Multiple switch construction

Claim 1

A steering column switch assembly for motor vehicles comprising a steering column disposed below the hub of the steering wheel, a first switch housed in said steering column and associated with a turn indicator device, an elongated lever extending through said steering column, one end of said lever being adapted to operate said first switch when selectively rotated in the direction parallel to the plane of the steering wheel while the other end thereof being mounted with a handle, a second switch housed in said steering column and associated with a head-light controlling device so as to be operated by a portion of said lever adjacent to said first mentioned end of the lever when the latter is shifted in the direction at right angles to the plane of the steering wheel, a third switch housed in said handle and adapted to be oPerable in the circumferential direction with respect to the lever for operating a windshield wiper motor, said third switch including a casing which constitutes a part of the handle having an enlarged chamber provided with a nail portion, a conductive stop ring having a plurality of detent holes and an arc-shaped clearance for limiting rotation of the handle in cooperation with said nail portion and nonrotatably mounted on the second mentioned end of the lever, a carrier ring including a detent member, a resilient member for collapsibly urging said detent member toward said stop ring and a contact strip and formed on its periphery with a keyway engageable with said nail portion, and an anchor ring including a pair of terminal members adapted to be bridged by said contact strip at one selected position of the carrier ring, whereby said carrier ring can be rotated in response to rotation of the handle to give an electric switching action, and a fourth switch housed in said handle adjacent to said third switch and adapted to be operable in the axial direction with respect to the lever for operating a windshield washer motor.