JPH0646773Y2 - Horn switch mounting structure for steering wheel - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial field of application> The present invention relates to a mounting structure of a horn switch provided on a steering wheel of an automobile, and more specifically, a horn button type partly arranged on an upper surface of a spoke portion. A mounting structure for a horn switch.

<Prior art and its problems> Conventionally, as a mounting structure of a horn switch of a horn button type provided on an upper surface of a spoke portion of a steering wheel, a structure shown in Fig. 5 is known (actual exploitation 59).
-12759).

In this conventional example, the horn switch mechanism H0 is mounted on the support fitting 65.
Are mounted on the steering wheel main body 70 using the two mounting screws 68.

In the horn switch mechanism H0, the support fitting 65 functions as a fixed contact plate, and a movable contact plate 62 made of a leaf spring is arranged above the fixed contact plate 65 with an insulating spacer 64 interposed therebetween. By depressing the horn button 61 arranged above the contact plate 62, the movable contact plate 62 comes into contact with the fixed contact plate 65 and activates a predetermined horn.

In the mounting structure of the conventional example, the support metal fitting 65 in which the assembled horn switch mechanism H0 is arranged is mounted to the steering wheel body 70 with the two mounting screws 68,
It is necessary to hold the support fitting 65 until the two mounting screws 68 are screwed, and the screwing operation itself is performed with two mounting screws.
Since it was necessary to screw 68, it took a lot of time to install it including the positioning work.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a mounting structure in which a supporting metal fitting having an assembled horn switch mechanism can be easily mounted to a steering wheel body without trouble. The purpose is to

<Means for Solving the Problems> The mounting structure according to the present invention is a mounting structure for a horn switch in which a horn switch mechanism is arranged on an upper surface side of a spoke portion of a steering wheel body by using a support fitting. The metal fitting has an upper horizontal plate portion on which the horn switch mechanism is arranged, an vertical plate portion extending downward from an edge of the upper horizontal plate portion, and a mounting hole and a positioning hole extending from a lower portion of the vertical plate portion. A lower horizontal plate portion, and is arranged at a position corresponding to the mounting hole and a positioning projection fitted in the positioning hole on the steering wheel body below the position where the horn switch mechanism is arranged. A fixing member is formed, and a step is formed on the end surface of the coating layer that covers the cored bar of the spoke portion on the side of the arrangement position of the horn switch mechanism. The lower surface of the tip portion of the upper horizontal plate portion on which the push mechanism is arranged is brought into contact with the upper surface of the step portion, and the lower horizontal plate portion fits the positioning protrusion into the positioning hole and passes through the mounting hole. It is characterized in that it is attached to the steering wheel body by an attachment member fixed to the fixing member.

<Operation and effect of the invention> With the mounting structure according to the invention, when mounting the supporting metal fitting having the assembled horn switch mechanism on the steering wheel body, the steering wheel is positioned in the positioning hole in the lower lateral plate portion of the supporting metal fitting. If the positioning protrusions of the wheel body are fitted, the mounting hole will automatically be aligned with the screw hole as the fixing member of the steering wheel body, and then the mounting screw as the mounting member will be screwed through the mounting hole. The lower lateral plate portion can be easily attached to the steering wheel main body by screwing into the hole.
At that time, in the upper lateral plate portion of the support fitting in which the horn switch mechanism is arranged, the lower surface of the tip end portion thereof is supported by being brought into contact with the step portion of the covering layer end surface of the spoke portion of the steering wheel body. Become.

Then, after mounting, the lower horizontal plate portion of the support metal fitting is screwed in a state in which the positioning projection is fitted in the positioning hole, and the lower horizontal plate portion is stably attached to the steering wheel main body. Further, the upper horizontal plate portion connected to the lower horizontal plate portion of the support fitting through the vertical plate portion,
The tip end portion is held in contact with the step portion of the covering layer of the spoke portion, and the upper lateral plate portion is also stably attached to the steering wheel body.

Therefore, in the mounting structure according to the present invention, since the positioning projection is fitted in the positioning hole and the screwing operation is performed, the positioning operation of the support fitting is facilitated and the support fitting is held separately when screwed. No need to
Since the screwing work itself only requires the screwing work of one mounting screw, the support fitting can be easily attached to the steering wheel body.

<Embodiment> An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In the mounting structure of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the horn switch mechanism H1 is held by the support fittings 15 in the steering wheel W having four spokes S, respectively.
It is arranged on the upper surfaces of the two spokes S on the front side. In this steering wheel W, the boss 1 of the boss B and the core 3 of the spoke S are connected by the boss plate 2 made of die-cast metal, and the core 4 of the ring R and the core 3 of the spoke 3 are connected. The ring portion R side is covered with a coating layer 5 made of synthetic resin, and further, in the boss portion B, an impact energy absorber (not shown) is arranged between the upper portion of the boss 1 and the pad 6.

The horn switch mechanism H1 of the embodiment includes a horn button 11, a movable contact plate 12, and a coil spring 1 in order from above.
3, an insulating spacer 14, a fixed contact plate 15 that functions as a support fitting, and a plate-like member 16 are provided. In the left horn switch mechanism H1 (not shown), a fixed contact plate that functions as a support fitting. Each member including is formed as a left-right contrast with each member of the right horn switch mechanism.

The horn button 11 is made of a hard synthetic resin such as ABS, and on its lower surface, a cylindrical shaft portion 11a protruding downward at a central position is provided, and both left and right positions with the shaft portion 11a interposed therebetween. Two ribs 11b and 11c are projected on the. These ribs 11b and 11c form a contact portion that contacts the upper surface of the movable contact plate 12.

The movable contact plate 12 is bent downward from both the left and right sides of the base portion 12a with a step, and contact points 12d are arranged on these bent portions 12c and 12c. Then, a through hole 12b for inserting the shaft portion 11a of the horn button 11 is formed in the center of the base portion 12a, and a tongue piece 12f extending downward is formed at the rear edge of the base portion 12a (the first portion). (See Figure 2). This tongue 1
A lead wire (not shown) connected to the positive electrode side of the horn operation circuit is connected to 2f. The portion of the horn button 11 that comes into contact with the ribs 11b and 11c is the portion on the base portion 12a side of each bent portion 12c.

The coil spring 13 is made of normal metal, and has an inner diameter dimension that allows the shaft portion 11a of the horn button 11 to be inserted therethrough.

The insulating spacer 14 is formed of a hard synthetic resin such as ABS having an insulating property and has a substantially cylindrical shape in which a collar portion 14a is provided on the outer periphery of the lower portion, and its outer dimension is set to a size capable of covering the coil spring 13. The inner diameter of the horn button 11 is such that the shaft portion 11a of the horn button 11 can be inserted therethrough. Then, the outer diameter dimension of the collar portion 14a is set to the collar portion 1
The size is set so that the lower end of the coil spring 13 can be brought into contact with the upper surface of 4a.

The plate member 16 is made of a rectangular metal plate and has a through hole at the end.
16a is formed. The plate member 16 is fixed to the shaft portion 11a of the horn button 11 protruding downward through the through hole 53 of the fixed contact plate 15 with the screw 17 via the through hole 16a. Then, the plate member 16 is the horn button 11
When the screw 17 is fastened to the shaft portion 11a of the plate member 16, the plate member 16 comes into contact with the peripheral edge of the through hole 53 on the lower surface of the fixed contact plate 15 to prevent the shaft portion 11a of the horn button 11 from coming off the fixed contact plate 15. It will be. When the screw 17 is fastened, the tip 16b on the side where the through hole 16a is not formed is formed.
Will be arranged facing the vertical plate portion 54 side of the fixed contact plate 15 described later.

The fixed contact plate 15, which also serves as a support fitting, is made of sheet metal, and has an upper horizontal plate portion 51 and an upper horizontal plate portion that are horizontally formed.
The vertical plate portion 54 extends downward from the edge of the 51, and the lower horizontal plate portion 55 extends horizontally from the lower end of the vertical plate portion 54.

A through hole 53 for inserting the shaft portion 11a of the horn button 11 is formed in the center of the upper horizontal plate portion 51, and contact points of the movable contact plate 12 are provided on both left and right sides of the through hole 53.
A contact 52 corresponding to 12d is provided.

The lower horizontal plate portion 55 has a mounting hole 56 and two positioning holes 57 and 58. Positioning hole 58
Is formed from the lower horizontal plate portion 55 to the vertical plate portion 54.

On the other hand, in the steering wheel body 10 to which the fixed contact plate (support metal fitting) 15 is attached, the fixed contact plate 15 is provided in the lower cover 7 that covers the lower portion of the steering wheel W below the horn switch mechanism H1.
At a position corresponding to the mounting hole 56 of the lower horizontal plate portion 55, a mounting cylinder portion 7a having a screw hole 7d as a fixing member is formed.

Further, in the vicinity of the mounting cylinder portion 7a of the lower cover 7, positioning protrusions 7b and 7c which can be fitted into the positioning holes 57 and 58 of the lower lateral plate portion 55 of the fixed contact plate 15 are formed. The lower cover 7 is screwed and fixed to the boss plate 2 in advance.

Further, a step portion 5a is formed on the end surface of the covering layer 5 of the spoke portion S on the side of the arrangement position of the horn switch mechanism H1.

In addition, 19 is a connection plate for electrically connecting the fixed contact plate 15 to the boss plate 2 which is electrically connected to the negative side of the horn operating circuit. The connection plate 19 is previously screwed to the boss plate with screws 9. When the lower horizontal plate portion 55 of the fixed contact plate 15 is fixed to the mounting cylinder portion 7a of the lower cover 7 with the screw 8, the lower contact plate 15 is also fastened with the screw 8 as a mounting member.

Next, assembly of the horn switch mechanism H1 of this embodiment and attachment to the steering wheel body 10 will be described.

First, in the assembly of the horn switch mechanism H1, the insulating spacer 14 is arranged around the through hole 53 on the upper surface of the upper horizontal plate portion 51 of the fixed contact plate 15, and the collar portion of the insulating spacer 14 is arranged.
The coil spring 13 is arranged on the upper surface of 14a, and the base 12 of the movable contact plate 12 is arranged on the upper end of the coil spring 13.
a Contact the contact 12d
Is arranged at a position corresponding to the contact point 52 of the upper horizontal plate portion 51.

Then, the ribs 11b and 11c are brought into contact with the upper surfaces of the bent portions 12c and 12c of the movable contact plate 12, and the shaft portion 11a of the horn button 11 is connected to the through hole 1 of the movable contact plate 12.
2b, the coil spring 13, the insulating spacer 14, and the fixed contact plate 15 are inserted into the through holes 53 of the upper lateral plate portion 51.

Then, if the plate member 16 is screwed to the lower end surface of the shaft portion 11a of the horn button 11 through the through hole 16a, the horn switch mechanism H1 can be mounted on the support metal fitting (fixed contact plate) 15. .

When the horn switch mechanism H1 is attached to the steering wheel body 10, the tip portion 51a of the upper horizontal plate portion 51 is
A connection plate having its lower surface brought into contact with the upper surface of the stepped portion 5a of the coating layer 5 in the spoke portion S and having screws 9 fixed thereto.
19 and the positioning protrusions 7b and 7c in the positioning holes 57 and 58.
And the lower lateral plate portion 55 of the fixed contact plate 15 is arranged at a predetermined position of the lower cover 7 by fitting them together.
The lower horizontal plate portion 55 of the fixed contact plate 15 can be fixed to the lower cover 7 by screwing the mounting screw 8 into the screw hole 7d of the mounting cylindrical portion 7a of the lower cover 7 through the mounting hole 56 of the 55. The horn switch mechanism H1 can be attached to the upper surface of the spoke portion S of the steering wheel body 10 and has the same effect as described in the section of action and effect of the above-mentioned invention.

Incidentally, in the embodiment, when the horn button 11 is pressed at the center and the horn button 11 is pushed down at the time of operating the horn, the movable contact plate 12 is resisted against the biasing force of the coil spring 13 via the ribs 11b and 11c. Moves downward and its contact 12d comes into contact with the contact 52 of the fixed contact plate 15 to activate a predetermined horn.

When operating the horn, the shaft 11 of the horn button 11 is
Even if the horn button 11 is pushed down on the edge side opposite to the free end 16b side of the plate member 16 fixed to a, as shown in FIG. 4, the plate member 16 is fixed at the free end 16b. The horn button 11 tilts like this with the portion in contact with the upper lateral plate portion 51 of the contact plate 15 as a fulcrum, and the contact 12d on the right side in FIG.
It is possible to operate the prescribed horn by touching 2.

Further, in the embodiment, the lower lateral plate portion 55 of the fixed contact plate 15 is fixed to the lower cover 7 of the steering wheel body 10. However, the lower lateral plate portion 55 is extended so that predetermined positioning protrusions and screw holes are formed. It can be configured to be directly fixed to the boss plate 2 provided, or the vertical plate portion 54 or the lower horizontal plate portion.
Form a fixed contact plate that is shortened by omitting a part of 55, and fix the fixed contact plate to the spoke core metal 3
It may be configured to be directly fixed to a mounting protrusion or the like provided with a positioning protrusion or a screw hole.

Furthermore, in the embodiment, the fixed contact plate 15 itself has been shown to function as a support fitting, but the fixed contact plate may be formed separately from the support fitting so as to correspond to the movable contact plate.

In addition, in the embodiment, the support fitting 15 fixed to the steering wheel body 10 is provided with two positioning holes 57 and 58, but the positioning projections are provided so that the support fitting 15 does not rotate when the screw 8 is fastened. If the opening shape is made non-circular corresponding to the above, the number of positioning holes provided in the support fitting 15 may be one.

Furthermore, in the embodiment, the steering wheel body 10
Although the fixing member arranged at is the screw hole 7d and the mounting member is the mounting screw 8, the fixing member may be a simple through hole by using a rivet for the mounting member. If the fixing member is a bolt fixed to the steering wheel body 10 and protruding upward, a nut corresponding to the bolt can be used as the mounting member.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a steering wheel showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. 3, FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the same embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial plan view of the steering wheel of the embodiment, FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing an operation mode of the embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a conventional horn switch. 3 ... Spoke core bar, 5 ... Cover layer, 5a ... Step, 7b / 7c ... Positioning protrusion, 7d ... (Fixing member) screw hole, 8 ... (Mounting member) mounting screw, 10 ... Steering wheel body, 15 … (Supporting bracket) Fixed contact plate, 51… Upper horizontal plate part, 54… Vertical plate part, 55… Lower horizontal plate part, 56… Mounting hole, 57/58… Positioning hole, H1… Hone switch mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A mounting structure for a horn switch in which a horn switch mechanism is arranged on the upper surface side of a spoke portion of a steering wheel body by using a support metal member, wherein the support metal member has a horn switch mechanism arranged on the upper side. A horizontal plate portion, a vertical plate portion extending downward from an edge of the upper horizontal plate portion, and a lower horizontal plate portion extending from a lower portion of the vertical plate portion and having a mounting hole and a positioning hole, The steering wheel main body below the arranging position of the horn switch mechanism is provided with a positioning protrusion that fits into the positioning hole and a fixing member that is disposed at a position corresponding to the mounting hole. The stepped portion is formed on the end surface of the coating layer that covers the cored bar of the spoke portion on the side of the arrangement position, and the lower surface of the tip of the upper horizontal plate portion on which the horn switch mechanism is arranged is The steering wheel body is brought into contact with the upper surface of the step portion, and the lower horizontal plate portion is fitted with the positioning protrusion in the positioning hole and fixed to the fixing member through the mounting hole. The mounting structure of the horn switch in the steering wheel, which is characterized in that it is attached to.