Vehicle steering wheel

Details Vehicle steering wheel Vehicle steering wheel

2000-10-20

2002-07-30

Bradley, P. Austin (Department: 2832)

Electricity: circuit makers and breakers

Special application

Steering wheel, shaft or column mounted

C280S728200

Reexamination Certificate

active

06426473

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to a vehicle steering wheel with a switch movably mounted on the steering wheel.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Vehicle steering wheels are equipped increasingly with switches, the switch with the largest area being the horn switch.
Especially in the case of the horn switch, one endeavors to make this easily movable after a prevalent initial counterforce has been overcome.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a vehicle steering wheel in which the friction that occurs on moving the guide piece to the bearing piece is kept low. This is achieved in a vehicle steering wheel with a switch movably mounted on the steering wheel and a bearing for the switch. The bearing has a guide piece and a bearing piece that encloses the guide piece. The guide piece has a free end with a cone widening outwards towards the free end and transversely to a direction of movement of the switch. The free end forms an end stop in a non-actuated switch position and rests against the bearing piece. Due to the conical end, which holds the switch in its end position in the direction opposite to the direction of movement, it is achieved that the end detaches itself completely from the bearing piece with the slightest actuation of the switch and the amount of friction between bearing piece and guide piece is almost zero. Also, tilting of guide piece and bearing piece, such as could occur in the case of a cylindrical free end mounted in a cylindrical sleeve, can be prevented.
Preferably, the bearing piece also has a conical contact surface against which the cone rests, resulting in direct, rapid separation of the surfaces resting on one another when actuated.
In the end stop, the surfaces have an overall contact with each other because the contact surface of the bearing piece is of complementary design to the conical end piece.
Preferably, play is provided between the bearing piece and the end stop transversely to the direction of movement in order to ensure that contact between guide piece and bearing piece is in fact avoided immediately after actuation.
The switch is preferably mounted on a gas bag module housing. It is mounted completely in such a way that switch and gas bag module housing form a separate preassembled unit which is then fitted into the preferably foam-encased steering wheel skeleton.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4655101 (1987-04-01), Endo et al.
patent: 4872364 (1989-10-01), Kaga et al.
patent: 5228362 (1993-07-01), Chen et al.
patent: 5338906 (1994-08-01), Yokota
patent: 5957489 (1999-09-01), Sahara et al.
patent: 6086090 (2000-07-01), Fischer
patent: 6257615 (2001-07-01), Bohn et al.

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