JPS6348452Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The invention is based on switches such as push button switches,
Or, when the steering wheel is rotated, the steering pad equipped with a display
A steering pad that keeps the steering pad stationary even when the steering wheel is rotated to prevent it from rotating with the steering wheel and making it difficult to operate switches or make it difficult to see the display. This invention relates to an improvement in a rotation prevention device for a motor vehicle.

As a conventional steering pad rotation prevention device in which the steering pad does not rotate even when the steering wheel is rotated, the devices shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are known.

This will be explained below.

The steering shaft 1 has a boss 3 fixed to the boss plate 2a of the steering wheel 2.
is fixed with a nut 4, and a pad base 7 of a steering pad 6, which is provided with a push button switch 5, a display, etc., is rotatably fitted onto the boss 3, and is prevented from coming off by a C ring 8.

On the steering column side, there are two or more fixing pins 9 with sloped tips 9a attached to pin holders 10.
The fixing pin 9 is biased toward the pad base 7 by a spring 11 installed between the fixing pin 9 and the pin holder 10.

The pad base 7 is provided with a recess 7a at a location facing the pin holder 10, and the tip of the fixing pin 9 is fitted into the recess 7a.This insertion prevents the steering pad 6 from rotating. ing.

The boss plate 2a rotates across the fixed pin 9, and when it hits the fixed pin 9, it pushes the slope 9a and makes it easier to push the fixed pin 9 into the pin holder 10. The contacting portion is a slope 2b.

Therefore, in the steering wheel 2, the boss plate 2a pushes the fixing pins 9 into the pin holder 10 so that the steering wheel 2 can be rotated across the pin holder 10. Since at least one of the pads is fitted into the recess 7a of the pad base 7, even when the steering wheel 2 is rotated, the steering pad 6 remains stationary and remains at a fixed position.

In this way, the steering pad 6 remains stationary at a fixed position without rotating, but by rotating the steering wheel 2, each time the boss plate 2 crosses the fixed pin 9, the spring 11 is released. The fixing pin 9 is fixed to the padded base 7 with the force of
When this occurs, a feeling of collision is transmitted and a sound is generated at that time.Moreover, each time the slope 2b of the boss plate 2a hits the slope 9a of the fixed pin 9, the rotational load on the steering wheel 2 increases, resulting in an unpleasant feeling. The drawback was that smooth steering operation was not possible.

In this invention, the rotation of the steering pad is such that the connection between the column side and the steering side does not change even when the steering wheel is rotated, eliminating the conventional discomfort and allowing smooth steering operation. The purpose is to provide a prevention device.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Note that the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 1 and 2 indicate the same members, and their explanation will be omitted.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, reference numeral 11 is a pad base attached to the front part 3a of the boss 3 by C-rings 12, 12' in the axial direction but free in the rotational direction. It is formed from a shaped storage part 11a (in which a steering switch connection device to be described later is stored) and a flange part 11b integrally formed in the outer peripheral opening. Also, the collar part 1
Pin insertion holes 11c (six holes in the embodiment) are formed at equal intervals in 1b, and spring engaging portions 11 are formed at two opposing locations on the outer circumferential wall of the housing portion 11b.
d is formed.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a base ring fitted into the outer periphery of the storage portion 11a of the pad base 11, and a pin insertion hole 13a is provided on the inner periphery of the base ring in correspondence with the pin insertion hole 11c.
is formed. In addition, two opposing inner peripheral edges
A protruding piece 13b for spring engagement is formed at this location. A spring 14 is engaged and tensioned between each of the projecting pieces 13b and the spring engaging portion 11d of the pad base 11, so as to constantly hold the inserted pin.

Reference numeral 15 is a pin holder fixed to the rear part 3b of the boss 3 by a C ring 16 in the axial direction and free in the rotational direction, and a ring-shaped storage part 15a and a pin insertion part of the pad base 11 are provided. It is formed from a thick portion 15c in which a hole 11c and a corresponding pin insertion hole 15b are formed. Also,
A projecting piece 15d is formed on the outer wall of this thick portion 15c, and is used to fix the pin holder 15 to the steering column side. Therefore, the pin holder 15 remains fixed regardless of the rotation of the steering wheel 2. The diameter of one or two of the six pin insertion holes 15b is as follows:
The diameter of the hole is larger than that of other holes. In FIG. 3, only the insertion hole 15b' has a larger diameter than the other holes.

17 is a pin insertion hole 15b of the pin holder 15
The tip 1 of each pin 17 is inserted into the
7a is formed into an acute angle shape, and a groove 17b is formed at the rear end into which a cam plate 18, which will be described later, is inserted. In addition, among the six pins, pin insertion hole 15
Only pin 17' inserted into b'
It is formed with a larger diameter.

Reference numeral 18 denotes a cam plate in which a protruding piece 18a is inserted into a groove 3c of the boss 3 to prevent rotation, and is fixed by a nut 19 screwed into the threaded part 3d of the boss 3, and the pin is attached to the outer peripheral part 18b of the cam plate. 17 grooves 17
b is engaged. Further, this outer peripheral portion 18b is formed in such a shape that at least one of the six pins 17 is always pushed in to the maximum extent, and the pin retreats after the adjacent pin is pushed in to the maximum extent. There is.

When the pin 17 is pushed in to the maximum extent by the cam plate 18, the tip of the pin 17 is inserted into the pin insertion hole 11c of the pad base 11 and the pin insertion hole 13a of the base ring 13. Further, the cam plate 18 is attached to the boss 3 so that the boss plate 2a passes between the pad base 11 and the pin holder 15 when the pin 17 is retracted to the maximum extent.
installed on.

In the above-mentioned configuration, the cam plate 18 allows at least one pin 17' to be pushed into the pin holder 1 to the maximum extent possible.
Since it is inserted into the pin insertion hole 15b' of No. 5,
The tips of the pins 17' are inserted into pin insertion holes 11a, 13a of the pad base 11 and base ring 13.

On the other hand, since the pin 17 in the portion where the boss plate 2a is located is retracted to the maximum extent by the cam plate 18, the tip of the pin 17 is accommodated in the pin insertion hole 15b of the pin holder 15, and therefore the boss plate 2a is allowed to rotate freely.

Here, when the steering wheel 2 is rotated, the cam plate 18 is rotated via the boss 3, so that the pin 17 adjacent to the pin 17' is pushed out by the cam plate 18, and the pin insertion hole 11a of the pad base 11 is pushed out. The pin insertion hole 13a of the base ring 13 is inserted through the pin insertion hole 13a of the base ring 13. At this time, pin 17
The tip 17a of the pin 17 has an acute angle, and the pin insertion holes 11a and 13a of the pad base 11 and the base ring 13 are formed larger than the diameter of the pin 17.
Insertion into parts a and 13a is performed smoothly even if there is some error between the parts. By the way, pin 1
If the gap between 7 and the pin insertion hole 11a is large, the pad base 11 will rotate slightly when the pin 17 is inserted. Here, in the present invention, in order to substantially reduce the gap between the pin 17 and the pin insertion hole 11a, a base ring 13 is provided and a spring 14 is stretched between the base ring 13 and the pad base 11. The pin 17 is held between the base ring 13 and the pad base 11, thereby eliminating play in the pad base 11 and making it easy to insert the pin 17 into the pad base 11 (FIG. 5).

As described above, as the steering wheel 2 rotates, the pins 17 are sequentially inserted into the pin insertion holes 11a of the pad base 11, and one pin 1
7 is inserted into the pin insertion hole 11a of the pad base 11, the previously inserted pin is removed, so the rotation of the boss plate 2a is not blocked by the pin 17, and the pad base 11 is fixed in correspondence with the pin holder 15. Therefore, since the pin holder 15 is fixed to the vehicle body side, which is the steering column, the pad base 11 is also fixed, and the steering pad 6 fixed to the pad base 11 is also fixed.

Next, the means for transmitting signals between the steering pad 6 and the load on the vehicle, that is, the steering switch connection device will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

This device is stored in the storage parts 11a and 15a of the pad base 11 and pin holder 15, and 20 is a base part fixed to the storage parts 11a and 15a of the pad base 11 or pin holder 15, and 21 is a boss plate 2a. This is a movable cover portion into which a protrusion 21a is fitted and which rotates as the steering wheel 2 rotates.

The steering switch connection device stored in the storage portion 15a of the pin holder 15 will be described below. The base portion 20 has a lead plate 23a of a fixed contact 23, which will be described later, on the front surface of the flange base portion 20a.
An outer circumferential wall 20c is formed to form a space 20b for accommodating the movable cover 21, and a claw _20d1 that engages with the inner circumferential end of the through hole 21b of the movable cover 21 in a relatively rotatable manner is formed around the entire circumference of the tip. The inner peripheral wall 20d is provided in a protruding manner. Note that 20d ₂ is a slit for elastically engaging the pawl 20d ₁ . Reference numeral 22 denotes a printed circuit board formed on the back side of the flange base 20a of the base portion 20, and a lead plate 23 of the fixed contact 23 led out from the space 20b.
The tip of a is to be soldered. 2
3 is a fixed contact formed in a substantially ring shape using a conductive material. This fixed contact 23
The current collector 25 is formed by arranging the current collectors alternately with ring-shaped spacers 24 made of an insulating material such as plastic and sequentially stacking them in the axial direction of the steering shaft 1. A lead plate 23a is formed on the inner periphery of each fixed contact 23 and bent in the direction of the flange base 20a. The lead plates 23a are arranged at appropriate angles to prevent adjacent lead plates 23a from being short-circuited.

The current collector 25 is the outer peripheral wall 20c of the base portion 20.
stored outside. 20c ₁ is the base portion 20
A slit is provided in the outer circumferential wall 20c of each of the fixed contacts 23 to correspond to the lead plate 23a of the fixed contact 23, and when the current collector 25 is assembled, the leads of the fixed contact 23 adjacent to each slit _20c1 are provided. The plates 23a are respectively fitted, and the attachment position of the current collector 25 to the outer peripheral wall 20c is determined. That is, the mounting angle is determined,
There will be no short circuit. Each lead plate 23a of the fixed contact 23 is led out from a lead-out hole (not shown) provided in the flange base 20a of the space 20b, and reaches the back surface of the printed circuit board 22, where it is soldered and connected to the lead wire. It is connected to a connector 27 via 26. Reference numeral 28 denotes a mounting plate for preventing the incorporated current collector 25 from coming off, and a rib 20 formed on the outer peripheral wall 20c.
Screw hole 28a in the corresponding position of c ₂ screw hole 20c ₃
are provided, and the screw insertion hole 28a and the screw hole 20
A screw 29 is screwed into c ₃ and attached to the outer peripheral wall 20c, thereby preventing the current collector 25 from coming off.

The movable cover part 21 is attached to the fixed base part 2.
It is mounted on the outer peripheral wall 20c of 0 so as to be relatively rotatable.

Reference numeral 30 denotes a movable contact that elastically slides into contact with each of the fixed contacts 23 of the fixed system, and the movable contacts 30 are fixed contacts formed by bending both ends of a conductive spring material formed from a flat plate or a wire material. Contact portions 30a, 30a with contact 23
and a bulging part 30b for insertion, whose center bulges outward.
and (not shown). In order to assemble this movable contact 30 into the movable cover part 21, the bulging part 30b of the movable contact 30 is fitted into the fitting grooves 21c, 21c provided on the side surface of the cover part 21 in parallel with the axial direction. At the same time, a claw 20d ₁ formed all around the tip of the inner peripheral wall 20d of the base portion 20 is engaged with the inner peripheral end of the through hole 21b of the movable cover portion 21.

The lead wire 31 connects to the bulge 3 of the movable contact 30.
0b, the converging body is fixed by a band material 21d provided on the outer surface of the movable cover part 21, and a connector 32 is connected to the tip.

It should be noted that the steering switch connection device stored in the storage portion 11a of the pad base 11 is also constructed in the same manner as the above device, so a description thereof will be omitted.

Then, the connector 32 in the pin holder 15 and the connector 32 in the pad base 11 are connected,
Further, the connector 27 inside the pin holder 15 is connected to a load on the vehicle body side, and the connector 27 inside the pad base 11 is connected to the switch 5 of the steering pad 6.

In the above-mentioned configuration, the steering switch connection device has the fixed contact 23 and the movable contact 30 that elastically contacts the fixed contact 23 in the axial direction of the steering shaft 1. Therefore, the structure in which the fixed contacts are provided concentrically is possible. It is smaller than the previous model, and can have a large number of signal lines (8 lines each in this example) without increasing the size of the structure.
Therefore, the proportion occupied by the switch connection device is not so large, and space can be saved. In addition, the fixed contact 23
Since the structure is such that signals are transmitted through contact with the movable contact 30, there are no problems such as optical interference or complicated circuits compared to when using optical communication methods, and the circuit is extremely simple. becomes. Also,
Since the structure is such that the lead plate 23a of the fixed contact 23 is soldered to the printed circuit board 22, the current collector 25 is fixed to the base portion 20 by soldering the lead plate 23a to the printed circuit board 22, thereby forming a unit. Therefore, the structure is simple, assembly is easy, and costs can be kept low.

As explained above, the steering wheel 2
Even if the pin 17 is rotated by the cam plate 18 fixed to the boss 3, the pin 17 is held in place on the pad base 11 with the boss plate 2a sandwiched therebetween via the pin holder 15.
By ensuring that at least one pin is inserted into the pin insertion hole 11a of the pad base 11, the pad base 11 is always in a stationary position, and therefore the steering pad 6 attached to the pad base 11 is in a stationary state. Also, when the steering wheel 2 is rotated, the pin 17 is located at a position where the boss plate 2a passes.
is retracted into the pin holder 15 by the cam plate 18, so the steering wheel 2 can also be rotated freely. Furthermore, the lead wire connected to the switch 5 on the steering pad 6 is connected to the pad base 1.
1 and a pair of steering switch connection devices housed in the storage portions 11a and 15a of the pin holder 15 to connect to the load on the vehicle body, so signal transmission is also possible through the fixed contacts 2 in each device.
3. This is done by sliding the movable contact 30.

As described above, the present invention uses a cam plate that rotates with the steering wheel to move the pin in the pin holder fixed to the column side, and also moves the pin corresponding to the boss plate in the pin holder using the cam plate. The pad base is held stationary regardless of the rotation of the steering wheel. The base ring 13 has a pin insertion portion that matches the pin insertion hole of the pad base, and has a spring engaged and tensioned between the base ring 13 and the pad base.
By providing a pad base, it eliminates play around the shaft of the steering pad, improving the operability of switches, and also allows the steering wheel to rotate smoothly because there is no collision noise or impact sensation as in conventional systems. It has the following effects:

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 and 2 are a longitudinal cross-sectional view and a cross-sectional view of essential parts of a conventional steering pad rotation prevention device, Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross-section of the assembled state. 5 is a plan view showing the relationship between the pad base and the base ring, FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the steering switch connection device, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view seen from the printed circuit board side. 2... Steering wheel, 2a... Boss plate, 11... Padded base, 15... Pin holder, 17... Pin, 18... Cam plate.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] a cam plate that rotates together with the steering wheel; and at least two cam plates that move due to the rotation of the cam plate.
The steering wheel is made up of a pin with a diameter larger than 10 mm, a pin holder that guides the pin and is fixed to the column side, and a pad base that is placed between the pin holder and the boss plate and has a pin insertion hole into which the pin is inserted. The cam plate retreats the pin at a position through which the boss plate passes during rotation into the pin holder, and at least one pin corresponding to another portion is protruded and inserted into the pin insertion hole of the pad base, so that the steering wheel rotates. Regardless, the pad base and pin holder are held in a relatively stationary state, and a base ring having a pin insertion hole formed at a position corresponding to the pin insertion hole of the pad base is inserted into the pad base, and a spring is inserted between the pad base and the pad base. The rotation of the steering pad is characterized in that the base ring is biased by a spring in one direction relative to the pad base, and the pin inserted into the pin insertion hole of the pad base is held between the pad base and the base ring. Prevention device.