Patent ID: 7055647

Claim:
A steering mechanism for a vehicle including a chassis, comprising: (a) a steering shaft having first and second ends, said steering shaft defining a steering axis; (b) shaft support means supporting said shaft for rotation relative to the vehicle chassis, said shaft support means including: (1) a tubular sleeve mounted concentrically about said steering shaft first end; (2) means including a support bracket said sleeve relative to the vehicle chassis, said support bracket including an end wall extending normal to said steering axis, said end wall containing an opening concentric with said steering axis, said wall opening being adjacent said steering shaft second end; (c) electrical power assist means including: (1) a housing having a front wall that is generally normal to said steering axis, said front wall being adjacent, generally parallel with and spaced from said bracket end wall, said housing front wall containing an opening ( 24 ) generally concentric with said steering axis; and (2) an output shaft extending at one end outwardly through said housing opening toward generally collinear with and spaced from said steering shaft, said output shaft one end being adapted for non-rotatable connection with said steering shaft second end; and (d) connecting means adjustably connecting said power assist means with said shaft support means to effect connection between said power assist output shaft one end and said steering shaft second end, said connecting means including: (1) a swivel plate arranged between said support bracket end wall and said power assist housing front wall, said swivel plate containing an opening ( 33 ) generally concentric with said steering axis, said swivel plate and said bracket end wall containing cooperating concave and convex semispherical portions extending concentrically about the openings contained therein, respectively; (2) first fastener means connecting said swivel plate with said housing front wall; and (3) second fastener means connecting said swivel plate with said bracket end wall; (4) said first and second fastener means being operable to permit swiveling angular displacement of said housing relative to said support bracket to a position on which the axis of said output shaft is exactly collinear said steering axis.