Claims
- 1. A locking system for an adjustable steering column of a vehicle having adjustment components which are relatively movable to permit adjustment of the position of the column, said locking system comprising:
a fixed bracket having a set of bracket teeth associated with the adjustment components of the column; a tooth lock having teeth opposing the bracket teeth, said tooth lock being supported during adjustment of the column in a retracted position with the teeth of the tooth lock out of locking engagement with the bracket teeth; an actuator operable during normal operation of the vehicle for moving the tooth lock toward the bracket teeth to a locking position in which the teeth of the tooth lock are engaged with the bracket teeth; and a device operable in response to application of an impact on the column in a collision event in a direction to collapse the column for positively retaining the tooth lock in the locking position.
- 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the actuator includes a spring bearing against the tooth lock.
- 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the device includes an axially rotatable bolt operable selectively to retain the tooth lock in the retracted position or to release the tooth lock to permit movement of the tooth lock to the locking position by said actuator.
- 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the positive retention of the tooth lock in the locking position is effected by movement of said bolt to an abutting position in bearing engagement with said tooth lock in response to the application of said impact force.
- 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the actuator includes a spring carried by the bracket and bearing against the tooth lock.
- 6. A steering column assembly comprising:
an elongated steering column supported for up and down rake adjustment; a first and second rake brackets on respective opposite sides of the steering column; a compression bracket secured to the steering column; said first rake bracket having a vertically elongated first rake slot and a vertical series of rake slot teeth on a front side of the first rake slot; said second rake bracket having a vertically elongated second rake slot transversely aligned with the first rake slot; a transverse rake bolt having a first end disposed in said first rake slot and a second end disposed in said second rake slot and extending through an opening in the compression bracket; a tooth lock supported in the first rake slot on said rake bolt, said tooth lock having teeth opposing the rake slot teeth; said bolt being axially rotatable to a first rotative position for moving said tooth lock rearwardly to a retracted position with the teeth of the tooth lock out of engagement with the rake slot teeth to enable rake adjustment of the steering column; said bolt being axially rotatable to a second rotative position permitting movement of the tooth lock forwardly to a locking position in which the teeth of the tooth lock are engaged with the rake slot teeth to maintain an established rake adjustment of the steering column; a spring mounted on the first rake bracket for moving the tooth lock to said locking position when said bolt is rotated to the second rotative position thereof; and said bolt, when said tooth lock is in the locking position and said bolt is in the second rotative position, being movable forwardly, in response to an application of an impact force on the column in a collision event in a direction to collapse the steering column, into bearing abutment with the tooth lock to positively retain the tooth lock in the locking position.
- 7. The steering column assembly of claim 6, further including at least one shear pin operable to resist collapse of the steering column except upon the application of the impact force in which event the shear pin is adapted to shear.
- 8. The steering column assembly of claim 6, wherein said steering column has a jacket assembly including telescoping upper and lower jackets, and said compression bracket is secured to the upper jacket.
- 9. The column assembly of claim 8, wherein said compression bracket has laterally spaced, parallel side walls on opposite sides of the upper jacket of the steering column, said opening in the compression bracket comprises transversely aligned, elongated compression bracket slots in the respective side walls extending generally parallel to the steering column, and a tubular capsule through which said bolt extends, said capsule having ends slideable lengthwise in the respective compression bracket slots.
- 10. The steering column assembly of claim 6, wherein said second rake slot has a front wall which blocks forward movement of the second end of the bolt in the second rotative position of said bolt, the front wall of said second rake slot being deformable to permit forward movement of the second end of said bolt in response to the application of said impact force.
- 11. The steering column assembly of claim 9, wherein said second rake slot has a front wall which blocks forward movement of the second end of said bolt in the second rotative position of said bolt, and said second rake bracket has a slit spaced forwardly of the second rake slot to make the front wall of said second rake slot deformable to permit forward movement of the second end of the bolt in response to the application of the impact force.
- 12. The column assembly of claim 11, wherein said compression bracket has laterally spaced, parallel side walls on opposite sides of the upper jacket of the steering column, said opening in the compression bracket comprises transversely aligned, elongated compression bracket slots in the respective side walls extending generally parallel to the steering column, and a tubular capsule through which said bolt extends, said capsule having ends slideable lengthwise in the respective compression bracket slots.
- 13. The steering column assembly of claim 12, further including at least one shear pin to resist collapse of the steering column except upon the application of the impact force in which event the shear pin is adapted to shear.
- 14. The steering column of claim 13, wherein said shear pin fits into registering openings in the capsule and the compression bracket.
- 15. The steering column assembly of claim 1, further including an energy absorption mechanism, said energy absorption mechanism including a generally U-shaped strap having a mid portion extending over said capsule and an end portion secured to said compression bracket, said strap being adapted to be bent around the capsule and then restraightened during collapse of the steering column to absorb energy.
- 16. The steering column assembly of claim 15, wherein a space is normally provided between the mid portion of the strap and the capsule so that upon initial collapse of the steering column inertial effects of high initiation loads are eliminated and the tendency of the capsule to bind is reduced.
- 17. The steering column assembly of claim 16, wherein the space is on the order of about 5 millimeters.
- 18. The steering column assembly of claim 17, wherein the bottoms of the compression bracket slots at the forward ends thereof are tapered about 15° to the lengthwise dimension of said compression bracket slots and the ends of said capsules are correspondingly tapered to substantially reduce lash between said compression bracket slots and the ends of said capsules and to reduce sticking of the capsule upon initial collapse of the steering column.
- 19. 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.
- 20. The steering column assembly of claim 19, 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.
- 21. The steering column assembly of claim 20, 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.
- 22. The steering column assembly of claim 21, wherein said shear pin has ends respectively received in holes in said plate and in said capsule.
- 23. 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.
- 24. The steering column assembly of claim 23, 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.
- 25. The steering column assembly of claim 24, 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.
- 26. The steering column assembly of claim 25, 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 claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Serial No. 60/292,214 filed May 18, 2001, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60292214 |
May 2001 |
US |