JP2010282474A - Steering switch device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering switch device that allows an operation of attaching a steering switch to a steering wheel to be simplified, enables the cost to be reduced and allows the entire device to be downsized. <P>SOLUTION: The steering switch device 1 is arranged on the steering wheel, and includes: a steering switch 2 for performing first and second functions by first and second switch operations, respectively; and an operation knob 2b for performing first and second switch operations by swing operations in first and second directions, respectively. The operation knob 2b includes: a first operation section 21b for switch-operating the steering switch according to the first switch operation on the front of the steering wheel; and a second operation section 22b for switch-operating the steering switch 2 according to the second switch operation on the back of the steering wheel. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a steering switch device, and more particularly to a steering switch device disposed on a steering wheel for a vehicle.

  As a conventional steering switch device, for example, there is one provided with a steering switch including a shift-up switch and a shift-down switch for switching a gear ratio of a vehicle transmission by manual operation (Patent Document 1).

  The shift-up switch (or shift-down switch) has a paddle-shaped operation lever, is arranged on the back side of the steering wheel, and outputs a shift-up (or shift-down) command signal by a lever (swing) operation of the operation lever. It is configured as follows.

  The downshift switch (or upshift switch) has a push-type operation knob, is arranged on the front side of the steering wheel, and outputs a downshift (or upshift) command signal by a push (swing) operation of the operation knob. It is configured as follows.

  With the above configuration, the upshift (or downshift) of the vehicle transmission is executed by the swing operation of the operation lever, and the downshift (or shift up) of the vehicle transmission is executed by the swing operation of the operation knob. The

JP 2003-118417 A

  However, according to the steering switch device shown in Patent Document 1, since the steering switch is required on each of the front side and the back side of the steering wheel, the number of parts is increased, and the assembly work of the steering switch to the steering wheel is complicated. There was a problem of high costs. In addition, there is a problem that the space for mounting the switch is widened and the entire apparatus is enlarged.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a steering switch device capable of simplifying the assembly work of the steering switch to the steering wheel, reducing the cost, and reducing the size of the entire device.

(1) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a steering switch disposed on a steering wheel for performing a first function by a first switch operation and a second function by a second switch operation, An operation knob for performing a first switch operation by a swing operation in a first direction and a second switch operation by a swing operation in a second direction, and the operation knob is provided on a front side of the steering wheel. A first operation unit that switches the steering switch in response to a first switch operation; and a second operation unit that switches the steering switch in response to the second switch operation on the back side of the steering wheel.

(2) In the steering switch device according to (1), the steering switch performs one of shift-up and shift-down of the transmission by the first switch operation, and the transmission of the transmission by the second switch operation. It consists of a seesaw switch for performing the other of upshifting and downshifting.

(3) In the steering switch device according to (2), the operation knob includes a swing shaft interposed between the first operation portion and the second operation portion. The dimension between the second operation part is set to be larger than the dimension between the swing shaft and the first operation part.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to simplify the operation of assembling the steering switch to the steering wheel, reduce the cost, and reduce the size of the entire apparatus.

The perspective view shown in order to demonstrate the inside of the vehicle to which the steering switch apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention was applied. The front view shown in order to demonstrate the steering wheel by which the steering switch apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is mounted. Sectional drawing shown in order to demonstrate the steering switch apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing shown in order to demonstrate the 1st switch operation of the steering switch in the steering switch apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing shown in order to demonstrate the 2nd switch operation | movement of the steering switch in the steering switch apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

[Embodiment]
FIG. 1 shows the interior of the vehicle. FIG. 2 shows a steering wheel. FIG. 3 shows a steering switch device. In FIG. 2, the steering switch device denoted by reference numeral 1 includes steering switches 2 and 3 for manually operating a vehicle transmission (not shown), and is disposed on the steering wheel 101 of the vehicle 100.

  The vehicle 100 includes a driver's seat 102 in which a driver can sit and an instrument panel 103 positioned in front of the driver's seat 102.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the steering wheel 101 includes a ring-shaped rim portion 101a, a boss portion 101b located at the center of the rim portion 101a, and a spoke portion interposed between the boss portion 101b and the rim portion 101a. 101c to 101e, and connected to a steering mechanism (not shown) via a steering shaft (not shown) or the like in a steering column 104 (shown in FIG. 1).

  The rim portion 101a is disposed around a core metal 101f (shown in FIG. 3) as a skeleton of the steering wheel 101. The boss portion 101b is formed by a case for housing a horn switch mechanism (not shown), and the spoke portions 101c and 104d are formed by a case for housing steering switches 2 and 3, respectively.

  One steering switch 2 is disposed on the spoke portion 101c, and the other steering switch 3 is disposed on the spoke portion 101d so as to be partially exposed to the outside (in the vehicle).

  A steering wheel 101 that changes the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 is disposed on the instrument panel side of the driver seat 102.

  A display 105 such as various meters and various switches 106 are arranged on the instrument panel 103.

(Configuration of steering switch 2)
As shown in FIG. 3, the steering switch 2 is a seesaw switch for shifting down the transmission by the first switch operation and shifting up the transmission by the second switch operation. 2) (shown in FIG. 2).

  The steering switch 2 includes a switch main body 2a including a pair of fixed contact portions 4a and 4b and a pair of movable contact portions 5a and 5b, an operation knob 2b swingable on the switch main body 2a, And a switch mechanism 2c that operates by operating the knob 2b.

<Configuration of switch body 2a>
The switch body 2a has a base 20a that opens above the vehicle 100 and a cover 21a that closes the opening of the base 20a, and is entirely formed by a box that houses the circuit board 6 therein.

  On the circuit board 6, fixed contact portions 4a and 4b are arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction of the steering wheel 101 (left-right direction in FIG. 3).

  The base 20a has a pair of holder parts 200a and 200a for holding the circuit board 6, and is provided integrally with the spoke part 101c.

  The cover 21a has a pair of convex portions 210a and 211a protruding upward, and is attached to the base 20a.

  The protrusions 210a and 211a are provided with pusher insertion holes 212a and 213a through which pushers 9a and 9b (described later) of the switch mechanism 2c are inserted, and internal spaces 214a and 215a communicating with the pusher insertion holes 212a and 213a. .

<Configuration of operation knob 2b>
The operation knob 2b includes a first operation portion 20b and a second operation portion 21b that are opposed to each other via the knob swing shaft 7, and a connecting portion 22b that connects the first operation portion 20b and the second operation portion 21b. The cover 21a is swingably disposed through the spacer 8. Then, the operation knob 2b is configured so as to swing along the first direction around the knob pivot shaft 7 on the spacer 8 (arrow a ₁ direction) and second direction (arrow a ₂ direction) .

  The first operation portion 20b is disposed on the front side (driver's seat side) of the steering wheel 101, and is integrally formed on the driver's seat side of the connecting portion 22b. The first operation unit 20b is configured to switch the steering switch 2 on the front side of the steering wheel 101 in response to the first switch operation.

  The 2nd operation part 21b is arrange | positioned at the back side (instrument panel side) of the steering wheel 101, and is integrally formed in the instrument panel side of the connection part 22b. The second operation unit 21b is configured to switch the steering switch 2 in response to the second switch operation on the back side of the steering wheel 101.

Dimensions (length of the arm) L ₁ between the second operating unit 21b and knob pivot shaft 7, (arm length) dimension between the first operating portion 20b and knob pivot shaft 7 L ₂ Larger than (L ₁ > L ₂ ). Thereby, it becomes possible to perform operation with respect to the 2nd operation part 21b with an operation force smaller than operation with respect to the 1st operation part 20b.

  The connecting portion 22b is integrally provided with a first abutting portion 220b that protrudes on the first operating portion 20b side of the knob swing shaft 7 and abuts against the pusher 9a of the switch mechanism 2c. The connecting portion 22b is integrally provided with a second abutting portion 221b that projects on the second operating portion 21b side of the knob swing shaft 7 and abuts against the pusher 9b of the switch mechanism 2c.

<Configuration of switch mechanism 2c>
The switch mechanism 2c has a pair of pushers 9a and 9b that move forward and backward by swinging (tilting) of the operation knob 2b, and a pair of movable members 10a and 10b that can be elastically deformed by pressing of the pushers 9a and 9b. It is held on the circuit board 6.

  The pusher 9a has an operation force receiving surface 90a that receives the operation force of the first operation unit 20b, and an operation force transmission surface 91a that transmits the operation force of the first operation unit 20b to the movable member 10a. 1 is disposed between the abutting portion 220b and the movable member 10a, and is inserted into the pusher insertion hole 212a of the convex portion 210a so as to be able to advance and retract.

  The pusher 9b has an operation force receiving surface 90b that receives the operation force of the second operation portion 21b, and an operation force transmission surface 91b that transmits the operation force of the second operation portion 21b to the movable member 10b. 2 It is arrange | positioned between the contact part 220b and the movable member 10b, and is penetrated by the pusher penetration hole 213a of the convex part 211a so that advancement / retraction is possible.

  The movable member 10a has a movable contact portion 5a facing the fixed contact portion 4a, and an elastically deformable portion 5c that can be elastically deformed by receiving a pressing force from the pusher 9a, and is disposed around the fixed contact portion 4a. It is held on the circuit board 6 and formed entirely by a rubber member.

  The movable member 10b has a movable contact portion 5b facing the fixed contact portion 4b, and an elastically deformable portion 5d that can be elastically deformed by receiving a pressing force from the pusher 9b, and is disposed around the fixed contact portion 4b. It is held on the circuit board 6 and formed entirely by a rubber member.

(Configuration of steering switch 3)
Similarly to the steering switch 2, the other steering switch 3 is a seesaw switch for shifting down the transmission by the first switch operation and shifting up the transmission by the second switch operation. Located on the right side. Since the other configuration is substantially the same as that of the steering switch 2, the reference numerals of the respective parts are attached corresponding to the reference numerals of the steering switch 2 (for example, the operation knob 2b of the steering switch 2 is attached to the operation knob of the steering switch 3). 3b is assigned correspondingly), and the description thereof is omitted.

[Operation of Steering Switch Device 1]
The operation of the steering switch device 1 shown in the present embodiment will be described with respect to each operation of “transmission upshift” and “transmission downshift”. 4 and 5 show the operating state of the steering switch device according to the embodiment of the present invention. 4 shows a shift-up operation, and FIG. 5 shows a shift-down operation.

"Shifting up the transmission"
In shifting up the transmission, the driver applies an operating force to the second operating portion 21b of the operating knob 2b with the index finger (middle finger) of the left hand, and the operating knob 2b centering on the knob swing shaft 7 as shown in FIG. the is swung in the arrow a ₂ direction is performed by placing a predetermined swing position. In this case, when the operation knob 2b is arranged at a predetermined swing position, the movable contact portion 5b of the steering switch 2 comes into contact with the fixed contact portion 4b to be in the second switch operating state, and the upshift command is issued from the fixed detection portion 4b. A signal is output to the transmission. On the other hand, in the transmission, when the upshift command signal is input from the steering switch 2, the upshift is executed.

"Transmission downshift"
In shifting down the transmission, the driver applies an operating force to the first operating portion 20b of the operating knob 2b with the thumb of the left hand, and the operating knob 2b is moved around the knob swinging shaft 7 as shown in FIG. It is performed by swinging in _one direction and placing it at a predetermined swing position. In this case, when the operation knob 2b is disposed at a predetermined swing position, the movable contact portion 5a of the steering switch 2 comes into contact with the fixed contact portion 4a to be in the first switch operation state, and a downshift command is issued from the fixed detection portion 4a. A signal is output to the transmission. On the other hand, in the transmission, when a downshift command signal is input from the steering switch 2, downshifting is executed.

  Note that the upshifting of the transmission is also executed by the upshift command signal output from the steering switch 3, so that the upshifting can be performed by operating the steering switch 3. Further, since the downshift of the transmission is also executed by a downshift command signal output from the steering switch 3, the downshift can be performed by operating the steering switch 3.

[Effect of the embodiment]
According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) The steering switches 2 and 3 are not required on the front side and the back side of the steering wheel 101 as in the prior art. Thereby, the number of parts can be reduced, and the assembly work of the steering switches 2 and 3 to the steering wheel 101 can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

(2) The switch mounting space is reduced as compared with the conventional case, and the entire apparatus can be reduced in size.

  As mentioned above, although the steering switch device of the present invention was explained based on the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and is implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the following modifications are possible.

(1) In the present embodiment, the case where the switch operation of the steering switch 2 is performed by bringing the movable contact portions 5a and 5b into contact with the fixed contact portions 4a and 4b has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the switch operation of the steering switch may be performed using a non-contact sensor such as a proximity sensor or a photoelectric sensor.

(2) In the present embodiment, the case where the first operation unit 20b is disposed on the front side of the steering wheel 101 and the second operation unit 21b is disposed on the back side of the steering wheel 101 has been described. However, the second operation unit may be arranged on the front side of the steering wheel, and the first operation unit may be arranged on the back side of the steering wheel.

(3) In the present embodiment, the case where the steering switch 2 is disposed on the left side of the steering wheel 101 and the steering switch 3 is disposed on the right side of the steering wheel 101 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. A steering switch may be arranged only on either the left or right side of the steering wheel.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Steering switch apparatus, 2 ... Steering switch, 2a ... Switch main body, 20a ... Base, 200a ... Holder part, 21a ... Cover, 210a, 211a ... Convex part, 212a, 213a ... Pusher insertion hole, 214a, 215a ... Internal space 2b ... an operation knob, 20b ... a first operation part, 21b ... a second operation part, 22b ... a connection part, 220b ... a first contact part, 221b ... a second contact part, 2c ... a switch mechanism, 3 ... a steering switch 3b ... an operation knob, 30b ... a first operation part, 31b ... a second operation part, 4a, 4b ... a fixed contact part, 5a, 5b ... a movable contact part, 5c, 5d ... an elastic deformation part, 6 ... a circuit board, 7 ... Knob swing shaft, 8 ... Spacer, 9a, 9b ... Pusher, 90a, 90b ... Operating force receiving surface, 91a, 91b ... Operating force transmitting surface, 10a, 10b ... Movable member, 1 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 0 ... Vehicle, 101 ... Steering wheel, 101a ... Rim part, 101b ... Boss part, 101c-101e ... Spoke part, 102 ... Driver's seat, 103 ... Instrument panel, 104 ... Steering column, 105 ... Indicator, 106 ... Various switch

Claims (3)

A steering switch disposed on the steering wheel for performing a first function by a first switch operation and a second function by a second switch operation;
An operation knob for performing the first switch operation by a swinging operation in a first direction and performing the second switch operation by a swinging operation in a second direction,
The operation knob includes a first operation unit that switches the steering switch corresponding to the first switch operation on the front side of the steering wheel, and the steering switch corresponding to the second switch operation on the back side of the steering wheel. A steering switch device having a second operation unit for operating the switch.   The steering switch is a seesaw switch for performing one of shift-up and shift-down of the transmission by the first switch operation and the other of shift-up and shift-down of the transmission by the second switch operation. The steering switch device according to claim 1, comprising:   The operation knob has a swing shaft interposed between the first operation portion and the second operation portion, and a dimension between the swing shaft and the second operation portion is the same as that of the swing shaft. The steering switch device according to claim 2, wherein the steering switch device is set to a size larger than a size between the first operation unit and the first operation unit.

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