JPH0430740Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Technical Field> The present invention relates to a horn switch for an automobile steering wheel, and more particularly to a center horn type horn switch in which the horn pad portion is formed to be thin at the upper part and thick at the lower part.

<Prior Art> In recent years, center horn type horn switches for automobile steering wheels have been developed to improve the design of the horn pad (consisting of the horn pad, switch portion, and switch support), or to improve the design of the horn pad (consisting of the horn pad, switch portion, and switch support) In order to improve the visibility of the front panel, a horn switch has been developed in which the shape of the horn pad is almost horizontal when viewed from the driver, that is, the upper part is thinner and the lower part is thicker.

However, in such a horn switch with a horn pad section that is thin at the top and thick at the bottom, for example, a spring plate that serves as a contact plate and a biasing spring is placed at the top and bottom of the steering wheel, sandwiching the boss section of the steering wheel. If two spring plates are placed at the same height relative to the boss plate so that
Because the horn pad is thin at the top and thick at the bottom, the push-down ribs (ribs that push down the spring plate) and guide legs (legs that guide the vertical movement of the horn pad) that protrude from the back of the horn pad are extremely long. There was a risk that the strength of the parts would be weakened and problems would arise in operability. Furthermore, if the push-down rib integrally molded with the horn pad becomes longer, hairs tend to form on the surface of the horn pad, which may impair the design.

<Purpose of the invention> The present invention was developed in consideration of the above points, and has a horn pad portion that is thin at the top and thick at the bottom, and has spring plates that also serve as contact plates at the top and bottom, sandwiching the boss. By arranging the upper and lower spring plates of the horn switch with a difference in level from the boss plate, there will be no strength problems with the push-down ribs and guide legs provided on the horn pad, the switch will be easy to operate, and the design of the horn pad will be improved. This provides a horn switch for the steering wheel that does not damage the vehicle.

<Structure of the invention> To this end, the present invention provides a horn switch for a steering wheel in which the horn pad part is thin at the upper part and thick at the lower part, and a spring plate and a contact plate which also serve as contact plates are arranged at the upper and lower parts with a boss in between. The present invention is characterized in that the heights of the upper spring plate and contact plate are lower and the heights of the lower spring plate and contact plate are higher with respect to the boss plate.

<Example> Hereinafter, an example of this invention will be described based on the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a front view of a horn switch in an automobile steering wheel with the horn pad removed, Fig. 2 shows a sectional view taken along line A-A, and Fig.
The figure shows a sectional view taken along line BB, FIG. 4 shows a sectional view taken along line CC, and FIG. 5 shows a sectional view taken along line DD. Reference numeral 1 denotes a boss fixed to the tip of the steering shaft. A boss plate 2 is fixed around the boss 1 by welding, and a switch support 3 made of synthetic resin is fixed onto the boss plate 2. The switch support 3 stands up at the bottom of the boss portion as shown in FIG. For this purpose, a horn pad portion 20 consisting of the switch support 3, a contact plate, a spring plate, and a horn pad (described later) is formed to be thin at the top and thick at the bottom. Further, a coating layer 4 made of, for example, urethane resin is integrally molded with the spoke portion using the switch support 3 as an insert. As shown in FIG. 4, on the upper part of the switch support 3, a contact plate 5 is inserted into a fitting recess 6 on one side and fixed on a fixing screw 7 on the other side. The spring plate 8 is then riveted. This spring plate 8 is formed by bending both sides of a belt-shaped leaf spring slightly upward and attaching contacts to both sides, and is electrically insulated from the contact plate 5 and connected to the positive electrode of the battery by a lead wire. , which also serves as a spring that biases the horn pad and a contact plate on the movable side. Further, this spring plate 8 has an elongated hole-shaped notch formed near the center thereof, by which the operating force of the horn switch is adjusted. Furthermore, a contact plate 5 and a spring plate 8 having the same structure as above are attached to the lower rising portion of the switch support 3, as shown in FIG. They are arranged in steps, with the lower part being lower and the lower part being higher. on the other hand,
Two support holes 9 are formed on both sides of the switch support body 3 at stepped positions at the upper and lower portions, into which guide legs of a horn pad, which will be described later, are slidably inserted and supported. The horn pad 10 has a substantially deformed hexagonal front shape as shown in the imaginary line in FIG.
It is formed of coin resin or the like to have a cross-sectional shape as shown in the imaginary line in the figure, and a skin layer is formed of soft resin on the surface. On the back side of the horn pad 10, four push-down ribs 11 are provided to press down each side of the two spring plates 8 at four locations, and hook-shaped guide legs are inserted into the support holes 9. 12
A slit is cut vertically and protruded into a predetermined position. The horn pad 10 having such a structure has four guide legs 12 connected to each support hole 9 with each push-down rib 11 in contact with each spring plate 8.
In the installed state, the guide leg 12 is prevented from coming off by the hook at the tip, and can freely slide within the support hole 9. Also, horn pad 1
0 is mounted with the upper part lower and the lower part higher than the boss plate 2, but since the pair of spring plates 8 and contact plates 5 are also mounted with the upper part lower and the lower part high, the upper part of the horn pad 10 is lower. The lengths of the push-down ribs 11 and guide legs 12 can be short like the lower part, and no strength problems arise. On the other hand, a lower cover 13 made of hard resin from the boss portion to the lower side of the spoke portion is fixed to the boss plate 2 with mounting screws 14 shown in FIG. 4, and a protrusion 15 shown in FIG.
It is attached by fitting into a fixed leg 16 provided on a part of the.

In the horn switch configured in this way, when the horn pad 10 is pressed down, the horn pad 10 is pushed down while its guide leg 12 is guided by the support hole 9, and the spring plate 8 is moved in the pressing direction by the pressing rib 11. The switch is turned on when it bends and contacts the contact plate 5, but since the guide legs 12 and push-down ribs 11 are all short, stable operability can be obtained even if the horn pad is thin at the top and thick at the bottom, and there is no possibility of failure. There will be none.

In the above embodiment, the switch portion consisting of the contact plate etc. is attached to the boss plate side, but the switch portion can also be attached to the horn pad side. Also, in the above embodiment, separate contact plates are provided on the upper and lower parts of the boss, but it is also possible to form the upper and lower contact plates into a stepped shape and use them as a switch support.

<Effects of the invention> As explained above, in the horn switch of the invention, the horn pad is thin at the top and thick at the bottom, and a spring plate and a contact plate, which also serve as contact plates, are arranged at the top and bottom with the boss in between. The installed steering wheel has a step structure so that the upper spring plate and contact plate are lower in height than the boss plate, and the lower spring plate and contact plate are higher. Therefore, there is no need to lengthen only the lower part of the push-down ribs and guide side provided on the horn pad for pushing down the spring plate, and the structure can be made short and aligned, which reduces the strength of the push-down ribs and guide legs. This can be prevented, and the horn pad can be pressed down smoothly.
The operability of the switch is also improved, and sinking on the surface of the horn pad can be prevented.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The figures show an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a front view of the horn switch, FIG. C-C
The sectional view and FIG. 5 are the same DD sectional views. 1...Boss, 2...Boss plate, 5...Contact plate, 8...Spring plate, 2
0...Horn pad part.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A horn switch for a steering wheel in which the horn pad part is thin at the top and thick at the bottom, and a spring plate and a contact plate that also serve as contact plates are arranged at the top and bottom with a boss in between. A steering wheel horn switch characterized by having a lower contact plate and a lower spring plate and a higher contact plate.