JP5500723B2 - Driving handle for automobile and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving handle for an automobile and a manufacturing method thereof.

The automobile is provided with a driving handle (hereinafter simply referred to as a steering wheel), and the driver holds the steering wheel with his hand to steer the automobile.
As described above, since the steering wheel is operated by the driver by hand, it is important that the handle has excellent tactile sensation. Therefore, flexibility is an important item in terms of quality. Furthermore, it is desirable that the handle has an appropriate grip force for the hand.

Further, since the handle is rotated by being held by hand as described above, and the direction of rotation is frequently changed, it is desirable that the moment of inertia is small. Therefore, it can be said that the handle is preferably light in weight. That is, it is desirable that the handle is light in weight from the viewpoint of operability.
In addition, it is desirable that the handle is light in weight for the purpose of reducing the overall weight of the automobile. That is, it is desirable that the handle is light in weight from the viewpoint of improving fuel consumption.
Therefore, the handle is required to have excellent tactile sensation, grip strength, and lighter quality.

In order to meet this requirement, the handle in the prior art employs a structure in which a metal such as steel or aluminum is used as a core material and a urethane foam resin surrounds the core material.
In this type of handle manufacturing method, a metal core is attached to an integral foam mold, a mixture of polyol and polyisocyanate is injected into the mold in this state, and the reaction of the raw material is advanced in the mold to produce a foamed urethane resin. A method of forming a foam and integrating the urethane foam resin and the core material has been adopted.

  Further, Patent Document 1 discloses a lighter magnesium alloy as a core material instead of a core material made of steel or aluminum as a measure for further weight reduction.

JP 2002-542987 A

The foamed urethane resin has a moderately soft and moist feel, and further exhibits a considerable grip with human skin. In addition, urethane foam resin is light. Therefore, the handle with a structure in which the above-mentioned metal is used as the core material and the urethane foam surrounds the core material has excellent tactile sensation, grip strength, and satisfies the required quality of lightness. Above is alright.
However, the handle having the above-described structure has a problem that it takes time to manufacture, and a problem that the yield of the material is poor.

The handle with the structure described above has a metal core attached to an integral foaming mold, and a mixture of polyol and polyisocyanate is injected into the mold in this state, and the reaction of the raw material proceeds in the mold to form a foamed urethane resin. However, wasteful parts (so-called burrs) are formed in a wide range during molding.
That is, the urethane raw material (mixture of polyol and polyisocyanate) injected into the mold has a low viscosity, and as the reaction proceeds, the foaming agent foams and the volume expands. End up.
For this reason, it is necessary to remove burrs in a subsequent process, which takes time and effort. Moreover, since the urethane resin is a thermosetting resin, it is difficult to reuse the urethane resin. Therefore, the burr portion must be discarded, and the yield of raw materials is poor.
As a result, when the urethane foam resin is used as the resin layer, it has been difficult to efficiently reduce the manufacturing cost.

Therefore, the present inventors searched for a method of providing a resin layer around the core material by injection molding in order to save the deburring work and increase the raw material yield, and advanced the experiment.
However, the resin that can exhibit the same tactile sensation, flexibility, and strength as a conventional handle and can be used for injection molding is limited, and there are few options. And many resin which satisfy | fills the above-mentioned request | requirement is heavier than a foaming urethane resin.
As a result, the completed handle is heavier than the prior art handle, which is contrary to the purpose of weight reduction.

  Therefore, the present invention provides an automobile driving handle that has excellent tactile sensation, has gripping power, and satisfies the required quality of lighter, has less labor for manufacturing, and has a high material yield, and a method for manufacturing the same. With the goal.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 includes a rim portion to be gripped at the time of steering, a boss portion fixed to an automobile body, and a spoke portion that couples the boss portion and the rim portion. The rim portion has a metallic first core material in the center, and a resinous second core material is wound around the first core material, and the second core material is further provided. Is surrounded by a softer resin than the second core material, and a gap is formed between the first core material and the second core material, and the first core material includes a second core. A driving handle for an automobile, comprising a fixing portion that prevents relative movement of the material relative to the first core material .

The driving handle for an automobile of the present invention has a gap formed between the first core material and the second core material, so that the substantial amount of resin used can be reduced and the handle weight can be reduced. Can do. Further, since a soft resin is used, it is easy to grip when the driver grips the rim portion, and the tactile feeling is excellent. Therefore, according to this invention, it can be set as the structure provided with the flexibility, aiming at weight reduction.
Moreover, since the driving handle for automobiles of the present invention can be manufactured by injection molding, the manufacturing process can be automated and the yield can be improved.

Furthermore, the driving handle for an automobile of the present invention is provided with a fixing portion for preventing the relative movement of the second core material relative to the first core material on the first core material. A problem that the second core material is displaced relative to the one core material is prevented. Thereby, steering wheel control becomes easy.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the second core member has an outer portion that forms an outer shell of the second core member, and a support portion that is on the inner surface of the outer shell portion and contacts the first core member. The driving handle for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the support part is in partial contact with the first core member, and a gap is formed between the inner surface side of the outer shell part and the first core member. It is.

  Since the first core member is disposed so as to partially contact the support portion disposed inside the outer shell portion of the second core member, the first core member can be easily positioned. In addition, the positioning of the first core material facilitates the formation of a gap between the outer shell portion and the first core material, so that the work efficiency is high.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the second core member has a plurality of support portions, and each of the support portions is arranged in parallel. It is.

  In the automobile driving handle according to the present invention, since the plurality of support portions are arranged in parallel, it is easy to maintain the arrangement of the first core material during the molding of the resin, and the working efficiency is further improved.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the driving handle for an automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second core member has a holding portion arranged in parallel with the support portion. .

  The driving handle for an automobile of the present invention has a holding portion arranged in parallel with the support portion, and maintains a gap between the first core material and the second core material, so that the strength is improved.

The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the first core member is provided with a groove or a rib, and a part of the second core member is engaged with the groove or the rib. A driving handle for an automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .

  In the driving handle for an automobile of the present invention, since a part of the second core member is engaged with the groove or rib of the first core member, the second core member is compared with the first core member when the vehicle is steered. The problem of shifting is prevented.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a driving handle for an automobile according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein a step of manufacturing a metal first core material and a resin second core material are provided. Forming a synthetic core material by combining the first core material and the second core material, placing the synthetic core material in an injection mold, and filling the cavity of the mold with resin A method of manufacturing a driving handle for an automobile, comprising a step of providing a resin around a synthetic core material.

  Since the manufacturing method of the driving handle for an automobile according to the present invention is manufactured by injection molding, the manufacturing process can be automated and the yield can be improved.

  Since the driving handle for an automobile according to the present invention has a gap between the first core material and the second core material, the amount of resin required for the resin layer can be reduced. Thereby, even if it uses a raw material with large specific gravity, weight reduction can be achieved.

It is a perspective view which shows the state which affixed the driving handle for motor vehicles which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention to the vehicle. It is a top view of the driving handle for vehicles concerning a first embodiment of the present invention. It is an exploded perspective view of the whole synthetic core material concerning a first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the rim | limb part cut | disconnected by the AA surface of FIG. It is the elements on larger scale of the synthetic | combination core material of FIG. It is process drawing of injection molding. It is sectional drawing of the rim | limb part after injection molding. It is sectional drawing of the rim | limb part of a form different from FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the modification of the 2nd core material of a rim | limb part. It is the elements on larger scale of the synthetic core material of the form different from FIG.

  A handle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the handle 1 is disposed on the instrument panel 2 side on the front side in the vehicle compartment. Specifically, the handle 1 is mounted on a steering shaft (not shown) disposed on the steering column 3 and is rotatably mounted around the axis of the steering shaft so as to have a vehicle steering function. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the handle 1 is connected to the boss portion 4 that is integrally attached to the steering shaft, the rim portion 5 that the driver grips with the hand, and the boss portion 4 and the rim portion 5 are connected and operated. And a spoke portion 6 for conducting a force acting on the rim portion 5 to the boss portion 4.

The rim portion 5 of the handle 1 in this embodiment is a portion formed in an annular shape as shown in FIG. Moreover, the rim | limb part 5 is couple | bonded with the spoke part 6 at three places, as shown in FIG.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the rim portion 5 is substantially circular in cross-section, and has a cross-sectional size that can be gripped by the driver without difficulty. Specifically, the outer diameter is designed to be 3.0 to 4.0 cm. The rim portion 5 has a three-layer structure including a first core member 7, a second core member 8 positioned around the first core member 7, and a resin layer 9 surrounding the periphery.

In the present embodiment, the first core material 7 and the second core material 8 are mechanically integrated to form the composite core material 30. The first core member 7 is positioned at the center of the cross section of the rim portion 5, and the second core member 8 is positioned around the first core member 7.
Here, the first core material 7 is made of a metal such as steel, an aluminum alloy, a magnesium alloy, or titanium. The 1st core material 7 is shape | molded by well-known methods, such as a die-casting method, casting, a press, and a welded structure.
As shown in FIG. 3, the first core member 7 is formed by integrating an annular first rim core portion 20 and three first spoke core portions 21.

The first rim core portion 20 of the first core member 7 is substantially circular with a cross-sectional shape of about 10 mm in diameter, and the overall appearance is a circular ring shape with a diameter of about 30 cm. The first core member 7 has two groove-shaped fixing portions 10 extending in the axial direction. In the present embodiment, the two groove-shaped fixing portions 10 are connected in a ring shape.
The two fixing portions 10 are formed on the surface of the first core member 7 and are arranged on the diameter across the center of a circle (cross section). A straight line connecting the two fixing portions 10 is substantially parallel to the axial direction of the steering column 3 with reference to the posture in which the handle 1 is mounted on the automobile.
A part of a second core member 8 to be described later is engaged with the fixing portion 10.

  Next, the second core material will be described. The second core material 8 is made of a synthetic resin having a relatively high strength, such as polypropylene, and is manufactured by a known method such as injection molding.

The second core member 8 is configured by combining two members, and has an upper core member 11 and a lower core member 12 as shown in FIG. Each of the upper core material 11 and the lower core material 12 is formed by integrating an annular second rim core portion 22 and a second spoke core portion 23 constituting a part of the spoke portion.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the second rim core portion 22 includes an outer shell portion 13 that forms an outer shell, a support portion 14 that is positioned inside the outer shell portion 13 and contacts the first core member 7 and a holding portion 15. And have.
In addition, since the upper core material 11 and the lower core material 12 are the substantially same structures, below, the upper core material 11 is demonstrated and description of the lower core material 12 is abbreviate | omitted.

The outer shell portion 13 has a semicircular cross section. Further, when the entire shape of the outer shell portion 13 is observed from the upper side, it has an annular shape as shown in FIG.
The diameter D of the ring circle formed by the line connecting the centers of the circles of the outer shell part 13 is the circle formed by the line connected through the center of the first rim core part 20 of the first core member 7 described above. Equal to the diameter d.
The support portion 14 is a rib that protrudes inward in the normal direction from the inner wall of the outer shell portion 13, and extends in a ring shape along the ring shape formed by the outer shell portion 13. The support portion 14 is located approximately at the center of the arc in the outer shell portion 13, and the overhang length is shorter than the radius of the outer shell portion 13. Specifically, when the first core member 7 is arranged at the center of the second core member 8, the protruding length of the support portion 14 is such that the protruding tip side of the support portion 14 fixes the first core member 7 described above. It is a length that fits into the portion 10.

  The holding portion 15 protrudes inward from the inner wall of the outer shell portion 13 and is disposed in parallel to the side surface of the support portion 14. Specifically, two holding portions 15 are provided at positions facing each other with the support portion 14 therebetween, and the two holding portions 15 are spaced from each other at a predetermined interval (in the present embodiment, the first core material 7). (About the diameter of). That is, a gap 31 is formed between the support portion 14 and the holding portion 15 and between the holding portion 15 and the outer shell portion 13. Further, the protruding length of the holding portion 15 is longer than the protruding length of the support portion 14, and when the upper core material 11 and the lower core material 12 are combined, the tip of the holding portion 15 and the lower core material of the upper core material 11 are combined. The length is such that the tips of the 12 holding portions 15 abut.

A groove 25 is provided in the second spoke core portion 23 of the upper core material 11.
The upper core member 11 has an engaging portion (not shown) that engages with the lower core member 12.
In the second core member 8, the upper core member 11 and the lower core member 12 are combined with each other in a palm-like manner, and are integrated by engaging an engaging portion (not shown).

In addition, the synthetic core material 30 includes the first core material 7 included in the center of the second core material 8. That is, the first core member 7 is in the center of the second core member 8, and the groove-shaped fixing portion 10 on the upper side (reference to FIG. 3) of the first core member 7 is connected to the support portion 14 of the upper core member 11. The tip is mated.
Similarly, the tip of the support portion 14 of the lower core member 12 is fitted into the groove-shaped fixing portion 10 on the lower side (reference to FIG. 3) of the first core member 7.
Further, the first spoke core portion 21 of the first core member 7 is fitted in the groove 25 of the second spoke core portion 23 of the upper core member 11 and the upper core member 12.
Further, the upper core member 11 and the upper core member 12 are mechanically integrated by the engagement of the engaging portion (not shown).
When the upper shell 11 and the outer shell 13 of the lower core 12 are combined, a substantially cylindrical shape is formed.

  The resin layer (resin) 9 is provided so as to cover the periphery of the second core material 8. The resin layer 9 employs a thermoplastic elastomer, and specifically includes an olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer, a urethane-based thermoplastic elastomer, a styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer, a vinyl chloride-based thermoplastic elastomer, or the like. As the thermoplastic elastomer constituting the resin layer 9, a softer resin than the second core material 8 is selected.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the handle 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As described above, the first core member 7 is formed by a known forming method such as die casting. The second core material 8 is molded by a known molding method such as injection molding. And as shown in FIG. 5, the synthetic | combination core material 30 comprised from the 1st core material 7 and the 2nd core material 8 is assembled in the following procedures. First, the lower core member 12 is placed on a predetermined jig (not shown), and the first core member 7 is engaged so that the support portion 14 of the lower core member 12 and the fixed portion 10 of the first core member 7 are engaged. Place. Further, the upper core member 11 is installed so that the support portion 14 of the upper core member 11 is engaged with the other fixed portion 10 of the first core member 7.

  The synthetic core material 30 assembled in this way is mounted on an injection molding die 17 as shown in FIG. 6, and the molten resin is injected and filled into the die 17. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the handle 1 having the rim portion 5 around which the second core 8 surrounds the first core 7 and the resin layer 9 surrounds the second core is formed. Further, the manufactured handle 1 has a gap 31 between the first core member 7 and the outer shell portion 13 of the second core member 8. Thereby, it becomes possible to mold the resin layer 9 while maintaining the gap 31 between the first core member 7 and the second core member 8, and it is possible to provide an automobile handle that is lightweight and easy to grip.

  In the embodiment described above, the cross-sectional shape of the first core member 7 is shown in a circular shape, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to many shapes. For example, the cross-sectional shape may be a rectangle, or both sides of a circle may be cut away as shown in FIG. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, there is a flat portion 33 on the side surface of the first core member 7, and the holding portion 15 projects inward from the inner wall of the outer shell portion 13, and is parallel to the side surface of the support portion 14. It is arranged. Specifically, the side surface of the holding portion 15 is in contact with the flat portion 33. Therefore, in this embodiment, the holding part 15 also functions as a support part.

  In the above-described embodiment, the rib-shaped support portion 14 is attached to the second core material 8, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the first core material 7 is provided with a rib-shaped protrusion, This tip may be brought into contact with the inner surface of the outer portion 13.

  In the embodiment described above, the two holding portions 15 are arranged, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of holding portions 15 may be any number. For example, four may be used as shown in FIG.

  In the above-described embodiment, the fixing portion 10 of the first core member 7 is formed into a groove and fixed by engaging with the support portion 14 of the second core member 8, but the present invention is not limited to this, It is sufficient that the first core member 7 and the second core member 8 are engaged and the first core member 7 can be fixed to the second core member 8 while maintaining a certain gap. For example, as shown in FIG. Alternatively, the first core member 7 may be fixed by being sandwiched between the two holding portions 15 of the second core member 8.

  In the above-described embodiment, the separate upper core material 11 and lower core material 12 are joined, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the upper core material 11 and the lower core material are preliminarily shown in FIG. 12 may be formed into a partially connected portion, and the connecting portion may be covered and used as a fulcrum.

  In the above-described embodiment, the entire rim portion 5 has the same cross-sectional shape, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a part of the rim portion 5 has the configuration of the embodiment as shown in FIG. You may do it.

  In the above-described embodiment, the rim portion 5 has the fixing portion 10 as a whole, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a part of the rim portion 5 may have the fixing portion 10. . For example, you may have the fixing | fixed part 10 with a fixed space | interval like FIG.

1 Handle (driving handle for automobiles)
4 Boss part 5 Rim part 6 Spoke part 7 First core material 8 Second core material 9 Resin layer 10 Fixing part 13 Outer part 14 Support part 15 Holding part 30 Synthetic core material 31 Gap

Claims (6)

An automobile driving handle having a rim portion to be gripped during steering, a boss portion fixed to an automobile body, and a spoke portion for coupling the boss portion and the rim portion. The first core material is surrounded by a resinous second core material, and the second core material is surrounded by a softer resin than the second core material. A gap is formed between the first core material and the second core material ,
A driving handle for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the first core member is provided with a fixing portion that prevents relative movement of the second core member relative to the first core member .   The second core member has an outer portion that forms an outer portion of the second core member, and a support portion that is on the inner surface of the outer shell portion and is in contact with the first core member, and the support portion is a part of the first core member. The driving handle for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein a gap is formed between the inner surface side of the outer shell and the first core member.   The driving handle for an automobile according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second core member has a plurality of support portions, and the support portions are arranged in parallel to each other.   The driving handle for an automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second core member has a holding portion arranged in parallel with the support portion. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first core member is provided with a groove or a rib, and a part of the second core member is engaged with the groove or the rib. For driving handle. A method of manufacturing an automotive steering wheel according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a step of fabricating a metallic first core member, a step of fabricating a resin-made second core, the first core Forming a composite core material by combining the material and the second core material, and placing the synthetic core material in an injection mold, filling the cavity of the mold with resin, and placing the resin around the synthetic core material The manufacturing method of the driving handle for motor vehicles characterized by including the process to provide.

Images