Patent ID: 8777267

Claim:
A device for adjusting in height and/or in depth a position of a steering column of an automotive vehicle relative to a support assembly fixed to a structure of the vehicle, said steering column comprising a steering shaft received in a tube-body for rotation about a steering axis, the support assembly comprising only one side post located on only one side of a vertical plane containing the steering axis, the side post having an internal face facing the vertical plane and an external face facing away from the vertical plane; said device further comprising a lateral mechanism for clamping the tube-body relative to the side post, the lateral mechanism providing all links between the tube-body and the support assembly, the lateral mechanism being located only on said one side of the vertical plane and comprising: a movable clamping rod coaxial with a clamping axis substantially perpendicular to the vertical plane and movable parallel to the clamping axis; an abutment member fixed relative to the clamping rod; a clamping head, mounted on the clamping rod, the clamping head being arranged inside the tube-body, the clamping head being axially adjustable with respect to the clamping rod so as to adjust an axial distance between the abutment member and the clamping head and obtain a desired sliding clearance; an adjustable clamping member mounted on the clamping rod, the clamping member being arranged outside the external face of the side post, the clamping member being axially adjustable with respect to the clamping rod; and a clamping assembly comprising a fixed clamping cam or plate bearing against the external face of the side post and provided with a cavity facing the external face of the side post, the abutment member being received within said cavity, and a rotatable clamping cam or plate bearing against the adjustable clamping member and rotating about the clamping axis between a locked position and an unlocked position, wherein rotation of the rotatable clamping cam or plate towards the locked position results in axial motion of the rotatable clamping cam or plate, the adjustable clamping member, and the clamping rod away from the steering column to clamp the tube-body against the internal face of the side post and wherein rotation of the rotatable clamping cam or plate towards the unlocked position result in the clamping rod being released and free to move, and wherein motion of the clamping rod in the unlocked position being limited by abutment of the abutment member against the external face of the side post; and wherein the abutment member is fixed relative to the clamping rod when the clamping assembly is in the locked position and the unlocked position.