Support Sleeve And Arrangement Of Support Sleeve

Abstract

A support sleeve and an arrangement for supporting spaced-apart components or component portions, wherein the support sleeve is of one-part form and comprises a shaft having a first shaft portion, a second shaft portion adjoining the first shaft portion in an axial direction, and a third shaft portion adjoining the second shaft portion in the axial direction, wherein the first shaft portion and the third shaft portion form opposite ends of the support sleeve, wherein the second shaft portion comprises a retaining means that protrudes radially outward in relation to the first shaft portion and the third shaft portion and can be deformed radially inward counter to a restoring force, and wherein the shaft comprises a slot over the entire axial length of the shaft.

Claims

1. A support sleeve for supporting spaced-apart components or component portions, wherein the support sleeve is of one-part form, wherein the support sleeve comprises a shaft having a first shaft portion, a second shaft portion adjoining the first shaft portion in an axial direction, and a third shaft portion adjoining the second shaft portion in the axial direction, wherein the third shaft portion forms an end of the support sleeve, wherein the second shaft portion comprises at least one retaining element that protrudes radially outward in relation to the first shaft portion and the third shaft portion and can be deformed radially inward counter to a restoring force, and wherein the shaft comprises a slot over an axial length of the shaft.

2. The support sleeve according to claim 1, wherein the slot extends over the entire axial length of the shaft.

3. The support sleeve according to claim 1, wherein the slot is rectilinear.

4. The support sleeve according to claim 1, wherein the shaft comprises exactly one slot that extends over the entire axial length of the shaft.

5. The support sleeve according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the third shaft portion and the first shaft portion is free of any other material weakening apart from the slot.

6. The support sleeve according to claim 1, wherein a subregion of the first shaft portion protrudes in relation to the at least one retaining element counter to the axial direction.

7. The support sleeve according to claim 1, wherein the third shaft portion has a constant cross section and wherein the shaft has a constant cross section over the entire axial length of the shaft except for in the region of the at least one retaining element.

8. The support sleeve according to claim 1, wherein the at least one retaining element comprises a plurality of retaining elements arranged in a plane in the axial direction.

9. The support sleeve according to claim 1, wherein the support sleeve further comprises a head portion, wherein the first shaft portion adjoins the head portion in the axial direction, wherein the head portion protrudes radially outward in relation to the third shaft portion.

10. The support sleeve according to claim 1, wherein the radial protrusion of the at least one retaining element increases counter to the axial direction.

11. The support sleeve according to claim 1, wherein the shaft has an outer contour in a section plane perpendicular to the axial direction, and wherein the outer contour is circular or elliptical.

12. The support sleeve according to claim 1, wherein the at least one retaining element comprises a plurality of retaining elements in the form of webs, wherein the respective web is connected in the region of an end of the web, in particular in the region of an end of the web facing the third shaft portion and the other end of the respective web is a free end, wherein the second shaft portion comprises a respective aperture for receiving the respective web when the respective web is being radially inwardly deformed, and wherein the respective aperture has a tangential extent that is greater than a tangential extent of the respective web.

13. The support sleeve according to claim 1, wherein the shaft of the support sleeve is formed by a bent metal strip, and wherein the at least one retaining element is formed by a bent-out subregion of the metal strip.

14. The support sleeve according to claim 1, wherein the shaft of the support sleeve is composed of a spring steel.

15. A method for producing a support sleeve comprising the following method steps: providing a planar, metal strip; freeing up at least one subregion that is connected to metal strip via a connecting portion in such a way that the at least one subregion can be bent out in relation to the metal strip; bending out the at least one subregion in relation to the metal strip; and bending the metal strip in such a way that the metal strip forms a radially encircling wall, wherein the bent-out at least one subregion forms at least one retaining element that protrudes radially outward in relation to the metal strip.

16. An arrangement comprising a support sleeve, a hollow body and a fastening means, wherein the hollow body comprises two walls spaced apart in an axial direction, wherein a first wall of the two walls comprises a first through-opening and a second wall of the two walls comprises a second through-opening situated opposite the first through-opening in the axial direction, wherein the support sleeve passes through the first through-opening of the first wall, wherein at least one retaining element is arranged on a first side of the first wall facing the second wall, and engages behind the first wall on a second side of the first wall facing the second wall in the axial direction, wherein the fastening means passes through the support sleeve and the first and second through-openings, wherein the fastening means comprises a respective stop element on the mutually averted sides of the two walls, and wherein the respective stop elements can be adjusted in relation to each other in the axial direction.

17. The support sleeve according to claim 1, wherein the slot is configured parallel to the axial direction.

18. The support sleeve according to claim 9, wherein the head portion protrudes radially outward in relation to the at least one retaining element.

19. The support sleeve according to claim 10, wherein the at least one retaining element is of wedge-like form.

20. The support sleeve according to claim 11, wherein the outer contour of the shaft in the section plane perpendicular to the axial direction has the shape of a polygon with rounded corners.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

[0061] The invention will be described in more detail on the basis of the accompanying drawing figures, without being restricted to these.

[0062] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a support sleeve according to the invention in a partially sectional illustration according to the arrows I in FIG. 2.

[0063] FIG. 2 shows the support sleeve in a view according to the arrow II in FIG. 1.

[0064] FIG. 3 shows the support sleeve in a view according to the arrow III in FIG. 1.

[0065] FIG. 4 shows a further embodiment of a support sleeve according to the invention in a partially sectional view according to the arrows IV in FIG. 5.

[0066] FIG. 5 shows the support sleeve in a view according to the arrow V in FIG. 4.

[0067] FIG. 6 shows an arrangement according to the invention of a support sleeve, a hollow body and a fastening means in a sectional view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0068] FIGS. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the support sleeve 1. The support sleeve 1 serves in particular to absorb axial forces applied by a fastening means 19, in particular to support spaced-apart components or component portions, as is illustrated by way of example in FIG. 6.

[0069] The support sleeve 1 comprises a passage opening 13 which is configured in an axial direction Z and which serves to receive the fastening means 19. The support sleeve 1 comprises a shaft 5 having a first shaft portion 6, a second shaft portion 7 adjoining the first shaft portion 6 in the axial direction Z, and a third shaft portion 8 adjoining the second shaft portion 7 in the axial direction Z. In this case, the third shaft portion 8 forms one end 3 of the two opposite ends 2, 3 of the support sleeve 1.

[0070] The second shaft portion 7 comprises a retaining means in the form of a plurality of retaining elements 9, wherein each respective retaining element 9 protrudes radially outward in relation to the first and the third shaft portion 6, 8 and can be deformed radially inward counter to a restoring force.

[0071] The shaft 5 also comprises a slot 10 over the axial length of the shaft 5, wherein the slot 10 extends over the entire axial length of the support sleeve 1 in the present embodiment.

[0072] The support sleeve 1 is of one-part form and is formed by a bent metal strip, in the present case a metal sheet. The retaining elements 9 are formed by bent-out subregions of the metal strip, wherein the retaining elements 9 are in the form of webs in the present case. Each respective web is connected in the region of an end of the web, said end facing the third shaft portion 8, to the rest of the shaft 5. The other end of the respective web is in the form of a free end. The second shaft portion 7 comprises a respective aperture 11 for receiving the respective web when the respective web is being radially inwardly deformed.

[0073] In the present case, the support sleeve 1 comprises exactly one slot 10. Accordingly, apart from the exactly one slot 10 and the apertures 11, the shaft 5 or the support sleeve 1 is free of any material weakening, in particular free of any further slots or apertures.

[0074] In the present case, the slot 10 is rectilinear and configured parallel to the axial direction Z.

[0075] Apart from the apertures 11 and the slot 10, the shaft 5 has a closed lateral surface.

[0076] A wall 12 of the shaft 5 has a substantially constant thickness, the thickness of the wall 12 in the present case being greater than a slot width of the slot 10. In the present case, the thickness of the wall 12 is approximately 3 mm and the slot width is approximately 1 mm. The shaft length in the axial direction is approximately 4.2 cm in the present case.

[0077] The third shaft portion 8 and the first shaft portion 6 are identical except for their axial extent.

[0078] The third shaft portion 8 has a constant cross section over the entire axial length of the third shaft portion 8, wherein this cross section has an oval outer contour which has essentially the shape of two spaced-apart semicircles with connecting webs that connect the semicircles.

[0079] In the present case, the slot 10 accounts for a proportion of approximately 0.015 of the total periphery of the outer contour.

[0080] In the present case, the support sleeve 1 comprises a head portion 4, wherein the first shaft portion 6 adjoins the head portion 4 in the axial direction Z, wherein the head portion 4 protrudes radially outward in relation to the third shaft portion 8 and the first shaft portion 6. In the present case, the head portion 4 is in the form of a countersunk head. The retaining means, namely the retaining elements 9, protrudes radially in relation to the head portion 4 in the present case. The head portion 4 forms the other end 2 of the two ends 2, 3 of the support sleeve 1 that are situated opposite one another in the axial direction Z.

[0081] In the present case, the radial protrusion of the retaining elements 9 increases counter to the axial direction Z, with the result that the retaining elements 9, in their entirety, form an outer contour that decreases conically in the direction of the third shaft portion 8.

[0082] An arrangement according to the invention of a support sleeve 1 according to the invention, a hollow body 14 and a fastening means 19 is shown in FIG. 6. The hollow body 14 comprises two walls 15, 16 which are spaced apart in the axial direction Z, wherein the first wall 15 of the two walls 15, 16 comprises a first through-opening 17 and the second wall 16 of the two walls 15, 16 comprises a second through-opening 18, wherein the through-opening 18 and the through-opening 17 are arranged preferably coaxially. The support sleeve 1 passes through the first through-opening 17, wherein the retaining elements 9 are arranged on a side of the first wall 15 facing the second wall 16. The retaining elements 9 engage behind the first wall 15 on the side facing the second wall 16 in the axial direction Z.

[0083] In the present case, the support sleeve 1 in turn comprises the head portion 4, wherein the wall 15 is arranged between the head portion 4 and the retaining elements 9. The support sleeve 1 is thus retained with clamping action in the wall 15 by the retaining elements 9 and the head portion 4. In this case, the first shaft portion 6 passes through the through-opening 17 in such a way that the first shaft portion 6 is mounted in the first through-opening 17 with a certain amount of play. The radial play allows the support sleeve 1 to still be oriented to some extent radially. In the present case, the third shaft portion 8 of the support sleeve 1 passes through a further opening of a box-like component, to which the wall 15 is also to be assigned. The third shaft portion 8 comes to bear against the second wall 16 in the axial direction Z and is thus supported in the axial direction Z on the second wall 16. The two walls 15 and 16 are thus supported in relation to one another in the axial direction Z through the intermediary of the support sleeve 1, with the result that the hollow space between the two walls 15, 16 is stiffened.

[0084] When axial forces act on one of the two walls 15, 16, in particular when axial forces act on the walls 15, 16 in the direction of the respectively other wall 15, 16, deformation is therefore avoided. Such forces occur for example on account of the fastening means 19, which passes through the support sleeve 1 and the two through-openings 17, 18. The fastening means 19 comprises two stop elements 20, 21, wherein the two stop elements 20, 21 are arranged on mutually averted sides of the two walls 15, 16 and can be adjusted in terms of their respective distance to one another in the axial direction Z. By way of the fastening means 19, which is formed by a screw-and-nut arrangement in the present case, axial forces that are directed toward one another are exerted on the two walls 15, 16. The support sleeve 1 avoids a situation whereby undesired deformation of the two walls 15, 16 occurs when the fastening means 19 are being tightened or braced.

[0085] FIGS. 4 and 5 show a further embodiment of a support sleeve 1 according to the invention which essentially differs from the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 3 in that the support sleeve 1 comprises no head portion, but is formed solely by the shaft 5. The third shaft portion 8 also comprises a circular outer contour in a section perpendicular to the axial direction Z.

[0086] A support sleeve 1 according to the invention can be manufactured in a particularly simple and cost-effective manner. By way of example, the support sleeve 1 can be produced by the method having the following method steps: [0087] providing a sheet-metal developed form, [0088] freeing up a plurality of subregions of the metal strip, for example by punching, wherein the respective subregion is connected to the rest of the metal strip via a connecting portion in such a way that the respective subregion can be bent out in relation to the rest of the metal strip. In particular, the connecting portion is connected to the third shaft portion 8. [0089] bending out the subregions in relation to the rest of the metal strip, in relation to the rest of the metal sheet in the present case, [0090] bending the metal strip or the sheet-metal developed form in such a way that the metal strip forms a radially encircling wall for the purpose of forming the shaft 5, wherein the bent-out subregions form retaining elements 9 which protrude radially outward in relation to the rest of the metal strip.