Electricity: conductors and insulators – Conduits – cables or conductors – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-01
2002-12-31
Dinkins, Anthony (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Conduits, cables or conductors
Combined
C174S07100B, C174S0720TR, C174S07100B
Reexamination Certificate
active
06501023
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a steering body which is provided at the rear of a steering wheel in a vehicle and provided with switches and associated auxiliary equipments surrounding a steering column of the vehicle, and more particularly to a steering wire harness, a steering module and a wiring system of the steering wire harness which can deal with any change in design of a steering section without modifying a control board, and in which wire arranging performance is easy.
2. Related Art
A related steering module designates a steering body provided at the rear of a steering wheel in a vehicle and provided with switches and associated auxiliary equipments surrounding a steering column of the vehicle, and which has a structure as shown in FIG.
5
. In particular, a steering module (steering body)
1
includes a combination switch box
2
, to which a wiper lever
3
and a light control lever
4
are attached. In this combination switch box
2
, are incorporated a wiper control switch and a wiper control circuit corresponding to the wiper lever
3
, and a light control switch and a light control circuit corresponding to the light control lever
4
respectively.
By operating this wiper lever
3
, controls of the wiper such as injection of window washer liquid, start of the wiper, setting of intermittent working time of the wiper, etc. are conducted. By operating the light control lever
4
, controls of various lights such as switching on and off head lamps, stop lamps, parking lamps, etc. are conducted.
The combination switch box
2
is provided with a steering column main shaft
5
. This steering column main shaft
5
is expanded and contracted by actions of a telescopic motor
6
thereby to adjust positions of a steering wheel (handle) in forward and backward directions. The steering module (the steering body)
1
further includes a tilt motor which is not shown in the drawing because it is located on a lower face side in FIG.
5
. This tilt motor is adapted to bend the steering column main shaft
5
to adjust vertical positions of the steering wheel (the handle).
Numeral
7
represents a steering column upper tube. Numeral
8
represents a steering column tube.
Numeral
9
represents a key cylinder fixed to the steering column tube
8
and adapted to actuate an engine and accessory switches on and off by means of an engine key inserted and rotated in the key cylinder.
Numerals
10
and
11
represent mounting plates attached to the steering column tube
8
. The mounting plate
10
is provided with a pair of bolt holes
12
,
13
into which bolts are inserted, while the mounting plate
11
is provided with a pair of bolt holes
14
,
15
into which bolts are inserted. The mounting plate
11
is further provided with a pair of steering energy absorbing plates
17
for absorbing backlash which occurs when the steering module (the steering body)
1
is fixed to a reinforce
16
. This reinforce
16
is fixed between left and right walls of the vehicle for the purpose of reinforcing the vehicle body and formed in a C-shape in cross section. An instrument panel wire harness
26
is contained in the reinforce
16
.
Numeral
18
represents a wiper connector. Numeral
19
represents a light control connector. Numeral
20
represents a telescopic connector. Numeral
21
represents a tilt connector.
In the steering module (the steering body)
1
which is shown in
FIG. 5
, wiring arrangement is as shown in FIG.
6
. In particular, a wiper control switch
30
is connected to a combination switch
27
with its connectors
34
,
35
on a wiper side engaged with connectors
36
,
37
on a combination switch side. Further, a light control switch
31
is connected to the combination switch
27
with its connectors
38
,
39
on a light side engaged with connectors
40
,
41
on the combination switch side. A tilt and telescopic switch
32
for switching the telescopic motor
6
and the tilt motor
22
is connected to the combination switch
27
with its connector
42
on a tilt and telescopic side engaged with a connector
43
on the combination switch side. This combination switch
27
is connected to a connector
45
on an instrument panel side which is fitted to an end of the instrumental panel wire harness
26
through a connector
44
which is provided on the combination switch
27
for connection with the exterior.
The telescopic motor
6
is connected to an instrument panel side connector
47
through a connector
46
. The tilt motor
22
is connected to an instrument panel side connector
49
through a connector
48
. Actuating power is supplied from the instrument panel wire harness
26
.
A tilt and telescopic control circuit
33
for controlling the telescopic motor
6
and the tilt motor
22
is connected to an instrument panel side connector
51
by way of a connector
50
. The telescopic motor
6
and the tilt motor
22
are controlled by the tilt and telescopic control circuit
33
through the instrument panel wire harness
26
. This tilt and telescopic control circuit
33
is fixed to the body.
In the related steering module constructed in this manner, the wiper control switch
30
and the wiper control circuit corresponding to the wiper lever
3
, and the light control switch
31
and the light control circuit corresponding to the light control lever
4
are respectively contained in the combination switch box
2
. Connectors
18
,
19
for connection with the exterior are attached to this combination switch box
2
. The instrument panel side connector
45
of the instrument panel wire harness
26
is connected to the connector
44
for the connection with the exterior of the combination switch
27
which is connected to the connectors
18
,
19
, whereby the wiper control switch
30
and the light control switch
31
are connected to the instrument panel wire harness
26
.
A driver control circuit of a steering angle sensor
28
is provided inside the steering angle sensor
28
. This steering angle sensor
28
is connected directly to the instrument panel wire harness
26
, by connecting a connector
52
for connection with the exterior to an instrument panel side connector
53
of the instrument panel wire harness
26
.
The tilt and telescopic control circuit
33
for controlling the telescopic motor
6
and the tilt motor
22
is connected to an instrument panel side connector
51
through a connector
50
, and fixed to the body.
Such being the wiring arrangement, on each occasion where an outer design of the combination switch box
2
is changed, circuit boards for the wiper control circuit and the light control circuit must be redesigned, and it has been a problem that versatility of the circuit boards is low.
Moreover, since the various control circuits and the instrument panel wire harness
26
are directly connected, it has been necessary to prepare a number of connectors which are extended to various auxiliary equipments. Therefore, it has been another problem that wiring work becomes complicated and takes a lot of troubles, and workability of connecting the connectors on occasion of mounting the steering module will be low.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a wiring arrangement in which any design change of the steering section can be dealt with without modifying the designs of the circuit boards, maintenance can be easily performed in case where an abnormal accident has occurred in the control circuits, and assembling of the steering section and the instrument panel wire harness can be completed by fitting the steering module to the reinforce, thereby enhancing the workability of connecting the connectors.
In order to attain the above described object, a steering wire harness includes a first steering wire harness which is connected at its one end to auxiliary equipments provided on a steering body and provided with a first connector portion at the other end, and a second steering wire harness which includes a second connector portion adapted to be engaged with the first connector por
Nishijima Masataka
Tsukamoto Masashi
Tsunoda Mitsunori
Dinkins Anthony
Lee Jinhee J
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