Patent ID: 7762159

Claim:
A steering switch for a vehicle comprising: a support member mounted on a steering wheel, the steering wheel having an annular ring and a spoke formed inside the ring; the support member formed by joining a front-side casing member arranged at a front side of the spoke, and a back-side casing member arranged at a back side of the spoke; a manipulating knob rotatably supported on the support member and rotatable about a pivot for rotation in front and rear directions relative to the steering wheel, the manipulating knob configured to project inside an area of the steering wheel defined within the ring; the support member having a first opening configured to receive the spoke so as to mount the front-side casing member and the back-side casing member, and the support member having a second opening to permit the manipulating knob to project therethrough; a rotary support body mounted on the support member and configured to rotatably support the manipulating knob; the manipulating knob further including a manipulating knob body rotatable about the pivot, where the manipulating knob body includes first and second arms extending from the pivot, wherein the first and second arms are disposed at an angle with respect to one another to form a bent portion, wherein the first arm extends from the pivot to form an operational portion that facilitates user operation of the manipulation knob, and wherein the second arm extends from the pivot to form a biasing portion that facilitates biasing of the manipulating knob to return to a neutral position; signal changeover means having a printed circuit board and a slide contact mounted between the pivot and the operational portion and capable of changing over two types of electric signals in response to a rotational movement of the manipulating knob from the neutral position, and the slide contact configured to slide relative to the printed circuit board during rotational movement of the manipulating knob; and wherein the manipulating knob, the manipulating knob body, the rotary support body, the biasing portion, and the signal changeover means are formed as an integral assembly.