Self cancelling direction indicator switches

Claim 1

A self-cancelling direction indicator switch for operating a vehicle indicator lamp and attachable to the steering shaft of the vehicle and comprising: an operating member for activating said switch and movably mounted in said switch for movement from a neutral position to either of a pair of operative positions on opposite sides of said neutral position to thereby complete circuits to said indicator lamp; a rotatable pawl member having a plurality of projecting fingers, said pawl member being displaceable relative to said operating member in a direction transverse to the direction in which said operating member is movable; means on said operating member for displacing said pawl member from a withdrawn position to an advanced position when said operating member is moved from said neutral position to either of said pair of operating positions during operation of said switch; resilient spring means acting on said pawl member to oppose such displacement thereof by said operating member whereby said operating member is urged towards its neutral position; detent means on said operating member engageable by said pawl member when said operating member is moved to either of its operative positions to hold said operating member in its operative position and said pawl member in its advanced position, so that during operation of said switch and said operating member is in either of its operative positions, when a striker member associated with the steering shaft of the vehicle strikes one of said projecting fingers of said pawl member while travelling in one direction with a rotation of said steering shaft, said pawl member is rotated to present another one of said projecting fingers without disengaging said detent means, whereas when said striker member strikes one of said projecting fingers while travelling in an opposite direction to said one direction, said pawl member is released from said detent means to thereby effect self cancelling of said indicator lamp.