WO2025151049A1 - Rim cover for a steering control device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to protective means for vehicles and can be used for improving the operating characteristics of an automobile. The technical result consists in preventing wear on the steering wheel from the invention itself and also preventing extraneous noises. The claimed cover is made of a dense flexible material and duplicates the surface of those parts of the steering wheel that are intended to be gripped by the hands, the cover having a longitudinal slot on the rear side thereof and also slits at the expected locations of the spokes of the steering wheel rim. The edges of the slot have a minimal thickness, or a significant thickness in the event that a rear insert is provided. The inside of the cover may be provided with soft inserts or spray coated with a soft material.

Description

STEERING DEVICE RIM COVER

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to means of protecting a vehicle.

From the prior art, a braid for a car steering wheel is known, including a protector, leather, and a relief surface, characterized in that the protector and the leather located on top of it are placed on the steering wheel, forming a two-layer tube around it, and cover the place where the steering wheel connects to the bracket of the car steering wheel, wherein the protector and the leather located on top of it are fixed with tension by a fishing line in a turn around the entire steering wheel, forming a relief surface. (Patent for IM No.: 71 954 class MIC: B62D 15/00, date of publication 03/27/2008).

A steering wheel rim cover is known, characterized in that the cover is made of a dense material and is a copy of the steering wheel rim with a slot on the back side along the entire perimeter of the circle to ensure penetration onto the surface of the steering wheel rim, which, in turn, has a large number of perpendicular slots on the outside to facilitate installation and one or two slots for fixation in the area of the spokes, as well as lugs in places where the steering wheel is correctly held by the thumbs. (Patent for invention No. 2752583 MIC B62D 1/06; B60R 99/00, date published 06/07/2021).

A universal steering wheel rim cover is known, characterized in that the cover is made of a dense flexible material and is a torus with a cut on the back side along the entire perimeter of the circle, while the edges located closer to the cut are pressed towards the center to ensure a more secure clamping of steering wheels with a rim of a small cross-section, the cover also has several large cutouts at the intended locations of fastening the steering wheel spokes to the rim. (Patent for invention Patent for invention No. 2772825. Application No. 2021127667 dated September 20, 2021.).

Also known are universal steering wheel covers that cover the outer part of the steering wheel rim (https://www.ozon.ru/product/opletka-avtoprofi-m-seriya-luxury-nat-kozha-3- vstavki-iz-ekokozhi-chernyy-krasnyy-autoprofi-ap- 170111915/? stat=YW 5fMQ%3D%3D).

The design of known devices does not provide full protection, since the casing itself has a small range of displacements, due to which the may damage the steering wheel surface over time, and also create a squeak when grasped. Also, none of the known covers provide tactile comfort due to the thick walls of the edges and are not suitable for car models that have a steering wheel instead of a steering wheel.

Every car owner cares about preserving the elements of his car for as long as possible. This applies to both the body and chassis elements, and to interior parts. One of the parts that is most often subject to mechanical impact from the owner is the steering wheel rim. There are protective covers and steering wheel covers made of dense fabric materials on the market. Steering wheels made of dense polymer materials are also known. But, as stated above, known steering wheels over time begin to rub off the areas of contact with the cover itself and the surface of the steering wheel rim. The reason is that even minor displacements of the cover relative to the steering wheel rim and pressure on the cover with your hands cause rubbing of the surface of the steering wheel. Also, touching dense materials, while grasping the cover with your hands, can cause an unpleasant squeak. Another problem with all known covers is insufficient tactile comfort. Most motorists want the feeling of holding the steering wheel not to change after installing the cover. But all known casings have edges that are quite thick, to which is added the thickness of the material with which the casing is covered. Also, in some cases, between the casing base and the material with which it is covered, there is a soft layer that is folded into the inner part of the casing together with the covering material. Such multi-layering, combined with the thick edges of the casing, is very noticeable when grasped with hands. Another disadvantage of known steering wheels is the impossibility of mounting on steering devices of complex shape and steering wheels. In some cases, it is very difficult or impossible to mount a casing consisting of one part.

It often happens that a car manufacturer, when launching an updated car model, changes parts not entirely, but partially. The same thing happens with steering wheels. Often, only the inner part of the steering mechanism is subject to change and the areas where the spokes pass into the steering wheel rim are affected, while the rim itself remains unchanged. And if for manufacturers of universal covers this is not a problem, then for those who make covers for specific car models, a complete redesign of the molds for production is a difficult process. But the famous covers either do not offer a solution to this problem, or offer a solution that involves a complex cutting process using additional devices such as a knife or scissors.

Also, in certain types of production, the creation of a single casing from sheet material takes up a lot of space, leaving the central part unfilled. This approach leads to an increase in the cost of the final product. At the same time, it is known that most drivers hold the steering device in the places of the correct grip, so the production of casings that completely cover the surface of the rim of the steering device is not always advisable, and the known casings that cover the rim only in the places of the correct grip do not provide complete protection of this area.

When turning the steering wheel, the driver can regularly touch the side sections of the spokes, which leads to abrasion of these sections. On the known covers, side protection is present on the upper spokes, on the lower spokes it is either insignificant or completely absent due to the design features of the steering wheels themselves, where the lower spokes, in most cases, are cut into the rim of the steering mechanism, and the known covers are cut along the line of the junction of the spoke and the rim. There are covers that cover the junction of the spoke and the rim in a circle with a significant rise. Such a solution spoils the appearance of the steering mechanism and looks like a foreign element.

The objective of the invention is to create a rim casing for a steering device having a complex shape (hereinafter simply the casing), preventing the steering wheel from being rubbed by its own surfaces and providing maximum tactile comfort and preventing the creation of extraneous sounds, as well as providing solutions for a simple change in the production process, in the event of a change in design by a third-party manufacturer, and assuming easy installation by the consumer of new additional parts, as well as the creation of a casing that provides protection for areas of correct grip, a casing that reduces the cost of production and the final product.

This task is achieved by the fact that the casing is made of a dense flexible material and is a copy of the surface of the sections of the steering device intended for grasping with hands and has a longitudinal cut on the back side, as well as slots in the places of the supposed location of the spokes of the steering device. The edges of the cut have a minimum thickness, and in the presence of a soft material covering and a casing material located on top of it, the soft material is positioned with an indentation from the edges of the casing. This is necessary so that when covering, the thickness of the casing edges is not increased and the soft material is pressed more effectively, creating a smooth bevel.

In the case of creating a casing by the method of integral molding, there may be protrusions on the edges of the casing, the height of which coincides with the thickness of the material with which the casing is sheathed, smoothly decreasing closer to the edge, reaching zero values. In this case, the material is cut exactly along the protrusion and glued flush with the protrusion, creating a smooth transition from the material to the protrusion and further to the thin edge. This solution allows you to completely get rid of the presence of a foreign element on the steering wheel, since the edges pressed to the steering wheel will have almost zero thickness. In the case of creating a casing by the method of vacuum molding, a protrusion smoothly transitioning to a thin edge is created due to a glued profile with a triangular cross-section. Also, to create a thin edge, the material can be cut flush with the edge of the casing, with the application of a special means for cutting the leather to the end.

If the longitudinal cut is made so that when installing the cover, there is space on the back side to form a place for the rear insert, then the edges of the cover can be thicker, since the cover itself and the rear insert, attached to the steering wheel with double-sided adhesive tape, or connected to each other with latches, form a common surface at the joint. Since the covers are not covered with a whole piece of material, but consisting of sewn parts, then seams are formed that must be located in certain places. Also, the seams form bumps that are unpleasant for hands. In order to avoid problems with the location of the seams, the cover may have longitudinal grooves in which the resulting seams are laid. At the end of the seam, on both sides, there are longitudinal seam slits, which are needed to lay the fold of the material in them at the seam sites, without forming an unnecessary thickening. Thus, in the place where two seams meet during the bend, there is no material of the casing itself, thereby creating additional space for laying. At the same time, to improve consumer properties, the casing material can be anti-slip to create a grip during maneuvers, and can also have low thermal conductivity to have greater temperature comfort in cold periods of the year for cars that do not have a heated steering wheel. In this case, the anti-slip material or the material with low thermal conductivity can be used both on the entire surface of the casing and in individual areas.

Since some steering devices or steering wheels may have a complex shape, several solutions can be used to mount a casing made of a material that is not capable of stretching. In places of greatest tension of the material, as well as in places of significant bends, cuts can be made. They can be located on the outer and inner side. In this case, the end of the cut of the cuts has a rounded shape. This is necessary in order to reduce the likelihood of rupture during installation. For more complex shapes, casings consisting of two or more parts can be used. In places of strong bends, rim inserts can be used, which can be attached to the surface of the steering device using double-sided adhesive tape, or can have an element of non-slip material on the inner side. This is necessary so that the rim insert, which has a small size and insignificant clamping force of the material, does not rotate.

The solution to the problem of reducing the cost of production is solved by creating casings consisting of two parts. In this case, these parts are significantly shortened and cover the zone of the correct grip and small areas around. When producing by the vacuum forming method, shortened half-forms take up significantly less space compared to solid forms. This allows for a significant reduction in the cost of producing casings. When producing by the solid casting method, the problem of reducing the cost of finished products can be solved by creating casing surfaces that imitate the texture of various materials. In this case, it is possible to do without sheathing or pasting the surface of the casing.

To prevent the casing itself from wearing out over time with its internal surfaces in places where it touches the surface of the steering device, and also to prevent it from making creaking sounds, the internal side of the casing may have internal inserts made of soft material, or a coating of soft material.

The task of quickly changing the design areas of the casing is accomplished using a spoke insert. The task is achieved by the fact that the spoke inserts are a copy of the area where the steering spokes are located, and can be made of a dense flexible material and have bends to compress the spoke. One side of the spoke insert is cut to the shape of the joint of the spoke with the inner part of the steering device, and the other side repeats the shape of the cutout of the casing where a specific spoke is located, while the spoke insert itself can either go under the surface of the casing or be located end-to-end. The spoke insert can also be made of stretchable fabric that has an adhesive layer on the inside. And just like the spoke insert made of a dense material, one side of the fabric spoke insert is cut to the shape of the joint of the spoke with the inner part of the steering device, and the other side repeats the shape of the cutout of the casing where a specific spoke is located, while the fabric spoke insert itself can either go under the surface of the casing or be located end-to-end. In this case, the fabric spoke insert has tabs on the upper and lower parts that are pulled over the inner part of the spoke during installation. This solution allows for step-by-step tensioning, which facilitates the gluing process and reduces the risk of unnecessary folds. Also, if the fabric insert for the knitting needles is poorly glued, in some areas only one tab will come off, without pulling the entire material along with it, as happens when a section of a solid piece of material that is not divided into separate tabs comes off.

In order to reduce the slippage of the steering device, ribbed surfaces may be located on the side sections of the casing. These surfaces may be formed by ribbed sections of the shape of the casing itself, or by volumetric inserts located between the casing and the casing material.

To solve the problem of wear on the side sections of the spokes, side lugs may be present on these sections.

Fig. 1 - general view 3/4;

Fig. 2 - side view (section, fragment);

Fig. 3 - rear view (inner surface of the casing, cross-section);

Fig. 4 - side view (section, fragment);

Fig. 5 - side view (section, fragment);

In fig. 6 - 3/4 view (section, fragment);

Fig. 7 - front view (section, fragment);

Fig. 8 - rear view (section, fragment);

Fig. 9 - general front view;

Fig. 10 - general front view;

Fig. 11 - side view (rim ring, cross-section); Fig. 12 - general front view;

Fig. 13 - general front view;

Fig. 14 - side view (casing with rear insert, cross-section);

Fig. 15 - side view (casing with rear insert, cross-section);

In Fig. 16, 17, 18, 19A, 19B, 20A, 20B, 20C - general front view

In Fig. 21 - general view of 3/4 from behind; (section with lateral rises) In Fig. 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D - side view (section, fragment);

Fig. 23 - front view (section, fragment);

To install the casing of the rim of the steering device -1, it is necessary to bring the casing -1 to the rim of the steering device -11 in such a way that the slots -2A, 2B and 2C coincide with the spokes of the steering wheel - 51A, 51B and 51C corresponding to their location. Then it is necessary to slightly move apart one of the sections of the casing -1 and press. Due to the rounded shape of the rim of the steering device -I, the flexibility of the casing -1, the sections of the casing -1 subjected to pressure will begin to move apart and creep onto the rim -11. After the moved edges of the casing -1 pass the widest section of the rim of the steering device -11, they will begin to close. A similar procedure must be carried out along the entire circumference of the rim of the steering device -11. Ultimately, the entire casing -1 will be closed on the surface of the rim of the steering device -11. The sections 50A and 50B shifted toward the center (Fig. 2) will reliably press the casing - 1 to the rim of the steering device - 11. In the case of using a casing consisting of several parts - 4 (Fig. 9), -5 (Fig. 10), -6 (Fig. 12), as well as a casing -7 (Fig. 13), consisting of one part, but having slots -52, the installation principle is similar to that described above. Due to the internal inserts -13 (Fig. 4) or spraying -14 (Fig. 5), the casing -1 will be pressed to the rim -11 without creating unnecessary friction of the surfaces and pressure on the rim -11.

To install the -32 spoke insert (Fig. 17), bring the -32 spoke insert to the -33 spoke of the -53 rim and slightly push apart sections -28A and -28B and press. Due to the flexibility of the -32 spoke insert material, the sections of the -32 spoke insert that are subject to pressure will begin to move apart and creep onto the -33 spokes. After the pushed-apart edges of the -32 spoke insert pass the widest section of the -53 steering device rim, they will begin to close and fix on the -33 spoke. The cutting contour of section -25 of the -32 spoke insert will coincide with contour -24 of the central part of the -23 steering device rim, and section -27 with section -26. A similar procedure should be draw from the opposite insert for spokes and from the lower insert for spokes -30 having sliding sections -31 A and -31B, as well as a slot -29 for bending around spoke -34

To install the fabric inserts for spokes -37 (Fig. 18), it is necessary to bring the fabric insert for spokes -37, which has an adhesive layer on the inside, to spoke -33 of rim -53 and align section -35, cut to the required shape, with the section of the edge of the central part of the steering device -24 and glue the entire area of the fabric insert for spokes -37, except for tongues -36. Then tighten tongues -36 one by one to the back side of spokes -33. Section -38 will be located under the surface of casing -8. Fabric insert for spokes -40 has section -39, cut to the shape of the lower part of spoke -34 and is installed similarly, but may not have tongues due to the simpler shape of the installation section.

The rim insert -12 (Fig. 10, 11) is mounted similarly to the casing, but may contain on the inner side a glued element -41 made of anti-slip material or double-sided adhesive tape.

Soft material -18 (Fig. 4) is located before reaching the thinnest edge -10.

The pieces of fabric -46A and casing -45 (Fig. 7) sewn together form a connecting seam -47A, which is laid in the transverse grooves -44 (Fig. 6, 7). When the fabric -46A is folded, a fold of the piece of fabric 46B (Fig. 8) and a fold of the connecting seam -47B are formed. The connecting seam -47A and the fold of the connecting seam -47B are placed in the slit for seams -42, which has a rounded end of the cut -43.

The casing -15 (Fig. 14) is mounted on the rim -11 according to the principle described above, but a rear insert -20 is added to it on the reverse side, which is attached to the casing -15 using latches -19. The casing -16 (Fig. 15) is mounted on the rim -11 according to the principle described above, but a rear insert -17 is added to it on the reverse side, which is attached to the rim -11 using double-sided adhesive tape -21.

The convex surfaces -48 of the casing -9 (Fig. 19 A) and the convex elements -49 attached to the casing -1 (Fig. 19 B) create relief anti-slip surfaces.

The central part of the steering rim -22 (Fig. 16) differs from the central part of the steering rim -23 (Fig. 17, 18) in that it creates the need for an insert for spokes -32 and 30, as well as fabric inserts for spokes 37 and 40. The material -58 (Fig. 22A), glued to the casing -60, rests against the rise -55 of the triangular section profile -64, which has the thinnest possible tip -65. The material -58 (Fig. 22B), glued to the casing -60, has a hardened agent applied to the end for covering the edge of the leather. The material -58 (Fig. 22C), glued to the casing -67, rests against the rise -56, which is part of the casing -67 and ends with the thinnest possible tip -61. Figure 22D shows the soft material -66, located with an indentation from the edge of the casing -60. The material -59 is joined in a similar manner with the projection -63 located next to the edge of the casing -6 (Fig. 23).

The side rise -54 (Fig. 21) protects the sides of the lower spoke -62.

Figures 20A, 20B and 20C roughly illustrate the variety of possible steering rim arrangements.

Claims

STEERING DEVICE RIM COVER FORMULA E A casing for a steering device rim, characterized in that the casing is made of a dense flexible material and is a copy of the surface of the sections of the steering device intended for grasping with hands, the casing has a longitudinal cut on the back side, wherein the edges of the longitudinal cut are pressed toward the center, the casing also has slots in the places where the spokes of the steering device are supposed to be located, characterized in that it has a soft coating on the inner surface, or internal inserts made of a soft material, wherein the coating and inserts are made of an anti-slip material. 2. The rim casing of the steering device according to item 1, characterized in that it has transverse slots with a rounded end to the cut on the inner and outer edges. 3. The casing of the rim of the steering device according to items 1 and 2, characterized in that it consists of two or more parts that cover the rim of the steering device completely or in the areas of the correct hand grip. 4. The casing of the rim of the steering device according to claims 1-3, characterized in that the edges of the longitudinal and the edges of the transverse cuts have the minimum possible thickness, while the material on top of the casing is made with the possibility of resting on a projection in height equal to the thickness of the material or on a projection of a triangular cross-section profile glued to the edge of the casing, having a thickness equal to the thickness of the material, or the casing is covered with a material cut along the very edge of the transverse or longitudinal cut and has a hardened agent applied to the end for covering the edge of the skin. 5. A casing for the rim of a steering device according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that it has one or more rear inserts on the reverse side that completely cover the open space formed by the slot, the rear inserts being attached to the casing using latches or double-sided adhesive tape. 6. The rim casing of the steering device according to items 1-4, characterized in that it is made of a material capable of stretching. 7. The rim casing of the steering device according to items 1-6, characterized in that it is covered with a natural or artificial material, wherein both the natural and artificial material are anti-slip and also have low thermal conductivity, at And in this case, anti-slip material, or material with low thermal conductivity, is used in certain areas of the casing. 8. The rim casing of the steering device according to claims 1-7, characterized in that it has large slots around the attachment points of the spokes, and the spokes themselves are covered with spoke inserts made of a dense flexible material that repeat the shape of the spokes, wherein one side of the spoke insert has a cut shape that repeats the shape of the spoke cut at the point where it joins the central part of the steering element, the opposite side has a cut in the shape of the large slots of the casing, wherein the spoke inserts can be covered with natural or artificial material, wherein both natural and artificial material are anti-slip and also have low thermal conductivity. 9. The rim casing of the steering device according to claims 1-7, characterized in that it has large slits around the attachment points of the spokes, and the spokes themselves are covered with fabric inserts for the spokes made of a stretchable material having an adhesive base, wherein one of the sides of the insert for the spokes has a cut shape that repeats the shape of the cut of the spoke at the point of its junction with the central part of the steering element, and on the edges of the fabric inserts for the spokes, stretched over the back side of the spokes, there are tongues, wherein the fabric inserts for the spokes are anti-slip and also have low thermal conductivity. 10. The rim casing of the steering device according to items 1-9, characterized in that it contains relief surfaces on the outer radius. 11. The rim casing of the steering device according to items 1-10, characterized in that under the material covering the casing there is a soft material located with a small indentation from the edge where the material covering the skin is folded or cut. 12. The rim casing of the steering device according to item 1-11, characterized in that it has channel recesses on the outer surface in places where seams of joined materials, heating threads or electrical wiring may be located, and the recesses, reaching the edge, end in seam slots with a rounded end of the cut, and the plane of the casing, when approaching the recesses, is raised to a height equal to the depth of the recess; the casing also has channel recesses on the inner surface. 13. The rim casing of the steering device according to paragraphs 1 and 3, characterized in that it contains rim inserts having an element made of anti-slip material or double-sided adhesive tape glued to the inside. 14. The rim casing of the steering device according to items 1-7, 10-13, characterized in that the extreme sections of the slots have lateral bosses that cover the lateral sections of the spokes. 15. The rim casing of the steering device according to items 1-14, characterized in that the entire surface of the casing, or in individual sections, has a texture and grain that imitate the texture and grain of various materials, and also has elements that imitate a sewing line, as well as elements that imitate the fastening of materials to the surface and to each other.