Decking Cone Device
There is provided a decking cone device adapted for automatically mutually angularly aligning and laterally aligning at least a first component part to a second component part. The device includes one or more features for laterally and angularly engaging onto or into the first component. Moreover, the device has external surfaces so shaped so as to cooperate with edges of a hole formed in the second component part. Furthermore, the device is operable so as to generate when the decking device engaged onto or into the first component part is offered to the hole in the second component part lateral and angular alignment forces so as to mutually laterally and angularly align said first component part to said second component part.
1 . A decking cone device adapted for automatically mutually angularly aligning and laterally aligning at least a first component part to a second component part, said decking device comprising:
one or more features for laterally and angularly engaging onto or into said first component part
wherein the decking device being operable so as to generate lateral and angular alignment forces when the decking device engaged onto or into the first component part is offered to the hole in the second component part so as to mutually laterally and angularly align said first component part to said second component part.
2 . A decking device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the device further comprises retaining features for maintaining the first and second component parts mutually held together when mutually offered together.
3 . A decking device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a tapered portion so shaped so as to generate minimal angular alignment forces when the tapered portion is angularly aligned to the hole, said tapered portion being so shaped so as to be capable of generating progressively increasing alignment forces as the device is progressively offered into the hole.
4 . A decking device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the tapered portion is formed so as to be of substantially rhombic cross-section to cooperate with the hole being implemented to be also of substantially rhombic shape.
5 . A decking device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the tapered portion at its greatest transverse cross-sectional area is adapted to be substantially similar in shape to said hole and a margin smaller than said hole.
6 . A decking device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein said margin is substantially 0.2 mm.
7 . A decking device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said retaining features comprises at least one pivotally-mounted member resiliently biased outwardly from said device, said at least one pivotally-mounted member being operable to clip onto one or more edges of said hole for retaining said decking device engaged with said hole and thus held to said second component part.
8 . A decking device as claimed in claim 2 , said device including an attachment for attaching said device to said first component part for maintaining them mutually affixed when the decking device in operation is offered to said hole in said second component part.
9 . A decking device as claimed in claim 2 , said device being adapted to be reused in manufacture for repetitively mutually aligning examples of said first and second components parts.
10 . A decking device as claimed in claim 4 adapted for mutually laterally and angularly aligning automotive suspension subassemblies to corresponding portions of vehicle chasses during road vehicle manufacture.
11 . A method of applying a decking cone device for automatically mutually angularly aligning and laterally aligning at least a first component part to a second component part, said method comprising the steps of:
engaging said decking device into or onto said first component part, said decking device including one or more features for laterally and angularly engaging onto said first component;
offering said first component part by way of said decking device engaged thereto to a hole included in the second component part, said decking device having external surfaces so shaped so as to cooperate with edges of the hole formed in the second component part so as to generate when the decking device engaged onto the first component part is offered to the hole in the second component part lateral and angular alignment forces so as to mutually laterally and angularly align said first component part to said second component part; and
deploying retaining features for holding the device into a position for retaining said mutual angular and lateral alignment, so that said at least first and second component parts remain mutually in angular and lateral alignment.
12 . A method as claimed in claim 11 , said method further comprising the steps of:
applying fasteners to affix the at least first and second component parts mutually together in angular and lateral alignment; and
after mutual fixing of the at least first and second component parts together, removing the decking device for subsequent reuse in angularly and laterally aligning similar at least first and second component parts.