Machine element or mechanism – Control lever and linkage systems – Multiple controlling elements for single controlled element
Patent
1986-11-14
1988-03-08
Herrmann, Allan D.
Machine element or mechanism
Control lever and linkage systems
Multiple controlling elements for single controlled element
74492, 74552, 200 6154, 267155, 267158, B62D 110, B62D 116
Patent
active
047292547
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a steering system, in particular a mechanism for mounting an operation panel of a radiotelephone on the top surface of the rotating shaft of a steering wheel with which a movable body such as automobile or the like is equipped, said radiotelephone including push buttons and adapted to be installed in the movable body, and a system for transmitting signals between the operation panel and the base unit of the radiotelephone.
2. Background Art
In a movable body such as an automobile or the like, the steering wheel is located nearest the driver and accessible to his hands. In order to improve the handling by the driver of the operation panel including key switches for control and instruction of various units installed in the automobile, it is desirable to mount the operation panel on the top surface of the rotating shaft of the steering wheel.
Further, in the case of the movable body such as automobile or the like where a radiotelephone is installed, there is no way other than to locate the base unit of the radiotelephone at the position far away from the speaker including the driver. Consequently, in order to prevent the surrounding noise from being transmitted through the telephone, a mouthpiece section such as a microphone or the like is designed to be separatable from the base unit of the radiotelephone while both are connected with each other through a cord so that the mouthpiece section can be accessed by the speaker when he wishes to speak through the radiotelephone. However, while the driver is speaking through such a type of radiotelephone, he needs to keep holding the microphone or the like with at least one of his hands. As a result, he often drives a car dangerously with only one hand. It is preferable to enable the driver to speak safely while driving because he has many chances to speak through the radiotelephone installed in the automobile or the like.
In order to resolve the above-mentioned problem, Japanese Patent Public Disclosure No. 59-32542 discloses a technology. According to the disclosure, a steering apparatus of an automobile is equipped with a radiotelephone, an operation panel of which is mounted on the top surface of the rotating shaft of a steering wheel. The operation panel includes operation keys such as number keys and control keys of the radiotelephone, and a microphone. Such a radiotelephone that has the operation panel mounted on the top surface of the steering wheel needs an additional mechanism for enabling the operation panel to keep substantially stationary without rotating together with the steering wheel.
In the disclosure, there is shown a mechanism for stationarily supporting the operation panel, said mechanism comprising a first external gear fixed on a column cover positioned under the spoke of the steering wheel, the steering shaft of which passes through the first external gear and is freely rotatable therein, a second external gear rotatably supported on the upper end of the steering shaft which extends over the spoke of the steering wheel, an operation panel fixed on the upper surface of said second external gear, a rotating shaft vertically passing through the spoke integrally formed with the steering shaft, said rotating shaft being rotatable in the spoke, and satellite gears secured to the upper and lower ends of said rotating shaft and adapted to engage said first and second external gears. This mechanism allows the operation panel to rotate in the opposite direction to that in which the steering wheel is rotated and by the same rotational angle as that thereof. Consequently, the operation panel can remain substantially stationary even when the steering wheel is rotated.
The stationary supporting mechanism is so designed that the rotating shaft of the two satellite gears which is adapted to engage the first and second external gears passes through the spoke and is freely rotatable therein. Because of this arrangement, in order to always ensure suitable engagement between the two external gears
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Nogami Masateru
Suzuki Hozumi
Herrmann Allan D.
Isumi Corporation Industries, Inc.
Izumi Motor Co., Ltd.
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