Retainer for fixing a vehicle component to a vehicle body panel

Abstract

A screw retainer 100 for fixing a vehicle component (300, Fig. 7) to a vehicle body panel (30, Fig. 10) comprising: a tubular cylinder 110 with a longitudinal bore (112, Fig. 2); an anchor portion 120

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a retainer for fixing a vehicle component to a vehicle body panel. Aspects of the invention relate to a retainer, to a fastener assembly, to a vehicle component assembly, and to a vehicle. BACKGROUND It is known to provide retainers for fixing vehicle components to a vehicle body panel. For example, it is known to use a retainer in combination with a threaded fastener. Such retainers may be positioned behind the vehicle body panel relative to the vehicle component and used to secure a threaded fastener connected to the vehicle component and extending through an aperture in the vehicle body panel. However, such retainers may be difficult to use where only a shallow clearance is available in the region behind the vehicle body panel and / or where access to the region behind the vehicle body panel is restricted. It is an aim of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Aspects and embodiments of the invention provide a screw retainer, a fastener assembly, a vehicle component assembly, and a vehicle as claimed in the appended claims. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a retainer for fixing a vehicle component to a vehicle body panel, the retainer comprising: a tubular cylinder with a bore extending along a longitudinal direction of the retainer; an anchor portion at a distal end of the retainer; a neck portion adjacent to the anchor portion and having a width which is less than a width of the anchor portion; and an adjustment collar moveably located around the tubular cylinder and defining a proximal end face of the retainer for engaging a head of a fastener received in the bore; wherein the adjustment collar has an external thread for screwing into an internal thread of the vehicle component to define a distance between the proximal end face of the retainer and the anchor portion, and wherein the anchor portion is a low-profile anchor portion. The retainer may be configured to retainer any suitable fastener. For example, a ball stud. Optionally, the retainer is a screw retainer. The term “screw retainer” refers to a retainer which is operable to securely hold a threaded fastener, such as a screw or a threaded bolt, or similar. The low-profile anchor portion may have a height which is less than 50 percent of its width. With this arrangement, the screw retainer can be used to secure the vehicle component to a vehicle body panel and to allow the height position of the vehicle component, i.e. in the longitudinal direction of the retainer, to be adjusted to ensure correct fit and finish even in situations in which there is only a shallow clearance in that direction beneath the vehicle body panel. The screw retainer can be secured by sliding the neck portion transversely into an opening in an edge of the vehicle panel such that the top surface of the anchor portion abuts against the underside of the vehicle body panel and the tubular cylinder extends upwards from the vehicle body panel to receive a screw for fixing the vehicle component to the vehicle body panel. The anchor portion is fixed to the tubular cylinder. The anchor portion is configured to prevent or limit movement of the tubular cylinder in the longitudinal direction away from the vehicle body panel. The anchor portion may form an axial stop against an underside surface of the vehicle body panel. The anchor portion may be an enlarged base of the retainer. The bore ofthe tubular cylinder may be threaded. The bore ofthe tubular cylinder may comprise a deformable material which is configured to be deformed by a threaded fastener during tightening. The screw retainer may comprise an insert located in the tubular cylinder for receiving the screw. The insert may comprise an internal thread for engaging the screw. As used herein, the term “height” refers to a maximum dimension in the longitudinal direction ofthe retainer, and the term “width” refers to a maximum dimension in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The term “depth” may be used to refer to a maximum dimension in a direction which is perpendicular to both the height and width dimensions. For example, the “depth” may refer to the maximum dimension in a direction of insertion ofthe retainer into an opening in the vehicle body panel. The adjustment collar is moveably located around the tubular cylinder. The adjustment collar is moveable in the longitudinal direction ofthe tubular cylinder. The adjustment collar may be rotatable around the tubular cylinder. The adjustment collar may comprise an internal thread which is engaged with an external thread on the tubular cylinder. The adjustment collar may be freely rotatable around the tubular cylinder. Optionally, the anchor portion comprises at least one anti-rotation feature configured to prevent rotation ofthe screw retainer about a longitudinal axis during screwing of a threaded fastener into the bore. Advantageously, this can facilitate secure attachment of the vehicle component to the vehicle body panel without the need to manually hold the anchor portion in place during fastening. This can be particularly beneficial in arrangements in which access to the underside ofthe vehicle body panel is limited or not possible. Optionally, the at least one anti-rotation feature comprises a notch in a side surface ofthe anchor portion. With this arrangement, the notch can engage with a corresponding protrusion or rib on the vehicle body panel and / or the vehicle component to prevent rotation ofthe retainer relative to the vehicle body panel. The notch may extend in the longitudinal direction of the retainer. The notch may extend parallel to the longitudinal direction. Optionally, the anchor portion has a non-circular transverse cross-sectional shape. The at least one antirotation feature may comprise the non-circular transverse cross-sectional shape ofthe anchor portion. The anchor portion may have an elliptical or oval transverse cross-sectional shape. The anchor portion may have a generally polygonal transverse cross-sectional shape. The anchor portion may comprise a plurality of side surfaces, wherein the at least one anti-rotation feature comprises the plurality of side surfaces. Optionally, the anchor portion has a generally rectangular transverse cross-sectional shape. With this arrangement, the side surfaces of the anchor portion can be orientated parallel to the direction of insertion of the retainerto facilitate correct seating of the retainer against the vehicle body panel. One or more of the side surfaces can also function as an anti-rotation feature when abutting against the vehicle body panel. Optionally, the anchor portion has a curved distal end face. Advantageously, this can facilitate insertion of the retainer and / or the vehicle component into the correct position by enabling the retainer to be inserted at an angle to its correct final orientation and subsequently tilted to the correct orientation more easily. This can be particularly beneficial when the vehicle component needs to be carefully steered into position around adjacent components during installation. The curved distal end face may be curved in a plane perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the retainer. The curved distal end face may be curved in a plane parallel to the direction of insertion of the retainer. The curved distal end face may be curved in a plane parallel to the direction of insertion of the retainer and in a plane perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the retainer. The anchor portion may be connected to the neck portion by a fillet. The fillet may have a radius of curvature of at least 0.5 mm, for example 1 mm. The anchor portion may have at least one side surface which is connected to the distal end face by a fillet having a radius of curvature of at least 1 mm, for example 2 mm. The anchor portion may have a height of less than 10mm. Optionally, the anchor portion has a height of less than 8mm, less than 6mm, less than 5mm, or less than 4mm. The height of the anchor portion may refer to the height of the widest region of the anchor portion. The height of the anchor portion may refer to the distance between the distal end face and the neck portion. The anchor portion is joined to the neck portion by a fillet, the height of the anchor portion may referto the distance between the distal end face of the anchor portion and the start of the fillet. Optionally, the width of the anchor portion is at least 20 percent greater than the width of the neck portion. The anchor portion may protrude beyond the neck portion in the width direction on both sides of the screw retainer. In this manner, the anchor portion defines a retainer shoulder on both sides of the retainer which can engage with the underside of the vehicle body panel on both sides of the slot when installed. The width of the anchor portion may be at least 20 percent greater, at least 30 percent greater, at least 40 percent greater, or at least 50 percent greater than the width of the neck portion. Optionally, the anchor portion comprises at least one recess on its distal end face to reduce the contact area of the distal end face. With this arrangement, friction between the distal end face, i.e. the underside, of the anchor portion and part of the vehicle body immediately beneath the vehicle body panel can be reduced during insertion. This can facilitate installation of the retainer and the vehicle component. The at least one recess may comprise a plurality of recesses. The at least one recess may have one or more side edges which are aligned with an insertion direction of the retainer. This may further reduce friction during insertion. This may also act to increase frictional resistance to rotation of the retainer during tightening of a threaded fastener in the bore. Optionally, the tubular cylinder, neck portion and anchor portion are unitary. This can help to ensure the structural integrity of the retainer and facilitate manufacture. As used herein, the term “unitary” refers to a single, continuous structure. The retainer may comprise an insert located in the tubular cylinder by which the bore is defined. In such embodiments, the tubular cylinder, neck portion and anchor portion define the “main body” of the retainer and can still be regarded as unitary. Optionally, the screw retainer further comprises a transverse shoulder protruding transversely from the tubular cylinder to define an end stop for the adjustment collar. The transverse shoulder can advantageously limit the extent of axial movement of the collar and thereby help to define the correct axial position of the vehicle component relative to the vehicle body panel. In embodiments in which a transverse shoulder is not provided, the vehicle component itself may comprise one or more contact surfaces which abut against the vehicle body panel to limit further axial movement towards the panel. The transverse shoulder may have a planar distal face, or “underside”. The transverse shoulder may have a curved distal face, or “underside”. The curved distal face may be a convex distal end face with a radius of curvature of at least 1 mm, for example 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, or 5mm. The vehicle component with which the screw retainer is configured for use can be any suitable vehicle component. The screw retainer may be a screw retainer for fixing a lamp assembly to a vehicle body panel. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a fastener assembly for fixing a vehicle component to a vehicle body panel, the fastener assembly comprising the screw retainer of the first aspect and a threaded fastener screwed into the bore of the tubular cylinder. According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle component assembly comprising a housing defining a housing bore with an internal thread, and a fastener assembly according to the above aspect, wherein the external thread of the adjustment collar of the screw retainer is engaged with the internal thread of the housing bore to secure the fastener assembly to the housing. Optionally, the anchor portion of the screw retainer comprises at least one anti-rotation feature comprising a notch in a side surface of the anchor portion and extending in a longitudinal direction of the screw retainer, and the housing of the vehicle component assembly comprises an anti-rotation rib which extends in the longitudinal direction of the screw retainer and is located in the notch in the side surface of the anchor portion to prevent rotation of the screw retainer relative to the housing. The vehicle component assembly may comprise any suitable vehicle component. In certain embodiments, the vehicle component assembly is a lamp assembly. The vehicle component assembly may be a headlamp assembly. The vehicle component assembly may be a rear lamp assembly. According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle comprising a vehicle body panel having a transverse opening in an edge thereof and a vehicle component assembly according to the above aspect, wherein the neck, portion of the screw retainer is received in the transverse opening of the vehicle body panel such that the tubular cylinder extends from a top surface of the vehicle body panel and the anchor portion abuts against an underside of the vehicle body panel to axially secure the retainer to the vehicle body panel. Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and / or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and / or features of any embodiment can be combined in anyway and / or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and / or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a front view of a fastener assembly in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the fastener assembly taken through line ll-ll in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the fastener assembly taken through line Ill-Ill in Figure 2; Figure 4 shows an isometric top view of the screw retainer of the fastener assembly of Figure 1, in which the adjustment collar is omitted for clarity; Figure 5 shows a side view of the screw retainer of Figure 4; Figure 6 shows a bottom view of the screw retainer of Figure 4; Figure 7 shows an enlarged bottom view of part of a vehicle component assembly in accordance with the invention, the vehicle component assembly comprising the fastener assembly of Figure 1; Figure 8 shows a schematic illustration of part of a vehicle in accordance with the invention, the vehicle comprising a vehicle body structure to which the component assembly of Figure 7 is mounted; Figure 9 shows an enlarged view of part of the vehicle body structure of Figure 8; Figure 10 shows a cross-sectional view taken through line X-X in Figure 8, showing the component assembly mounted to the vehicle body structure using the fastener assembly of Figure 1; Figure 11 shows a cross-sectional view taken through line XI-XI in Figure 8, showing the component assembly mounted to the vehicle body structure using the fastener assembly of Figure 1; and Figure 12 shows a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, DETAILED DESCRIPTION A screw retainer 100 in accordance with the present invention is described herein with reference to the accompanying Figures 1 to 11. As shown in Figure 12, the screw retainer 100 is installed in a vehicle 10. With reference to Figures 1 to 6, there is illustrated a fastener assembly 200 comprising a screw retainer 100 for fixing a vehicle component to a vehicle body panel, and a threaded fastener 210 received in the screw retainer 100. The screw retainer 100 includes a tubular cylinder 110 with a bore 112 extending along a longitudinal direction of the retainer, an anchor portion 120 at a distal end of the retainer 100, a neck portion 130 adjacent to the anchor portion and having a width which is less than a width of the anchor portion, and an adjustment collar 140 moveably located around the cylinder. The adjustment collar 140 defines a proximal end face 142 of the retainer 100 for engaging a head 212 of the threaded fastener210 received in the bore 112. The adjustment collar 140 has an external thread 144 for screwing into an internal thread of the vehicle component (see Figure 11) to define a distance between the proximal end face 142 of the retainer 100 and the anchor portion 120. The anchor portion 120 is a low-profile anchor portion having a height Ha which is less than 50 percent of its width Wa, as illustrated in Figure 1. With this arrangement, the retainer can be used to secure the vehicle component to a vehicle body panel and allow the height position of the vehicle component, i.e. in the longitudinal direction of the retainer, to be adjusted to ensure correct fit and finish even in situations in which there is only a shallow clearance in that direction beneath the vehicle body panel. As used herein, the term “height” refers to a maximum dimension in the longitudinal direction, i.e. in the direction of the longitudinal axis 113 of the bore 112 of the tubular cylinder 110. The term “width” refers to a maximum dimension in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The term “depth” may be used to refer to a maximum dimension in a direction which is perpendicular to both the height and width dimensions. For example, the “depth” may refer to the maximum dimension in a direction of insertion of the retainer into an opening in the vehicle body panel. For ease of reference, the height, width, and depth dimensions of the anchor portion 120 are illustrated as “Ha”, “Wa”, and “Da” in Figures 1 and 2. The term “screw retainer” refers to a retainer which is operable to securely hold a threaded fastener, such as a screw or a threaded bolt, or similar. The anchor portion 120 is fixed to the tubular cylinder 110. The anchor portion 120 is configured to prevent or limit movement of the tubular cylinder 110 in the longitudinal direction away from the body panel. The anchor portion 120 may form an axial stop against an underside surface of the vehicle body panel. The anchor portion 120 may be an enlarged base of the retainer, as illustrated. The bore 112 of the tubular cylinder 110 may be threaded. The bore 112 of the tubular cylinder 110 may comprise a deformable material which is configured to be deformed by a threaded fastener during tightening. The deformable material may be integral with the tubular cylinder 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the retainer 100 comprises an insert sleeve 114 which is located in the bore 112 and is configured to be deformed by a threaded fastener during tightening. Optionally, the anchor portion 120 comprises at least one anti-rotation feature 121 configured to prevent rotation of the retainer 100 about the longitudinal axis 113 during screwing of the threaded fastener 210 into the bore 112. This can facilitate secure attachment of the vehicle component to the vehicle body panel without the need to manually hold the anchor portion 120 in place during fastening. This can be particularly beneficial in arrangements in which access to the underside of the vehicle body panel is limited or not possible. In the illustrated embodiment, the anti-rotation feature 121 comprises a notch 122 in a side surface 123 of the anchor portion 120, as best seen in Figures 4 and 6. With this arrangement, the notch 122 can engage with a corresponding protrusion or rib on the vehicle body panel and / or the vehicle component to prevent rotation of the retainer 100 relative to the vehicle body panel when fastening the vehicle component to the vehicle body panel using the fastener assembly 200. This is described below in relation to Figure 8. The notch 122 extends in the longitudinal direction of the retainer. For example, the notch 122 may extend generally parallel to the longitudinal direction, as shown in Figure 4. The anchor portion 120 may have any suitable shape. For example, the anchor portion may have a circular transverse cross-sectional shape. Optionally, the anchor portion 120 has a non-circular transverse cross-sectional shape. In such embodiments, the at least one anti-rotation feature 121 may comprises the noncircular shape of the anchor portion 120. For example, the anchor portion may have an elliptical or oval transverse cross-sectional shape with a single continuous side surface, or a polygonal transverse cross-sectional shape comprising a plurality of side surfaces. In the illustrated embodiment, the anchor portion 120 has a generally rectangular transverse cross-sectional shape with a plurality of side surfaces 123. With this arrangement, the side surfaces 123 of the anchor portion 120 can be orientated parallel to the direction of insertion of the retainer 100 to facilitate correct seating of the retainer against the vehicle body panel. Alternatively, or in addition, one or more of the side surfaces 123 can also function as an anti-rotation feature when abutting against a fixed portion of the vehicle body such that the at least one anti-rotation feature 121 comprises the plurality of side surfaces 123. The anchor portion 120 optionally has a curved distal end face 124, as best seen in Figures 2 and 5. The distal end face 124 may be curved in a plane perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the retainer 100, as indicated by the arrow A in Figure 5. This can facilitate insertion of the retainer 100 and the vehicle component to which the retainer is attached by enabling the retainer 100 to be inserted at an angle to its final orientation and subsequently tilted to the correct orientation more easily once inserted. This can be particularly beneficial when the vehicle component has to be carefully steered into position during installation, for example to avoid adjacent components. The radius of curvature is optionally less than 10 cm. For example, the radius of curvature may be from 2 cm to 5 cm. In one particular embodiment, the distal end face has a length in the direction of insertion of about 1.5 cm and has a radius of curvature of about 3.5 cm in a plane perpendicular to the direction of insertion. The anchor portion 120 has a width Wa which is greaterthan the width Wn of the neck portion 130, as illustrated in Figure 1. Thus, the anchor portion 120 extends beyond the neck portion 130 in the width direction on at least one side of the retainer 100. The width Wa of the anchor portion may be at least 20 percent greaterthan the width Wn of the neck portion. For example, the width Wa of the anchor portion 120 may be at least 30 percent greater, at least 40 percent greater, or at least 50 percent greater than the width Wn of the neck portion. The anchor portion 120 may protrude beyond the neck portion 130 in the width direction on both sides of the screw retainer 100. In this manner, the anchor portion 120 defines a retainer shoulder 125 on both sides of the retainer which has a proximal end face 126 by which the anchor portion 120 can engage against an underside of the vehicle body panel to fix the vehicle component to the vehicle body panel. The proximal end face 126 may be shaped to conform to the shape of the vehicle body panel. The proximal end face may be generally planar. In the illustrated embodiment, the neck portion 130 is positioned generally centrally in the width direction relative to the anchor portion 120 so that the retainer shoulder is generally equal on both sides of the retainer 100. The anchor portion 120 may have any suitable height Ha. This will generally be selected as appropriate based on the clearance available beneath the vehicle body panel to which the retainer 100 will be fastened. For example, the anchor portion 120 may have a height Ha of less than 10mm, less than 8mm, less than 6mm, less than 5mm, or less than 4mm. The height Ha of the anchor portion 120 generally refers to the maximum dimension of the anchor portion 120 in the longitudinal direction between the distal end face 124 and the proximal end face 126 as defined by the anchor portion 120 on one or both sides of the retainer 100. The retainer shoulder 125 of the anchor portion 120 may be joined to the neck portion 130 by a neck fillet 131, as shown in Figure 3. The neck fillet 131 may have a radius of curvature of at least 0.5 mm, for example about 1 mm. At least one of the side surfaces 123 of the anchor portion 120 may be joined to the distal end face by an end fillet 127 having a radius of curvature of at least 1 mm, for example about 2 mm. Optionally, the anchor portion 120 comprises at least one recess 128 on its distal end face 124 to reduce the contact area presented by the distal end face 124. With this arrangement, friction between the distal end face 124 on the underside of the anchor portion 120 and fixed part of the vehicle body immediately beneath the vehicle body panel can be reduced during insertion. This can facilitate installation of the retainer and an associated vehicle component to which it is attached. The at least one recess 128 may comprise a plurality of recesses 128. In the illustrated embodiment, as best seen in Figure 6, the at least one recess comprises a plurality of recesses 128 with side edges 129 which are aligned with the insertion direction of the retainer (as illustrated by the arrow A in Figure 6). This may further reduce friction during insertion. Such recesses 128 may also act to increase frictional resistance to rotation of the retainer during tightening of the threaded fastener. The adjustment collar 140 is moveably located around the tubular cylinder 110. The adjustment collar 140 is moveable in the longitudinal direction of the tubular cylinder 110. The adjustment collar 140 may be rotatable around the tubular cylinder. The adjustment collar 140 may comprise an internal thread which is engaged with an external thread on the tubular cylinder. In such embodiments, the adjustment collar is moved in the longitudinal direction of the tubular cylinder by rotating the adjustment collar to move it along the external thread. In the illustrated embodiment, the adjustment collar is freely rotatable around the tubular cylinder 110. The adjustment collar 140 has a planar proximal end surface which defines the proximal end face of 142 the retainer and forms a seat with which the head 212 of the fastener 210 is engaged. The adjustment collar 140 also has a distal end surface 144 which faces towards the anchor portion 120. The screw retainer 100 may further include a transverse shoulder 150 protruding transversely from the tubular cylinder 110 to define an end stop for the adjustment collar 140. The transverse shoulder 150 may extend from the tubular cylinder 110 in any transverse direction, for example forwards, rearwards, or from one or both sides. In the illustrated embodiment, the transverse shoulder 150 circumscribes the tubular cylinder 110. The transverse shoulder 150 has a proximal end surface 152 which is configured to engage with the distal end surface 144 of the adjustment collar 140 at the end position of the adjustment collar 140. The proximal end surface 152 may be planar. The transverse shoulder 150 can advantageously limit the extent of axial movement of the collar 140 and thereby help to define the correct axial position of the vehicle component relative to the vehicle body panel. In embodiments in which a transverse shoulder 150 is not provided, the vehicle component itself may comprise one or more contact surfaces which abut against the vehicle body panel to limit further axial movement towards the vehicle body panel. The transverse shoulder 150 optionally projects beyond the neck portion 130 and thereby may have a distal end face 154 on its underside. The distal end face 154 of the transverse shoulder 150 may be a convex distal end face with a radius of curvature of at least 1 mm, for example from 2 mm to 4 mm. In one embodiment, the distal end face 154 of the transverse shoulder 150 is a convex distal end face with a radius of curvature of about 3 mm. The tubular cylinder 110, anchor portion 120, neck portion 130, and optional transverse shoulder 150 may be unitary, as illustrated. This can help to ensure the structural integrity of the retainer and facilitate manufacture. As used herein, the term “unitary” refers to a single, continuous structure. The tubular cylinder 110, anchor portion 120, neck portion 130 together define the main body of the retainer 100 as illustrated in Figures 4 to 6. The main body of the retainer 100 may be formed from any suitable material. For example, the main body of the retainer 100 may be formed from a metal, such as steel or aluminium. The main body of the retainer 100 may be formed from a plastic material. For example, the main body of the retainer 100 may be formed of a polymer, such as a polyamide, for example nylon. Where the retainer 100 includes an insert sleeve 114 located in the bore 112 and configured to engage with a threaded fastener, the insert sleeve 114 may be formed from any suitable material. For example, the insert sleeve may be formed from a metal such as brass, aluminium or steel. In such examples, the insert sleeve may comprise an internal thread. Figure 7 shows an enlarged bottom view of part of a vehicle component assembly 300 in accordance with the invention. The vehicle component assembly 300 comprises a component housing 310 and a fastener assembly 200 in accordance with the invention which is mounted on the component housing 310 such that the anchor portion 120 of the retainer 100 protrudes from the rear surface of the housing. The vehicle component assembly 300 may be any suitable component or component assembly. In the illustrated embodiment, the vehicle component assembly 300 is a vehicle lamp assembly, for example a head lamp assembly or rear lamp cluster assembly. The fastener assembly 200 is engagingly received within a bore in the component housing 310, as best seen in Figure 10. The component housing 310 may further include an anti-rotation rib 314 which is fixed in relation to the component housing 310 and is received in the anti-rotation notch 122 in the side surface of the anchor portion 120. The anti-rotation rib 314 engages with the anti-rotation notch 122 to prevent rotation of the retainer 100 about its longitudinal axis relative to the component housing 310 during screwing the threaded fastener into the bore of the retainer 100. This can facilitate mounting of the fastener assembly 200 to the component housing 310 and facilitate secure attachment of the vehicle component assembly to a vehicle body without the need to manually hold the anchor portion 120 in place during fastening. Figure 8 shows a schematic illustration of part of a vehicle 10 in accordance with the invention. The vehicle 10 comprises a vehicle body structure 15 having a vehicle body panel 20 and a component assembly 300 mounted to the vehicle body panel 20 using at least one fastener assembly 200 of Figure 1. The vehicle body structure 15 may also include a further vehicle body panel 30 positioned adjacent to the vehicle body panel 20. For example, the further vehicle body panel 30 may be a structural pillar. In the illustrated embodiment, the component assembly 300 comprises a pair of fastener assemblies 200 in accordance with the invention. However, it will be understood that the component assembly 300 may comprise fewer or more fastener assemblies 200, for example, one, two, three, or four fastener assemblies 200 and / or any suitable number of additional conventional locators or fastener assemblies. Figure 9 shows an enlarged view of part of the vehicle body panel 20 configured to receive the fastener assembly. The vehicle body panel 20 comprises an edge portion 22 having a transverse opening 24. The edge portion 22 may be defined by a flange 26 which extends from a main portion 28 of the vehicle body panel 20. Figures 10 and 11 show cross-sectional views taken through lines X-X and XI-XI in Figure 8, showing the component assembly 300 mounted to the vehicle body structure 15 using the fastener assembly 200. The component housing 310 comprises a housing bore 312 with an internal thread. The external thread 144 of the adjustment collar 140 is screwed into the housing bore 312 and can be adjusted until the proximal end face 142 of the retainer is at the correct height position relative to the anchor portion 120. This can be varied as required to allow the height position of the vehicle component assembly, i.e. in the longitudinal direction of the retainer, to be adjusted to ensure correct fit and finish. A threaded fastener 210, such as a screw, is screwed into the bore of the tubular cylinder 110 to hold the fastener assembly 200 and the component housing 310 together. The threaded fastener 210 can be screwed loosely prior to mounting of the component assembly 300 to the vehicle body structure. The edge portion 22 of the vehicle body panel 20 may be located directly above the further vehicle body panel 30 such that only a small clearance C1 is provided between the two body panels 20 and 30. This may be due to, for example, packaging constraints imposed by surrounding components and / or due to forming limitations of the material or materials from which one or both body panels 20 and 30 are formed. The clearance C1 may be insufficient to accommodate a conventional fixing arrangement, such as a stud bolt and “cup-sack” retainer, and / or may be difficult or not possible to access with a conventional bolt. As illustrated, the height Ha of the anchor portion 120 is less than the clearance C1. The width Wp of the panel opening is greater than the width Wn of the neck portion 130 and is less than the width Wa of the anchor portion 120. In this manner, the anchor portion 120 can be received in the clearance C1 beneath the vehicle body panel 20. To mount the vehicle component assembly 300 to the vehicle body structure 15, the fastener assembly 200 is first mounted to the component housing 310 as discussed above, and the component assembly 300 is moved in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 10 such that the neck portion 130 of the retainer 100 is received in the transverse opening 24 of the vehicle body panel 20 such that the tubular cylinder 110 extends from a top surface 21 of the vehicle body panel 20 and the anchor portion 120 abuts against an underside 23 of the vehicle body panel 20 to axially secure the retainerto the vehicle body panel. During the insertion of the anchor portion 120 into the clearance C1, the recesses on its distal end face can reduce friction between the anchor portion 120 and the further vehicle body panel located immediately beneath the edge portion 22. Further, the curved profile of the distal end face of the anchor portion 120 can enable the component assembly 300 to be more easily manipulated to tilt the retainer in the insertion direction to facilitate insertion of the anchor portion 120 beneath the vehicle body panel 20 before returning the retainer to the correct, upright orientation. Once the retainer 100 is in position and the component assembly is in the correct height position relative to the vehicle body panel, the threaded fastener 210 is tightened against the proximal end face 142 of the adjustment collar 140 to secure the fastener assembly 200 to the vehicle body panel 20. This process may be repeated to secure other fastener assemblies to the vehicle body panel and thereby fix the component assembly 300 to the vehicle body structure 15. With the retainer 100, the vehicle component assembly 300 can be securely mounted to the vehicle body structure 15 when the clearance C1 beneath the vehicle body panel 20 is limited. Figure 12 illustrates a vehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle 10 comprises a vehicle body structure 15 and component assembly 300 as illustrated in Figure 8. Thus, the vehicle 10 also comprises a fastener assembly 200 and retainer 100 as illustrated in Figures 1 to 6. It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A screw retainer for fixing a vehicle component to a vehicle body panel, the screw retainer comprising:a tubular cylinder with a bore extending along a longitudinal direction of the screw retainer;an anchor portion at a distal end of the screw retainer;a neck portion adjacent to the anchor portion and having a width which is less than a width of the anchor portion; andan adjustment collar moveably located around the tubular cylinder and defining a proximal end face of the screw retainer for engaging a head of a threaded fastener received in the bore;wherein the adjustment collar has an external thread for screwing into an internal thread of the vehicle component to define a distance between the proximal end face of the screw retainer and the anchor portion, and wherein the anchor portion is a low-profile anchor portion having a height which is less than 50 percent of its width.

2. The screw retainer according to claim 1, wherein the anchor portion comprises at least one antirotation feature configured to prevent rotation of the screw retainer about a longitudinal axis during screwing of a threaded fastener into the bore.

3. The screw retainer according to claim 2, wherein the at least one anti-rotation feature comprises a notch in a side surface of the anchor portion.

4. The screw retainer according to claim 2, or claim 3, wherein the anchor portion has a non-circular transverse cross-sectional shape, and wherein the at least one anti-rotation feature comprises the non-circular transverse cross-sectional shape of the anchor portion.

5. The screw retainer according to claim 4, wherein the anchor portion has a generally rectangular transverse cross-sectional shape.

6. The screw retainer according to any preceding claim, wherein the anchor portion has a curved distal end face.

7. The screw retainer according to any preceding claim, wherein the anchor portion has a height of less than 8mm.

8. The screw retainer according to any preceding claim, wherein the width of the anchor portion is at least 20 percent greater than the width of the neck portion, and wherein the anchor portion protrudes beyond the neck portion in the width direction on both sides of the screw retainer.

9. The screw retainer according to any preceding claim, wherein the anchor portion comprises at least one recess on its distal end face to reduce the contact area of the distal end face.

10. The screw retainer according to any preceding claim, wherein the tubular cylinder, neck portion and anchor portion are unitary.

11. The screw retainer of any preceding claim, further comprising a transverse shoulder protruding transversely from the tubular cylinder to define an end stop for the adjustment collar.

12. A fastener assembly for fixing a vehicle component to a vehicle body panel, the fastener assembly comprising the retainer of any of claims 1-11 and a threaded fastener screwed into the bore of the tubular cylinder.

13. A vehicle component assembly comprising a housing defining a housing bore with an internal thread, and a fastener assembly according to claim 12, wherein the external thread of the adjustment collar of the screw retainer is engaged with the internal thread of the housing bore to secure the fastener assembly to the housing.

14. The vehicle component assembly according to claim 13, when dependent on claim 3, wherein the housing comprises an anti-rotation rib which extends in the longitudinal direction of the screw retainer and is located in the notch in the side surface of the anchor portion to prevent rotation of the screw retainer relative to the housing.

15. A vehicle comprising a vehicle body panel having a transverse opening in an edge thereof and a vehicle component assembly according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the neck portion of the screw retainer is received in the transverse opening of the vehicle body panel such that the tubular cylinder extends from a top surface of the vehicle body panel and the anchor portion abuts against an underside of the vehicle body panel to axially secure the screw retainer to the vehicle body panel.14

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