JP3859378B2 - Steering wheel with shift switch - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a steering wheel in which a shift switch that is operated by swinging an operation button in the front-rear direction is disposed at a portion in the vicinity of the ring portion on the upper surface side of a spoke portion that is arranged to extend substantially in the left-right direction.
[0002]
[Prior art and its problems]
Conventionally, there has been a steering wheel provided with a shift switch that can change the number of stages of a transmission of an automobile (see JP-A-7-144554).
[0003]
In this shift switch, as a seesaw type, an operation button is disposed in a portion near the ring portion on the upper surface side of the spoke portion arranged so as to extend substantially in the left-right direction. The operation buttons are arranged so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction.
[0004]
For example, the shift switch shifts the transmission up when the operation button is swung down to the front side, and shifts down the transmission when the operation button is swung down to the rear side. Was configured to let.
[0005]
However, in the conventional shift switch, the operation button is formed in a convex shape along the outer surface of the spoke portion so that the upper surface thereof is flush with the coating layer of the spoke portion. That is, in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the spoke portion, the upper surface side of the operation button is formed in a substantially halved cylindrical shape.
[0006]
Therefore, when trying to operate the operation button with the thumb while steering the steering wheel, if the sweat etc. is on the thumb, the thumb slides on the upper surface of the operation button and it is difficult to operate the shift switch. There was room for improvement in the operability of the switch.
[0007]
The present invention solves the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a steering wheel including a shift switch with improved operability.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the steering wheel according to the present invention, a shift switch that is operated by swinging the operation button in the front-rear direction is disposed at a position in the vicinity of the ring portion on the upper surface side of the spoke portion that is arranged to extend substantially in the left-right direction. A steering wheel with a shift switch,
The operation button is depressed downward substantially along the formation direction of the spoke portion so as to continue from the upper surface side above the swing center of the operation button to at least the upper surface side of the coating layer of the spoke portion on the ring portion side. A concave groove is formed.
[0009]
In the present specification, the relationship in the front-rear direction is the same as the relationship in the front-rear direction of the vehicle at the time of steering in the straight traveling state of the vehicle, and the relationship in the left-right direction is also the left-right direction in the straight traveling state of the vehicle at that time Is the same. The vertical relationship in this specification is the same as the vertical relationship along the steering shaft when the steering wheel is mounted on an automobile. Further, the horizontal direction in the present specification indicates a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the steering shaft.
[0010]
【The invention's effect】
In the steering wheel according to the present invention, even if the ring part is grasped by the four fingers of the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger, the concave groove is depressed downward substantially along the formation direction of the spoke part, and to the operation button part. Since it extends, if the thumb is arranged so as to be fitted along the concave groove on the upper surface side of the spoke portion covering layer, the tip side of the thumb can be easily arranged at the operation button portion. .
[0011]
And in the part of the operation button, the concave groove storing the thumb is formed so as to be depressed downward along the formation direction of the spoke part on the upper surface side above the swing center of the operation button. If the tip end side of the thumb is simply moved forward, the tip end side of the thumb can press the vicinity of the front edge of the peripheral edge of the groove, and the operation button can be smoothly swung forward. If the front end side is simply moved rearward, the front end side of the thumb presses the vicinity of the rear edge of the peripheral edge of the groove, and the operation button can be smoothly swung back.
[0012]
Therefore, in the steering wheel according to the present invention, when trying to operate the operation button with the thumb during steering, even if sweat or the like is on the thumb, the front and rear edges of the peripheral edge of the groove of the operation button can be easily pressed. The shift switch can be operated reliably, and the operability of the shift switch can be improved.
[0013]
Furthermore, the concave groove is formed so as to be long in the substantially left-right direction substantially along the formation direction of the spoke portion from the upper surface side above the swing center of the operation button to at least the upper surface side of the spoke portion coating layer. , Easy to store thumb even during steering.
[0014]
If the thumb is stored in the concave groove, the standby position before the thumb operation becomes constant, so that the operability of the shift switch can be stabilized.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. A steering wheel W according to an embodiment includes an annular ring portion R and a boss portion disposed at the center of the ring portion R as shown in FIG. B, and four spoke portions S that connect the boss portion B and the ring portion R to each other.
[0016]
The steering wheel W is provided with a steering wheel core 1 so as to connect the parts R, B, and S. As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, the steering wheel metal core 1 has a substantially cylindrical boss 2 a connected to a steering shaft (not shown) in the metal core 2 of the boss part B, and is made of steel. 2, the boss plate 2 b surrounding the boss 2 a, the core metal 3 of each spoke portion S, and the core metal 4 of the ring portion R are formed of an aluminum alloy or the like formed by die casting.
[0017]
Further, a coating layer 5 is coated on the ring core 4 and the ring R side of each spoke core 3. The covering layer 5 is composed of a main body portion 6 such as urethane formed by injection molding on the core metal 3 and 4 side, and leather 7 covering the outer surface of the main body portion 6.
[0018]
Reference numerals 8 and 8 shown in FIG. 1 are horn switch mechanisms attached to the spoke core metal 3, and these horn switch mechanisms 8 are connected to the lower side of the pad 9 incorporating the airbag device. The pad 9 is supported.
[0019]
As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, shift switches 10 and 10 are disposed on the two spoke portions Sf that extend in the substantially left-right direction on the front side of the spoke portion S, respectively. Each shift switch 10 has an accommodation recess 5a formed on the boss B side on the upper surface side of the covering layer 5 provided on the ring portion R side of each spoke portion Sf, and is respectively formed on the bottom surface 5b of the accommodation recess 5a. Has been placed. In FIG. 1, the shift switch 10 on the left side is only partially illustrated, but is only symmetrical with the shift switch 10 on the right side. Therefore, hereinafter, the right side shift switch 10 will be described, and the description of the left side shift switch 10 will be omitted.
[0020]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the shift switch 10 includes an operation button 11 disposed on the upper surface side, a case 20 that supports the operation button 11 so as to be swingable, a contact plate 30, a base plate 39, and a mounting bracket. 43.
[0021]
The operation button 11 is made of a hard synthetic resin such as polypropylene, and includes an upper surface side cover portion 12 and a base portion 13 fixed to the back surface side of the cover portion 12. The base portion 13 is formed with leg portions 14 and 14 that extend downward in opposition to each other in the vicinity of the left and right edges of the substantially center in the front-rear direction on the lower surface side, and each leg portion 14 is concentric with each other at the lower end. In particular, a shaft hole 14a penetrating in the horizontal direction of the left and right direction is penetrated. A support shaft 21a (described later) of the case 20 is inserted into each shaft hole 14a, and the operation button 11 is disposed so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction with the shaft holes 14a and 14a as the swing center O.
[0022]
Further, on the lower surface of the base portion 13 of the operation button 11, pressing portions 15 and 16 are formed in the vicinity of the front and rear edges so as to protrude downward in a bar shape. In addition, substantially cylindrical spring seats 17 and 18 for receiving the upper ends of the coil springs 25 that bias the operation buttons 11 upward are formed around them.
[0023]
The case 20 is formed of a hard synthetic resin such as polypropylene, and has a substantially box shape that covers between the covering layer 5 of the spoke portion Sf and the operation button 11. The case 20 has support wall portions 21 and 21 formed on the upper surface on the inner side so as to be opposed to each other in the left-right direction at a predetermined interval and to extend upward. The support wall portions 21 are opposed to each other in the left-right direction. The support shaft 21a is formed so as to protrude in the horizontal direction and inserted into the shaft holes 14a of the leg portions 14 and 14 of the operation button 11. Further, on the upper surface on the inner side of the case 20, substantially cylindrical assembly boss portions 22 and 23 into which the pressing portions 15 and 16 of the operation button 11 are inserted are formed near the front and rear edges. Recessed seats 22a and 23a are formed at the lower portions of the inner peripheral surfaces of the assembled boss portions 22 and 23, respectively. The lower ends of the coil springs 25 are supported on the seats 22a and 23a with a cylindrical portion 27a of an elastic plate 27 described later interposed therebetween.
[0024]
The elastic plate 27 is formed of an insulating silicon rubber or the like, and is formed in a substantially disc shape that can be inserted into the respective assembly boss portions 22 and 23 of the case 20. The elastic plate 27 is disposed on the outer peripheral edge and is disposed so as to block the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical portion 27a and the cylindrical portion 27a that is supported by the seats 22a and 23a of the assembly boss portions 22 and 23. And a thin portion 27b. And the disk-shaped conductor 28 which consists of a metal plate with favorable electrical conductivity is adhering to the lower surface of the thin part 27b. The conductor 28 is arranged so as not to interfere with the seats 22a and 23a in a state where the elastic plate 27 is supported by the seats 22a and 23a of the assembled boss portions 22 and 23.
[0025]
The contact plate 30 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the case 20 and the base plate 39. Three contact points 31, 32, and 31 are arranged on the upper surface side of the lower position of the conductor 28 fixed to the elastic plate 27 on the front side of the contact plate 30. Three contact points 33, 32, 33 are arranged on the upper surface side of the lower position of the fixed conductor 28. Each of the contacts 32 and 32 is electrically connected to the negative side of a control circuit that shifts up or down the number of transmission stages via a lead wire 35 (see FIG. 2), a terminal 37 (see FIG. 1), or the like. The contacts 31 and 31 are electrically connected to the positive side of a control circuit for shifting up the number of transmission stages via lead wires 34 (see FIG. 2), terminals 37, and the like. 33 is electrically connected to the positive side of a control circuit for shifting down the number of transmission stages via a lead wire 36 (see FIG. 2), a terminal 37, and the like. Therefore, the operation button 11 is swung forward against the biasing force of the coil spring 25F on the front side, the thin portion 27b of the elastic plate 27 is bent downward by the pressing portion 15, and the conductor 28 is contacted with the contact 31. If the contacts 31 and 31 are brought into contact with each other, the contacts 31 and 32 are electrically connected to each other, so that a control circuit for shifting up the number of stages of the transmission is operated, and the number of stages of the transmission can be shifted up. Further, the operation button 11 is swung rearward against the urging force of the coil spring 25B on the rear side, the thin portion 27b of the elastic plate 27 is bent by the pressing portion 16, and the conductor 28 is connected to the contacts 33 and 32. If contact is made with 33, the contacts 33 and 32 are electrically connected to each other, so that the control circuit for shifting down the number of stages of the transmission is operated, and the number of stages of the transmission can be shifted down.
[0026]
The base plate 39 is formed of a hard synthetic resin such as polypropylene and is disposed on the lower surface of the case 20. On the lower surface side, a locking leg 40 having a lower end bulged and a rod-shaped positioning leg 41 are provided below. Projected to. The locking leg 40 is inserted and locked in the locking hole 5c provided in the bottom surface 5b of the storage recess 5a of the covering layer 5, and the positioning leg 41 is inserted in the insertion hole 5d provided in the storage recess bottom surface 5b. Yes. The locking leg 40 is for temporarily fixing the shift switch 10 to the storage recess 5a, and the positioning leg 41 is for preventing rotation of the shift switch 10 at the time of temporary fixing.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 5, the mounting bracket 43 is made of sheet metal, and as shown in FIG. 5, the upper plate 44 that supports the base plate 39, the contact plate 30, the case 20, and the like, and the lower plate that is connected to the spoke core metal 3 with screws 48. And a connecting plate portion 45 that connects the upper and lower plate portions 44 and 46. An attachment hole 46 a for inserting a screw 48 to be screwed into the screw hole 3 a of the core 3 is formed in the lower plate portion 46.
[0028]
The upper plate portion 44, the base plate 39, the contact plate 30, and the case 20 are inserted by a plurality of screws (not shown) that are inserted into the case 20 through the base plate 39 and the contact plate 30 from the lower surface of the upper plate portion 44. Is integrated.
[0029]
The shift switch 10 is assembled by first placing an elastic plate 27 and a coil spring 25 on which the conductors 28 are fixed on the seats 22a and 23a of the assembly boss portions 22 and 23 of the case 20, respectively. The leg portions 14 and 14 of the operation button 11 are inserted into the inside of the support wall portions 21 and 21 of the case 20 from above, and the leg portions 41 and 41 are bent to support the support shafts 21a and 21a in the shaft holes 14a. And the operation button 11 is assembled to the case 20. Thereafter, the contact plate 30 to which the lead wires 34, 35, and 36 are connected is disposed at a predetermined position on the lower surface of the case 20, and the base plate 39 is disposed on the lower surface of the contact plate 30. 43, when the upper plate portion 44 is disposed, and a plurality of screws (not shown) are inserted through the upper plate portion 44, the base plate 39, and the contact plate 30 from below and screwed into the case 20, the shift switch 10 is Can be assembled as an assembly.
[0030]
After the shift switch 10 is assembled, the locking leg 40 is inserted and locked into the locking hole 5c, and the positioning leg 41 is inserted into the insertion hole 5d so that the upper plate portion 44 side of the mounting bracket 43 is inserted into the storage recess 5a. While making it contact | abut to the bottom face 5b, the lower board part 46 of the attachment bracket 43 is made to contact | abut to the spoke part metal core 3, the attachment hole 46a of the lower board part 46 is penetrated, and the screw 48 is screwed together to the screw hole 3a. Then, the shift switch 10 can be attached to the steering wheel W.
[0031]
And in the steering wheel W of embodiment, as shown to FIGS. 1-3 * 5, the recessed part 11a for grooves is formed in the upper surface side of the operation button 11, and also the coating | cover in the site | part of the spoke part Sf by the side of the ring part R A groove recess 5e is formed on the upper surface side near the operation button 11 of the layer 5 so as to be continuous with the groove recess 11a, and further, on the upper surface side of the coating layer 5 in the ring portion R in the vicinity of the spoke portion Sf, A groove recess 5f is formed so as to be continuous with the groove recess 5e, and a recess groove 50 is formed that is recessed downward substantially along the formation direction of the spoke portion Sf. In the case of the embodiment, the end portion side of the groove recess 5f that is away from the spoke portion Sf slightly extends forward.
[0032]
The groove recess 11 a of the recessed groove 50 is formed to be recessed downward on the upper side of the swing center O of the operation button 11, leaving the edge on the boss portion B side on the upper surface of the operation button 11.
[0033]
In addition, the groove 50 has a cross-sectional shape of an arc that gently draws a curved surface from the periphery so that the thumb P can be easily stored. In the case of the embodiment, the groove 50 has a width dimension D (see FIG. 1) of about 17 mm and a depth dimension d (see FIG. 4) of about 3 mm. The depth d of the groove 50 is set so as to gradually become shallower toward the groove recess 5f side of the ring portion R.
[0034]
In the steering wheel W of this embodiment, when the shift switch 10 is operated, even if the ring portion R in the vicinity of the spoke portion Sf is gripped by the four fingers of the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger, the concave groove 50 is formed on the spoke portion Sf. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the thumb P is placed in the groove recesses 5f and 5e on the upper surface side of the covering layer 5 because it is recessed downward substantially along the forming direction and extends to the portion of the operation button 11. If it arrange | positions so that it may fit along, it can arrange | position the front end side Pt of the thumb P to the site | part of the operation button 11 easily.
[0035]
And in the part of the operation button 11, the recessed part 11a for groove | channel which accommodated thumb P is dented below along the formation direction of the spoke part Pf in the upper surface side in the upper side of the rocking | swiveling center O of the operation button 11. Therefore, if the thumb tip side Pt is simply moved forward, the thumb tip side Pt presses the vicinity of the front edge 11b of the groove recess 11a as shown in FIG. If the thumb tip side Pt is simply moved backward, the thumb tip side Pt presses the vicinity of the rear edge 11c of the groove recess 11a. The operation button 11 can be smoothly swung back.
[0036]
At this time, if the operation button 11 is swung to the front side, the pressing portion 15 on the front side is lowered as described above, and the conductor 28 is brought into contact with the contacts 31, 32, 31 via the elastic plate 27. Since the contacts 31 and 32 are made conductive, the control circuit for shifting up the number of stages of the transmission operates and the number of stages of the transmission can be shifted up. On the contrary, if the operation button 11 is swung rearward, as described above, the rear pressing portion 16 is lowered and the conductor 28 is brought into contact with the contacts 33, 32, 33 via the elastic plate 27. Since the contacts 33 and 32 are made conductive, the control circuit for shifting down the number of transmission stages is operated, and the number of transmission stages can be shifted down.
[0037]
Therefore, in the steering wheel W of the embodiment, when the operation button 11 is to be operated with the thumb P during steering, even if sweat or the like is on the thumb P, the front and rear edges 11b. Since 11c can be easily pressed, the shift switch 10 can be operated reliably, and the operability of the shift switch 10 can be improved.
[0038]
Further, the concave groove 50 extends substantially from the upper surface side above the swing center O of the operation button 11 to the upper surface side of the covering layer 5 of the spoke portion Sf and the ring portion R and substantially along the formation direction of the spoke portion Sf. It is formed so as to be long in the left-right direction, and the thumb P can be easily stored even during steering.
[0039]
If the thumb P is stored in the concave groove 50, the standby position before the operation of the thumb P becomes constant, so that the operability of the shift switch 10 can be stabilized.
[0040]
In the embodiment, the case where the groove recess 5f is provided in the covering layer 5 in the ring portion R and the groove 50 extends to the portion of the ring portion R of the covering layer 5 is shown. You may make it not provide the groove 50 in a site | part.
[0041]
Further, in the embodiment, when the shift switch 10 is attached to the main body X (see FIG. 1) side of the steering wheel W, the shift switch 10 as an assembly is locked in the locking hole 5c of the coating layer 5 on the main body X side. The leg 40 is inserted and locked, and the positioning leg 41 is inserted into the insertion hole 5d of the coating layer 5 on the main body X side to be temporarily fixed. Therefore, at the time of this temporary fixing, the locking leg 40 is inserted and locked into the locking hole 5c, so that the shift switch 10 is prevented from coming off upward, and the positioning leg 41 is inserted into the insertion hole 5d. Thus, since the shift switch 10 is prevented from rotating in the horizontal direction, the shift switch 10 does not move and the screw 48 fixing operation can be performed smoothly. The steering wheel body X refers to a portion of the steering wheel W excluding the shift switch 10.
[0042]
Furthermore, in the embodiment, the shift switch 10 causes the lower surface of the lower plate portion 46 of the mounting bracket 43 to abut on and support the spoke core metal 3 of the steering wheel main body X, and the upper plate portion 44 and base plate of the mounting bracket 43. 39. Since the lower surface side of the case 20 is in contact with and supported by the bottom surface 5b of the storage recess 5a in the covering layer 5 of the steering wheel main body X and is supported on the steering wheel main body X side in two steps, it is stable. It is supported. Furthermore, in the upper stage, the shift switch 10 has a locking leg 40 and a positioning leg 41 extending downward inserted in the covering layer 5, and in the lower stage, the shift switch 10 is fixed to a screw 48 that is screwed into the spoke core metal 3 in the vertical direction. In addition, horizontal blurring is prevented and disposed. Therefore, even when a strong force from the top, bottom, front, back, left and right acts on the case 20 of the shift switch 10 when the steering wheel W is steered, the displacement of the shift switch 10 is suppressed, and the shift switch 10 can be stably operated for a long period of time. Can be operated.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shift switch of the embodiment.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line III-III in FIG.
4 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line VV in FIG.
6 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
5 ... coating layer,
5e, 5f, 11a ... recess for groove,
10 ... shift switch,
11 ... operation buttons,
50 ... concave groove,
R ... Ring part,
S ・ Sf… spoke part,
W ... Steering wheel.

Claims (1)

A steering wheel provided with a shift switch in which a shift switch that is operated by swinging an operation button in the front-rear direction is disposed at a position in the vicinity of the ring portion on the upper surface side of the spoke portion that is arranged to extend substantially in the left-right direction. There,
The operation button is depressed downward substantially along the formation direction of the spoke portion so as to continue from the upper surface side above the swing center of the operation button to at least the upper surface side of the coating layer of the spoke portion on the ring portion side. A steering wheel having a shift switch, wherein a concave groove is formed.

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