1. Bolt element having a shaft part with first and second ends, said shaft part being connected at said first end with a rivet connection to a panel element, wherein the shaft part has a spherical formation with a ball diameter at said second end, said shaft part having an at least substantially constant diameter over at least its total length from said spherical formation up to said first end and said ball diameter being larger than said shaft diameter.
2. Bolt element in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first end of the shaft part which is designed for the rivet connection to the panel element is made hollow and has at least substantially the same outer diameter as the shaft part.
3. Bolt element in accordance with claim 2, wherein the first end of the shaft part is formed with piercing and riveting features.
4. Bolt element in accordance with claim 3, wherein the hollow first end of the shaft part merges from a right cylindrical jacket surface into a rounded pressing and drawing edge and has a conical cutting face at the inside.
5. Bolt element in accordance with claim 2, wherein the inner space of the hollow first end of the shaft part is made at least substantially circularly cylindrical.
6. Bolt element in accordance with claim 2, wherein the hollow region of the shaft part at the first end is made at least sufficiently long that adequate material is present in the hollow region in order to form a rivet bead at the side of the component remote from the spherical formation, to bridge the thickness of the component and to form a ring fold at the side of the component adjacent to the spherical formation.
7. Bolt element in accordance with claim 1, wherein the entire bolt element is made hollow.
8. Bolt element in accordance with claim 1, wherein the hollow shaft is provided with an internal thread.
9. Bolt element in accordance with claim 1, wherein the spherical formation has an equator line which lines in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft part.
10. Component assembly formed from a bolt element and a panel element, said bolt element having a shaft part with first and second ends, said shaft part being connected to said panel element by a rivet connection at said first end and having a spherical formation with a ball diameter at said second end, said shaft part having an at least substantially constant diameter between said rivet connection to said panel element and said second end, said ball diameter being larger than said shaft diameter and said rivet connection comprising a rivet bead located at a side of said panel remote from said spherical formation and a ring fold arranged at a side of said panel adjacent said spherical formation, with said panel being clamped in the region of said rivet connection between said ring fold and said rivet bead.
11. Component assembly in accordance with claim 10, wherein the ring fold is arranged in a ring recess in the sheet metal part, with a ring surface of the ring fold adjacent to the spherical formation either being arranged fractionally below or fractionally above the side of the sheet metal part adjacent the shaft part in the region of the rivet connection or at the same level as this side of the component.
12. Component assembly in accordance with claim 10, wherein a punching slug is trapped inside a bead and thus presses against the latter.
13. Method of manufacturing a bolt element in accordance with claim 1 having a shaft part which is designed at a first end for a rivet connection to a panel element, in particular to a sheet metal part and having, at its other end, a spherical formation, the ball diameter of which is larger than that of the shaft part, wherein a cylindrical blank is partly received in a cylindrical passage of a die and projects beyond the end face of the die, in that a hemispherical recess is formed in the die in the region of the transition of the passage into the end face, with the ball diameter of the hemispherical recess corresponding to the ball diameter of the desired spherical formation of the bolt element, in that a tool with a likewise hemispherical recess is pressed onto the free end of the cylindrical blank projecting out of the die and the die and the tool are brought into contact with one another in order to reshape the end of the cylindrical blank projecting out of the die to the spherical formation by cold deformation.
14. Method in accordance with claim 13, wherein, in the closed state of the die and of the tool, these contact one another at a partition surface which corresponds to an equator of the spherical formation and stands perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical blank, i.e. of the shaft part of the bolt element.
15. Bolt element according to claim 10, wherein the panel element is a sheet metal part.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A vehicle comprising:
a frame;
an interior comprising:
a load floor having a load receiving surface that is supported to the frame;
a first panel having first and second sides, the second side comprising a storage cavity;
wherein the first panel is adjustable between: (1) a first position where the first side defines at least a portion of the load receiving surface and the second side defines no portion of the load receiving surface; and, (2) a second position where the first side defines no portion of the load receiving surface and the second side defines at least a portion of the load receiving surface;
a first pillow;
wherein when the first panel is in the first position, the first pillow is at least partially received within the storage cavity and, the first pillow is hidden; and,
wherein when the first panel is in the second position, the first pillow is not hidden.
2. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising:
a releasable fastener that releasably fastens the first pillow to the second side of the panel at least partially within the storage cavity.
3. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising:
a releasable fastener that releasably fastens the first panel into the first and second positions.
4. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the first pillow is inflatable.
5. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein:
the interior comprises: a first seat assembly that supports an associated person in a sitting position and that is supported to the frame; and,
the first seat assembly comprises the first panel.
6. The vehicle of claim 5 wherein:
the first seat assembly comprises a seat base portion and a seat back portion; and,
the seat back portion comprises the first panel.
7. The vehicle of claim 5 further comprising:
a second seat assembly that supports an associated person in a sitting position and that is supported to the frame within the interior.
8. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising:
a locomotion source supported to the frame for use in providing locomotion for the vehicle;
a seat assembly that supports an associated person in a sitting position and that is supported to the frame within the interior; and,
at least a first ground engaging wheel supported to the frame.
9. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the interior further comprises:
a second panel having first and second sides, the second side comprising a storage cavity;
wherein the second panel is adjustable between: (1) a first position where the first side defines at least a portion of the load receiving surface and the second side defines no portion of the load receiving surface; and, (2) a second position where the first side defines no portion of the load receiving surface and the second side defines at least a portion of the load receiving surface;
a second pillow;
wherein when the second panel is in the first position, the second pillow is at least partially received within the storage cavity and, the second pillow is hidden; and,
wherein when the second panel is in the second position, the second pillow is not hidden.
10. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the first pillow is at least partially received within the storage cavity when the first panel is in the second position.
11. A method comprising the steps of:
(A) providing a vehicle comprising: a frame; a locomotion source supported to the frame for use in providing locomotion for the vehicle; and, an interior comprising a load floor having a load receiving surface that is supported to the frame;
(B) providing a panel having first and second sides, the second side comprising a storage cavity;
(C) providing a pillow; and,
(D) adjusting the panel: (1) from a first position where the first side defines at least a portion of the load receiving surface, the second side defines no portion of the load receiving surface, the pillow is at least partially received within the storage cavity and, the pillow is hidden; (2) to a second position where the first side defines no portion of the load receiving surface, the second side defines at least a portion of the load receiving surface and, the pillow is not hidden.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein after step (D) the method comprises the step of:
adjusting the panel back to the first position where the first side defines at least a portion of the load receiving surface, the second side defines no portion of the load receiving surface, the pillow is at least partially received within the storage cavity and, the pillow is hidden.
13. The method of claim 11 wherein step (D) comprises the step of:
adjusting a releasable fastener to unfasten the pillow from the second side of the panel.
14. The method of claim 11 wherein step (D) comprises the steps of:
adjusting a releasable fastener to unfasten the panel from the first position; and,
readjusting the releasable fastener to fasten the panel into the second position.
15. The method of claim 11 wherein after step (D) the method comprises the step of:
inflating the pillow.
16. The method of claim 11 wherein:
step (A) comprises the step of: providing the interior with a seat assembly that supports an associated person in a sitting position and that is supported to the frame;
step (B) comprises the step of: providing the panel as part of the seat assembly; and,
prior to step (D) the method comprises the step of: adjusting the seat assembly so that the panel is substantially coplanar with at least a portion of the load receiving surface.
17. The method of claim 11 wherein:
step (A) comprises the step of: providing the seat assembly with a seat base portion and a seat back portion;
step (B) comprises the step of: providing the panel as part of the seat back portion; and,
the step of adjusting the seat assembly so that the panel is substantially coplanar with at least a portion of the load receiving surface, comprises the step of: pivoting the seat back portion with respect to the seat base portion.
18. A vehicle comprising:
a frame;
a locomotion source supported to the frame for use in providing locomotion for the vehicle;
at least a first ground engaging wheel supported to the frame;
an interior comprising:
a first seat assembly that supports an associated person in a sitting position and that is supported to the frame;
a second seat assembly that is supported to the frame, the second seat assembly comprising a panel having first and second sides, the second side comprising a storage cavity;
a load floor having a load receiving surface that is supported to the frame;
wherein the second seat assembly is adjustable between: (1) a first position where the second seat assembly supports an associated person in a sitting position; and, (2) a second position where the panel is substantially coplanar with at least a portion of the load receiving surface;
wherein the panel is adjustable when the second seat assembly is in the second position between: (1) a first position where the first side defines at least a portion of the load receiving surface and the second side defines no portion of the load receiving surface; and, (2) a second position where the first side defines no portion of the load receiving surface and the second side defines at least a portion of the load receiving surface;
a pillow;
wherein when the panel is in the first position, the pillow is at least partially received within the storage cavity and, the pillow is hidden; and,
wherein when the panel is in the second position, the pillow is not hidden.
19. The vehicle of claim 18 further comprising:
a releasable fastener that releasably fastens the pillow to the second side of the panel at least partially within the storage cavity;
a releasable fastener that releasably fastens the panel into the first and second positions; and,
wherein the pillow is inflatable.
20. The vehicle of claim 18 wherein:
the first seat assembly comprises a seat base portion and a seat back portion; and,
the seat back portion comprises the panel.