Motor vehicle steering column arrangement
View Patent ↗A bulkhead collar for using in conjunction with a bearing housing of a motor vehicle steering column including an upper column shaft and a lower column shaft where the lower column shaft passes through an opening in a bulkhead in the vehicle. The bearing housing is free to rotate on the lower steering column shaft and has a flange for fixing the bearing housing to the collar. The flange comprises two radially extending lugs having holes for alignment with complementary holes on the collar. The collar has a two-way ramp which can abut the edges of the lug so that axial movement of the bearing housing relative to the lower column shaft during installation of the steering column in the vehicle can rotate the bearing housing to automatically align the holes.
1. A steering column arrangement for a motor vehicle having an opening in a bulkhead wherein a portion of the steering column arrangement passes through the opening in the bulkhead, the steering column arrangement comprising:
a bearing housing attach ed to a steering column shaft, the bearing housing comprising a flange having at least one radially extending lug, the flange having a bearing housing fastener feature; and
a bulkhead collar for attachment to the bulkhead, the bulkhead collar having a bulkhead collar fastener feature and a self-aligning means for arranging the bearing housing fastener feature in line with the bulkhead collar fastener feature,
wherein the bulkhead collar self-aligning means lines up the bearing housing fastener feature with the bulkhead collar fastener feature when axial movement of the bearing housing relative to the steering column shaft occurs during installation of the steering column arrangement in the vehicle.
2. The steering column arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the bearing housing is free to rotate on the steering column shaft.
3. The steering column arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the flange comprises two radially extending and symmetrically arranged lugs.
4. The steering column arrangement of claim 3 , wherein the self-aligning means comprises a two-way helical ramp which is arranged on the bulkhead collar to contact at least one of the lugs during installation of the steering column so that over-rotation of the bearing housing is prevented by the opposite side of the two-way helical ramp.
5. The steering column arrangement of claim 4 , wherein the fastener features on the collar and the bearing housing are holes for receiving fasteners.
6. The steering column arrangement of claim 4 , wherein the fastener features on the collar and the bearing housing are respectively a stud and a hole.
7. The steering column arrangement of claim 4 , wherein the fastener features on the collar and the bearing housing are respectively a hole and a stud.
8. A bulkhead collar for passing a steering column arrangement through a motor vehicle bulkhead comprising:
a collar having
an inner flange extending radially from the collar portion, the inner flange having at least one fastener feature and a two-way helical ramp, and
an outer flange connected to the inner flange for attachment to the bulkhead.
9. The bulkhead collar of claim 8 , wherein the two-way helical ramp is arranged on the bulkhead collar to contact the steering column arrangement during installation.
10. The bulkhead collar of claim 8 , wherein the at least one fastener feature on the inner flange are holes for receiving fasteners.
11. The bulkhead collar of claim 8 , wherein the at least one fastener feature on the inner flange is a stud.
12. A bulkhead collar for passing a steering column arrangement through a motor vehicle bulkhead, the steering column arrangement comprising a steering column shaft and a bearing housing, the bearing housing being free to rotate on the steering shaft and having a bearing housing fastener feature comprising:
a collar having
an inner flange extending radially from the collar portion having a fastener feature and a two-way helical ramp, and
an outer flange connected to the inner flange for attachment to a bulkhead
wherein the two-way helical ramp lines up the bearing housing fastener feature with the bulkhead collar fastener feature when axial movement of the bearing housing relative to the steering column shaft occurs during installation of the steering column arrangement in the vehicle.
13. The bulkhead collar of claim 12 , wherein the inner flange fastener feature is a hole.
14. The bulkhead collar of claim 12 , wherein the inner flange fastener feature is a stud.
15. A method of assembling a steering column arrangement for a motor vehicle having an opening in a bulkhead, the steering column arrangement comprising a bulkhead collar having a self-aligning means, a bearing housing, and a steering column shaft, wherein a portion of the steering column arrangement passes through the opening in the bulkhead, the method comprising the following steps:
threading the steering column arrangement from a passenger compartment through the bulkhead into an engine compartment such that the bulkhead collar is in contact with the bulkhead;
moving the bearing housing into contact with the bulkhead collar self-aligning means, and
moving the bearing housing in an axial direction relative to the steering column shaft so that it is rotated by the bulkhead collar self-alignment means for attachment between the bulkhead fastener features and the bearing housing fastener features.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the self-aligning means is a two-way helical ramp.