Patent ID: 7798037

Claim:
A steering column assembly for a vehicle, said assembly comprising: a mounting bracket configured for attachment to the vehicle; a column jacket extending along a longitudinal axis and pivotably coupled to said mounting bracket for pivotable movement relative to said mounting bracket about a pivot axis; a locking mechanism interconnecting said mounting bracket and said column jacket and movable between a release position permitting said pivotable movement of said column jacket relative to said mounting bracket and a lock position securing the position of said column jacket relative to said mounting bracket during normal operation; and a wedge arm pivotably coupled to one of said mounting bracket and said column jacket and in wedging engagement against the other of said mounting bracket and said column jacket when said locking mechanism is in said lock position to prevent said pivotable movement of said column jacket in a generally upward direction in response to an impact event and released from said wedging engagement when said locking mechanism is in said release position to permit said pivotable movement, wherein said wedge arm includes an attachment point pivotably coupling said wedge arm to one of said mounting bracket and said column jacket, and a contact edge spaced from said attachment point a radial distance for wedging against the other of said mounting bracket and said column jacket, wherein said radial distance is variable along said contact edge to correspond with different relative positions between said column jacket and said mounting bracket, a shaft extending through said compression bracket and said mounting bracket transverse to said longitudinal axis, wherein said contact edge contacts said shaft.