Shear welded mounting stud assembly

• US 7,357,547 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2004
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Drews, Edwin R., Beeler, Michael W., King, Troy, Bodem, Jack D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi; Jacob Y
• Application Number:
  US10/965,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20060077682A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 362/368, 362/365, 362/549, 362/459, 362/507, 362/546, 362/362, 362/370, 362/578, 362/515
• US Class Current: 362/549
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0433 the housing being fastened onto the vehicle body using screws adjustable headlamp by rotation of a screw B60Q1/0683
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 37/061 by means of welding

Abstract

The subject invention relates to an assembly and method for attaching a stud to a lamp housing that decreases the overall size of the automotive lamp assembly. The apparatus has a collar molded over a stud. The collar attaches the stud to the lamp housing by being shear welded to the lamp housing. The stud is prevented from rotating about its longitudinal axis, so that it can serve to mount the lamp housing to an automobile.

Claims

1. An automotive lamp assembly, comprising:

a stud and collar assembly including

a stud,

a cap located at an end of the stud, and

a collar disposed on said cap; and

a lamp housing that is welded to said collar,

wherein said stud extends about an axis, wherein said cap radially extends from said stud, wherein said cap includes an outer peripheral surface, wherein said collar is defined by an inner peripheral surface that correspondingly-interacts with the outer peripheral surface of said cap to prevent rotation of said stud about the axis, wherein said collar is defined by a weldable outer peripheral surface, and

wherein said lamp housing is further defined to include a rib that defines a weldable inner peripheral surface, wherein the weldable outer and inner peripheral surfaces cooperate to provide a weld interface that joins said stud and collar assembly to said lamp housing.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the weld interface is radially-disposed relative the axis.

3. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the collar comprises polymer, wherein the stud and cap comprise metal, wherein the collar is molded over said cap.

4. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the cap includes gear-like teeth that forms corresponding gear-like teeth on said inner peripheral surface.

5. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the cap includes a shape that is selected from the group consisting of an oval shape, a square shape, a rectangular shape, and a triangle shape, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the cap forms a corresponding shape of said inner peripheral surface that is selected form the group consisting of an oval shape, a square shape, a rectangular shape, and a triangle shape.

6. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cap is further defined to include:

a top surface, wherein the collar is further defined to include

a recessed surface, and

a face surface, wherein the cap is disposed against the recessed surface of the collar and below the face surface of the collar.

7. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the stud is further defined to include:

a threaded portion, and

a post.

8. An automotive lamp assembly, comprising:

a stud and collar assembly including

a stud extending about an axis,

a cap radially extending from the stud,

a collar disposed on said cap, and

means for preventing rotation of said stud about said axis;

a lamp housing, and

means for welding said collar of said stud and collar assembly to said lamp housing,

wherein the means for welding said collar to said lamp housing is defined by,

an inner peripheral surface of a rib of said lamp housing and an outer peripheral surface of said cap that, when brought into contact with one another and welded, define a weld interface.

9. The assembly according to claim 8, wherein the means for preventing rotation of said stud about said axis is defined by an inner peripheral surface of said collar that correspondingly-interacts with an outer peripheral surface of said cap.

10. The assembly according to claim 9, wherein the collar is molded over said cap, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the cap includes gear-like teeth that forms corresponding gear-like teeth on said inner peripheral surface when said collar is molded over said cap.

11. The assembly according to claim 9, wherein the collar is molded over said cap, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the cap includes a shape that is selected from the group consisting of an oval shape, a square shape, a rectangular shape, and a triangle shape, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the cap forms a corresponding shape on said inner peripheral surface that is selected from the group consisting of an oval shape, a square shape, a rectangular shape, and a triangle shape when said collar is molded over said cap.

12. The assembly according to claim 8, wherein the weld interface is radially-disposed relative the axis.