Device for height and longitudinal adjustment of a steering column of a motor vehicle

• US 6,581,965 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2001
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ThyssenKrupp Presta AG (Thyssenkrupp AG)
• Original Assignee: ThyssenKrupp Presta AG (Thyssenkrupp AG)
• Inventors: Lutz, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DRAPER, DEANN L
• Application Number:
  US09/894,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20020011725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 280/775,776,777 74/493,492 180/78
• US Class Current: 280/775
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/184 Mechanisms for locking columns at selected positions

Abstract

A device for effecting height and longitudinal adjustment of a steering column of a vehicle and including first and second adjustment devices for adjusting, respectively, height and length of the steering column, with the first adjusting devices including a lamella stack formed of alternating large and small lamellas through which a locking bolt extends, with the large lamellas being arranged in or on the bracket with a possibility of changing of spacing therebetween but without a possibility of displacement in a direction of the height adjustment of the steering column, the large lamellas having each an inner recess for enabling displacement of the locking bolt relative to the bracket in the open position of the first adjusting device to enable the height adjustment of the steering column, and with the small lamellas being arranged for displacement in an axial direction of the locking bolt but without a possibility of displacement relative to the locking bolt in the direction of the height adjustment of the steering column.

Claims

1. A device for effecting height and longitudinal adjustment of a steering column of a motor vehicle, comprising a first adjusting device for height adjusting the steering column;

a second adjusting device for longitudinally adjusting the steering column;

a locking device having open and closed positions for simultaneously opening and closing the first and second adjusting devices and including a locking bolt;

a bracket fixedly securable to a motor vehicle chassis;

a guide member pivotally supported on the bracket, the locking bolt being supported in the guide member and extending through an opening formed in the bracket, the locking bolt being displaceable in the guide member in a direction of a locking bolt axis and being displaceable, for the height adjustment of the steering column, together with the guide member, transverse to an axial extent thereof and substantially transverse to an axial extent of a steering shaft of the steering column; and

a steering volume tube having a longitudinal bore extending in an axial direction of the steering shaft and through which the locking bolt extends, the steering volume tube being displaceable in the axial direction of the steering shaft to provide for longitudinal adjustment of the steering column,

wherein the first adjusting device comprises a lamella stack formed of alternating large and small lamellas through which the locking bolt extends, first and second clamping plates arranged on opposite sides of the lamella stack for clamping same in a closed position of the first adjusting device, and spring means for distancing the first and second clamping plates further away from each other in an open position of the first adjusting device,

wherein the large lamellas are arranged one of in the bracket and on the bracket with a possibility of changing of spacing therebetween but without a possibility of displacement in a direction of the height adjustment of the steering column, the large lamellas each having an inner recess for enabling displacement of the locking bolt relative to the bracket in the open position of the first adjusting device to enable the height adjustment of the steering column, and

wherein the small lamellas are arranged for displacement in an axial direction of the locking bolt but without a possibility of displacement relative to the locking bolt in the direction of the height adjustment of the steering column, the small lamellas being displaceable with respect to the large lamellas in the open position of the first adjusting device upon the displacement of the locking bolt relative to the bracket.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bracket has a chamber, and the lamella stack is arranged in the bracket chamber with a clearance between a chamber wall and an outer profile of the large lamellas, whereby the large lamellas are floatingly displaceable in the axial direction of the locking bolt but are supported against a possibility of displacement in the direction of the height adjustment except of a distance corresponding to a clearance width.

3. A device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the first clamping plate is supported on the locking bolt for displacement in the axial direction of the locking bolt, and wherein the second clamping plate is formed by a region of the bracket located inside the bracket chamber.

4. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the spring means comprises compression springs arranged between the first clamping plate and stop plate supported against a shoulder of the bracket and displaceable relative to the bracket in the direction of height adjustments of the steering column.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4, wherein the shoulder is provided in the bracket chamber.

6. A device as set forth in claim 4, wherein the first adjusting device further comprises at least one guide bolt extending parallel to the locking bolt, secured in the first clamping plate, extending through respective openings in the small lamellas and the stop plate, and having an outer diameter only slightly smaller than diameters of the respective openings formed in the small lamellas and the stop plate.

7. A device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the first adjusting device further comprises another guide bolt secured in the first clamping plate and extending parallel to the locking bolt and through further respective openings in the small lamellas and the stop plate, the at least one and another guide bolts being arranged on opposite sides of the locking bolt.

8. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the locking device further comprises a locking member having at least one cam that cooperates with one of a helical surface and an inclined surface of the first clamping plate adjacent thereto, and a locking lever for pivoting the locking member between the open and closed position of the locking device.

9. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the spring means comprises at least one compression spring, and the first adjusting device further comprises a stop plate and at least one spring bolt extending parallel to the locking bolt, secured on the first clamping plate, and having a free end thereof extending with a clearance through a guide bore formed in the stop plate, and wherein the at least one compression spring is supported on the at least one spring bolt between the first clamping plate and the stop plate, and the at least one spring bolt, together with the at least one compression spring, extends through spring bores formed in the small lamellas.

10. A device as set forth in claim 9, wherein the first adjusting device comprises a further spring bolt extending a parallel to the locking bolt, secured on the first clamping plate, and arranged on a side of the locking bolt opposite a side the at least one spring bolt is arranged.

11. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first clamping plate has a projection with a central opening through which the locking bolt extends, the locking bolt further extending through central openings in the small lamellas and through a central opening in the stop plate which is supported for displacement relative to the bracket, together with the first clamping plate in a direction of the height-adjustment of the steering column.

12. A device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the projection has at least one channel-shaped recess extending in an axial direction of the locking bolt on an opposite side of the locking bolt, and wherein the spring means comprises a compression spring located in the channel-shaped recess and supported against the first clamping plate and the stop plate.

13. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the small lamellas each have a sidewise projecting spring arm supported against a side wall of an adjacent small lamella.

14. A device as set forth in claim 13, wherein the spring arm is received in an inner recess of a respective large lamella.

15. A device as set forth in claim 13, further comprising means for biasing the small lamellas in a direction of the height adjustment of the steering column and which permits to reduce backlash when a large adjustment force is applied to the steering column in the direction of the height adjustment in the closed condition of the first adjusting device, wherein following one another small lamellas are alternatively biased in downward and upward directions or in alternating diagonal upward and downward directions.

16. A device as set forth in claim 15, wherein the small lamella biasing means comprises one of upper and lower legs of respective small lamellas which limit indentations provided on inner sides of central openings of the small lamellas, compression beams supported in the projection of the first clamping plate in a region of the indentations, and compression springs for biasing the compression beams, and wherein an upper compression beam lies on each second of the upper legs of the small lamellas and is spaced from the upper legs of respective intermediate small lamellas by respective indentations of the respective upper legs, and a lower compression beam lies on each second of the lower legs of the intermediate small lamellas and is spaced from the lower legs of the small lamellas which it does not engage by indentations of the non-engagable lower legs.

17. A device as set forth in claim 16, wherein the guide member pivots relatively the bracket about a horizontal axis extending transverse to the steering shaft for effecting the height adjustment of the steering column.

18. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the large lamellas each have sidewise projecting spring arms located outside of a circumferential profile of respective small lamellas and supported against a side wall of respective adjacent large lamellas.

19. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein in order to prevent an excessive tilting of the lamella stack in the open position of the locking device, the large lamellas are provided with side elevations extending above one of their respective side surfaces, each side elevation extending above a respective side surface of a respective large lamella by a distance corresponding to a thickness of a small lamella.

20. A device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising means for biasing the large lamellas in a direction of the height adjustment of the steering column and which permits to reduce backlash when a large adjustment force is applied to the steering column in the direction of the height adjustment in the closed condition of the first adjusting device, wherein following one another large lamellas are alternatively biased in downward and upward direction or in alternating diagonal upward and downward directions.

21. A device as set forth in claim 20, wherein the large lamella biasing means comprises located in a plane of the large lamellas, projecting noses which extend beyond a circumferential profile of the large lamellas, and a spring arm extending in the axial direction of the locking bolt over a length of the lamella stack and lying on the noses for biasing the large lamellas in respective directions by deflecting the noses alternatively in the downward and upward directions or in the alternating diagonal upward and downward directions.

22. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first adjusting device is arranged between the bracket and the guide member, and the second adjusting device is arranged between the guide member and the steering volume tube.

23. A device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a tubular projection fixedly connected with the guide member for supporting the locking bolt, the tubular projection extending through at least one of central openings of the small lamellas and a central opening formed in a projection of the first clamping plate.

24. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the locking bolt extends through the steering column, and wherein the first adjusting device is arranged between the bracket and a portion of the guide member formed by at least one of the first clamping plate and the clamping plate head, and the second adjusting device is arranged between the bracket and the steering volume tube.

25. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second adjusting device is also based on a frictional connection.

26. A device as set forth in claim 25, wherein the second adjusting device comprises a lamella stack formed of alternating large and small lamellas through which the locking bolt extends, first and second clamping plates arranged on opposite sides of the lamella stack for clamping same in a closed position of the second adjusting device, and spring means for distancing the first and second clamping plates further away from each other in an open position of the second adjusting device,

wherein the large lamellas are arranged one of in the steering tube and on the steering volume tube with a possibility of changing spacing therebetween but without of a possibility of displacement in an axial direction, the large lamellas having each an inner recess for enabling displacement of the steering volume tube in the axial direction of the steering shaft in the open position of the second adjusting device, and

wherein the small lamellas are supported for displacement in the axial direction of the locking bolt but without a possibility of displacement relative to the locking bolt in the axial direction of the steering spindle, the small lamella being displaceable relative to the large lamellas during an axial displacement of the steering volume tube.

27. A device as set forth in claim 26, wherein the spring means of the second adjusting device comprises a plurality of compression springs.

28. A device as set forth in claim 27, wherein the compression springs are arranged in respective recesses formed in respective guide lamellas between a spring cup and a spring sump which has, in a region of a longitudinal bore of the steering volume tube, a pot-shaped formation extending through the longitudinal bore.

29. A device as set forth in claim 28, wherein the spring cup and sump are located in respective recesses formed in the guide lamellas and are displaced together with the guide lamellas upon displacement of the steering volume tube relative to the bracket.

30. A device as set forth in claim 27, wherein the second clamping plate of the second adjusting device has a shaped projection on which the small lamellas of the second clamping plate are supported for displacement in the axial direction of the locking bolt.

31. A device as set forth in claim 30, wherein the compression springs are located in blind bores formed in the shaped projection.

32. A device as set forth in claim 26, wherein the large and small lamellas of the second adjusting device have upper and lower edge strips tangent-bent in a direction toward the steering shaft, and wherein surfaces of the first and second clamping plates of the second adjusting device adjacent to respective lamellas have tangent-bent sections having a shape corresponding to that of the clamping plate.

33. A device as set forth in claim 26, wherein the second clamping plate of the second adjusting device is formed by a section of an inner wall of the steering volume tube which surround a longitudinal bore through which the locking bolt extends.

34. A device as set forth in claim 26, wherein the second clamping plate of the second adjusting means is supported on a free end of the locking bolt with a head of the locking bolt engaging an end surface of the second clamping plate in a region of an opening through which the locking bolt extends, and wherein the steering volume tube is displaced by the second clamping plate of the second adjusting means.

35. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second adjusting device is formed by two compression plates preloaded by the locking bolt.

36. A device as set forth in claim 35, wherein the compression plates are formed by inner walls of the steering volume tube in a region of a longitudinal bore of the steering volume tube.