Patent ID: 6971676

Claim:
A device for absorbing energy from an automobile vehicle steering column, said column comprising a steering shaft rotatably mounted about a steering axis in a body-tube carrying a steering wheel, said body-tube being connected to a support assembly fixed to a structure of said vehicle, said energy absorbing device including: a bearing member which is connected to said support assembly by a lateral connection system relative to a vertical plane containing said steering axis; an axial guidance system acting along said steering axis and comprising: a lateral sliding member that is disposed laterally relative to said vertical plane ( 8 ) containing said steering axis and is attached to and arranged on said body-tube, and balls that are disposed axially between the lateral sliding member of said body-tube and said bearing member, said bearing member being disposed laterally relative to said vertical plane containing said steering axis and being disposed between said body-tube and a lateral upright of said support assembly, said lateral upright being substantially parallel to said vertical plane containing said steering axis; in normal operation there is no axial sliding movement between said body-tube and said bearing member; and in the event of an impact, there is axial sliding between said body-tube and said bearing member retained in position relative to said support assembly by said connecting system.