JP3802751B2 - Automotive steering switch - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted steering switch attached to a steering wheel of an automobile and used for operating various devices such as an automatic transmission.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a plurality of steering switches are installed at arbitrary positions on the steering wheel, and the driver selectively operates these steering switches, for example, to manually shift up while driving in the drive range. Alternatively, a technique for shifting down is known.
[0003]
As a conventional example of such a vehicle-mounted steering switch, a plurality of operation knobs are arranged on the front surface or both front and back surfaces of the pad portion extending inside the ring portion of the steering wheel, and a push switch is housed inside each operation knob. Has been proposed. These push switches have a built-in movable contact and a fixed contact. When the operation knob is in a non-pressed state, the movable contact in the push switch is in an off state away from the fixed contact, and any operation knob can be pressed. Then, the movable contact in the corresponding push switch contacts the fixed contact and is turned on.
[0004]
In the vehicle-mounted steering switch configured as described above, when the driver selectively presses an arbitrary operation knob while holding the ring portion of the steering wheel, the push switch housed in the operation knob is turned on. For example, when the driver pushes up another operation knob, another push switch housed in the operation knob is turned on, and the on signal is Can be shifted down based on.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, in a conventional vehicle-mounted steering switch, a plurality of operation knobs are arranged at arbitrary positions on the steering wheel, and these operation knobs are selectively pressed with a driver's finger, so Each push switch housed in the switch is turned on / off. Therefore, when performing two different controls, for example, upshifting and downshifting, based on the on / off switching signal of each push switch, the driver needs to selectively press at least two operation knobs. In particular, when two control switching operations are performed continuously, the driver has to move a finger from one operation knob to the other operation knob, and there is room for improvement in terms of operability.
[0006]
Further, as described above, the conventional vehicle-mounted steering switch requires at least two operation knobs to perform two different controls, and these operation knobs are arranged on the pad portion of the steering wheel. In addition, since it is necessary to secure an installation space for a horn switch, an air bag or the like in the pad portion of the steering wheel, there is a problem that the installation space for the operation knob is greatly limited. In particular, in order to improve the operability, when giving the same control function to the left and right operation knobs, a total of four operation knobs must be arranged, two on each of the left and right sides of the pad portion of the steering wheel. Arranging such a large number of operation knobs in a limited space of the steering wheel has a problem that the degree of freedom in design is greatly restricted.
[0007]
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 an in-vehicle steering switch that is excellent in operability and requires less installation space.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle-mounted steering switch according to the present invention includes a support member mounted on a steering wheel formed by extending a spoke portion inside an annular ring portion, and is rotatable on the support member. is supported by a, an operation knob which projects the space defined between the spokes and the ring portion, and a hollow portion provided inside the operation knob, the hollow provided on the support member A stopper projection protruding into the part, output switching means capable of outputting two types of electrical signals depending on the rotation direction of the operation knob, and a self-return mechanism for automatically returning the operation knob to the rotation neutral position wherein the stopper protrusion and said self-return mechanism is provided on the opposite position through the rotation axis of the operation knob, rotating the operating knob from the rotation neutral position in opposite directions As a result, the output switching means selectively outputs one of the electrical signals, and the stopper projection comes into contact with the inner wall of the hollow portion, thereby restricting the rotation range of the operation knob. It was configured as follows.
[0009]
In the vehicle-mounted steering switch configured as described above , the operating knob is self-returned in a non-operating state in which no external force is applied to one operating knob protruding into the space between the spoke portion and the ring portion of the steering wheel. The mechanism is held in a rotating neutral position. When the driver pushes the operation knob to the back side (push) or pulls it to the front side (pull), the output is switched according to the rotation direction of the operation knob. Two different types of electrical signals are selectively output from the means, and further rotation of the operation knob is restricted when the stopper projection comes into contact with the inner wall of the hollow portion. Accordingly, the driver can perform two control different by push / pull manipulation of one manipulating knob with a finger, also, as excessive force is applied to the operating knob during such operation, the force Since it can be stably received by the stopper projection, the operability can be improved, the installation space for the operation knob can be reduced , and the internal space of the operation knob can be effectively used to make it small and strong. A high stopper mechanism can be realized.
[0010]
In the above configuration, it is preferable to form the inner wall of the hollow portion where the stopper protrusion comes into contact with a thicker wall than the surroundings, because the stopper strength can be further increased . In the above configuration, the shape of the stopper protrusion is not particularly limited. However, if the stopper protrusion is formed in a tapered shape, the rotation angle of the operation knob can be freely set according to the taper angle of the stopper protrusion. it can.
[0011]
Further, in the above configuration, the self-return mechanism includes a cam surface having a substantially V-shaped cross section provided on the support member, and a ball pressed against the cam surface by the spring force of the spring. It is preferable that the ball is accommodated in a recess provided in the operation knob. Further, in the above configuration, the output switching means includes a circuit board supported by the support member, and a slider attached to the operation knob and slidably contacting the circuit board, and the circuit board and the self return mechanism are provided with stopper protrusions. It is preferable that the position is shifted in the direction of the rotation axis of the operation knob. Further, in the above configuration, the steering wheel has a pad that covers the spoke portion, and one support member is fixed to the left and right of the back surface of the pad, and the operation knob projects from the both support members into the space. Preferably it is. In the above-described configuration, it is preferable that one of the shift-up operation and the shift-down operation is performed by rotating the operation knob in the opposite directions from the rotation neutral position.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a steering wheel provided with a vehicle-mounted steering switch according to this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a rear view of the steering wheel, and FIG. Is a perspective view of the in-vehicle steering switch, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the in-vehicle steering switch, FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a self-return mechanism of the in-vehicle steering switch, and FIG. 6 is a stopper of the in-vehicle steering switch. It is explanatory drawing which shows the switching operation | movement of a mechanism and a contact.
[0013]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the steering wheel 1 includes an annular ring portion 1a, a spoke portion 1b extending from the inside of the ring portion 1a toward the center, and a pad portion 1c that covers substantially the entire spoke portion 1b. A plurality of (for example, three) space portions 2 are defined between the inner peripheral edge of the ring portion 1a and the pad portion 1c. One on-vehicle steering switch 3 is arranged on the left and right of the back surface of the pad portion 1c, and a part of the on-vehicle steering switch 3 projects into one space portion 2 from the back surface of the pad portion 1c. In this embodiment, the vehicle-mounted steering switch 3 is arranged one by one on the left and right sides of the pad portion 1c. However, both the vehicle-mounted steering switches 3 are only symmetrical in shape, and their structure and operation Since these are basically the same, the vehicle-mounted steering switch 3 shown on the right side of FIG. 1 will be described below.
[0014]
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the vehicle-mounted steering switch 3 includes a fixed-side support member 4 and a movable-side operation knob 6, and the operation knob 6 is connected to the support member 4 via a connecting pin 5. It is pivotally supported so that it can rotate. As will be described later, the operation knob 6 can be pushed or pulled by the driver's fingers, and based on two types of ON signals output by these push / pull operations, the up-shift and down-shift 2 Two control switches are made.
[0015]
The synthetic resin support member 4 has a plurality of positioning protrusions 4c, and is fixed to the back surface of the pad portion 1c by appropriate means such as screwing in a state of being prevented from rotating by the protrusions 4c. Further, it has a shaft hole 4d through which the connecting pin 5 is inserted. A stopper protrusion 4a is integrally formed on one side surface of the support member 4, and the stopper protrusion 4a is formed in a tapered shape that gradually decreases in thickness from the root portion to the tip (see FIG. 6). . Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a cam surface 4b is formed on the lower side surface of the support member 4, and the cam surface 4b is formed in a substantially V-shaped cross section. Further, a circuit board 7 is fixed to the upper surface of the support member 4 using screws 8, and the circuit board 7 is covered with a synthetic resin cover 9 that is snap-coupled to the upper part of the support member 4. As shown in FIG. 6, a pair of resistance patterns 7a and 7b and one current collection pattern 7c are formed on the circuit board 7, and these resistance patterns 7a and 7b and the current collection pattern 7c are not shown in the drawing pattern. It is led out of the support member 4 via a cable or the like.
[0016]
The operation knob 6 includes a knob body 10 and a knob cover 11 made of synthetic resin. The knob body 10 and the knob cover 11 are joined and integrated with each other using a plurality of screws 12. As described above, the operation knob 6 is pivotally supported by the support member 4 by the connecting pin 5 and its free end side protrudes into the space 2 from the back surface of the pad portion 1c. . The knob body 10 has a shaft hole 10a through which the connecting pin 5 is inserted, and a lower portion of the knob body 10 is provided with a recess 10b extending in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the shaft hole 10a. A part of the holder 13 is inserted and fixed in the recess 10b, and a ball 14 and a spring 15 are accommodated in the holder 13. As shown in FIG. 5, the ball 14 receives the elastic force from the spring 15 and is pressed against the cam surface 4 b of the support member 4. When the operation knob 6 rotates about the connecting pin 5, the ball 14 is While compressing the spring 15, the cam surface 4 b shifts from the valley to the peak. A rotary slider 16 is concavo-convexly fitted on the knob body 10, and a shaft hole 16 a through which the connecting pin 5 is inserted is also formed in the rotary slider 16. The connecting pin 5 is inserted through the shaft holes 10a and 16a of the knob body 10 and the rotary slider 16 and the shaft hole 4d of the support member 4, and is prevented from coming off by locking a washer 17 at the upper end thereof. Yes. The rotary slider 16 is formed with a protrusion 16b extending parallel to the upper surface of the support member 4, and a slider 18 is attached to the lower surface of the protrusion 16b. The rotary slider 16 rotates above the circuit board 7 in conjunction with the rotation of the operation knob 6, and accordingly the slider 18 moves over the resistance patterns 7 a and 7 b and the current collection pattern 7 c formed on the circuit board 7. The circuit board 7 and the slider 18 constitute an output switching means.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 6, a hollow portion 19 having one side opened is provided inside the operation knob 6, and this hollow portion 19 is defined by joining and integrating the knob body 10 and the knob cover 11. The The stopper projection 4a of the support member 4 is inserted into the hollow portion 19, and a predetermined interval is secured between the inner wall of the hollow portion 19 and the stopper projection 4a along the rotation direction of the operation knob 6. ing. Here, thick portions 10c and 11a are formed on the inner walls of the knob body 10 and the knob cover 11, respectively, and the stopper projection 4a comes into contact with the thick portions 10c and 11a as the operation knob 6 rotates. The rotation angle of the operation knob 6 is regulated within a predetermined range.
[0018]
Next, the operation of the vehicle-mounted steering switch 3 configured as described above will be described mainly with reference to FIGS.
[0019]
As described above, the operation knobs 6 of the pair of left and right vehicle-mounted steering switches 3 protrude into the space 2 from the back surface of the pad portion 1c of the steering wheel 1, and these operations are performed as shown in FIG. In a non-operating state where no external force is applied to the knob 6, the ball 14 receives the elastic force of the spring 15 and is pressed against the valley of the cam surface 4 b, so that both the operating knobs 6 are stable at the rotational neutral position Is held. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), the stopper protrusion 4 a faces the thick portions 10 c and 11 a in the hollow portion 19 with a predetermined interval, and is attached to the rotary slider 16. Since the slider 18 is separated from both the resistance patterns 7a and 7b on the circuit board 7, both the vehicle-mounted steering switches 3 are switched off.
[0020]
In such a switch-off state, when the driver holding the ring portion 1a of the steering wheel 1 pushes (pushes) one of the left and right operation knobs 6, for example, the right operation knob 6, to the back side with the thumb, FIG. ), The operation knob 6 rotates in one direction around the connecting pin 5, and the ball 14 moves from one trough to the other crest of the cam surface 4 b while compressing the spring 15. . Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, when the one thick portion 11a in the hollow portion 19 abuts against the stopper projection 4a, the operation knob 6 is angle-controlled so that it cannot be rotated any further. Since the slider 18 comes into contact with one of the resistance patterns 7a, the resistance pattern 7a and the current collecting pattern 7c are brought into conduction through the slider 18, and the switch is turned on to output the first ON signal. The Therefore, it is possible to manually shift up during traveling in the drive range based on the first ON signal. When the push operation force with respect to the operation knob 6 is removed, the ball 14 receives the elastic force of the spring 15 and shifts from the peak portion to the valley portion of the cam surface 4b. It returns automatically to the drive range with the switch off.
[0021]
Further, when the driver pulls the right operation knob 6 in the switch-off state with the index finger or the middle finger (pull), for example, as shown in FIG. While rotating in the other direction, the ball 14 moves from the valley of the cam surface 4b to the other peak while compressing the spring 15. Then, as shown in FIG. 6A, the other thick portion 10c in the hollow portion 19 abuts against the stopper projection 4a, so that the angle of the operation knob 6 is restricted so that it cannot be rotated any further. Since the slider 18 comes into contact with the other resistance pattern 7b, the resistance pattern 7b and the current collection pattern 7c are brought into conduction through the slider 18, and the switch is turned on to output the second ON signal. The Therefore, it is possible to manually shift down during traveling in the drive range based on the second ON signal. Also in this case, when the pull operation force on the operation knob 6 is removed, the ball 14 receives the elastic force of the spring 15 and moves from the peak portion to the valley portion of the cam surface 4b. It automatically returns to the position, and with that, it switches off and returns to the drive range.
[0022]
The operation of the left operation knob 6 is the same as that of the right operation knob 6, and the driver selectively pushes / pulls either the left or right operation knob 6 to shift up or down. be able to.
[0023]
As described above, in the vehicle-mounted steering switch 3 according to this embodiment, the operation knob 6 pivotally supported by the support member 4 is protruded into the space 2 of the steering wheel 1, By pushing / pulling the operation knob 6 with the fingers of the driver, two controls of upshifting and downshifting can be selectively performed, so that the operability can be greatly improved and one operation can be performed. Since the knob 6 can perform two controls, the installation space for the operation knob 6 can be reduced. In addition, the stopper protrusion 4a provided on the support member 4 is inserted into the hollow portion 19 of the operation knob 6, and the stopper protrusion 4a comes into contact with the inner wall of the hollow portion 19 as the operation knob 6 rotates. Alternatively, even if an excessive force is applied to the operation knob 6 during the pulling operation, the force can be received by the stopper projection 4a and kept at a stable strength. Moreover, since the thick portions 10c and 11a are formed on the inner wall of the hollow portion 19 and the stopper protrusion 4a is brought into contact with the thick portions 10c and 11a, a highly strong stopper mechanism can be realized. Further, since the stopper protrusion 4a is formed in a tapered shape, the rotation angle of the operation knob 6 can be freely set by appropriately adjusting the taper angle of the stopper protrusion 4a.
[0024]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the switching between the upshift and the downshift is controlled by the in-vehicle steering switch 3 is described. However, the control content by the in-vehicle steering switch 3 is not limited to this, for example, the setting of auto cruising It is also possible to apply to other control switching such as switching and mute switching of audio equipment.
[0025]
In the above embodiment, the vehicle-mounted steering switch 3 having the same function is disposed on the pad portion 1c of the steering wheel 1 one by one on the left and right, and the driver selectively pushes the operation knob 6 of both the vehicle-mounted steering switches 3. However, either one of the vehicle-mounted steering switches 3 may be omitted, or the left and right vehicle-mounted steering switches 3 can perform different control switching.
[0026]
In the above embodiment, the case where the output switching means is configured by the circuit board 7 provided on the support member 4 and the slider 18 provided on the operation knob 6 has been described. For example, two push switches provided on the support member 6 may be selectively turned on by rotating the operation knob 6. May be.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention is implemented in the form as described above, and has the following effects.
[0029]
The operating knob that protrudes into the space between the spoke and ring portions of the steering wheel is held in the rotating neutral position by the self-return mechanism when not operated, and this operating knob is rotated in the reverse direction with reference to the rotating neutral position. When the operation is performed, two types of electrical signals that are different depending on the rotation direction of the operation knob are selectively output, and the stopper projection comes into contact with the inner wall of the hollow portion to restrict the rotation angle of the operation knob. Therefore, the driver can perform two different controls by pushing / pulling one operation knob, and even if an excessive force is applied to the operation knob during such operation, the driver is stabilized by the stopper projection. Therefore, it is possible to provide a vehicle-mounted steering switch that can be kept strong and therefore has excellent operability and requires less installation space.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of a steering wheel provided with a vehicle-mounted steering switch according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a rear view of the steering wheel.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the vehicle-mounted steering switch.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle-mounted steering switch.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a self-return mechanism of the vehicle-mounted steering switch.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a switching operation of a stopper mechanism and contacts of the vehicle-mounted steering switch.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steering wheel 1a Ring part 1b Spoke part 1c Pad part 2 Space part 3 Vehicle-mounted steering switch 4 Support member 4a Stopper protrusion 4b Cam surface 5 Connection pin 6 Operation knob 7 Circuit board 7a, 7b Resistance pattern 7c Current collection pattern 10 Knob body 10a Shaft hole 10b Recess 10c Thick part 11 Knob cover 11a Thick part 13 Holder 14 Ball 15 Spring 16 Rotating slider 16a Shaft hole 16b Projecting part 18 Slider 19 Hollow part

Claims (7)

A support member mounted on a steering wheel formed by extending a spoke part inside an annular ring part, and pivotally supported by the support member, and is defined between the spoke part and the ring part. an operation knob which projects made space, a hollow portion provided inside the operation knob, a stopper projection projecting provided on the support member in said hollow portion, depending on the rotational direction of the operation knob Output switching means capable of outputting two different types of electrical signals, and a self-return mechanism for automatically returning the operation knob to the rotation neutral position ,
The stopper protrusion and the self-return mechanism are provided at opposite positions via a rotation shaft of the operation knob, and the operation knob is rotated in a direction opposite to each other from the rotation neutral position. The output switching means selectively outputs any one of the electrical signals, and the stopper projection comes into contact with the inner wall of the hollow portion so that the rotation range of the operation knob is restricted. A featured vehicle-mounted steering switch. The vehicle-mounted steering switch according to claim 1 , wherein an inner wall of a portion of the hollow portion with which the stopper protrusion abuts is formed thicker than its surroundings. 3. The vehicle-mounted steering switch according to claim 1 , wherein the stopper projection is formed in a tapered shape. The self-return mechanism according to claim 1, comprising a cam surface having a substantially V-shaped cross section provided on the support member, and a ball pressed against the cam surface by receiving the spring force of a spring, A vehicle-mounted steering switch, wherein the spring and the ball are housed in a recess provided in the operation knob. 2. The circuit according to claim 1, wherein the output switching means includes a circuit board supported by the support member, and a slider attached to the operation knob and in sliding contact with the circuit board. A vehicle-mounted steering switch, wherein a return mechanism is displaced in the direction of the rotation axis of the operation knob via the stopper projection. 2. The steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the steering wheel has a pad that covers the spoke part, and the support members are fixed to the back surface of the pad one by one on the left and right sides, and the operation knobs are respectively connected to both the support members. A vehicle-mounted steering switch that protrudes into the space. 2. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, wherein either one of a shift-up operation and a shift-down operation is performed by rotating the operation knob in the opposite directions from the rotation neutral position. Steering switch.

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