JP2006224862A - Steering switch device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering switch device facilitated in the assembling work of a relatively high-load rotary driving mechanism, which comprises an operation knob, and easy to secure positioning accuracy. <P>SOLUTION: The steering switch device 3 is provided with a support member 4 fitted to a spoke part 1b, a holder 10 having a cam surface 10a and fitted on the support member 4 by snapping, the operation knob 5 turnably supported by the holder 10 and projecting into a space part 2 so as to be tilted for operation, a presser 11 and a coil screw 12 installed in the cylindrical part 5b of the operation knob 5, a circuit board 7 formed with a group of fixed contact points 16 and held by the support member 4, and a rubber sheet 8 provided with a group of rubber switches 9 and placed on the circuit board 7. The presser 11 is elastically brought in contact with the cam surface 10a. When the operation knob 5 is tilted for operation, the presser 11 is moved along the cam surface 10a and elastic force of the coil screw 12 is increased, and when operating force is eliminated, the operation knob 5 is automatically reset by the elastic force. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering switch device that is mounted on a steering wheel of an automobile and used to operate various devices such as an automatic transmission.

  Conventionally, a steering switch device is mounted inside a ring portion (annular portion) that is a gripping portion of a steering wheel of an automobile, and a driver operates the steering switch device manually, for example, while driving in a drive range. In particular, there is known a technology that can shift up and down.

  As a conventional example of such a steering switch device, various signal output means such as a push switch and a slide switch are housed in a support member attached to a spoke part and a pad part of a steering wheel, and the support member is rotated. A configuration is proposed in which an electrical signal is output from a desired signal output means by tilting an operation knob that is supported and pressing an operation key disposed on the front surface of the support member. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  In such a conventional steering switch device, the operation knob used for the operation of the automatic transmission is disposed so as to protrude in the space between the ring portion and the pad portion of the steering wheel and can be tilted in the front-rear direction. Yes. As a result, the driver can operate the operation knob with the thumb or the like while holding the ring portion of the steering wheel, so that excellent operability can be expected. The operation knob is connected to the upper part of the rotating body, and the support knob fixed inside the support member supports the rotating body so that the operation knob can be rotated on the support member. It is supported and can be tilted. The rotating body is provided with an urging portion extending obliquely downward and a switching portion extending substantially directly below. A coil spring and a pressing element are incorporated in the urging portion, and the pressing element is always in elastic contact with the guide surface formed on the support body. Therefore, when the operation knob is tilted, the pressing element follows the guide surface. When the coil spring is compressed and the operation force is removed, the operation knob is automatically returned to the non-operation position by the elastic force of the coil spring. A small circuit board is installed substantially horizontally below the support, and a plurality of fixed contacts formed on the circuit board, and a slide member provided with a slider that contacts and separates these fixed contacts, Thus, a slide switch mechanism that is driven by the switching portion when the operation knob is tilted is configured. That is, the switching portion is engaged with the slide member, and when the operation knob is tilted, the slide member slides on the circuit board via the switching portion, so that the slider and the plurality of fixed contacts are The contact position changes and an electrical signal corresponding to the position change is output. In addition, a convex portion is formed on the side wall of the support body, and the support body is positioned and fixed inside the support member by fitting the convex portion into a concave portion formed on the inner wall of the support member.

The above-described conventional steering switch device requires an operation force that resists the spring force of the coil spring when tilting the operation knob, thereby realizing a relatively high-load rotational drive mechanism including the operation knob. Yes. In addition, a plurality of operation keys used for inputting a switching signal such as a cancel signal are arranged on the front surface of the support member, and a push switch mechanism driven by pressing these operation keys is provided on the support member. It is arranged on a circuit board installed substantially vertically inside.
JP 2003-118587 A (page 3-6, FIG. 4)

  As described above, in the conventional steering switch device, the rotating body integrated with the operation knob is pivotally supported by the supporting body positioned and fixed to the supporting member, and the guide surface formed on the supporting body is supported by the rotating body. A relatively high-load rotational drive mechanism including the operation knob is realized by making the pressing element elastically contact the guide surface facing the urging unit, but the support is supported with the rotating body assembled. There is a problem in that it is not easy to assemble the rotary drive mechanism because the rotary member and the operation knob must be connected to each other at a predetermined position of the member. In addition, since the rotating body is interposed between the operation knob and the support body, the relative position between the guide surface of the support body and the bearing portion and the operation knob is likely to be displaced, and therefore the operation knob is in a misaligned state. There was a risk of being assembled.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a state of the art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a steering switch that can easily assemble a relatively high-load rotary drive mechanism including an operation knob and can easily secure the positional accuracy. To provide an apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the steering switch device of the present invention, a steering wheel having a pad portion provided inside the grip portion via a spoke portion, a support member attached to the steering wheel, A holder having a cam surface and snap-fitted to the support member, and an operation knob that is supported by the holder so as to be rotatable and protrudes into a space between the grip portion and the pad portion. A pressing element interposed between the cam surface and the operation knob, an elastic member that urges the pressing element toward the cam surface, and the operation that is held by the support member during the tilting operation. Signal output means for outputting an electrical signal by being driven by the knob, and by tilting the operation knob, the pressing element moves along the cam surface, and the elastic member is elastic. Configured to increase the force.

  In the steering switch device configured as described above, the pressing member moves along the cam surface in accordance with the tilting operation of the operation knob, and the elastic member increases the elastic force. The operation knob can be automatically returned to the non-operation position. Here, since the operation knob is rotatably supported by the holder having the cam surface, there is no need to separately incorporate a rotation member between the holder and the operation knob, and this holder can be easily snap-fitted. And it can attach to a support member correctly. Therefore, the assembly work of the relatively high-load rotary drive mechanism including the operation knob is greatly improved, and the positional accuracy can be easily secured.

  In the above configuration, the holder includes a bottom plate portion provided with the cam surface on an inner bottom surface, and a pair of side wall portions provided with pivot portions that engage with shaft holes or support shafts of the operation knob. If so, it is preferable because the shape of the holder can be simplified and the size can be easily reduced. In this case, if a locking hole or a locking projection that is snap-fitted to the support member is provided on both side walls of the holder, the holder is attached to the support member and to the operation knob almost simultaneously. Therefore, the assembly work can be further improved.

  Further, in the above configuration, the elastic member is a coil spring, and the operation knob is provided with a cylindrical portion protruding from the side facing the cam surface. When the coil spring and the pressing element are assembled, the return means for the operation knob having a relatively high load can be integrated in a compact manner, which is advantageous for downsizing of the entire apparatus, and the operation knob is tilted. Since the pressing element can be surely followed and the coil spring can be prevented from falling off, the reliability of the return means is easily improved, which is preferable.

  In the above configuration, the circuit board is held by the support member, and a push switch mechanism is provided on the circuit board so that the fixed contact and the movable contact are detachably opposed to each other. If there is no output means and the operation knob drives the movable contact during the tilting operation, the tilting operation direction of the operation knob and the pressing drive direction with respect to the movable contact can be substantially matched, so that the signal output means Can be made simple, which is preferable. Here, it is possible to use a push button switch for the push switch mechanism. For example, a fixed contact is formed on the circuit board, and a rubber switch having a movable contact is mounted on the circuit board. When the push switch mechanism is employed, the operation knob only needs to be provided with a drive unit for pushing the rubber switch into elastic deformation. At that time, it is preferable that the portion facing the rubber switch of the drive portion is an inclined surface, and this inclined surface is inclined so that the distance from the rubber switch becomes wider as the distance from the rotation center of the operation knob increases. As a result, the drive unit can push the rubber switch almost straight along with the tilting operation of the operation knob, so that the malfunction of the push switch mechanism can be surely prevented and the operation feeling is also good.

  Further, in the above configuration, another signal output means held by the support member at a position separated from the signal output means, and the other signal supported by the support member in a state where a predetermined operation is permitted. It is preferable that an operation member for driving the output means is provided, whereby a multifunction steering switch device capable of inputting various switching signals can be realized.

  In the steering switch device of the present invention, since the operation knob is rotatably supported by the holder having the cam surface with which the presser is elastically contacted, it is not necessary to separately incorporate a rotation member between the holder and the operation knob. This holder can be easily and accurately attached to the support member by snap-fitting, and therefore, it is easy to assemble a relatively high-load rotary drive mechanism including an operation knob and to ensure its position accuracy. A switch device is obtained.

  FIG. 1 is an external view of a steering switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a steering wheel equipped with the steering switch device. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the steering switch device, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a mounting structure of an operation knob and a holder provided in the steering switch device, and FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory view when the operation knob is tilted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the steering wheel 1 of an automobile includes an annular ring portion 1a as a gripping portion, a spoke portion 1b extending inside the ring portion 1a, and a central portion inside the ring portion 1a. A pad portion 1c that covers the spoke portion 1b is schematically configured, and a space portion 2 is defined at a plurality of locations (for example, three locations) between the ring portion 1a and the pad portion 1c. A steering switch device 3 is mounted on each of the left and right sides of the pad portion 1c, and a part of each steering switch device 3 protrudes into the upper space portion 2. In the present embodiment, both steering switch devices 3 positioned on the left and right sides of the pad portion 1c are basically symmetrical in shape, and the structure and operation thereof are basically the same. The steering switch device 3 located on the left side will be described.

  The steering switch device 3 can be tilted and protruded into the space 2 of the steering wheel 1 supported by the support member 4 attached to the spoke 1b of the steering wheel 1 and the support member 4 so as to be rotatable. An operation knob 5, a plurality of (for example, four) operation members 6 disposed on the front surface of the support member 4, a circuit board 7 fixed inside the support member 4, and a movable contact (not shown). A rubber sheet 8 provided on the circuit board 7 by projecting the provided rubber switch 9 at a plurality of locations; a holder 10 snap-fitted to the support member 4 and rotatably supporting the operation knob 5; The operation knob 5 is mainly composed of a pressing element 11 and a coil spring 12 for applying an operation load (operation load) and a return force. As will be described later, the operation knob 5 can be tilted (pushed) with the driver's fingers, and for example, downshifting can be performed by this tilting operation. The steering switch device 3 positioned on the right side of the pad portion 1c can be shifted up by, for example, tilting the operation knob 5.

  The support member 4 is formed by fitting and integrating a main case 13 and a back case 14 which are resin molded products, and a decorative cover 15 is attached to the front surface of the main case 13. The main case 13 and the rear case 14 are positioned and fixed in a state where the spoke portion 1b of the steering wheel 1 is sandwiched from the front and rear, and an upper extension portion 13a of the main case 13 and an upper extension portion 14a of the rear case 14 are provided. Projecting into the space 2 of the steering wheel 1 on the back side of the operation knob 5. The upper extension 13a of the main case 13 is provided with an opening 13b covered with the operation knob 5, and the main case 13 is provided with a plurality of openings 13c for arranging the respective operation members 6. . A circuit board 7 and a rubber sheet 8 are incorporated in the support member 4, and a holder 10 is incorporated in the opening 13 b of the main case 13.

  The operation knob 5 is a resin molded product. As shown in FIG. 7, the operation knob 5 is provided with a pair of shaft holes 5a, and the support shaft 10c of the holder 10 is fitted into the shaft hole 5a. Thus, the operation knob 5 is rotatably supported by the holder 10. A cylindrical portion 5b protrudes from the rear surface of the operation knob 5, and a presser 11 and a coil spring 12 are incorporated in the cylindrical portion 5b (see FIG. 6). Further, a drive portion 5 c is provided on the back surface of the operation knob 5, and this drive portion 5 c faces a rubber switch 9 that protrudes from the extending portion 8 a of the rubber sheet 8. In addition, this drive part 5c is an inclined surface in which the surface facing the rubber switch 9 is inclined so that the distance from the rubber switch 9 increases as the distance from the rotation center of the operation knob 5 increases.

  The holder 10 is a resin molded product, and includes a bottom plate portion 10b provided with a cam surface 10a on an inner bottom surface, and a pair of side wall portions 10e provided with the support shaft 10c and a locking hole 10d, and the bottom plate portion 10b. The side walls 10e are formed upright at both ends of the. As shown in FIG. 7, the holder 10 is a snap in which a locking hole 10 d provided in each side wall portion 10 e is fitted into a pair of fitting protrusions 13 d provided in the opening 13 b of the main case 13. The holder 10 is assembled by fitting, whereby the holder 10 can be positioned and fixed to the upward extending portion 13a. The cam surface 10a of the holder 10 is formed in a substantially V-shaped cross section, and the pressing element 11 is always in elastic contact with the cam surface 10a by the urging force of the coil spring 12. As will be described later, when the operating knob 5 is in a non-operating state, the pressing element 11 is in elastic contact with the valley of the cam surface 10a, but when the pressing element 11 is tilted by the tilting operation of the operating knob 5, the coil spring 12 is pressed. Is compressed to increase the elastic force, and the presser 11 changes the elastic contact position from the valley portion to the mountain portion (inclined surface) of the cam surface 10a.

  A fixed contact 16 is formed on the circuit board 7 at a position corresponding to each rubber switch 9, and a connector 17 connected to a wiring pattern (not shown) derived from the fixed contact 16 is mounted at one corner of the circuit board 7. Has been. As shown in FIG. 3, an extension board 7a having a square hole-like notch 7b is extended on one side of the circuit board 7, and the notch 7b can move the presser 11 freely. It is an escape hole that penetrates. The rubber sheet 8 placed on the circuit board 7 has a planar shape equivalent to that of the circuit board 7, and the rubber sheet 8 extends with a notch 8 b in the area placed on the extension board 7 a. The part 8a is extended. One rubber switch 9 that is pressed and driven by the operation knob 5 protrudes from the extending portion 8a. The fixed contact 16 located on the extending board 7a and the rubber switch 9 are illustrated. The push switch mechanism S1 is configured so as to be opposed to the movable contact that can be contacted and separated. Further, in the region other than the extending portion 8 a of the rubber sheet 8, six rubber switches 9 that are pressed and driven by the operation members 6, and movable contacts are not provided in the same shape as the adjacent rubber switches 9. Four rubber protrusions 9a are provided so as to protrude from each fixed contact 16 located in a region other than the extended board 7a of the circuit board 7 and movable contacts provided in each rubber switch 9 located thereabove. Are opposed to each other so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from each other, thereby forming six sets of push switch mechanisms S2. That is, as is apparent from FIG. 6, the steering switch device 3 has the operation knob 5 and each operation member 6 arranged on one side of the circuit board 7, and the notches 7 b and 8 b on the other side of the circuit board 7. The cam surface 10a is arranged at a position facing the surface, and the depth of the entire apparatus is designed not to increase even if the pressing element 11 is interposed between the operation knob 5 and the cam surface 10a.

  Each operation member 6 disposed on the front surface of the support member 4 is supported by a rubber switch 9 or a rubber protrusion 9a and is operated to be pressed or swinged. In order to operate, an operation force that can buckle the rubber switch 9 or the rubber protrusion 9a may be applied. On the other hand, since the operation knob 5 is supported by the holder 10 in a state where the presser 11 is elastically contacted with the valley portion of the cam surface 10a, the coil spring 12 is used to tilt the operation knob 5. The pressing element 11 must be released from the valley by being compressed, and therefore, a relatively high operating force against the elastic force of the coil spring 12 is required.

  In the steering switch device 3 configured as described above, first, the operation of the relatively high-load rotational drive mechanism including the operation knob 5 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, when the operation knob 5 is in the non-operation state, the pressing element 11 is urged by the coil spring 12 and elastically contacts the valley of the cam surface 10a. The rubber switch 9 is located away from the rubber switch 9 on the extension board 7a. Therefore, the movable contact of the rubber switch 9 is kept out of contact with the opposed fixed contact 16, and the push switch mechanism S1 is in the off state. . In this state, when the operation knob 5 is tilted by applying an operating force from the front side, as shown in FIG. 8, the pusher 11 is tilted by being driven by the cylindrical portion 5 b of the operation knob 5. While the coil spring 12 is compressed in the inside to increase the elastic force, the pressing element 11 changes the elastic contact position from the valley part of the cam surface 10a to the peak part (inclined surface), and the pressing element 11 A click feeling is generated when leaving the club. Further, since the drive unit 5c pushes the rubber switch 9 on the extension board 7a in accordance with the tilting operation of the operation knob 5, the movable contact of the rubber switch 9 comes into contact with the fixed contact 16 facing the push switch mechanism S1. The ON signal is output from Therefore, it is possible to manually shift down during traveling in the drive range based on the ON signal.

  Thereafter, when the operation force applied to the operation knob 5 that is tilted as described above is removed, the pressing element 11 is pushed back from the peak portion of the cam surface 10a to the valley portion due to the elastic force of the coil spring 12. The pusher 11 drives the cylindrical portion 5b, and the operation knob 5 automatically returns to the non-operation position shown in FIG. Further, since the drive unit 5c is separated from the rubber switch 9 on the extension board 7a in accordance with the returning operation of the operation knob 5, the movable contact of the rubber switch 9 is separated from the fixed contact 16 that has been in contact with the push switch. The mechanism S1 returns to the off state.

  Next, the operation of each operation member 6 disposed on the front surface of the support member 4 will be described. When the operation member 6 located on the upper side of FIG. 1 is pressed, the operation member 6 presses and drives the corresponding rubber switch 9 to elastically deform (buckling deformation), so that the movable contact of the rubber switch 9 is The push switch mechanism S2 comes into contact with the opposing fixed contact 16 and an ON signal is output. When the operating force is removed, the rubber switch 9 automatically returns to the non-operating position by the elastic force. When the operation member 6 located on the lower side of FIG. 1 is swung upward or downward, the operation member 6 presses and drives the corresponding rubber switch 9 and rubber protrusion 9a according to the swing direction. In order to cause elastic deformation (buckling deformation), the movable contact of the rubber switch 9 comes into contact with the opposite fixed contact 16 and an ON signal is output from the push switch mechanism S2, and when the operating force is removed, the rubber switch 9 And, it automatically returns to the non-operation position by the elastic force of the rubber protrusion 9a. In addition, when the rubber switch 9 or the rubber protrusion 9a is driven to be buckled and deformed, a click feeling is generated.

  As described above, the steering switch device 3 according to the present embodiment utilizes the space on the back side, which is the tilting operation direction of the operation knob 5, and the push switch mechanism S1 for the operation knob 5 is disposed there. The relatively high-load rotary drive mechanism including the operation knob 5 has a compact configuration, and the entire apparatus is downsized. Further, it is not necessary to intervene another member between the push switch mechanism S1 and the operation knob 5, and the drive unit 5c of the operation knob 5 can directly drive the rubber switch 9 of the push switch mechanism S1, thereby reducing the number of parts. In addition, the structure is advantageous for improving assembly. As shown in FIG. 6, the driving unit 5 c has an inclined surface facing the rubber switch 9, and the driving unit 5 c causes the rubber switch 9 to be almost straight as the operation knob 5 is tilted. Since the push switch mechanism S1 can be pushed in, the push switch mechanism S1 is unlikely to malfunction, and a good operational feeling can be expected.

  Further, in this steering switch device 3, the push switch mechanism S1 for the operation knob 5 and the plurality of push switch mechanisms S2 for each operation member 6 are all disposed on a common circuit board 7, and each push switch mechanism Since the rubber switches 9 of S1 and S2 are also provided on the common rubber sheet 8, the number of parts is greatly reduced, and the electrical connection is simplified. Therefore, the steering switch device 3 is very easy to assemble. Moreover, the steering switch device 3 is provided with notches 7b and 8b on the extended board 7a of the circuit board 7 and the extended part 8a of the rubber sheet 8 placed on the extended board 7a, respectively. Since the extended substrate 7a and the extended portion 8a are considered so as not to hinder the operation of the presser 11, a relatively high-load rotational drive including the operation knob 5 is performed without hindering downsizing of the entire apparatus. A required mounting space can be secured in the mechanism.

  Further, in this steering switch device 3, the holder 10 having the cam surface 10a supports the operation knob 5 so as to be rotatable without interposing another member, and the holder 10 is simply and accurately supported by snap fitting. Since it can be attached to the member 4 (main case 13), it is easy to ensure the positional accuracy of the relatively high-load rotational drive mechanism including the operation knob 5, and the assembly work can be easily performed. Moreover, since the holder 10 has a simple shape in which the side wall portions 10e are erected at both ends of the bottom plate portion 10b, there is no possibility that the miniaturization of the rotary drive mechanism is impaired. Further, each side wall portion 10e of the holder 10 is provided with a locking hole 10d corresponding to the fitting protrusion 13d of the main case 13 and a support shaft 10c corresponding to the shaft hole 5a of the operation knob 5 in close proximity. Therefore, the holder 10 can be attached to the support member 4 (main case 13) and the operation knob 5 almost simultaneously, so that the assembly operation of the rotary drive mechanism is very easy. It has become. The concave-convex relationship between the fitting protrusion 13d and the locking hole 10d may be reversed, and the concave-convex relationship between the shaft hole 5a and the support shaft 10c may be reversed.

  Moreover, in this steering switch device 3, since the pressing element 11 and the coil spring 12 for automatically returning the operation knob 5 to the non-operation position are incorporated in the cylindrical portion 5b of the operation knob 5, The return means for the operation knob 5 having a relatively high load can be integrated in a compact manner, which is advantageous for downsizing the entire apparatus. In addition, the cylindrical portion 5b can reliably follow the presser 11 when the operation knob 5 is tilted, and can prevent the coil spring 12 from falling off, so that the reliability of the return means is increased. Yes.

  In the embodiment described above, the steering wheel 1 in which the ring portion 1a serving as the gripping portion has an annular shape has been described. However, the shape of the gripping portion is not limited to the annular shape, and is provided on both sides of the pad portion via the spoke portion. It may be an arc-shaped gripping portion provided or a semi-arc-shaped gripping portion provided from both sides of the pad portion upward via a spoke portion.

1 is an external view of a steering switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view which shows the steering wheel which mounted | wore with this steering switch apparatus. It is a disassembled perspective view of this steering switch device. It is sectional drawing which follows the IV-IV line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the VV line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the VI-VI line of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the attachment structure of the operation knob and holder with which this steering switch apparatus is equipped. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing at the time of tilting operation of this operation knob.

Explanation of symbols

1 Steering wheel 1a Ring part (gripping part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1b Spoke part 1c Pad part 2 Space part 3 Steering switch apparatus 4 Support member 5 Operation knob 5a Shaft hole 5b Cylindrical part 5c Drive part 6 Operation member 7 Circuit board 8 Rubber sheet 9 Rubber switch 10 Holder 10a Cam surface 10b Bottom plate part 10c Support shaft 10d Locking hole 10e Side wall 11 Presser 12 Coil spring (elastic member)
13 Main case 13d Mating protrusion 14 Back case 16 Fixed contact S1, S2 Push switch mechanism (signal output means)

Claims (8)

A steering wheel having a pad portion provided inside the grip portion via a spoke portion, a support member attached to the steering wheel, a holder having a cam surface and snap-fitted to the support member, An operation knob that is rotatably supported by the holder and protrudes into a space between the gripping portion and the pad portion, and a pressure interposed between the cam surface and the operation knob. An elastic member that urges the pressing member toward the cam surface, and a signal output unit that is held by the support member and outputs an electric signal when driven by the operation knob during the tilting operation. Prepared,
A steering switch device, wherein the pusher moves along the cam surface by tilting the operation knob, and the elastic member increases a resilience.   The holder according to claim 1, wherein the holder includes a bottom plate portion provided with the cam surface on an inner bottom surface, and a pair of side wall portions provided with pivot portions engaging with shaft holes or support shafts of the operation knob. A steering switch device comprising:   3. The steering switch device according to claim 2, wherein a locking hole or a locking projection that is snap-fitted to the support member is provided on the side wall portion of the holder.   The elastic member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the elastic member is a coil spring, and the operation knob is provided with a cylindrical portion projecting from the side facing the cam surface. A steering switch device in which the coil spring and the pressing element are incorporated in the cylindrical portion.   5. The push switch mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a circuit board held by the support member, wherein a fixed contact and a movable contact are opposed to each other so as to be able to contact and separate. A steering switch device characterized in that the push switch mechanism serves as the signal output means, and the operation knob drives the movable contact when tilting.   6. The push switch mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the fixed contact of the push switch mechanism is formed on the circuit board, and a rubber switch having the movable contact is mounted on the circuit board, and the operation knob is attached to the operation knob. A steering switch device, characterized in that a drive unit is provided for pressing and elastically deforming the rubber switch.   7. The part of the drive unit facing the rubber switch is an inclined surface, and the inclined surface is spaced apart from the rubber switch as the distance from the rotation center of the operation knob increases. A steering switch device characterized by being inclined to   The signal output unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein another signal output unit held by the support member at a position separated from the signal output unit and the support member in a state where a predetermined operation is allowed. A steering switch device comprising an operation member that is supported and drives the other signal output means.

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