Abstract: An energy-absorbing motor vehicle steering column including a structural housing, a releasable attachment between a body of the motor vehicle and a forward end of the structural housing, and a releasable attachment between an aft end of the structural housing and the vehicle body which restrains the aft end vertically and in the direction of a longitudinal centerline of the structural housing. The aft attachment includes a lateral rod on the vehicle body, a retainer on the structural housing which hooks over the lateral rod, a pair of blocks on the structural housing slidable in the direction of the longitudinal centerline of the latter, each having a ramp facing the lateral rod, and a pair of springs biasing the blocks toward the aft end of the structural housing. The springs wedge the ramps on the blocks under the lateral rod.

Abstract: A valve for a motor vehicle power steering gear including a tubular valve body having a plurality of internal lands, a valve spool rotatable inside of the valve body having a plurality of external lands, and a plurality of metering flats on the external lands which cooperate with linear edges of the internal lands in defining a pair of series connected metering orifices in a fluid flow path through the rotary valve from a pump to a reservoir. When the series connected metering orifices are fully closed, the effective circumferential overlap between the internal and external lands which prevents leakage from the pump to the reservoir is the sum of the circumferential overlaps at the individual metering orifices.

Abstract: An energy absorbing mounting bracket is made of a flat rolled steel and includes a frame having a window through which a mast jacket of a steering column protrudes defined by a plurality of flat walls which plastically deform in twist instead of in hinge-like bending. The frame includes a horizontal flat wall above the mast jacket and a pair of generally diagonal flat walls converging toward an apex below the mast jacket where the mast jacket is rigidly connected to the mounting bracket. A mounting flange in the middle of the horizontal flat wall defines a platform whereat the frame is rigidly attached to a body structure of the motor vehicle in cantilever fashion with the frame extending laterally on both sides of the mounting flange so that each of the flat walls of the frame reacts in bending and in twist against a force on the mast jacket in a collapse direction.

Abstract: A retainer for preventing dislodgment of a shaft from a bearing including a radially expandable retaining ring, a circumferential groove in the shaft having a frustoconical side, and a frustoconical sidewall on an inner race of the bearing facing the frustoconical side of the groove in the shaft and cooperating therewith in defining an annular V-shaped retaining ring groove. In a seated position of the retaining ring in the retaining ring groove, the retaining ring is wedged between the frustoconical sidewall of the bearing inner race and the frustoconical side of the groove in the shaft to eliminate lash between the shaft and the bearing.

Abstract: A motor vehicle fuel sender including a container in a fuel tank of the vehicle having a horizontal partition separating a first chamber above the partition from a second chamber below the partition, a one-way valve between the fuel tank and the second chamber permitting only gravity-induced inflow of fuel into the second chamber, a fuel pump having an inlet to the second chamber, a drain port in the horizontal partition, and a float in the second chamber operative to open and close the drain port in accordance with the level of fuel in the second chamber. Return fuel from a motor of the motor vehicle is conducted to the first chamber which is open on top to permit overflow into the fuel tank in a manner which promotes thermal stratification in the fuel tank. The one-way valve is located near the bottom of the fuel tank so that the second chamber is replenished with fuel from only the lowest temperature stratum in the fuel tank.

Abstract: A rotary telescopeable shaft particularly suited for use as an intermediate steering shaft of a motor vehicle including a cylindrical tubular shaft having a flat side, a cylindrical solid shaft slidably telescoped inside of the tubular shaft having a flat side facing the flat side on the tubular shaft and coupling the shafts for unitary rotation, and a unitized resilient insert concealed in a notch in the solid shaft. The notch has a pair of lateral ramps which converge with the flat side of the tubular shaft and a longitudinal ramp which converges with a cylindrical segment of the tubular shaft. The unitized resilient insert consists of a slider on each lateral ramp, a slider on the longitudinal ramp, and a spring wedging the sliders between the lateral ramps and the flat side of the tubular shaft to eliminate runnning clearance perpendicular to the flat side and between the longitudinal ramp and the cylindrical segment of the tubular shaft to eliminate running clearance parallel to the flat side.

Abstract: An energy absorber for a motor vehicle steering column including a yoke pivotable about a lateral centerline of a body of the motor vehicle and an energy absorbing structure responsive to linear translation of a mast jacket of the steering column relative to the yoke in the direction of a longitudinal centerline of the mast jacket. The mast jacket extends through a bore in the yoke and is prevented by the bore from tipping relative to the yoke. The energy absorbing structure includes a convex anvil on the mast jacket and a J-shaped flat metal strap seated on the convex anvil with a short leg rigidly attached to the yoke and a long leg juxtaposed a wall of the mast jacket.

Abstract: A motor vehicle power steering gear including a housing, a spool shaft rotatably supported on the housing, a pinion head rotatably supported on the housing, a valve body rotatably supported on the spool shaft, and a universal joint between the valve body and the pinion head. The universal joint includes a ring-shaped spider, a first diametrically opposite pair of trunnions on the spider are slidable and rotatable in pair of sockets in the valve body, and a second diametrically opposite pair trunnions on the pinion head are slidable and rotatable in a pair of sockets in the spider. The trunnions and sockets permit relative translation between the valve body and pinion head in mutually perpendicular lateral directions in the plane of the spider and relative rotation about mutually perpendicular lateral centerlines in the plane of the ring to prevent binding between the valve body and the spool shaft.

Abstract: A hydraulic pump having a flow control valve for recirculating a fraction of the discharge of a rotating group of the pump and an externally adjustable pressure relief valve. The flow control valve includes a cylindrical bore in a housing of the pump, a discharge passage intersecting the bore, a recirculation passage intersecting the bore, and a valve spool slideable in the bore. A valve body on the housing closes an open end of the cylindrical bore and cooperates with the valve spool in defining a spring chamber connected to the discharge passage. A spring in the spring chamber biases the valve spool to a position corresponding to zero recirculation. The relief valve includes a stepped bore in the valve body, a valve seat in the stepped bore, a valve element, a spring biasing the valve element against the valve seat, and a spherical metal spring seat interference fitted in the stepped bore.

Abstract: A fuel sender including a container in a fuel tank of a motor vehicle and, in the container, a filter, a fuel pump, a jet pump, and a pressure regulator. An upstream side of the filter and the fuel pump are connected through a first passage in a first end wall of the container. A downstream side of the filter is connected to an interior volume of the container through a convoluted second passage on a second end wall of the container. A pressure regulator on the second end wall of the container maintains fuel pressure at a substantially constant magnitude by variably restricting flow through the second passage. A venturi throat in the second passage aspirates fuel from the fuel tank into the container. The efficiency of the jet pump is maximized by minimizing the length of the convoluted second passage. Vibration isolating seals minimize the transfer of vibrations and pressure pulsations to the container.

Abstract: A crossed groove stroking constant velocity universal joint including inner and outer joint members having inner and outer ball grooves defining a plurality of crossed pairs and a plurality of spherical bearing balls seated in respective ones of the crossed pairs of inner and outer ball grooves with predetermined running clearance between the grooves and the bearing balls. The bearing balls are confined by the crossed pairs of ball grooves and by a ball cage between the inner and outer joint members to the homokinetic plane of the universal joint for constant velocity operation. Each of the outer ball grooves is circumferentially offset relative to the inner ball groove paired therewith by about the running clearance. Adjacent pairs of outer ball grooves are circumferentially offset in opposite directions relative to the inner ball grooves paired therewith.

Abstract: An intermediate steering shaft including a polygonal tubular shaft, a polygonal solid shaft telescopically received in the polygonal tubular shaft, a spring which thrusts the solid and tubular shafts in opposite lateral directions to eliminate lash attributable to running clearance between the solid and tubular shafts, and a control operative from outside of the tubular shaft to relieve the lateral thrust of the spring. The solid shaft has an outside longitudinal groove facing an inside longitudinal groove in the tubular shaft and cooperating with the inside longitudinal groove in defining a longitudinal passage between the solid and tubular shafts. The spring is a helical coil spring wedged between the inside and the outside longitudinal grooves. The control includes a lever on the coil spring and a lateral slot in the tubular shaft through which the lever protrudes.

Abstract: A motor vehicle steering wheel including a hub, a longitudinal bore in the hub which receives a distal end of a steering shaft, a lateral bore in the hub which intersects the longitudinal bore, a cross bolt, and a plastic sleeve on a plastic shroud on the steering wheel which secures the cross bolt in a temporary position to the steering wheel. The plastic sleeve resiliently grips a screw-threaded barrel of the cross bolt and a pilot of the cross bolt partially obstructs the longitudinal bore in hub. The distal end of the steering shaft cams aside the pilot when the distal end is inserted in the longitudinal bore. The connection of the plastic sleeve to the shroud snaps the pilot of the cross bolt into a lateral notch in the distal end of the steering shaft to signal complete penetration of the distal end into the longitudinal bore in the hub.

Abstract: An energy absorbing steering column for a motor vehicle including a housing supported on a body structure of the vehicle for translation through a linear collapse stroke in response to an impact on a steering wheel of the steering column and an energy absorber. The energy absorber includes a flat metal ribbon having a first end anchored to the housing, an unrestrained second end, a preformed first undulation near the first end looped over a stationary first roller, and a preformed second undulation tangent to the first undulation looped over a floating second roller. The first and second undulations overlap each other and are confined between a pair of parallel containment walls of the steering column housing.

Abstract: A motor vehicle steering column including a longitudinally collapsible mast jacket, a lower mount whereat the mast jacket is supported for vertical pivotal movement, and an upper mount consisting of a pair of stationary rigid strikers and a pair of releasable capsules on the mast jacket each of which receives in plug-in fashion and automatically retains a corresponding one of the strikers. Each of the capsules includes a socket, a plunger bore intersecting the socket, a plunger in the plunger bore, and a plunger spring biasing the plunger toward an extended position partially obstructing the socket. Each striker has a cam at a distal end thereof and an inverted frustoconical body. When the mast jacket is pivoted vertically up, the cams on the strikers shift the plungers inward in the plunger bores.

Abstract: A motor vehicle steering column having power adjustment of the horizontal and vertical positions of a steering wheel on an end of the steering column including an adjustable tubular mast jacket on which the steering wheel is supported, a stationary tubular mast jacket, and a self-adjusting slide bearing between the stationary and adjustable mast jackets. The self-adjusting slide bearing includes a support tube on the stationary mast jacket, pair of inward facing frustoconical seats on the support tube, a pair of plastic split sleeve bearings slidably mounted on the adjustable mast jacket each having an outward facing frustoconical side, and a tubular spring between the split sleeve bearings biasing the latter toward converging annuluses defined between the frustoconical seats and the adjustable mast jacket for lash-free sliding support of the adjustable mast jacket on the stationary mast jacket.

Abstract: A motor vehicle steering column including a steering shaft, a steering wheel having a hub thereon, and a lateral thrust attachment between the steering shaft and the hub of the steering wheel. In a first preferred embodiment, the lateral thrust attachment includes a cylindrical passage in the hub having a pair of flat sides converging in a V-shape, a first cylindrical journal on the steering shaft in the cylindrical passage in the hub having a matching pair of the flat sides converging in a V-shape, a laterally eccentric cylindrical cavity in the hub around a second cylindrical journal on an end of the steering shaft, and an eccentric sleeve on the second cylindrical journal in the eccentric cavity. In a second preferred embodiment, lateral thrust between the hub and the steering shaft is induced directly by a rod on the hub which laterally traverses the end of the steering shaft.

Abstract: A motor vehicle fuel pump including an electric motor, a high pressure pump, and a low pressure pump having a side channel pumping stage for pumping fuel from a fuel tank to a reservoir and a regenerative turbine pumping stage for pumping fuel from the reservoir to the high pressure pump. A pair of radial vapor ports are disposed between an inside diameter of a pump channel of the turbine pumping stage and an outside diameter of a concentric, radially inboard pump channel of the side channel pumping stage at a discharge port of the pump channel of the side channel pumping stage. Liquid fuel with entrained vapor near the inside diameter of the pump channel of the turbine pumping stage is aspirated through the radial vapor ports into the discharge port of the pump channel of the side channel pumping stage by liquid fuel flowing in the pump channel of the side channel pumping stage.

Abstract: An adjustable motor vehicle steering column having a stationary mast jacket, a tilt-housing supported on the stationary mast jacket for up and down pivotal movement, a steering wheel rotatably supported on the tilt-housing, a friction clamp for infinite tilt adjustment, and a wedge lock to prevent upward pivotal movement of the tilt-housing in the event the friction clamp is overpowered. The wedge lock includes an arc-shaped land on the tilt-housing, a locking ring having an eccentric outer edge rotatably supported on the stationary mast jacket concentric with the arc-shaped land, and a torsion spring biasing the locking ring toward engagement of the eccentric outer edge thereof on the arc-shaped land. If the friction clamp is overpowered, the arc-shaped land effects rotation of the locking ring to a wedged position against the land at the onset of pivotal movement of the tilt-housing in which further pivotal movement of the tilt-housing is foreclosed.

Abstract: An intermediate steering shaft for a motor vehicle steering system including a tabular outer shaft, a tubular center shaft slidably telescoped in the outer shaft, and a solid inner shaft slidably telescoped in the center shaft and all coupled for unitary rotation by respective pairs of flat sides on each. Each of the flat sides of the tubular center shaft is interrupted by a pair of outward facing shallow grooves always concealed in the overlap between the tubular outer and center shafts. One of the flat sides in the tubular center shaft is further interrupted by an exposed shallow groove located near a distal end of the outer shaft in an extended or normal position of the tubular center shaft.