FR3051213A1 - SUPPORT FOR FASTENING A LOCK - Google Patents

Abstract

Mounting bracket (1) for positioning a lock (20) on a structural element (30), having a support surface for receiving the lock (20) and a gripping face, a reversible holding means (5) for to maintain the lock (20), preferably the holding means is a magnet (5), at least one positioning means (4a, 4b) for positioning the support with respect to the structural element (30) on which the lock (20) is intended to be fixed, a gripping means (6) located on the gripping face and shaped to be taken with one hand, preferably with a hand equipped with a glove.

Description

The invention relates to a lock support used during the mounting of a lock on a structural element, more particularly on a vehicle structure element.

The lock of a front hood of a vehicle is generally attached to an element of the vehicle structure, such as a front panel. This lock keeps the hood closed by cooperating with a strike located on said hood. During the manufacture of the vehicle, to ensure that the lock is well positioned relative to the latch located on the hood, it is known to position and fix said lock to the structural element by placing the hood in position closed. The person who raises the lock manipulates said lock by taking it directly with the help of his hand, usually covered with a protective glove. Such a solution is described for example in patent FR2934229. The disadvantage of such a solution is that, since the lock is a piece of generally flat shape, it is not easy to handle in the factory by the people who mount the parts on the vehicles, especially since these people wear protective gloves. Another disadvantage is that accessibility to the fastening devices of the lock on the front panel is complicated when the hood is in the closed position. The object of the invention is to remedy these disadvantages. In particular, one of the aims of the invention is to provide a lock support for easy mounting of a lock on a structure, in particular with a gloved hand, and allowing precise positioning of the lock without the need to place the cover in closed position.

This object is achieved according to the invention, with a mounting support for positioning a lock on a structural element, comprising a support face for receiving the lock, a gripping face, a reversible holding means for maintaining the lock to the support, preferably the holding means is a magnet, at least one positioning means for positioning the support with respect to a structural element on which the lock is intended to be fixed, and a gripping means located on the gripping face and shaped to be taken with one hand, preferably a hand equipped with a glove.

Thus advantageously, the lock is easily manipulated by a person, especially when wearing gloves, thanks to the gripping means of the support. In addition, the positioning means allow correct positioning of the lock before attachment to the vehicle structural element. Then, thanks to the reversible holding means, the support and the lock can be separated once the lock is fixed, and the support reused. The operation of manipulation and positioning of the lock is thus easy to achieve, even with gloved hands. And in the case of a lock for a vehicle front cover, it is not necessary to close said front cover to precisely position said lock.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the gripping means is a projecting element on the gripping face. Thus advantageously, the gripping of the support equipped with the lock is easy and the hand holding the support remains on the side of the gripping face, without passing on the side of the support face.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the support comprises a plate connecting the positioning means, the holding means and the gripping means.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the support comprises adjustment means arranged to adjust the position of the positioning means relative to the plate.

Advantageously, the support can be adapted to position locks on elements of different structures by changing the position of the positioning means.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the adjustment means is a removable spacer positioned between the positioning means and the plate.

Thus, advantageously, the position of the positioning means relative to the plate is achieved by very simple means. It suffices to disassemble the spacer, to choose another spacer of the desired size and to insert it between the positioning means and the plate. Preferably, the positioning means can be dismounted relative to the plate. The installation of the spacer is then performed by disassembling the positioning means. Once the spacer is installed, the positioning means is remixed to the plate, the spacer remaining between said plate and said positioning means.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the plate has a substantially flat shape and the positioning means is a positioning arm which extends perpendicularly to the plate on the side of the support face.

Thus advantageously, the positioning arm allows to position the support relative to an edge of the element of the structure on which the lock is intended to be fixed. For this, simply press the plate against the structural element with the positioning arm outside the structure, and slide the support so that the positioning arm is blocked against one of the edges of the structural element. In addition, it is possible to add a centering means on this edge cooperating with the positioning arm, such as for example a notch in which the positioning arm can lock, so that the support is even more easily and more quickly precisely positioned on the structural element.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the support comprises a centering means on the side of the support face, and intended to cooperate with the lock so as to position the lock on the support face, while allowing a rotation of said lock around an axis perpendicular to said support face, the centering means preferably being a cylindrical pin protruding from the plate, and a stop formed by a protruding portion extending on the side of the support surface of the support , said stop being intended to lock the lock at least in a rotation about an axis perpendicular to the support face and passing in the center of the centering means.

Thus advantageously, the lock can be positioned easily in a precise manner relative to the support. Indeed, the centering means allows a positioning at least along axes parallel to the plate and perpendicular to each other, while the stop ensures a correct position of the lock vis-à-vis its rotation around a axis perpendicular to the support face. The positioning of the lock on the support is easy to achieve. Just place the lock so that it cooperates with the centering means and then rotate around the centering means to abut it on the stop. These operations are easier to perform even with gloves, and fast.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the centering means and / or the abutment and / or the gripping means are fixed to the plate.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the plate comprises a first branch and a second branch, each branch comprising at their end respectively a positioning arm, the branches forming between them an angle of less than 180 ° and being connected between by one of their extremities.

This arrangement has the advantage of reducing the size of the plate and allows free access to fixing holes located on the lock to place screws for fixing said lock. The fact that the arms are interconnected by one of their end gives the plate a general shape close to that of a "V". In particular the tip of the V formed by the junction of the two branches gives the plate a narrow shape in this area adapted to be placed between said fixing holes of the lock. Thus, the plate is not facing said holes when the lock is centered on the support and abuts against the stop, and these holes are accessible to screw lock fixing screws on the element. of structure. The invention also relates to a method of mounting a lock on a vehicle structure element with a support as described above, which comprises the following steps: placing the lock on the support on the side of the support face, so that the lock is held by the holding means, positioning the support with the lock against the structural element so as to press the lock against said structural element and to place the positioning means outside the element of structure, placing the positioning means in abutment against an edge of the structural element, - fixing the lock to the structural element, separating the support from the lock. The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the support of the invention, on the side of the gripping face.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the support side of the support side.

Figure 3 is a view of a lock usable with the support.

FIG. 4 is a view of the support equipped with a lock, on the side of the support face. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the support equipped with a lock and positioned on a front facade of a vehicle

FIG. 6 is a front view of a vehicle arranged to receive the lock of FIG.

The drawings are schematic representations to facilitate the understanding of the invention. The components are not necessarily represented on the scale. The same references correspond to the same components from one figure to another.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a support 1 is intended to receive a vehicle front hood lock 20, illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, in order to facilitate the handling and positioning of said lock 20 on a structural element 30. on which said lock 20 is to be fixed, such as for example a structural element 30 of the front face of the vehicle (illustrated in FIG 6). The support 1 comprises a plate 2 on which are fixed positioning means formed by two positioning arms 4a and 4b. The plate 2 is of substantially flat shape. To facilitate the description of the invention, an orthogonal reference X, Y, Z is defined such that the Y and Z axes form a plane substantially parallel to the plate, and the X axis is perpendicular to the plane defined by the Y axes and Z. The two positioning arms 4a, 4b extend perpendicular to the plate 2, substantially parallel to the axis X. They are fixed on the edges of the plate 2, for example by screws. In order to be able to modify the position of the positioning arms 4a and 4b with respect to the plate 2, adjustment means in the form of spacers 9a and 9b are positioned between the positioning arms 4a and 4b and said plate 2. The support comprises a support face for receiving the lock, and a gripping face located opposite the support face. The positioning arms 4a and 4b both extend on the same side of the plate 2, on the side of the support face of the support 1. They are fixed on the thickness of the plate 1, so that by changing the the thickness of the spacers 9a and 9b respectively, the respective position of the positioning arms 4a and 4b is modified in directions parallel to the plane YZ.

A means for holding the reversible lock 20 in the form of a magnet 5 is positioned on the face of the plate 2 situated on the side of the support face of the support 1. This magnet 5 makes it possible to temporarily hold the lock 20 to be fixed. On the face of the plate 2 located on the side of the gripping face of the support 1, a gripping means 6 extends substantially along the axis X. In the embodiment shown, this gripping means 6 is in the form of a cylinder with an axis parallel to the X axis. It is dimensioned so as to be easily gripped by the fingers of a gloved hand. For example, the cylinder may be of circular section and of diameter between 1.5 and 3 centimeters, over a length of between 3 and 5 centimeters. Depending on the conditions under which the support 1 must be taken in hand, the skilled person may choose other dimensions and other forms to obtain a gripping means 6 adapted.

The support 1 comprises a centering pin 7 projecting on the support face of the plate 2. This centering pin 7 is preferably a pin inserted into an orifice in the plate 2, held by a tight assembly. The centering pin 7 can be replaced and possibly modified to adapt the support 1 to different types of lock. It cooperates with a complementary shape 23 on the lock 20, illustrated in FIG. 3. The cooperation of the pin 7 with this complementary shape 23 allows precise positioning along the Y and Z axes of the lock 20 relative to the support 1. The centering pin 7 is for example cylindrical and the complementary shape 23 on the lock 20 may for example be formed by a hollow cylinder 23 located on said lock 20 and projecting. The pin 7 enters the hollow of the hollow cylinder 23. The ridges of the hollow cylindrical 23 may comprise a chamfer to facilitate the entry of the pin 7 into the hollow cylinder 23. When the lock 20 is positioned on the support 1 with the pin centering 7 retracted into the hollow cylinder 23, said lock 20 can pivot relative to the support about an axis passing through the centering pin 7. The outside of the hollow cylinder 23 can be used for example to fix a torsion spring on the lock 20.

The support 1 comprises on the plate 2 a stop 8 formed by an outgrowth extending along the axis X, on the side of its support face. As illustrated in Figure 2, the positioning arm 4b is fixed on said protrusion. Alternatively, to improve the positioning accuracy of the lock 20 on the support 1, said support 1 may comprise other stops.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 4 and 5, the plate 2 comprises two branches 3a and 3b at the end of which are fixed respectively the positioning arms 4a and 4b. The branches 3a and 3b extend to form an angle between 100 and 140 degrees. The magnet 5 and the gripping means 6 are located at the intersection of the two arms 3a and 3b. The stop 8 is located at the end of the branch 3b. The skilled person can adapt this angle depending on the lock and / or the structure on which the lock is to be positioned and fixed.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the support 1 holds the lock 20 manufactured with ferromagnetic metal, thanks to the magnet 5. The lock 20 is positioned so that one of these edges abuts against the stop 8. This stop position of the lock 20, called the mounting position, is reached by rotating the lock 20 around the centering pin / until it is blocked by said stop 8.

The lock 20 has two holes 22 to be fixed on a structural element 30 by screws. The shape of the plate 2 is arranged so that when the lock 20 is in the mounting position on the support 1, no part of said support 1 is in facing relation with the holes of the lock 20. In particular, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the plate 2 has a general shape of "V" type, of which the two branches 3a and 3b of the plate 2 form the branches of the "V". The positioning arms 4a and 4b are located at the end of these branches 3a and 3b. When the lock 20 is in the mounting position and is placed against the structural member 30 on which said lock 20 is to be fixed, as shown in Figure 5, the support 1 does not interfere with access to the holes 22 of the lock 20, because the two holes 22 are on either side of the tip of the V-shaped plate 2. The structural element 30 is for example a front of the vehicle. This structural element 30 has an upper edge 31 forming a notch 32. The notch 32 has a bottom edge 34b and two lateral edges 34a, illustrated in FIG. 6, connecting the bottom edge 34b to the remainder of the upper edge 31, giving a substantially rectangular shape to said notch 32. The support 1 equipped with the lock 20 is positioned against the structural element 30 with the positioning arms 4a and 4b resting against the upper edge 31. One of the positioning arms 4b is placed in the notch 32, against the bottom edge 34b and one of the lateral edges 34a of said notch 32. The support 1 is arranged so that in this position on the structural element 30, with the lock 20 in the mounting position, the holes 22 of the lock 20 are vis-à-vis with fixing holes in the structural element 30 so as to allow the insertion and screwing of screws in these fixing holes , and the lock 20 and correctly posi compared to the cowl striker with which it must cooperate.

As shown in fig. 6, in order to ensure a more precise positioning of the lock 20 on the structural element 30, said structural element may comprise positioning pins 33 against which the edges of the lock 20 rest. These pins 33 allow a more precise positioning of the support 1 by cooperating with the lock 20 along the Y and Z axes, the positioning along the X axis being obtained directly by pressing the lock 20 against the structural element 30.

To fix the lock 20 on the structural element 30, the person in charge of this operation, which is called operator, takes with one hand the support 1 with the aid of the gripping means 6. On the other hand hand, the operator grasps a lock 20 and positions it on the support 1, on the side of the support face of the plate 2, seeking to return the centering pin 7 in the hollow cylinder 23 of the lock 20. The lock 20 is held with the magnet 5 against the support 1. The operator then rotates the lock 20 around the centering pin 7 so as to put said lock 20 against the abutment 8, and thus put the lock 20 in its mounting position. Then, the operator places the support 1 equipped with the lock 20 against the structural element 30, so as to press the positioning arms 3a and 3b against the upper edge 31, one of the arms being in support against the one of the lateral edges 34a and the bottom edge 34b of the notch 32. In this position of the support 1, the lock 20 is in the right position to be fixed on the structural element 30. fixation and clamps to secure the lock 20 on the structural element 30. Finally, the operator pulls on the support 1 to remove it from the structural element 30, the lock 20 remaining on said structural element 30. the structural element 30 is in the form of a vertical wall, the positioning arms 4a and 4b make it possible to hold the support on the upper edge 31 and thus to hang the support 1 equipped with the lock 20 to the element 31. The operator can release the support 1, for example the mps to recover screws or tool.

Alternatively, the centering pins 33 may be sufficient to correctly position the support 1 and the lock 20 on the structural element 30. When the operator has placed the support 1 with the lock 20 against the structural element 30, he adjusts the position of the lock 20 by moving the support 1 until the lock 20 locks on the pins 33, a sign of correct positioning. In this case, it is not necessary for one of the positioning arms 4a or 4b to abut against one of the lateral edges 34a, just as the upper edge may not have a notch 32.

Claims (10)

1 / mounting bracket (1) for positioning a lock (20) on a structural member (30), having a support face for receiving the lock (20) and a gripping face, a holding means (5); ) reversible for holding the lock (20), preferably the holding means is a magnet (5), at least one positioning means (4a, 4b) for positioning the support with respect to the structural member (30). ) on which the lock (20) is intended to be fixed, and a gripping means (6) on the gripping face and shaped to be taken by a hand, preferably a hand equipped with a glove. 2 / support (1) according to claim 1 characterized in that the gripping means (6) is a projecting element on the gripping face. 3 / support (1) according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that it comprises a plate (2) connecting the positioning means (4a, 4b), the holding means (5) and the gripping means (6) . 4 / support (1) according to claim 3 characterized in that it comprises an adjusting means (9a, 9b) arranged to adjust the position of the positioning means (4a, 4b) relative to the plate (2). 5 / support (1) according to claim 4 characterized in that the adjusting means (9a, 9b) is a removable spacer positioned between the positioning means (4a, 4b) and the plate (2). 6 / support (1) according to one of claims 3 to 5 characterized in that the plate (2) has a substantially planar shape and the positioning means (4a, 4b) is a positioning arm which extends perpendicularly to the plate (2) on the side of the support face. 7 / support (1) according to one of claims 3 to 6 characterized in that it comprises a centering means (7) on the side of the support surface of the support (1) and intended to cooperate with the lock (30). ) so as to position said lock (30) on the support face while allowing a rotation of said lock (20) about an axis perpendicular to said support face, the centering means (7) being preferably a cylindrical pin in protruding from the plate (2), and a stop (8) formed by a projecting portion extending on the side of the support face of the support (1), said stop (8) being intended to lock the lock (30). ) at least one rotation about an axis perpendicular to the plate (2) and passing in the center of the centering means (7). 8 / support (1) according to one of claims 3 to 7 characterized in that the centering means (7) and / or the abutment (8) and / or the gripping means (6) are fixed to the plate (2). 9 / support (1) according to one of claims 3 to 8, characterized in that the plate (2) comprises a first branch (3a) and a second branch (3b), each branch (3a, 3b) comprising their end respectively a positioning arm (4a, 4b), the legs (3a, 3b) forming between them an angle less than 180 ° and being interconnected by one of their end. 10 / A method of mounting a lock (20) on a vehicle structural element (30) with a support (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises the following steps : placing the lock (20) on the support (1) on the side of the support face, so that the lock (20) is held by the holding means (5), positioning the support (1) with the lock (20) against the structural member (30) so as to press the lock (20) against said structural member (30) and position the positioning means (4a, 4b) out of the structural member (30); 30), placing the positioning means (4a, 4b) against an edge of the structural element (30), - fixing the lock (20) to the structural element (30) separating the support (1). ) of the lock (20).