Claims
- 1. A steering column assembly comprising:
an elongated steering column having a jacket assembly including telescoping upper and lower jackets and supported for up and down rake adjustment, a mounting bracket secured to the upper jacket, said mounting bracket including a plate provided with a rearwardly opening notch, a rigidly anchored shear capsule received in said notch, and a shear pin connecting said capsule and said plate normally resisting collapse of the steering column but adapted to shear upon an application of impact force on the column in a collision event in a direction to collapse the steering column to permit the steering column to collapse.
- 2. The steering column assembly of claim 1, wherein said notch has top and bottom edges which diverge in a rearward direction at a predetermined angle, and said capsule has top and bottom edges which diverge in a rearward direction at the same angle as the top and bottom edges of said notch and slideably engage the top and bottom edges of said notch.
- 3. The steering column assembly of claim 2, wherein the top edge of the notch of said plate and the top edge of said capsule are perpendicular to a longitudinal center line of the steering column, and the bottom edge of the notch of said plate and the bottom edge of said capsule are disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal center line.
- 4. The steering column assembly of claim 3, wherein said shear pin has ends respectively received in holes in said plate and in said capsule.
- 5. A steering column assembly comprising:
an elongated steering column having a jacket assembly including telescoping upper and lower jackets and supported for up and down rake adjustment, a mounting bracket secured to the upper jacket, said mounting bracket including a first plate on one side of the steering column provided with a rearwardly opening first notch, a rigidly anchored first shear capsule received in said first notch, a first shear pin connecting said first capsule and said first plate normally resisting collapse of the steering column, said mounting bracket including a second plate laterally on an opposite side of the steering column provided with a rearwardly opening second notch transversely aligned with the first notch, a second rigidly anchored shear capsule received in the second notch, a second shear pin connecting said second capsule and said second plate normally resisting collapse of the steering column, and said shear pins being adapted to shear upon an application of an impact force on the steering column in a direction to collapse the steering column to permit the steering column to collapse.
- 6. The steering column assembly of claim 5, wherein each of said notches has top and bottom edges which diverge in a rearward direction at a predetermined angle, said first capsule has top and bottom edges which diverge in rearward direction at the same angle as and slideable engage the respective top and bottom edges of said first notch, and said second capsule has top and bottom edges which diverge at the same angle as and slideably engage the respective top and bottom edges of said second notch.
- 7. The steering column assembly of claim 6, wherein the top edges of the notches of each of said plates and each of said capsules are perpendicular to a longitudinal center line of the steering column, and the bottom edges of the notches of each of said plates and each of said capsules are disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal center line.
- 8. The steering column assembly of claim 7, wherein said first shear pin has ends respectively received in holes in said first plate and said first capsule and said second shear pin has ends respectively received in holes in said second plate and said second capsule.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a division of application Ser. No. 10/133,819 filed Apr. 25, 2002.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60292214 |
May 2001 |
US |
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10133819 |
Apr 2002 |
US |
Child |
10445664 |
May 2003 |
US |