IP Library Granted Patent US 12668294
Granted Patent B2
US 12668294 · App. 19/060,110 · Granted Jun 30, 2026

Steering device

Inventors: Kazuma Muramatsu (Kiyosu, JP); Akitoshi Naganawa (Kiyosu, JP)
Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
B62D1/04B60K35/22B60Q3/283B60K2360/782
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12668294
App. No.
19/060,110
Granted
Jun 30, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A steering device includes a grip portion and a display device capable of emitting visible light during operation. The display device is disposed at a predetermined position visually recognizable by the driver in the grip portion. The grip portion includes a core material disposed at the center, a covering layer covering a periphery of the core material, and a sheet-like skin layer covering an outer periphery of the covering layer. The display device is disposed in an upper face side region that is close to a driver in the grip portion, is configured to be able to emit visible light upward, and is covered with the skin layer at an outer periphery together with the covering layer around the outer periphery. The skin layer is made of a base material that is opaque and has translucency.

Claims (22)

1 . A steering device comprising:

a grip portion to be gripped at a time of rotational steering; and a display device, the display device being disposed at a predetermined position in the grip portion, the predetermined position being adapted so as to be visually recognizable by a driver, the display device being capable of emitting visible light during an operation,

the grip portion having a substantially circular cross section includes a core material disposed at a center, a covering layer covering a periphery of the core material, and a skin layer covering an outer periphery of the covering layer,

wherein

the display device is disposed in an upper face side region of the grip portion, the upper face side region being disposed so as to face the driver, is configured to be able to emit the visible light upward, and is covered with the skin layer at an outer periphery together with the covering layer around the outer periphery,

the skin layer is made of a base material that is opaque and has translucency,

the display device includes a substrate; a visible light source that is attached to the substrate and emits visible light when turned on; a light guide that diffuses the visible light emitted from the visible light source; and a holding member that holds the light guide, wherein

the light guide includes, at an upper end that is disposed so as to face the driver, a light emitting face that emits visible light emitted when the visible light source is turned on upward,

the holding member is made of a non-translucent material, and is configured to cover a periphery of the light guide except for the light emitting face, and

an outer peripheral face of the holding member and the light emitting face of the light guide are formed so as to be continuous from an outer peripheral face of the covering layer in a cross section of the grip portion, and are configured to be in contact with an inner peripheral face of the skin layer.

2 . A steering device comprising:

a grip portion to be gripped at a time of rotational steering; and a display device, the display device being disposed at a predetermined position in the grip portion, the predetermined position being adapted so as to be visually recognizable by a driver, the display device being capable of emitting visible light during an operation,

the grip portion having a substantially circular cross section includes a core material disposed at a center, a covering layer covering a periphery of the core material, and a skin layer covering an outer periphery of the covering layer,

wherein

the display device is disposed in an upper face side region of the grip portion, the upper face side region being disposed so as to face the driver, is configured to be able to emit the visible light upward, and is covered with the skin layer at an outer periphery together with the covering layer around the outer periphery,

the skin layer is made of a base material that is opaque and has translucency, wherein

the display device includes a substrate; a visible light source that is attached to the substrate and emits visible light when turned on; a light guide that diffuses the visible light emitted from the visible light source; a holding member that is made of a non-translucent material and holds the light guide; and a cover portion that is made of a material having translucency and covers at least an upper portion of the light guide, wherein

an outer peripheral face of the holding member and an outer peripheral face of the cover portion are formed so as to be continuous from an outer peripheral face of the covering layer in a cross section of the grip portion, and are configured to be in contact with an inner peripheral face of the skin layer.

3 . The steering device according to claim 1 , wherein

the light guide has an incident face on which the visible light emitted from the visible light source is incident, the light guide is configured such that the incident face is disposed at a lower end of the light guide, and a cross-sectional shape of the light guide is a substantially L shape so that a region at the lower end protrudes toward the visible light source.

4 . The steering device according to claim 2 , wherein

the light guide has an incident face on which the visible light emitted from the visible light source is incident, the light guide is configured such that the incident face is disposed at a lower end of the light guide, and a cross-sectional shape of the light guide is a substantially L shape so that a region at the lower end protrudes toward the visible light source.