KR20140127422A - Horn switch device, airbag apparatus, steering wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a horn switch device electrically connecting contact members by pressing a movable body downward to sound a horn. The horn switch device includes the movable body pressed by a pressing force; a fixed body fixated to face the movable body; a returning member interposed between the movable body and fixed body and making the movable body float in a returning direction using a magnetic force; a first contact member formed on the movable body, and a second contact member formed on the fixed body and touching the first contact member when the movable body is pressed by a pressing force. As the returning member is operated by magnetic force, the horn switch device provides better sense of touch. In addition, the structure of the horn switch device can be simplified.

Description

HORN SWITCH DEVICE, AIRBAG APPARATUS, STEERING WHEEL}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a horn switch device, and more particularly, to a horn switch device having a return structure for supporting a movable member downwardly and an improved horn contact structure for electrically connecting the movable member when pressed downward. The present invention also relates to an airbag device having the horn switch device and a steering wheel holding the airbag device.

The steering wheel of most vehicles includes a steering wheel body rigidly connected to the steering column and at least one movable member that can be pushed down against the force of the return member relative to the steering wheel body, The horn contact is connected.

In most cases, the movable member that can be depressed down is an airbag module or a portion of an airbag module.

In the case of a ship, an assembly including an entire airbag module, i.e., substantially a housing, an airbag received in a folded state in the housing, an inflator connected to the housing, and a cover member covering the housing, is held by the spring and the guide member on the steering wheel body .

The first horn contact portion is fixed to the housing side, and the second horn contact portion is fixed to the steering wheel body side.

In the latter case, the airbag housing is rigidly connected to the steering wheel, and only the cover member covering the housing can be pushed down against the force of the return member, which is typically made of spring, The contact portion is connected.

U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0153714 A1 US Patent Publication No. 2002/0124682 A1

The conventional horn switch device has a problem in that the design structure is complicated as a spring and a guide member are required to elastically support the movable member as described above.

In addition, there is a problem that touch feeling is poor when the horn switch device is operated by adopting the spring.

In addition, in the conventional horn switch device, there is a problem that when the movable member is pressed by the gap between the guide member and the structure through which the guide member penetrates, the movable member is not pressed in a horizontal state and is tilted to one side.

An object of the present invention is to provide a horn switch device, an airbag device, and a steering wheel that simplify the return structure of a horn switch device to reduce the number of parts.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a horn switch device, an airbag device, and a steering wheel that improves the touch feeling when the movable member is depressed by omitting the spring constituting the return structure.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a horn switch device, an airbag device and a steering wheel that allow the movable member to be stably pressed.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a movable body which is pressed by a pressing force, a fixed body fixed to face the movable body, a movable body which is interposed between the movable body and the fixed body, A horn switch device including a return member, a first contact member provided on the movable member side, and a second contact member provided on the fixed member side and contacting the first contact member when the movable member is pushed by the pressing force, Is provided.

Wherein the return member includes a first magnet disposed on the movable member side and a second magnet disposed on the fixed member side so as to face the first magnet, wherein the first magnet and the second magnet have sides facing each other And may be configured to have the same polarity.

The first magnet and the second magnet may be constituted by permanent magnets.

The first magnet may be formed integrally with the first contact member, and the second magnet may be integrally formed with the second contact member.

And a guide member movably supporting the movable body on the fixed body.

The guide member may be fixedly connected to the fixture, and may be configured to penetrate the first magnet and the second magnet.

Wherein either one of the first magnet and the second magnet includes a recess portion at a central portion thereof and any one of the first magnet and the second magnet may be inserted into the recess portion.

The movable body may be an airbag device.

The movable body may be a cover member of the airbag apparatus.

The fixture may be a steering wheel hub or a steer wheel extension extending from the steering wheel hub.

The fixture may be an extension of the housing that receives the airbag of the airbag device.

Wherein the first contact member includes a first contact pin coupled to the movable body and configured to penetrate the through hole of the fixture body, and the second contact member includes a contact wire disposed around the through hole of the fixture, . ≪ / RTI >

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an airbag apparatus having the horn switch device as described above.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering wheel of a vehicle provided with the above-described air bag apparatus.

According to the present invention, since the returning member for returning the pressing member is constituted by the magnetic force, there is an advantage that the touch feeling can be improved when the horn switch device is operated.

According to the present invention, there is an advantage that the contact member can be integrally formed with the magnet for returning the pressing member to simplify the horn switch configuration.

According to the present invention, the pressing member can be stably pressed without being tilted during operation of the pressing member.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an enlarged view of the II display portion of Fig.
3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a horn switch device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a horn switch device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a horn switch device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a steering wheel according to another embodiment of the present invention.
7 is an enlarged view of VII display portion of Fig.
8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a steering wheel according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the portion indicated by IX of FIG.
10A is an enlarged view of the X display portion of FIG.
Fig. 10B is a view showing a state in which the contact member of Fig. 8 is in contact.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, It is provided to let you know.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a steering wheel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the steering wheel 1 includes a steering wheel skeleton 10 and an airbag device 30.

The steering wheel skeleton 10 includes a cup-shaped steering wheel hub 11, a plurality of steering wheel spokes 13 extending from the steering wheel hub 11 and a steering wheel hub 11 And a steering wheel rim 15 connected in a foam form. Hereinafter, the portion surrounded by the foam around the steering wheel spokes 15 is referred to as a steering wheel extension portion 17.

The airbag apparatus 30 includes an inflator 31 for generating a gas, an airbag housing 34 having a base 33 on which the inflator 31 is supported, an airbag 35 housed in a folded state in the housing 34, And a cover member 37 that covers the opening of the cover member 34.

The horn switch device 100 is installed between the base 33 and the steering wheel hub 11. [ The airbag device 30 is installed so as to be movable upward and downward along the direction of the vertical center axis C with respect to the steering wheel hub 11 for the operation of the horn switch device 100. [

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the airbag apparatus 30 becomes a movable body, and the steering wheel hub 11 becomes a fixed body.

2 is an enlarged view of the II display portion of Fig.

2, the horn switch device 100 includes a return member 110 and a base 33 provided between the base 33 of the movable housing 34 and the steering wheel hub 11 of the fixed chain, And a contact member 130 for contacting the horn when it is pressed in the direction of the horn.

The return member 110 includes a first magnet 111 provided on the base 33 and a second magnet 113 provided on the steering wheel hub 11 to face the first magnet 113.

The first magnet 111 and the second magnet 113 may be made of permanent magnets, and the opposite sides of the first magnet 111 and the second magnet 113 preferably have the same polarity. With this configuration, the repulsive force acts between the first magnet 111 and the second magnet 113, and the base 33 floats upward from the steering wheel hub 11 in the restoring direction.

The contact member 130 may include a first contact member 131 and a second contact member 133 integrally provided in the first magnet 111 and the second magnet 113, respectively. The first contact member 131 and the second contact member 133 are brought into contact with each other.

The base 33 is supported by the guide member 150 so as to be movable up and down with respect to the steering wheel hub 11.

The guide member 150 may include at least one base hook 151 provided on the base 33 side and at least one steering hook 153 provided on the steering wheel hub 11.

The guide member 150 supports the base 33 floated by the repulsive force acting by the first magnet 111 and the second magnet 113 to the steering wheel hub 11.

The base hook 151 is coupled to the movable chain base 33 and configured to be movable with respect to the steering hook 153.

The base hook 151 is slid along the steering hook 153 and the first contact member 131 and the second contact member 133 ) Are in contact with each other to sound the horn.

Since the base 33 is supported by the repulsive force acting between the first and second magnets 111 and 113 without being dependent on a separate spring, the user can feel a smoother touch than when the spring is employed in the pressing operation of the base 33 have.

When the pressing force applied to the base 33 constituting the airbag device 30 is released, the base 33 is restored to the original state by the repulsive force acting between the first and second magnets 111 and 113 and moved upward.

As a result, the first contact member 131 and the second contact member 133 stop ringing their horns apart from each other.

The following describes various embodiments of the horn switch device. The same reference numerals are used for the same components as those described above, and redundant description is omitted.

3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a horn switch device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

3, the horn switch device 200 includes a guide member 250 fixedly fixed to a steering wheel hub 11,

The guide member 250 is composed of a guide pin 251 having one side fixed to the steering wheel hub 11 and the other side passing through the through hole 33a of the base 33. [

The guide pin 251 may guide the base 33 to move up and down and may include a release preventing jaw 253 to prevent the base 33 from being separated from the guide pin 251 when the base 33 is moved upward.

The guide pin 251 serves to support the base 33 which floats due to the repulsive force acting between the first and second magnets 111 and 113. The guide pin 251 can replace the guide member 150 shown in FIG. have.

  The first and second magnets 111 and 113 are formed with pinholes 111a and 113a at the center thereof so as to penetrate the guide pin 251.

The 1.2th contact members 131 and 133 are also formed with pinholes 131a and 133a at the center thereof so that the guide pins 251 pass through.

The first and second contact members 131 and 133 are not provided in the substantially central portion of the first and second magnets 111 and 113 but may be provided on the sides of the first and second magnets 111 and 113 at positions away from the guide pin 251 . In this case, the first and second contact members 131 and 133 do not require a separate pinhole.

4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a horn switch device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the first contact member 131 and the second contact member 133 may be provided separately from the first magnet 111 and the second magnet 113.

The first contact member 131 is supported by the base 33 via the first support member 141 and the second contact member 133 is supported by the steering wheel hub 11 via the second support member 143. [ .

5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a horn switch device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5, the return member 410 of the horn switch 400 includes a rod-shaped first magnet 411 and a recessed portion 413a into which one end of the first magnet 411 is inserted And a second magnet 413.

The polarities of the circumference of the recess 413a of the second magnet 413 and the insertion side of the first magnet 411 are made equal to each other so that the repulsive force in the vertical direction V and the horizontal direction H acts.

When the base 33 is pressed downward by the repulsive force acting in the vertical direction V and the horizontal direction H as described above, the base 33 can not be pressed in a horizontal state, ≪ / RTI > As a result, the pressing operation of the base 33, that is, the airbag device can be smoothly performed.

The shapes of the first magnet 411 and the second magnet 413 are interchangeable. That is, the first magnet 411 may include a recess portion, and the second magnet 413 may have a rod shape.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a steering wheel according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a display portion VII of FIG.

Referring to Figs. 6 and 7, the steering wheel 2 includes an airbag device 40 provided with a horn switch device 500. Fig.

The airbag device 40 is supported on the steering wheel hub 11 by an anchor member 38.

The horn switch device 500 is provided between the movable airbag cover 37 and the stationary airbag housing 34.

The airbag cover 37 includes a projection 37a protruding into the interior of the airbag cover 37. The projection 37a is provided with a support bracket 37b and the airbag housing 34 includes a housing extension 37b, And a horn switch device 500 is provided between the support bracket 37b and the housing extension 34a.

The horn switch 500 is substantially the same as the horn switch 200 of FIG. 3, so the above description is replaced by the description above.

8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a steering wheel according to another embodiment of the present invention.

8, the horn switch device 600 of the steering wheel 3 includes a return member 610 disposed between the airbag device 3 and the steering wheel connection 17, an airbag device 3, And a contact member 630 provided between the hubs 11.

The steering wheel connecting portion 17 surrounds the steering wheel spoke 13 in a foam form.

In this embodiment, the airbag device 30 is a movable body, and the steering wheel hub 11 and the steering wheel connecting portion 17 are fixed bodies.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the portion indicated by IX of FIG.

9, the return member 610 of the horn switch device 600 is provided between the flange portion 34C of the airbag housing 34 and the mounting surface 17a of the steering wheel connecting portion 17.

The flange portion 34c is protruded outward at the upper end of the airbag housing 34 and the flange portion 34c is in contact with the inner surface of the airbag cover 37. [

The return member 610 includes a first magnet 611 provided on the flange portion 34c of the housing 34 and a second magnet 613 provided on the mounting surface 17a formed in the steering wheel connecting portion 17 .

Fig. 10A is an enlarged view of the X display portion of Fig. 8, and shows a state in which the contact member of Fig. 8 is in contact.

10A and 10B, the contact member 630 includes a first contact member 631 fixedly coupled to the base 33 of the housing 34 and a second contact member 631 provided on the steering wheel hub 11, And a second contact member 633 for contacting the first contact member 631 to make the horn sound when the first contact member 631 is pressed downward.

The upper end of the first contact member 631 is fixedly connected to the base 33 and the lower end thereof is constituted by a contact pin 632 passing through the through hole 11d of the steering wheel hub 11.

The contact pin 632 includes a support portion 632a that is held in contact with the upper surface of the base 33, a contact surface 632b formed at the lower portion of the support pin 632 and inclined toward the center of the support pin 632, And a cone-shaped end portion 632d connected to the contact surface 632b through an interposition portion 632b protruding from the lower end of the contact portion 632b.

The second contact member 633 substantially corresponds to the support surface 632e of the cone-shaped end portion 632d and the outer surface of the steering wheel hub 11, that is, the interposition portion 632b and is located at a position adjacent to the through hole 11d And may include a contact wire 634 supported via a support piece 636.

A force against the repulsive force acting between the first and second magnets 611 and 613 is applied to the airbag device 30 by the passenger during the horn operation and the airbag device 30 is moved downward along the longitudinal axis C Move. Here, the contact pin 632 is also moved with respect to the steering wheel hub 11 so that the contact surface 632b of the first contact member 631 contacts the contact wire 634.

 Although the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings and the preferred embodiments described above, the present invention is not limited thereto but is limited by the following claims. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the following claims.

1, 2, 3: steering wheel 30, 40: airbag device
10: Steering wheel Skeleton 11: Steering wheel hub
13: Steering wheel spoke 15: Steering wheel rim
17: Steering wheel extension part
100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600:
110, 410, 610: return member 111, 411, 611:
113, 413, 613: second magnet 130, 630: contact member
131, 411, 611: first contact member 133, 413, 613: second contact member
150, 250: guide member 251: guide pin
631: first contact member 633: contact wire

Claims (14)

A movable body pressed by a pressing force;
A fixture fixed to face the movable body;
A returning member interposed between the movable body and the fixed body and lifting the movable body in a restoring direction by a magnetic force;
A first contact member provided on the movable member side; And
A second contact member provided on the fixing member side and contacting the first contact member when the movable member is pressed by the pressing force;
. The method according to claim 1,
The return member
A first magnet disposed on the movable member; And
A second magnet disposed on the fixed body side so as to face the first magnet;
Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the first magnet and the second magnet have opposite polarities on opposite sides of the first magnet and the second magnet. 3. The method of claim 2,
The first magnet and the second magnet are formed of a permanent magnet, 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the first magnet is formed integrally with the first contact member,
And the second magnet is integrally formed with the second contact member. 3. The method of claim 2,
And a guide member movably supporting the movable body on the fixed body. 6. The method of claim 5,
The guide member is fixed to the fixing body,
The first magnet and the second magnet. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein either one of the first magnet and the second magnet includes a recessed portion at a central portion thereof,
Wherein one of the first magnet and the second magnet is inserted into the recess portion. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the movable body is an airbag apparatus. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the movable body is a cover member of an airbag apparatus. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the fixture is a steering wheel hub extending from the steering wheel hub or steering wheel hub. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the fixture is an extension of a housing for receiving an airbag of the airbag device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first contact member is coupled to the movable body and includes a first contact pin configured to penetrate the through hole of the fixture,
And the second contact member includes a contact wire disposed around the through hole of the fixture. An airbag device comprising the horn switch device recited in claim 1. A steering wheel of a vehicle provided with the airbag device recited in claim 13.

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