Steering wheel having a telephone

• US 4,698,838 A
• Filed: 09/27/1985
• Issued: 10/06/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), Toyoda Gosei Company Limited 1 Nagahata Ochiai Haruhi-Cho Nishikasugai-Gun Aichi-Ken Japan
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ono, Satoshi, Nishikawa, Masumi, Ishikawa, Masanobu, Hiramitsu, Tetsushi, Hirano, Atsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Lev, Robert
• Application Number:
  US06/780,841
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 179/2 E, 179/2 EA, 179/147, 179/146 R, 179/149, 179/152, 455/89, 455/90, 455/346, 379/56, 379/58, 379/63, 379/59, 379/60
• US Class Current: 455/569.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0241 for telephones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/001 Vehicle control means, e.g. steering-wheel or column
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0045 with visible part, e.g. flush mounted
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 224/929 Article carrier for electrical device

Abstract

A steering wheel having a telephone includes a pad portion secured to a steering shaft, wherein the pad portion comprises a base held on the steering shaft and a telephone detachably held on the base, the base has a receiving recess and a swing projection with which the telephone is engaged, and the telephone has an engaging recess in engagement with the swing projection and a radio communication means for transferring signals. Therefore, the driver can use the telephone of the present invention in his driving attitude without picking up it during operation of the steering wheel and other occupants can also pick up it from the steering wheel.

Claims

1. A steering wheel having a telephone, comprising:

a boss portion secured to a steering shaft;

a steering portion operated by a driver;

a spoke portion for integrally connecting said boss portion and said steering portion, and

a pad portion held on said boss portion;

said pad portion comprising a base held on said boss portion and a telephone detachably held on said base;

said base comprising a receiving recess in which said telephone is received, a swing projection with which said telephone is engaged, a lock devise comprising a swing arm urged in a given rotational direction and having an engaging projection at the end thereof, a lock pawl and a lock releasing lever for driving said lock pawl; and

said telephone having an engaging recess in engagement with said swing projection.

4. A steering wheel having a telephone according to claims 1 or 2, wherein:

said base includes a rotatably held connecting shaft rotatably and

a swing projection having a first swing arm and a second swing arm which are inserted in and held on said connecting sshaft, rotation of which is transmitted each other through the engaging projection;

said swing projection comprises a biasing member provided on said first swing arm to bias said first swing arm in a given swinging direction;

said connecting shaft is deviated through a predetermined angle with respect to an engaging surface between said second swing arm and said connecting shaft so that said first swing arm and said second swing arm are in parallel with each other when said telephone is taken out from said base.

5. A steering wheel having a telephone according to claim 4, wherein

said engaging portion of said first and said second swing arms respectively have a hole having a flat portion,

said flat portions of said holes are deviated to each other through a predetermined angle, and said connecting shaft has a flat portion having the same shape as said flat portions of the holes of the first and the second swing arms.

6. A steering wheel having a telephone according to claim 4, wherein said biasing member is a coil spring.

7. A steering wheel having a telephone according to claim 1, wherein

said base has a receiving portion and a swing projection having a connecting shaft rotatably held on said receiving portion and a first swing arm and a second swing arm which are inserted in and held on said connecting shaft,

a biasing member is provided between said first swing member and said receiving portion, and

an attenuating member is provided between said second swing member and said receiving portion.

8. A steering wheel having a telephone according to claim 7, wherein said biasing member is a coil spring.

9. A steering wheel having a telephone according to claim 7, wherein said attenuating member is a damper.

10. A steering wheel having a telephone according to claim 1, wherein

said lock device has said lock lever having said lock pawl at the end thereof and swinging in a direction which intersects the swinging direction of said swing arm, and

said lock pawl has an urging surface which comes into contact with an engaging shoulder to urge the telephone in a direction which intersects the urging direction of said swing arm on said base.

11. A steering wheel having a telephone according to claim 10, wherein

said base has a groove for housing said telephone therein, a pair of said swing arms on both side walls at one end of said groove, said lock device on one side wall at another end of said groove and first guide portion on other side wall of said groove,

said telephone has a pair of engaging recesses on both side walls at one end thereof,

an engaging shoulder engaging with engaging portion and biasing surface of said base, and

a second guide portion engaging with said first guide portion on other side walls at another end thereof.

12. A steering wheel having a telephone according to claims 1, or 2 wherein

said swing projection has a pair of opposed engaging projections at regular intervals,

said telephone has a pair of engaging recesses being disposed in both surfaces of the telephone back to back with each other, into which said pair of engaging projection are inserted,

one of said engaging projection and said engaging recess has a press member urged against the engaging surface thereof by a given urging force.

13. A steering wheel having a telephone according to claim 12, wherein said engaging projections are fixed at the end of said pair of swing lever which pivotally held on said base.

14. A steering wheel having a telephone according to claim 13, wherein said press member comprises a slider portion and a spring for urging said slider portion.

2. A steering wheel having a telephone, comprising:

a boss portion secured to a steering shaft;

a steering portion operated by a driver;

a spoke portion for integrally connecting said boss portion and said steering portion;

a pad portion held on said boss portion;

said pad portion comprising a base held on said boss portion and a telephone detachably held on said base;

said telephone comprising a radio communication means for transferring signals between a microphone and speaker necessary for receiving a transmission and telephone control portion provided on an automobile; and

said base having a second speaker provided with an amplifying system and a second microphone provided with an amplifying system.

3. A steering wheel having a telephone according to claim 2,

wherein said telephone has a contact portion for detecting the recess of said base and

a switching means for actuating said amplifying system by detection of said contact portion.