Support for painting a vehicle component

Abstract

The present application describes a support for painting a vehicle component, in particular a fuel filler cap. Said support is capable of supporting a plurality of cap models and coupling to the vehicle bodywork in a stable manner, making the fuel filler cap to travel through the painting line together with the bodywork. It should be noted that this support is reusable, thus reducing logistics costs as well as reducing the waste generated in the production of the vehicle. It should be noted that this support is included in the field of mechanical engineering.

Description

SUPPORT FOR PAINTING A VEHICLE COMPONENT

[0001] The present invention relates to a support for painting a vehicle component and, more in particular, to a reusable support for painting the fuel filler cap.State of Art

[0002] During the painting phase of a vehicle on the production line, both the bodywork and the various articulated parts thereof are painted in the same painting booth in order to avoid any type of variation in the color used for the painting. Therefore, whatever is the technology used to paint a vehicle in production (painter, painting robot, etc.), all parts that will be subsequently assembled into the vehicle bodywork and which must have the same color as the bodywork are painted at the same time, such as the doors, the trunk lid, the fuel filler cap, among others.

[0003] Specifically regarding the fuel filler cap, this component part is usually produced by the suppl ier / manufacturer of the fuel filler and it must be hinged to the bodywork. Therefore, so that the fuel filler cap can be properly painted in the same color as the vehicle, the fuel filler cap manufacturer sends it together with a disposable plastic support, which engages the internal part of the cap in a similar way to the opening mechanism of the cap already assembled, and said plastic support is fixed to the vehicle bodywork to be painted in the painting booth.

[0004] As a result, the total volume of the fuel filler cap / support assembly to be painting is increased by about ten times compared to the isolated volume of the fuel filler cap, basically a flat or slightly curved plate presenting internally the fixing means of the fuel filler cap articulation / opening mechanism. On the other hand, once the painting stage is complete, the aforementioned plastic support is simply discarded, increasing waste or leftovers from production, as it is not reusable.

[0005] Therefore, a support device is presented for the painting stage of the fuel filler cap of a vehicle in production, which is able to overcome the problems detected in relation to disposable plastic supports.

[0006] Consequently, an object of the invention is a reusable fuel filler cap support, also capable of supporting a variety of models of fuel filler caps during the painting stage. Another object of the invention is a fuel filler cap support that can be reused locally, thus avoiding unnecessary transport of parts and improving the logistics of said fuel filler caps for vehicles.Synthesis of the Invention

[0007] These and others objects are achieved by a support for painting a vehicle component that comprises an upper fixing plane and a lower fixing plane interconnected by means of a column (18), whereas:the upper fixing plane is defined by a shaped rod (10) with a straight U shape, which comprises a coupling (11) on a first end capable of coupling the fuel filler cap (2) and, on a second end, opposite to the first one, projecting from a vertex (V2), by means of an arm, a hook (12), capable of engaging itself with the bodywork (4); the lower fixing plane is defined by a tip (19) that projects itself from the column (18), and laterally to said tip (19) a sleeve (20) is fixed and transversely to said tip (19), tangential to the upper or lower part of said tip (19), an L-shaped arm (26) is fixed; an L-shaped lock (21) is arranged inside said sleeve (20), said lock (21) being able to translate and rotate inside the sleeve (20) and being defined by a larger rod (22) and a smaller rod (23), which projects at 90° from an internal end of the larger rod (22), and at the opposite end of the larger rod (22) an arched arm (24) is fixed; a coupling (25) is fixed to the column (18), capable of interacting with the body of the arched arm (24) in order to restrict the movement of said arched arm (24) and consequently the lock (21), and the L-shaped arm (26) comprises at its end, opposite the attachment to the tip (19), a shaped plate (27) which in turn has an internal pin (28) capable of interacting with the bodywork (4).Brief Description of Figures

[0008] The object of the present invention can be better understood from the following detailed description of a preferred and non-limiting way of carrying out the invention, which is made with the support of the attached figures, brought herein for illustrative and not limiting purposes, wherein:- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the prior art device;- Figure 2 is a perspective view of the reusable support, according to the present invention;- Figure 3 is a perspective view of the support of the invention, fixed to the bodywork to be painted inside the painting booth and supporting a fuel filler cap;- Figure 4 shows a front perspective view of the reusable support, according to the present invention, in which the welding points are highlighted in red;- Figure 5 shows a rear perspective view of the reusable support, according to the present invention, in which the welding points are highlighted in red;- Figure 6 shows a front view of the reusable support, according to the present invention, in which the welding points are highlighted in red;- Figure 7 shows a side view of the reusable support, according to the present invention, in which the welding points are highlighted in red;- Figure 8 shows a top view of the reusable support, according to the present invention, in which the welding points are highlighted in red.Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

[0009] According to the attached figures, 1 indicates, as a whole, a support for painting a vehicle component according to the invention. In particular, said support 1 is capable of mechanically coupling a fuel filler cap 2 (not illustrated) of a vehicle (not illustrated), to a bodywork 4 inside a painting booth (not illustrated) or similar, in an assembly line (not illustrated) of vehicles.

[0010] More in particular, the support 1 comprises a shaped rod 10, which defines an upper fixing plane. A first end of the shaped rod 10 is able to couple the fuel filler cap 2 by means of a coupling 11, while a second end, opposite the first end, is able to engage the bodywork 4 by means of a hook 12. The shaped rod 10 has the shape of a straight U with rounded vertices, and from the vertex V2 of the second end a hook arm 12 is projected. Each one of the vertices of the shaped rod 10 receives a respective reinforcement bar 13 in order to define structural triangles.

[0011] As stated, the first end of the shaped rod 10 has a coupling 11 for coupling the fuel filler cap 2. Said coupling 11 is in the form of a plate equipped with rails 14, 14', 14" which are used to engage the respective coupling structures of the fuel filler cap 2. It should be noted that the said coupling structures of the fuel filler cap 2 are not structures designed for the present support but are usual and pre-existing structures of the fuel filler cap 2, for example, provided to receive the tilting joint (opening and closing) thereof. Consequently, the dimension and positioning of said rails 14, 14', 14" may vary according to the specific characteristics of a cap 2 (coupling structures) or a series of fuel filler caps 2 with similar engagement structures with each other.

[0012] Furthermore, the coupling 11 also comprises a first pressure lock 15 (see figure 2) which is defined by an actuator 16 and which articulates on the back of the coupling 11 and projects itself beyond the plane defined by the coupling 11 through an oblong hole 17. In this way it is possible to exert pressure on said coupling structures of the fuel filler cap 2 in order to prevent any small relative movement between the fuel filler 2 and the coupling 11, arising from any gap existing between these two elements.

[0013] The second end of the shaped rod 10, opposite the first end, is defined by said hook 12, which is capable of engaging in an opening 5 of the bodywork 4. It should be noted that the support arm 3 is part of the bodyworkof a model (not illustrated), so it is a conventional structure intended to receive / support a plurality of different parts / components. In this way, both the support arm body 3 and the bodywork 4 have several pre-configured elements capable of allowing different couplings / hookups. Therefore, the bodywork 4 also comprises holes 6, with and / or without threads, circumscribing a recess 7, among other coupling / hookups means. At least one of the edges of the recess 7 comprises a projection 8 facing the inside of the recess 7.

[0014] Still in relation to the second end of the shaped rod 10, a column 18 projects itself downwards (in relation to the position of the support 1, as illustrated in the figures) from the vertex V2, said column 18 being able to define a lower plane of fixing the support 1 in relation to the bodywork 4 of the support arm 3. To this end, said column 18 is fixed by MIG welding at said vertex V2.

[0015] More in particular, at a given level of column 18, lower in relation to said upper plane, a tip 19, preferably cylindrical, projects itself and whose length exactly corresponds to the distance between the projection 8 of recess 7 and the column 18, with the column 18 extending in a vertical direction. In other words, with the tip 19 touching the surface of the projection 8, the column 18 is maintained in the vertical direction.

[0016] Laterally to the tip 19, a welded sleeve 20 is fixed (in the figures, the welding points are indicated in red), inside which an L-shaped lock 21 is able to translate and rotate freely. More specifically, said L-shaped lock 21 is defined by a larger rod 22 and a smaller rod 23, which projects at 90° from an internal end of the larger rod 22. At the outer end of the larger rod 22, opposite the internal end, an arched arm 24 is fixed / provided, the body of which is attachable to a coupling 25 capable of restricting the movement of the arched arm (24) and consequently of the L-shaped lock (21), with said coupling 25 being associated with the column 18. In this way, the column 18 is maintained in the locking position and fixed in relation to the projection 8 of the recess 7. More in particular, the column 18 is opposed to the external face of the projection 8 by the tip 19 and opposed to the internal face of the projection 8 by the smaller rod 23 of the L-shaped lock 21, connected to the column 18 by coupling the arched arm 24 to the coupling 25. The engagement and disengagement operation of the L-shaped lock 21 is carried out by translating and rotating thereof, between a position of mechanical interference of the smaller rod 23 against the inner surface of the projection 8 of the recess 7 and a position of no mechanical interference.

[0017] Furthermore, transversely and tangent to the tip 19, an L- shaped arm 26 projects, at the opposite end of which a shaped plate 27 is provided equipped with an internal coupling pin 28. Said internal coupling pin 28 is able to enter inside a hole 6 of the bodywork 4, while said shaped plate 27 is able to touch two orthogonal surfaces of the bodywork 4, specifically the front face and the side edge of the bodywork 4.

[0018] Therefore, a lower fixing plane is defined, which comprises two different fixing means, which are the shaped plate 27 with the internal pin 28 as well as the L-shaped lock 21 combined with the tip 19. By the other hand, said upper fixing plane, which comprises the hook 12 and the coupling 11 joined by the shaped rod 10, is maintained at a different (and higher) level in relation to the lower fixing plane by the column 18. Therefore, all component parts of the painting support, according to the present invention, are directly or indirectly linked with said column 18.

[0019] On the whole, the support according to the present invention appears to be simple and quite efficient in relation to supporting the fuel filler cap 2 in relation to the support arm 3 of the bodywork 4, thus allowing painting operations of the caps without relative movements of the latter in relation to the support arm 3. Furthermore, the adoption of three non-aligned fixing points of support 1 in relation to support arm 3 guarantees the maintenance of the relative position between fuel filler cap 2 and support arm 3.

[0020] The assembly and disassembly or coupling and disengagement, operations of the support 1 on the support arm 3 are extremely simple depending on the fastening means adopted. Thus, the assembly operation initially comprises the engagement of the hook 12 in the opening 5 of the bodywork 4, which provides a first limitation of relative movement between these elements. Next, the internal pin 28 of the shaped plate 27 penetrates the respective hole 6 of the bodywork 4, thus increasing the limitation of relative movement between these elements. Finally, the rod 21 is rotated until its smaller rod 23 locks against the inner surface of the recess 7 and translated until the smaller rod 23 locks against the projection 8 of the recess 7 concomitantly with the coupling of the body of the arched arm (24) in the coupling (25), completely limiting any relative movement between support 1 and support arm 3. Naturally, disassembly is carried out by proceeding the above steps in reverse order.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, all support 1 parts fixings are carried out by means of welding, more preferably by means of MIG welding.

[0022] Furthermore, the provision of support 1, preferably in metallic material, more preferably in steel, and even more preferably in SAE 1020 steel, allows the support 1 of the invention to have a long life and thus can be used in various painting operations of the fuel filler cap 2, eliminating the disposal of the art plastic supports and, in addition, allowing better packaging of the caps, improving the logistics of supplying the caps by the respective suppliers.

[0023] Finally, the provision of a coupling 11 for attaching the fuel filler cap 2 to the support 1 of a universal type or, at least, for attaching a plurality of cap models, increases the versatility and usability of the support 1.

Claims

Claims1. Support for painting, in particular, a vehicle component such as a vehicle fuel filler cap (2), comprising an upper fixing plane and a lower fixing plane interconnected by means of a column (18), and the upper fixing plane is defined by a shaped rod (10) with a straight U shape, which in turn comprises a coupling (11) on a first end capable of coupling the fuel filler cap (2), and on a second end, opposite to the first, projecting from a vertex (V2) by means of an arm, a hook (12), capable of engaging with the bodywork (4); the lower fixing plane is defined by a tip (19) protruding from the column (18), and laterally to said tip (19) a sleeve (20) is fixed and transversely to said tip (19), tangential to the upper or lower part of said tip (19), an L-shaped arm (26) is fixed; an L-shaped lock (21) is arranged inside said sleeve (20), said L- shaped lock (21) being able to translate and rotate inside the sleeve (20) and being defined by a larger rod (22) and a smaller rod (23), protruding at 90° from an internal end of the larger rod (22), and at the opposite end of the larger rod (22) an arched arm (24) is fixed; a coupling (25), capable of interacting with the body of the arched arm (24) in order to restrict the movement of said arched arm (24), is fixed to the column (18); and the L-shaped arm (26) comprises at its end, opposite the attachment to the tip (19), a shaped plate (27) which in turn has an internal pin (28), capable of interacting with the bodywork (4).

2. Support, according to claim 1, wherein the coupling (11) comprises a plate equipped with rails (14, 14', 14") on its front part and a pressure lock (15), which is defined by an actuator (16) that articulates on the back of said coupling (11) and protruding beyond the plane defined by the coupling (11) through an oblong hole (17).

3. Support, according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shaped rod (10) comprises at each of its vertices respective reinforcement bars (13) that define structural triangles.

4. Support, according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support is made of metallic material, preferably SAE 1020 steel.

5. Support, according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the joints are made by means of welding, preferably MIG welding.

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