System for assembling a drive element connected to a driven element
OwnerJean-Pierre Eckendorffinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device comprising a ring coupled on its inside surface to a steering column and coupled on its outside surface to a member such as the hub of a steering wheel, the ring being adapted to be displaced in translation by means of a control member, at least one of the couplings being adapted to determine in addition to translation of the ring angular displacement of the hub relative to the steering column, the control member comprising a screw with its axis parallel to the rotation axes of the members and which, by cooperation with the ring on the one hand and the hub on the other hand, is adapted to bring about translation of the ring by virtue of commanded rotation.
Claims24
System for assembling a driving element and a driven element with means for angularly adjusting the relative position of said driving and driven elements, said means for angularly adjusting comprising an angular adjustment ring cooperating with means for controlling axial displacement of said adjustment ring along splines for coupling said adjustment ring and said driven element, said means for controlling axial displacement comprising an externally threaded control ring, said adjustment ring having an outer surface with a generally polygonal cross section including helically extending faces, said outer surface being co-operable with a complementarily shaped inner surface of said driven element, some of said faces defining (i) at least one radial projection, the at least one radial projection comprising pairs of opposed substantially radially oriented sides and a part-circular peripheral surface extending between said opposed sides, and (ii) a substantially straight line chordal segment, said complementary shaped inner surface having a chordal segment being internally threaded and complementary to said externally threaded control ring.
System for assembling a hub of a motor vehicle steering wheel and a motor vehicle steering column with means for angularly adjusting the relative position of said hub and said steering column, said means for angularly adjusting comprising an angular adjustment ring cooperating with control means for controlling axial displacement of said adjustment ring along splines for coupling said adjustment ring and said steering column, said adjustment ring having an outer surface with a generally polygonal cross section including helically extending faces, said outer surface being co-operatable with a complementarily shaped inner surface of said hub, at least some of said faces defining a radial projection comprising a pair of opposed substantially radially oriented sides, a part-circular peripheral surface extending between said opposed sides, and a generally chordal segment, and means for adjusting the axial position of the hub on said steering column, comprising an axially adjustable threaded ring threadedly engaged with a complementarily threaded bore in said hub, said threaded ring cooperating with an abutment on said steering column defined by an annular shoulder immediately adjacent a smaller diameter portion in which is formed corresponding ones of said splines and fastening means for immobilizing threaded ring on said steering column.
System for assembling a hub of a motor vehicle steering wheel and a motor vehicle steering column with means for angularly adjusting the relative position of said hub and steering column, said means for angularly adjusting comprising an angular adjustment ring cooperating with means for controlling axial displacement of said adjustment ring along splines for coupling said ring and said steering column, said adjustment ring having an outer surface with a generally polygonal cross section including helically extending faces, said outer surface being co-operatable with a complementarily shaped inner surface of said steering column, at least some of said faces defining, a radial projection comprising a pair of opposed substantially radially oriented sides, a part-circular peripheral surface extending between said opposed sides, and a generally straight-line chordal segment, and comprising means for adjusting the relative axial position of said hub on said steering column, said column having a terminal recess, an expansion member received in said recess for radially expanding said steering column and locking said adjustment ring on said steering column, said adjusting ring comprising a split ring radially expandable in response to radial expansion of said steering column, whereby said hub is integrally fixed to said steering column by said expansion member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.