Steering column lock for motor vehicles
AssigneeHuf Hülsbeck & Fürst GmbH & Co. KG
InventorFriedrich Pieper
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A motor vehicle steering column lock includes a drove rod element extending axially along a bore within the housing of the steering column lock for actuating a steering column locking bolt member in accordance with known steering column lock mechanisms. The drive rod element of the steering column lock is provided with a radial projection that cooperates with a radial wall of an enlarged recess of the bore extending through the lock housing for preventing axial withdrawal of the drive rod element from the housing and also includes an axial locking projection that is spring biased into a locking recess for preventing relative rotation between the drive rod element and the housing when the steering column lock is transported or stored without a lock cylinder installed in the housing.
Claims8
A motor vehicle steering column lock for cooperating with a steering shaft locking member comprising:
- a housing including an axial bore, an ignition switch receiving area at one end of the housing and a lock cylinder receiving area at the opposite end of the housing, the lock cylinder receiving area forming an extension of the axial bore;
- a peripheral annular enlarged recess along the bore between the ignition switch receiving and lock cylinder receiving areas of the housing, the annular recess including at least a radial wall on the side thereof away from the ignition switch receiving area of the housing;
- an axial channel extending along a side wall area of the bore extending generally from the lock cylinder receiving area of the housing to the annular enlarged recess, said channel intersecting said radial wall of the annular enlarged recess;
- a locking projection engaging recess in the housing also intersecting the radial wall of the enlarged annular recess at a point circumferentially spaced from the intersection of said channel with said radial wall;
- a drive rod element supported in the bore for axial and rotational motion;
- a radial projection on said drive rod element and projecting radially into said enlarged annular recess;
- said channel having a width sufficient to accommodate axial passage of said radial projection along the bore when the drive rod element is axially inserted into the bore from the lock cylinder receiving end Of the housing;
- said radial projection being restrained from axial motion beyond said radial wall of said enlarged annular recess in the direction of the lock cylinder receiving end of the housing by interference between the radial wall and the radial projection except when said radial projection is aligned with said channel;
- a locking projection associated with the radial projection and engageable with said locking projection engaging recess when said radial projection is not aligned with said channel and said locking projection is aligned with said recess;
- and
- a spring element for biasing the drive rod element away from the ignition switch receiving area of the housing;
- whereby said drive rod element may be retained against rotation in the housing by the locking projection engaging the locking projection recess, and against axial motion in the housing toward the lock cylinder receiving end of the housing by interference between said radial projection and said radial wall of said enlarged annular recess.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.