FR2556248A1 - DEVICE FOR MOUNTING ON AN AUTOMOTIVE BODY CONTROL BENCH FOR LOCALIZED CONTROL AND POSSIBLE ADJUSTMENT - Google Patents

Abstract

DEVICE INTENDED TO BE MOUNTED ON AN AUTOMOBILE BODY CHECK BENCH TO CHECK THE POSITION OF CERTAIN POINTS OF SUCH BODYWORK. THIS DEVICE IS CONSTITUTED BY A COLUMN 10 OPEN TO ITS FULL HEIGHT, THE UPPER END OF WHICH CARRIES A FIXED GUIDING SLEEVE 15 INSIDE WHICH SLIDES A CONTROL ROD 16 THAT CAN BE IMMOBILIZED IN A POSITION FOR WHICH ITS UPPER END IN THE LOCATION THAT SHOULD NORMALLY BE OCCUPIED, IN SPACE, BY PART 4 TO BE CONTROLLED OF A BODYWORK. BUT THIS ROD CAN ALSO BE MADE FREE TO SLIDE TO ACT AS A PUSHING ORGAN AGAINST THE INTERNAL FACE OF THIS PART OF THE BODYWORK, IN CASE IT IS NECESSARY TO CARRY OUT A LOCAL STRAIGHTENING OF IT BY MEANS OF A CYLINDER 23 WHICH CAN THEN BE PLACED INSIDE THE OPEN COLUMN 10 OF THIS DEVICE. THIS DEVICE CAN BE USED FOR CHECKING, AND POSSIBLY THE STRAIGHTENING, OF CERTAIN DETERMINED POINTS OF A BODYWORK, FOR EXAMPLE THE FIXING POINTS OF THE UPPER ENDS OF MAC PHERSON TYPE SHOCK ABSORBERS, OR THE FIXING POINTS OF SIDES, ETC.

Description

The present invention relates to the operations of

  control and straightening of car bodies, for example

  bodys having suffered deformations following an accident. More specifically, it relates to the control of certain points of such a body, for example the attachment points of the upper ends

  before Mac Pherson type. At present such control is

  after the body has been put in place on a bench

  control and adapting to it measuring or similar

  to check whether there is a match between the actual position

  the points checked and the theoretical position indicated by the

  specifications provided by each manufacturer regarding the

then by him.

  However these control operations are impractical to achieve. Moreover, when there is a deformation, even slight, it is necessary to remove the mounting brackets of the bodywork to be able to proceed to a localized rectification thereof with specially designed devices for this purpose, after which, this body should again be put back in its previous position to be able to control whether the recovery

  performed is satisfactory. This requires a significant amount of time.

  This is why the present invention aims to provide a device to perform more easily such control operations and proceed, if necessary to a localized recovery without there having to disassemble

  the fixing brackets of the bodywork.

  For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a device adapted to

  be: on a control bench and consisting of a co-worker

  open bar on its full height whose upper end carries a fixed guide sleeve within which slides a control rod which can be immobilized in a position for which its upper end is at the location which must normally occupy, in the space, the part of a body to control, but can be made free to slide to act as a push member against the inner face of this part of. body, in case it is necessary to carry out a localized recovery thereof by means of a cylinder which can then be placed inside the open column of the

  present device for acting on this sliding rod.

  Thus the present device allows both to perform the desired control operations and proceed, if necessary, to a localized recovery of the body. In this respect it is obvious that this device can be used only for adjustments of limited importance. In case of deformatiorsim?

  It is advisable to use the usual apparatus for

  or change the corresponding part of the bodywork.

  But in very many cases, there are deformations for which the device according to the invention is sufficient. However, the different characteristics and advantages of

  this device will appear during the following description

  of an exemplary embodiment thereof. This description is

  given with reference to the accompanying drawings for illustrative purposes only, and in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device of FIG.

  control and recovery according to the invention, which is

  felt after setting up a thrust cylinder inside

the column of it.

  FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing the upper end of this same device before the introduction of a thrust cylinder, that is to say in the form where it is

  used to simply perform a check operation.

  FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a bench

  on which two devices according to the invention are adapted.

tion.

  FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of one of these devices and of the corresponding part of a fixed bodywork

on such a control bench.

  FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the corresponding part

  the same bodywork before removing the front wheel

  tive and fixing this body on the control bench.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a variant of

  embodiment of the device according to 1'invention.

  In the exemplary embodiment represented in FIGS. 1 to 4, the device according to the invention is intended to ensure the control, and possibly the localized rectification, of the location of attachment of the upper end of a shock absorber 1 of the type

  Mac Pherson fitted to one of the front wheels 2 of a car

  mobile. As shown in Figure 5, the upper end

  of such a shock absorber is fixed, via a cotLel-

  the 3, in an opening 4 formed in the inner wall 5 of the respective front wing of the corresponding bodywork C.

  To carry out the general or partial control of a car-

  automobile car body, it is fixed above a test bench 6, commonly called "marble", and this by means of several fasteners 7 adapted to the different types of vehicles to control. These fittings each include a

  lower plate 8 to be attached to one of the lanyards

  9 of the test bench used, for example a bench such as that described in French Patent 2,423,748. However for

  ability to control the attachment location of the upper end

  the Mac Pherson front shock absorbers, the wheels cor-

  2 of the vehicle must be lodged before the

  in place of the body on the control bench.

  The device according to the invention consists of a column

  10 open at all its height, the lower end of which

  carries a mounting plate 11 provided with holes 12 spaced se-

  the same spacing module as the holes 13 provided on the

  spars 9 of the control bench 6, as well as on the appendices la-

  14 provided at the front end of these spars. Advantageously, each column 10 is constituted by a rolled sheet-shaped gutter whose side walls have a width

  degressive upward, as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

  At its upper end, the column 10 carries a guide sleeve 15 housed in this end and fixed thereto by

  welding. In this sleeve is mounted a control rod 16 capable of

  tible to slide inside of it. However, there is provided immobilizing means (not shown) preventing against rotation of this rod on itself inside.

of the guide sleeve 15.

  Indeed it is appropriate that this rod is arranged in a precise angular orientation to allow a valid control

  the position in the space of the attachment location of the ex-

  upper end of a Mac Pherson shock absorber 1. However this orientation is determined by the axis X-X 'of the guide sleeve 15 which forms an angle 0 relative to the vertical

  This sleeve is therefore fixed in the desired orientation on the end.

  upper half of column 10, as shown in FIG.

  At its upper end, the rod 16 carries a disc 17 provided, in its center, a projecting washer 18 for centering which is intended to be engaged inside the opening 4 provided in the part 5 of the bodywork for fixing the end

  top of a damper 1 Mac Pherson type.

  At rest, the rod 16 is placed in a low position

  determined by a stop 19 carried by the latter and which is then pressed against the upper edge of the sleeve 15. However, to perform the planned control, this rod must be raised by sliding to a position for which a transverse bore 20 of this rod is brought into concordance with

  diametrical holes 21 i guide sleeve 15. A pin 22 allows

  then to immobilize the rod 16 in this position for the-

  which the upper centering washer 18 must be very precisely engaged in the opening 4 of the corresponding part of the bodywork, while the disc 17 is in its support against the inner edges of the same opening, as

shown in Figure 4.

  If such a match can not be achieved, this means

  that the body part has been deformed

  and no longer corresponds to the specifications indicated by the

  tructor of the corresponding car. However, if one is in the presence of a deformation of limited importance, this part of the body can be straightened by means of the device according to the invention without having to remove the fixing brackets of the body. Indeed, by the very fact that column 10 is open on

  full height, a thrust cylinder 23 can be placed in the in-

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the head 24 of this actuator comes to act on the rod 16. The latter then serves as a thrust member against the inner face of the body.

  corresponding tie 5 of the bodywork. In such a case, the

  that 17 and the centering washer 18 can be replaced by

  another disc 17a adapted to serve as a support member and which is de-

  center of washer washer at its upper end.

  This makes it possible to proceed very easily, and quickly,

  the localized recovery of the corresponding part of the body

  series. Then the device according to the invention can be again

  calf used to check the recovery performed, and check

  if from now on the location of the opening 4 corresponds to the spe-

  Of course, as already indicated, the device according to the invention can only be used for rectifications corresponding to deformations of limited importance. However,

  it is common to find oneself in the presence of such deformities

  mation. This is why in many cases the device se-

  the invention will be sufficient and will avoid the use of

  use of normal bodywork recovery devices. However, this results in an extremely important time saving, since

  the use of the device according to the invention avoids having to

  mounting the body supports and that the con-

  control of the adjustment to be carried out can be carried out immediately

with this same device.

  Given the differences in specifications between the different

  bodies to be repaired, it is appropriate to use

  different controls that correspond to each case. This-

  while it is possible to fit, in the upper guide sleeve 15 of the same control device according to the invention, rods 16 of different types carrying upper discs 17

  themselves oriented in various ways to match the special

  each type of vehicle to be checked. Of course,

  the upper position of each of the control rods 16 is also

  variable depending on the height to be

  the location 4 for fixing a damper 1 Mac Pherson type.

  Because of its design and its advantages, the device according to the invention is particularly suitable for the control, and possibly a localized rectification, of the mounting location of the upper end of a Mac Pherson type front fender. However this device can also be used for the control, and possibly the localized recovery, of

  any other interior points of a car body

  mobile, provided that the height of its vertical column is

modified accordingly.

  Thus, FIG. 6 represents an embodiment in which the column 10b of the corresponding device is very short to allow the control of another determined point of a

  body. However, the characteristics of this device

  try the same as before. Indeed, the upper end of this column carries a guide sleeve 15b inside.

  which slides a control rod 16b that can receive an element

  support which, in the example shown, consists of a

  rectangular 17b provided with reference holes 25. Of course,

  of it is also provided means determining the position in

  height of the rod 16b. Moreover, these means can be the same

  than previously, that is to say holes intended to be

  matched to receive a locking pin 22.

  However, the guide sleeve 15b can advantageously comprise

  two holes 21 and 21b, instead of one, to allow two

  different possibilities of height adjustment of the rod 16b.

  As in the previous embodiment, the co-

  lonne lob is open all the way up. Thus it is possible to engage, inside thereof, a cylinder 23b to proceed to

  a localized recovery of the corresponding part of a body

series.

  To be able to control, and possibly correct, a number of

  In a number of specific points of a bodywork, a set of three open columns, such as columns, can be provided.

  10 and 10b described above, having different heights

  rentes and whose upper sleeve 15 or 15b is likely to receive various rods 16 or 16b control and thrust, themselves having different heights, and bearing washers or footing blocks, 17 or 17b, with various orientations ,

  depending on the nature of the points to be controlled.

  Instead of two superimposed holes 21, 21b, the column 10b may comprise two angularly offset holes, for example

  two holes 21 and 21a, offset by 90 in order to allow a

  correlation of inclination of the plate or sole

  support 17b carried by the rod 16b.

Claims (5)

  1) Device intended to be mounted on an automobile body control bench to carry out the control of the   position of certain specific points of such a coach-   such as the attachment points of the upper extremities   Mac Pherson front shock absorbers, presenting   such a point, a supervisory body whose   upper is situated exactly where this point should normally occupy in space, characterized in that it consists of a column (10) open at full height, the upper end of which bears a fixed sleeve guide (15) within which slides a control rod (16) which can be immobilized in a position for which its upper end is at the position which the space (4) normally occupies in space; to control a body, but can be made free to slide to act as a push member against the face   internal part of this body part, in the event that it is   necessary to make a localized recovery of this one at   by means of a jack (23) which can then be placed inside the   of the open column (10) of the present device for   act on this sliding rod (16).   2) Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the former   upper end of the control rod (16) carries a support member removably fixed, in this case a disc (17)   provided, at its center, with a projecting washer (18) of   in the case of the control of the attachment points of ex-   MacPherson front end shock absorbers (1). 3) Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the open column (10) thereof is constituted by a rolled sheet-shaped gutter and the upper sleeve   (15) is fixed in the desired orientation to the   interior of the upper end of the open column thus formed.   4) Device according to one of the preceding claims, carac-   characterized in that the open column (10) thereof comprises, at its base, a plate (11) pierced with holes (12) spaced according to the same module of respacement as the holes (13) provided on the bench of control (6) used   Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized   in that the guide sleeve (15) provided at the end   upper half of the column (10) thereof has immobilization means preventing the control rod (16) from   turn on itself, while allowing its free in the axial direction.   6) Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized   in that the means, determining the exact position of   controlling the sliding rod (16) in the guide sleeve   ge (15), consist of household holes in these two rooms and   intended to be brought into concordance to receive a government pille (22) immobilization.   7) Device according to one of the preceding claims, carac-   characterized in that there are provided a plurality of control rods (16) of different lengths and which carry upper discs   bearing (17) having different inclinations   to these stems, in order to meet the specifications of the various vehicles to control.