Steering column assembly
First Claim
1. An adjustable steering column assembly for a vehicle, said assembly comprising:
- a steering column having an outer jacket moveable along an axis;
an instrument panel coupled to said outer jacket for coordinated movement with said outer jacket along said axis; and
a support bracket having a first mounting component coupled to said outer jacket supporting said outer jacket during said coordinated movement relative to said first mounting component and a second mounting component coupled to said instrument panel supporting said instrument panel independently of said outer jacket during said coordinated movement relative to said second mounting component for alleviating any loads associated with said instrument panel from said outer jacket during said coordinated movement of said instrument panel and said outer jacket.
11 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An adjustable steering column assembly includes a steering column with an outer jacket moveable along an axis. An instrument panel is coupled to the outer jacket. An instrument panel hood is connected to the instrument panel and the outer jacket. A support bracket includes a pair of support arms including flanges, with a first mounting component and a second mounting component connected to the flanges. The outer jacket is slideably coupled to the first mounting component and the instrument panel is slideably coupled to the second mounting component. The support bracket is pivotable about a pivot axis between an upper limit and a lower limit. A spring is attached to the support bracket for biasing the support bracket toward the upper limit. Coordinated movement between the instrument panel and the outer jacket is possible and the load from the instrument panel is diverted from the outer jacket to the support bracket.
52 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An adjustable steering column assembly for a vehicle, said assembly comprising:
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a steering column having an outer jacket moveable along an axis; an instrument panel coupled to said outer jacket for coordinated movement with said outer jacket along said axis; and a support bracket having a first mounting component coupled to said outer jacket supporting said outer jacket during said coordinated movement relative to said first mounting component and a second mounting component coupled to said instrument panel supporting said instrument panel independently of said outer jacket during said coordinated movement relative to said second mounting component for alleviating any loads associated with said instrument panel from said outer jacket during said coordinated movement of said instrument panel and said outer jacket. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification