Patent ID: 6792824
Filing Date: 2004-09-21
Classification: B62D

Abstract:
A steering column assembly comprising:an elongated steering column having a jacket including relatively axially slidable, telescoping, upper and lower jacket members, an anchorage pivotally supporting the lower jacket member for vertical tilt movement of the steering column, locking mechanism for locking said steering column in vertically adjusted position and for locking said upper jacket member in axially adjusted position relative to said lower jacket member, said locking mechanism comprising a bracket, the bracket having a bracket wall formed with an elongated tilt adjustment slot, the upper jacket member having a jacket wall adjacent to the bracket wall formed with an elongated axial adjustment slot, said bracket wall having a set of bracket teeth adjacent said tilt adjustment slot, said jacket wall having a set of jacket teeth adjacent said axial adjustment slot, a locking bolt extending through said slots, a column lock axially slidably mounted on said bolt having first locking teeth opposed to the bracket teeth and second locking teeth opposed to the jacket teeth, and means for moving said column lock axially to a first position in which the first locking teeth engage the bracket teeth and the second locking teeth engage the jacket teeth to lock the steering column in vertically adjusted position and also to lock the upper jacket member in axially adjusted position relative to the lower jacket member, and for moving said column lock to a second position in which the first locking teeth disengage the bracket teeth and the second locking teeth disengage the jacket teeth to enable vertical tilt adjustment of the steering column and axial adjustment of the upper jacket member relative to the lower jacket member, wherein the means for moving said column lock axially comprises a first cam mounted on said bolt and engagable with a first cam track on said column lock to move said column lock to said first position upon clockwise rotation of said bolt, and a second cam mounted on said bolt and engagable with a second cam track on said column lock to move said column lock to said second position upon counter-clockwise rotation of said bolt, wherein said first and second cams are spaced apart axially of said bolt and said column lock is between said first and second cams, and wherein said column lock has axially spaced apart first, second and third plates with the second plate between said first and third plates, said first cam track is provided on said first plate, said second cam track is provided on said third plate, said first locking teeth are provided on said first plate, and said second locking teeth are provided on the second plate.