| US 7,484,760 B2 | ||
| Column hole cover | ||
| Hirohisa Suzuki, Kashihara (Japan); Seizou Furukawa, Osaka (Japan); Noboru Yamamoto, Kurashiki (Japan); and Teruya Fujiwara, Kurashiki (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Koyo Seiko Co., Ltd., Osaka (Japan); and Marugo Rubber Industries, Ltd., Okayama (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Apr. 21, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/828,503. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2003-118916 (JP), filed on Apr. 23, 2003. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2004/0256849 A1, Dec. 23, 2004 | ||
| Int. Cl. B62D 1/16 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 280—779 [277/392; 277/634; 277/635; 277/644; 280/780] | 18 Claims |
| 1. A column hole cover interposed between a circumferential portion of an aperture of a column hole formed at an instrument
panel for insertion of a steering column therethrough and a steering gear box capable of being displaced in a predetermined
direction, the column hole cover comprising:
a cylindrical main body extended in the predetermined direction, and being formed as a single-walled cylinder having a center
axis,
the single-walled cylinder of the main body including a first annular end portion directly or indirectly fixed to the steering
gear box, a second annular end portion, and an intermediate portion between the first and second end portions,
the second end portion including an annular seal,
the intermediate portion including a expandable/contractible portion capable of being elastically expanded or contracted in
the predetermined direction,
wherein, irrespective of the displacement of the steering gear box, the annular seal is maintained in an elastic pressure
contact against the circumferential portion of the aperture of the instrument panel by a reaction force of the compressed
expandable/contractible portion; and
wherein the column hole cover is free of other cylinders inside of the cylindrical main body.
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