Patent Application
20150078805
The subject invention relates to matable components and, more specifically, to elastically averaged matable components for alignment and retention.
Components, in particular vehicular components which are to be mated together in a manufacturing process, may be mutually located with respect to each other by alignment features that are oversized holes and/or undersized upstanding bosses. Such alignment features are typically sized to provide spacing to freely move the components relative to one another to align them without creating an interference therebetween that would hinder the manufacturing process. One such example includes two-way and/or four-way male alignment features; typically upstanding bosses, which are received into corresponding female alignment features, typically apertures in the form of slots or holes. The components are formed with a predetermined clearance between the male alignment features and their respective female alignment features to match anticipated size and positional variation tolerances of the male and female alignment features that result from manufacturing (or fabrication) variances.
As a result, significant positional variation can occur between two mated components having the aforementioned alignment features, which may contribute to the presence of undesirably large variation in their alignment, particularly with regard to gaps and/or spacing therebetween. In the case where misaligned components are also part of another assembly, such misalignment may also affect the function and/or aesthetic appearance of the entire assembly. Regardless of whether such misalignment is limited to two components or an entire assembly, it can negatively affect function and result in a perception of poor quality. Moreover, clearance between misaligned components may lead to relative motion therebetween, which may cause undesirable noise such as squeaking and rattling, and further result in the perception of poor quality.
Additionally, some components, particularly components made of compliant materials, may not remain mated to another component due to vehicle movement, passage of time, or other factors. As such, the male alignment features may become disengaged from corresponding female alignment features leading to additional noise, vibration, or reduced durability.
In one aspect, an elastically averaged alignment system is provided. The system includes a first component including an alignment member, the alignment member including a plurality of segments. The system also includes a second component including an inner wall defining an alignment aperture, the alignment aperture configured to receive the alignment member to couple the first component and the second component. The alignment member is an elastically deformable material such that when the alignment member is inserted into the alignment aperture, the alignment member elastically deforms to an elastically averaged final configuration to facilitate aligning the first component and the second component in a desired orientation.
In another aspect, a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes a body and an elastically averaged alignment system integrally arranged with the body. The elastically averaged alignment system includes a first component including an alignment member, the alignment member including a plurality of segments. The system also includes a second component including an inner wall defining an alignment aperture, the alignment aperture configured to receive the alignment member to couple the first component and the second component. The alignment member is an elastically deformable material such that when the alignment member is inserted into the alignment aperture, the alignment member elastically deforms to an elastically averaged final configuration to facilitate aligning the first component and the second component in a desired orientation.
The above features and advantages and other features and advantages of the invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Other features, advantages and details appear, by way of example only, in the following detailed description of embodiments, the detailed description referring to the drawings in which:
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, its application or uses. For example, the embodiments shown are applicable to vehicle body panels, but the alignment system disclosed herein may be used with any suitable components to provide elastic averaging for precision location and alignment of all manner of mating components and component applications, including many industrial, consumer product (e.g., consumer electronics, various appliances and the like), transportation, energy and aerospace applications, and particularly including many other types of vehicular components and applications, such as various interior, exterior and under hood vehicular components and applications. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.
As used herein, the term “elastically deformable” refers to components, or portions of components, including component features, comprising materials having a generally elastic deformation characteristic, wherein the material is configured to undergo a resiliently reversible change in its shape, size, or both, in response to the application of a force. The force causing the resiliently reversible or elastic deformation of the material may include a tensile, compressive, shear, bending or torsional force, or various combinations of these forces. The elastically deformable materials may exhibit linear elastic deformation, for example that described according to Hooke's law, or non-linear elastic deformation.
Elastic averaging provides elastic deformation of the interface(s) between mated components, wherein the average deformation provides a precise alignment, the manufacturing positional variance being minimized to Xmin, defined by Xmin=S/√N, wherein X is the manufacturing positional variance of the locating features of the mated components and N is the number of features inserted. To obtain elastic averaging, an elastically deformable component is configured to have at least one feature and its contact surface(s) that is over-constrained and provides an interference fit with a mating feature of another component and its contact surface(s). The over-constrained condition and interference fit resiliently reversibly (elastically) deforms at least one of the at least one feature or the mating feature, or both features. The resiliently reversible nature of these features of the components allows repeatable insertion and withdrawal of the components that facilitates their assembly and disassembly. Positional variance of the components may result in varying forces being applied over regions of the contact surfaces that are over-constrained and engaged during insertion of the component in an interference condition. It is to be appreciated that a single inserted component may be elastically averaged with respect to a length of the perimeter of the component. The principles of elastic averaging are described in detail in commonly owned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/187,675, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The embodiments disclosed above provide the ability to convert an existing component that is not compatible with the above-described elastic averaging principles, or that would be further aided with the inclusion of a four-way elastic averaging system as herein disclosed, to an assembly that does facilitate elastic averaging and the benefits associated therewith.
Any suitable elastically deformable material may be used for the mating components and alignment features disclosed herein and discussed further below, particularly those materials that are elastically deformable when formed into the features described herein. This includes various metals, polymers, ceramics, inorganic materials or glasses, or composites of any of the aforementioned materials, or any other combinations thereof suitable for a purpose disclosed herein. Many composite materials are envisioned, including various filled polymers, including glass, ceramic, metal and inorganic material filled polymers, particularly glass, metal, ceramic, inorganic or carbon fiber filled polymers. Any suitable filler morphology may be employed, including all shapes and sizes of particulates or fibers. More particularly any suitable type of fiber may be used, including continuous and discontinuous fibers, woven and unwoven cloths, felts or tows, or a combination thereof. Any suitable metal may be used, including various grades and alloys of steel, cast iron, aluminum, magnesium or titanium, or composites thereof, or any other combinations thereof. Polymers may include both thermoplastic polymers or thermoset polymers, or composites thereof, or any other combinations thereof, including a wide variety of co-polymers and polymer blends. In one embodiment, a preferred plastic material is one having elastic properties so as to deform elastically without fracture, as for example, a material comprising an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) polymer, and more particularly a polycarbonate ABS polymer blend (PC/ABS). The material may be in any form and formed or manufactured by any suitable process, including stamped or formed metal, composite or other sheets, forgings, extruded parts, pressed parts, castings, or molded parts and the like, to include the deformable features described herein. The elastically deformable alignment features and associated component may be formed in any suitable manner. For example, the elastically deformable alignment features and the associated component may be integrally formed, or they may be formed entirely separately and subsequently attached together. When integrally formed, they may be formed as a single part from a plastic injection molding machine, for example. When formed separately, they may be formed from different materials to provide a predetermined elastic response characteristic, for example. The material, or materials, may be selected to provide a predetermined elastic response characteristic of any or all of the elastically deformable alignment features, the associated component, or the mating component. The predetermined elastic response characteristic may include, for example, a predetermined elastic modulus.
As used herein, the term vehicle is not limited to just an automobile, truck, van or sport utility vehicle, but includes any self-propelled or towed conveyance suitable for transporting a burden.
Described herein are alignment and retention systems, as well as methods for elastically averaged mating assemblies. The alignment and retention systems include retention member(s) that facilitate preventing unintentional disassembly of the elastically averaged mated assemblies, yet allow purposeful disassembly if desired. As such, the alignment and retention systems prevent accidental or premature separation of mated components, thereby maintaining a proper coupling between and desired orientation of two or more components.
In the exemplary embodiment, first component 100 generally includes an outer face 108 and an inner face 110 from which alignment member 102 extends. Alignment member 102 is a generally circular, hollow shape having a central axis 112, a proximal end 114 coupled to inner face 110, and a distal end 116. However, alignment member 102 may have any cross-sectional shape that enables system 10 to function as described herein. First component 100 may optionally include one or more stand-offs 118 (
Second component 200 generally includes an outer face 206 and an inner face 208. In the exemplary embodiment, alignment aperture 204 is illustrated as an elongated slot (e.g., similar to the shape of elastic tube alignment system described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/187,675 and particularly illustrated in
Moreover, inner wall 202 may be elastically deformable to facilitate added elastic average tuning of system 10. For example, inner wall 202 and/or a surrounding portion of second component 200 may be made from an elastically deformable material and/or have a smaller thickness or sheet metal gauge than the rest of component 200. As such, during insertion of alignment member 102 into alignment aperture 204, inner wall 202 and/or a surrounding portion of component 200 elastically deforms to an elastically averaged final configuration to facilitate aligning first component 100 and second component 200 in a desired orientation. Accordingly, first component tube thickness and second component material and/or gauge may be adjusted to tune the elastic average mating between first component 100 and second component 200.
While not being limited to any particular structure, first component 100 may be a decorative trim component of a vehicle with the customer-visible side being outer face 108, and second component 200 may be a supporting substructure that is part of, or is attached to, the vehicle and on which first component 100 is fixedly mounted in precise alignment.
To provide an arrangement where elastically deformable alignment member 102 is configured and disposed to interferingly, deformably and matingly engage inner wall 202 of alignment aperture 204, the diameter of at least a portion of alignment aperture 204 is less than the diameter of alignment member 102, which necessarily creates a purposeful interference fit between the elastically deformable alignment member 102 and alignment aperture 204. Further, second component 200 may include a chamfer 210 to facilitate insertion of alignment member 102. As such, when inserted into slotted alignment aperture 204, portions of the elastically deformable alignment member 102 elastically deform to an elastically averaged final configuration that aligns alignment member 102 with the alignment aperture 204 in two planar orthogonal directions (the +/−x-direction or the +/−y-direction. Where alignment aperture 204 is generally circular, alignment member 102 is aligned in four planar orthogonal directions (the +/−x-direction and the +/−y-direction).
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In the exemplary embodiment, insert 42 also includes an elastically deformable alignment wedge 152 having two end segments 154 and a middle segment 156. Door handle 40 includes a corresponding alignment wedge aperture 212 defined by an inner wall 214. Elastically deformable alignment wedge 152 is configured and disposed to interferingly, deformably, and matingly engage inner wall 214 of alignment wedge aperture 212, to precisely align insert 42 with door handle 40 in two or four directions, such as the +/−z-direction and the +/−y-direction of an orthogonal coordinate system. As such, when inserted into alignment wedge aperture 212, end segments 154 deform towards middle segment 156 to align insert 42 and door handle 40. Moreover, elastically deformable alignment wedge 152 matingly engages alignment wedge aperture 212 to facilitate a stiff and rigid connection between door handle 40 and insert 42, thereby reducing or preventing relative movement therebetween. Although a single alignment wedge 152 is illustrated, system 10 may have any suitable number of alignment wedges 152 and corresponding alignment wedge apertures 212.
Door handle 40 may also include a biasing member 216 coupled to inner face 208 and that seats against inner face 110 when door handle insert 42 is coupled to door handle 40. Biasing member 216 is biased into contact with inner face 110 to facilitate preventing rattling between door handle 40 and insert 42 when the vehicle is in motion. For example, biasing member 216 may be a spring or the like. Although biasing member 216 is illustrated as coupled to second component 200, a biasing member may also be coupled to first component 100.
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Accordingly, alignment members 102a, 102b, and 102c elastically average the alignment features of first and second components 100, 200 to couple them in a desired orientation. Additionally, alignment wedge 152 elastically deforms within alignment wedge aperture 212 such that end segments 154 are deflected toward middle segment 156 and a wedge centerline 112d. Accordingly, alignment wedge 152 elastically deforms to facilitate aligning centerline 112d substantially with a centerline 205d of aperture 212 to align and couple first and second components 100 and 200 in a desired orientation.
Elastically averaged mating assembly systems are described herein. The systems generally include a first component with an elastically deformable alignment member positioned for insertion into an alignment aperture of a second component. The mating of the first and second components is elastically averaged over a corresponding pair or pairs of elastically deformable alignment members and alignment apertures to precisely mate the components in a desired orientation. The systems may include a retention member for self-retention of the alignment member within the alignment aperture, and a biasing member for preventing rattling between the first and second components. Further, the retention features facilitate preventing unintentional disassembly of elastically averaged mated components, tunable elastically averaged mating systems, and reducing or eliminating the need for fasteners to mate the components.
While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the application.
