Adjustable Mounting Brackets for Low-Stress Vehicle Frame Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing process of joining a vehicle upper body to its underbody in body-on-frame designs often results in misalignment due to manufacturing tolerances, leading to stress introduction and reduced robustness of the vehicle frame.
Innovation Solution
The process involves aligning components of the upper body with desired positions relative to the underbody before affixing mounting brackets to match underbody joints, thereby avoiding the need for stress-inducing alignment corrections during assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the upper body and underbody are joined using fixed brackets or joints to maintain frame dimensions, then manufacturing precision is improved, but the robustness of the vehicle frame deteriorates due to introduced stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the mounting bracket positions adjustable rather than fixed. The brackets can be repositioned along the side sills to accommodate manufacturing tolerances and misalignments, allowing the system to adapt dynamically during assembly rather than requiring precise pre-alignment, thus joining the upper body and underbody without introducing excessive stresses
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by varying the position parameters of the mounting brackets along the side sills. Instead of using fixed bracket positions, the system allows adjustment of bracket locations to match actual alignment conditions, changing the spatial parameters to achieve stress-free joining while maintaining proper frame dimensions
2Manufacturing precision
If bracket positions are fixed to constrain frame dimensions, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability deteriorates as the system cannot accommodate manufacturing tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting brackets are designed with adjustable positions along the side sills, enabling the system to adapt to various alignment conditions resulting from manufacturing tolerances. This dynamic positioning capability allows the same bracket design to work across different production batches while maintaining dimensional accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting brackets serve multiple functions: they provide structural connection, accommodate alignment variations through position adjustment, and maintain frame dimensional accuracy. This multi-functionality allows a single bracket design to handle both precision requirements and tolerance accommodation
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing a vehicle frame is disclosed. An upper body of the vehicle frame is formed, the upper body configured to be joined with an underbody of the vehicle frame at a first component of the upper body. The underbody of the vehicle frame is formed, the underbody configured to be joined with the upper body at a first component of the underbody. After forming the upper body and the underbody, a point on the upper body is aligned with a desired position for the point, independent of an alignment between the first component of the upper body and the first component of the underbody. After aligning the point on the upper body with the desired position for the point, the first component of the upper body is joined to the first component of the underbody.