Patent Application
20130093212
The invention generally relates to a method of mounting an accessory to a body panel of a vehicle, and a mounting system therefore.
Vehicles are assembled and sold with a standard equipment package. An owner of the vehicle may wish to add an accessory, such as but not limited to additional exterior lighting fixtures, to the vehicle after the vehicle has been manufactured. Such an accessory may be referred to as an aftermarket accessory. It is desirable to securely attach the accessory to a body panel of the vehicle in a manner that makes the aftermarket accessory appear to be part of the standard equipment package of the vehicle.
A method of installing an accessory to a body panel of a vehicle is provided. The method includes cutting an opening into the body panel. A mating surface of a bezel is formed to match a shape of an exterior surface of the body panel along an x-axis, a y-axis and a z-axis of the body panel. The bezel is inserted into the opening from an exterior of the body panel. A mating surface of a bracket is formed to match a shape of an interior surface of the body panel along the x-axis, the y-axis and the z-axis of the body panel. The accessory is secured to at least one of the bezel and the bracket. The bracket is fastened to the bezel with the body panel disposed between the bracket and the bezel to secure the accessory relative to the body panel.
A body panel for a vehicle is also provided. The body panel includes a substrate that defines an opening. The substrate includes an exterior surface and an interior surface. Each of the exterior surface and the interior surface form a three dimensional shape along an x-axis, a y-axis and a z-axis. A bezel includes a mating surface that is formed to match the three dimensional shape of the exterior surface of the substrate. The bezel is positioned within the opening, with the mating surface of the bezel disposed adjacent and contacting the exterior surface of the substrate. A bracket includes a mating surface that is formed to match the three dimensional shape of the interior surface of the substrate. The bracket is positioned adjacent the bezel with the mating surface of the bracket disposed adjacent and contacting the interior surface of the substrate. At least one fastener interconnects the bracket and the bezel, with the substrate disposed therebetween and supporting the bracket and the bezel. An accessory is attached to at least one of the bezel and the bracket in a fixed position relative to the substrate.
A mounting system for attaching an accessory to a body panel of a vehicle is also provided. The mounting system includes a bezel formed to match a three dimensional shape of an exterior surface of the body panel in an x-axis, a y-axis and a z-axis of the body panel. A bracket is formed to match a three dimension shape of an interior surface of the body panel in the x-axis, the y-axis and the z-axis of the body panel. At least one fastener interconnects the bezel and the bracket. The bezel is configured for insertion into an opening in the body panel from an exterior of the body panel. The bracket is configured for attachment to the bezel from an interior of the body panel such that the body panel is sandwiched between the bezel and the bracket with the bezel and the bracket conforming to match the three dimensional shape of the body panel to evenly support the body panel about a periphery of the opening.
Accordingly, the formed shapes of the bezel and the bracket perfectly contour to the shape of the body panel and sandwich the body panel therebetween, thereby providing a secure attachment to the body panel while distributing the load around an entire periphery of the opening so as not to damage the body panel. The mounting system provides the ability to easily add an accessory, such as a light fixture, to an existing body panel of the vehicle, such as a bumper or front fascia, without glue and with an original equipment appearance.
The above features and advantages and other features and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best modes for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that terms such as “above,” “below,” “upward,” “downward,” “top,” “bottom,” etc., are used descriptively for the figures, and do not represent limitations on the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.
Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, a mounting system is generally shown at 20. The mounting system 20 mounts an accessory 22 to a body panel 24 of a vehicle. The accessory 22 may include but is not limited to a light fixture, such as shown in the Figures. The body panel 24 may include but is not limited to a front fascia or bumper of the vehicle, such as shown in the Figures. While the mounting system 20 is shown and described herein as being configured for mounting a lighting fixture to a front fascia of the vehicle, it should be appreciated that this is merely an exemplary embodiment, and that the accessory 22 may include a device other than the light fixture shown and described herein, and the body panel 24 may include a panel other than the front fascia shown and described herein.
Referring to
In order to secure the mounting system 20 to the body panel 24, an opening 32 is cut into the substrate 26 of the body panel 24. The opening 32 is shown in
The mounting system 20 includes a bezel 36, a bracket 38, and a plurality of fasteners 40. The plurality of fasteners 40 interconnects the bezel 36 and the bracket 38. Alternatively, the fasteners 40 may connect the bracket 38 to the accessory 22, with the accessory 22 attached to the bezel 36 and thereby connecting the bracket 38 to the bezel 36. When the bezel 36 and the bracket 38 are properly positioned relative to the body panel 24 and secured together with the fasteners 40, the bezel 36 and the bracket 38 cooperated to compress, i.e., sandwich, the body panel 24 therebetween, thereby securing the mounting system 20 to the body panel 24.
The accessory 22 is attached to at least one of the bezel 36 and the bracket 38. Accordingly, the accessory 22 may be attached to either the bezel 36 or the bracket 38, or may be attached to both the bezel 36 and the bracket 38. When the accessory 22 is attached to the mounting system 20, and the mounting system 20 is secured in place relative to the body panel 24, the accessory 22 is then fixed in position relative to the substrate 26.
Referring to
Referring to
Both of the bezel 36 and the bracket 38 define an outer perimeter region 52, 54. The outer perimeter regions 52, 54 extend radially outward beyond the periphery 34 of the opening 32. Accordingly, the outer perimeter regions 52, 54 of both the bezel 36 and the bracket 38 define a larger area than the periphery 34 of the opening 32. Because the outer perimeter regions 52, 54 of the bezel 36 and the bracket 38 extend outward beyond the periphery 34 of the opening 32, the substrate 26 is completely supported around the entire periphery 34 of the opening 32 between the bezel 36 and the bracket 38. As such, the outer perimeter region 52 of bezel 36 extends outward beyond the opening 32 to surround and completely cover the opening 32 from the exterior surface 28 of the substrate 26. Similarly, the outer perimeter region 54 of the bracket 38 extends outward beyond the opening 32 to surround and completely cover the opening 32 from the interior surface 30 of the substrate 26. As shown in
The mounting system 20 is attached to the vehicle by first measuring the three dimensional shape of the body panel 24 along each of the x-axis, the y-axis and the z-axis of the body panel 24. More specifically, both the interior surface 30 and the exterior surface 28 of the substrate 26 are measured to determine their precise three dimensional shape. The specific contours of the interior surface 30 and the exterior surface 28 may be measured and referenced to the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis by, for example, electronically scanning the body panel 24 with a scanner, or in some other suitable manner not described herein.
Once the three dimensional shape of the exterior surface 28 and the interior surface 30 of the substrate 26 have been measured, then the mating surface 42 of the bezel 36 is formed to match the three dimensional shape of the exterior surface 28 of the body panel 24 along the x-axis, the y-axis and the z-axis of the body panel 24. Similarly, the mating surface 48 of the bracket 38 is formed to match the three dimensional shape of the interior surface 30 of the body panel 24 along the x-axis, the y-axis and the z-axis of the body panel 24. The bezel 36 and the bracket 38 may be formed in any suitable manner, including but not limited to injection molding the bezel 36 and the bracket 38 from a plastic material, or through standard machining processes. The bezel 36 and the bracket 38 are each formed to match a specific pre-defined body panel 24 having a specific pre-defined shape in each of the x-axis, the y-axis and the z-axis, and are each formed to mate with each other. Accordingly, the each mounting system 20 is formed to match a specific location on a specific body panel of a specific make and model of vehicle.
Once the bezel 36 and the bracket 38 are properly formed to match the contours and shape of a particular body panel 24, then the opening 32 must be cut into the body panel 24 to receive the mounting system 20. In order to cut the opening 32 into the body panel 24, a template may be positioned adjacent the body panel 24 to identify the specific location of the opening 32 on the body panel 24. The specific location for the opening 32 may be marked and the template removed, or the opening 32 may be cut using the template as a guide. As the mounting system 20 is intended to be an aftermarket fitment, the opening 32 may be cut into the body panel 24 after the vehicle is completely assembled. However, it should be appreciated that the mounting system 20 may be attached to the body panel 24 prior to final assembly of the vehicle.
Referring to
After the bezel 36 and the bracket 38 are positioned relative to each other and the body panel 24, the bracket 38 and the bezel 36 are fastened together with the body panel 24 disposed therebetween. Referring to
Accordingly, the mounting system 20 described above allows for the accessory 22, such as a light fixture, to be mounted to the body panel 24, such as a bumper, after the vehicle has been assembled without the use of glue or other adhesives, and without ill-fitting mounting brackets. The mounting system 20 mounts the accessory 22 in a manner that makes the accessory 22 appear to be original equipment of the vehicle. Because the bezel 36 and the bracket 38 are formed to precisely match the contours of the interior surface 30 and the exterior surface 28 of the body panel 24 respectively, the mounting system 20 evenly distributes the load across a wide area of the body panel 24 surrounding the opening 32, thereby providing a reliable fitment and preventing deformation of the body panel 24.
The detailed description and the drawings or figures are supportive and descriptive of the invention, but the scope of the invention is defined solely by the claims. While some of the best modes and other embodiments for carrying out the claimed invention have been described in detail, various alternative designs and embodiments exist for practicing the invention defined in the appended claims.
