Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Assembling or joining
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-30
2001-12-25
Hughes, S. Thomas (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Assembling or joining
C029S525060, C403S279000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332261
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process for the attachment of a mounting rail to the rod of a folding top for a motor vehicle, particularly of a convertible, which rod is at least partially premounted, if necessary. The present invention additionally concerns a connecting device for a mounting rail for the connection of the rod to a folding top of a motor vehicle, particularly of a convertible, which rod is at least partially premounted, if necessary.
In folding tops, particularly in the folding tops of motor vehicles, the problem exists of bringing these into a sealing connection with the corresponding edge sections of the motor vehicle upon the closing of the folding top and of keeping the same permanently sealed there.
Sealing systems, in which the corresponding sealing lips of so-called mounting rails are accommodated, have been developed for this. The mounting rails are elongated, C-shaped elements, in which the opening of the “C” serves for the accommodation of sealing elements, particularly of elongated sealing strips.
Problems thereby result in the conventional simple mounting, such as the fastening of the mounting rails to the corresponding elements of the folding top rod in relation to a specific position by means of screws. Since the tolerances of the rod or of its position allow a certain clearance space, the position of the mounting rail must be correspondingly readjusted, or subsequently changed again after the mounting of the rod, so that a precise sealing effect is achieved. The adjustment of the distance of the mounting rail and of the rod is carried out, in a conventional manner, through the placement of spacing disks. This procedure is not only complicated but also extremely labor-intensive, which makes the production process considerably more expensive. In addition, the position provided can not always be reliably achieved by means of an adjustment by hand, which then leads to problems involving a lack of tightness.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The task which forms the basis of the present invention is, therefore, a process for the attachment of a mounting rail to the rod of a folding top of a motor vehicle, particularly of a convertible, which rod is at least partially premounted, if necessary, by means of which a defined securing of position is achieved, in a simple manner, through which the tolerance clearances which are brought about can be compensated.
The task which forms the basis of the present invention is, in addition, that of creating a connecting device for a mounting rail.
The solution of these tasks is achieved through the characteristics of claims
1
or
5
, respectively.
In the process in accordance with the invention, the mounting rail is provided with at least one hole at a predetermined point, a tubular connecting element, which has at least one stopping surface, is inserted through the hole, the mounting rail is mounted on a first installation element, the rod is mounted on a second installation element, whereby at least one hole is or will be provided in the said rod for the accommodation of the tubular connecting element, the tubular connecting element is inserted into the hole for the rod from the one side and is, through the insertion of a mandrel-like unit from the other side, fixed in the hole for the rod, the mounting rail is moved forward up to a predetermined position on the rod, whereby the at least one tubular connecting element is plastically deformed and a connection is created between the rod and the mounting rail, and the two connecting elements are detached from the connection point.
By that means, it is achieved that a compensation of possible tolerances is achieved up to the point that the rod can be precisely positioned in relation to the vehicle, and that the mounting rail can be sealed off in relation to the edges, whereby the positioning of the elements in the correct place, as well as the connecting of the same, can both be carried out in an essentially fully automatic process. This provides considerable advantages in relation to the speed of production, on the one hand, and in regard to the savings in expenses which is connected with the same, on the other hand, whereby the process in accordance with the invention is also particularly well suited for the production of larger unit numbers of folding tops.
The plastic deformation is, in an advantageous manner, essentially carried out through the compression deformation of the tube along its length and the expansion of a frontal edge area.
The second connecting element is advantageously attached to a mounting device which is secured in its position, and the first connecting element can be moved relative to the second connecting element, both in the horizontal direction, as well as in the vertical direction. A flexible controlling of the correct position, both of the rod as well as of the mounting rail, is thereby made possible. Possibilities for the adjustment of the mounting device can, of course, be provided.
The adjustment of the correct positions of the individual elements to one another is additionally supported by the fact that the first installation element is brought into a defined final position relative to the second installation element.
In addition, the tubular connecting element is, in an advantageous manner, inserted into a hole in the rod, which [hole] has a somewhat greater internal diameter than the external diameter of the tubular connecting elements, as the result of which a correspondingly easy insertion of the tubular element into the rod is made possible before the tubular element is, for the creation of the effective connection point, deformed in a correspondingly plastic manner.
The connecting device in accordance with the invention is characterized by the fact that at least one tubular connecting element is provided, which [element] extends both through a hole in the mounting rail as well as through a hole in the rod and is at least partially plastically deformed for the production of the connection. An effective connection point can thereby be created in the simplest manner, as the result of which additional spacing elements of the type which have previously been conventional, such as spacing disks and the like, can be avoided. The connection can consequently be created by means of a single element, or by means of a single type of element.
Several connecting elements, which make possible a correspondingly effective connection of the entire mounting rail with the rod, are advantageously provided.
The connecting elements are, in an advantageous manner, positioned in the mounting rail displaced in both the horizontal direction as well as in the vertical direction. By that means, corresponding transverse forces and lateral forces can be effectively absorbed.
The tubular connecting element advantageously has a stopping surface on one of its frontal sides, as the result of which a defined position of the element is created.
In a further advantage, the tubular connecting element has at least one notch on one of its frontal sides. This is, in an advantageous manner, the other frontal side to the one that has the stopping surface. In one preferred form of implementation, the tubular connecting element has three notches, through which corresponding tongue-like elements, which are correspondingly easily deformable, are brought about.
The tubular element is, in an advantageous manner, formed from metal, as the result of which a simple and easy deformation can be produced, and a correspondingly rigid connection between the mounting rail and the rod can be produced. It is, of course, possible to form the tubular connecting element from other materials or combinations of materials which are able to undergo a corresponding deformation, if necessary, through an additional heating of the tubular connecting element upon the starting of movement into the final position of the mounting rail relative to the rod.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2071507 (1937-02-01), Dews
patent: 3119435 (1964-01-01), Greenman
patent: 3149530
Dura Convertible Systems GmbH
Gardner Carton & Douglas
Hughes S. Thomas
Nguyen T.
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