Systems and methods for moving a vehicle component relative to the vehicle structure

A system for moving a vehicle component of a vehicle relative to a structure of the vehicle during installation of the component on the structure, the system comprising:

• spaced-apart first and second supports mounted to a base on opposite sides of a component bay region of the base, the first and second supports extending upwardly from the base;
• a lift frame including a crossbeam enclosed within an outer support beam, extending along a crossbeam line central to the crossbeam, between the first and second supports, and a pair of spaced-apart cambered truss assemblies secured to the crossbeam and configured to be attached to and support the vehicle component relative to the crossbeam;
• first and second crossbeam support assemblies on the first and second supports, configured to support the crossbeam relative to the first and second supports, the first and second crossbeam support assemblies being movable along respective open passageways in the first and second supports;
• wherein the first crossbeam support assembly is configured to be moved along the first support in response to a first control signal;
• and the second crossbeam support assembly is configured to be moved independently from the first crossbeam support assembly, along the second support in response to a second control signal;
• and
• an electronic controller operatively configured to generate the first control signal controlling movement of the first crossbeam support assembly along the first support, and to generate the second control signal controlling movement of the second crossbeam support assembly along the second support, to thereby change a position of the vehicle component relative to the vehicle.

A system for moving a vehicle component of a vehicle relative to a structure of the vehicle during installation of the component on the structure, the system comprising:

• a pair of spaced-apart upright supports configured to be mounted to a base on opposite sides of a component bay region of the base;
• a lift frame including a frame crossbeam extending between the upright supports along a rectilinear beam axis and a pair of cambered trusses having respective apexes, the trusses being secured at their apexes at spaced-apart positions to the frame crossbeam, and having distal ends configured to be secured at spaced-apart positions to the vehicle component;
• a crossbeam support on which the frame crossbeam is supported, and configured for movement of the frame crossbeam along the pair of upright supports, rotationally around the beam axis of the frame crossbeam, and rotationally around a transverse axis orthogonal to the beam axis, wherein the crossbeam support contains the frame crossbeam, each of the crossbeam support and the frame crossbeam extending all the way from one of the upright supports to the other upright support, and the crossbeam support being entirely supported and controlled from the pair of spaced-apart upright supports, wherein each upright support has a vertical slot in a front side, and a beam support assembly partially contained inside each of the upright supports, extending through the respective slot and connected to the frame crossbeam.

A method of moving a vehicle component of a vehicle relative to a structure of the vehicle during installation of the component on the structure, the method comprising the steps of:

• attaching a lift frame to the vehicle component, wherein the lift frame includes a crossbeam enclosed within an outer support beam, and a pair of spaced-apart cambered truss assemblies attached to the crossbeam, the lift frame extending between spaced-apart first and second supports mounted to a base on opposite sides of a component bay region of the base, the supports extending upwardly from the base, and attaching the lift frame to the vehicle component includes securing the pair of truss assemblies to the vehicle component at a plurality of spaced locations;
• supporting a first end of the crossbeam with a first crossbeam support assembly on the first support;
• supporting a second end of the crossbeam with a second crossbeam support assembly on the second support;
• moving in response to a first control signal the vehicle component by moving the first crossbeam support assembly along a first open passageway in the first support;
• rotating in response to a second control signal the crossbeam and the attached vehicle component about a beam axis central to the crossbeam and relative to the first crossbeam support assembly to change the orientation of the vehicle component relative to the vehicle;
• rotating in response to a third control signal the lift frame and the attached vehicle component about a pivot axis orthogonal to the beam axis to change the orientation of the vehicle component relative to the vehicle, and
• changing the orientation of the vehicle component relative to the vehicle by generating by an electronic controller the first control signal controlling movement of the first crossbeam support assembly along the first support, the second control signal for controlling rotation of the crossbeam and the attached vehicle component around the beam axis, and the third control signal for rotating the lift frame and the attached vehicle component around the pivot axis orthogonal to the beam axis.