Steering lock for motor vehicles

A steering lock for the steering shaft of a motor vehicle having a locking element for locking the steering shaft against rotation, said steering lock comprising:

• a steering lock housing, at least a portion of said steering shaft being located in said steering lock housing;
• a locking ring secured to the steering shaft within said steering lock housing and provided on one end with locking teeth;
• a locking sleeve surrounding the steering shaft, said locking sleeve mounted non-rotatably but so as to be axially displaceable in said steering lock housing and said locking sleeve having locking teeth on one end thereof facing the locking teeth on said locking ring;
• actuator means mounted in the steering lock housing for engaging and axially displacing said locking sleeve;
• a spindle rotatably supported within said steering lock housing, said spindle having an eccentric mounted thereon for rotation with said spindle whereby upon rotation of said spindle, said eccentric engages said actuator means to cause said locking sleeve to be axially displaced;
• means for biasing said locking sleeve into a locking position wherein the locking teeth on said locking sleeve engage the locking teeth on said locking ring to prevent rotation of said steering shaft;
• means for moving said locking sleeve into an unlocking position which comprises a lock cylinder having a rotatable core connected to said spindle and being adapted to rotate in response to manual rotation of a key receivable within said lock cylinder;
• wherein said actuator means comprises an actuator lever pivotally mounted about an axis intermediate its length within said steering lock housing, said actuator lever including first and second arms, said first arm being engageable with said locking sleeve for axially displacing said locking sleeve in response to pivoting of said actuator lever and said second arm being engageable by said eccentric for pivoting said actuator lever;
• and
• wherein the axis about which said actuator lever pivots extends perpendicular to two mutually parallel planes including the steering shaft longitudinal axis and the lock cylinder longitudinal axis respectively, said lock cylinder being radially spaced from the steering shaft and inclined with respect to it, and the first and second arms of said actuator level being spaced from one another and substantially perpendicular to one another to be movable laterally substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the steering shaft and respectively to extend along the spindle towards said eccentric and to be pivotable in the plane including the lock cylinder longitudinal axis.