Locking system for adjustable position steering column

A vehicle steering column comprising:

• a jacket assembly including a lower jacket and an upper jacket that telescopically receives the lower jacket;
• a telescopic steering shaft journalled in the jacket assembly;
• a rake support on the lower end of the lower jacket that pivotally supports the vehicle steering column for pivotal movement about a transverse horizontal rake axis;
• a compression bracket fixed to the upper jacket and having a left telescope slot and a right telescope slot;
• a left rake bracket having a left rake slot adjacent to the left telescope slot of the compression bracket and a right rake bracket having a right rake slot adjacent to the right telescope slot of the compression bracket;
• a rake bolt passing through the left rake slot, the left telescope slot, the right telescope slot, and the right rake slot;
• a left rake tooth rack in the left rake slot that faces away from the rake axis and extends upward and rearwardly away from the rake axis;
• a right rake tooth rack in the right rake slot that faces away from the rake axis and extends upward and radially away from the rake axis;
• a left telescope tooth rack in the left telescope slot that faces upwardly and a right telescope tooth rack in the right telescope slot that faces upwardly;
• a left wedge lock on the rake bolt having a plurality of left telescope teeth engagable with the left telescope tooth rack and a plurality of left rake teeth engagable with the left rake tooth rack;
• a right wedge lock on the rake bolt having a plurality of right telescope teeth engagable with the right telescope tooth rack and a plurality of right rake teeth engagable with the right rake tooth rack;
• a first fracturable rake bolt retainer mounted on the rake bolt and holding the right rake teeth from engagement with the right rake tooth rack during adjustment and a second fracturable rake bolt retainer mounted on the rake bolt and holding the left rake teeth from engagement with the left rake tooth rack during adjustment;
• and
• at least one cam secured to the rake bolt which holds the left telescope teeth out of engagement with the left telescope rack and holds the right telescope teeth out of engagement with the right telescope rack when the rake bolt is loosened.

A method of operating a vehicle steering column having a rake adjustment and a telescope adjustment with a rake bracket, a rake slot in the rake bracket, a rake tooth rack on a rake slot side wall, a compression bracket, a telescope slot in the compression bracket, a telescope tooth rack on a telescope slot side wall, a wedge lock with a plurality of telescope teeth and a plurality of rake teeth, and a rake bolt passing through the rake slot and the telescope slot and holding the wedge lock in the rake slot and in the telescope slot comprising:

• loosening the rake bolt and holding the plurality of telescope teeth out of engagement with the telescope tooth rack and holding the plurality of rake teeth out of engagement with the rake tooth rack;
• selecting a telescope position and a rake position of the vehicle steering column;
• tightening the rake bolt to frictionally hold the selected telescope position and rake position;
• moving the plurality of telescope teeth into engagement with the telescope tooth rack when the rake bolt is tightened while holding the plurality of rake teeth out of engagement with the rake tooth rack;
• sliding the compression bracket relative to the rake bracket while the rake bolt is tightened;
• and
• moving the plurality of rake teeth into engagement with the rake tooth rack while sliding the compression bracket relative to the rake bracket.