GB2295589A - Assembling motor vehicles; electrical connection of instrument panels - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to assemble both left and right hand drive vehicles on a common assembly line with a minimum of changes in assembly line routines, the instrument panels 16 are made so that the electrical connections which have to be made between the vehicle body and the panels are in the same position, irrespective of whether the panel is for a left hand drive or a right hand drive variant. The engine loom 22 is connected at 26 to the cowl unit 20 which is connected centrally at 28 to the instrument panel 16. The main loom 24 is connected to the instrument panel at 30, which is at the left side of the vehicle regardless of whether the vehicle is left hand or right hand drive. Assembly is thus simplified. <IMAGE>

Description

ASSEMBLING MOTOR VEHICLES This invention relates to the assembly of motor vehicles where some of the vehicles are right hand drive variants and some are left hand drive variants. The invention also relates to an instrument panel for use in a motor vehicle.

It is often necessary to assemble both left hand drive and right hand drive variants of the same basic vehicle model.

In such cases it is necessary not only to provide different sets of mechanical components such as steering column mountings and steering gears, but also to provide different electrical components to take into account different positioning of the driver's instruments.

It is always desirable to reduce complexity by avoiding, so far as possible, the use of different parts for left hand and right hand drive variants of the same basic vehicle.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of assembling motor vehicles of which some are left-hand drive variants and some are right-hand drive variants of the same basic vehicle, wherein the instrument panels for both variants have electrical connection points for connection to electrical circuits outside the panels, with the connection points being located in the same places relative to the vehicle body in all the instrument panels.

The instrument panels themselves will be "handed", ie there will be different instrument panels for left hand drive and right hand drive variants. However, the step of mounting the instrument panels in the vehicles can be the same, irrespective of whether the vehicle being built will be a left hand or right hand drive variant.

From the point of view of the electrical connections to be made at the time of assembly of the instrument panel into the vehicle, both left and right hand drive vehicles will therefore be identical.

The instrument panels may have two connection points for connection to outside circuits, one point being for connection to circuits in front of the panel location in the vehicle and the other being for connection to circuits to the rear of the panel location. The connection point for connection to circuits in front of the panel location may be positioned so that it lies on the vehicle centreline when the instrument panel is assembled in a vehicle, and the other connection point, for connection to circuits to the rear of the panel location, can be positioned so that it lies adjacent one side of the vehicle.

Both connection points can take the form of plugs or sockets of multi-way connectors and the front connection point may be adapted to connect with a corresponding connection point on a pre-assembled cowl unit.

The invention also provides an instrument panel for a motor vehicle which has two connection points for connection to outside circuits, one point being for connection to circuits in front of the panel location in the vehicle and the other being for connection to circuits to the rear of the panel location.

The instrument panel will preferably consist of one or more plastics mouldings, and the electrical connections within the instrument panel can be made by pre-formed copper tracks which are moulded into the panel and/or by conductive plastic tracks in the moulding.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 and 2 are schematic plan views of, respectively, left hand drive and right hand drive variants of the same vehicle; Figure 3 is a side view of an assembled instrument panel and cowl unit; and Figure 4 is a perspective view of a connection point for use with an instrument panel.

In Figures 1 and 2 the vehicle outline is indicated schematically by a rectangular box at 10. In the left hand drive variant, the driver 12 sits on the left and in the right hand drive variant, the driver sits on the right. The driver sits in front of a steering wheel 14 and faces an instrument panel 16. It will be noted from a comparison of Figures 1 and 2 that the instrument panels 16, 18 are substantially mirror images of one another.

These instrument panels will be built off line. They may be built quite separately from the assembly of the vehicle for which they will form part.

Figures 1 and 2 also show a cowl unit 20 which extends across the vehicle in front of the instrument panel 16, 18. The cowl unit is fitted outside and in front of the passenger compartment, whereas the instrument panel 16, 18 is fitted inside the passenger compartment.

At the front end of the vehicle, there is an engine wiring loom shown schematically at 22, and at the rear of the vehicle there is a main wiring loom 24 which feeds the passenger compartment and the rear lamps as well as other electrical components in the rear part of the vehicle.

In the illustrated embodiment, the engine loom 22 is connected at 26 to the cowl unit 20, and the cowl unit 20 is electrically connected at 28 to the instrument panel.

The main loom 24 is connected at 30 to the instrument panel 16, 18 and it will be noted that this connection is on the left hand side of the vehicle, whether the vehicle is left hand or right hand drive.

No other electrical connections have to be made to the instrument panel and so the process of assembling the instrument panel into the vehicle on the vehicle assembly line will be electrically identical, whether the panel is for a left hand or a right hand drive vehicle.

The wiring within the instrument panel will of course be different depending on whether the panel is a panel 16 for a left hand drive vehicle or a panel 18 for a right hand drive vehicle.

Figure 3 shows how the instrument panel 16, 18 and the cowl unit 20 can be placed back to back, and by suitably constructing and locating the electrical connections, the cowl and the instrument panel can be simply plugged into one another to make the electrical connection at 28.

Figure 3 also shows the location of the vehicle windscreen at 32.

Figure 4 illustrates a typical electrical connection point 34, with a socket 38 mounted on the panel 16, 18 and a corresponding plug 40 being provided to be fitted at the back of the cowl unit 20.

This form of connection point can particularly be used for mounting an electronic unit (for example an engine management module) to a wiring loom. In this case, individual conductors of the loom are connected to the various terminals of the socket 38. The unit to be mounted can be wholly contained within the body 40, and the mass of the body is supported on the panel 16 by suitable fasteners which engage in the apertures 42,44.

Claims (10)

Claims

1. A method of assembling motor vehicles of which some are left-hand drive variants and some are right-hand drive variants of the same basic vehicle, wherein the instrument panels for both variants have electrical connection points for connection to electrical circuits outside the panels, with the connection points being located in the same places relative to the vehicle body in all the instrument panels.

2. A method as claimed in Claim 1, wherein one of the connection points is connected to a corresponding connection point on the rear face of a vehicle cowl panel.

3. An instrument panel for a motor vehicle which has two connection points for connection to outside circuits, one point being for connection to circuits in front of the panel location in the vehicle and the other being for connection to circuits to the rear of the panel location.

4. An instrument panel as claimed in Claim 3, which has two connection points for connection to outside circuits, one point being for connection to circuits in front of the panel location in the vehicle and the other being for connection to circuits to the rear of the panel location.

5. An instrument panel as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the connection point for connection to circuits in front of the panel location is positioned so that it lies on the vehicle centre-line when the instrument panel is assembled in a vehicle, and the other connection point, for connection to circuits to the rear of the panel location, is positioned so that it lies adjacent one side of the vehicle.

6. An instrument panel as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 5, wherein both connection points take the form of plugs or sockets of multi-way connectors.

7. An instrument panel as claimed in Claim 5 or Claim 6, wherein the front connection point is adapted to connect with a corresponding connection point on a preassembled cowl unit.

8. An instrument panel as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 7, wherein the instrument panel comprises one or more plastics mouldings, and the electrical connections within the instrument panel are made by pre-formed copper tracks which are moulded into the panel.

9. An instrument panel as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 7, wherein the instrument panel comprises one or more plastics mouldings, and the electrical connections within the instrument panel are made by conductive plastic tracks in the moulding.

10. An instrument panel for a motor vehicle, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.