JPS6343184Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Field of industrial application) This invention relates to a steering wheel for a vehicle equipped with a turning knob, and more specifically for a vehicle that can be used jointly by physically disabled people and the general public. The present invention relates to a steering wheel suitable for.

(Prior art) In recent years, people with physical disabilities are increasingly driving vehicles in the same way as the general public, and in order to facilitate this driving operation, a turning knob is attached to the steering wheel so that the steering can be operated with one hand. We make sure that things run smoothly.

For example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 57-25066, the turning knob attaches a band-shaped mounting member to the steering wheel, inserts a shaft into the mounting member, and tightens the shaft by screwing a nut onto the shaft. It is attached to the shaft so that the grip is vertical when in use and can be folded inward when not in use.

(Problem that the invention aims to solve) By the way, this turning knob is tilted inward when not in use, but the gripping part is large and the mounting members, bolts and nuts that attach the gripping part to the steering wheel are attached. , these interfere with steering operations.

Therefore, it is conceivable to use a tool to tighten and secure the mounting bracket of the swing knob to the steering wheel when necessary, and to remove it when not in use. To remove it from the steering wheel, you need to remove the nut with a tool and then remove the band-shaped attachment member attached to the steering wheel, which is impossible for physically disabled people to do.

However, it is difficult to install and remove the rotation knob using a tool every time the rotation knob is used.
Because it is such a tedious task, even ordinary people drive the car without removing the turning knob, and there is a risk that the turning knob may get caught on hands or clothes while driving, which hinders smooth operation. .

Furthermore, the mounting hardware that attaches the turning knob to the steering wheel may become a protrusion that may come into contact with hands or fingers, causing obstruction or injury.
Furthermore, steering wheels are generally made of highly elastic materials such as urethane or vinyl chloride, and when attaching and fixing a turning knob to a steering wheel, it may not be fully tightened, and as the steering wheel is being used, The turning knob will start moving, which will interfere with steering wheel operation.

This idea was developed in light of these circumstances, and is suitable for vehicles that are shared by physically disabled people and the general public, as the turning knob can be easily and securely attached to and removed from the steering wheel, and has excellent operability. The object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle steering wheel with a turning knob.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, this invention provides a steering wheel in which a turning knob is attached to a wheel body, the turning knob turns the wheel body, and the steering wheel is operated. consists of a bearing body that is fitted into the wheel body, and a knob body that is removable from the bearing body, and this knob body has a cylindrical shaft that fits into the bearing body and a knob that moves in the axial direction within the cylindrical shaft. The actuating shaft member is arranged such that the actuating shaft member can be biased in one direction by a biasing means, and a ball that protrudes and retracts from the cylindrical shaft and is latched to the bearing body when the actuating shaft member is moved by an operating lever. It is a feature.

(Function) In this invention, the installation of the knob body to the bearing body is as follows:
When the actuating shaft member is moved using the operating lever and the ball is recessed into the cylindrical shaft, the cylindrical shaft is fitted into the bearing body, and the operating shaft member is moved using the operating lever to cause the ball to protrude from the cylindrical shaft. , the ball is locked to the bearing body, and the knob body can be attached to the bearing body with one touch. In this state, the knob body is pivotally supported by the bearing body, so when the knob body is gripped and rotated, the steering wheel turns freely.

To remove the knob body, move the operating shaft member using the operating lever to immerse the ball into the cylindrical shaft, release the ball from the bearing body, and then pull out the cylindrical shaft from the bearing body. It can be done in one touch.

(Example) Next, an example of this invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the steering wheel with the bearing body of the turning knob attached, Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional front view of the steering wheel with the turning knob attached, and Fig. 3 is a partial cross-section showing the state of attachment and detachment of the turning knob. The front view, FIG. 3a, is a diagram showing a state in which the ball is locked to the bearing body, and FIG. 3b is a diagram showing a state in which the ball is unlocked.

The turning knob is composed of a bearing 1, which is a bearing body, and a knob body 2. This bearing 1
is fitted into and fixed to a recess 3a formed in the wheel body 3 of the steering wheel so that the shaft hole 1a faces vertically.

On the other hand, the knob body 2 is composed of a grip 3, a cylindrical shaft 5, an operating shaft member 6, a spring 7, an operating lever 8, and a ball 9. That is, grip 4
is formed of, for example, foamed urethane or the like into a shape that is easy to operate depending on the degree of disability, and is fixed to the head 5a of the cylindrical shaft 5. This cylindrical shaft 5 has a large diameter cylindrical portion 5b and a small diameter cylindrical portion 5c, and the small diameter cylindrical portion 5c is inserted into the shaft hole 1a of the bearing 1.

The actuation shaft member 6 has a large diameter shaft portion 6a disposed in the large diameter tube portion 5b of the cylindrical shaft 5, a small diameter shaft portion 6b in the small diameter tube portion 5c so as to be movable in the axial direction, and the spring 7 is always biased towards the small diameter cylinder part.

The operating lever 8 is connected to the large diameter cylindrical portion 5b of the cylindrical shaft 5.
The lever portion 8a is inserted into a hollow portion 10 formed in the large diameter shaft portion 6a of the operating shaft member 6. A long hole 11 formed in the lever portion 8a is slidably engaged with a support pin 12 installed in the hollow portion 10 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.
When the operating lever 8 is pushed, the operating shaft member 6 can be moved against the spring 7 via the support pin 12 due to its rotational force. The balls 9 are arranged in three or more circular holes 13 formed on the axial circumference of the small diameter cylindrical portion 5c of the cylindrical shaft 5, and
By movement of , it comes out and goes out of this circular hole 13 and can be engaged with and detached from the bearing 1 . That is, in the state shown in FIG. 3a, the ball 9 is pushed outward by the small diameter shaft portion 6b of the actuating shaft member 6 and is pressed into contact with the circular hole 13, and a portion of the ball 9 protrudes from the small diameter cylindrical portion 5c. This causes the ball 9 to engage with the shoulder of the bearing 1, preventing the knob body 2 from coming off.
On the other hand, in the state shown in FIG. 3b, when the actuating shaft member 6 moves against the spring 7 and the annular groove 14 of the small diameter shaft portion 6b reaches the position of the circular hole 13, the ball 9 moves into the annular groove 14. It enters in, does not protrude from the small diameter cylindrical portion 5c, and can move in and out of the shaft hole 1a of the bearing 1.

The circular hole 13 has a tapered shape to allow the ball 9 to operate smoothly.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

To attach the knob body 2 to the bearing 1 of the wheel body 3 for use by a physically disabled person, push the operating lever 8 of the knob body 2 so that the ball 9 enters the annular groove 14 of the actuating shaft member 6 as shown in FIG. Make the state as shown in b. Then, when the small diameter cylindrical portion 5c of the cylindrical shaft 5 is inserted into the shaft hole 1a of the bearing 1 and the pressure on the operating lever 8 is released, the spring 7
The actuating shaft member 6 is pushed and moved by the urging force of
Return to original state. As a result, the ball 9 is expelled from the annular groove 14 and the small diameter shaft portion 6 of the actuating shaft member 6
b and protrudes from the circular hole 13.
In the state shown in Figure a, part of the ball 9 comes out of the small diameter cylindrical part 5c, and this ball engages with the shoulder of the bearing 1 to fix the knob body 2 to the bearing 1 (Figure 2). When the steering wheel is rotated by holding the grip 4 of the knob body 2, the steering wheel is pivotally supported on the knob body 2 by the bearing 1, and the steering wheel turns freely.

Next, to remove the knob body 2, when the operating lever 8 is pressed, the operating shaft member 6 is pulled toward the grip 4 via the support pin 12 and moves against the spring. As a result, the ball 9 enters the annular groove 14 of the actuating shaft member 6, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 3b.
Since the cylindrical shaft 5 no longer protrudes from the small diameter cylindrical portion 5c, the engaged state by the ball 9 is released and the knob body 2 can be easily removed from the bearing 1.

(Effects of the invention) As explained above, the turning knob of this invention is
It consists of a bearing body that fits into the wheel body and a knob body that is detachable from the bearing body, and this knob body has a cylindrical shaft that fits into the bearing body and is movable in the axial direction within the cylindrical shaft. and a ball that protrudes and retracts from the cylindrical shaft and is locked to the bearing body when the actuation shaft member is moved by an operating lever. Therefore, the knob body can be attached and detached from the bearing body with one-touch operation using the operating lever, making it easy to attach and detach.Therefore, there is no need for troublesome work related to attaching and detaching the turning knob, making it easy for people with disabilities and the general public to attach and detach. Suitable when sharing a vehicle.

In addition, since no special mounting member is used as in the past, there is no damage to the mounting part of the steering wheel.Furthermore, the turning knob is connected to the bearing body by a cylindrical shaft, so it cannot be attached to other parts such as the operating shaft member or ball. Since the member is housed within this cylindrical shaft, there are no obstructive protrusions around the turning knob, and the steering wheel can be easily operated by the turning knob.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the steering wheel with the bearing body of the turning knob attached, Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional front view of the steering wheel with the turning knob attached, and Fig. 3 is a partial cross-section showing the state of attachment and detachment of the turning knob. The front view, FIG. 3a, is a diagram showing a state in which the ball is locked to the bearing body, and FIG. 3b is a diagram showing a state in which the ball is unlocked. In the figure, 1 is a bearing, 2 is a knob body, 3 is a wheel body, 3 is a grip, 5 is a cylindrical shaft, 6 is an operating shaft member, 7 is a spring, 8 is an operating lever,
9 is a ball.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a steering wheel in which a turning knob is attached to a wheel body and the turning knob is used to turn the wheel body for steering operation, the turning knob includes a bearing body that is fitted into the wheel body, and a knob body that is detachable from the bearing body. The knob body is composed of a cylindrical shaft that fits into the bearing body, an operating shaft member that is disposed movably in the axial direction within the cylindrical shaft and is biased in one direction by a biasing means, and 1. A steering wheel for a vehicle equipped with a turning knob, characterized in that the steering wheel has a ball that protrudes and retracts from a cylindrical shaft and is locked to the bearing body when the operating shaft member is moved by a lever.