Patent Application
20230398827
The present disclosure generally relates to top mount housings and assemblies, including those suitable for use in connection with a jounce bumper and a damper mount for a vehicle, as well as methods for making such components and assemblies.
This background description is set forth below for the purpose of providing context only. Therefore, any aspect of this background description, to the extent that it does not otherwise qualify as prior art, is neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the instant disclosure.
To improve noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), top mount assemblies and modules may be employed in vehicles. Such assemblies and modules may, among other things, help vehicles with space, weight, and cost savings while consolidating elements associated with a strut function. Those of skill in the art, seek methods to help with the seating of jounce bumpers in top mounts in secure and efficient manners that, among other things, seek to reduce costs associated with machining and to simplify tooling and processes associated with top mount housings and related assemblies.
There is a desire for solutions and/or options that minimize or eliminate one or more challenges or shortcomings of conventional top mount housings and assemblies. The foregoing discussion is intended only to illustrate examples of the present field and is not a disavowal of scope.
In embodiments, a top mount housing, which is suitable for an assembly including a jounce bumper and a damper mount, includes a central annular portion having an upper portion, a lower cylindrical inner portion, and a central longitudinal axis. In embodiments, the lower cylindrical inner portion is configured to receive a portion of a jounce bumper, the lower cylindrical inner portion is adjacent a lower lip portion, the lower cylindrical inner portion has a vertical length in the direction of the central longitudinal axis, and the lower lip portion is formed to extend radially inwardly at an angle from an imaginary line that is perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis.
Methods for making a top mount and a top mount assembly are also disclosed.
The foregoing and other potential aspects, features, details, utilities, and/or advantages of examples/embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent from reading the following description, and from reviewing the accompanying drawings.
While the claims are not limited to a specific illustration, an appreciation of various aspects may be gained through a discussion of various examples. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, and certain features may be exaggerated or hidden to better illustrate and explain an innovative aspect of an example. Further, the exemplary illustrations described herein are not exhaustive or otherwise limiting, and embodiments are not restricted to the precise form and configuration shown in the drawings or disclosed in the following detailed description. Exemplary illustrations are described in detail by referring to the drawings as follows:
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the present disclosure will be described in conjunction with embodiments and/or examples, they do not limit the present disclosure to these embodiments and/or examples. On the contrary, the present disclosure covers alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.
An embodiment of a top mount housing 10 accordance to aspects and/or teachings of the present disclosure is generally illustrated in
As generally illustrated, atop mount housing 10 may include, inter alia, a central annular portion 12, an upper portion 14, a lower cylindrical inner portion 16, and a central longitudinal axis A. A lower lip portion 18 may extend from, or be adjacent to, the lower cylindrical inner portion 16. In embodiments, an upper portion 14 may include an upper lip portion 20 and/or may be configured to receive a bushing, such as an elastomeric bushing 30.
With additional reference to
Further, the forming or manipulating the lower lip portion 18—such as changing the structure from a “pre-formed” configuration (such as generally illustrated in
In embodiments, the vertical length L1 of the lower cylindrical inner portion 16 may be longer than a radial thickness T1 of the portion of the lower lip portion. Additionally, the lower cylindrical inner portion 14 may have a draft angle. With embodiments, the lower cylindrical inner portion 14 may have a draft angle less than 5 degrees, may have a draft angle less than 4 degrees, may have a draft angle less than 3 degrees, or may have a draft angle less than 2 degrees.
In embodiments, an upper lip portion 20 may be configured for forming (e.g., roll forming or shaping) to retain at least a portion of an upper component 36, e.g., a cap.
Moreover, embodiments of top mount housings may additionally include an extended portion 22. Some embodiments may include two or more extended portions. An extended portion 22 or plurality of extended portions may comprise a variety of shapes and configurations, including, for example and without limitation, e.g., a disk-shape that is configured to receive a plurality of screws. Moreover, with embodiments, an extended portion 22 may include a fastener 28, which may comprise, for example and without limitation, an aperture, a threaded insert, a threaded bolt, or combinations of two or more of the foregoing, as well as other known types or forms of fastening means.
With further reference to
In embodiments, P1 may be a point where H1 reaches its maximum, and P2 may be a point on an outer radial inflection ring 34. In embodiments, P1 may be located anywhere within a radial distance L2 from a point P2 on the outer radial inflection ring 34. Further, with embodiments, L2 may, for example and without limitation, be about 3 cm.
With embodiments, vertical distance D may be defined to reduce or eliminate a risk of contact or collision between a tool (e.g., a roll forming tool) and the top mount housing 10. Vertical distance D may, for example and without limitation, be less than 2 cm and, with some embodiments, may be less than 1 cm. Further, with some embodiments, vertical distance D may be negative.
Methods for forming a top mount housing and methods for assembling a jounce bumper and a top mount are also contemplated and disclosed. For example, in connection with embodiments of the methods,
Methods for forming and assembling top mount housings (such as disclosed herein) and assemblies that include a jounce bumper and a jounce bumper seat (or sleeve) are contemplated by the present disclosure. A top mount housing associated with the methods may include a central annular portion 12 having an upper portion, an annular divider 38, a lower cylindrical inner portion 16, and a lower lip portion 18, wherein the lower cylindrical inner portion 16 may be configured to receive a portion of the jounce bumper seat. In embodiments, the top mount housing may be comprised of aluminum. In embodiments, the top mount housing may be comprised of a material that has been high pressure die cast or cold forged.
Such methods may involve forming the lower lip portion radially inwardly to provide a ledge or retaining portion (such as an undercut) with respect to the direction of the central longitudinal axis A and then pressing (e.g., snap pressing) or otherwise fitting a portion of a jounce bumper seat (e.g., a portion of an elastic jounce bumper seat) around or through the ledge or retaining portion formed by the lower lip portion 18 to thereby retain or lock in the portion of the jounce bumper seat such that the portion of the jounce bumper seat is retained by the lower lip portion 18 and the annular divider 38.
In embodiments of such methods, the forming step may comprise roll forming. Moreover, with embodiments, the forming may be performed without internally rigidly supporting the lower cylindrical inner portion 16. Further, with some embodiments, the upper portion may include an upper lip portion, and the upper lip portion may be roll formed to retain an upper component 36, such as a cap. In some embodiments, a damper mount may be included within the upper portion.
Various examples/embodiments are described herein for various apparatuses, systems, and/or methods. Numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the overall structure, function, manufacture, and use of the examples/embodiments as described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It will be understood by those skilled in the art, however, that the examples/embodiments may be practiced without such specific details. In other instances, well-known operations, components, and elements have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the examples/embodiments described in the specification. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the examples/embodiments described and illustrated herein are non-limiting examples, and thus it can be appreciated that the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein may be representative and do not necessarily limit the scope of the embodiments.
Reference throughout the specification to “examples, “in examples,” “with examples,” “various embodiments,” “with embodiments,” “in embodiments,” or “an embodiment,” or the like, means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example/embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “examples, “in examples,” “with examples,” “in various embodiments,” “with embodiments,” “in embodiments,” or “an embodiment,” or the like, in places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more examples/embodiments. Thus, the particular features, structures, or characteristics illustrated or described in connection with one embodiment/example may be combined, in whole or in part, with the features, structures, functions, and/or characteristics of one or more other embodiments/examples without limitation given that such combination is not illogical or non-functional. Moreover, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from the scope thereof.
It should be understood that references to a single element are not necessarily so limited and may include one or more of such element. Any directional references (e.g., plus, minus, upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, leftward, rightward, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aid the reader's understanding of the present disclosure, and do not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of examples/embodiments.
Joinder references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and the like) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members between a connection of elements, relative movement between elements, direct connections, indirect connections, fixed connections, movable connections, operative connections, indirect contact, and/or direct contact. As such, joinder references do not necessarily imply that two elements are directly connected/coupled and in fixed relation to each other. Connections of electrical components, if any, may include mechanical connections, electrical connections, wired connections, and/or wireless connections, among others. The use of “e.g.” and “such as” in the specification are to be construed broadly and are used to provide non-limiting examples of embodiments of the disclosure, and the disclosure is not limited to such examples or such types of examples. Uses of “and” and “or” are to be construed broadly (e.g., to be treated as “and/or”). For example and without limitation, uses of “and” do not necessarily require all elements or features listed, and uses of “or” are inclusive unless such a construction would be illogical.
While processes, systems, and methods may be described herein in connection with one or more steps in a particular sequence, it should be understood that such methods may be practiced with the steps in a different order, with certain steps performed simultaneously, with additional steps, and/or with certain described steps omitted.
All matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. Changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the present disclosure.
