JPH067009Y2 - Horn pad assembly structure - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial field of application> The present invention relates to an assembly structure of a horn pad which is disposed on a steering wheel or the like of an automobile and is used for operating a horn.

<Prior Art> A conventional horn pad assembly structure is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 (see Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 55-22221).

The horn pad 1 is formed of a hard synthetic resin having a spring-like elasticity such as ABS, PP, TPR coated with a soft synthetic resin if desired, and is formed integrally with the horn pad 1 at a predetermined position on the lower surface. The locking leg 2 was formed.

Each locking leg 2 has a shaft portion 3 and a shaft portion 3 formed at a lower end of the shaft portion 3.
The locking portion 4 is provided so that the outer diameter can be expanded and the outer diameter can be contracted via the slit 2a formed in the axial direction.
The locking portion 4 has a bulging surface 4a that gradually increases the outer diameter from the lower end toward the upper side, and a reducing surface 4b that gradually reduces the outer diameter via a maximum bulging portion 4c above the bulging surface 4a. Was there. The inclination of the bulging surface 4a is determined by
Is provided for easy insertion into an assembling hole 9 described later,
The inclination of the reduction surface 4b is provided to facilitate the removal of the slide core when the locking leg 2 is molded.

On the other hand, the locking leg 2 is attached to the movable contact plate 7 of the horn switch structure 5 to which the horn pad 1 is assembled.
At the positions corresponding to the two fixing holes 7b with one insertion hole 7a and one insertion hole 7a in between, and the lower portion thereof is inserted into the insertion hole 7a and the fixing hole 7a.
A cylindrical piece 8 made of a hard synthetic resin, which is fastened with a screw 10 via b, is provided.

Each tubular piece 8 was provided with two screw holes 8a into which screws 10 are screwed, and one assembly hole 9 that penetrates vertically.

The assembling hole 9 has a narrow portion 9a having a size slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 3 of the locking leg 2, a guide surface 9b gradually widening at the upper portion of the narrow portion 9a, and a lower portion of the narrow portion 9a. It was provided with the regulation surface 9c that is substantially parallel to the inclination of the reduction surface 4b of the stop leg locking portion 4. In addition, the inclination of the guide surface 9b is provided so that the locking portion 4 can be easily inserted, and the inclination of the restriction surface 9c is provided in consideration of stability after locking the locking leg 2 and removal. Has been.

When the horn pad 1 is assembled, the locking leg 4 is inserted into the mounting hole 9 of the tubular piece 8 fixed to the movable contact plate 7 while the locking leg 2 is inserted, and the shaft portion 3
The lower surface is arranged in the narrow portion 9a and the reduction surface 4
This is done by bringing b into contact with the regulation surface 9c. A stopper (not shown) is provided so as to project on the lower surface of the horn pad 1 or the upper surface of the movable contact plate 7, and the downward movement of the horn pad 1 after assembly is restricted by this stopper. 6 is a movable contact plate 7
It is a fixed contact plate that also constitutes the horn switch structure 5.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> In the conventional horn pad assembly structure, when the horn pad 1 itself is assembled and removed, a predetermined guide surface 9b and a regulation surface 9c are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the assembly hole 9. Because it was done, it could be done easily.

However, the assembling hole 9 provided in the movable contact plate 7 is formed in the tubular piece 8 which is separately screwed to the movable contact plate 7.

Therefore, two screws 10 are provided for one tubular piece 8.
Since a plurality of cylindrical pieces 8 themselves are required, the number of parts is large, and the work of assembling the horn pad 1 is troublesome, which is one of the causes of cost increase.

The present invention solves the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a horn pad assembling structure capable of reducing the number of parts used when assembling the horn pad, and reducing the assembling man-hour and the assembling cost. And

<Means for Solving Problems> In the assembly structure of the horn pad according to the present invention, a locking leg and a horn switch structure are formed at a predetermined position on the lower surface of the synthetic resin horn pad. A pressing protrusion that presses the upper surface of the movable contact plate is provided, and a locking leg is formed in the shaft portion and the lower end of the shaft portion, and the outer diameter bulges from the shaft portion and the slit formed in the axial direction. A locking portion that allows the outer diameter to contract elastically elastically, and the locking portion has a substantially inverted conical bulging surface that gradually increases in outer diameter as it goes upward from the lower end, and a bulging surface. A substantially conical reducing surface that gradually reduces the outer diameter through an uppermost bulge portion, and is disposed at a predetermined position of the movable contact plate and integrally extends vertically from the movable contact plate. A cylindrical boss is formed , The boss portion has a narrow portion on the inner peripheral surface corresponding to the shaft portion of the locking leg, a guide surface having a space of an approximately conical shape in which the outer diameter gradually increases at the upper portion of the narrow portion, and the narrow portion of the narrow portion. An assembling hole having an outer diameter that gradually expands at the lower part and having a substantially conical space and a restricting surface that is substantially parallel to the reducing surface is provided, and the locking leg is inserted into the assembling hole of the boss portion. , Assembling the horn pad to the horn switch assembly by locking the reduction surface of the locking leg to the restriction surface of the boss and sandwiching the movable contact plate between the reduction surface of the locking leg and the lower surface of the pressing protrusion. Solves the above problem.

<Operation and effect of device> In the assembly structure of the horn pad according to the present invention, the assembly hole for locking the horn pad locking leg is provided inside the boss itself integrally extended from the movable contact plate. Has been formed.

Therefore, unlike the conventional assembly structure, it is not necessary to separately screw the tubular piece that locks the locking leg to the movable contact plate, and the horn pad can be directly mounted on the movable contact plate itself. Further, since the boss portion has the predetermined narrow portion, the guide surface, and the reduction surface, the horn pad can be easily assembled and removed.

Therefore, the horn pad assembling structure according to the present invention eliminates the need for the tubular piece and the screw for mounting the tubular piece, which have been conventionally required.
It is possible to reduce the number of parts used at the time of assembly without hindering the removal work, and to reduce the assembly man-hour and assembly cost.

And, of course, in the assembling structure according to the present invention, when the locking leg of the horn pad is arranged in the assembling hole of the movable contact plate, the bulging surface at the lower end of the locking leg is set as the guide surface of the assembling hole of the boss portion. At this time, the bulging surface is formed so as to have a substantially inverted conical shape, and the guide surface also has a space having a substantially inverted conical shape, and the locking leg is displaced in the radial direction of the shaft portion. Therefore, the positioning can be easily performed. Further, since the boss portion is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape,
There is no deformation such as falling when the bulging surface of the locking leg comes into contact.

Furthermore, if the horn pad is then pushed down, the locking part of the locking leg is reduced in diameter by the slit, and after the maximum bulge passes through the narrow part of the assembly hole, the locking part is restored and locked. The horn pad is assembled by engaging the reduction surface of the portion with the regulation surface of the assembly hole. And at that time, since the shaft part of the locking leg is restricted by the narrow part of the assembly hole of the boss part,
The horn pad can be prevented from shifting in the horizontal direction, and the horn pad can be assembled by locking the locking leg and the locking hole.

<Embodiment> An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The horn pad 11 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 is made of a hard synthetic resin having a spring-like elasticity such as ABS, PP, TPR or the like, which is coated with a soft synthetic resin if desired, and is arranged on the boss portion B of the steering wheel W. It is what is done.

The horn pad 11 is integrally formed with a locking leg 12 projecting downward from four predetermined points on the lower surface thereof and a stopper 11a as a pressing protrusion having a function of a pressing member.

Each locking leg 12 has a cylindrical shaft portion 13 and
A locking portion 14 is provided at the lower end of the shaft portion 13 to bulge the outer diameter from the shaft portion 13 and to be able to contract the outer diameter via a slit 12a formed in the axial direction. As in the conventional case, the locking portion 14 also gradually increases its outer diameter from the lower end to the upper side through a substantially inverted conical bulging surface 14a whose outer diameter gradually increases and a maximum bulging portion 14c above the bulging surface 14a. And a reduction surface 14b having a substantially conical shape for reducing the size (see FIG. 1).

The contact plate 17 that constitutes the horn switch structure 15 together with the fixed contact plate 16 is formed of a metal plate and has four mounting holes 19 so that the horn pad locking leg 12 can be locked at a predetermined position.

Each assembling hole 19 is formed by vertically pressing a predetermined position of the movable contact plate 17 into a substantially cylindrical shape by pressing, and is formed inside the substantially cylindrical boss portion 18. The processing of the boss portion 18 will be described. A cylindrical portion is formed at a predetermined position of the movable contact plate 17 by drawing, and then an intermediate portion in the axial direction is narrowed by bending to form the boss portion 18. On the inner peripheral surface, a narrow portion 19a, a guide surface 19b having a substantially inverted conical space, and a restriction surface 19c having a substantially conical space, which are similar to those formed on the conventional tubular piece 8, are formed. is there.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the movable contact plate 17 is separated from the fixed contact plate 16 by spacers 20A and 20B having insulating properties and plate springs 22 fixed via rivets 21. Energized to move away. In addition, the distance between the movable contact plate 17 and the lower surface of the fixed contact plate 16 is equal to that of the movable spacer 23 with the collar 23 having an insulating property.
It is regulated by being screwed to the screw 24. By the way, these spacers 20A and 20B, leaf spring 2
2. The flanged spacer 23 has the same structure as the conventional one.

Further, the fixed contact plate 16 is formed of sheet metal as in the conventional case, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the boss plate 31 of the boss portion B is provided via the leg portions 16b fixed to the lower surface.
The movable contact plate 1 is fixed to the lower cover 33 by screws 25 through the core metal 32 of the spokes S and the lower cover 33.
The horn switch structure 15 is assembled to the steering wheel W together with 7.

The movable contact plate 17 is attached to the tip of the leaf spring 22.
A contact 22a that is fitted into and contacts the contact is provided.
The contact 16a corresponding to 2a is the fixed contact plate 1
6 are arranged. The contact 22a is the leaf spring 2
2, a lead wire (not shown) is connected, the lead wire is connected to the slip ring 34 on the lower surface of the lower cover 33, and is connected to the positive electrode side of the horn operation circuit. Further, the contact 16a is the fixed contact plate 16
・ Leg 16b ・ Spoke core 32 ・ Boss plate 31
Also, it is configured to be connected to the negative electrode side of the horn operation circuit via the boss 30 and the like.

Therefore, the assembly of this embodiment will be described. First, the horn switch structure 15 is assembled in advance, and the leg portions 16b of the fixed contact plate 16 are fixed to the boss plate 31 and the spoke core metal 32 with screws 25. Assembly can be completed by nut-fixing the boss 30 to a steering shaft (not shown) and inserting and locking each locking leg 12 of the horn pad 11 into the boss portion 18 of the movable contact plate 17. The downward movement of the horn pad 11 with respect to the movable contact plate 17 after the assembling is performed by the stopper 1 on the lower surface of the horn pad 11 during the assembling.
1a is in contact with the upper surface of the movable contact plate 11, and the movable contact plate 11 is sandwiched between the reduction surface 14b of the locking leg 12 and the lower surface of the stopper 11a, so that the stopper 1a regulates the movable contact plate 11.

Further, in the assembling structure of the embodiment, the movable contact plate 1 is directly moved without using the cylindrical piece as in the conventional case.
Since the locking leg 12 is inserted and locked in the boss portion 18 of the 7 itself, compared with the conventional assembling structure, the screwing man-hours of the tubular piece are not required, and the man-hours and the assembling cost are reduced. It can be reduced, and the same effect as that described in the section of the action and effect of the above-mentioned invention is obtained.

Further, in the assembling structure of the embodiment, when disposing the locking leg 12 of the horn pad 11 in the mounting hole 19 of the movable contact plate 17, the bulging surface 14 a at the lower end of the locking leg 12 is mounted on the boss portion 18. The guide surface 19b of the hole 19 is brought into contact with the guide surface 19b. At this time, the bulging surface 14a is formed in a substantially inverted conical shape so that the guide surface 19b also has a space in a substantially inverted conical shape. However, the shaft portion 13 is prevented from being displaced in the radial direction, and the positioning can be easily performed.

Further, if the horn pad 11 is pushed down thereafter, the locking portion 14 of the locking leg 12 is reduced in diameter by the slit 12a, and the maximum bulge portion 14c passes through the narrow portion 19a of the assembly hole 19 before locking. The portion 14 is restored and the reduction surface 1 of the locking portion 14 is reduced.
The horn pad 11 is assembled by engaging 4b with the restriction surface 19c of the assembly hole 19. At that time, since the shaft portion 13 of the locking leg 12 is restricted in its entire circumference by the narrow portion 19a of the assembly hole 19 of the boss portion 18, the horn pad 1
1 is prevented from shifting in the horizontal direction. Therefore, in the embodiment, the locking legs 12 and the mounting holes 19 are provided at four locations.
Although the locking with 12 is exemplified, at least two locking legs 12
The horn pad 11 can be assembled without being displaced by the engagement between the engagement hole 19 and the engagement hole 19, and the space of the assembly structure can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded sectional view of an essential part showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an assembled state of the same embodiment.
Fig. 3 shows a II-II portion, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the steering wheel boss portion of the embodiment in which the horn pad is removed, and Fig. 4 shows an attachment state of the fixed contact plate of the horn switch structure in the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the steering wheel shown, showing the IV-IV portion of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional example, and FIG. 6 is a plan view of the steering wheel with the horn pad of the conventional example removed. is there. 1.11 ... Horn pad, 2.12 ... Locking leg, 2a.12a ... Slit, 3.13 ... Shaft part, 4.14 ... Locking part, 4a.14a ... Swelling surface, 4b ..14b ... reducing surface, 4c.14c ... maximum bulge, 5.15 ... horn switch structure, 7.17 ... movable contact plate, 9.19 ... assembly hole, 9a.19a ... Narrow portion, 9b / 19b ... Guide surface, 9c / 19c ... Regulating surface, 18 ... Boss portion.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A locking leg and a pressing protrusion for pressing the upper surface of a movable contact plate for forming a horn switch structure are provided at predetermined positions on the lower surface of a horn pad made of synthetic resin, respectively. Locking in which the locking leg is formed on the shaft portion and a lower end of the shaft portion so as to bulge the outer diameter from the shaft portion and to elastically contract the outer diameter by a slit formed in the axial direction. A bulging surface having a substantially inverted conical shape whose outer diameter gradually increases as it goes upward from the lower end, and the outer diameter gradually increases through the maximum bulging portion above the bulging surface. A substantially conical reduction surface that reduces the size of the movable contact plate, and a substantially cylindrical boss portion integrally extending in the vertical direction from the movable contact plate is formed at a predetermined position of the movable contact plate, On the inner peripheral surface of the boss portion, A narrow portion corresponding to the shaft portion, a guide surface having an outer diameter gradually increasing at the upper portion of the narrow portion and having a space of an approximately inverted cone shape, and an outer diameter gradually increasing at the lower portion of the narrow portion and having a substantially conical shape space. And a restricting surface that is substantially parallel to the reducing surface, and the engaging leg is inserted into the assembling hole of the boss portion. The horn pad is assembled to the horn switch assembly by engaging with the regulation surface of the boss portion, and sandwiching the movable contact plate by the reducing surface of the engaging leg and the lower surface of the pressing protrusion. Assembling structure of horn pad.