Measuring and testing – Display or display device details
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-04
2002-05-21
Raevis, Robert (Department: 2856)
Measuring and testing
Display or display device details
Reexamination Certificate
active
06389913
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of repairing a vehicle body and a repair indexing device, and more particularly to a device for providing the estimation of the damage of a vehicle body panel and a guide for repairing the damage.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a breakage (dent) is generated on the body of a vehicle due to the cause of a traffic accident, the vehicle body is generally recovered to its original state in accordance with repairing methods mentioned below.
Specifically, when the degree of the dent is large, the curvature of a steel plate itself needs to be corrected. This work is called sheet metal work. The sheet metal work includes a method of correcting the curvature by striking it out or knocking it out from the back side of an iron plate and a method of correcting the curvature by welding an anchor to the surface of an iron plate by spot welding and drawing it out from the surface of the iron plate. Then, after the sheet metal work, a putty filling process, a painting process of a primer surfacer and a main painting process are successively carried out.
Further, on the other hand, when the degree of the dent is not so large as to apply the sheet met a work thereto, only the processes after the sheet metal work may be carried out. As for the putty filling process, there exist some methods depending on the degree of the dent and the kinds of putty to be used also differ depending on the degree of the dent. Recently, there has been developed a technique for repairing even a considerably severe dent by using special putty.
As described above, since a sheet metal repair needs to be carried out by repairing work corresponding to the degree of the damage, long experience is required for deciding how to carry out the repair. Further, high technical skill is also required for the actual repair work.
However, there are few engineers having such a high level of judgment and technical ability, and particularly, it is unreasonable from an economic point of view to engage such an experienced engineer to repair slight and minor damage.
Thus, an engineer having relatively little experience may be engaged in the repair of slight and minor damage, however, he may not possibly judge what kind of method for repairing the damage is required for actual repair work, which can cause a serious problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made with taking the above described matter into consideration, and accordingly, has an object to provide a method of repairing a vehicle body panel and a repair indexing device by which damage of a vehicle body can be quantitatively recognized, the damage can be estimated and recorded with ease and even a person having little experience can properly determine a proper repairing method.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of repairing the damage of a vehicle body, comprising the steps of: measuring quantitatively the depth of a recessed part caused by the damage; and selecting a process from a plurality of previously estimated processes on the basis of the measured result, wherein the process is selected from putty filling work and sheet metal work. direction of the plate shaped body, and the base has auxiliary gauge bodies at both ends thereof so as to freely slide in the directions perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the base. Further, when the normal curved surface of the vehicle body panel is a protruding or convex surface, the auxiliary gauge bodies are slid to the vehicle body panel side from the base to correct the reference point of the gauge body. Still further, when the normal curved surface of the vehicle body panel is a recessed surface, the plate shaped body is slid to the vehicle body panel side from the base to correct the reference point of the gauge body.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a repair indexing device for a vehicle body employed upon repair of the damage of the vehicle body, comprising: a plate shaped body; a gauge body provided at the central part of the plate shaped body so as to be capable of sliding in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the plate shaped body; a measuring means provided on the plate shaped body to measure the degree of damage of the vehicle body as the amount of sliding of the gauge body; a method display means for displaying a plurality of processes of a method; and a method selecting means for selecting a method of processes for repairing the damage from the plurality of methods so as to meet the amount of sliding obtained by the measuring means.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a repair indexing device for a vehicle body in addition to the second aspect, further comprising: a preliminary measuring means for measuring the normal surface configuration of a vehicle body panel to be repaired; and a correcting means for correcting the reference value of the gauge body on the basis of the measured value obtained by the preliminary measuring means.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a repair indexing device for a vehicle body in addition to the second aspect, further comprising: a deforming means for bending the plate shaped body in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the thickness of the plate shaped body, wherein the deforming means deforms the plate shaped body so as to correspond to the normal curved surface of the vehicle body panel to be repaired and the measuring means sets the plate shaped body thus deformed to the reference value of the gauge body.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a repair indexing device for a vehicle body in addition to the fourth aspect, wherein the deforming means has a long plate, peninsular parts respectively extend from both ends of the long plate in the directions perpendicular to that of the long plate and the tip ends of the peninsular parts are connected together by means of a substantially expansible high strength body, and the high strength body is expanded and contracted so that the long plate can be bent perpendicularly and in the direction of its thickness.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a repair indexing device for a vehicle body in addition to the second aspect, wherein the plate shaped body is provided with a base formed so as to freely slide in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal
The above described measuring means may be formed as a scale for measuring the amount of sliding of the gauge body. A plurality of methods may be displayed on the scale.
As the plate shaped body, a transparent plate made of a synthetic resin can be employed. The gauge body is preferably made of a synthetic resin. The scale may be preferably scored on the plate shaped body and an adhesive sheet or the like may be used in place thereof.
The method display means describes some specific repair methods. It is desired to divide the scale into some areas and describe the repair methods respectively corresponding to the areas.
Further, the long plate and the peninsular parts are formed with a flexible material such as a synthetic resin so as to be deformable. The high strength body may be preferably formed as a metallic shaft. Then, thread parts are formed in the parts of the high strength body and the connecting parts of the peninsular parts. Thus, the high strength body is rotated so that the length of the high strength body between both the peninsular parts can be expanded and contracted.
Upon use of the repair indexing device with the above described structure, on the assumption that a part subjected to a damage, for example, a dent is generated on the central part of a left door, the same position of a right door having no deformation is first measured so that the amount of the dent of the left door is measured on the basis of the measured result.
Specifically, the plate shaped body is initially deforme
Burr & Brown
Raevis Robert
Uegaki Tateo
LandOfFree
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