Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Michael James Wolohan

Thomas J Milton

A coupling between a motor vehicle steering shaft and a motor vehicle steering wheel including a first coupling element on the steering wheel having a cavity therein, a second coupling element on the steering shaft plugged into the cavity in the first coupling element, and a latch responsive to relative rotation between the first and the second coupling elements to couple together for unitary rotation the first and the second coupling elements with substantially zero lash therebetween. The latch includes a plurality of lugs on the second coupling element seated in extensions of the cavity in the first coupling element, a plurality of ramps in the cavity extensions operative to eject the lugs from the cavity extensions concurrent with relative rotation between the first and the second coupling elements, a plurality of sockets in the first coupling element, and a plurality of springs operative to thrust the lugs into corresponding ones of the sockets. The sockets and the lugs are shaped to wedge together to eliminate dimensional clearance, i.e., lash, which would otherwise permit relative rotation and relative linear translation between the first and the second coupling elements.

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Bay City, MI, United States of America

Michael James Wolohan