A motor vehicle steering wheel comprising a plastic material body overmoulded on a framework and formed with at least one lateral seat housing a switch controlling a horn. The lateral seat of the body is delimited by a resiliently deformable integral front member which is part of the body, forming the operating press member of the switch. The switch is comprised of two normally spaced apart plates having a resilient element therebetween. The resilient element may be of integral one piece construction with the membrane and extend through an aperture in the adjacent plate.
In order to obtain a switch structure of a steering wheel in which a number of kinds of parts can be reduced and cost can be greatly reduced, there is provided a switch structure of a steering wheel at which a pair of opening portions symmetrically formed between an inner periphery of a rim of the steering wheel and an outer periphery of a pad cover as seen from a vehicle occupant side, at each of which opening portions a switch assembly formed by a plurality of switches is disposed, wherein arrangement and shape of the plurality of switches constituting the each switch assembly are determined so as to be symmetrical with respect to a predetermined base line intersecting the respective opening portions.
The switch apparatus for the steering wheel is constructed such that a switch body section is mounted within a pad section of a steering wheel, an operating section for driving the switch body section is caused to protrude outwardly of the pad section, and it is made possible to operate the operating section from two directions in such a manner that the same switch signal can be outputted in the operation from either direction.
A vehicle-mounting steering switch includes a manipulating knob which is rotatably and pivotally supported on a support member. The support member is fixedly secured to a rear surface of a pad of the steering wheel and, the manipulating knob is protruded into the inside of a space defined between a ring and the pad. A circuit board which is provided with a pair of resistance patterns is mounted on the support member, while a sliding element which is slidable on the circuit board is mounted on the manipulating knob. When a driver performs push or pull manipulation of the manipulating knob with his finger, a relative position of the circuit board and the sliding element is changed so that two kinds of ON signals are outputted. In response to these ON signals, it becomes possible to shift transmission gears in the midst of cruising in a drive range.
A vehicle steering wheel comprises a first switch (2) and a first actuating element (4) for actuating the first switch, and a second switch (132) and a second actuating element (110) for actuating the second switch. There is further provided a carrier (134) adapted to be displaced by the second actuating element (110) in an actuating direction (B) for actuating the second switch (132) and on which the first switch (2) is mounted. The steering wheel also has a base body (122), relative to which the carrier (134) is mounted so as to be displaceable in said actuating direction (B). The first actuating element (4) is provided with a stop element (9) which abuts against the base body (122) when the first actuating element (110) is displaced up to a complete actuation of the first switch (2). The stop element also prevents a displacement of the carrier (134), leading to the actuation of the second switch (132), by means of the first actuating element (4).
