Apparatus for attaching a steering wheel to a steering shaft

Abstract

An apparatus (10) comprises a vehicle steering wheel (12) having a hub portion (54) that includes an axially extending inner sleeve (80) having a circumferentially spaced plurality of openings (86). A vehicle steering shaft (14) has an end portion (120) that includes a circumferentially extending arcuate groove (124). A plurality of bearing elements (110) are at least partially disposed in the openings (86) in the inner sleeve (80). The bearing elements (110) are movable in a radial direction within the openings (86) between a disconnected condition and a connected condition. The disconnected condition permits relative axial movement between the steering wheel (12) and the steering shaft (14). The connected condition blocks relative axial movement between the steering wheel (12) and the steering shaft (14). An axially movable collar (130) is engageable with the bearing elements (110) to move the bearing elements in the radial direction from the disconnected condition to the connected condition. The bearing elements (110) are moved by the collar (130) to the connected condition in which the bearing elements are partially located within the openings (86) and partially located in the arcuate groove (124) in the steering shaft (14).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.