Position control apparatus for steering column
US5481938A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 2, 1994 |
| Grant date | Jan 9, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 2, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T74/2066
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A position control apparatus for a raked steering column including a stationary bracket having a pair of vertical legs on opposite sides of the steering column, a spacer on the steering column between the legs of the stationary bracket, and a clamp on the steering column for squeezing the legs of the stationary bracket against the spacer. The clamp includes a long bolt spanning the legs of the stationary bracket, a nut on the bolt, a one-way clutch between a head of the bolt and the stationary bracket permitting rotation of the bolt in only a tension-increasing direction, and a snap-on operating lever rotatable as a unit with the nut. After assembly on a vehicle, the clamp afforded by the bolt can be adjusted without changing the terminal positions of the lever by rotating the head of the bolt in a tension increasing direction while the operating lever is maintained in a clamped terminal position corresponding to maximum bolt tension between the vertical legs of the stationary bracket.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.