Automotive steering system of rack and pinion type having means to prevent displacement of steering shaft in collision

Claim 1

In an automotive steering system having a rack-and-pinion type steering gear, the steering shaft being linked with the pinion shaft through a relay shaft, the relay shaft being coupled with the steering shaft by a flexible joint, the rack member being enclosed in a rack jacket tube integrated with the steering gear box and arranged generally laterally of the vehicle, the combination of (a) first means to clamp the rack jacket tube to a chassis member, said first means comprising two clamp regions of the outer surface of the rack jacket tube, said clamp regions being shaped circular-cylindrical and arranged at a distance therebetween, two clamp members fixed to the chassis member and shaped to rotatably receive said two clamp regions, respectively, and second means to fix the rack jacket tube to the clamp members in such a manner that thE rack jacket tube is allowed to be turned on the axis thereof when an external force generally in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and greater than a predetermined magnitude is exerted on the chassis member, and (b) third means to move the pinion shaft such that the distance between the gear box and the flexible joint is shortened without any substantial displacement of the steering shaft, when the rack jacket tube moves generally rearwardly of the vehicle and turns on the axis thereof.