U.S. patent application number 09/828059 was filed with the patent office on 2001-10-25 for steering wheel.
This patent application is currently assigned to TRW Automotive Safety Systems GmbH & Co. KG. Invention is credited to Frisch, Ralph.
Application Number | 20010034141 09/828059 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 7940516 |
Filed Date | 2001-10-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010034141 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Frisch, Ralph |
October 25, 2001 |
Steering wheel
Abstract
A steering wheel comprises a plug-in connector adapted to be
inserted into a complementary plug-in connector for connecting a
component mounted on the steering wheel, the plug-in connector
being mounted at the steering wheel so as to be shiftable in a
direction which corresponds to a direction of insertion of the
plug-in connector. The steering wheel further comprises a flip-flop
spring element which extends from the steering wheel to the plug-in
connector. The spring element is able to assume a first stable
position in which it biases the plug-in connector into an
installation position, and a second stable position in which it
biases the plug-in connector away from the complementary plug-in
connector.
Inventors: |
Frisch, Ralph; (Mombris,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
TAROLLI, SUNDHEIM, COVELL,
TUMMINO & SZABO L.L.P.
1111 LEADER BUILDING
526 SUPERIOR AVENUE
CLEVELAND
OH
44114-1400
US
|
Assignee: |
TRW Automotive Safety Systems GmbH
& Co. KG
|
Family ID: |
7940516 |
Appl. No.: |
09/828059 |
Filed: |
April 6, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/15 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60R 21/2035 20130101;
H01R 13/6315 20130101; B60Q 5/003 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
439/15 |
International
Class: |
H01R 039/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 19, 2000 |
DE |
200 07 239.0 |
Claims
1. A steering wheel comprising a plug-in connector adapted to be
inserted into a complementary plug-in connector for connecting a
component mounted on said steering wheel, said plug-in connector
being mounted at said steering wheel so as to be shiftable in a
direction which corresponds to a direction of insertion of said
plug-in connector, and comprising a flip-flop spring element which
extends from said steering wheel to said plug-in connector, the
spring element being able to assume a first stable position in
which it biases said plug-in connector into an installation
position, and a second stable position in which it biases said
plug-in connector away from said complementary plug-in
connector.
2. The steering wheel of claim 1, wherein said spring element is a
leaf spring.
3. The steering wheel of claim 1, wherein two spring elements are
provided.
4. The steering wheel of claim 1, wherein said plug-in connector is
provided with a sliding sleeve which can be shifted on said plug-in
connector between two stops, said spring element engaging said
sliding sleeve.
5. The steering wheel of claim 1, wherein said plug-in connector is
mounted onto said steering wheel in such a way that it can be
shifted in a plane perpendicular to said direction of insertion.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a steering wheel with a plug-in
connector that is designed to be inserted into a complementary
plug-in connector in order to connect a component mounted on the
steering wheel.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Such a steering wheel is known from German Utility Model No.
299 17 129. The plug-in connection consisting of the plug-in
connector on the steering wheel and of the complementary plug-in
connector that is mounted on the vehicle serves, for example, to
connect the igniter of a gas generator for an airbag system. The
plug-in connector on the steering wheel is designed in such a way
that it is automatically inserted into the complementary plug-in
connector when the steering wheel is installed in the vehicle.
Furthermore, the plug-in connector on the steering wheel is mounted
on the steering wheel in such a way that it can be shifted slightly
so that tolerances can be compensated for when the steering wheel
is turned. The plug-in connector mounted on the steering wheel and
the complementary plug-in connector mounted on the vehicle
theoretically rotate around the same axis, namely, the center axis
of the steering shaft; however, even slight tolerances mean that
the paths of movement of the two plug-in connectors are not
completely concentric.
[0003] However, it has been found to be disadvantageous that the
plug-in connectors mounted on the vehicle for the insertion of the
lug-in connector mounted on the steering wheel cause the plug-in
connector mounted on the steering wheel to remain under a residual
force that impedes the free sliding movement of the plug-in
connector on the steering wheel.
[0004] Thus, the objective of the invention is to improve a
steering wheel of the type described above in such a way that the
free sliding ability of the plug-in connector on the steering wheel
after the installation is ensured.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0005] For this purpose, a steering wheel of the type described
above is provided, which is characterized in that a flip-flop
spring element is provided that extends from the steering wheel to
the plug-in connector, the spring element being able to assume a
first stable position in which it biases the plug-in connector into
an installation position, and being able to assume a second stable
position in which it biases the plug-in connector away from the
complementary plug-in connector, and in that the plug-in connector
is mounted on the steering wheel in such a way that it can be
shifted in the insertion direction. When the steering wheel is
installed in the vehicle, the spring element flips from the first
stable position into the second stable position so that it exerts a
force on the plug-in connector that counteracts the insertion force
that is exerted during the installation. In this manner, the
mechanical stress on the plug-in connector that results from the
insertion force is eliminated and the plug-in connector can be
shifted friction-free on the steering wheel when it is turned.
[0006] Advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in
the subordinate claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The invention is described below with reference to a
preferred embodiment that is shown in the appended drawings.
[0008] FIG. 1 a partial sectional view of a steering wheel
according to the state of the art;
[0009] FIG. 2 a schematic view of a part of the steering wheel
according to the invention with the plug-in connector in an
installation position;
[0010] FIG. 3 a view corresponding to that of FIG. 2, with the
steering wheel during the installation; and
[0011] FIG. 4 a view corresponding to that of FIG. 2 after the
installation of the steering wheel has been completed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0012] FIG. 1 shows a vehicle steering wheel 10 that is connected
to a steering shaft 12. The steering wheel has a gas bag module 14
consisting essentially of a gas bag 16 and a gas generator 18. The
gas generator 18 here is a two-chamber gas generator with a first
igniter 20 for the first chamber and a second igniter 22 for the
second chamber. The igniters 20, 22 serve to ignite a
gas-generating charge located in the chambers.
[0013] Two lines 26, 28 are provided on the vehicle in order to
contact the two igniters 20, 22. Each line is connected with a
helical-wound multipolar flat strip conductor cable 30 that
constitutes an electrical connection between a fixed connection
mounted on a vehicle part 31 for the lines 26, 28 and plug-in
connections 34, 36 for the igniters 20, 22 that are provided on the
steering wheel and thus turn along with it. The design of the
plug-in connections 34, 36 is described in detail below with
reference to FIG. 2.
[0014] FIG. 2 shows an enlarged schematic view of the plug-in
connection 34. It consists of a plug-in connector 40 that is
mounted on the steering wheel 10 as well as a complementary plug-in
connector 42 that is mounted on a vehicle part 31. The plug-in
connector 40 that is mounted on the steering wheel 10 has two stops
44, 46 between which a sliding sleeve 48 is mounted in such a way
that it can be shifted. A flip-flop spring element 50, which is
configured here as a leaf spring, engages with the sliding sleeve.
The leaf spring 50 extends from the sliding sleeve 48 to the
steering wheel 10 on which it is held under tension at its
appropriate end. FIG. 2 shows the leaf spring 50 in a first stable
position in which it holds the plug-in connector 40 in an
installation position and in which it biases the sliding sleeve 48
against the stop 46
[0015] When the steering wheel 10 is installed in the vehicle, it
is placed onto the steering shaft 12 in the direction of the arrow
P. In this process, the plug-in connector 40 mounted on the
steering wheel is positioned opposite the complementary plug-in
connector 42 and is slid into the latter. The insertion force
needed for this purpose is less than the force that would be
necessary to move the leaf spring 50 from its first stable position
beyond a dead center and into the second stable position. Thus, the
plug-in connector 40 of the steering wheel 10 is inserted into the
complementary plug-in connector 42 mounted on the vehicle via the
leaf spring 50, the sliding sleeve 48 and the stop 46. This
situation is shown in FIG. 3. It is important for both plug-in
connectors to be completely inserted into each other before the
steering wheel 10 is slid completely onto the steering shaft 12. As
a result, after the plug-in connector 40 has been completely
inserted into the complementary plug-in connector 42, the leaf
spring 50 is slid further, thereby moving beyond its dead center
and flipping over to its second stable position, which is shown in
FIG. 4. As a result of the flipping over of the leaf spring 50, the
sliding sleeve 48 moves from its position in which it lies against
the stop 46 into a position in which it lies against the stop 44,
that is to say, on the side facing away from the complementary
plug-in connector 42 mounted on the vehicle. In order to illustrate
this flipping over, in FIG. 4, the position drawn with solid lines,
which corresponds to a completely installed steering wheel, is
shown in comparison to the installation position, drawn with dotted
lines, in which the two plug-in connectors are already completely
inserted into each other.
[0016] When the leaf spring 50 is in the second stable position
shown in FIG. 4, it biases the plug-in connector 40 via the sliding
sleeve 48 and the stop 44 away from the complementary plug-in
connector 42, which is mounted on the vehicle.
[0017] In order to compensate for position tolerances between the
plug-in connector 40 mounted on the steering wheel and the
complementary plug-in connector 42 mounted on the vehicle, the
plug-in connector 40 is mounted onto the steering wheel 10 in a
"floating" manner; in other words, it can be shifted in a plane
perpendicular to the insertion direction. As a result of the force
exerted on the plug-in connector 40 by the leaf spring 50 in its
second stable position, frictional forces are eliminated that
otherwise stem from the insertion force that is exerted during the
installation and that can impair the ease of movement of the
floating support.
* * * * *