Mounting apparatus for motor vehicle steering column

A mounting apparatus for an energy absorbing motor vehicle steering column including a lower mast jacket and an upper mast jacket supported on the lower mast jacket for linear translation relative thereto in the direction of a longitudinal centerline of the steering column in response to a longitudinal vector component of an impact on the steering column comprising:

• a honeycomb molded plastic mounting bracket having a center passage around the upper mast jacket and a planar top above the upper mast jacket and a pair of lateral flanges on opposite sides of the upper mast jacket;
• an attachment means operative to couple the plastic mounting bracket to the upper mast jacket for linear translation as a unit therewith relative to the lower mast bracket;
• a pair of platforms on the plastic mounting bracket each defining a lower side of a corresponding one of the pair of lateral flanges of the plastic mounting bracket,
• a pair of vertical slots in respective ones of the pair of lateral flanges of the plastic mounting bracket each open through a side of the plastic mounting bracket facing an upper end of the energy absorbing steering column and intersecting the planar top of the plastic mounting bracket and the corresponding one of the pair of platforms;
• a pair of vertical studs extending through respective ones of the vertical slots in the plastic mounting bracket, a planar panel on a body of a motor vehicle above the upper mast jacket;
• and
• a pair of springs retained on respective ones of the vertical studs below and bearing resiliently against corresponding ones of the pair of platforms on the plastic mounting bracket thereby to clamp the planar top of the plastic mounting bracket against the planar panel on the motor vehicle body to vertically support the upper mast jacket on the motor vehicle body to release the plastic mounting bracket through the pair of vertical slots therein for linear translation as a unit with the upper mast jacket in response the longitudinal vector component of the impact on the steering column;
• a vertical vector component of the impact on the steering column being reacted to a motor vehicle body from the onset of linear translation of the upper mast jacket through the planar top of the plastic mounting bracket and the planar panel on the motor vehicle body and a lateral vector component of the impact on the steering column being reacted to the motor vehicle body from the onset of linear translation of the upper mast jacket through the sides of the pair of vertical slots in the plastic mounting bracket and the pair of vertical studs on the motor vehicle body thereby to positively define the path of an energy absorbing collapse stroke of the upper mast jacket relative to the vehicle body.