Patent GB-1081367-A (GB)
Title: A steering column lock
IPC: B60R25/021
Filed: 1964-12-15
Abstract: 1,081,367. Steering column locks. J. VOSS, [trading as JOSEF VOSS KOMM.-GES.]. Dec. 15, 1964 [Dec. 20, 1963], No. 50941/64. Heading B7J. [Also in Division E2] A steering column lock for motor vehicles has a lock cylinder 7 which is rotatable in a tumbler housing 5 and includes a resilient retaining member 17 releasable by a key 16 and adapted to engage a spring-loaded lock bolt 10 to provide a safeguard against accidental locking of the steering, the arrangement being such that one end portion 26 of the retaining member is positioned immediately behind a face-plate 24 of the lock cylinder so that when the key enters the keyhole, the end portion 26 is raised directly or indirectly by the back of the key to stress the retaining member so that when the lock bolt is moved to releasing position by rotation of the key the other end portion 27 of the retaining member engages a slot 28 in the lock bolt to hold the lock bolt in the releasing position until the key is substantially withdrawn from the keyhole. In the construction shown the tumbler housing 5 is contained in a sleeve 3 which is formed integrally with the top end portion of a fixed part 2 of the steering column which contains the steering shaft 1, the lock bolt 10 passing through the fixed part 2 to engage a hole in the steering shaft 1. The lock cylinder 7 is connected to a cam 8 which when the lock cylinder is rotated acts on a projection 9 of the lock bolt and so withdraws the lock bolt against the pressure of its spring 12. A pin 13 extends from the cam 8 to engage an ignition switch 15. The lock cylinder has four positions of rotation, Stop, Garage, Drive and Start and it is only in the Stop position that the lock bolt 10 is engageable with the hole in the steering shaft 1; in all the other positions it is withdrawn to the releasing position in which it is held by the engagement of the end portion 27 of the retaining member in the slot 28. The key can be withdrawn from the lock cylinder in the Stop and Garage positions this being permitted by the arrangement of the tumblers 6, the retaining member is a spring strip mounted in a longitudinal recess 19 in the tumbler housing 5 which is positioned above the keyway 18 in the lock cylinder when the cylinder is in the Stop position. The retaining member pivots about a pin 21. The back of the key holds the retaining member in the stressed condition until the key is substantially completely withdrawn and when the end portion 26 is released the pressure of the spring 12 rocks the retaining member so that the end portion 27 moves out of the slot 28 with the end portion 26 entering the keyway 18. Thus the lock bolt is released to enter the hole in the shaft 1 immediately the shaft reaches the correct position. When the key is engaged with the keyway in the Stop position its back raises the end portion 26 and rotation of the key transfers the end portion 26 from the back of the key to the periphery of the look cylinder and as soon as the lock bolt is completely withdrawn the end portion 27 engages the slot 28 and holds the lock bolt in the releasing position. In a modification the retaining member instead of being directly operated as shown by the back of the key is operated through a roller 30.