CN-121989185-A - Rotary dial mounting bracket and method of making and using the same

Abstract

A mounting bracket for assembling a first component and a second component includes a bracket body rotatable relative to the two components and including a circular array of fastener through-holes, a threaded fastener passing through each fastener through-hole and into a threaded hole in the first component to thereby secure the mounting bracket to the first component. A locator pin protrudes from a central region of the bracket body, the locator pin being inserted into a pin aperture in the second component, thereby attaching the mounting bracket and the first component to the second component. A pair of fastener holes are positioned diametrically opposite each other across the locator pin and both are positioned a common radial distance from the locator pin. Another pair of fastener holes are located diametrically opposite each other across the locator pin, and each fastener hole is located a different distance from the locator pin.

Inventors

• R. P. Sanchez

Assignees

• 通用汽车环球科技运作有限责任公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260508

Application Date

20250107

Priority Date

20241108

Claims (10)

1. 1. A mounting bracket for assembling a first component with a second component, the first component including a threaded bore configured to receive a threaded fastener, and the second component including a pin aperture, the mounting bracket comprising: A bracket body rotatable relative to the first and second members and defining an array of fastener holes therethrough, each fastener hole configured to pass one of the threaded fasteners therethrough and into one of the threaded holes to mount the bracket body to the first member, and A locator pin protruding from a central region of the bracket body and surrounded by the array of fastener holes, the locator pin being configured to be inserted into the pin aperture to thereby mount the bracket body and the first component to the second component, Wherein the array of fastener holes includes a pair of first holes positioned diametrically opposite each other across the locator pin and both positioned a first distance in common with the locator pin and a pair of second holes positioned diametrically opposite each other across the locator pin and each positioned a corresponding second distance from the locator pin.
2. 2. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the first holes are spaced apart from one another by a common inter-hole distance and the second holes are spaced apart from one another by a common inter-hole distance.
3. 3. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the respective second distances of the second holes are different from each other and from a common first distance of the first holes.
4. 4. A mounting bracket according to claim 3, wherein the array of fastener holes further comprises a pair of third holes positioned diametrically opposite each other across the locator pin and each third hole is a respective third distance from the locator pin, wherein the respective third distances of the third holes are different from each other, from a common first distance of the first holes, and from a respective second distance of the second holes.
5. 5. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the bracket body and locator pin are integrally formed of a rigid polymeric material or a metal-containing material as a one-piece structure.
6. 6. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the locator pin is a frustoconical boss projecting generally perpendicularly from a central region of the bracket body.
7. 7. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein a pair of threaded fasteners are passed through the first aperture of the bracket body and into the threaded aperture of the first member to mount the bracket body at a first location on the first member, and wherein the pair of threaded fasteners are passed through the second aperture and into the threaded aperture to mount the bracket body at a second location on the first member that is different from the first location.
8. 8. The mounting bracket of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of support ribs axially protruding from the first axial face of the bracket body and configured to structurally strengthen the mounting bracket.
9. 9. The mounting bracket of claim 8, wherein the plurality of support ribs comprises an annular rib and a plurality of linear ribs integral with and radially protruding from the annular rib.
10. 10. The mounting bracket of claim 8, wherein the bracket body is substantially planar, the support rib projects substantially perpendicularly from a first axial face of the bracket body, and the locator pin projects substantially perpendicularly from a second axial face of the bracket body opposite the first axial face.

Description

Rotary dial mounting bracket and method of making and using the same Technical Field The present disclosure relates generally to positioning features for aligning parts during part-to-part assembly. More particularly, aspects of the present disclosure relate to mounting brackets for aligning door panels during manufacture of a vehicle door assembly. Background Currently produced motor vehicles, such as modern automobiles, are initially equipped with compartment closure assemblies that are movably mounted to the vehicle body to cover various interior compartments of the vehicle and provide controlled access to those compartments. For example, in automotive applications, driver-side and passenger-side doors may be opened and closed to allow authorized users to enter and leave the passenger compartment. In contrast, a hood (referred to as an "bonnet" in some countries) extends over and covers the engine compartment of the vehicle to prevent theft or damage to engine components while allowing repair and maintenance. On the other hand, the trunk lid is hinged below the deck at the rear (or front) of the passenger compartment to cover the trunk compartment positioned at the rear (or front) of the vehicle. In contrast, pick-up trucks, sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), van trucks and other cargo transportation vehicles are typically characterized by a rear cargo compartment that is closed at the aft end of the body by an articulating lift gate, tailgate or double gate assembly. For interconnecting the component parts forming the vehicle compartment closure assembly, the complementary parts may be positioned relative to each other by mating features that are too large or too small to provide part-to-part play. This defined spacing nature enables the production line operators to freely move the parts relative to each other to ensure proper alignment during the assembly process. The controlled part-to-part spacing may be provided by a bi-directional mounting bracket secured to one component and including male alignment features, such as protruding bosses. The male alignment features are received in corresponding female alignment features in the other component, such as through holes or recessed slots. Typically, there is a gap between each male alignment feature and its corresponding female alignment feature to accommodate expected dimensional and positional variations of the mating parts caused by manufacturing tolerances. Once aligned, the parts may be secured together by fasteners, clips, heat staking, or the like. Disclosure of Invention Provided herein are rotary dial mounting brackets for part-to-part alignment during assembly manufacturing, methods of making and using such mounting brackets, and motor vehicles having door assemblies constructed using such mounting brackets. By way of non-limiting example, rotary dial support is manufactured with a circular array of fastener through holes surrounding a center locator pin. The circumferentially spaced fastener holes mate in pairs, with the holes of each pair being positioned diametrically opposite each other across the center locator pin. The distance between each pair of mating fastener holes is the same as the fastener holes in the other mating hole pairs (e.g., the common hole-to-hole distance is about 44 millimeters (mm)). However, only one mating hole pair includes fastener holes equidistant from the center locator pin pair (e.g., each fastener hole in the first pair (0:0 origin) has a radial distance of about 22 mm). In contrast, the fastener holes of the other mating hole pairs each have a different distance to the center locator pin. For example, a second (-1: +1 offset) pair has one fastener hole with a radial distance to the center locator pin of about 21mm and another fastener hole with a radial distance to the center locator pin of about 23 mm. To simplify design and manufacture, the rotary dial support may be injection molded or die cast as a one-piece structure from a high strength polymeric material or a metal-containing material such as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) or 6061 aluminum alloy. The final stent body may be substantially planar and may have an asymmetric plan view profile. The stent body may have optional spur gear-like teeth spaced around and projecting radially outward from the circumference of the stent body. The center locator pin may be a frustoconical boss projecting perpendicularly from the central region of the bracket body. It may be desirable for the center of the circular array of fastener through holes to be eccentric (i.e., radially offset) from the axial center of the center locator pin. For ease of reference, fastener through holes may be labeled using intuitive classification schemes (e.g., 0:0, -1: +1, -2: +2, -3: +3; A1: A2, B1: B2, C1: C2, etc.). The fastener through holes may be circular, oval or square and share the same dimensions. Ribs may be added to the underside of the bracket body to structurally strengthe