Handle switch device of vehicle

• US 7,402,767 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2007
• Issued: 07/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company), TOYO Denso Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company), TOYO Denso Company Limited
• Inventors: Hikichi, Koichi, Kodaira, Shigeru, Nakamura, Takashi, Nakayama, Masaru, Tozuka, Tsutomu, Nakata, Hirokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Friedhofer; Michael A
• Application Number:
  US11/730,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20070235315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 200/17.R, 200/18, 200/61.27, 200/61.54, 200/61.57, 200/61.85, 200/61.87, 200/61.88, 200/329, 200/339, 200/553, 200/558, 200/559, 200561-563
• US Class Current: 200/61.54
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 6/01 Electric circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 6/08 Tyre drives
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 11/14 Handlebar constructions, or arrangements of controls thereon, specially adapted thereto hand controls per se B62K23/02
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 23/02 hand actuated arrangements of controls on handle-bars of engine-driven cycles B62K11/14
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2009/068 with switches mounted on a handlebar, e.g. for motorcycles, fork lift trucks, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/06 Casing of switch constituted by a handle serving a purpose other than the actuation of the switch, e.g. by the handle of a vacuum cleaner

Abstract

In a handle switch device of a vehicle, a switch casing which surrounds a bar handle and accommodates a switch in the inside thereof is mounted on the bar handle, and a manipulation knob which manipulate the switch is mounted on a rear wall of the switch casing. The manipulation knob is arranged substantially at the same height as the bar handle and is tiltably supported on the switch casing by way of a pivot shaft, the switch is formed of a slide-type switch in which a movable contact holder slides, the switch is arranged in the inside of the switch casing above or below the bar handle, and the manipulation knob and the movable contact holder are connected with each other by way of moving direction conversion means which converts a tilting of the manipulation knob to a linear movement and transmits the linear movement to the movable contact holder. Thus, it is possible to provide a handle switch device of a vehicle which exhibits favorable manipulability of a manipulation knob and has a compact shape.

Claims

1. A handle switch device of a vehicle in which a handle grip is formed on an end portion of a bar handle for steering, a switch casing which surrounds the bar handle and accommodates a switch in the inside thereof is mounted on the bar handle adjacent to an inner end of the handle grip, and a manipulation knob, which manipulates the switch, is mounted on a rear wall of the switch casing on a rider side,

wherein the manipulation knob is arranged substantially at a same height as the bar handle and is tiltably supported on the switch casing by way of a pivot shaft that is integrally formed with a switch box of the switch and is parallel with a longitudinal direction of the manipulation knob, the switch is formed of a slide-type switch in which a movable contact holder slides with the operation of the manipulation knob, the switch is arranged in the inside of the switch casing above or below the bar handle, and the manipulation knob and the movable contact holder are connected with each other by way of moving direction conversion means for converting a tilting of the manipulation knob to a linear movement and transmitting the linear movement to the movable contact holder.

2. A handle switch device of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the moving direction conversion means comprises a pin-shaped operation arm, which is integrally formed on a tilting end of the manipulation knob, is arranged substantially parallel to the pivot shaft, and a fork-shaped follower arm, which is integrally formed on the movable contact holder, is arranged in the direction approximately perpendicular to the pivot shaft, and is slidably engaged with the operation arm.

3. A handle switch device of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the manipulation knob is arranged within a movable range of a thumb of a rider who grips the handle grip.

4. A handle switch device of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the switch is a hazard switch that controls an operation of hazard lamps of the vehicle.

5. A handle switch device of a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein, the hazard switch comprises a fixed contact holder and the movable contact holder, a pair of fixed contacts, to which a pair of first hazard electricity supply paths respectively connected with a left hazard/blinker lamp and a right hazard/blinker lamp are individually connected, are mounted on the fixed contact holder, and a common movable contact is included in the movable contact holder, the common movable contact is connected with a second hazard electricity supply path connected with a blinder relay that comes into contact with the fixed contacts at an ON position of the movable contact holder and is separated from the fixed contacts at an OFF position.

6. A handle switch device of a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a resilient repulsive means that biases the manipulation knob to an inoperative position at all times is arranged between the manipulation knob and the switch or the switch casing.

7. A handle switch device of a vehicle according to claim 1, comprising two switch casings, wherein the switch casings are mounted on a pair of left and right bar handles, which are individually fixedly mounted on both left and right end portions of a top bridge of a manipulation front fork and each has a front surface covered with a front cowling.