This invention relates to a vehicle body mount having an anti-rotation feature and more particularly, to a shear-type body mount for use with a vehicle having a body and a frame and having an anti-rotation feature which allows the mount to be secured to the vehicle body from a position above the vehicle body without requiring a tool below the mount to prevent relative rotation between the components of the mount during the assembly procedure.
Body mounts are typically used within vehicles including a frame and a body and are operatively disposed and/or coupled to the vehicle frame and body. The mounts include a resilient material which damps and/or absorbs vibrations communicated to the vehicle frame from the road surface and from other portions of the vehicle. Particularly, the body mounts allow the frame and body of the vehicle to move relative to one another to a certain limited degree. In this manner, the body mounts substantially reduce the noise and vibration that is communicated to the vehicle""s passenger compartment during vehicle operation.
A conventional body mount includes an inner metal or rigid member which is typically coupled to the body of the vehicle, an outer metal or rigid member or jacket which is typically coupled to the frame of the vehicle, and a resilient member or material (e.g., rubber) which is disposed between and operatively connects the inner metal member and the outer metal member. The resilient material allows the inner member and outer member to move relative to one another to a certain limited degree, effective to allow the vehicle frame and body to move relative to one another, thereby damping vibration and noise that would otherwise be communicated from the vehicle frame to the vehicle body during vehicle operation.
During the vehicle assembly procedure, the outer jacket of a prior body mount is typically first attached to the vehicle frame, by use of conventional fasteners. The body is positioned over the frame and the inner member is then attached to the body by use of a conventional fastener which is inserted through the bottom of the mount and which passes through a channel in the inner member and through a hole in the body.
In order to ensure that the mount is not damaged during assembly, the inner member must generally be stabilized during assembly to insure that the inner member does not rotate or twist relative to the outer member, as such rotation would damage the resilient member which is disposed between the inner and outer members, thereby resulting in poor durability and performance. This stabilization typically requires the fastener to be held from a location below the frame, while a nut is threaded onto the fastener from above the frame. This complicates the assembly procedure, thereby increasing production time and reducing production efficiency. Furthermore, inserting the fastener from below the frame may be difficult or impossible due to components or structures which are already attached to the bottom of the vehicle.
There is therefore a need for a new and improved body mount having an anti-rotation feature, which is effective to couple a vehicle frame to a vehicle body, and which allows the body mount to be attached to the vehicle body from a location above the vehicle body without requiring a tool underneath the body or frame to hold the mount during the attachment procedure.
A first non-limiting advantage of the present invention is that it provides a body mount having an anti-rotation feature which allows the mount to be attached to the vehicle body from a location above the vehicle body.
A second non-limiting advantage of the present invention is that it provides a body mount which may be installed in a manner which substantially eliminates the risk of damaging the resilient member or material of the body mount.
A third non-limiting advantage of the present invention is that it provides a body mount which may be attached to the body of a vehicle from a location above the body without requiring a tool underneath the body to stabilize the mount.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a body mount for use in a vehicle of the type including a frame portion and a body portion is provided. The body mount includes an outer jacket which is adapted to be selectively and fixedly attached to the frame portion; a inner member having an inner channel; a resilient material which is coupled to the inner member and to the outer jacket and which allows for a certain degree of movement of the inner member relative to the outer jacket; and a fastener which is fixedly coupled to the inner member within the inner channel and which extends through the inner channel, the fastener including a threaded portion which is disposed outside of the inner channel and which is effective to receive a nut for coupling the body portion to the inner member, and a tip disposed above the threaded portion and which includes an anti-rotation feature which allows the fastener to be held in a stationary position while the nut is threadingly secured to the threaded portion.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a body mount is provided for use with a vehicle of the type including a frame portion and a body portion. The body mount includes an outer metal jacket which is generally cylindrical and which includes a pair of flanges which are adapted to be selectively and fixedly attached to the frame portion; a generally cylindrical hollow inner member having an inner surface and a top surface; a washer which is fixedly attached to the top surface of the inner member and which includes an aperture; a resilient member which is coupled to the inner member, to the washer and to the outer jacket and which allows for a certain degree of movement of the inner member relative to the outer jacket; and a stud which passes through the hollow inner member, the stud having an outer coarse surface which frictionally engages the inner surface, thereby fixedly coupling the stud to the inner member, the stud further including a threaded portion which passes through the aperture and which is effective to receive a nut for coupling the body portion to the inner member, and a tip which is disposed above the threaded portion and which has a shape which allows the stud to be held substantially stationary while the nut is threadingly secured to the threaded member, thereby substantially preventing the stud from rotating while the body portion is being coupled to the mount.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for use with a body mount of the type including an inner member which is selectively coupled to a body portion of a vehicle, an outer member which is selectively coupled to a frame portion of the vehicle, and a resilient material which is disposed between the body portion and the frame portion. The method is effective to prevent the inner member from rotating relative to the outer member when the inner member is coupled to the body of the vehicle. The method includes the steps of fixedly attaching a fastener to the inner member, the fastener having a threaded portion which is effective to receive a nut for coupling the body portion to the inner member; forming a shape upon a tip of the threaded portion; and utilizing a hold and drive tool to secure the nut to the threaded portion, the hold and drive tool being effective to receive the tip and to substantially prevent the fastener from rotating while threadingly securing the nut to the threaded portion.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and by reference to the following drawings.