Abstract:
An automotive audio bracket for mounting a vehicle component to an interior surface of the vehicle includes a first mounting surface oriented substantially perpendicular to the interior surface and adapted for attachment to a rigid support structure of the vehicle, and a second mounting surface oriented substantially perpendicular to the interior surface and adapted for attachment to the vehicle component. An elongated aperture extends through one of the first and second mounting surfaces, the aperture being elongated along an axis substantially perpendicular to the interior surface. A fastening mechanism is positioned within the aperture and connects the first mounting surface to the second mounting surface.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates in general to an automotive mounting bracket and more particularly, to an audio bracket having a fore and aft slip plane. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Conventional automotive vehicles typically consists of thousands of individual components connected together to form a complete vehicle. To streamline and minimize the cost associated with assembling a vehicle, manufacturers may construct subassemblies consisting of various components. Each subassembly is then attached to the vehicle as part of the final assembly. An instrument panel assembly is one such subassembly. The instrument panel assembly may include an instrument panel to which various know components, such an instrument cluster, vehicle controls, stereo system, glove compartment, ventilation system, among others, are attached. The instrument panel assembly may also include a rigid cross-car support to which the instrument panel is attached. When the instrument panel assembly is installed in the vehicle, the ends of the cross-car support are appropriately coupled to a substructure of the vehicle, such as the A-pillars, thereby insuring that the instrument panel is properly positioned and fixed for use. 
         [0003]    Some of the components attached to the instrument panel, such as the stereo system, can be rather heavy. Attaching heavy components such as this to the instrument panel without additional support can result in the component vibrating when the vehicle is operated, particularly over rough road surfaces. This in turn can cause undesirable noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), which can negatively impact the perceived quality of the vehicle. To avoid this problem, heavy components, such as the stereo system, are often secured to a rigid body member, such as the cross-car support, in addition to the instrument panel. Attaching the component to both the instrument panel and the cross-car support, however, can cause assembly problems, such as mounting holes being misaligned, due to the compounding of manufacturing tolerances, particularly in the forward to aft dimensions. One method for alleviating this problem is to decrease the manufacturing tolerances of the various components, which unfortunately, may result in an undesirable increase in the manufacturing cost of the vehicle. Because of these and other known limitations of existing methods for connecting instrument panel components to multiple support structures, it is desirable to develop a relatively simple and cost effective means for securely mounting a vehicle component to the instrument panel assembly that is capable of accommodating manufacturing tolerances that would otherwise make assembly of the components difficult. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    An automotive audio bracket is provided for mounting a vehicle component to an interior surface of the vehicle, The bracket including a first mounting surface oriented substantially perpendicular to the interior surface and adapted for attachment to a rigid support structure of the vehicle, and a second mounting surface oriented substantially perpendicular to the interior surface and adapted for attachment to the vehicle component. An elongated aperture extends through one of the first and second mounting surfaces, the aperture being elongated along an axis substantially perpendicular to the interior surface. A fastening mechanism is positioned within the aperture and connects the first mounting surface to the second mounting surface. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    The audio bracket disclosed herein will become more fully understood from the detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of an automotive instrument panel assembly employing an audio bracket having a fore and aft slip plane; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a partial perspective view of the instrument panel assembly of  FIG. 1 , showing the audio bracket attached to an instrument panel bracket; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a partial side elevational view of the connection between the audio bracket and the instrument panel bracket, as shown in  FIG. 2 , with a fastener for connecting the two components removed for clarity; 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a partial perspective view of the instrument panel assembly showing the audio bracket employing an elongated aperture for receiving the fastener used to connect the audio bracket to the instrument panel bracket; 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is a partial side elevational view of the connection between the audio bracket and the instrument panel bracket, as shown in  FIG. 4 , with the fastener removed for clarity; 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is a partial perspective view of the instrument panel assembly showing the audio bracket employing a modified elongated aperture for receiving the fastener used to connect the audio bracket to the instrument panel bracket; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  is a partial side elevational view of the connection between the audio bracket and the instrument panel bracket. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    The following description of the embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. 
         [0014]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , an instrument panel assembly  10  mountable within a passenger a compartment of an automotive vehicle is shown. Instrument panel assembly  10  extends in a cross-vehicle direction at the front of the passenger compartment below a front windshield of the vehicle. Instrument panel assembly  10  may include an instrument panel  12  and an elongated rigid steering member  14  disposed within instrument panel  12 . Steering member  14  provides rigid support for a steering column and a plurality of components or instruments associated with instrument panel  12 , such as an audio unit  16 , as well as other components, including but not limited to, wiring, duct work, an instrument cluster, and a passenger air bag. 
         [0015]    Instrument panel  12  may be constructed of a variety and materials, which may include a relatively stiff, self supporting, thermoplastic having limited flexibility and capable of being molded to a desired configuration. Instrument panel  12  includes appropriate openings for receiving various components, such as the air ducts, instrument cluster, cabin climate control module, and audio unit  16 , among others. 
         [0016]    Steering member  14  extends in a cross-vehicle direction generally perpendicular to a lengthwise axis  18  of the vehicle. Opposite ends of steering member  14  are preferably fixedly coupled to a rigid portion of the vehicle substructure, such as the vehicle&#39;s A-pillars, using a variety of known attaching means. Steering member  14  may be constructed as a hollow tube and have any of a variety of cross-sectional shapes, such as polygonal, circular, and oblique, depending on the specific requirements of the particular application. 
         [0017]    Hardware rigidly mounted to steering member  14  includes a pair of spaced apart elongated IP mounting brackets  20  and  22  for attaching instrument panel  12  to steering member  14 . IP mounting brackets  20 , 22  may be welded or otherwise secured to steering member  14  along a midsection  24  of the respective bracket. IP mounting brackets  20 , 22  include an upper arm  26  extending in a generally upward direction from steering member  14 . Extending from a distal end  28  of upper arm  26  is a mounting flange  30  adapted to engage an upper region  32  of instrument panel  12 . Instrument panel  12  may be secured to brackets  22 ,  24  by means of a threaded faster  33  that engages an aperture  34  in flange  30  and a corresponding threaded aperture  36  in instrument panel  12 . 
         [0018]    IP brackets  20 , 22  also include a lower arm  38  extending in a generally downward direction from steering member  14 . Extending from a distal end of lower arm  38  is a flange  40 , which engages a lower region  42  of instrument panel  12 . Instrument panel  12  may be secured to brackets  20 , 22  by means of a threaded fastener  44  that engages an aperture  46  in flange  40  and a corresponding threaded aperture  48  in instrument panel  12 . 
         [0019]    Instrument panel assembly  10  further includes a bezel  50  that connects to instrument panel  12 . Bezel  50  includes multiple openings for receiving various components, such as air conditioning ducts  52 , audio unit  16 , and cabin climate system controls, among others. Bezel  50  may be constructed from various materials and may include various configurations depending on the structural and aesthetic requirements of the particular application. Bezel  50  may be suitably attached to instrument panel  12  by means of integrally formed clips  54 , screws, or any other suitable connecting means, 
         [0020]    Various components can mounted to bezel  50  prior to attaching the bezel to instrument panel  12 , including audio unit  16 . Audio unit  16  can be mounted to a back inside surface  56  of bezel  50  relative to an opening  58  in bezel  50  so as to enable a front control panel  60  of audio unit  16  to be accessed through the bezel opening. Opening  58  in bezel  50  preferably has an edge contour that closely coincides with the adjoining surface contour of front control panel  60  of audio unit  16  to provide a gap free and aesthetically pleasing fit between audio unit  16  and bezel  50 . 
         [0021]    Audio unit  16  may be attached to bezel  50  by means of a pair of audio brackets  62  and  64 . Audio brackets  62 , 64  have a generally planar midsection  66  that engages a vertical side surface  68  and  70 , respectively, of audio unit  16 , and may be attached thereto using one or more threaded fasteners  72 . Alternatively, audio brackets  62 , 64  may be attached to audio unit  16  using another suitable connecting means, for example and without limitation, by welding, brazing, and rivets. Extending in generally upward direction from midsection  66  of audio brackets  62 , 64  is an upper arm  74  having a flange  76  adapted to engage the back inside surface  56  of bezel  50 . Audio brackets  62 , 64  also include a lower arm  78  having a flange  80  adapted for engaging back inside surface  56  of bezel  50 . Arm  78  extends in a generally rearward direction from midsection  66  of audio brackets  62 , 64  (i.e., toward a rear of the vehicle). Audio brackets  62 , 64  can be suitably attached to bezel  50  using threaded fasteners  82 , which pass through an aperture  84  formed in flange  76 , and threadably engage a corresponding threaded aperture  86  in bezel  50 . 
         [0022]    A conventional audio unit may include multiple audio components integrated into a single unit, such as a CD player, cassette tape player, and a radio receiver. This can result in the audio unit having a rather substantial weight. The substantial mass of the audio unit generally requires that it be securely affixed to a rigid portion of the vehicle structure, in addition to the instrument panel, to limit excessive vibration of the audio unit when operating the vehicle, particularly over rough road surfaces. Mounting audio unit  16  only to bezel  50  in the manner described above, wherein the audio unit is essentially cantilevered from the bezel, may have the undesirable effect of allowing the audio unit to vibrate in a generally vertical direction when the vehicle is operated. This could produce objectionable noise, vibrations, and harshness (NVH) that may negatively impact the perceived quality of the vehicle. To help minimize audio unit related NVH, audio unit  16  may also be attached to a rigid structural element of the vehicle, for example, steering member  14 , in addition to bezel  50 . This has an advantage of increasing the vertical stiffness of the audio unit mounting structure, which in turn can minimize vibration of the audio unit and the associated NVH. 
         [0023]    Audio unit  16  can be affixed to steering member  14  by connecting audio brackets  62  and  64  to instrument panel brackets  20  and  22 , respectively. Audio brackets  62 , 64  may include a mounting flange  88  extending in a generally downward direction from midsection  66  of brackets  62 , 64 . Flange  88  includes a generally planar region  90  that overlays an end portion  92  of IP mounting brackets  20 , 22 . It is preferable that planar region  90  of flange  88  be aligned substantially parallel to the lengthwise axis of the vehicle. An aperture  94  for receiving a threaded fastener  96  extends through planar region  90  of flange  88 , the axis of aperture  94  being aligned substantially perpendicular to the vehicle lengthwise axis. A corresponding aperture  98  for receiving fastener  96  is located in an end  100  of IP mounting brackets  20 , 22 . Flange  88  of audio brackets  62 , 64  may be secured to IP mounting brackets  20 , 22 , respectively, using thread fasteners  96 , which includes a bolt  102  and a nut  104 . To assist with assembly, nut  104  may be fixedly attached to either the audio bracket or the IP mounting bracket (as shown in  FIG. 1 ). 
         [0024]    Preferably, aperture  94  in flange  88  will substantially align with aperture  98  in IP brackets  20 , 22  during assembly. However, due to manufacturing tolerances, that may not always be the case. Instances where the two apertures fail to lineup during assembly can generally be remedied by applying a force to an edge of flange  88  to urge the two apertures into alignment. This technique, however, can cause other components of instrument panel assembly  10  to become misaligned depending on the amount of force required to bring the two apertures into alignment. For example, bezel  50 , which is directly connected to audio brackets  62 , 64 , could potentially be moved out of position relative to instrument panel  12 , thereby creating an undesirable gap between the mating surfaces of the two components. 
         [0025]    To accommodate the inherent manufacturing tolerances effecting alignment of aperture  94  of audio brackets  62 , 64  with aperture  98  of IP mounting brackets  20 , 22 , one or both apertures may be sized sufficiently larger than a major diameter of bolt  102 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . Thus for example, if bolt  102  has a major diameter of 0.250 inches, and one of the apertures has a diameter of 0.300 inches, this would allow for a total misalignment of 0.050 inches between the two apertures. Although both apertures can be enlarged, doing so will not increase the amount of misalignment that can be accommodated, since the maximum allowable misalignment is the difference between the diameter of the larger of the two apertures and the major diameter of bolt  102 . 
         [0026]    Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , another means for accommodating potential misalignment of apertures  94  and  98  during assembly, includes providing an elongated slot  106  in flange  88  of audio brackets  62 , 64 . This configuration allows for a substantially greater amount of misalignment than simply enlarging aperture  94  or aperture  98 . 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , another means for accommodating potential misalignment of apertures  94  and  98  during assembly, includes providing an elongated slot  108  in flange  88  of audio brackets  62 , 64 . This configuration also allows for a substantially greater amount of misalignment than simply enlarging aperture  94  or aperture  98 . This configuration will also enable bolt  102  to be fixedly attached to IP brackets  20 , 22 , such as by welding or brazing, thereby forming a stud to which flange  88  of audio brackets  62 , 64  can be connected. During assembly, flange  88  is slid onto bolt  102  and nut  104  is threadably engaged with bolt  102 , thereby securing audio brackets  62 , 64  to IP mounting brackets  20 , 22 , respectively. It shall also be appreciated that positioning of bolt  102  and slot  108  may be reversed, wherein bolt  102  can be fixedly attached to audio brackets  62 , 64 , and slot  108  can be formed in end  100  of IP mounting brackets  20 , 22 . 
         [0028]    The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature, and thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.