An automobile part

Abstract

This invention discloses an automotive part, including a base component and an exterior trim component. The interior trim component has a U-shaped protrusion. A connecting screw, which can be screwed onto the U-shaped protrusion, is provided on the base component. A pad is provided on the interior trim component. The U-shaped protrusion is connected to the exterior trim component via the pad. The specific connection method is as follows: Positioning references in the X and Y directions are set on the outer edge of the exterior trim component. A first positioning component, which can be positioned on the positioning reference in the X direction, and a second positioning component, which can be positioned on the positioning reference in the Y direction, are fabricated. The pad is fixed to the interior of the exterior trim component. The first positioning component is positioned on the positioning reference in the X direction, and the second positioning component is positioned on the positioning reference in the Y direction, thus accurately positioning the U-shaped protrusion. Finally, the U-shaped protrusion is fixed to the corresponding pad. This invention can effectively improve the positional accuracy of the threaded hole on the U-shaped protrusion on the interior of the exterior trim component and facilitates the assembly and connection between the exterior trim component and the base component.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automotive parts manufacturing technology, specifically to an automotive part. Background Technology

[0002] Existing automotive parts—especially sheet metal exterior trim pieces—are typically formed metal parts that are connected to internal base components to form fixed automotive parts. To avoid damaging the appearance and for ease of assembly and disassembly, exterior trim pieces and base components usually use detachable plug-in or screw connections. Specifically, a snap-fit ​​connector or similar feature is provided on the inner side of the exterior trim piece. Figure 1 The zigzag protrusion 1 with threaded holes (commonly known as a doghouse) has a buckle or connecting through hole set at the corresponding position of the base component 2. When it is necessary to connect the outer decorative part 3 to the base component, press the buckle on the outer decorative part so that the buckle and the buckle form a snap-fit; or a screw is used on the inside of the base component to form a screw connection with the threaded hole of the zigzag protrusion of the outer decorative part through the connecting through hole.

[0003] However, the existing automotive parts with the aforementioned connection structures still have the following technical defects: First, when the exterior trim is a sheet metal part, the U-shaped protrusion cannot be integrally formed with the exterior trim through sheet metal processing. It is usually fixed to the inside of the exterior trim using spot welding. In other words, the U-shaped protrusion is set on the inside of the exterior trim using a secondary processing method, which reduces the positional accuracy of the threaded holes on the U-shaped protrusion. This is especially true when the exterior trim is large, making it difficult to guarantee the positional accuracy of the threaded holes on the U-shaped protrusion connected to the inside of the exterior trim by welding, thus affecting subsequent assembly accuracy. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automotive part that can effectively improve the positional accuracy of the threaded hole on the inner side of the zigzag protrusion of the exterior trim and facilitate the assembly and connection of the exterior trim with the base component.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] An automotive part includes an inner base component and an outer trim piece disposed on the outer side of the base component. The inner side of the outer trim piece has a U-shaped protrusion, which includes a central horizontal plate, vertical plates integrally connected to both ends of the horizontal plate, and a connecting plate extending laterally outward from the ends of the vertical plates, thereby forming an installation gap between the left and right vertical plates of the U-shaped protrusion. The base component has connecting screws that are screwed to the horizontal plate, thus forming a detachable connection between the outer trim piece and the base component. A pad is provided on the inner side of the outer trim piece, and the connecting plate of the U-shaped protrusion is connected to the outer trim piece via the pad. The U-shaped protrusion is connected to the inner side of the outer trim piece by the following method:

[0007] a. Set positioning references in the X and Y directions near the corresponding pad position on the outer edge of the outer decorative part, and make positioning components. The positioning components include a first positioning that can be positioned on the positioning reference in the X direction on the outer edge of the outer decorative part and a second positioning that can be positioned on the positioning reference in the Y direction on the outer edge of the outer decorative part, for positioning the positioning part of the Z-shaped protrusion.

[0008] b. Fix the pad to the corresponding connecting plate on the inside of the outer decorative part by spot welding;

[0009] c. Place the positioning part of the positioning component between adjacent pads, so that the first positioning of the positioning component is positioned at the positioning reference in the X direction, and the second positioning of the positioning component is positioned at the positioning reference in the Y direction. At this time, the positioning component is accurately positioned at the outer edge of the outer decorative part. Then, attach the connecting plate of the Z-shaped protrusion to the corresponding pad. At this time, the Z-shaped protrusion is positioned at the positioning part of the positioning component.

[0010] d. Secure the Z-shaped protruding connecting plate to the corresponding pad.

[0011] The automotive parts of this invention include an exterior trim piece disposed on the outer side of a base component. It should be noted that the automotive parts referred to here mainly refer to sheet metal parts with a large surface area. Similar to existing technologies, the interior trim piece has a U-shaped protrusion on its inner side to facilitate a detachable and quick connection with the base component.

[0012] Specifically, this invention provides a pad at the connecting plate corresponding to the U-shaped protrusion on the inner side of the exterior trim piece so that the connecting plate of the U-shaped protrusion can be connected to the exterior trim piece via the pad. As described in the background section, when the exterior trim piece is a sheet metal part, the U-shaped protrusion cannot be integrally formed with the exterior trim piece through sheet metal processing, resulting in low positional accuracy of the U-shaped protrusion, which in turn affects the assembly accuracy of the exterior trim piece and the base component.

[0013] This invention creatively enables the Z-shaped protrusion to be precisely positioned with the exterior trim piece via a positioning component, thereby fixing the Z-shaped protrusion to the inner side of the exterior trim piece. It is understood that the positioning component, as a tooling fixture used in the manufacturing process, operates on the principle of existing technology. However, the positioning component of this invention differs significantly from existing positioning components in its structure and design principle. Existing positioning components typically set positioning references in two directions that intersect at approximately 90° to ensure reliable positioning of the positioning component relative to the exterior trim piece in both the X and Y directions. When dealing with large exterior trim pieces, using their sides for positioning results in problems such as excessive distance from the positioning point and weak rigidity of the positioning component, which also reduces positioning accuracy. This invention, however, sets both positioning references on the outer edge of the exterior trim piece near the corresponding pad position. Of course, there should be a certain distance between the two positioning references. In this way, on the one hand, the distance to the positioning point can be greatly shortened, which is conducive to improving the rigidity of the positioning component and the final positioning accuracy. On the other hand, the two positioning references can simultaneously play a positioning role in one direction, and can also be conveniently and accurately positioned on the outer edge of the exterior trim piece through some simple structures, thereby achieving reliable positioning in another direction.

[0014] Understandably, the feet are only used to fix the connecting plate of the U-shaped protrusion, so their positional accuracy requirements are not high. In other words, the positioning component only needs to position the U-shaped protrusion. Furthermore, the connecting plate is connected to the outer trim piece through the feet, which can greatly shorten the length of the vertical plate in the U-shaped protrusion, thus helping to improve the rigidity of the U-shaped protrusion.

[0015] Preferably, in step d, the connecting plate is fixed to the corresponding pad by spot welding.

[0016] Understandably, when the connecting plate is fixed to the corresponding pad by spot welding, it not only facilitates the fixed connection after the Z-shaped protrusion is positioned, but also ensures the connection strength between the connecting plate and the pad.

[0017] Preferably, the pad has a connecting screw hole, the connecting plate has a connecting through hole, and a fixing screw is provided in the connecting through hole to be screwed into the connecting screw hole. The diameter of the connecting through hole is 1.2-1.5 times the diameter of the fixing screw.

[0018] In this design, the connecting plate and the pad are connected by fixing screws, facilitating disassembly and maintenance. Specifically, the diameter of the connecting through hole is 1.2-1.5 times the diameter of the fixing screw, allowing for slight displacement of the Z-shaped protrusion during fixing. Furthermore, the Z-shaped protrusion will not experience lateral displacement when connected to the pad via the fixing screws, thus ensuring positional accuracy during assembly.

[0019] Preferably, a fixing washer is provided on the fixing screw, and the thickness of the fixing washer is 0.8-1.0 times the thickness of the connecting plate.

[0020] Washers are a common component in screw connection structures. This invention creatively makes the thickness of the fixing washer 0.8-1.0 times the thickness of the connecting plate, thereby ensuring the compressive strength of the fixing washer so that the diameter of the connecting through hole is much larger than the diameter of the fixing screw, thus allowing the Z-shaped protrusion to have sufficient position adjustment range.

[0021] Preferably, the exterior decorative part is made of plastic, and the Z-shaped protrusion is integrally injection molded with the exterior decorative part. An inlaid nut is provided in the installation gap of the Z-shaped protrusion, and the connecting screw on the base component is screwed to the inlaid nut.

[0022] In this design, the exterior trim is made of plastic, allowing the Z-shaped protrusion to be integrally injection molded with it, greatly simplifying manufacturing. Specifically, an embedded nut is provided within the mounting gap of the Z-shaped protrusion to enhance the connection strength with the connecting screws on the base component.

[0023] Preferably, a bottom hole with a threaded hole for threaded connection with a connecting screw is provided in the middle of the zigzag protrusion of the horizontal plate, and a positioning pin that can be fitted into the bottom hole is provided in the positioning part.

[0024] In this design, a bottom hole for the threaded hole that connects to the connecting screw is first set in the middle of the horizontal plate. This allows the positioning pin of the positioning part to easily enter the bottom hole when the Z-shaped protrusion needs to be connected, thus achieving center positioning of the Z-shaped protrusion. It is clear that the Z-shaped protrusion truly needs to be positioned at the center of the threaded hole connected to the connecting screw. This design not only achieves center positioning of the threaded hole but also facilitates the manufacturing of the Z-shaped protrusion, thereby benefiting the relative positioning and fixation of the connecting plate and the pad of the Z-shaped protrusion.

[0025] Preferably, a positioning notch or positioning step is provided on the outer edge of the outer trim piece near the Z-shaped protrusion, so that the outer edge constitutes a positioning edge. The first positioning and the second positioning include positioning hooks that can be hooked on the positioning edge. In step c, the positioning hooks of the first positioning and the second positioning are hooked on the positioning edge, wherein the positioning hook of the second positioning is positioned at the positioning notch or positioning step, so that the positioning part is reliably positioned relative to the outer trim piece.

[0026] The positioning notch or positioning step allows the first and second positioning elements to be reliably positioned on the outer edge of the exterior trim piece. It should be noted that the positioning notch or positioning step can be an inherent structure of the outer edge of the exterior trim piece, or it can be an auxiliary structure provided for the first and second positioning elements.

[0027] Therefore, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: it can effectively improve the positional accuracy of the threaded hole on the inner side of the zigzag protrusion of the exterior trim and facilitate the assembly and connection of the exterior trim and the base component. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a connection structure for the basic components, the zigzag protrusions, and the exterior decorative parts in existing technology.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of one structure of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of a positioning component.

[0031] In the diagram: 1. T-shaped protrusion; 11. Horizontal plate; 12. Vertical plate; 13. Connecting plate; 2. Basic component; 3. Exterior decorative component; 4. Foot pad; 5. Positioning component; 51. First positioning; 52. Second positioning; 53. Positioning part. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, an automotive part mainly refers to sheet metal parts with a large area, such as side panels. Specifically, it includes an inner base component 2 and an exterior trim component 3 located on the outer side of the base component. To facilitate the assembly and disassembly of the exterior trim component and the base component, a U-shaped protrusion 1 can be provided on the inner side of the exterior trim component. Specifically, the U-shaped protrusion includes a central horizontal plate 11, vertical plates 12 integrally connected to both ends of the horizontal plate and bent downwards, and a connecting plate 13 extending laterally outwards from the ends of the vertical plates, thus forming an installation gap between the left and right vertical plates of the U-shaped protrusion. Furthermore, connecting screws that are screwed onto the horizontal plate are provided on the base component, thereby forming a detachable connection between the exterior trim component and the base component. Additionally, a pad 4 is provided on the inner side of the exterior trim component at the position corresponding to the connecting plate of the U-shaped protrusion, and the connecting plate of the U-shaped protrusion is connected to the exterior trim component through the pad. Specifically, the U-shaped protrusion is connected to the inner side of the exterior trim component in the following way:

[0034] a. such as Figure 3As shown, firstly, positioning references in the X and Y directions are set near the corresponding pad positions on the outer edge of the outer trim piece. Then, positioning component 5 is fabricated. The positioning component includes a first positioning 51 that can be positioned on the positioning reference in the X direction on the outer edge of the outer trim piece, a second positioning 52 that can be positioned on the positioning reference in the Y direction on the outer edge of the outer trim piece, and a positioning part 53 used to position the Z-shaped protrusion. That is to say, the first positioning, the second positioning, and the positioning part are spliced ​​together to form a positioning component. It can be understood that we need to set several Z-shaped protrusions on the inner side of the outer trim piece, and correspondingly, we can fabricate several positioning components.

[0035] b. The pad is fixed to the corresponding connecting plate on the inner side of the outer trim piece by spot welding. The pad can be positioned on the inner side of the outer trim piece using existing positioning technology. Since the pad is only used to fix the connecting plate of the Z-shaped protrusion, the positional accuracy requirement is not high.

[0036] c. Place the positioning part of the positioning component between adjacent pads, so that the first positioning of the positioning component is positioned on the positioning reference in the X direction of the outer edge of the outer trim piece, and the second positioning of the positioning component is positioned on the positioning reference in the Y direction of the outer edge of the outer trim piece. At this time, the positioning component is accurately positioned on the outer edge of the outer trim piece. Then, attach the connecting plate of the Z-shaped protrusion to the corresponding pad. At this time, the Z-shaped protrusion is positioned on the positioning part of the positioning component.

[0037] d. Fix the connecting plate with the zigzag protrusion onto the corresponding pad. At this point, we can connect the base component with the horizontal plate of the zigzag protrusion, thereby achieving the connection between the exterior decorative parts and the base component.

[0038] It should be noted that in this invention, both positioning references are set on the outer edge of the exterior trim piece near the corresponding pad position (of course, there should be a certain distance between the two positioning references). This significantly shortens the distance between the positioning references and the Z-shaped protrusion, thereby improving the rigidity of the positioning component and the final positioning accuracy. Furthermore, the two positioning references can simultaneously provide positioning in one direction, and through some simple structures, the positioning component can be easily and accurately positioned on the outer edge of the exterior trim piece, thus achieving reliable positioning in another direction. Additionally, the three sides of the Z-shaped protrusion's horizontal plate can be bent downwards to form a vertical plate, further enhancing the rigidity and strength of the Z-shaped protrusion.

[0039] As a preferred solution, in step d, the connecting plate is fixed to the corresponding pad by spot welding, which facilitates the fixed connection after the Z-shaped protrusion is positioned, and also ensures the connection strength between the connecting plate and the pad.

[0040] Furthermore, we can provide connecting screw holes on the pad and connecting through holes on the connecting plate. A fixing screw, which engages with the connecting screw hole, is located within the connecting through hole to achieve the screw connection of the Z-shaped protrusion to the connecting plate pad. Specifically, the diameter of the connecting through hole is 1.2-1.5 times the diameter of the fixing screw, allowing for a slight displacement of the connecting plate relative to the pad. Even with a slight deviation in the pad's position, accurate connection between the Z-shaped protrusion and the pad can still be ensured.

[0041] Furthermore, we can set a retaining washer on the retaining screw, and make the thickness of the retaining washer 0.8-1.0 times the thickness of the connecting plate, so as to ensure the compressive strength of the retaining washer, so that the diameter of the connecting through hole is much larger than the diameter of the retaining screw, thereby giving the Z-shaped protrusion sufficient position adjustment range.

[0042] To facilitate quick and easy positioning of the U-shaped protrusion via the positioning component, we can first machine a bottom hole for the threaded hole that connects to the connecting screw in the middle of the horizontal plate of the U-shaped protrusion, and then set a positioning pin in the positioning part of the positioning component that can fit into the bottom hole. When we need to position the U-shaped protrusion, the positioning pin of the positioning part can enter the bottom hole of the U-shaped protrusion, so that the U-shaped protrusion is centered. When the U-shaped protrusion is fixed on the pad, we can tap at the bottom hole to complete the corresponding threaded hole machining. Since what the U-shaped protrusion really needs to be positioned is the center position of the threaded hole that connects to the connecting screw, this solution can not only achieve the center positioning of the threaded hole, but also facilitate the manufacturing of the U-shaped protrusion, which in turn is beneficial to the relative positioning and fixing of the connecting plate and the pad of the U-shaped protrusion.

[0043] As another preferred option, the exterior trim is made of plastic, and the Z-shaped protrusion is integrally injection molded with the exterior trim. An inlaid nut is provided in the installation gap of the Z-shaped protrusion, and the connecting screws on the base component are screwed to the inlaid nut.

[0044] Since the exterior trim is made of plastic, the Z-shaped protrusions can be integrally injection molded with the trim, greatly simplifying manufacturing. The embedded nuts positioned within the mounting gaps of the Z-shaped protrusions effectively enhance the connection strength between the exterior trim and the base components.

[0045] To facilitate the positioning of the first and second positioning elements at the positioning edge, a positioning notch or positioning step can be provided on the outer edge of the outer trim piece near the corresponding Z-shaped protrusion, thus forming a positioning edge. The first and second positioning elements include positioning hooks that can be hooked onto the positioning notch of the positioning edge or abut against the positioning step. In step c, the positioning hooks of the first and second positioning elements are hooked onto the positioning edge, with the positioning hook of the second positioning element positioned at the positioning notch or positioning step, thereby reliably positioning the positioning part relative to the outer trim piece.

[0046] It should be noted that the positioning notch or positioning step can be an inherent structure on the outer edge of the exterior trim piece, or it can be an auxiliary structure set for the first positioning and the second positioning.

Claims

1. An automotive part, comprising an inner base component and an outer trim component disposed on the outer side of the base component, wherein the inner side of the outer trim component has a U-shaped protrusion, the U-shaped protrusion comprising a central horizontal plate, vertical plates integrally connected to both ends of the horizontal plate, and connecting plates extending laterally outward from the ends of the vertical plates, thereby forming an installation gap between the left and right vertical plates of the U-shaped protrusion, and connecting screws for screwing to the horizontal plate are provided on the base component, thereby forming a detachable connection between the outer trim component and the base component, characterized in that... A pad is provided on the inner side of the outer decorative part. The connecting plate of the zig-shaped protrusion is connected to the outer decorative part through the pad. The zig-shaped protrusion is connected to the inner side of the outer decorative part by the following method: a positioning notch or positioning step is provided on the outer edge of the outer decorative part near the zig-shaped protrusion, so that the outer edge constitutes a positioning edge. The first positioning and the second positioning include positioning hooks that can be hooked on the positioning edge. a. Set X-direction positioning reference and Y-direction positioning reference near the corresponding pad position on the outer edge of the outer decorative part, and make positioning components. The positioning components include a first positioning that can be positioned on the X-direction positioning reference on the outer edge of the outer decorative part and a second positioning that can be positioned on the Y-direction positioning reference on the outer edge of the outer decorative part, for positioning the positioning part of the Z-shaped protrusion. b. Fix the pad to the corresponding connecting plate on the inner side of the outer decorative part by spot welding; c. Place the positioning part of the positioning component between adjacent pads, so that the first positioning of the positioning component is positioned at the positioning reference in the X direction, and the second positioning of the positioning component is positioned at the positioning reference in the Y direction. At this time, the positioning component is accurately positioned at the outer edge of the outer trim piece. Then, attach the connecting plate of the Z-shaped protrusion to the corresponding pad. At this time, the Z-shaped protrusion is positioned at the positioning part of the positioning component. Hook the positioning hooks of the first and second positioning onto the positioning edge, wherein the positioning hook of the second positioning is positioned at the positioning notch or positioning step, so that the positioning part is reliably positioned relative to the outer trim piece. d. Secure the Z-shaped protruding connecting plate to the corresponding pad.

2. The automotive part according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step d, the connecting plate is fixed to the corresponding pad by spot welding.

3. The automotive part according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pad has a connecting screw hole, and the connecting plate has a connecting through hole. The connecting through hole has a fixing screw that is screwed into the connecting screw hole. The diameter of the connecting through hole is 1.2-1.5 times the diameter of the fixing screw.

4. The automotive part according to claim 3, characterized in that, A fixing washer is provided on the fixing screw, and the thickness of the fixing washer is 0.8-1.0 times the thickness of the connecting plate.

5. An automotive part according to claim 1, characterized in that, There is a gap between the X-direction positioning reference and the Y-direction positioning reference.

6. The automotive part according to claim 1, characterized in that, The horizontal plate with the zigzag protrusion has a bottom hole in the middle for threaded connection with the connecting screw, and the positioning part has a positioning pin that can be fitted into the bottom hole.

7. An automotive part according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning notch or positioning step can be an inherent structure on the outer edge of the exterior trim piece, or it can be an auxiliary structure set for the first positioning and the second positioning.

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