JPH0449025Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Purpose of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a steering wheel used in an automobile or the like, and particularly relates to a horn mechanism.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, as shown in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 58-35434, a locking member provided on the horn pad side is slidably engaged with a mounting hole provided in the steering wheel body. A steering wheel has been proposed in which a horn pad and a contact plate are mounted on the steering wheel body so as to be movable up and down and urged upward. However, with this conventional structure, warping is likely to occur because the locking member slides into the mounting hole during the blowing operation.On the other hand, if the diameter of the mounting hole is made large to prevent warping, rattling occurs during the blowing operation. There was a problem that was more likely to occur.

Furthermore, as described in the above publication, in conventional steering wheels, a movable contact plate, which is a movable contact, is fixed to the horn pad with washers and screws, and a fixed contact, which is movably contacted by this contact plate, is attached to the horn pad. The structure is fixed to the steering wheel body. However, with this conventional structure, the horn mechanism cannot be operated unless the horn pad is attached to the steering wheel body, which causes inconvenience when testing the horn mechanism during manufacturing. Furthermore, since washers and screws were used to attach the contact plate, for example, the number of parts was large and the ease of assembly was poor.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) As mentioned above, in conventional steering wheels, fixed contacts are fixed to the steering wheel body, and a movable contact plate, which is a movable contact, is fixed to the horn pad attached to the steering wheel body. Because the horn mechanism was not sufficiently unitized due to the fact that the Furthermore, since washers and screws were used to attach the contact plate, there were problems in that the number of parts was large and assembly was poor.

The present invention aims to solve these problems, and aims to improve the manufacturability of the steering wheel by making the horn mechanism into a unit, and also to improve the ease of assembling the horn mechanism itself. It is something to do.

[Structure of the idea]

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides a steering wheel including a steering wheel body 1 and a horn mechanism 2 mounted on the steering wheel body 1, in which the horn mechanism 2 is connected to a horn plate 2.
1, a fixed contact 22 provided on the horn plate 21, a contact plate 36 that is movably contacted by the fixed contact 22 from above, and a horn spring 56 that urges the contact plate 36 upward. , the above contact plate 3
A horn pad 57 provided on the contact plate 36 and a fixing portion 43 in the intermediate portion that is penetrated through the fixing hole 26 formed in the horn plate 21 are wound around the horn spring 56 and formed in the contact plate 36. The locking member 41 has a support part 44 on the upper part that is vertically movably penetrated through the through hole 39 and has a mounting part 42 on the lower part that is press-fitted and fixed to the steering wheel main body 1 side,
Further, the fixing part 43 of this locking member 41 is connected to the collar part 4.
6, and an engaging piece 47 located apart below the flange 46 and sandwiching the periphery of the fixing hole 26 of the horn plate 21 between the flange 46. Fixing hole 26 of plate 21
a notch portion 27 through which the engaging piece 47 can pass in the vertical direction; a holding portion 29 located at a certain angle from the notch portion 27 and holding the engaging piece 47;
A locking portion 30 located at a certain angle away from the holding portion 29 and to which the engagement piece 47 is locked is provided in the peripheral portion, and a support portion 4 of the locking member 41 is provided.
4 has a retaining protrusion 50 located above the contact plate 36 on its outer circumferential surface, and the through hole 39 of the contact plate 36 has the engaging piece inserted through the notch 27 of the fixing hole 26. 4
It has a notch 40 in its periphery through which the retaining protrusion 50 can pass in the vertical direction only when the retainer 7 is rotated by a predetermined angle and engaged with the holding part 29.

(Function) In the steering wheel of the present invention, when assembling the horn mechanism 2, the locking member 41 is first inserted from above into the fixing hole 26 of the horn plate 21 in which the fixed contact 22 is provided. The engaging piece 47 of the fixing portion 43 at the intermediate portion of the fixing hole 26 passes through the notch 27 of the fixing hole 26 . Next, the locking member 41 is rotated, and the collar portion 4 of the fixing portion 43 of the locking member 41 is rotated.
6 and the engaging piece 47 sandwich the periphery of the fixing hole 26 of the horn plate 21. When the horn plate 21 is rotated by a certain angle, the engaging piece 47 engages with the holding part 29 of the fixing hole 26. and the locking member 41 is held at that position. In this state, the horn spring 56 is wound around the upper support part 44 of the locking member 41, and this support part 44 is attached to the contact plate 36.
At this time, the retaining protrusion 50 of the support portion 44 is inserted into the notch 4 of the through hole 39.
Pass 0. Next, when the locking member 41 is rotated by a certain angle in the same direction, the locking piece 47 is engaged with the locking portion 30 of the fixing hole 26, and the locking member 41 is rotated by a certain angle in the same direction.
1 is locked to the horn plate 21, and
Since the retaining protrusion 50 is positioned above the contact plate 36 and out of the notch 40 of the through hole 39, the contact plate is vertically movably supported above the horn plate 21 and biased upward by the horn spring 56. 36 is prevented from falling off. Furthermore, the horn pad 57 is attached onto the contact plate 36, and the assembly of the horn mechanism 2 is completed. Further, by press-fitting and fixing the mounting portion 42 at the lower part of the locking member 41 to the steering wheel main body 1 side, the horn mechanism 2 formed into a unit as described above is mounted on the steering wheel main body 1. When the horn pad 57 is pushed down, the contact plate 36 descends together with the horn pad 57 and comes into contact with the fixed contact 22, producing a sound.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the steering wheel of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 3, this steering wheel consists of a steering wheel body 1 and a horn mechanism 2 mounted on the steering wheel body 1.

First, the configuration of the steering wheel body 1 will be explained.

The steering wheel body 1 has an annular rim portion 3, spoke portions 4, and a boss portion 5. This boss portion 5 has a metal boss 11 that is attached to a steering shaft (not shown) as shown in FIG.
are welded. Further, a cover 14 in the form of a disc made of synthetic resin is fixed to the lower part of the boss 11, and a slip ring 15 electrically insulated from the boss 11 is fixed to the lower surface of the cover 14. In addition, 16 is the flange plate 1
An annular core material made of a hard synthetic resin is fixed to the core material 16, and a covering material 17 made of an elastic synthetic resin is provided to cover almost the entire core material 16. A mounting hole 18 is formed.

Next, the configuration of the horn mechanism 2 will be explained.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a horn plate made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG.
The contact screw 22 is electrically connected to the flange plate 13 of the steering wheel body 1 through a cord 24 tightened by the screw 22.

Further, the horn plate 21 has a downwardly bent engagement edge 25 formed at its peripheral edge, and a plurality of substantially circular fixing holes 26 corresponding to the plurality of mounting holes 18, respectively. There is. As shown in detail in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, a pair of notches 27 are formed around each of the fixing holes 26, and are symmetrical about the center thereof. As shown in FIG. , each fixing hole 26
The arrangement directions of the pair of notches 27 are set in the same direction. Note that reverse rotation prevention protrusions 28 are integrally provided on the side edges of the notches 27 on the counterclockwise side when viewed from below. Further, on the lower surface side of the peripheral part of each of the fixing holes 26, there is a space 60° apart from each of the notches 27 in the clockwise direction.
A groove-shaped holding portion 29 having a triangular cross section in the circumferential direction of the fixing hole 26 is formed, and
60° further clockwise from these holding parts 29
A triangular groove-shaped locking part 30, which is the same as this holding part 29, is formed separately. In addition, stopper pieces 31 are integrally provided on the counterclockwise side edges of these locking parts 30, respectively.

Reference numeral 36 denotes a contact plate made of metal, for example iron, which is a movable contact. As shown in FIG. connected to.

Further, a plurality of substantially circular through holes 39 are formed in the contact plate 36 and correspond to the plurality of fixing holes 26 of the horn plate 21, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 7, a pair of notches 40 symmetrical about the center are formed around the through holes 39, and as shown in FIG. The arrangement direction of the pair of notches 40 in each through hole 39 is set in the same direction, and is 60° clockwise with respect to the arrangement direction of the pair of notches 27 of the fixing hole 26 of the horn plate 21. It's shifted.

Reference numeral 41 denotes a locking member made of synthetic resin, for example, and this locking member 41 is formed into a substantially rotating body shape with the vertical direction as the axial direction, as shown in detail in FIGS. 4, 7, 8, and 9. The lower part is a mounting part 42 that is press-fitted into the mounting hole 18 of the steering wheel body 1, the middle part is a fixing part 43 that is penetrated through the fixing hole 26 of the horn plate 21, and the upper part is serves as a support portion 44 that is vertically slidably passed through the through hole 39 of the contact plate 36 .

A large-diameter portion 45 for preventing slippage is formed in the lower part of the mounting portion 42, which is smaller in diameter than the fixing hole 26 but larger in diameter than the mounting hole 18.

Further, the fixing part 43 has a lower part that is connected to the fixing hole 2.
It has almost the same diameter as 6, but the upper part has a fixing hole 26.
The flange portion 46 has a larger diameter. At the lower part of the outer circumferential surface of the fixing part 43, a notch 40 of the fixing hole 26 is formed in a symmetrical position about the center and separated from the flange part 46 by approximately the thickness of the horn plate 21 in the vertical direction. A pair of passable engaging pieces 47 are formed in a protruding manner. Further, on the upper surface of these engaging pieces 47, triangular engaging protrusions 48 having the same shape as the holding part 29 and the locking part 30 of the fixing hole 26 are formed. Note that an annular holding groove 49 that is open upward is formed in the upper part of the flange portion 46 .

Further, at the upper end of the outer circumferential surface of the support part 44, which has approximately the same diameter as the through hole 39, a pair of retaining protrusions are provided at positions symmetrical about the center thereof, which can pass vertically through the notch 40 of the through hole 39. 50 are formed in a protruding manner, and the direction in which these retaining projections 50 are arranged is the same as the direction in which the pair of engagement pieces 47 are arranged.

Reference numeral 56 denotes a coiled horn spring, which is wound around the support portion 44 of the locking member 41 and inserted into the holding groove 4 of the locking member 41.
The lower end is fitted into the contact plate 9, and the upper end is brought into contact with the contact plate 36, thereby urging the contact plate 36 upward.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, numeral 57 denotes a horn pad, which is formed into a case shape with an opening at the bottom. Further, the inside of the lower edge of this horn pad 57 is opened upward and the horn plate 2
An engagement groove 58 is formed to be engaged with the engagement edge 25 portion of one. The horn pad 57 is
Its own elasticity allows it to move up and down.
Furthermore, a rib 59 that presses the contact plate 36 from above is integrally provided on the inner surface of the horn pad 57.

Next, a method of assembling the horn mechanism 2 will be explained.

First, the locking members 41 are inserted into each of the fixing holes 26 of the horn plate 21 from above, and the lower surfaces of the flanges 46 of these locking members 41 are inserted into the horn plate 21.
1. Join to the top surface of 1. At this time, the engagement piece 47 of the locking member 41 passes through the notch 27 of the fixing hole 26. Next, each locking member 41 is rotated 60 degrees clockwise when viewed from below, and the flange 46 and the engagement piece 4 are rotated 60 degrees clockwise.
7 sandwich the periphery of the fixing hole 26 of the horn plate 21, but when the horn plate 21 is rotated by 60 degrees,
As shown in FIG. 10, the engagement protrusion 48 of the engagement piece 47 that was sliding on the lower surface of the horn plate 21 is fitted into the holding part 29 of the fixing hole 26, and the locking member 41 is held at that position. Ru. At this time, the anti-reverse rotation protrusion 2 is attached to the counterclockwise side edge of the notch 27.
8 prevents the locking member 41 from being erroneously rotated counterclockwise.

Next, with the locking members 41 temporarily fixed as described above, horn springs 56 are placed over the support portions 44 of each locking member 41, and the lower ends of these horn springs 56 are inserted into the holding grooves of the locking members 41. 4
9 is fitted. Next, the support portions 44 of each locking member 41 are inserted into each through hole 39 of the contact plate 36, respectively. At this time, the retaining protrusion 50 of the support portion 44 passes through the notch 40 of the through hole 39.

Next, when each locking member 41 is further rotated 60 degrees clockwise, the locking protrusion 48 of the locking piece 47 fits into the locking portion 30 of the fixing hole 26 of the horn plate 21, and The stopper piece 31
The locking members 41 are stopped by the engagement pieces 47, and these locking members 41 are locked to the horn plate 21. The engagement protrusion 48 of the engagement piece 47 and the holding portion 29 and locking portion 30 of the fixing hole 26 are engaged and disengaged due to the elasticity of the locking member 41 and the horn plate 21. In this state, the support portion 44 of each locking member 41
The retaining protrusion 50 of the contact plate 36
The contact plate 36 is located above the notch 40 of each through hole 39 to prevent the contact plate 36 from coming off.

In this way, the contact plate 36 is biased upward by the horn spring 56, and can move up and down within a predetermined range above the horn plate 21, and can freely approach and separate from the contact screw 22 on the horn plate 21 from above. Supported by

Further, the engagement groove 58 of the horn pad 57 is engaged with the engagement edge 25 of the horn plate 21 to attach the horn pad 57 above the horn plate 21 and the contact plate 36.

Further, in the horn mechanism 2 assembled in this way, for example, after attaching the steering wheel body 1 to the steering shaft and wiring, the attachment part 42 of the locking member 41 is inserted into the attachment hole 18 of the steering wheel body 1. It is attached to the steering wheel body 1 by press-fitting and fixing. In this state, the horn plate 21 of the horn mechanism 2 and the peripheral edge of the horn pad 57 are brought into close contact with the upper part of the cover 17 of the steering wheel body 1.

The contact screw 22 and the contact plate 36 are usually separated, but the horn pad 57
When the upper surface is pushed downward, its circumferential surface elastically curves, lowering the horn pad 57, and its ribs 59 push the contact plate 36 against the horn spring 56.
The contact plate 36 contacts the contact screw 22 and is emitted.

According to the above configuration, since the locking member 41 is fixed to the steering wheel body 1 and does not slide, there is no backlash between the steering wheel body 1 and the locking member 41 even during the blowing operation. never occurs.

Furthermore, since the steering wheel body 1, horn plate 21, and horn pad 57 are always in close contact with each other at the periphery, the horn mechanism 2
No dust inside.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, by fully unitizing the horn mechanism 2 attached to the steering wheel body 1, it is possible to make the horn mechanism 2, which is a fixed contact, and the contact plate 22, which is a movable contact that comes into contact with the fixed contact, in particular. By incorporating both 36 and 36 into the horn mechanism 2 side, for example,
Even when the horn mechanism 2 is not attached to the steering wheel body 1 at the time of manufacture, the horn mechanism 2 can be easily tested, thereby improving productivity.

Further, in the horn mechanism 2, screws and washers are not used to assemble the horn plate 21, contact plate 36, and horn pad 57 to each other, so the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. In particular, horn plate 21
The vertically movable contact plate 36 and the horn spring 56 are assembled to each other using the locking member 41 in order to assemble the horn mechanism 2 to the steering wheel body 1, thereby further reducing waste. It is the composition. Then, the locking member 41 is inserted between the horn plate 21 and the contact plate 36, and the locking member 41 is inserted between the horn plate 21 and the contact plate 36.
It can be assembled extremely easily by simply turning it 60 degrees, greatly improving assembly efficiency. Moreover, the engagement protrusion 48 of the engagement piece 47 of the locking member 41 is engaged with the holding part 29 of the fixing hole 26 of the horn plate 21, so that the contact plate is temporarily fixed to the horn plate 21. 36, the ease of assembly is further improved.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the notch 2 of the fixing hole 26
Although the angular distances between the holding part 7, the holding part 29, and the locking part 30 are each 60 degrees, it is of course not necessary to be 60 degrees. In addition, the angular distance between the notch 27 and the holding part 29,
The angular distance between the holding part 29 and the locking part 30 may be different. However, when the engagement protrusion 48 of the engagement piece 47 is engaged with the holding part 29, the locking member 4
The retaining protrusion 50 of 1 is attached to the contact plate 36
at a position where it can pass through the notch 40 of the through hole 39,
Providing this notch 40 is necessary.

[Effect of idea]

According to the present invention, a horn plate provided with a fixed contact and a contact plate connected to the fixed contact are assembled to each other by a locking member to constitute a horn mechanism, and this horn mechanism is connected to a horn pad and a steering wheel body. Since the horn mechanism can be sufficiently integrated into a unit independently from the horn mechanism and can be attached to the steering wheel body by press-fitting and fixing the above-mentioned locking member, the manufacturability of the steering wheel can be improved. In addition, the horn plate and the contact plate are connected by using a locking member that attaches the horn mechanism to the steering wheel body, inserting the fixed part of the locking member into the fixing hole of the horn plate, and rotating it by a certain angle. With the locking member temporarily fixed by engagement between the mating piece and the holding part, the support part of the locking member is inserted into the through hole of the contact plate and rotated by a certain angle, thereby reliably and easily. Since the horn mechanism itself can be assembled, the ease of assembling the horn mechanism itself can be greatly improved, and the manufacturability can be further improved. Additionally, the horn plate and contact plate are assembled to each other using a locking member for attaching the horn mechanism to the steering wheel body, without using screws or washers, reducing the number of parts. I can do it.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the central part of an embodiment of the steering wheel of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the vicinity of the fixed contacts of the above, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the entire steering wheel of the above, and Fig. 4 is the same as the above. An exploded perspective view of the vicinity of the locking member, FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the same through hole, and FIG.
The figure is a bottom view of the fixing hole as above, FIG. 7 is an exploded sectional view of the vicinity of the locking member including the cross-sectional view of FIGS. 5 and 6, FIG. 8 is a side view of the locking member as above,
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken from FIG. 8, FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the holding portion and the engagement piece, and FIG. 11 is a plan view of the horn plate and the contact plate. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Steering wheel body, 2... Horn mechanism, 21... Horn plate, 22... Contact screw which is a fixed contact, 26... Fixing hole, 27...
...Notch part, 29... Holding part, 30... Locking part, 3
6...Contact plate, 39...Through hole, 4
0...Notch part, 41...Locking member, 42...Mounting part, 43...Fixing part, 44...Supporting part, 46...
Flange portion, 47... engaging piece, 50... retaining protrusion,
56...Horn spring, 57...Horn pad.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] In a steering wheel that includes a steering wheel body and a horn mechanism mounted on the steering wheel body, the horn mechanism includes a horn plate and a fixing member provided on the horn plate. A contact, a contact plate that is movably contacted by the fixed contact from above, a horn spring that biases the contact plate upward, a horn pad provided on the contact plate, and a horn pad formed on the horn plate. The steering wheel has a fixing part in the middle part that passes through the fixing hole formed in the contact plate, a support part in the upper part that passes through the through hole formed in the contact plate so as to be vertically movable, and the horn spring is wound therein. A locking member having a mounting portion at the bottom that is press-fitted and fixed to the main body side, and the fixing portion of the locking member includes a flange portion and a spaced apart portion below the flange portion. The fixing hole of the horn plate has an engaging piece on the outer peripheral surface that sandwiches the peripheral part of the fixing hole of the horn plate, and the fixing hole of the horn plate has a notch through which the engaging piece can pass in the vertical direction, and a fixed angle from the notch. a holding part located apart from the holding part to hold the engaging piece, and a locking part located further away from the holding part by a certain angle to lock the engaging piece, in the peripheral part; The support portion of the member has a retaining protrusion located above the contact plate on its outer circumferential surface, and the through hole of the contact plate rotates the engaging piece inserted through the notch of the fixing hole by a predetermined angle. A steering wheel characterized in that the steering wheel has a notch in its periphery through which the retaining protrusion can pass in the vertical direction only when the retaining protrusion is engaged with the holding part.