A MOUNTING ARRANGEMENT FOR A STEERING COLUMN IN A MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract: A steering column 18,10 is mounted in a vehicle with a push-fit lower support and a bolt-on upper support. The push fit is achieved through a deformable plastics collar 28 fitted around the column which acts as a spacer between the column 18 and a cylindrical hole in a lower mounting bracket 26 and deforms in the gap to provide a tight frictional grip on the column. The upper mounting point makes use of a bolted connection between the column and a bracket 24 on the vehicle.

Description: This invention relates to a mounting arrangement for mounting a steering column in a motor vehicle. It is important that the steering column should be capable of being quickly and accurately mounted when a motor vehicle is being assembled. GB-A-1 292 256 (corresponding to the preamble of claim 1) discloses a steering column which has a lower end passed through a hole in the vehicle floor and an upper end secured by bolts which have the effect of securing the column in compression. This compression is relied upon to prevent movement of the column in the car. US-A-3 643 981 discloses a steering column which is secured to the vehicle, both as the top end and at the bottom end, by doing up bolts. According to the present invention, there is provided a mounting arrangement for a steering column, the arrangement comprising upper and lower mounting locations secured to a vehicle body structure, the lower mounting location being in the form of an aperture in which the column can be received, and the upper mounting location being a mounting bracket cooperating with a column bracket fitted on the column, characterised in that the lower mounting location is a bracket with a cylindrical hole and that a plastics collar, which carries internally projecting bosses locating in corresponding holes in the steering column, is push-fitted in an annular gap between the column and the bracket so as to be a tight fit in the gap, whereby the collar is frictionally secured in the hole and the column is frictionally secured in the collar, and wherein the column bracket is secured to the upper body mounting bracket by means of disengageable fasteners. The frictional fit of the column in the bracket as a result of the presence of the collar means that the column will be firmly held in place, both during assembly and afterwards, without having to rely on the distance between two points remaining constant. The plastics collar preferably has a series of internal radial projections and a series of external radial projections, the internal and external projections being regularly spaced around the collar circumference and with the internal projections being angularly offset relative to the external projections so that, when the collar is in place the cylindrical collar wall is deformed into a wave-like form. The projections are preferably in the form of ribs which extend in an axial direction along the internal and external walls of the collar. The internally projecting bosses which locate in correspondingly shaped holes in the steering column structure to locate the collar on the column are preferably cylindrical. The collar may have a split circumference. The column bracket preferably has a flat face which mates with a flat face on the upper body mounting bracket and can be secured thereto by means of bolts. The column bracket engages with the column in such a way that the column cannot be pulled upwardly through the bracket, but can collapse downwardly through the bracket in the event of an impact to the vehicle. The invention will now be further described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a mounting arrangement in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the arrangement of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end view of the plastics collar; and Figure 4 is a section through the collar of Figure 3. The arrangement shown in Figure 1 comprises a steering wheel 12 mounted on the end of a shaft 10. The shaft 10 is journalled by means of bearings 14 and 16 within a tube 18. At its lower end, the shaft 10 is connected in a conventional manner to a steering gear (not shown). The tube 18 is formed with a convoluted portion 20 above a lowermost enlarged convolution 22 which serves as an abutment against which the required collapse of the steering column can take place. Attached to the vehicle body structure is an upper body mounting bracket 24 and a lower body mounting bracket 26. Both of these brackets will be formed of shaped sheet metal welded to the body structure. Both the upper and lower brackets have holes through which the steering column can be axially passed before the lower end of the column is connected to the steering gear. A plastics sleeve 28 is mounted on the outside of the tube 18, and this fits inside the hole in the bracket 26. The collar 28 is shown in more detail in Figures 3 and 4 and has a circumferential wall 30 which is split at one point 32. The wall 30 has internal projections 34 at spaced positions around its circumference and external projections 36 at spaced positions around the external circumference. Each projection 36 is placed halfway between two internal projections 34. Also on the internal periphery of the wall 30 are three projecting bosses 38 which engage in corresponding holes in the tube 18 and locate the collar in place on the tube. The external diameter of the tube 18 (at the point where the collar 28 is fitted) will be substantially equal to the diameter of the circle on which the innermost points of the ribs 34 lie. The internal diameter of the hole in the bracket 26 will be slightly less than the diameter of the circle on which the outer surfaces of the ribs 36 lie, so that when the collar is placed on the tube, and the tube is inserted through the hole in the bracket 26, the collar wall 30 will be distorted with those parts of the collar wall where the ribs 36 lie being forced inward. This will therefore ensure that a firm, tight connection is made between the tube 18 and the bracket 26. In use, the steering column is assembled off-line with the plastics collar 28 clipped onto the tube at the appropriate place below the convolution 22, and a column bracket 40 is slid onto the top end of the tube. When the assembly is mounted in a vehicle, the column is inserted through the hole in the body mounting bracket 24 and through the hole in the body mounting bracket 26 until the flange 42 on the collar 28 butts up against the upper face of the bracket 26. The column bracket 40 is then secured to the mounting face of the bracket 24 by means of a nut and bolt connection indicated schematically by the line 44. The column is then firmly secured in place simply by placing one or, preferably two, bolts at 44. The connection between the column bracket 40 and the tube 18 is such that the tube cannot be drawn upwardly through the bracket, but the bracket can slide in the opposite direction relative to the tube until the bolts 44 have been done up. Thus the column can be mounted in the vehicle by tightening bolts at one location only, and at a location high up on the column where access is easy. This also facilitates servicing of the assembly.

Claims: A mounting arrangement for a steering column, the arrangement comprising upper and lower mounting locations (24,26) secured to a vehicle body structure, the lower mounting location (26) being in the form of an aperture in which the column (18) can be received, and the upper mounting location being a mounting bracket (24) cooperating with a column bracket (40) fitted on the column (18), characterised in that the lower mounting location is a bracket (26) with a cylindrical hole and that a plastics collar, which carries internally projecting bosses (38) locating in corresponding holes in the steering column, is push- fitted in an annular gap between the column (18) and the bracket (26) so as to be a tight fit in the gap, whereby the collar is frictionally secured in the hole and the column (18) is frictionally secured in the collar (28), and wherein the column bracket (40) is secured to the upper body mounting bracket (24) by means of disengageable fasteners (44). A mounting arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the plastics collar (28) has a series of internal radial projections (34) and a series of external radial projections (36), the internal and external projections being regularly spaced around the collar circumference and with the internal projections being angularly offset relative to the external projections so that, when the collar is in place the cylindrical collar wall is deformed into a wave-like form. A mounting arrangement as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the projections (34, 36) are in the form of ribs which extend in an axial direction along the internal and external walls of the collar (28). A mounting arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the bosses (38) on the plastics collar (28) are cylindrical. A mounting arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the collar (28) has a split circumference. A mounting arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the column bracket (40) has a flat face which mates with a flat face on the upper body mounting bracket (24) and can be secured thereto by means of bolts (44). A mounting arrangement as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the column bracket (40) engages with the column (18) in such a way that the column cannot be pulled upwardly through the bracket, but can collapse downwardly through the bracket in the event of an impact to the vehicle.

Inventors: JONES, BRYAN
Applicants: FORD FRANCE SOCIETE ANONYME, FORD MOTOR COMPANY, FORD MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED, FORD-WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Application year: 1987
Main classification: B62D1
IPC codes: B62D1