger diameter than the first recesses, are formed at a second pitch wider than the first pitch. By achieving the above-described relationship between the diameter and pitch of the recesses in these two regions, the recesses are arranged relatively densely in the first region, and relatively sparsely in the second region. In the first region, where the recesses are arranged densely, the driver's hands are less likely to come into contact with the surface of the steering section, making the driver less likely to feel the surface of the steering section sticky, thereby improving the tactile feel of the steering section. On the other hand, in the second region, where the recesses are sparsely arranged, the driver's hands are more likely to come into contact with the surface of the steering section, making the driver's hands more susceptible to friction from the surface of the steering section, thereby improving the grip of the steering section. Therefore, this invention can achieve both improved grip and improved tactile feel of the steering section depending on the location of the steering section.

Here, at least a portion of the first region may be provided on the side surface of the steering unit, and at least a portion of the second region may be provided on the underside of the steering unit. This configuration improves the grip of the underside of the steering unit and the tactile feel of the side surface of the steering unit.

The steering section may also have a left straight section located to the left of the boss section and extending in a substantially straight line in the longitudinal direction, a left protruding section protruding from the left straight section toward the boss section, a right straight section located to the right of the boss section and extending in a substantially straight line in the longitudinal direction, and a right protruding section protruding from the right straight section toward the boss section, wherein the first region is provided on the upper surface and left side surface of the left straight section and the upper surface and right side surface of the right straight section, respectively, and the second region is provided on the lower surface of the left protruding section and the lower surface of the right protruding section, respectively. This configuration improves the grip of the lower surfaces of the left protruding section and the right protruding section, which are likely to be tightly gripped by the driver when the driver turns the steering section, and improves the tactile feel of the upper surface and left side surface of the left straight section and the upper surface and right side surface of the right straight section, which are unlikely to be tightly gripped and are likely to simply be rested on by the driver's hands.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the second pitch is at least 1.2 times the first pitch, and the diameter of the second recess is at least twice the diameter of the first recess. This configuration further improves the tactile feel of the first region and the grip of the second region.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the diameter of the first recess is 0.35 mm or less, and the diameter of the second recess is 0.75 mm or more. This configuration further improves the tactile feel of the first region and the grip of the second region.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a handle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the steering portion of the handle. 4A and 4B are an enlarged plan view and a cross-sectional view of a first cover member provided on the right straight section of the steering section. 10A and 10B are an enlarged plan view and a cross-sectional view of a second cover member provided on the right protrusion of the steering unit.

The following describes a steering wheel 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The steering wheel 10 is mounted on a vehicle (not shown). In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the up-down direction refers to the up-down direction along the axial direction of a steering shaft (not shown), the front-rear direction refers to the front-rear direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the steering shaft when the vehicle is steered straight ahead, and the left-right direction refers to the left-right direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the steering shaft when the vehicle is steered straight ahead.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the steering wheel 10. Figure 2 is a bottom view of the steering wheel 10. The two-dot chain lines in Figures 1 and 2 indicate the left hand of a vehicle driver when gripping the steering section 1 of the steering wheel 10. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the steering wheel 10 has the steering section 1 that the driver grips to rotate and steer, a hub section 2 located in the center of the steering wheel 10 and connected to the steering section 1, and a pad 5 that covers the top of the hub section 2. The hub section 2 is provided with a boss section 3 that is connected to a steering shaft (not shown) that serves as the steering center axis, and an airbag (not shown).

The boss portion 3 is a component located inside the steering unit 1, approximately in the center of the handlebars 10, and is integrally molded by die-casting onto the underside 2a of the hub portion 2. The boss portion 3 has an axial hole 3a into which a steering shaft (not shown) is inserted and fitted. With the tip of the steering shaft inserted and fitted into the axial hole 3a of the boss portion 3, the tip of the steering shaft is fastened with a nut, connecting the boss portion 3 and the steering shaft.

The steering unit 1 is a generally rectangular ring-shaped member whose length extends in the left-right direction and whose shape is symmetrical with respect to the boss unit 3. The steering unit 1 is located on both the left and right sides of the boss unit 3 and has a left straight section 1a and a right straight section 1b that extend generally linearly in the longitudinal direction. The steering unit 1 also has a rear straight section 1c that is located rearward of the boss unit 3 and extends generally linearly in the left-right direction, connecting the left straight section 1a and the right straight section 1b. The approximate center of the rear straight section 1c in the left-right direction is connected to the hub unit 2. The steering unit 1 also has a left connecting section 1d that connects the front end of the left straight section 1a to the hub unit 2, and a right connecting section 1e that connects the front end of the right straight section 1b to the hub unit 2. In other words, the steering unit 1 is connected to the hub unit 2 at the rear straight section 1c, left connecting section 1d, and right straight section 1b, and is connected to the boss unit 3 via the hub unit 2.

The steering section 1 also has a left protrusion 1f that protrudes rightward from the inner periphery of the left straight section 1a, approximately in the longitudinal center, toward the boss section 3, and a right protrusion 1g that protrudes leftward from the inner periphery of the right straight section 1b, approximately in the longitudinal center, toward the boss section 3. Operation buttons 4 are provided on the top surface 1f1 of the left protrusion 1f and the top surface 1g1 of the right protrusion 1g, which the driver can press to adjust the volume of a speaker (not shown) and the air conditioning settings of an air conditioner (not shown).

Figure 3A is a cross-sectional view of the rear straight section 1c of the steering section 1 taken along the cutting line A1-A1 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 3A, the rear straight section 1c is composed of a metal core 1w and a resin surface layer 1z that covers the outer periphery of the core 1w. The core 1w and surface layer 1z extend over the entire steering section 1, and areas of the steering section 1 other than the rear straight section 1c are similarly composed of the core 1w and surface layer 1z. In this embodiment, the core 1w is made of aluminum alloy and the surface layer 1z is made of acrylic resin, but they may also be made of other materials.

Figure 3B is a cross-sectional view of the right straight portion 1b and right protruding portion 1g of the steering unit 1 taken along the cutting line A2-A2 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3B, a first cover member 30 is provided on the right straight portion 1b to cover the outer periphery of the surface layer portion 1z from the right end side of the upper surface 1b1 of the right straight portion 1b to the right end side of the lower surface 1b2. Furthermore, because the steering unit 1 has a bilaterally symmetrical shape with respect to the boss portion 3, a first cover member 30 that is bilaterally symmetrical to the first cover member 30 provided on the right straight portion 1b is also provided on the left straight portion 1a of the steering unit 1. In other words, first cover members 30 are provided on both side surfaces (both left and right end surfaces) of the steering unit 1.

The first cover member 30 is made of resin and is adhesively fixed to the outer periphery of the surface layer 1z with an adhesive. The surface of the first cover member 30 is provided with a first region, region E1 (indicated by dots on the first cover member 30 in Figures 1 and 2), in which a plurality of recesses 30a (first recesses) are formed at a predetermined pitch. In this embodiment, region E1 covers the entire surface of the first cover member 30, but it may also be provided in a portion of the surface that is likely to be touched by the driver's hands. In this embodiment, the first cover member 30 is made of urethane resin (Shore A65) and is formed using a cast molding process, but it may also be formed using other materials and methods.

In addition, a second cover member 31 is provided on the right protruding portion 1g of the steering unit 1 so as to cover the outer periphery of the surface layer 1z from the right end side to the left end side of the underside 1g2 of the right protruding portion 1g. Furthermore, because the steering unit 1 has a bilaterally symmetrical shape with respect to the boss portion 3, a second cover member 31 that is bilaterally symmetrical to the second cover member 31 provided on the right protruding portion 1g is also provided on the left protruding portion 1f of the steering unit 1.

The second cover member 31 is made of resin and is adhesively fixed to the outer periphery of the surface layer 1z. The surface of the second cover member 31 also has a second region, region E2 (indicated by dots on the second cover member 31 in Figure 2), in which multiple recesses 31a (second recesses) are formed at a predetermined pitch. In this embodiment, to provide region E2 in an area that is particularly likely to be touched by the driver's hands, region E2 is provided on the underside 1g2 of the right protrusion 1g of the second cover member 31, but not on the inner periphery of the right protrusion 1g. In this embodiment, the second cover member 31 is made of urethane resin (Shore A65) and is formed using a cast molding process, but may also be formed using other materials and methods.

The driver holds the left straight section 1a and the right straight section 1b with both hands and turns the vehicle right or left by rotating the steering unit 1 around a steering shaft (not shown) connected to the boss section 3, thereby changing the direction of travel of the vehicle. This embodiment uses a steer-by-wire system in which a control unit (not shown) steers the vehicle's tires in accordance with the rotation angle when the steering unit 1 is rotated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the vehicle's tires may also be mechanically steered when the steering unit 1 is rotated.

When the driver grips the left straight section 1a and the right straight section 1b with both hands, most of the driver's palms come into contact with the first cover members 30 provided on both sides of the steering unit 1. The driver's thumbs are likely to come into contact with the upper surfaces 1f1, 1g1 of the left protruding section 1f and the right protruding section 1g, and the tips of the other four fingers are likely to come into contact with the second cover members 31 provided on the lower surfaces 1f2, 1g2 of the left protruding section 1f and the right protruding section 1g. Furthermore, when the driver does not rotate the steering unit 1, such as when the vehicle is traveling in a straight line, the driver is likely to simply place their hands on the left straight section 1a, right straight section 1b, left protruding section 1f, and right protruding section 1g. In contrast, when the driver turns the steering unit 1 to turn right or left, the driver tends to tightly grip the underside 1f2 of the left protrusion 1f and the underside 1g2 of the right protrusion 1g of the steering unit 1 with the tips of the four fingers other than the thumb, and to place their hands loosely on other parts of the steering unit 1. In particular, both side surfaces of the steering unit 1 tend to be loosely gripped by the driver's hands, whether or not the driver is turning the steering unit 1. For this reason, it is desirable that the steering unit 1 has good gripping properties on the underside 1f2 of the left protrusion 1f and the underside 1g2 of the right protrusion 1g, which are easy for the driver to grip tightly when turning the steering unit 1, and good tactile feel on the side surfaces of the steering unit 1, which are easy for the driver to place their hands loosely on. Therefore, in the steering wheel 10 of this embodiment, the diameter and pitch of the recess 30a of the first cover member 30 are different from the diameter and pitch of the recess 31a of the second cover member 31, thereby improving gripping properties and tactile feel at the above positions. This will be explained in more detail below.

Figure 4 shows an enlarged plan view and cross-sectional view of region X1 shown in Figure 1 in the first cover member 30 provided on the right linear portion 1b. As shown in Figure 4, the recess 30a formed on the surface of the first cover member 30 has a circular bottom surface 30a1 with a diameter D1. The distance from the surface of the first cover member 30 to the bottom surface 30a1 is H1, and the corners recessed from the surface are chamfered with a curvature radius R1. The distance H1 is set to a value that minimizes contact between the driver's hand and the bottom surface 30a1 of the recess 30a when the driver grips the steering unit 1. The recesses 30a are arranged in parallel in two directions, the directions of arrow V1 and arrow V2, at a pitch P1 (first pitch). The pitch P1 here refers to the distance between the centers C1 of the bottom surfaces 30a1 of two adjacent recesses 30a in the directions of arrow V1 or arrow V2. The recesses 30a are arranged so that the shape of an imaginary line connecting the centers C1 of the bottom surfaces 30a1 of four adjacent recesses 30a in the directions of arrows V1 and V2 forms a diamond S1, and the length of the shorter diagonal of the diamond S1 is J1.

Figure 5 shows an enlarged plan view and cross-sectional view of region X2 shown in Figure 2 in the second cover member 31 provided on the right protrusion 1g. As shown in Figure 5, the recess 31a formed on the surface of the second cover member 31 has a circular bottom surface 31a1 with a diameter D2, a distance H2 from the surface of the second cover member 31 to the bottom surface 31a1, and a chamfered corner with a curvature radius R2. Distance H2 is set to a value that minimizes contact between the driver's hand and the bottom surface 31a1 of the recess 31a when the driver grips the steering unit 1. The recesses 31a are arranged in parallel at a pitch P2 (second pitch) in both the directions of arrow V1 and arrow V2. The pitch P2 here refers to the distance between the centers C2 of the bottom surfaces 31a1 of two adjacent recesses 31a in the directions of arrow V1 or V2. The recesses 31a are arranged so that the shape of an imaginary line connecting the centers C2 of the bottom surfaces 31a1 of four adjacent recesses 31a in the directions of arrow V1 and arrow V2 forms a diamond S2, and the length of the shorter diagonal of the diamond S2 is J2.

Here, the pitch P1 and diameter D1 of the recesses 30a of the first cover member 30 and the pitch P2 and diameter D2 of the recesses 31a of the second cover member 31 are set so as to satisfy the following conditions 1 and 2.
P1<P2...(1)
D1<D2...(2)

In other words, pitches P1 and P2 are set so that pitch P2 of the recesses 31a of the second cover member 31 is wider than pitch P1 of the recesses 30a of the first cover member 30. Furthermore, diameters D1 and D2 of the recesses 31a of the second cover member 31 are set so that they are larger than the diameters of the recesses 30a of the first cover member 30.

This configuration achieves the following effects. That is, by setting the pitches P1, P2 and diameters D1, D2 of the recesses 30a, 31a as described above, the recesses are arranged relatively densely in region E1 and relatively sparsely in region E2. In region E1, where the recesses are arranged densely, the driver's hands are less likely to come into contact with the surface of the steering unit 1, specifically the flat portion 30b (Figure 4) where no recesses 30a are provided. In other words, the contact rate between the driver's hands and the surface of the steering unit 1 in region E1, where the driver's hands are projected, is lower than the contact rate between the driver's hands and the surface of the steering unit 1 in region E2, where the driver's hands are projected. As a result, the driver is less likely to feel the surface of the steering unit 1 as sticky, improving the tactile feel of the steering unit 1. On the other hand, in area E2 where the recesses are sparsely arranged, the driver's hand is more likely to come into contact with the surface of the steering unit 1, specifically the flat portion 31b (Figure 5) where no recesses 31a are provided, and the driver's hand is more likely to receive frictional force from the surface of the steering unit 1, improving the grip of the steering unit 1. Therefore, with the configuration of this embodiment, it is possible to achieve both improved grip and improved tactile feel for the steering unit 1 depending on the location of the steering unit 1.

In this embodiment, the following values are set: P1 = 1.00 mm, P2 = 1.25 mm, J1 = 1.35 mm, J2 = 1.68 mm, D1 = 0.35 mm, D2 = 0.75 mm, H1 = 0.1 mm, H2 = 0.1 mm, J1 = 1.35 mm, θ2 = 1.68 mm. These values can be changed as appropriate as long as they satisfy conditions 1 and 2 above. However, it is preferable to set distances H1 and H2 to values that minimize contact between the bottom surfaces 30a1 and 31a1 of the recesses 30a and 31a and the driver's hands.

The applicant also conducted a questionnaire survey of 48 people to investigate the gripping properties and tactile sensations in areas E1 and E2 when the pitches P1 and P2 and diameters D1 and D2 of the recesses 30a and 31a were set to different values. As a result, it was found that by satisfying the following conditions 3 and 4, it is easy to realize that the gripping properties of area E2 are good and that the tactile sensation of area E1 is good. For this reason, it is preferable to set the pitches P1 and P2 and diameters D1 and D2 of the recesses 30a and 31a to values that satisfy the following conditions 3 and 4.
P2 ≧ P1 × 1.2 (3)
D2 ≧ D1 × 2.0 (4)

Furthermore, the results of the above questionnaire survey revealed that satisfying the following conditions 5 and 6 makes it easier to realize that the grip of area E2 is good and the tactile feel of area E1 is good. For this reason, it is preferable to set the pitches P1 and P2 and diameters D1 and D2 of recesses 30a and 31a to values that satisfy the following conditions 5 and 6.
D1≦0.35mm...(5)
D2≧0.75mm...(6)

In this embodiment, the present invention has been described using as an example a non-circular steering wheel 10 in which the steering section 1 has a left straight section 1a and a right straight section 1b. However, the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to steering wheels with a circular steering section 1. That is, in a steering wheel with a circular steering section 1, an area in which multiple recesses 30a are formed is provided in a portion of the surface of the steering section 1 where tactile feel is important, and an area in which multiple recesses 31a are formed is provided in a portion where grip is important, and the pitches P1, P2 and diameters D1, D2 of the recesses 30a, 31a are set and configured to satisfy conditions 1 and 2 above. This makes it possible to achieve both grip and tactile feel in a steering wheel 10 with a circular steering section 1 depending on the portion of the steering section 1.

However, with the shape of the steering wheel 10 of this embodiment, the areas of the steering unit 1 where grip performance should be prioritized are the underside 1f2 of the left protrusion 1f and the underside 1g2 of the right protrusion 1g, and the areas where tactile feel should be prioritized are both side surfaces of the steering unit 1. However, when the present invention is applied to a steering wheel 10 with a circular steering unit 1, it is difficult to clearly distinguish between areas where grip performance should be prioritized and areas where tactile feel should be prioritized. Therefore, a sensor such as a shear force sensor can be used to detect areas where force is likely to be applied during rotational steering of the steering unit 1, and an area with multiple recesses 31a can be provided in that area to improve grip performance in that area, and an area with multiple recesses 30a can be provided in other areas to improve tactile feel.

The handle 10 of this embodiment may also be configured to use a sensor such as a shear force sensor to detect areas where force is likely to be applied during rotational steering of the steering section 1, and provide an area with multiple recesses 31a in those areas to improve grip in those areas, and provide areas with multiple recesses 30a in other areas to improve tactile feel. Furthermore, for example, areas on the underside 1f2 of the left protruding portion 1f and the underside 1g2 of the right protruding portion 1g, which are particularly likely to receive force, may be further configured to provide multiple recesses with a pitch narrower than the pitch P1 of the recesses 30a and a diameter smaller than the diameter D1 of the recesses 30a.

In addition, although the present embodiment describes a configuration in which a recess 30a is provided on the surface of the first cover member 30 and a recess 31a is provided on the surface of the second cover member 31, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the first cover member 30 and the second cover member 31 may be integrally molded, and the recesses 30a, 31a may be provided on the integrally molded product. Alternatively, the first cover member 30 and the second cover member 31 may not be provided, and the recesses 30a, 31a may be provided on the surface of the surface layer 1z. Furthermore, the shape of the bottom surfaces 30a1, 31a1 of the recesses 30a, 31a does not necessarily have to be circular, and may be elliptical or polygonal.

1...Steering section, 1a...Left straight section, 1b...Right straight section, 1f...Left protruding section, 1g...Right protruding section, Boss section...3, Handle...10, 30a...Recessed section, 31a...Recessed section

Claims (1)

a steering unit that is gripped by a driver and rotated for steering;
a boss portion disposed inside the steering portion and connected to a steering central shaft of the steering portion;
In a handle comprising:
a first region in which a plurality of first recesses are formed at a first pitch, and a second region in which a plurality of second recesses having a diameter larger than that of the first recesses are formed at a second pitch wider than that of the first recesses ,
The steering unit includes:
a left linear portion located to the left of the boss portion and extending substantially linearly in the longitudinal direction;
a left protruding portion protruding from the left linear portion toward the boss portion;
a right linear portion located on the right side of the boss portion and extending substantially linearly in the longitudinal direction;
a right protruding portion protruding from the right linear portion toward the boss portion;
and
the first region is provided on an upper surface and a left side surface of the left linear portion and an upper surface and a right side surface of the right linear portion,
The handle is characterized in that the second region is provided on the lower surface of the left protrusion and the lower surface of the right protrusion, respectively .