Energy absorbing steering wheel asssembly

A steering wheel assembly for use with a steering shaft, said assembly comprising:

• an annular rim;
• a hub connecting said annular rim drivingly with said steering shaft;
• a center covering member positioned at a generally center portion of said annular rim;
• and
• an energy absorbing structure positioned between said hub and said center covering member, said energy absorbing structure being made so as to be compressively deformed to dissipate an impact load, exceeding a predetermined magnitude, which is applied to said center covering member, said energy absorbing structure comprising a first portion connected to said center covering member, a second portion connected to said hub, a hollow cylindrical portion having opposed open end portions, said hollow cylindrical portion being sandwiched longitudinally between said first and second portions and being attached to transverse edges of said first and second portions, respectively, at said opposed open end portions, and an elongate member for minimizing displacement of said first portion and said hollow cylindrical portion relative to each other and to said second portion when said impact load is applied to said center covering member at an angle to an axis of said steering shaft, said elongate member having longitudinally opposed ends, one of said opposed ends attached to a transverse edge of said first portion with the other opposed end attached to a transverse edge of said second portion such that said elongate member is diagonally arranged relative to said first and second portions and in a plane containing said transverse edges, the opposed end of said elongate member attached to the transverse edge of said second portion being proximate to the attachment of said one of the opposed open end portions to the second portion and being between the attachment of one of said opposed open end portions of said hollow cylindrical portion to said second portion and a location on the transverse edge of said second portion substantially coincident with a plane that intersects an axis of said steering shaft and is normal to the transverse edge of said second portion.