Patent ID: 8720942

Claim:
A steering wheel that includes a main body attached to a steering shaft for converting a rotational operation into a steering operation and a pad disposed in a substantially central portion of the main body, the pad being attached to the main body such that the pad is movable in an axial direction of the steering shaft, the steering wheel including a horn switch being configured between a fixed contact disposed on a main body side and moving contacts disposed on a pad side, the steering wheel comprising: a first horn plate secured to the main body; a second horn plate secured to the pad; a plurality of guide pins, each guide pin arranged vertically on the second horn plate and inserted through an opening of the first horn plate; a flange-shaped steppers stopper formed on each of the guide pins; a first and second insulator retained in each opening of the first horn plate and disposed so as to be slidable along a corresponding guide pin; an elastic member engaged with an outer periphery of each corresponding first and second insulator; a protector engaged with an outer periphery of each elastic member, each protector retained at the first horn plate; and a coil spring disposed between the second horn plate and a corresponding second insulator so as to urge each corresponding first and second insulator toward a corresponding stopper; wherein each first insulator has a wall surface portion that covers an outer periphery of a corresponding stopper and has a height substantially equal to an offset distance between the fixed contact and the moving contact; wherein each first insulator includes a first flange portion disposed between a corresponding stopper and a corresponding elastic member; wherein each second insulator includes a second flange portion disposed between a corresponding coil spring and a corresponding elastic member; wherein each elastic member includes: a first enlarged portion having a first diameter, the first diameter configured such that the elastic member contacts a corresponding first flange portion; and a second enlarged portion having a second diameter the second diameter configured such that the elastic member contacts a corresponding second flange portion; wherein a plurality of linear protrusions are substantially radially formed on a surface of the first flange portion in contact with the first enlarged portion.