MEANS FOR TEMPORARILY LOCKING A RELATIVE POSITION BETWEEN TWO BODIES, TELESCOPICALLY DISPLACEABLE IN RELATION TO EACH OTHER

Abstract: When aligning damaged car bodies a hydraulic cylinder is used which has extendable pistons with one or more rods connected together at the ends. This means that the piston is extended in leaps. The object of the invention is to eliminate said stepwise extension. This is achived by using two rods (1 and 2) which are displaceable one inside the other and are locked together by a wedge action. Locking is effected by the inner rod (2) having a slit ring (8, 16, resp.) with changeable circumference and an outer, conical surface (9, 17, resp.) cooperating with an inner, conical surface (7, 15, resp.) arranged either in a sleeve (13) surrounding the two rods (1 and 2) or in the cooperating end of the outer rod (1).

Description: Means for temporarily locking a relative position between two bodies, telescopically dispiaceable in relation to each other. r The present invention relates to a means for temporarily locking a rela¬ tive position between two bodies, telescopically dispiaceable in rela¬ tion to each other. The invention is primarily intended for use in repairing damaged car bodies. The damages most noticeable are those 5 resulting from collisions. When repairing a vehicle damaged in a col¬ lision, a hydraulic cylinder is used, the piston being extended as neces¬ sary by rods which are connected to each other. With the aid of the hydraulic cylinder and said rods, it is possible to align damaged parts by increasing the distance between the hydraulic cylinder and its free, 10 extended piston end. It certain cases it is even possible to allow the piston its full stroke length and reshape the damaged part by gradually reducing the stroke length. In the first case an outwardly directed force is achieved and in the second case, an inwardly directed force. The drawback with the known hydraulic piston and its extendable rods is that 15 the length of the extended piston cannot be altered continuously, but stepwise depending on the number of rod sections added or removed. The object of the present invention is to avoid the stepwise extension of the piston rod and instead produce a piston rod with a continuously alterable length. This is achieved by using ' two bodies, preferably of 20 tubular character, dispiaceable one inside the other. To enable the use of two telescopically dispiaceable bodies for reshaping car body parts, it must be possible to lock the two bodies in the chosen position in relation to each other so that this selected relative position remains even at high outwardly or inwardly directed forces. /_ * 25 The locking is achieved by wedge action. The inner body is provided with a ring surrounding it, the ring having a slit so that its circumference, including the slit, can be changed. The slit is axial. The ring has an inner surface in contact with, or almost in contact with the outer surface of the inner body. The inner surface 30 may be such that it has a friction layer or a surface increasing the friction upon contact. The outer surface has a generatrix forming an angle with the longitudinal axis of the inner body. The outer surface is suitably purely conical in shape. The outer body is provided at its end with an inner surface of the same type as the surrounding ring. The two surfaces can cooperate with each other. The outer body is provided with an external thread cooperating with an internal thread in one end of a sleeve surrounding the two bodies. The other end of the sleeve is provided with a device to displace the ring towards said outer body. When the sleeve is turned so that the outer surface of the ring and the inner surface of the outer body come into contact with each other, locking of the two bodies in the selected relative position is obtained upon contact. If the two bodies are subjected to forces against each other, this locking is further increased. In the case of purely conical surfaces, the point of the cone will be directed towards said outer body. However, if the two bodies are subjected to forces•separating them, the point of the cone must be directed towards the inner body, wherepon the inner surface cooperating with the outer surface of the surrounding ring is arranged in said sleeve. Further features characteristic of the present invention are revealed in the following claims. The present invention will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig.1 shows sn embodiment " of the present invention in cross-section, said embodiment being intended to be used for pressure forces and Fig.2 shows an embodiment of the invention where it is intended to be used for pulling forces. Fig.1 shows two tubes 1 and 2, dispiaceable one inside the other. One of the tubes, 2, is designed to be attached to a hydraulic piston and the free end of the other tube, 1, is designed to tackle the bodywork of a damaged vehicle. The tube 1 may also cooperate telescopically with OMPI another tube. At its righthand end the tube 1 is provided with increased wall thickness, designated 3. An external thread 4 is provided in the thicker part of the tube wall, which cooperates with the internal thread 5 in a sleeve 6. At the thickened end of the tube 1 is a conical inner surface 7, the cone point directed to the left. Opposite said conical 7 is an externally conical surface 9 on a surrounding ring 8 arranged around the tube 2. The conicity of the external surface is equal or substantially equal to the conicity of the surface 1. The ring 8 has a cylindrical inner surface in contact or substantially in contact with the outer surface of the tube 2. The cylindrical surface of the ring may be smooth or rough. The roughness can be effected by mechanical action on the surface or by means of a friction layer. The sleeve 6 is provided at its righthand end with an inwardly directed surrounding flange which, when moved to the left, displaces the ring 8 to the left. The ring 8 has an axial slit by means of which the circumference of the ring can be increased or decreased, the circumference including the width of the slit. To facilitate changes in the circumference, the ring is provided with one or more points with reduced thickness, which may comprise a number of longitudinal recesses. It should be evident that the two tubes 1 and 2 may have different cross-sections. If so, the surfaces 7 and 9 must be adjusted to these cross-sections. It should also be evident that the tube 2 may consist of a solid rod. The means described in Fig.1 functions in the following manner: The two tubes 1 and 2 have been given the desired length in relation to each other. The slit ring 8 is now pushed towards the righthand end of the tube 1. The sleeve 6 is then screwed on to the end of the tube. This is done manually until surfaces 7 and 9 are satisfactorily in contact with each other and the surface of the ring 8 is in contact with the outer surface of the tube 2, which can be achieved solely manually. When the two surfaces 7 and 9 are in contact, the relative position between tubes 1 and 2 is locked. If the tubes 1 and 2 are pushed towards each other, the locking achieved manually will be maintained and further increased thanks to the wedge action. The righthand end of the tube 2 is intended to be attached to one end of a firmly anchored hydraulic piston. The lefthand end of the tube 1 is intended to be applied to the bodywork. It should be obvious that more than two tubes movable inside each other can be arranged between hydraulic piston and bodywork, a locking means according to the present invention between arranged therebetween. However, if a hydraulic piston with its extension parts is to be used to draw a part of the bodywork nearer, said hydraulic cylinder, the conicity of both conical surfaces must be turned so that the cone points are directed to the right. An example of a means of this latter type is shown in Fig.2. This figure shows the thickened end 10 of the tube 1, with thread 11 and push-on part 12. The ring 16 is identical to the ring 8 but its conical surface 17 faces to the right instead of to the left. It is therefore necessary to arrange the inner conical surface on the inside of the sleeve 13. The means shown in Fig.2 functions as follows: When the tubes T and' 2 assume the desired position in relation to each other, the ring 16 is pushed into contact with the push-on part 12. The sleeve 13 is then screwed onto the tube 1' so that the two conical surfaces come into contact with each other and so that the inner surface of the ring 16 is in good contact with the outer surface of the tube 2. The two tubes are then locked together. Here, too, this is achieved only by hand. If the two tubes 1* and 2 -are then sub ected to forces endeavouring to separate them, the locking effect will only be further- strengthened due to the wedge action. The present invention is the result of endeavours to achieve a simpler means for straightening out damaged bodywork on vehicles. The simplicity lies in the extension of the piston rod in the hydraulic cylinder being continuous and not intermittent. OMPI

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Means for temporarily locking a relative position between two bodies, telescopically dispiaceable in relation to each other, at least one of the bodies being of tubular character with pre¬ ferably circular cross-section and the other being insertable into said first body and having a cross-section of the same character as said first body, characterised in that the end of said first body (1) which receives said second body (2) is pro¬ vided with external threading (4, 11, respectively), that a sleeve (6, 13, respectively) is arranged extending along both bodies (1 and 2), provided at one end with internal threading (5, 14, respectively) to cooperate with said external threading (4, 11, respectively), that a ring (8, 16, respectively is arranged around the second body (2) and dispiaceable along it, said ring (8, 16, resp.) being provided with an axial slit permitting al- teration of the inner and outer circumference, in which the slit is included, of the ring (8, 16, resp.), with an inner surface in contact with, or almost in contact with the outer surface of the second body (2), and with an outer surface (9, 17, resp.) whose generatrix, which may preferably be the generatrix of a conical surface, forms an angle with the longitudinal axis of the second body (2), that the outer surface (9, 17. resp.) can cooperate with an internal surface (7, 15, resp.) arranged either in the first body (1) or in the sleeve (13), the generatrix of said inner surface (7, 15, resp.) having the same or almost the same angle of inclination as the generatrix of said outer surface (9, 17, resp.) and that said sleeve (6, 13) is provided at the other end with a part to enable displacement of the ring (8, 16) towards said first body (1). 2. Means according to claim 1, characterised in that the inner sur¬ face of the ring (8, 16) is designed so that increased friction is achieved between said surface and the outer surface of the second body (2). 3. Means according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the ring (8, 16, resp.) has one or more points with reduced thickness to enable alteration of the circumference.

Inventors: GIACOMINI JEAN FRANCOIS, GIACOMINI, JEAN, FRANCOIS
Applicants: FG AUTOTECHNICS, F.G. AUTOTECHNICS
Application year: 1983
Main classification: F16B7
IPC codes: F16B2, F16B7