Vehicular Modular Door Panel Assembly With Laterally Extended Electrical Contact Interfacing

Cross Reference to Related Applications This application is related to the subject matters disclosed and claimed in U.S. patent applications Serial No. 07/097,555, filed September 15, 1987, entitled "Modular Trim Panel Unit For Motor Vehicle Doors" by Rochford R. Basson, David V. Tinder and George A. Wooldridge, as well as Serial No. 07/097,230, filed September 15, 1987, entitled "Modular Panel Assembly, Particularly Automotive Door Panels, with Independent Coupling of Modular Com¬ ponents" by Daniel E. Boileau, issued as Patent No. 4,766,697 on August 30, 1988, and Serial No. 07/177,728, filed on March 28, 1988, entitled "Guidance Receptor Cup System For Automotive Modular Panels" by R. Bozyk and J. Quan, all assigned to the assignee hereof, the disclosures of which related applications are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to automotive modular door panel assembly systems in which a modular door panel, such as for example, an interior trim panel module, which carries on it a number of the electrical components for the door, such as for example one or more switches, window regulator drive(s) , power door lock components, electrical wiring, etc., is separately manufactured off-line and thereafter attached to the main door frame of a vehicle in the main assembly line process. The present invention is more particularly directed to the electrical interfacing and electrical interconnection of the electrical elements between the door panel module and the main door frame in the assembly line attaching process. Even more particu¬ larly, the present invention relates to the automatic electrical interfacing between the electrical components or

wiring on the modular door panel and those still mounted directly on the door's main frame in the final door assembly.

Background Art Heretofore, it has been the general practice to completely assemble all of an automobile's door components on line in the main assembly line of the automotive manufacturer. In such an operation most, if not all, of the mechanical and electrical components for the door are assembled directly on the door framing members in the main assembly line, a tedious and time consuming process tending to significantly slow down the assembly line operation.

In particular, after the electrically powered mechanical elements or components were attached to the door frame, the electrical wiring was strung and attached to the various elements. When it came time to attach the final trim panel, wiring for the switches, which ultimately were mounted on the outside of the trim panel, had to be attached to the switches through openings in the panel, mating male leads with female contacts, requiring rela¬ tively precise lateral alignment. This prior art process is generally illustrated in Figures l & 1A.

There has been a recent move to accomplish a substan¬ tial amount of the door assembly off-line, typically at a remote, subcontractor's facility. In this subassembly, the subcontractor might, for example, provide a modular interior door trim panel, upon which are mounted a signi¬ ficant number of the mechanical and electrical components for the door. Note, for example, co-pending U.S. Patent Application Serial Number 07/097,555, filed September 15, 1987, entitled "Modular Trim Panel Unit for Motor Vehicle Doors" of R. Basson et al. Various ways of automatically interfacing mechanical component elements in the assembly and attachment of the door panel module and the door frame

are disclosed in said applications of Boileau and Bozyk & Quan.

In such final, on-line assembly operations, it is necessary to ultimately interconnect the electrical wiring between the various components that have been pre-assembled as part of the modular door panel and the various electri¬ cal wiring and electrically powered components or mechani¬ cal elements that are still assembled directly onto the main door frame in, for example, the main assembly line. Because, inter alia, of the difficulty in trying to interface the various electrical components and wiring between the modular door panel and the door frame, it has been the predominant practice in the automotive industry to include most of the wiring on the main door frame and/or to use male/female connectors to interconnect the electrical components across the interface between the modular door panel and the main door frame, with such interconnection being done manually as a separate, at least generally independent sub-step. Thus, the workers on the assembly line would, in essence, have to delay the attachment of the modular door panel to the main door frame until they had separately and manually interconnected the various male/- fe ale connectors between the two, or alternatively, after or while the panel and the main frame were being attached together, subsequently manually interconnecting the various male/female connectors.

Such an approach requires additional time and handling, with a concomitant added burden on the assembly line workers. Additionally, such handling requires relatively precise relative positioning of the male/female connector components to insure an accurate interconnection of the electrical components. This has made it more difficult to automate this phase of the door assembly operation, and, for example, has not allowed the full use of robotic technology.

In contrast, the present invention provides for the automatic interfacing of the electrical components, regardless of the number involved and without requiring precise relative positioning of the panel module with respect to the door frame to insure a good electrical interconnecting interface in the final assembly and attachment of the modular panel to the door frame, all without the need for any manually actuated electrical connections.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention thus provides for the automatic interfacing of electrical components between at least one electrical component provided on the modular door panel and another electrical component mounted on the main door frame, particularly during the interfacing and assembly operation of the modular door panel to the main door frame in the main assembly line operation.

To achieve this in the preferred, exemplary embodiment of the present invention, one or more series of juxtaposi- tioned, spring-biased contacts are used to resiliently engage laterally extended, stationary contacts on the other door element or section. The laterally extended contacts have relatively large, laterally extended, facial areas (in comparison to the diameter of the male/female members used in the interconnection approach of the prior art) . Such allows the door panel module to be only generally located in lateral alignment with respect to the main door frame, as the two are brought together and connected together.

The approach of the present invention allows a substantial amount, if not the vast majority and indeed if not all, of the wiring for the automotive door to be provided on the modular door panel in the off-line, sub- assembly panel module manufacturing operation, further adding to the savings in labor and assembly line time on the main assembly line.

Hence, the assembly of the wiring or wiring harness is transferred from the assembly plant to the trim supplier, providing for a more controlled assembly environment.

Thus, preferably, the great bulk of the wiring needed to interconnect the switches, any remote multiplexing (remux) unit, as well as any power drives for the window and for the door locks, to the main wiring harness can all be placed and be pre-wired in the remote, off-site, sub- assembly operation. This minimizes the amount of electri- cal work that needs to be done with respect to the main door frame and allows the final electrical connections and interfacing between the panel and the door to be achieved merely by generally guiding the door panel into interfacing contact with the main door frame, the electrical intercon- nections being achieved in a totally automatic operation with the need for any manually made up electrically connectors.

Additionally, the switches are preassembled to the trim panel module and are already connected to the primary laterally extending wiring going from lateral end to lateral end of the door panel module or even to the wiring harness itself if included as part of the panel module. Therefore, it is not necessary for the operator to thread any wiring connector through the water shield and door trim panel hole during switch assembly, as was necessary in the prior art approach.

Line balancing is therefore easier, and the main assembly line operator has the same number of operations to carry out, regardless of whether power windows, power door locks, or a combination of both, are fitted.

Some of the other advantages of the present invention are that it allows the panel assembly to be robotically assembled with the main door frame, if desired, and there is no requirement that the two members be precisely laterally aligned together to make the electrical intercon¬ nections between the electrical components and wiring on

the modular panel and the electrical components and any wiring on the main door frame.

Additionally, the trim panel module can be pre-tested for electrical integrity prior to shipment to the assembly plant.

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description and drawings.

Brief Description of Drawings Figure 1 is an exploded view, showing the general pre-attachment positioning of the door trim panel with respect to the main door frame in the assembly line operation, with the prior art approach of the electrical interfacing connections being positioned for manual interconnection with all of the wiring of the door being placed in door frame and none on the trim panel; while

Figure 1A is a partial, detail, side view, showing the relative precise positioning required for mating the male leads with the female contacts in the prior art approach of Figure 1.

Figure 2 is an exploded view, similar in perspective to Figure 1, but showing the general positioning in the present invention of the door trim panel module with respect to the main door frame in the assembly line operation, with the electrical interfacing connections being positioned in general opposition for automatic interconnection.

Figure 3 is a side, partial, cross-sectional, detail view of the fully assembled panel module and door frame, taken in the combined area of the two sets of cross-section lines 3-3 of Figure 2 , showing in detail the resilient interfacing between the electrical, spring loaded contacts on the door panel module and the stationary, flat-faced contacts on the main door frame, representing the exe - plary, preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is an exploded, perspective view of the electrical interconnection elements of Figure 3.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

As can be seen in the prior art approach of Figure 1, in the main assembly line operation the wiring harness 3, which extends from end-to-end of the door frame 2, is mounted directly on the door frame, along with all of the supplemental wiring and the mechanical and electrical components, except for the switches 4 & 5 while none of the electrical or mechanical components except for the switches are included on the simple trim panel 1. This prior art approach requires that, before the trim panel 1 can be mounted on and attached to the door frame 2, the loose wiring connectors 6 & 7 for the power window motor 8 and the power door lock 9, respectively, must be connected, typically through a male/female connector set (note Fig. 1A) requiring relatively precise lateral alignment, to the back sides of the switches 4 & 5, respectively, using the trim panel openings 10 & 11. In contrast, as can be seen in the simplified illustration of Figure 2 of the exemplary, preferred embodiment of the present invention, an interior trim panel module (such as, for example, one similar to those that are disclosed in assignee's co-pending U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 07/097,555, the disclosure of which is incor¬ porated herein by reference) is positioned generally in front of and is ultimately interfaced and mated with the main automobile door frame 102 in the assembly line operation. The trim panel module 101 preferably, for example, includes at least most of the electrical com¬ ponents (if not also most of the mechanical components) used within the complete automotive door, with only a relatively few components being directly assembled on-line within the door frame 102.

Thus, for example, some of the few electro-mechanical components left for direct, on-line assembly to the door frame 102 might be, as illustrated, the drive motor 108 for the window regulator located toward the center of the door frame 102 and the final powered lock component 109 located at the back end 102B of the door frame. The main wiring harness 103 can be included with the modular trim panel 101, as shown in the Basson et al application, or associ¬ ated with the main door frame 102, as illustrated in Figure 2. As is well known, the wiring harness 103 includes one or more connectors (note connectors 3B in Figs, l & 2) at its distal end for connecting the electrical door com¬ ponents into the main electrical system in the main body of the vehicle being made. In accordance with the invention, at least one electrical contact pad 120 is provided adjacent to the electrical component(s) directly assembled on the door frame 102. As illustrated in Figure 2, this can include, for example, relatively flat, stationary, laterally extended pads 120A & 120B for the electrically powered window and lock components 108 & 109, respectively, with the former being somewhat centrally located on the door frame section 102 and the latter being located at the back end 102B of the frame section. If the wiring harness 103 is to be directly associated with the door frame 102, rather than being made up and affixed to the trim panel module 101 during its manufac¬ ture, an additional contact pad 120C is provided at the front end 102A of the door frame 102. Also, other contact pads 120 could be provided for any other component(s) directly mounted on the door frame 102, including for further example a curb or other door light, any motor drives and heaters for the side, rear view mirror on the driver's door, or for a motor drive for a vent window, etc. Although only a single, fixed pad 120 could be made to work for multiple, significantly spaced, electrical com-

ponents on the door frame 102 by including wiring strung from such a single pad 120 to the various electrical com¬ ponents, preferably separate, juxtaposed pads 120A+, one for each component which is significantly spaced from the other(s) , are used, as illustrated. Thus, minimal wiring, if any, is included directly on the door frame 102.

Indeed, by integrating the flat pad 120 into its respective electrical component, all wiring directly for the components on the door frame 102 can be eliminated. In fact, by including even the harness wiring on the trim panel, by using, for example, relatively flat planar cable for the wiring across the hinge gap, all of the wiring can be eliminated from the door frame 102. For detailed information on the "planar cable" approach, reference is had to the concurrently filed, co-pending U.S. application Serial No. 07/191,087 of J. Wright, entitled "Electrical Planar Cable Interconnection Between Automotive Door and Body," the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. However, at the very least, using at least the approach illustrated of using contact pads 120A & 120B adjacent to the components 108 & 109, the extensive, lateral wiring 3A, i.e, the wiring extending from end-to- end 2A-2B of the door frame 2 of the prior art, as illustrated in Figure 1, is eliminated.

Instead, all such wiring (note e.g. phantom-lined, laterally extended wiring 103A) is preferably included on the modular door panel 101, along with, for example, the switches 104 & 105, which are connected to the wiring harness, like the rest of the wiring through the front end contact pad 120C, if the wiring harness 103 is not carried directly by the panel module 101. Such an approach, which has most if not all of the wiring on the panel module section 101, greatly lends itself to robotic and other automatic manufacturing techniques with respect to the electrical wiring for the door.

As can best be seen in Figures 3 & 4, each of the electrical interfacing contact pads 120 includes a number of static contacts 121, each having, for example, an "L" shaped configuration in its side cross-section and having a significant lateral extension for its interfacing area of, for example, about an half an inch on each side or more. This is in contrast to the male terminals of the connectors 6/7 of the prior art having a diameter of only about a sixteenth of an inch, which are inserted into female holes of a like, relatively small diameter (note Fig. 1A) . A sufficient number of static, "L" shaped contacts 121 are included to provide the required lead wires or connections to the electrical component(s) involved, which typically will require a minimum of two contacts or wires. Additionally, a like number of longitudinally or orthogonally moveable, spring biased contact members 122 are included on the door trim panel 101, which moveable contacts likewise can have a relatively large, laterally extended face or a centrally located contacting dimple or protrusion 123, as illustrated. Internal springs 124 resiliently bias the contacts 122 out away from the door trim panel 101 but allow them to be pushed back into their respective seats 125, as the door trim panel 101 and the door frame 102 are brought compressively together and mechanically attached. Appropriate stop means are provided between the orthogonally movable contact members 122 and their seats 125 to prevent them from coming out their seats in their normal operation.

A rubber sealing gasket 126 surrounding the electrical contact interfacing between the pad 120 and the movable contact members 122 is provided, preferably on the door frame 102, with the pad being included in a depressed area 127 on the door frame, as illustrated in Figure 3. Addi¬ tionally, a plastic vapor or moisture or water shield layer 128 could be included on the modular trim panel 101, as

illustrated. All of this results in a relatively water- free, electrical interfacing area.

In the final door panel assembly operation, the trim panel module 101 is typically positioned in parallel, frontal array to the door frame 102 and then either moved in towards the door frame 102 in direct fashion, maintain¬ ing an at least general parallel alignment between the two, or, alternatively, the top of the trim panel module 101 is initially engaged with a top portion of the door frame 102 and pivoted down in the interfacing, juxtaposition and attachment steps. In either case, a series of, for example, spaced snap fastening pins 112 lockingly interface with like located openings 113 on the door frame 102.

As the panel module 101 and the door frame 102 are brought together the orthogonally movable electrical contacts 122 automatically interface and make the circuit between it and the static contacts 121. Because of the relatively large lateral extent and flatness of the contacts 121, which allow relative side movement while still maintaining electrical contact, precise positioning and alignment of the panel module 101 and the frame 102 is not necessary to insure good electrical interfacing. Again, all of the electrical interfacing connection is achieved without any manual making-up of electrical connectors, which require for example two or more rela¬ tively small male terminals to be inserted into like relatively small female openings (note Fig. 1A) , requiring precise relative lateral positioning between the connector el ments. Likewise, after the vehicle has been completely manufactured and has left the plant, should any internal door maintenance be necessary, the panel module 101 is merely disconnected and pulled orthogonally away from the door frame 102, and, insofar as at least the electrical interfacing connections 121/122 are concerned, no manually actuated disconnection of electrical connectors is neces-

sary. The resiliently biased contact members 122 merely extend further out under the action of the springs 124 from the panel module 101, ready to resiliently re-make the electrical interfacing connection when the panel module and the door frame are rejoined.

Although the preferred exemplary embodiment has been illustrated with the movable contact members 122 located on the panel module 101 and the stationary, laterally extended contacts 121 located on the door frame 102, these relative components could be switched, that is the movable contacts 122 could be located on the door frame side, with the static pad 120 located on the panel module 101.

These are, of course, merely exemplary modifications and not at all exhaustive of the many variations which can be made in the preferred, exemplary embodiment disclosed in detail above.

Although this invention has been shown and described with respect to a detailed, exemplary embodiment thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form, detail, methodology and/or approach may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

Having thus described at least one exemplary embodi¬ ment of the invention, that which is new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is claimed below.