Adjustment brackets and adjustment bracket assemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10457233-B2
Application number	US-201815889581-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2018
Priority date	Feb 27, 2017
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

An adjustment bracket used to adjust a space between a first part and a second part is provided. The adjustment bracket comprises a cylindrical adjustment body including a first disc and a second disc. The first and the second discs are formed by cutting the adjustment body into two equal halves along a slanted surface. The first disc and the second disc are capable of counter rotating at an equal amount at an opposite direction, and the adjustment body has a substantially same thickness around its circumference at a home position, and has a varied thickness when the first and second discs rotates along a central axis away from the home position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An adjustment bracket assembly used to adjust a space between a first part and a second part, comprising:
a first disc having a first surface and a second surface, wherein the second surface is opposite to the first surface and tapered toward the first surface;
a second disc having a third surface and a fourth surface, wherein the third surface is opposite to the fourth surface and tapered toward the fourth surface; and
a disc position adjustment mechanism configured to enable rotation of the first and second discs at an opposite direction with an equal amount via a tool; and
wherein the second surface of the first disc contacts the third surface of the second disc, the first surface of the first disc and the fourth surface of the second disc are substantially parallel at a home position, and the first surface and the fourth surface forms an angle when the first disc and the second disc rotate at an opposite direction around a central axis away from the home position.

2. The adjustment bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein the disc position adjustment mechanism includes at least one guide slot on the first disc and at least one guide slot on the second disc, wherein the tool is a sliding pin, and wherein the guide slots are of spiral shape and are configured to guide the first and the second discs to rotate at the opposite direction with an equal amount via a movement of the sliding pin in the guide slots.

3. The adjustment bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein the disc position adjustment mechanism includes a first guide slot on a first half of the first disc, a second guide slot on a second half of the first disc, a third guide slot on a first half of the second disc and a fourth guide slot on a second half the second disc, wherein the tool is a sliding pin and wherein the guide slots are configured to guide the first and the second discs to rotate at the opposite direction at a same angle via a movement of the sliding pin in the first guide slot and the third guide slot or a movement of the sliding pin in the second guide slot and the fourth guide slot.

4. The adjustment bracket assembly of claim 3 , wherein the guide slots have a spiral shape, the first guide slot is symmetric to the second guide slot and the third guide slot is symmetric to the fourth guide slot relative to a diameter, and wherein the first and the third guide slots constitute a first guide set and the second and fourth guide slots constitute a second guide set to rotate the first and second discs, and each guide set is used to adjust a relative position of the first and second discs at a time.

5. The adjustment bracket assembly of claims 1 , wherein the disc position adjustment mechanism includes a first tab at a first edge of the first disc and a second tab at a second edge of the second disc opposite to the first edge, wherein the tool is a linkage including a first bar and a second bar and wherein the first tab and the second tabs are connected to the first bar and the second bar, respectively, and a rotation of the first disc and the second disc at an equal amount at the opposite direction is enabled via a movement of the linkage.

6. The adjustment bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second discs includes a central hole to receive a central pivot that positions the first and second discs during adjustment of the first and second discs and secures the first and second discs together after the adjustment.

7. The adjustment bracket assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second discs includes at least one elongated fastener slot.

8. An adjustment bracket used to adjust a space between a first part and a second part, comprising:
a cylindrical adjustment body including a first disc and a second disc, wherein the first and the second discs are formed by cutting the adjustment body into two equal halves along a slanted surface,
wherein the first disc and the second disc are capable of counter rotating at an equal amount at an opposite direction, wherein the adjustment body has a substantially same thickness around its circumference at a home position, and has a varied thickness when the first and second discs rotates along a central axis away from the home position; and
wherein the first disc includes a first tab at a first edge and the second disc include a second tab at a second edge opposite to the first edge, and wherein the first tab and the second tabs are connected to a linkage, respectively, and a rotation of the first disc and the second disc at an equal amount at the opposite direction is enabled via movement of the linkage.

9. The adjustment bracket of claim 8 , wherein each of the first and second discs includes a central hole to receive a central pivot that positions the first and second discs during adjustment of the first and second discs and secures the first and second discs together after the adjustment.

10. The adjustment bracket of claim 8 , wherein each of the first and second discs includes at least one elongated fastener slot.

11. An adjustment bracket assembly used to connect a first vehicle part and a second vehicle part, comprising:
a first disc having a first surface, a second surface, and a central hole, wherein the second surface is opposite to the first surface and tapered toward the first surface;
a second disc having a third surface, a fourth surface and a central hole, wherein the third surface is opposite to the fourth surface and tapered toward the fourth surface;
a disc position adjustment mechanism configured to enable rotation the first and second discs at an opposite direction with an equal amount via a tool,
wherein the second surface of the first disc contacts the third surface of the second disc, the first surface of the first disc and the fourth surface of the second disc are substantially parallel at a home position, and the first surface and the fourth surface forms an angle when the first disc and the second disc rotate away from the home position.

12. The adjustment bracket assembly of claim 11 , wherein the disc position adjustment mechanism includes a first spiral slot on the first disc and a second spiral slot on the second disc, and the tool is a sliding pin, and wherein a relative position of the first and second discs are adjusted by inserting the sliding pin into the first and second spiral slots and rotating one of the first and second discs.

13. The adjustment bracket assembly of claim 11 , wherein the disc position adjustment mechanism includes a first tab at a first edge of the first disc and a second tab at a second edge of the second disc and the tool is a linkage including a first bar and a second bar, and wherein the first tab is connected to the first bar and the second tab is connected to the second bar, and the rotation of the first disc and the second disc at the opposite direction with the equal amount is enabled via a movement of the linkage.

14. The adjustment bracket assembly of claim 11 , wherein the first and second discs are preassembled to have a predetermined angle between the first surface of the first disc and the fourth surface of the second disc via the disc position adjustment mechanism and the tool and wherein the first and second discs are fixed together by a center fastener.

15. The adjustment bracket assembly of claim 11 , wherein a relative position of the first and second discs are adjusted via the disc position adjustment mechanism and the tool when assembling with the first and second vehicle parts.

16. The adjustment bracket assembly of claim 11 , further include a base plate includ

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Job David
• Garbutt Jason

Classifications

• B60R19/24 Primary

  Arrangements for mounting bumpers on vehicles · CPC title

• B60R2019/245

  with adjusting means to compensate manufacturing tolerances, e.g. between bumper and energy absorbers · CPC title