Resilient Coupling Element for a Motor Vehicle Having At Least One Coupling Element

Abstract

A resilient coupling element for a motor vehicle, which is to be placed between an energy store housing structure and a passenger compartment floor structure, is made of a spring sheet or plate. A motor vehicle having an energy store housing structure and a passenger compartment floor structure, includes the coupling element of the aforementioned kind being effective between the energy store housing structure and the passenger compartment floor structure.

Claims

1. to 9. (canceled)

10. A coupling element for a motor vehicle, comprising: a resilient spring sheet coupling element, wherein the resilient spring sheet coupling element is configured for arrangement between an energy store housing structure and a passenger compartment floor structure of the motor vehicle.

11. The coupling element according to claim 10, wherein the coupling element is reversibly elastically deformable below a predetermined level of exerted force in order to enable a reduction in noise, and is irreversibly plastically deformable above a predetermined level of exerted force in order to enable compensation of tolerances.

12. The coupling element according to claim 10, wherein the coupling element is configured so as to be curved with two end sections and a central section.

13. The coupling element according to claim 10, wherein the coupling element is configured so as to be annular with two contact sections and two spring sections.

14. The coupling element according to claim 13, wherein the coupling element is configured so as to be elliptical with two major vertices and two minor vertices.

15. The coupling element according to claim 14, wherein the two contact sections are assigned to the minor vertices and the two spring sections are assigned to the major vertices.

16. The coupling element according to claim 10, wherein the coupling element has at least one fastening section.

17. A motor vehicle, comprising: an energy store housing structure; a passenger compartment floor structure; and at least one resilient spring sheet coupling element, wherein the resilient spring sheet coupling element is configured for arrangement between the energy store housing structure and the passenger compartment floor structure of the motor vehicle, and is active between the energy store housing structure and the passenger compartment floor structure.

18. The motor vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the coupling element is fastened to the energy store housing structure or to the passenger compartment floor structure.

19. The motor vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the coupling element is reversibly elastically deformable below a predetermined level of exerted force in order to enable a reduction in noise, and is irreversibly plastically deformable above a predetermined level of exerted force in order to enable compensation of tolerances.

20. The motor vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the coupling element is configured so as to be curved with two end sections and a central section.

21. The motor vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the coupling element is configured so as to be annular with two contact sections and two spring sections.

22. The motor vehicle according to claim 21, wherein the coupling element is configured so as to be elliptical with two major vertices and two minor vertices.

23. The motor vehicle according to claim 22, wherein the two contact sections are assigned to the minor vertices and the two spring sections are assigned to the major vertices.

24. The motor vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the coupling element has at least one fastening section

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] FIG. 1 shows schematically a curved coupling element with a maximum gap and a minimum gap.

[0022] FIG. 2 shows schematically an annular coupling element in an original position, with a maximum gap, in a construction position, and with a minimum gap.

[0023] FIG. 3 shows an annular coupling element with fastening interfaces on a passenger compartment floor structure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] FIG. 1 shows a coupling element 100 which is produced from a sheet (plate) of spring steel and has a curved shape. The coupling element 100 is arranged in an intermediate space 106 formed between an energy store housing structure 102 and the passenger compartment floor structure 104, and has two end sections 108, 110 and a central section 112. The coupling element 100 is supported under pretension with the end sections 102, 104 on the energy store housing structure 102 and with the central section 106 on the passenger compartment floor structure 104. The coupling element has a relatively high degree of stiffness of approximately 5 kN/mm.sup.2 and thus effects a reduction in low-frequency vibrations below a predetermined level of exerted force by reversible elastic deformation.

[0025] The coupling element 100 is moreover irreversibly plastically deformable above a predetermined level of exerted force and thus enables tolerance-related dimensional deviations of the intermediate space height 114 to be compensated. An intermediate space height 114 at an upper tolerance limit is referred to as the maximum gap and is shown on the left-hand side in FIG. 1. An intermediate space height 114 at a lower tolerance limit is referred to as the minimum gap and is shown on the right-hand side in FIG. 1.

[0026] FIG. 2 shows an annular coupling element 200 in an unloaded original position 202, with a maximum gap 204, in a construction position 206, and with a minimum gap 208. The construction position 206 corresponds to an intermediate space target height, the maximum gap 204 results at the upper tolerance limit, and the minimum gap 208 results at the lower tolerance limit.

[0027] The coupling element 200 is configured as elliptical with two major vertices 210, 212 and two minor vertices 214, 216 and fastened to the passenger compartment floor structure 218. The coupling element 200 is supported, in an installed or operating position in which the maximum gap 204, a construction position 206, a minimum gap 208, or an intermediate position, can exist, pretensioned with the minor vertex 214 on the energy store housing structure 220 and with the minor vertex 216 on the passenger compartment floor structure 218. In the event of vibrations of the energy store housing structure 220 and/or the passenger compartment floor structure 218, the major vertex 210, 212 can deviate laterally. In order to compensate tolerance-related dimensional deviations of the intermediate space height 222, the coupling element 200 is plastically deformable above a predetermined level of exerted force. Otherwise, reference is additionally made to FIG. 1 and the associated description.

[0028] FIG. 3 shows an annular coupling element 300 with fastening sections 302, 304 to a passenger compartment floor structure 306. The coupling element 300 is produced from a sheet of spring steel, is configured as elliptical, and has a width 308. The coupling element 300 is active between the passenger compartment floor structure 306 and an energy store housing structure (not illustrated here). Otherwise, reference is additionally made to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 and the associated description.

[0029] “Can” refers in particular to optional features of the invention. There are therefore also developments and/or exemplary embodiments of the invention which additionally or alternatively have the respective feature or the respective features.

[0030] Isolated features can also as required be singled out from the combinations of features disclosed in the present document and, by breaking a structural and/or functional link which may exist between the features, be used in combination with other features to define the subject of the claims.

Reference Signs

[0031] 100 coupling element [0032] 102 energy store housing structure [0033] 104 passenger compartment floor structure [0034] 106 intermediate space [0035] 108 end section [0036] 110 end section [0037] 112 central section [0038] 114 intermediate space height [0039] 200 coupling element [0040] 202 original position [0041] 204 maximum gap [0042] 206 construction position [0043] 208 minimum gap [0044] 210 major vertex [0045] 212 major vertex [0046] 214 minor vertex [0047] 216 minor vertex [0048] 218 passenger compartment floor structure [0049] 220 energy store housing structure [0050] 222 intermediate space height [0051] 300 coupling element [0052] 302 fastening section [0053] 304 fastening section [0054] 306 passenger compartment floor structure [0055] 308 width of the coupling element