The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 28, 1999
Filed:
Aug. 10, 1998
Gregory Philip Ruth, Birch Run, MI (US);
General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
A turnbuckle actuator between a mast jacket of a motor vehicle steering column and a tilt housing pivotally supported on the mast jacket. The turnbuckle actuator includes a first turnbuckle yoke, a second turnbuckle yoke, and a turnbuckle shaft. The first and the second turnbuckle yokes are supported on respective ones of the mast jacket and the tilt housing for rotation about parallel lateral centerlines of the mast jacket and the tilt housing. The first turnbuckle yoke has a transverse bore therein eccentric relative to the lateral centerline of the mast jacket. The second turnbuckle yoke has a transverse bore therein eccentric relative to the lateral centerline of the tilt housing. Opposite hand screw threads on the turnbuckle shaft mesh with matching screw threads in the transverse bores. Rotation of the turnbuckle shaft thrusts the turnbuckle yokes in opposite directions to pivot the tilt housing. The thrust of the turnbuckle shaft also pivots the first and the second turnbuckle yokes in opposite directions about the lateral centerlines of the mast jacket and the tilt housing to eliminate lash by tipping the transverse bores endwise and wedging the screw threads therein against the screw threads on the turnbuckle shaft.