GB2100061A - Steering column switch for a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A steering-column switch, for a motor vehicle, has a control lever 2 which is pivotable in two planes for actuating a group of microswitches 22 located under a housing of the switch. Detents 10, 26 for the various switch positions are located within the housing. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Steering column switch for a vehicle This invention reiates to a steering-column switch, for a vehicle, of the kind comprising a turn signal switch control device, which can be adjusted substantially parallel to the steering-wheel plane by means of a control lever, and a low beam/high beam/headlamp flasher control device which can be operated upon deflection of the lever substantially perpendicular to that plane, the switch-over between low beam and high beam being effected by means of a quick break switch.

A steering-column switch of this kind can be inferred from the Specification of German Patent Application OS 25 1 2 225, particularly rapid, contact-sparing operation being achieved by using a quick-break switch for the changeover between low and high beam.

However, because the contacts and switching and detent or locking means for all of the functions are to be housed within a switch cover, a highly complicated construction results which, in the event of the failure of a contact device, for example, does not allow of effective exchange of the particular defective part, so that the whole switch must always be replaced.

It is an object of the invention to provide a steering-column switch which is easily repairable and clearly arranged and in which all the contacts are protected against overloading and are consequently subject to slight wear only.

According to the invention, in a steeringcolumn of the aforesaid kind, all of the switching or control operations are initiated by quick-break switches forming components of individual microswitches which are combined in a switch group or block, are operated by control fingers and are located under a cover which accommodates spring-loaded catches or detents. A simple readily surveyed construction is obtained by virtue of the resultant separation of switching elements and springloaded detents. It is then possible to avoid a complicated switch and to use commercially available micro-switches.

Further simplification can be achieved if springs associated with the detent means are made of non-metallic material, preferably rubber or a plastics material.

Resetting or return movement of the control lever, after deflection in the steering-wheel plane, may be effected by a spring which is clamped between two deflectable detent plates made, preferably, of polyurethane foam. The detent plates may be associated with complementary fixed plates provided with rolling elements acting as opposed detents.

In the event of the control lever being blocked or held, destruction of or damage to the resetting lever, which is actuated by a resetting cam on the steering column, can be avoided if the detent plates are received on a bearing bush, on whose upper end a pin, which penetrates the control fingers and has reduced ends, is suspensibly mounted, each of the said ends resting in a V-shaped notch of a deflectable switch-over lever cooperating with a resetting lever which initiates automatic return movement of the control lever. A fur ther pin, which penetrates the associated con trol finger near to the group of switches, is supported, with prestressing, on a slide, pro vided with detents, of a bearing plate which receives the prestressed sleeve-shaped spring for for beam switching.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention an elastomeric leg spring, which receives the resetting lever in a torsion-resistant manner, is suspensibly supported at the ends from the upper opposed detent plate.

An embodiment of the invention by way of example will now be more fully described with reference to the drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view, partially in section, of or a steering-column switch, the control lever having been omitted, Figure 2 is a front view thereof, and Figure 3 is a section on the line Ill-Ill in Fig. 1, the control lever being also shown.

A steering-column switch 1 for a motor vehicle is provided with a control lever 2 (Fig.

3) secured by clamping means 3 to which two control fingers 4 and 5 are fixed. The control fingers 4 and 5 are penetrated by a pin 6 which has ends of reduced diameter forming shoulders. The unreduced part of the pin 6 is suspensibly supported from the upper end 7 of a bearing bush 8 (Fig. 3). The inside of this bush accommodates a sleeve-shaped spring 9 which is made of an elastic rubber material and bears, with prestressing, on a slide 11, provided with detents 10, of a plate 1 2. A pin 13, which penetrates an associated control finger 4 or 5, snap-engages in the detents 10, which merge on one side into an inclined surface, in a manner not shown, but depend ing on the position of the pivot of the lever 2 which is deflectable perpendicular to the plane (not shown) of the steering wheel.A control plate 1 6 having resilient tongues 1 5 is so actuated by a cam 1 4 on the end of a control finger 4, 5 that, depending on the position of the lever 2, a following actuating pin 1 7 (Fig.

3) of a switch group 22, consisting of indivi dual microswitches 18 to 21 (Fig. 2) provided with quick-break elements, is moved.

The microswitch 20 is designed (in a man ner not shown) as a change-over switch for switching over between high beam and low or dipped beam. The microswitch 1 9 has an on off function only, operating the headlamp flasher. The latter is operated when the lever 2 in Fig. 3 is tilted to the right so such an extent that the control fingers 4 and 5 leave the illustrated detent position and the pins 1 3 pass over the previously mentioned inclined surface (not shown). From which position, after the lever 2 has been released, resetting force exerted by the spring 9 produces a return movement into the main-beam detent position.

On the outside, the bearing bush 8 carries, one above the other, two detent plates 23 and 24, between which a spring 25 of poly urethane foam is disposed. Formed from the plates 23 and 24 are detents 26 coacting with rolling detent elements 27 which are received by opposed fixed detent plates 28 and 29. The above-described detent means serves to control "direction" and "pass" or "overtake" signal functions, the detents 26 of the plate 23 and the rolling elements 27 of the plate 28 being held only resiliently in the "overtake signal" position, to which the lever 2 is pivoted in the plane of the steering wheel only until resistance is encountered.

On the other hand a locking action is achieved by the detents 26 of the plate 24 and rolling elements 27 of the opposed plate 29 upon corresponding deflection of the lever 2, this action being cancelled in known man ner (not illustrated) by a cam which projects from the steering shaft and cooperates with a resetting lever 30 (Fig. 1). The lever 30 is drawn into a central position by an elastomeric leg spring 31 which is suspended by its ends in the opposite plate 29, as can be seen from Fig. 1, and is in operating contact with an overload lever 32 whose function will be further described.

When the control lever 2 is in the flashing position, either the microswitch 1 8 or the microswitch 21 is actuated because of its actuating pin 1 7 is operated by the associated tongue 1 5 of the plate 1 6. The outer tongues 1 5 mentioned are provided locally with elevated tabs with which lugs, projecting from the underside of the bush 8, can be brought into contact, so that a respective tab is depressed upon appropriate deflection of the lever 2.

The overload lever 32 holds the end parts 34 of the pin 6 in the V-shaped notches 33 in the upper side of the said lever 32, which is pivoted in relation to the bush 8 if, in any circumstances, the lever 2 is locked in the deflected state and turning of the steering wheel causes automatic return movement of the resetting lever 30. During the said pivoting operation, the end parts 34 move upwards in the V-shaped notches 33, the spring 9 being stressed, until the pin 6 leaves the bush 8, thereby preventing destruction of parts of the steering-column switch.

Claims (7)

1. A steering-column switch, for a vehicle, comprising a turn-signal switch-control device which can be displaced substantially parallel to the steering-wheel plane by means of a control lever, and a low-beam/high-beam/headlamp-flasher control device which can be operated upon displacement of the lever substantially perpendicular to the said plane, the switch-over between low and high beam being effected by a quick-break switch, wherein all of the switching and or control operations are initiated by quick-break switches which are components of individual microswitches which are combined to form a switch group and are operated by control fingers disposed under a cover which accommodates springloaded detents of catches.

2. A switch according to Claim 1, wherein springs associated with the detents or catches are made of non-metallic material.

3. A switch according to Claim 2, wherein resetting or return movement of the control lever after deflection in the steering-wheel plane, is effected by a spring which is clamped between two deflectable detent plates associated with fixed complementary detent plates provided with rolling detent elements.

4. A switch according to claim 3, wherein the said spring is made of polyurethane foam.

5. A switch according to Claim 3 or 4, wherein the detent plates are accommodated on a bearing bush on whose upper end a pin.

which penetrates the control fingers and has reduced ends, is suspensibly mounted, each of the said ends resting in a V-shaped notch in a deflectable change-over lever cooperating with a resetting lever which initiates automatic return movement of the control lever, and wherein a further pin, which penetrates an associated control finger near to the group of switches, is supported with. prestressing on a slide, provided with detents, of a bearing plate which receives the prestressed sleeveshaped spring.

6. A switch according to Claim 5, wherein an elastomeric-leg spring, which receives the resetting lever in torsion-fast manner, is so supported at the ends as to be suspensible from the upper detent plate.

7. A steering-column switch substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawing.