GB2641069A - Hood lock setting tool - Google Patents

Abstract

A mounting tool 100 for a vehicle hood lock includes a tool body 106 with one or more locating devices for positioning tool body 106 on a frame member of a vehicle and a mounting space for the hood lock, which may be delimited by lateral pads 110A, 110B. Tool body 106 has a quick release device 108 engageable with a hook-end of a hood lock assembly to support the hood lock assembly in the mounting space. Quick release device 108 may include a mounting pin or a magnetic catch. The position of quick release device 108 may be adjustable, for example by use of removable shims 124. A mounting method is also provided.

Description

HOOD LOCK SETTING TOOL

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a manufacturing aid device for setting the position of a hood lock on a vehicle, and to method of setting the position of a hood lock on a vehicle during manufacture.

BACKGROUND

In automotive manufacturing, a common challenge faced by any manufacturer is setting consistent panel gaps between body panels of the vehicle that match the design intent of the vehicle as closely as possible. Providing even and consistent panel gaps is a hallmark of manufacturing quality.

Oftentimes, panel gaps are sensitive to the skill of the operator tasked with assembling the panels of the vehicle to the chassis. To execute this task manually takes skill, care, attention, and time. Development of skilled operators requires a company to invest time and money in order to yield consistent repeatable output.

In a world where vehicles are produced in large quantities, time efficiency is a key metric on any automotive production line. Saving mere seconds on any particular task can save significant cost by boosting production efficiency.

One panel in particular that can be challenging to align for consistency in panel gaps is the hood or bonnet of a vehicle. The position of the front edge of the hood is set by the position of the hood lock holding the hood closed. Setting the hood lock manually requires skilled operators who are well trained in this process. Setting the position of the hood lock requires opening and closing the hood repeatedly to ensure the desired position has been achieved.

There is always a trade-off between time and quality in manufacturing. Either an operator can conduct a task quickly, with a relatively low-quality output, or the same operator can take time to ensure they achieve a relatively high-quality output.

Removing the requirement of skill in the assembly of the hood to the vehicle will invariably improve both the quality of the output of the production process and the time taken to achieve that output.

It is an aim of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages

associated with the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a mounting tool for a vehicle hood lock assembly, comprising: a tool body having one or more locating devices to position the tool body on a frame member of a vehicle. The tool body is configured to provide a mounting space for the hood lock assembly and the tool body comprises a quick release device that is adapted to be engageable with a hook-end of a hood lock assembly to support the hood lock assembly in the mounting space.

The quick release device may comprise a quick release pin that is adjustable between a first position where it holds the hook-end of the hood-lock assembly in a captive position and a second position in which it releases the hook-end of the hood-lock assembly. Additionally, the quick release device may be a separate part to the tool body which can be releasably attached to the tool body.

The quick release pin may be removable from the quick release device and/or the quick release pin may be slidably received in the quick release device. Additionally, or alternatively, the quick release pin may be adjustable between the first and second positions by way of a twist-action.

The mounting tool may further comprising a magnetic catch configured to hold the hood-lock assembly in the mounting space. The magnetic catch may be part of the quick release device.

The position of the quick release device relative to the tool body may be adjustable in at least one direction thereby to provide adjustability in the support position of the hood lock assembly in the mounting space.

The adjustability in the support position of the hood lock assembly in the mounting space, may be achieved by provision of one or more removable shims located between the tool body and the quick release device.

The mounting tool may comprise a tool locking device configured to releasably lock the mounting tool to the vehicle frame member.

The tool locking device may be a magnetic locking device.

The tool locking device may be switchable between locked and unlocked states.

The mounting space may be delimited in a lateral direction by a pair of support pads that flank the mounting space.

A lateral position of the hood lock assembly in the mounting space may be adjustable by respective adjustment of the pair of support pads. The lateral position adjustment of the hood lock assembly in the mounting space may be achieved by means of one or more shims positioned between the respective pair of support pads and the tool body.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of attaching a hood lock to a vehicle using the mounting tool of any preceding claim, the method comprising: locating the mounting tool configured to fit a hood lock and a vehicle on a frame member of the vehicle; attaching the hood lock to the mounting tool, such that the hook end of the hood lock assembly engages with the quick release device; securing the hood lock to the vehicle frame member; releasing the quick release device from the hook end; and removing the mounting tool from the vehicle frame member.

It will be appreciated that the various features of each aspect of the invention are equally applicable to, alone or in appropriate combination with, other aspects of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a simplified perspective view of a hood lock fitted to a vehicle frame in the context of the front of a vehicle; Figure 2 shows a more detailed version of the view shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the hood lock shown in Figure 2 fitted with the apparatus of the invention; Figures 4A and 4B show a perspective view of the apparatus of the invention, Figure 4B being an equivalent exploded view of Figure 4A; Figure 5A and 5B show an equivalent but alternative orientation view of Figures 4A and 4B; and Figure 6 shows an exploded view indicating how the apparatus of the invention is to be assembled to the vehicle frame.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In general terms, embodiments of the invention provide an apparatus that aids the manufacturing process of attaching a hood lock to a vehicle in the desired location with minimal time, skill and effort. The apparatus achieves this result by presenting the hood lock in a desired position for fixing to a frame member consistently and repeatably. The result of this functionality is that any operator present on a production line will be capable of executing the manufacturing process with minimal training.

In order to place the embodiments of the invention in a suitable context, reference will be made to Figure 1, which shows a simplified view of a front portion of a vehicle frame 2 fitted with a hood lock 4. For the purposes of understanding, orientation references in this document will be as follows: X-direction -longitudinal direction relative to vehicle, i.e., front to back direction; Y-direction -lateral direction relative to vehicle, i.e., left to right direction; and Z-direction -vertical direction relative vehicle, i.e., upward and downward direction.

A hood lock 4 is a releasable mechanism configured to engage and releasably retain a catch 5, sometimes referred to as a pin, of a hood 3 or bonnet of a vehicle. The hood 3 of the vehicle is typically otherwise attached to the vehicle by a hinge, allowing a user to pivot the hood 3 about the hinge after releasing the catch 5 from the hood lock 4 to gain access to the area of the vehicle covered by the hood 3. In some instances, a hood 3 may be closed by two or more hood locks 4 and respective catches 5, each of which could require positioning independently.

Typically, the hood lock 4 is attached to a frame member 6 of the vehicle by threaded fasteners such a bolts 11 or machine screws as shown in Figure 2. The bolts 11 are typically received by a female threaded element of the frame member 6, for example, a tapped hole, weldnut, rivnut or captive nut. The body 8 of the hood lock 4 is provided with oversized holes 10 and/or slots for the bolts 11 to pass through. This allows for a defined amount of adjustment in the Y and Z directions which are substantially perpendicular to a mounting plane of the hood lock 4. Tolerance in the X direction is typically accounted for in the length of the of the respective hood catch 5 by making it long enough to engage with the hood lock 4 for any position within the tolerance range.

The hood lock 4 functions by latching or hooking on to the hood catch 5 in the Z direction generally. The hood lock 4 comprises a hook end 12 configured to engage the hood catch 5. The hook end 12 is pivotable about the body 8 to allow engagement and disengagement of the hood catch 5. Disengagement of the hood catch 5 from the hook end 12 is enabled by a disengagement lever 13 which is actuated by the user. Actuating the disengagement lever 13 pivots the hook end 12 away from the hood catch 5 allowing the user to open the hood 3.

Hoods 3 typically have spring loaded stops which are held in pretension when the hood 3 is closed. The hood lock 4 holds the hood 3 in this pretension state to prevent Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) issues caused by relative movement of the hood 3 and the vehicle frame 6 when the vehicle is operational. The Z-position of the closed hood 3 is therefore set by the position of the hood lock 4.

Ensuring that the hood lock 4 is assembled in the correct position is paramount to the hood 3 being positioned correctly in relation to other body panels surrounding the hood 3. For example, if a hood lock 4 is fitted too high, the resulting position of the hood 3 would be too high, or overflush, relative to the surrounding panels. Likewise, if the hood lock 4 is too low, the resulting position of the hood 3 would be too low, or underflush, to the surrounding panels.

Whereas Figure 2 shows the hood lock 4 mounted to the vehicle frame 6 without the mounting tool 10 attached, Figure 3 shows the hood lock 4 combined with the mounting tool 100.

The basic principle behind the function of the mounting tool 100 is that it can be fitted to a preset position on a frame member 6 of the vehicle and locked into that position to aid in the assembly of a hood lock 4. The mounting tool 100 provides a space for accommodating or receiving the hood lock 4 in a predetermined position with respect to the vehicle frame 6 ready for engagement of the catch 5 of the hood lock 4.

Figure 3 shows the hood lock 4 offered up to the mounting tool 100, wherein a retractable pin 102 engages a hook 12 of the hood lock 4 to set the Z position and the Y position is set by a mounting space 104 of the mounting tool 100. Further detail of the features required for this basic functionality will now be discussed.

In Figures 4A, 4B, 5A and 5B, the mounting tool 100 is shown as comprising four elements: a tool body 106, a quick release device 108 and two lateral support pads 110A, 110B. The arrows in the exploded view indicate the installation direction and subsequent location of each of the components in relation to one another.

The tool body 106 of the mounting tool comprises a central component 112. The central component 112 is configured to attach all the other elements, either directly or indirectly.

The central component 112 is a monolith construction (in this example) and provides attachment and location features for the other elements of the mounting tool 100. The attachment features shown are in the form of substantially flat face with threaded holes appropriately sized to receive machine screws (not shown, but their presence is implied), however other attachment methods are considered also, for example bolted joint comprising nuts and bolts.

Advantageously, the configuration of the attachment features allows shims or spacers 122, 124 to be placed in between the central component 112 and the other components being attached. The spacers 122, 124 serve to control relevant positions of location features of the mounting tool 100 relative to one another. Beneficially, this allows the mounting tool 100 to be adapted to suit different models of vehicle and/or different types of hood lock 4.

The central component 112 further comprises mount features for locating pins 114 that locate the mounting tool 100 on the vehicle frame member 6. The mounting features may comprise plain or threaded holes, for example. The locating pins 114 could be inserted into a plain hole of the central component 112 with an interference fit, or alternatively, the locating pin may have a male threaded portion to fit into a threaded hole of the central component 112, for example.

The vehicle frame member 6 comprises holes 7 or slots to receive the locating pins 114 of the mounting tool 100. The holes 7 of the frame member 6 may be provided primarily to locate the mounting tool 100, or this could be their secondary function. In either case, the holes 7 serve to locate the mounting tool 100 in substantially in the X and Y directions. To achieve this, the centres of the holes are positioned using geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) to a datum of the vehicle frame 6, preferably the same datum as used to position the hinges of the hood 3 and the body panels surround the hood 3 to minimise tolerance stack up.

The central component 112 further comprises a locating feature configured to receive a tool locking device 116, releasable latch, or attachment device. The tool locking device 116 allows for releasable attachment of the mounting tool 100 to the frame member 6. In this embodiment, the tool locking device 116 is in the form of a switchable magnet device, for example, a Magswitch® MagJig. The switchable magnet device xx is operable to be attracted to a magnetically compatible element of the frame member 6when the device is engaged, and releasable when the device is disengaged. Other forms of tool locking devices 112 are considered acceptable, such as quarter turn fasteners. However, a preparation in the geometry of the frame member 6, such as a keyhole or slot, would be necessary for their function. As such, a magnetically-actuatable tool locking device 112 of the type described here needs no such preparation of the frame member 6.

Moving on, the quick release device 108 comprises a top component 118. The top component 118 is configured to attach to a top side of the central component 112. The top component 118 comprises the retractable pin 102 configured to engage with a hook 12 of the hood lock 4. The retractable pin 102 is slidably received in the top component 118 to act as a pseudo hood pin for setting the Z position of the hood lock 4. When the mounting tool 100 if fitted to the frame member 6, the retractable pin 102 is positioned where a hood catch 5 would be if the hood 3 was fitted and closed on the vehicle. The hook end 12 engages on the retractable pin 102 to set the required Z position of the hood lock 4.

As is shown, the retractable pin 102 is in a locked position, but can be released by a quarter-turn movement which unlocks the pin so it can be withdrawn from the top component 118. The retractable pin 102 may be spring loaded such that a resting position of the pin 102 is in an extended position. After fixing the hood lock 4 in its required position, an operator can unlock the tool locking device 116 and withdraw the retractable pin 102 from the hook 12 of the hood lock 4 in order to remove the mounting tool 100 from the vehicle when the mounting tool 100 has fulfilled its purpose of setting the position of the hood lock 4 for assembly.

Additionally, or alternatively, the retractable pin 102 is adjustable between the first and second positions by way of a twist-action, or can be removed from the mounting tool 100 altogether if a simpler mechanism is desired.

The top component 118 further comprises a magnetic catch 120 for holding the hood lock 4 in place during assembly. The magnetic catch 120 may be any suitable magnetic element, such as a rare earth metal like neodymium, and is attached to the top component 118 by a threaded fastener. Alternatively, the magnetic catch 120 may be bonded to the top component 118. The magnetic attraction of the magnetic catch 120 is configured such that the weight of the hood lock 4 can be supported but an operator will be able to separate the hood lock 4 from the mounting tool 100 by hand, if necessary.

The height of the top component 118, and therefore the height of the retractable pin 102 relative to the central component 112 can be configured using shim(s) 122. The shim 122 could be a single shim 122 that corresponds to the width of the top component 118 or there may be two shims 124 arranged in parallel to set the required spacing between the top component 118 and the central component 112. Alternatively, each shim may be replaced by a series or stack of relatively thinner shims. An example of such a shim 122 is shown in dashed lines in Figure 4b prior to being positioned on the top component 118.

In an alternative embodiment, the quick release device 108 can be releasably attached to the tool body 106 without the need for tools. Additionally, the magnetic catch 120 may be attached to the quick release device 108 or, alternatively, the magnetic catch 120 may be attached to the central component 112 of the tool body 106.

The support pads 110A, 110B, being side components, attach to the either side of the central component 112. The support pads 110A, 110B are configured to define a mounting space 104 to restrain the hood lock 4 in the Y direction. The mounting space 104 is delimited in a lateral direction by the support pads 110A, 110B that flank the mounting space 104. The mounting space 104 may be symmetrical about a centreline of the central component 112, or it may be asymmetrical depending on the symmetry of the hood lock 4 being fitted. The support pads 110A, 110B may be non-handed, symmetrical, and identical in order to improve commonality of components and to reduce risk of the mounting tool 100 being misassembled.

Thus, the mounting tool 100 provides a mounting space 104 for the hood lock 4 104 or at least a body portion 8 of the hood lock 4. Placing a hood lock 4 in the mounting space 104 of the mounting tool 100 ensures that the hood lock 4 is substantially aligned within the mounting tool 100. Engaging the retractable pin 102 with the hook 12 of the hood lock 4 finalises the assembly position of the hood lock 4 relative to the mounting tool 100. The hood lock 4 may assemble to the mounting tool 100 in one way only, i.e., the assembly of the hood lock 4 to the mounting tool 100 may be poka-yoke. This may be achieved by providing geometrical features in the mounting space 104 that will interfere with the hood lock 4 if the hood lock 4 is improperly oriented or positioned in the mounting space 104. This element of the concept seeks to minimise or eliminate potential mistakes during assembly of the hood lock 4 to the vehicle.

Like the top component 118, the side component 110A, 110B positions are set by shims 124. The shims 124 may be interchangeable between the top component 118 and side components 110A, 110B for further commonality between parts of the mounting tool 100.

Figure 6 is an exploded view showing how the mounting tool 100 interacts with the frame member 6 of the vehicle. The inventive concept also contemplates a method of attaching a hood lock 4 to a vehicle, the method comprising: locating the mounting tool 100 configured to fit a hood lock 4 and a vehicle on a frame member 6 of the vehicle; locking the mounting tool 100 to the frame member 6; attaching the hood lock 4 to the mounting tool 100; securing the hood lock 4 to the vehicle; unlocking the mounting tool 100 from the frame member 6; releasing a quick release device 102, 108; and removing the mounting tool 100 from the frame member 6.

It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims (17)

1. CLAIMS1. A mounting tool for a vehicle hood lock assembly, comprising: a tool body having one or more locating devices to position the tool body on a frame member of a vehicle, the tool body being configured to provide a mounting space for the hood lock assembly, wherein the tool body comprises a quick release device that is adapted to be engageable with a hook-end of a hood lock assembly to support the hood lock assembly in the mounting space.
2. 2. The mounting tool of Claim 1, wherein the quick release device comprises a quick release pin that is adjustable between a first position where it holds the hook-end of the hood-lock assembly in a captive position and a second position in which it releases the hook-end of the hood-lock assembly.
3. 3. The mounting tool of Claim 2, wherein the quick release pin is removable from the quick release device.
4. 4. The mounting tool of Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein the quick release pin is slidably received in the quick release device.
5. 5. The mounting tool of any one of Claims 2 to 5, wherein the quick-release pin is adjustable between the first and second positions by way of a twist-action.
6. 6. The mounting tool of any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the quick release device is a separate part to the tool body which can be releasably attached to the tool body.
7. 7. The mounting tool of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a magnetic catch configured to hold the hood-lock assembly in the mounting space.
8. 8. The mounting tool of Claim 7, wherein the magnetic catch is part of the quick release device.
9. 9. The mounting tool of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the position of the quick release device relative to the tool body is adjustable in at least one direction thereby to provide adjustability in the support position of the hood lock assembly in the mounting space.
10. 10. The mounting tool of Claim 9, wherein the adjustability in the support position of the hood lock assembly in the mounting space, is achieved by provision of one or more removable shims located between the tool body and the quick release device.
11. 11. The mounting tool of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mounting tool comprises a tool locking device configured to releasably lock the mounting tool to the vehicle frame member.
12. 12. The mounting tool of Claim 11, wherein the tool locking device is a magnetic locking device.
13. 13. The mounting tool of Claim 12, wherein the tool locking device is switchable between locked and unlocked states.
14. 14. The mounting tool of any one of the preceding claim, wherein the mounting space is delimited in a lateral direction by a pair of support pads that flank the mounting space.
15. 15. The mounting tool of Claim 14, wherein a lateral position of the hood lock assembly in the mounting space is adjustable by respective adjustment of the pair of support pads.
16. 16. The mounting tool of Clam 15, wherein the lateral position adjustment of the hood lock assembly in the mounting space is achieved by means of one or more shims positioned between the respective pair of support pads and the tool body.
17. 17. A method of attaching a hood lock to a vehicle using the mounting tool of any preceding claim, the method comprising: locating the mounting tool configured to fit a hood lock and a vehicle on a frame member of the vehicle; attaching the hood lock to the mounting tool, such that the hook end of the hood lock assembly engages with the quick release device; securing the hood lock to the vehicle frame member; releasing the quick release device from the hook end; and removing the mounting tool from the vehicle frame member.