Patent ID: 7677131

Claim:
A steering wheel arrangement comprising: a steering wheel having a first gear element; and a second gear element mounted on or mountable on a steering column, said first and second gear elements inter-engaging one another, the arrangement further including a first anti-backlash gear mounted directly on one of said gear elements, and a second anti-backlash gear mounted directly on said first anti-backlash gear, said first and second anti-backlash gears having teeth configured so as to align substantially with teeth of said one gear element, said first anti-backlash gear being rotatably biased relative to said one gear element towards a position in which said teeth of said first anti-backlash gear are displaced from said corresponding teeth of said one gear element, wherein said first and second anti-backlash gears are held in position by a retaining washer; wherein said first and second anti-backlash gears are each in the form of a plate, each of said plates having an aperture therein, said aperture defining portions to engage spring elements, said apertures of said first and second anti-backlash gears being coaligned and receiving said spring elements; wherein said spring elements are of substantially “C” shape, each of said spring elements passing through part of said aperture in one of said plates which engages said spring element, and part of said aperture in said other plate which accommodates said spring element; and wherein said part of said aperture that engages said spring element is an outwardly directed part of said aperture that is bifurcated and has two arcuate slots, each of said slots receiving part of said spring element, and said part of said aperture that accommodates said spring element is of a generally arcuate outwardly directed part of a periphery of said aperture.