Method and system for measuring seal contact

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10731978-B2
Application number	US-201715828952-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2017
Priority date	Sep 29, 2017
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed toward a method for measuring a seal gap between a closing member and a fixed member. The method includes applying a liquid agent having transferable properties along one or more regions of a stamping member to form one or more base marks. The stamping member is one of the closing member or the fixed member. The method further includes engaging the closing member with the fixed member, disengaging the closing member from the fixed member, and assessing a seal gap between the closing member and the fixed member based on one or more remnant patterns formed on an imprinted member. The imprinted member is the other one of the closing member and the fixed member, and the remnant patterns are formed by the transfer of the liquid agent from the base marks.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for measuring a seal gap between a closing member and a fixed member, the method comprising:
imprinting, with an applicator having a stamping surface, a liquid agent having transferable properties along one or more regions of a stamping member to define one or more base marks, wherein dimensions of the one or more base marks are indicative of dimensions of the stamping surface of the applicator, and wherein the stamping member is one of the closing member and the fixed member;
engaging the closing member with the fixed member;
disengaging the closing member from the fixed member; and
assessing a seal gap between the closing member and the fixed member based on one or more remnant patterns formed on an imprinted member that is the other one of the closing member and the fixed member, wherein the one or more remnant patterns are formed by the liquid agent transferred from the stamping member.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising removing the liquid agent from the stamping member and the imprinted member after assessing the seal gap between the closing member and the fixed member.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assessing the seal gap further comprises:
performing a visual inspection of the one or more remnant patterns; and
determining that the seal gap is within a preset tolerance when a size of a remnant pattern among the one or more remnant patterns is larger than a known reference, wherein the known reference is based on at least one of the one or more base marks or the stamping surface of the applicator.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assessing the seal gap further comprises:
measuring a dimension of at least one of the one or more remnant patterns; and
determining that the seal gap is within a preset tolerance when the dimension of the at least one of the one or more remnant patterns exceeds a set threshold, wherein the set threshold are based on the dimensions of the stamping surface.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the closing member and the fixed member are a door assembly and a door opening defined by a vehicle body, respectively.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the liquid agent is a washable paint.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the liquid agent is applied to a seal disposed on the stamping member.

8. A method for measuring a seal gap between a closing member and a fixed member, the method comprising:
printing, with an applicator having a stamping surface and a liquid agent, a base mark on a stamping member, wherein dimensions of the base mark is indicative of dimensions of the stamping surface of the applicator and the stamping member is one of the closing member and the fixed member;
closing the closing member onto the fixed member;
opening the closing member; and
analyzing a remnant pattern formed on an imprinted member by a transfer of the liquid agent from the base mark to measure the seal gap between the closing member and the fixed member, wherein the imprinted member is the other one of the closing member and the fixed member.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising erasing the base mark and the remnant pattern after analyzing the remnant pattern.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the base mark is printed directly on a surface of a seal that is attached to the stamping member.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the remnant pattern is formed on a seal that is attached to the imprinted member.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the closing member is the stamping member and the fixed member is the imprinted member.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the closing member is the imprinted member and the fixed member is the stamping member.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the analyzing the remnant pattern further comprises:
performing a visual inspection of the remnant pattern; and
determining that the seal gap is within a preset tolerance when of a size of the remnant pattern is larger than a known reference, wherein the known reference is based on the base mark or the stamping surface of the applicator.

15. The method of claim 8 , wherein the analyzing the remnant pattern further comprises:
measuring a dimension of the remnant pattern; and
determining that the seal gap is within a preset tolerance when the dimension of the remnant pattern exceeds a set threshold, wherein the set threshold are based on the dimensions of the stamping surface.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the dimension of the remnant pattern is at least one of a height or a width of the remnant pattern.

17. The method of claim 8 , wherein the liquid agent is a washable paint.

18. A vehicular seal gap measuring method comprising:
printing, with an applicator having a stamping surface and a liquid agent, a mark on one of a panel or a vehicle body, wherein dimensions of the mark is indicative of dimensions of the stamping surface of the applicator;
closing the panel on the vehicle body;
opening the panel;
assessing an interference between the panel and the vehicle body based on a remnant pattern formed on the other one of the panel and the vehicle body by a transfer of the liquid agent from the mark; and
removing the liquid agent after assessing the interference between the panel and the vehicle body.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the assessing the interference further comprises:
performing a visual inspection of the remnant pattern; and
determining that the interference is within a preset tolerance when of a size of the remnant pattern is larger than a known reference, wherein the known reference is based on at least one of the mark or the stamping surface of the applicator.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the assessing the interference further comprises:
measuring a dimension of the remnant pattern; and
determining that the interference is within a preset tolerance when the dimension of the remnant pattern exceeds a set threshold, wherein the set threshold is based on the dimensions of the stamping surface.

Assignees

• Ford Motor Co

Inventors

• Sadri Hossein J
• Juszczyk Steve

Classifications

• G01B3/20 Primary

  Slide gauges · CPC title

• B60J10/18

  provided with reinforcements or inserts · CPC title

• G01B5/0025

  Measuring of vehicle parts (G01B5/003 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N21/8803

  Visual inspection (measuring projectors G01B9/08) · CPC title

• G01B11/14 Primary

  for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures (G01B11/26 takes precedence; rangefinders G01C3/00) · CPC title