Delphi Technologies, Inc.

Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Steering Solutions IP Holding Company, a Delaware Corporation

Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation

Marvin V Manwaring

Ray Garnet Armstrong

Ravindra Jwalapathy

Richard Kremer Riefe

Melvin Lee Tinnin

Ravi Ravindra

Lee M Tinnin

William David Cymbal

Amelia M Lask

Albert Clifford Huber

Richard Paul Nash

Jason Robert Ridgway

Kevin Carlton Ross

Agathe Ledreau

Philippe Gayrard

Stephen W Skillman

Timothy Wesley Kaufmann

Ratko Menjak

Xiaoyu Li

David E Witucki

Robert L Stearns

Jason R Ridgeway

Brad M MacDonald

Albert C Huber

A telescopically collapsible vehicular steering column assembly includes inner and outer shaft tubes which are joined in a sliding fit by a bushing. The bushing includes a pair of spaced journal bearings formed of steel-backed PTFE held in a plastic carrier body. The bushing is located in a receiving chamber in the outer shaft tube. A clearance compensator reacts against the receiving chamber to exert a radial compressive force through the carrier body and the journal bearings to improve the sliding fit with the inner shaft tube and remove lash. The clearance compensator can take any form, such as a hollow annular rib, a skirt with a flexible free end, or an array of nubs carried in thinned sections of the carrier body. The clearance compensator in all of these variations operates within a clearance space and has dimensional attributes which can be changed during the design and manufacturing phases of the bushing to optimize a characteristic of the steering column assembly. The optimized characteristic may be the sliding friction between the inner and outer shaft tubes, or the stiffness of the assembled column which affects its vibrational frequency, or other value.

Sleeve bearing for collapsible steering column

The invention provides a steering column assembly for a vehicle. The steering column assembly includes a steering column operable to adjustably support a steering wheel in the vehicle. The steering column assembly also includes a locking bracket adjacent to the steering column and moveable along a path for collapsing movement. The steering column assembly also includes a locking member supported in two-way movement by the locking bracket between a first position and a second position spaced from one another. In the first position, the locking member locks the locking bracket and the steering column member together. When the locking member is in the second position, the steering column member is moveable relative to the locking bracket. The steering column assembly also includes at least one quick release bolt engaged with the locking bracket to selectively fix the locking bracket with respect to the vehicle. The at least one quick release bolt is selectively divisible into at least two portions independently of the collapsing movement of the locking bracket along the path.

Steering column assembly with a quick release bolt

A collapsible steering column assembly has a steering column with a jacket movable along a longitudinal axis for telescoping and collapsing movement. The jacket is movable about a pivot axis for tilting movement between an upper and a lower limit. A biasing device includes a fixed arm and a rake arm for urging the jacket toward the upper limit. A support bracket is detachably coupled to a mounting component connected to the vehicle. The support bracket is coupled to and supports the jacket during the movements and is movable with the jacket during the collapsing movement. A friction member is mounted to the support bracket and at least partially encircles the fixed arm and engages the fixed arm to form a friction-fit. The friction member slides along the fixed arm during the collapsing movement for transferring energy from the jacket and the support bracket to the biasing device.

Energy absorbing steering column assembly

A steering column assembly for a vehicle includes a support bracket and a column jacket coupled to the support bracket. A compression bracket is mounted to the column jacket. A clamping device is disposed on the support bracket and has a rake bolt extending through the support bracket and the compression bracket for applying a frictional force on the support bracket to prevent telescoping and tilting movement of the column jacket and the compression bracket relative to the support bracket. An actuation mechanism is coupled to the support bracket. The actuation mechanism rotates the rake bolt in a first direction to prevent telescoping and tilting movement of the column jacket. Likewise, the actuation mechanism rotates the rake bolt in a second direction to permit telescoping movement of the column jacket and the compression bracket relative to the actuation mechanism and the support bracket and tilting movement.

Steering column assembly having an actuation mechanism for telescoping and tilting movement

An adjustable steering column assembly of a vehicle has a central lock device for selectably locking an adjustable steering housing and co-extending steering shaft to a stationary bracket or chassis. For driver convenience and comfort, the steering housing and shaft are together adjustable with respect to the bracket. The lock device has an actuator preferably having an outer member supported operably by a guide feature carried between the outer member and the bracket for movement along a first centerline traverse to the steering shaft. The bracket also supports a lever of the actuator for movement along a second centerline that intersects the first centerline. At least one roller is located in a raceway defined between the outer member and the lever. Because the raceway is angled with respect to both the first and second centerlines, motion of the lever along the second centerline is converted to motion of the second member along the traversing first centerline.

Central lock device of an adjustable steering column assembly

An adjustable steering column assembly of a vehicle has a central lock device for selectably locking an adjustable steering housing and co-extending steering shaft to a stationary bracket or chassis. For driver convenience and comfort, the steering housing and shaft are together adjustable with respect to the bracket. The lock device has a roller actuator preferably having inner outer members with a lever supported operably in between by a guide feature for movement along a first centerline substantially parallel to the steering shaft. Preferably, cam couplers are located between the outer member and the lever and the inner member and the lever for converting movement of the lever along the centerline to longitudinal movement of a carrier that traverses the centerline.

A steering column assembly of a vehicle has a releasable push/pull lock device for selectably locking an adjustable steering housing and co-extending steering shaft to a stationary bracket or chassis. For driver convenience and comfort, the steering housing and shaft are together adjustable with respect to the bracket. The lock device has a toggle apparatus having a push/pull lever that may extend substantially parallel to a rotating axis of the steering shaft and move in a first direction along its length and between locked and unlocked positions. A carrier of the device connects to the toggle apparatus and moves along its length in a second direction that may be perpendicular to the first direction and as the lever moves between the locked and unlocked positions. Preferably, an indexing apparatus is generally carried between the carrier and at least one of the housing and the bracket for selecting adjustment of the steering column assembly when the device is in the unlocked position.

Releasable push/pull lock device of an adjustable steering column assembly

A steering column assembly includes a rake adjustment mechanism, and is attached to a vehicle by a mounting bracket. A rake bracket is coupled to the mounting bracket. A column jacket is collapsible in response to an emergency event and is supported by the mounting bracket and the rake bracket, and is rotationally moveable with the rake bracket about a rake axis relative to the mounting bracket. An instrument cluster is coupled to the rake bracket for movement along with the rake bracket and the column jacket to prevent obstruction of the instrument cluster by a steering wheel upon re-positioning the steering wheel, while not restricting movement of the column jacket during collapse of the column jacket in response to the emergency event. A dynamic absorber interconnects the instrument cluster and the rake bracket to reduce vibration of the steering column assembly caused by additional weight of the instrument cluster.

Adjustable steering column assembly having an attached instrument cluster

A steering column assembly is moveable in a rake direction and a telescope direction and extends along a longitudinal axis. The assembly includes a compression bracket mounted to a column jacket. A rake bracket is disposed over the compression bracket. The rake bracket defines a rake slot and includes a rake tooth rack disposed in the rake slot. The compression bracket defines a telescoping slot and includes a telescope tooth rack disposed in the telescope slot. A telescoping lock is disposed within the telescoping slot. A rake lock is disposed within the rake slot. A cam mechanism moves the rake lock into interlocking engagement with the rake tooth rack and moves the telescope lock into interlocking engagement with the telescope tooth rack when in the lock position, and disengages the rake lock from the rake tooth rack and the telescope lock from the telescope tooth rack when in the adjustment position.

Adjustable steering column assembly having a rake and telescope locking system

A steering column assembly for a motor vehicle includes a steering shaft, a support bracket rotatably receiving the steering shaft for rotatably supporting the steering shaft on the motor vehicle, and an anti-rotation device. The anti-rotation device is supported by the support bracket and is moveable between an engaged position and a disengaged position. In the engaged position, the anti-rotation device prevents rotation of the steering shaft relative to the support bracket. The anti-rotation device may be moved from the engaged position to the disengaged position to allow rotation of the steering shaft relative to the support bracket. Prior to assembly of the steering column assembly to the motor vehicle, the anti-rotation device may be moved to the engaged position to lock the steering column in a common rotational position. After assembly, the anti-rotation device may be moved to the disengaged position to allow rotation of the steering shaft.

Steering column assembly including anti-rotation device

A telescoping steering column assembly and method of manufacturing the assembly are disclosed. The assembly includes an outer jacket defining at least one hole and a central axis. An inner jacket is disposed in the outer jacket and slides relative to the outer jacket along the central axis. A plug having a body portion and a flange extending radially outwardly from the body portion is disposed in the hole of the outer jacket. The plug defines at least one channel and the plug is heated to create a molten material that flows into the channel of the plug for securing the plug within the hole to prevent movement of the plug along the central axis and for aligning the inner jacket within the outer jacket to allow the inner jacket to slide within the outer jacket.

Telescoping steering column assembly and method of manufacturing the assembly

The invention provides a steering column assembly for a vehicle. The steering column assembly includes a steering column operable to adjustably support a steering wheel in the vehicle. The steering column is moveable along a path for collapsing movement relative to a vehicle in response to an impact situation. The steering column assembly also includes an energy absorber for dissipating energy associated with the collapsing movement of the steering column along the path. The energy absorber includes an anvil fixedly disposed relative to one of the steering column and the path. The energy absorber also includes a strap drawable over the anvil and substantially fixedly disposed relative to the other of the steering column and the path. The steering column assembly also includes a second strap fixedly disposed relative to one of the steering column and the path for dissipating energy associated with the collapsing movement of the steering column along the path. The steering column assembly also includes at least one quick release bolt engaged with the strap to selectively release the strap relative to the other of the steering column and the path. The at least one quick release bolt engages both of the strap and the second strap.

Adaptive energy absorber for steering column

An adjustable steering column assembly includes a steering column with an outer jacket moveable along an axis. An instrument panel is coupled to the outer jacket. An instrument panel hood is connected to the instrument panel and the outer jacket. A support bracket includes a pair of support arms including flanges, with a first mounting component and a second mounting component connected to the flanges. The outer jacket is slideably coupled to the first mounting component and the instrument panel is slideably coupled to the second mounting component. The support bracket is pivotable about a pivot axis between an upper limit and a lower limit. A spring is attached to the support bracket for biasing the support bracket toward the upper limit. Coordinated movement between the instrument panel and the outer jacket is possible and the load from the instrument panel is diverted from the outer jacket to the support bracket.

Steering column assembly

A steering column assembly includes a steering column having a selectively collapsible structure that enables said column to collapse in the event of an impact force resulting from a vehicle crash. An adaptive energy absorbing device is associated with said column and operates in a first condition to absorb a first level of energy of the collapsing column and in a second condition to absorb a second level of energy of the collapsing column. The assembly includes a telltale detection device that is associated with the adaptive energy absorbing device and is responsive to a change in condition of the energy absorbing device prior to a collapse event to provide a signal to a user of the condition of the energy absorbing device.

Telltale indicator for adaptive energy absorbing system

An apparatus for positioning a steering wheel of a vehicle in a desired position. The invention includes a steering column having a steering wheel supporting portion for supporting the steering wheel. The steering column also includes first and second members movable relative to one another. The first and second members are moved relative to one another to move the steering wheel supporting portion, and the steering wheel, along either tilting path of movement, or a telescoping path of movement, or both. The invention also includes a locking device that selectively engages the first and second members to lock the first and second members with respect to one another. The locking device substantially prevents movement of the steering wheel supporting portion, and the steering wheel, along the path of movement. The locking device includes an electric motor. The first and second members are locked and unlocked with respect to one another in response to activation of the electric motor.

Growing community of inventors

Clio, MI, United States of America

Marvin V Manwaring