STEERING WHEEL AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/167,006, filed Jul. 2, 2008, which claims priority to Korean Application Serial Number 10-2007-0131758, filed on Dec. 15, 2007, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a decorative steering wheel and a method of manufacturing the steering wheel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many steering wheel rims are made of expensive injection molded polyurethane. Some include portions with wood patterned surfaces.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A steering wheel includes a rim that is rotatable around a steering shaft. The rim includes an armature; a first rim portion surrounding the armature; and a second rim portion, covering part of the surface of the first rim portion.

Another part of the surface of the first rim portion may have a decorative pattern. A cover may be provided on the second rim portion. The first rim portion may have at least one seat in which the second rim portion is mounted. The second rim portion may be made of a first shell and a second shell. Each shell may have a bend that is mounted in one of the seats. The first shell may have a groove, and the second shell may have a protrusion mounted in the groove. A space may be defined between the two rim portions.

A method of manufacturing a steering wheel includes providing an armature; injection molding a first rim portion such that the it surrounds the armature; injection molding a second rim portion; and attaching the first and second rim portions such that the second rim portion covers part of the surface of the first rim portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For better understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a steering wheel according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a manufacturing process of the steering wheel of FIGS. 1 and 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the invention are described hereafter in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in the figures, a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the invention includes a boss 1 that is connected with a steering shaft (not shown), a plurality of spokes 3 radially disposed around boss 1, and a rim 7 that is coaxial with boss 1, attached to the outer ends of spokes 3. Rim 7 is radially divided into an outer rim 9 and an inner rim 11 that join at the center of rim 7.

Outer rim 9 covers the entire circumference of a metallic armature 5 of rim 7 and may have a decorative pattern A, such as a wood pattern, on its surface. Outer rim 9 may be formed by injection molding of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resin around the surface of armature 5, and a film with the decorative pattern A may then be applied to the surface of outer rim 9.

Inner rim 11 is attached to outer rim 9. A soft pliable cover B may be attached to the surface of inner rim 11. Inner rim 11 may also be formed by injection molding of ABS resin. Cover B may be made of a soft material, such as leather or synthetic leather.

Outer rim 9 may include a seat 9a to hold inner rim 11 in place. Inner rim 11 may be made of a shell 13 that has a semi-arc cross section, and soft pliable cover B attached to the surface of shell 13.

Shell 13 is composed of an upper shell 13a and a lower shell 13b, each with one end supported by seats 9a. The other ends of the upper shell 13a and the lower shell 13b are connected to each other.

The upper shell 13a and the lower shell 13b may each have a bend 13c at one end that is placed in a respective one of the seats 9a. A protrusion 13d, or a groove 13e that is fitted on protrusion 13d, is provided at the other end.

A space S may be defined between the shell 13 and the outer rim 9, such that the total weight of rim 7 is reduced.

The above-described steering wheel may be made as follows, referring to FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3A, boss 1, spokes 3, and armature 5 are formed first. Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, outer rim 9 is injection molded onto armature 5. Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, wood pattern A is applied to at least a portion of outer rim 9, such as the outer circumferential edge in the illustration. Next, as shown in FIG. 3E, shell 13 is formed by injection molding upper and lower shells 13a, 13b. Next, as shown in FIG. 3F, cover B is attached onto the surface of shell 13. Next, as shown in FIG. 3D, the outer rim 9 is attached to the inner rim 11. Thereafter, the steering wheel is additionally provided with a variety of electrical parts and exterior materials for boss 1 and spokes 3.

While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.