Steering column switch
As a steering column switch the means provided with a lever are referred to, which at the steering column of a motor vehicle between the dashboard and the steering wheel are mounted. In modern motor vehicles, steering column switches are directly connected to a control unit on the steering column ( steering column module ), which converts the various states on the lever directly into bus signals ( CAN , LIN , Flexray ).
Common applications for steering column switches are turn indicators , vehicle lighting, switching from low beam to high beam , headlight flasher , windscreen wiper and washing control, in some vehicles also controlling the automatic cruise control and remote control of car radios , or - especially in historic French vehicles and occasionally in American - the button for the horn , whereby the steering wheel was free of electrical components and the slip ring for contacting the horn was saved. In some vehicles, such as the early Fiat Panda or the Audi 80 B3 , the hazard warning lights were also operated using the steering column switch.
Each lever can contain several functions that are triggered by tangential movement with a detent or tap function, such as with the direction indicator, by pulling against a resistance for the headlight flasher or pressing with a detent for the high beam.
In left-hand drive vehicles, the direction indicator lever is usually to the left of the steering wheel, and the windscreen wiper and washing functions to the right.