US 6,981,430 B2 | ||
Vehicular steering apparatus | ||
Tetsuya Murakami, Nara (Japan); Hiroaki Shinto, Nara (Japan); and Shuzo Hirakushi, Nara (Japan) | ||
Assigned to Koyo Seiko Co., Ltd., Osaka (Japan) | ||
Filed on Apr. 24, 2003, as Appl. No. 10/421,734. | ||
Claims priority of application No. 2002-137482 (JP), filed on May 13, 2002. | ||
Prior Publication US 2003/0209102 A1, Nov. 13, 2003 | ||
Int. Cl. B62D 1/18 (2006.01); B62D 1/16 (2006.01); B62D 1/20 (2006.01); B62D 1/11 (2006.01) |
U.S. Cl. 74—493 | 7 Claims |
1. A vehicular steering apparatus comprising:
a column bracket secured to a steering column including a top plate and a pair of side plates;
a fixing bracket secured to a vehicle body and including a pair of side plates each of which confronts a face of a corresponding
one of the side plate pair of the column bracket;
a support shaft supported by the fixing bracket while supporting the column bracket;
a support-shaft through hole formed in each of the side plates of the column bracket and the fixing bracket for insertion
of the support shaft therethrough; the support-shaft through holes of the side plates of the column bracket each including
a slot extended along a longitudinal direction of the steering column for permitting the support shaft to move relative thereto
along the longitudinal direction of the steering column; and
a resilient member interposed between the top plate of the column bracket and a confronting portion of the support shaft and
serving to bias the support shall in a predetermined biasing direction to restrict play of the support shaft in the slot;
wherein the resilient member is in contact with the top date as retained by the support shaft,
the resilient member is disposed below the top plate,
a part of the resilient member is pressed against and contacts with the top plate, and is subject to a downward reaction force
from the top plate, and
the predetermined biasing direction in which the resilient member biases the support shaft is a downward direction.
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