Ford Motor Company Limited

John C Singer, Iii

Luigi Mastrofrancesco

Clarke Fisk Thacker

Jeffrey R Williams

Nancy J Cragel

A power tilt, telescoping and internally collapsible steering column assembly is provided. The assembly comprises a main housing, a telescope housing, and a tilt head. The telescope housing and tilt head are driven by a pair of torsionally rigid axially flexible cables extending generally along the steering column. The cable is adapted by its axial flexibility to axially flex to accommodate the collapse of the telescope housing with respect to the main housing.

Power tilt, telescoping and internally collapsible steering column

A rack and pinion mechanism in a switch apparatus which ensures proper staging of the pinion to the rack during assembly is disclosed. A protuberance engages a receiver disposed on the rack and operates to prevent final assembly of the pinion to the rack unless both are properly staged. This minimizes the occurrence of misstaged switches assembled in blind installation conditions.

Apparatus for indexing a rack and pinion mechanism

A transmission control selector arm transmits movement of a gear shift lever to the manual valve of an automatic transmission through a shift mechanism that includes a tube, rotatably mounted and supported against displacement and having one end pivotably supporting the gear shift lever and a second end pivotably supporting the transmission control selector lever. A plunger is supported within the tube for axial displacement and defines, near one axial end, a hole, into which the gear shift lever is retained for rotation about the pivoted support on the tube. The selector lever is supported for movement about a second pivotal joint on the tube. A control selector position insert mounted on the tube defines multiple detent surfaces corresponding to the various positions among which the gear selector lever can be moved. These detent surfaces are located adjacent the selector lever. The lever and plunger are biased by a spring so that the selector lever moves axially away from the detent surfaces as the gear selector lever moves and returns into contact with the detent surfaces when manual control of the position of the gear shift lever is absent.

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Plymouth, MI, United States of America

John C Singer, Iii