Auxiliary operation member for removing a steering wheel

Abstract

Provided is an auxiliary operation member for removing a steering wheel used for a steering wheel attachment structure including: a fixed side joint member attached to a steering shaft; an attachment side joint member that is attached to the steering wheel and is attached and detached by fitting with respect to the fixed side joint member; a lock mechanism for locking and unlocking fitting of the fixed side joint member and the attachment side joint member; and a safety button capable of protruding and retracting, for inhibiting an unexpected unlocking operation of the lock mechanism, characterized in that: the auxiliary operation member is attached to the lock mechanism; and when the lock mechanism is unlocked, the auxiliary operation member is capable of switching a pushing-in-function of pushing-in the safety button and a nonpushing-in-function of not pushing-in the safety button to each other before an operation of the lock mechanism.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a conventional example showing an attached state of a steering wheel;

FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged view showing an operation state of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a non-attached state of an auxiliary operation member for removing a steering wheel according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a view showing an attached state of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing an attached state of the steering wheel after the state of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged view showing an operation state of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing an attached state of the steering wheel after the state of FIG. 4, showing a positional relationship different from that of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view showing another operation state of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 shows an operation state following that of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 shows an operation state following that of FIG. 9.

Claims

1. An auxiliary operation member for removing a steering wheel used for a steering wheel attachment structure comprising: a fixed side joint member attached to a steering shaft; an attachment side joint member that is attached to the steering wheel and is attached and detached by fitting with respect to the fixed side joint member; a lock mechanism for locking and unlocking fitting of the fixed side joint member and the attachment side joint member; and a safety button capable of protruding and retracting, for inhibiting an unexpected unlocking operation of the lock mechanism, wherein: the auxiliary operation member is attached to the lock mechanism; andwhen the lock mechanism is unlocked, the auxiliary operation member is capable of switching a pushing-in-function of pushing-in the safety button and a nonpushing-in-function of not pushing-in the safety button to each other before an operation of the lock mechanism.

2. An auxiliary operation member for removing a steering wheel according to claim 1, wherein the safety button comprises a head part having a truncated cone shape being pushed from a side, whereby the safety button is pushed-in.

3. An auxiliary operation member for removing a steering wheel according to claim 2, wherein: the lock mechanism comprises an operation part for operating locking and unlocking of the lock mechanism formed in a sleeve shape so that the operation part is externally mounted slidably on the fixed side joint member and the attachment side joint member; andthe auxiliary operation member comprises a sleeve-shaped body part attached by being fitted to the operation part of the lock mechanism composed of a portion whose axial length on a safety button side is longer than the axial length of the operation part of the lock mechanism and a portion whose axial length on the safety button side is equal to or shorter than the axial length of the operation part of the lock mechanism.

4. An auxiliary operation member for removing a steering wheel according to claim 3, wherein the body part is provided with a ring member which has an inner diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the operation part of the lock mechanism, and which is attached to an end of the body part on the safety button side.

5. An auxiliary operation member for removing a steering wheel according to claim 3, wherein at least the body part is rotatable with respect to the fixed side joint member and the attachment side joint member.

6. An auxiliary operation member for removing a steering wheel according to claim 4, wherein at least the body part is rotatable with respect to the fixed side joint member and the attachment side joint member.