CN102470906A - Device and method for mounting a front fender to a front fender support of a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus (1) for mounting a front wing (2) to a front wing support (3) of a vehicle, in which method at least one fixing hole is formed on each front wing (2) and support (3) in order to receive a fastener for attaching the front wing (2) to the respective support (3), said apparatus (1) comprising a frame (4) supporting means (52) for holding the front wing (2) on the frame (4) and means (51) for positioning the apparatus (1) on the support (3). The device (1) further comprises: a centering peg (70) fixed to the frame (4) and adapted to fit into a centering hole (25; 35) formed on each of the front wing panel (2) and the support (3) near the respective fixing hole; and pressers (71) mounted on the frame (4) and designed to exert a force on the front flaps (2) in the direction of the respective support (3). The invention finds application in the automotive field.

Description

Device and method for mounting a front fender to a front fender support of a vehicle

technical field

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for mounting a front fender to a front fender support of a vehicle and an associated method of mounting.

Background technique

Typically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , on an automobile, the right and left front fenders 2 each include a decorative wall 20 and an upper inner sill 21 recessed from an upper portion of the decorative wall 20 .

The front fender support 3 is a side structural element extending along the right and left sides of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle, ie the direction of travel of the vehicle. The front fender supports 3 are firmly attached, directly or indirectly, to the longitudinal members P of the vehicle chassis, generally by means of bases 30, each front fender support comprising an upper frame beam 31, which is securely secured by fastening means. Attached to the upper inner frame beam 21 of the corresponding front fender 2.

Typically, the front fenders are attached to their respective supports via screw-nut assemblies. For this purpose, fastening holes (not shown) are provided on the upper frame beams 21, 31 of the front fender 2 and of the associated support 3, respectively, in order to allow fastening screws to pass through.

In order to mount the front fender to the front fender support, it is known to fix the front fender to the front fender by means of tools, also known as mounting clamps, before fastening the fender to the support by means of screws on the support. These tools support the front fenders and enable their mounting on the front fender support of the vehicle to be adjusted, in particular their positioning relative to the fixing holes of the respective front fender and support.

As shown in FIG. 2 , it is known to use an installation tool 9 equipped with a frame 90 to support a spacer 91 , which rests on the longitudinal contact surface 22 provided for the upper frame beam 21 of the respective front panel 2 ; These spacers 91 enable the front fender 2 to be positioned in the Y direction, ie in a position corresponding to the transverse direction Y of the vehicle.

However, when the front fender 2 is fastened to the front fender support 3 by screws, the front fender 2 is usually observed to loosen, more precisely, the upper frame beam 21 becomes loose, bending to the point shown in FIG. The deflection position indicated by the dotted line 21'. Also, during this same operation of fastening the front fender 2 to the front fender support 3 by screws, the tightening torque to which the screws are subjected causes the front fender 2 to rotate.

The loosening of the front fender combined with the rotation of the front fender 2 when it is tightened results in a lack of repeatability when installing the front fender on the front fender support and inaccurate positioning of the front fender on the front fender support. Accurate positioning, and therefore, the front will be misaligned with respect to adjacent elements on the overall vehicle, for example, the front fender will be misaligned with the headlight housing B as shown in FIG. 1 .

In fact, the front headlight housing B is generally mounted on the chassis with the front tip 23 of the front wing 2 , shown in FIG. 1 as a point of equalization reference. Therefore, loosening and rotation of the front fender during fastening by the screw contributes to wrong positioning of the front fender at this front tip 23 , which ultimately detracts from the appearance of the vehicle.

Contents of the invention

The object of the present invention is to solve some or all of these disadvantages by proposing a device which enables an easy, repeatable and with better effect mounting of the front wing to the front wing support.

For this purpose, a device for mounting a front wing to a front wing support of a vehicle is proposed, wherein at least one fixing hole is formed on each front wing and support so as to receive a Fixtures for attaching the panels to the respective supports, the device comprising a frame supporting holding means for holding the front wing on the frame and positioning means for positioning the device on the supports, characterized in that , which further includes:

- centering studs fixed to the frame for fitting into centering holes formed on each front wing and support near the respective fixing holes; and

- A presser mounted on the frame and designed to exert a force on the front wing towards the respective support.

In this way, the device enables the front wings to be pressed against their respective supports when the front wings are fastened by the screws, preventing the front wings from becoming loose and rotating during this step of tightening the screws, thereby effectively Helps to improve the repeatability of the operation of mounting the front fender on the front fender support.

According to a descriptive feature of the invention, each presser is arranged next to the centering pin, so that the presser can exert a force around the centering hole formed in the front wing, so that the centering force and the pressure adjoining.

Each pressurizer is advantageously arranged next to the positioning device.

According to another described feature, the presser is oriented on the frame so as to exert a vertical force on the front wing when said device is positioned on the support.

In a particular embodiment, the device comprises locking means for locking the device on the supports, thereby ensuring that the device is locked in place on the two front fender supports.

In a particular configuration, the apparatus includes adjustment means for adjusting the position of the front door of the vehicle relative to the front wing.

According to one described feature, these adjustment devices comprise at least two opposite first bracket members designed to rest first on the corresponding front door, these bracket members being movably mounted on the frame and connected to the A system for fastening a first bracket member to a front door.

According to another described feature, the adjustment means comprise at least two opposite second bracket members designed to bear against the corresponding front panel, these second bracket members being fixed on the frame in such a way that when When the device is positioned on the support, the first and second bracket members are disposed on either side of a respective gap between the front fender and the front door.

The positioning means advantageously comprise spacers supported by the frame and designed to position the front wing with respect to the longitudinal and transverse directions of the vehicle.

The invention further relates to a method for mounting a front fender to a support of a vehicle, wherein at least one fixing hole is formed in each front fender and support for receiving a Fixers attached to the respective supports, and wherein centering holes are formed on each front wing and support adjacent to the respective fixing holes, and the method comprises using a mounting device according to the invention.

Description of drawings

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reading the ensuing detailed description, with reference to its non-limiting exemplary embodiments, and to the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic perspective front view of a car;

V-Figure 2 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the front wing on the front wing support, with

Known installation equipment;

- Figure 3 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a front wing on a front wing support, with a mounting device according to the invention;

- Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of the mounting device according to the invention during the operation of mounting the front wing on the front wing support;

- Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of a mounting device according to the invention;

- Figures 6-9 are perspective views of the various components of the mounting device shown in Figure 5 .

Detailed ways

For the purposes of the ensuing description, the term "longitudinal direction of the vehicle" or "longitudinal axis of the vehicle" is understood to mean a direction or axis X extending from the rear to the front of the vehicle in line with the direction of travel of the vehicle, while the term "longitudinal axis of the vehicle" Transverse" or "transverse axis of the vehicle" is understood to mean the axis Y extending from left to right and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle; "vertical direction" extends vertically from the bottom up to complete the trihedron X, Y, Z.

The invention relates to a device 1 for mounting a left and right front fender 2 on a left and right front fender support 3 of a vehicle; this device 1 enables the front fender 2 to be positioned on the front fender support 3 . The device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 3-9.

Each of the right and left front fenders 2 includes a decorative wall 20 and an upper inner frame beam 21 recessed from an upper portion of the decorative wall 20 .

The front wing supports 3 are side structural elements which extend along the right and left sides of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle. The front fender supports 3 are firmly attached directly or indirectly to the longitudinal members P of the vehicle chassis by bases 30, and each comprises an upper frame beam 31 designed to be firmly attached by a screw-nut assembly. Connect to the upper inner frame beam 21 of the corresponding front wing panel 2 .

Fixing holes (not shown) are formed on the upper frame beams 21, 31 of the respective front fender 2 and support 3 to accommodate fastening screws.

Centering holes 25, 35 are also formed in the upper frame beams 21, 31 of each front panel 2 and support 3 adjacent to the fixing holes for receiving fastening screws.

These centering holes 25, 35 are also shown in Fig. 2 to provide a comparison between the present invention and prior art tools.

The device 1 according to the invention comprises a frame 4 made of steel and comprising:

- two cross members, one at the front 40a and one at the rear 40b, and two side members, one on the right 41d and one on the left 41g, which together form the carrier frame;

- Internal members 42 for stiffening the bracket frame.

The device 1 comprises means for retaining the front wing 2 on the frame 4, more particularly on the side members 41d and 41g. These retaining means are attached to the frame 4 and may be constructed in the form of magnets, possibly embedded in plastic sleeves, and/or suction cups and/or clips and/or movable stops, such as provided on the side members 41d and 41g rear and bottom movable stops 52, for example in the form of corners, to lock the wings at their respective lower rear portions.

The device 1 comprises positioning means for positioning the device 1 on the front wing support. These positioning devices include:

- transverse spacers 50, mounted on the transverse members 41d and 41g, capable of being positioned on the Y-axis of the front fender 2, ie in the transverse Y direction of the vehicle;

- Vertical spacers 51 , mounted on the cross members 41 d and 41 g , can be positioned on the Z-axis of the front fender 2 , ie according to the vertical direction Y of the vehicle.

The device 1 comprises means for locking the device 1 on the front fender support 3 (ie locking the frame 4 on the front fender support 3 ). These locking means may, for example, be in the form of magnets, possibly embedded in plastic sleeves, and/or suction cups and/or clips and/or movable stops.

The device 1 also comprises adjustment means 6 for adjusting the position of a front door 60 of the vehicle relative to the front wing 2, as shown in Figure 4, these adjustment means 6 comprising:

- two opposite first bracket members 61 on the left and right sides, designed to bear against the front doors 60 on the left and right sides, the first bracket members 61 are movable along the rear cross member 40b of the frame 4 , and is connected to the fastening system 63 for clamping the first bracket member 61 on said front door 60; and

- two opposite second bracket members 62 located on the left and right sides respectively, designed to bear against the left and right front fenders 2 respectively, these second bracket members 62 are fixed on the frame 4 in the following manner, That is, such that when the device 1 is positioned on the front fender support 3, the first bracket member 61 and the second bracket member 62 are disposed on each side of a corresponding gap between the front fender 2 and the front door 60 .

The fastening system 63 is configured in the form of a mechanical linkage hinged on the rear cross member 40b of the frame 4 and has two rods 64 on the left and right respectively, the first bracket member 61 is attached to its extremity by an articulated joint .

The device 1 comprises, on the left and right, respectively, two centering and pressing devices 7 attached to an intermediate member 42 .

As shown in Figures 3 and 8, each of these centering and wedging/chocking devices 7 comprises side by side:

- centering studs 70 to be fitted in centering holes 25, 35 formed in the upper frame beams 21, 31 of each front panel 2 and support 3; and

A presser 71 designed to exert a force on the respective front wing 2 in the vertical direction towards the associated front wing support 3 .

The device 1 comprises an anchor ring 8 for hoisting the cable. There are four anchor rings 8, each attached to the top of the frame 4, to enable the device 1 to be lifted by means of cables connected to a trolley guided on guide rails provided above the vehicle assembly line.

The device 1 comprises two fastening systems 9 , left and right, on the front face of the chassis, not shown. These fastening systems 9 are provided on the front side member 40a.

Device 1 is applied as follows:

- positioning of the two front wings 2 on the frame 4 of the vehicle 1 via holding and locking means;

- Screw the front tip 23 of the front wing 2 onto the frame 4;

- positioning of the device 1 on the two front wing supports 3 by means of the positioning means 51, 52;

- fitting the centering pins 70 into the centering holes 25 , 35 respectively, including pressing the front wing 2 against the front wing support 3 by means of a presser 71 ;

- fastening of the first bracket member 61 to the front door by operating the fastening system 63;

- locking of the device 1 on the two front fender supports 3 via locking means;

- tighten the fixing screws of the front fender 2 on the corresponding front fender support 3;

- disconnect the front wing 2 from the device 1;

- Remove device 1 from front fender 2.

With such a device 1 , thanks to the two centering and wedging/chocking devices 7 , it is possible to ensure the relative positional geometry of the front wing 2 on the front wing support 3 without making the front wing 2 The upper frame beam 21 becomes loose or rotates during the screwing operation.

Of course, the aforementioned exemplary embodiments are not meant to be limiting in any way, and other supplements and improvements can be made to the device according to the invention without going beyond the scope of the invention, wherein for example other form of holding means and/or positioning means and/or locking means.

Claims (9)

1. A device (1) for mounting a front wing (2) to a front wing support (3) of a vehicle, wherein at least one fixing hole is formed in each front wing (2) and support piece (3) to receive a fixture for attaching the front wing (2) to a corresponding support (3), the device (1) includes a frame (4) which supports the front wing (2) 2) holding means (52) held on the frame (4) and positioning means (50, 51) for positioning the device (1) on the support (3), characterized in that it further comprises: - Centering nails (70) fixed to the frame (4) and adapted to fit into centering holes ( 25; 35); and - A presser ( 71 ) mounted on the frame ( 4 ) and designed to apply a force to the front wing ( 2 ) in the direction of the corresponding support ( 3 ). 2. The device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each presser (71) is arranged next to the centering pin (70) so that the presser (71) can be formed on the front wing Apply force around the fixing hole (25) in (2). 3. The device (1) according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the pressurizer (71) is oriented on the frame (4) such that when the device (1 ) is positioned on a support (3) Apply a vertical force on the front wing (2) while going up. 4. The device (1) according to any one of claims 1-3, comprising locking means for locking the device on the support. 5. Apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 1-4, further comprising adjustment means (6) for adjusting the position of the front door (60) of the vehicle relative to the front wing (2). 6. Apparatus (1) according to claim 5, wherein the adjustment device (6) comprises at least two opposite first bracket members (61) designed to rest on the respective front door (60), The first bracket member (61) is movably mounted on the frame (4) and connected to a fastening system (63) for fastening the first bracket member (61) to the front door (60) . 7. Apparatus (1) according to claim 6, wherein the adjustment device (6) comprises at least two opposite second bracket members (62) designed to rest on the respective front wing (2) , the second support member (62) is fixed on the frame (4) in such a way that when the device (1) is positioned on the support (3), the first support member (61) and the second Bracket members (62) are provided on both sides of each gap between the front fender (2) and the front door (60). 8. Apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the positioning means comprise spacers (50, 51) supported by the frame (4) and designed to ) and laterally (Y) to position the front wing (2). 9. A method for mounting a front fender to a front fender support of a vehicle, wherein at least one fixing hole is formed on each front fender and support to receive a a fixer attached to the respective support, and wherein a centering hole is formed on each front wing and support adjacent to the respective fixation hole, and the method comprises using the installation equipment as described in (1).

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