Abstract:
A method of securing a wedge assembly to a vehicle is shown and described. The method may include the following steps: providing the wedge assembly having a striker assembly, a support assembly and a shipping retainer, securing the wedge assembly with a moveable door of the vehicle, engaging the moveable door of the vehicle with a door engaging portion of the vehicle, and adhering the support assembly with the door engaging portion of the vehicle in a predetermined position. The method may further include the following steps: disengaging the moveable door of the vehicle from engagement with the door engaging portion of the vehicle causing the shipping retainer to disengage from the striker assembly, and securing the support assembly with the door engaging of the vehicle.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/507,192, entitled “Rear Lift Gate Wedge System,” filed on Jul. 13, 2011, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    This application relates generally to a lift gate wedge assembly and more particularly to a lift gate wedge assembly and a method for assembling the lift gate wedge assembly to a vehicle. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Vehicles including automobile sport utility vehicles, station wagons, mini-vans, cross-over vehicles, cargo vans, trucks, and the like often provide an access door, commonly known as a lift-gate door. Other similar door designs include hatchback doors, sliding doors and horizontally swinging doors. Although these door designs can be mounted differently, for simplicity, these door designs will hereinafter be summarized in reference to lift-gate doors. Lift-gate doors are frequently hinged along an upper horizontal surface, and latch adjacent to a flooring system of the automobile, commonly adjacent to the rear fender of the automobile. One or more latches may be used. The side edges of lift-gate doors are generally not hinged or physically connected to the vehicle structure or support posts at the rear of the vehicle. Motion of the vehicle therefore can result in “match-boxing” or non-parallel deflection of the support posts relative to the squared sides of the lift-gate door. 
         [0004]    Match-boxing is undesirable for several reasons. First, side-to-side or non-parallel motion of support posts can impart additional vehicle noise, known as “chucking” at the lift-gate latch as the vehicle travels along rough or uneven surfaces. Second, vehicle drive train vibration known as idle or “drive train boom” can be transmitted as noise into the passenger compartment via known sliding wedge designs. Third, unless a mechanism is positioned between the lift-gate door edge and the support posts of the vehicle, full structural allowance for the stiffness of the lift-gate cannot be used in the design of the support structure area. 
         [0005]    In order to include the stiffness of the lift-gate door in the analysis and design of structural support posts, wedge assemblies have been used that displace to span the gap between the lift-gate door and the support post. These assemblies reduce match-box deflection of the support posts by transferring some deflection load to the lift-gate door using wedge assemblies generally positioned between each support post and the lift-gate door. 
         [0006]    The wedge is typically a relatively small piece of elastomer, metal, or plastic attached to the liftgate or other appropriate location on a vehicle. Wedges are used to help stabilize the liftgate, especially to help prevent the liftgate from traveling cross-vehicle, fore/aft, and vertically during various vehicle body twist frequency sweeps. Wedges provide a load path from the liftgate to a frame of the vehicle body. Wedges also help to minimize the closing effort increase of the liftgate due to the reaction force in the swing-line direction. Still further, wedges help accommodate the gap and flushness variation between the liftgate and vehicle body due to manufacturing and assembly variations. 
         [0007]    Common designs for wedge assemblies have several problems. One such problem is that vehicle rattling noise is produced if the wedge is not maintained in continuous contact with the striker plate (or vehicle support post). Tolerances used for common wedge assemblies permit easy translation, but can result in rattling between the parts during vehicle travel. Another problem is that vehicle build variation, vehicle manufacturing tolerances and/or frame vertical deflection during vehicle use can contribute to disconnect or result in lack of contact between the wedge and the striker plate (or vehicle support post). If the wedge is not maintained in contact with the vehicle support post or striker plate, rattling can occur. Yet another problem is that the hard plastic material commonly used for wedge designs may not dampen the vibration caused by the drive train during idle operation, thus further contributing to drive train boom. 
         [0008]    One attempt at meeting the above requirements is to use a rubber block type wedge. In these vehicles, a rubber block is located in the gap between the liftgate and the vehicle body. However, this type of wedge may significantly increase the closing effort of the liftgate and may be hard to adjust to accommodate the gap variation. 
         [0009]    Another attempt at stabilizing the liftgate is to use a spring loaded plastic bumper on each side of the liftgate, which would, in turn, mate with rubber stop pads. However, these bumpers and pads only provide cross-vehicle stabilization to prevent the liftgate from being excited beyond its own natural frequency into a state of impending motion. These bumpers and pads also require overslam bumpers to control movement in the fore/aft and up/down directions of the vehicle. 
         [0010]    Therefore, it is desirable to provide a liftgate wedge assembly of a vehicle and method of assembly same that may stabilize the liftgate. It is also desirable to provide a liftgate wedge assembly of a vehicle and method of assembly same that may be adjustable to accommodate the gap and flushness variation between the liftgate and the vehicle body. It is further desirable to provide a liftgate wedge assembly of a vehicle and method of assembly same that may minimize the closing effort increase of the liftgate due to the reaction force in the swing-line direction. It is also desirable to provide a liftgate wedge assembly and method of assembly same that may be quickly assembled. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a lift gate wedge assembly of a vehicle and method of assembly same that meets one or more of such. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0011]    A method of securing a wedge assembly to a vehicle is shown and described. The method may include the following steps: providing the wedge assembly having a striker assembly, a support assembly and a shipping retainer, securing the wedge assembly with a moveable door of the vehicle, engaging the moveable door of the vehicle with a door engaging portion of the vehicle, and adhering the support assembly with the door engaging portion of the vehicle in a predetermined position. The method may further include the following steps: disengaging the moveable door of the vehicle from engagement with the door engaging portion of the vehicle causing the shipping retainer to disengage from the striker assembly, and securing the support assembly with the door engaging of the vehicle. 
         [0012]    A method for securing a lift gate wedge assembly to a vehicle may include the steps of: securing a striker assembly of the lift gate wedge assembly with a lift gate of the vehicle, and closing the lift gate of the vehicle, where a support assembly of the lift gate assembly adheres with a lift gate engaging portion of the vehicle in a predetermined position. The method may further include the steps of: opening the lift gate of the vehicle, where a shipping retainer disengages from the striker assembly and the support assembly adhered to the lift gate engaging portion of the vehicle, and securing the support assembly with lift gate engaging portion of the vehicle. 
         [0013]    A method for securing a lift gate wedge assembly to a vehicle may include the steps of: securing the lift gate wedge assembly with a lift gate of the vehicle, where the lift gate wedge assembly includes a striker assembly, a support assembly having an adhesive attached thereto and a shipping retainer selectively attaching the striker assembly with the support assembly. The method may further include the steps of: closing the lift gate of the vehicle, engaging the adhesive of the support assembly with a lift gate engaging portion of the vehicle, opening the lift gate of the vehicle, retaining the support assembly with the lift gate engaging portion of the vehicle in operative alignment with the striker assembly, disengaging the shipping retainer from the support assembly, and securing the support assembly with the lift gate engaging portion of the vehicle. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    The operation of the invention may be better understood by reference to the detailed description taken in connection with the following illustrations, wherein: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  is a first and second exploded views of a lift gate wedge assembly and third and fourth perspective views of the lift gate wedge assembly; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the lift gate wedge assembly; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the lift gate wedge assembly with the striker assembly opened; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the lift gate wedge assembly with the striker assembly opened and the shipping retainer removed; 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the lift gate wedge assembly with the striker assembly opened, the shipping retainer removed and a santoprene liner ready to be installed; 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is an exploded view of the lift gate wedge assembly; 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  is an installed lift gate wedge assembly in the open position; 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  is an installed lift gate wedge assembly in the closed position; and 
           [0023]      FIG. 9  is a flow-chart depicting a method of installing the lift gate wedge assembly on a vehicle. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0024]    Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and functional changes may be made without departing from the respective scope of the invention. Moreover, features of the various embodiments may be combined or altered without departing from the scope of the invention. As such, the following description is presented by way of illustration only and should not limit in any way the various alternatives and modifications that may be made to the illustrated embodiments and still be within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
         [0025]    A lift gate wedge assembly  10  is shown in  FIGS. 1 through 8 . The lift gate wedge assembly  10  may be used on a rear-door of a vehicle, such as sport utility vehicles, station wagons, mini-vans, cross-over vehicles, cargo vans, trucks, and the like. The lift gate wedge assembly  10  may also be used on other similar door designs, which may include by way of a non-limiting example, hatchback doors, sliding doors and horizontally swinging doors. The lift gate wedge assembly  10  may include a striker assembly  12 , a support assembly  14 , and a shipping retainer  18 , exemplary embodiments of which are shown assembled in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0026]    Incidentally, it will be appreciated that this lift gate wedge assembly  10  may use fewer components than prior art lift gate wedges, may provide for substantially perfect alignment from lift gate to quarter panel on the initial attempt, and may prevent substantially all rattling of the lift gate to which it attaches. Compared to prior art left gate wedges, this lift gate wedge assembly  10  may provide for a speedier assembly time to the vehicle. 
         [0027]    The striker assembly  12  may be comprised of wedge bracket  24  and a wedge  28  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 6 . The wedge bracket  24  may be made of any appropriate material, such as of a substantially hard polymeric material. The present teachings, however, are not limited to the specific material—any appropriate material may be used. The wedge bracket  24  may include at least one vehicle securement aperture  32  and a wedge securement aperture  36 . While three such apertures are shown and described, any number of apertures may be used without departing from the present teachings. Still further, while the vehicle securement and wedge securement apertures  32 ,  36  are shown as being generally circular apertures, the present teachings are not limited to such. The vehicle securement and wedge securement apertures  32 ,  36  may be of any generally appropriate shape, such as rectangular, oval, ovoid, or any combination of such. 
         [0028]    The wedge securement aperture  36  may be located generally near a central portion of the wedge bracket  24 . The vehicle securement apertures  32  may be generally located on a periphery of the wedge bracket  24 , i.e., they may be located on respective ends of the wedge bracket  24  laterally spaced from one another. The vehicle securement apertures  32  may allow for any appropriate fasteners such as screws, self-tapping screws, self-tapping bolts, and any other fastener to engage with the vehicle, including by way of a non-limiting example into the lift gate of the vehicle such as through apertures thereon. The wedge bracket  24  may be of a shape as shown in  FIG. 6  or of any other appropriate shape, such as substantially rectangular, circular, oval, square, etc. 
         [0029]    The wedge  28  may be comprised of any appropriate material, such as by way of a non-limiting example an elastomeric material including, but not limited to, rubber, neoprene, silicon rubber, elastically deformable polymeric material, or the like. The wedge  28  may be of a shape as shown in  FIG. 6  or of any other appropriate shape such as substantially rectangular, circular, oval, square, etc. The wedge  28  may include an aperture  38  located near a center portion of the wedge  28 . Although, it should be understood that the aperture  38  may be located at any appropriate position. The wedge bracket  24  may be placed over the wedge  28  with the wedge securement aperture  36  generally aligning with the aperture  38  of the wedge  28  to allow any appropriate fastener  40  to be secured thereto. In some embodiments, the fastener  40  may be a bolt that maybe inserted into and through the wedge securement aperture  36  and into the aperture  38  of the wedge. A nut  42  may be used to secure with the fastener  40 . This may secure the wedge  28  with the wedge bracket  24  forming the striker assembly  12 . 
         [0030]    The support assembly  14  of the lift gate wedge assembly  10  may include a base assembly  44 , an adhesive pull tab  48  operatively connected with the base assembly  44 , and an adhesive seal  50  connected between the pull tab  48  and the base assembly  44 . The base assembly  44  may include a base support bracket  54  and an over molded base  58  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The base  58  may be comprised of a substantially hard polymeric material but may also be comprised of any other appropriate material. The base  58  may be of a shape as shown in  FIG. 1  or may be of any other appropriate shape such as substantially rectangular, circular, oval, square, etc. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the base  58  may include an opening or a cavity  62  that may allow for the shipping retainer  18 , the striker assembly  12 , and a santoprene liner  46  to be placed inside the base  58 , as described in more detail below. The base  58  may include an aperture  66  at any appropriate location thereof. By way of a non-limiting example, the aperture  66  may be located in proximity to a central portion on a lower portion  68  of the base  58 . The aperture  66  may allow for at least one fastener (not shown) such as screws, self-tapping screws, self-tapping bolts, and any other fastener to engage with the vehicle, such as by way of a non-limiting example, a threaded aperture on the vehicle. This may secure the support assembly  14  with the vehicle. The base  58  may also include at least one additional aperture (not shown) positioned on a back wall  69  of the base  58 . In some embodiments, the back wall  69  may include a pair of apertures (not shown), which is described in more detail below. 
         [0031]    The base support bracket  54  may be comprised of any appropriate materials, including by way of a non-limiting example, a substantially hard polymeric material. The base support bracket  54  may comprise a shape shown in  FIG. 1  or be comprised of any other appropriate shape, such as substantially rectangular, circular, oval, square, etc. The base bracket  54  may include a generally planar bottom member  70  and a vertically extending member  72  that may be generally perpendicular the generally planar bottom member  70 . In some embodiments, the generally planar bottom member  70  and vertically extending member  72  may be integrally formed as a monolithic member or may be attached together through a subsequent operation. 
         [0032]    The generally planar bottom member  70  may include at least one aperture  76  at any appropriate position, such as by way of a non-limiting example at a generally central location. The aperture  76  may be of any appropriate shape and size such that it may allow at least one fastener such as a screw, self-tapping screw, self-tapping bolts and any other appropriate fastener to threadably engage with the vehicle, such as by way of a non-limiting example, a threaded aperture on the vehicle. More specifically, the base support bracket  54  may be juxtaposed—such as being placed below—the base  58  with the base bracket aperture  70  generally aligning with the aperture  58  of the base  58 . This may allow the fastener (not shown) to be inserted therethrough and then to be secured with the vehicle, which forms the base assembly  44 . 
         [0033]    The vertically extending member  72  of the base support bracket  54  may include at least one aperture  78 . In some embodiments, the vertically extending member  72  may include a pair of apertures  78 . It should be noted, however, that any appropriate number of such apertures  78  may be used without departing from the present teachings. A corresponding number of fasteners  80  may be used to engage apertures  78 , i.e., if a pair of apertures  78  are used a pair of fasteners  80  may be used. 
         [0034]    The base support bracket  54  may be generally aligned with the base  58 . The apertures (not shown) of the back wall  69  of the base  58  may be generally aligned with the apertures  78  of the vertically extending member  72 . The fasteners  80  may be inserted through the apertures  78  and through the apertures (not shown) of the back wall  69 . A pair of nuts  82  may be used to threadingly engage the fasteners  78 , which secures the base support bracket  54  with the base  58 . Alternatively, in some embodiments, the nuts  82  may not be used and the fasteners  80  may attach directly to the base support bracket  54  and base  58 . Still further, while apertures  78  and the apertures (not shown) of the back wall  69  are described, the fastener  80  may attach directly to the base support bracket  54  and base  58  without the use of apertures. 
         [0035]    In some embodiments, the base support bracket  54  may include a plurality of tabs  83 . The tabs  83  may be capable of engaging the base  58  when the base support bracket  54  is positioned adjacent the base  58 . The tabs  83  may assist with positioning the support bracket  54  relative to the base  58  so that they may be secured together as described above. Still further, the tabs  83  may engage the base  58  further securing the base support bracket  54  with the base  58 . 
         [0036]    In such embodiments, a liner  84  may be inserted into the base  58 . The liner  84  may be made of any appropriate material such as an elastomeric material such that it may provide dampening during operation of the lift gate wedge assembly  10 . By way of a non-limiting example, the liner  84  may be made of santoprene—though the present teachings are not limited to such. 
         [0037]    As previously noted, the support assembly  14  may include the adhesive seal  50  and the adhesive pull tab  48 . As shown in  FIGS. 2-5 , the adhesive seal  50  may be positioned between the base assembly  44  and the adhesive pull tab  48 . In exemplary embodiments, the adhesive seal  50  may attach to an underside of the base assembly  44 , such as by way of a non-limiting example, using adhesives, fasteners, or the like. The adhesive pull tab  48  may be made of any suitable material, such as any kind of plastic, rubber or the like. The adhesive seal  50  may be made of any appropriately strong adhesive. 
         [0038]    By way of illustration, a method for assembling the lift gate wedge assembly  10  to a vehicle is depicted in  FIG. 9 . The lift gate wedge assembly  10  may be assembled. Specifically, the striker assembly  12  may be formed, the support assembly  14  may be formed, and the support assembly may be formed. By way of a non-limiting example, the striker assembly  12  may be formed by securing the wedge bracket  24  with the wedge  28 . The fastener  40  may be inserted into and through the wedge securement aperture  36  of the wedge bracket  24 . The wedge  28  may be aligned with the wedge bracket  24  such that the fastener  40  may be inserted into and through the wedge aperture  38 . The nut  42  may then be threadingly engaged with the fastener  40  securing the wedge bracket  24  with the wedge  28 . This may form the striker assembly  12 . 
         [0039]    At least a portion of the base assembly  44  may be formed by securing the base support bracket  54  with the base  58 . By way of a non-limiting example, the base support bracket  54  may be aligned with the base  58 . The tabs  83  of the base support bracket  54  may engage the base  58  further aligning the apertures  72  of the generally planar bottom portion  70  of the base support bracket  54  with the aperture  66  of the base  58 . In like manner, the apertures  78  of the vertically extending member  72  may align with the apertures of the back wall  69  of the base  58 . The fasteners  80  may be inserted into and through apertures  78  and the apertures of the back wall  69 . The nuts  82  may be threadably engaged with the fasteners  80  securing the base support bracket  54  with the base  58 . 
         [0040]    Further, the adhesive seal  50  and the adhesive pull tab  48  may be appropriately attached to the base assembly  44 , which may form the support assembly  14 . The adhesive pull tab  48  may be selectively attached with the adhesive seal  50 , such that the adhesive pull  48  may be removed from the adhesive seal  50  as described below. The adhesive seal  50  may be added to an underside of the base assembly  44  and then the adhesive pull tab  48  may be attached with the adhesive seal  50  such that the adhesive seal  50  is positioned between the base assembly  44  and the adhesive pull tab  48 . 
         [0041]    Still further, the shipping retainer  18  may be selectively attached to both the striker assembly  12  and the support assembly  14  in any appropriate manner. This may result in the shipping retainer  18  selectively attaching the striker assembly  12  with the support assembly  14  forming the lift gate wedge assembly  10 . 
         [0042]    As depicted in  FIG. 9 , the lift gate wedge assembly  10  may be secured to a lift gate (not shown); shown as step  100 . Specifically, the fasteners (not shown) may be inserted into and through the vehicle securement apertures  32  of the wedge bracket  24 ; shown as step  110 . The fasteners may then be secured to the lift gate of the vehicle. This may secure the wedge bracket  24  with the lift gate of the vehicle. As the shipping retainer  18  selectively secures the striker assembly  12  with the support assembly  14 , the lift gate wedge assembly  10  is therefore secured to the lift gate of the vehicle. 
         [0043]    After the lift gate wedge assembly  10  is secured to a lift gate (not shown), the adhesive pull tab  48  on the adhesive seal  50  may be removed therefrom. A force may be applied to the adhesive pull  48  pulling it from securement with the adhesive seal  50 ; shown as step  120 . The lift gate may then be closed; shown as step  130 . This may allow the adhesive seal  50  to securely adhere to the rear quarter panel (not shown) of the vehicle. 
         [0044]    Next, the lift gate may be opened; shown as step  140 . This may allow the shipping retainer  18  to release from the lift gate wedge assembly  10 , or more specifically, it may release from selective attachment with the striker assembly  12 . This may occur as the adhesive seal  50  may have a greater retention force to the rear quarter panel (not shown) of the vehicle than the shipping retainer  18  may have with the striker assembly  12 . This may result in the support assembly  14  remaining secured to the rear quarter panel of the vehicle while the striker assembly  12  remains fixed with the lift gate. After this is completed the support assembly  14  may be in position to receive the striker assembly  12 , i.e., the support assembly  14  may be generally perfectly aligned with the striker assembly  12  despite the support assembly  14  being secured with the rear quarter panel and the striker assembly  12  being secured with the lift gate. Still further, the support assembly  14  may not need any additional positioning to be operatively aligned with the striker assembly  12  during closure of the lift gate. 
         [0045]    Then, as shown in  FIG. 9 , the shipping retainer  18  may be removed from the support assembly  14  and be discarded; shown as step  150 . A material fastener (not shown), such as a bolt, may then be driven through the aperture  60  of the base  58  and the aperture  76  of the generally planar bottom portion  70  of the base support bracket  54 . This may secure the support assembly  14  to the vehicle (not shown); shown as step  160 . The adhesion of the adhesive seal  50  may maintain the support assembly  14  in its current position, which assists in providing a substantially perfect alignment from lift gate to quarter panel on the initial attempt. The adhesive seal  50  may be compressed by the fastener being driven through the support assembly  14  into the vehicle, which may increase the force by which the support assembly  14  attaches to the vehicle. 
         [0046]    Next, as shown in  FIG. 9 , the liner  84  may be installed into the support assembly  14 ; shown as step  170 . The liner  84  may cover the fastener (not shown) that retains the support assembly  14  to the vehicle as described above. In addition the liner  84  may provide a soft contact area for the lift gate wedge assembly  10  when the striker assembly  12  is closed and engages the support assembly  14 . Specifically, the liner  84  may act as a dampener, which may reduce the chucking noise and/or match boxing. This may increase the efficacy of the lift gate wedge assembly  10 . 
         [0047]    While the steps of the present method are shown as being performed in a specific order, the present teachings are not limited to the method being performed in this specific order. The steps may be performed in any appropriate order and are not limited to that shown and described above. By way of a non-limiting example, steps may be performed in a different order, certain steps may be skipped, certain steps may be combined, and additional steps may be added without departing from the present teachings. Still further, while the steps above describe a lift-gate door, the present method may also apply to similar door designs, including, without limitation hatchback doors, sliding doors and horizontally swinging doors. 
         [0048]    Although the embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing detailed description, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to just the embodiments disclosed, but that the invention described herein is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the scope of the claims hereafter. The claims as follows are intended to include all modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the claims or the equivalent thereof.