An assembly for a steering column assembly including an engagement plate and a telescope plate at least partially disposed within the engagement plate. The engagement plate may be adapted to be located between a column tube of a steering column assembly and the telescope plate. The engagement plate and the telescope plate have one or more features for engaging with or contacting each other to provide energy absorption during an impact exceeding a threshold load. These features may include one or more projections or protrusions, one or more slots, one or more ribs, or a combination.

The disclosure relates to a steering apparatus for a vehicle having an impact absorption device for absorbing an impact force introduced via a steering wheel. The steering apparatus has a fastening device for fastening to a vehicle carrier or a vehicle body. The fastening device has a bracket for holding a steering column. The bracket has at least one connecting portion for connecting to the fastening device by a fastening element. At least one target breaking portion is designed to break starting from a predetermined impact force. In order to simplify the construction and/or to be able to realize production more economically, the bracket has and/or forms the target breaking portion, with the connecting portion being separated from the bracket after breaking the target breaking portion and remaining on the fastening device.

An absorber of steering column shock energy includes a plastically deformable part forming a loop, a breakaway link closing this loop on itself, and a first attachment interface and a second attachment interface separate from the breakaway link and arranged on either side of the loop. The part and the fusible link are arranged so that the exertion of forces in opposite directions on the first attachment interface and on the second attachment interface respectively, causes a stress leading to a deformation of the loop, breaking of the breakaway link and further deformation of the loop after this break.

A steering column may comprise a casing tube and a steering spindle that is mounted in the casing tube so as to be rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the casing tube. Because the casing tube may be an outer casing tube that has a non-circular inner cross section and because an adaptor may be manufactured from metal as an extruded part and may comprise an outer circumferential configuration that is compatible with an inner cross section of the casing tube and an interior annular bearing seat, the adaptor can be inserted into the outer casing tube and can be fastened there.”

A column jacket includes an inner jacket and an outer jacket formed with a slit and elastically reducible in diameter. A clamp mechanism causes the outer jacket to clamp the inner jacket so that the inner jacket is unable to move in an axial direction X by clamping a pair of clamp target portions of the outer jacket. The slit extends from an open end formed at a jacket end of the outer jacket to a closed end located at a predetermined position of the outer jacket in the axial direction. The slit includes a meandering portion that meanders in a wave-like manner in a circumferential direction between the open end and the closed end.

A steering apparatus (2, 202) of the invention of the present application is disclosed, which includes an electrifying plate (40, 240) secured to an inner column (11, 211) and received within a guide groove (25, 225) of an outer column (10, 210). The electrifying plate contacts an electrifying cover (15, 215) of the outer column, and configures part of an electrifying path leading to the outer column from the inner column. The invention of the present application enables a new electrifying path to be ensured, which extends from a steering wheel (101) to a car body (100).

A steering system includes a fastening mechanism that makes an upper jacket fastened to be held by a lower jacket. In a fastened state of the fastening mechanism, a first tooth member on the upper jacket side is meshed with a second tooth member on the lower jacket side. The second tooth member is connected to the lower jacket via a guide shaft (connecting member) that is fracturable during a secondary collision. During the secondary collision in an unfastened state of the fastening mechanism, a second engagement portion (driving member) that moves in a column axial direction integrally with the upper jacket abuts on the second tooth member in an unmeshed state to fracture the guide shaft, and deforms an impact absorbing member via the second tooth member to absorb an impact.

A steering column system includes a steering column shaft. Also included is a steering input device coupled to the steering column shaft. Further included is an energy absorbing mechanism operatively engaged with at least one of the steering column shaft and the steering input device. Yet further included is a column adjustment assembly configured to translate the steering column shaft between a retracted position and a driving position. Also included is at least one signal indicating whether the steering column shaft is in the retracted position or the driving position, and when the steering column shaft is in the retracted position, directional control of a vehicle is automated and the energy absorbing mechanism is in a non-operational state, and when the steering column shaft is returned to the driving position as indicated by the at least one signal, the energy absorbing mechanism is in an operational state.

A steering column system includes a steering column shaft. Also included is a steering input device coupled to the steering column shaft. Further included is an energy absorbing mechanism operatively engaged with at least one of the steering column shaft and the steering input device. Yet further included is a column adjustment assembly configured to translate the steering column shaft between a retracted position and a driving position. Also included is at least one signal indicating whether the steering column shaft is in the retracted position or the driving position, and when the steering column shaft is in the retracted position, directional control of a vehicle is automated and the energy absorbing mechanism is in a non-operational state, and when the steering column shaft is returned to the driving position as indicated by the at least one signal, the energy absorbing mechanism is in an operational state.

A locking mechanism for a telescoping steering column includes an energy absorption strap having a plurality of teeth disposed therealong. Also included is a clamp bolt rotatably driven by an adjustment lever. Further included is an actuator body coupled to the clamp bolt and rotated therewith. Yet further included is a first lock cam coupled to the actuator body and engageable with the teeth of the energy absorption strap to lock the telescoping steering column in a first direction. Also included is a second lock cam coupled to the actuator body and engageable with the teeth of the energy absorption strap to lock the telescoping steering column in a second direction different than the first direction.