Methods and systems for a latch plate assembly in a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10434869-B2
Application number	US-201815997995-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2018
Priority date	Aug 3, 2017
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for a latch plate assembly for coupling pipes to a housing of an engine component. In one example, the latch plate assembly comprises: a first latch plate couplable to a first pipe; and a second latch plate couplable to a second pipe, the first and second latch plates being couplable to the housing, wherein the first and second latch plates are together configured to define a bore at an interface between the first and second latch plates. The bore receives a fastener to couple the first and second latch plates to the housing and wherein the bore has a perimeter, the first latch plate defines a first portion of the bore perimeter and the second latch plate defines a second portion of the bore perimeter, the first and second portion together defining the bore perimeter.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A latch plate assembly for coupling pipes to a housing, the latch plate assembly comprising:
a first latch plate couplable to a first pipe; and
a second latch plate couplable to a second pipe, the first and second latch plates being couplable to the housing, wherein the first and second latch plates are together configured to define a bore at an interface between the first and second latch plates, wherein the bore receives a fastener to couple the first and second latch plates to the housing and wherein the bore has a perimeter, the first latch plate defining a first portion of the bore perimeter and the second latch plate defining a second portion of the bore perimeter, the first portion and the second portion together defining the bore perimeter,
wherein the first and second latch plates each comprise a plurality of teeth, wherein the plurality of teeth of one of the first and second latch plates is configured to interface in an interdigitated manner by being received in gaps between the plurality of teeth of the other of the first and second latch plates.

2. The latch plate assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second latch plates defines half of the fastener bore, and wherein the first and second latch plates do not overlap.

3. The latch plate assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first and second latch plates are together configured to define a fastener surface against which a shoulder of the fastener abuts in order to couple the first and second latch plates to the housing.

4. The latch plate assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first pipe is arranged in fluidic communication with a first port in the housing when the first pipe is coupled to the first latch plate and the second pipe is arranged in fluidic communication with a second port in the housing when the second pipe is coupled to the second latch plate.

5. The latch plate assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first pipe comprises a first pipe connector arranged between the first latch plate and an end of the first pipe when the first pipe is coupled to the first latch plate, and wherein the second pipe comprises a second pipe connector arranged between the second latch plate and an end of the second pipe when the second pipe is coupled to the second latch plate.

6. The latch plate assembly of claim 5 , wherein the first and second pipe connectors each comprise seal components configured to create a seal between the first port and the second port in the housing and the first and second pipe connectors, respectively, the seal components spaced apart from the first and second latch plates by respective predetermined distances when the first pipe and the second pipe are coupled to the first and second latch plates.

7. An apparatus, comprising:
a first latch plate having an end with a co-planer first teeth set comprising at least two teeth;
a second latch plate having an end with a co-planer second teeth set comprising at least two teeth to interlock between gaps of adjacent teeth of the first teeth set; and
a bore formed at the interlock to receive a fastener to couple the first and second latch plates to a component, the first and second latch plates each coupled to a first pipe and a second pipe.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first teeth set defines a first half of a perimeter of the bore and the second teeth set defines a second half of the perimeter of the bore, the first half of the perimeter and the second half of the perimeter forming the total bore perimeter upon coupling of the first latch plate to the second latch plate.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the coupling of the first latch plate and the second latch plate to the component includes a first side of the first latch plate being in physical contact with a second side of the second latch plate, the first teeth set and the second teeth set interlinked to form a planar interface, wherein the planar interface is in a plane aligned with a longitudinal axis of the bore.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the fastener includes a shoulder portion and a lower portion, and, upon coupling of the first latch plate and the second latch plate to the component, the lower portion is inserted in the bore and the shoulder portion remains in physical contact with an upper surface of the planer interface.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first pipe is welded to the first latch plate and the second pipe is welded to the second latch plate, and, upon coupling of the first latch plate and the second latch plate to the component, the first pipe fluidically couples to a first housing port formed in a body of the component and the second pipe fluidically couples to a second housing port formed in the body of the component.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first pipe includes a first pipe connector coupled to an end of the first pipe in contact with the first latch plate and the second pipe includes a second pipe connector coupled to an end of the second pipe in contact with the second latch plate.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein, upon coupling of the first latch plate and the second latch plate to the component, the first pipe connector is inserted into a first housing port and the second pipe connector is inserted into a second housing port, and wherein the first pipe connector is coupled to an inner surface of the first housing port via a first sealing component and the second pipe connector is coupled to an inner surface of the second housing port via a second sealing component.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein each of the first sealing component and the second sealing component is an O-ring.

15. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the component is a turbine of a turbocharger, the first pipe being a first coolant line carrying hot coolant from an engine to the turbine and the second pipe being a second coolant line carrying cooled coolant from the turbine to a radiator.

16. A system, comprising:
a first latch plate assembly including a first latch plate and a second latch plate forming a planer interface for coupling a first pipe and a second pipe to a first engine component, the planer interface comprising an interconnection of first and second co-planer teeth each formed on a respective end of the first and second latch plates, and a bore positioned through the interconnection of the first and second co-planer teeth for receiving a fastener coupling the first latch plate assembly to the first engine component, wherein the first latch plate includes a first set of teeth etched in a first edge of the first latch plate and a first half of a perimeter of the bore formed in the first set of teeth, and wherein the second latch plate includes a second set of teeth etched in a second edge of the second latch plate and a second half of the perimeter of the bore formed in the second set of teeth, the first edge of the first latch plate physically in contact with the second edge of the second latch plate upon coupling of the first latch plate to the second latch plate.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein coupling each of the first pipe and the second pipe to the first engine component includes inserting a first connector of the first pipe into a first housing port in the engine component and inserting a second connector of the second pipe into a second housing port in the engine component, each of the first connector and the second connector held within the first housing port and the second housing port, respectively, via one or more O-rings.

18. The system of claim 16 , further comprisin

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Macdonald Benjamin
• Leck Christopher
• Pates Thomas

Classifications

• F16L43/00

  Bends; Siphons (with cleaning apertures F16L45/00) · CPC title

• B60K13/04 Primary

  concerning exhaust · CPC title

• B60K11/02

  with liquid cooling · CPC title

• F16L41/086

  fixed with screws · CPC title

• F01N13/1822

  for fixing exhaust pipes or devices to vehicle body · CPC title