Vehicle lighting assembly and installation method
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsAnthony Nicholas Aquilina, Nicholas Bernard Douglas, Michael Bryan VanBelle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vehicle lighting assembly installation method includes, among other things, coupling an outer panel of a vehicle to a body structure of the vehicle, biasing a lighting assembly outward away from the body structure toward the outer panel, and securing the lighting assembly to the body structure during the biasing. A vehicle assembly includes, among other things, a body structure of a vehicle, an outer panel secured to the body structure, a lighting assembly secured to the body structure, and a biasing member that biases the lighting assembly outward away from the body structure toward the outer panel when securing the lighting assembly to the body structure.
Claims18
A vehicle lighting assembly installation method, comprising:
- coupling an outer panel of a vehicle to a body structure of the vehicle;
- biasing a lighting assembly laterally outward relative to a centerline of the vehicle away from the body structure toward the outer panel;
- and
- securing the lighting assembly to the body structure during the biasing,
- wherein the outer panel is a rear quarter panel and the lighting assembly is a rear taillight assembly.
A vehicle lighting assembly installation method, comprising:
- coupling an outer panel of a vehicle to a body structure of the vehicle;
- biasing a lighting assembly outward away from the body structure toward the outer panel;
- securing the lighting assembly to the body structure during the biasing;
- and
- during the biasing and before the securing, constraining forward and aft movement of the lighting assembly relative to the body structure more than upward and downward movement of the lighting assembly relative to the body structure;
- and
- constraining movement of the lighting assembly relative to the body structure using a floating grommet disposed within an aperture provided by one of the lighting assembly or the body structure, the floating grommet coupled with an extension from the other of the lighting assembly or the body structure during the biasing.
A vehicle assembly, comprising:
- a body structure of a vehicle;
- an outer panel secured to the body structure,
- a lighting assembly secured to the body structure;
- a biasing member that biases the lighting assembly outward away from the body structure toward the outer panel when securing the lighting assembly to the body structure;
- and
- an alignment assembly having an extension received within floating grommet that is disposed within an aperture, the alignment assembly configured to constrain forward and aft movement of the lighting assembly relative to the body structure more than inboard and outboard movement of the lighting assembly relative to the body structure when securing the lighting assembly to the body structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.