Production of an Apparatus for Sensing Surroundings for a Motor Vehicle

Abstract

An apparatus for sensing surroundings of a motor vehicle includes a laser sensing device for sensing surroundings of the motor vehicle, a mount which is fixedly connected to the sensing device and is designed to attach the sensing device to a body of the motor vehicle, and an outer skin component. The mount and the outer skin component each have an end face which faces the other end face. A method is provided for producing a surroundings sensing apparatus by use of laser transmission welding.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. An apparatus for sensing surroundings of a motor vehicle, comprising: a laser sensing device; a holder fixedly connected to the laser sensing device and configured to fix the sensing device to a body of the motor vehicle; an outer skin component transmissive to a wavelength of the laser sensing device and/or to laser radiation of every wavelength completely or at least in a sensing area, wherein the holder and the outer skin component each have one end face that faces toward one another, and the holder and the outer skin component are fixedly connected to one another at the end faces facing toward one another.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the fixed connection at the end faces is formed spaced apart in a radial direction from a lateral contour of the holder.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the fixed connection is formed by at least one molten zone on a respective end face in the holder and/or in the outer skin component.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the at least one molten zone comprises one or more plastic spot welds and/or weld seams.

20. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the fixed connection at the end faces is formed completely circumferential around a sensing window.

21. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the end faces of the holder and the outer skin component are shaped complementary to one another.

22. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the outer skin component is also transmissive to laser radiation in an area of a projection of the end face of the holder in the outer skin component.

23. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the laser sensing device comprises a housing, which is essentially closed, and the housing is mounted on the holder of the laser sensing device.

24. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the holder is only connected via the outer skin component to the motor vehicle.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the laser sensing device is only fastened via the holder on the motor vehicle.

26. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the laser sensing device is only fastened via the holder on the motor vehicle.

27. A method for producing a surroundings sensing apparatus, comprising: positioning an end face of an outer skin component of the apparatus and an end face of a holder of the apparatus in relation to one another, wherein the apparatus comprises: a laser sensing device; the holder fixedly connected to the laser sensing device and configured to fix the sensing device to a body of the motor vehicle; the outer skin component transmissive to a wavelength of the laser sensing device and/or to laser radiation of every wavelength completely or at least in a sensing area; welding the end faces to one another via at least one laser beam, wherein the at least one laser beam is guided through the outer skin component for said welding.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein heat introduction takes place due to a superposition of two or more laser beams guided through the outer skin component, in the plane of section or close to the plane of section in the holder.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein a point of incidence of the laser beam on the end face of the holder is moved over time.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein a point of incidence of the laser beam on the end face of the holder and/or a focal point of the super-positioned laser beams is moved over time.

31. The method according to claim 27, further comprising: mounting a housing, which is closed, of the laser sensing device on the holder.

32. The method according to claim 27, wherein the holder is connected only via the outer skin component to the motor vehicle.

33. The method according to claim 27, wherein the laser sensing device is fastened only via the holder on the motor vehicle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] FIG. 1 shows an apparatus for sensing surroundings according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention in a sectional side view.

[0053] FIG. 2 shows the apparatus from FIG. 1 in a sectional view from the front along line of section A-A shown in FIG. 1.

[0054] FIG. 3 shows a first exemplary method for producing the apparatus from FIG. 1.

[0055] FIG. 4 shows a further exemplary method for producing the apparatus from FIG. 1.

[0056] FIG. 5 illustrates a method step of the exemplary method from FIG. 3 on the basis of the sectional illustration of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0057] FIG. 1 shows an apparatus 1 for sensing surroundings of a motor vehicle (not otherwise shown), which is configured in particular for distance and velocity monitoring.

[0058] The apparatus 1 includes a laser sensing device 2, which is designed as a LIDAR unit, and includes a laser emitter 4 and a sensing sensor system 6. The sensing sensor system 6 has a sensing area 8, which in particular completely includes an emission area of the laser emitter 4. The LIDAR unit advantageously has a housing (not shown) with a protective panel.

[0059] Moreover, the apparatus 1 includes a holder 10 fixedly connected (via the housing) to the sensing device 2, which is configured to fix the sensing device 2 on a body (not shown) of the motor vehicle, so that the sensing device 2 is arranged fixed on the body without relevant play. The holder is formed from a non-laser-transmissive, but laser-meltable material, in particular a plastic material, or comprises such a material at least in the area of its end face.

[0060] The apparatus 1 furthermore includes an outer skin component 12 fixedly connected to the holder 10, which is completely transmissive to the wavelength of the laser emitter 4 in the exemplary embodiment. The outer skin component 12 is made opaque in particular in the visible wavelength range, i.e., non-translucent, so that it appears black in the exemplary embodiment.

[0061] The LIDAR unit is only connected via the holder 10 to the vehicle, so that it is only held by the outer skin component 12. The outer skin component 12 extends over a substantially larger area than the holder 10, so that it is not recognizable from the outside at which point the LIDAR unit is located or which section of the outer skin component 12 is used as the radome for the LIDAR unit.

[0062] In exemplary embodiments which are not shown, the outer skin component 12 can also be made transmissive to laser radiation of every wavelength and/or can be made laser transmissive at all only in the sensing area 8.

[0063] In any case, the holder 10 has a ring-shaped end face 11, and the outer skin component 12 has an end face 13. The two end faces 11 and 13 face toward one another and are formed congruent in such a way that they abut one another.

[0064] By means of a circumferential plastic weld seam 14, which forms a closed circular ring (cf. also FIG. 2), the holder 10 and the outer skin component 12 are materially bonded to one another at the end faces 11 and 13 facing toward one another. The weld seam 14 in the exemplary embodiment is arranged spaced apart radially outward at the end faces 11 and 13 from the sensing area 8 and is arranged spaced apart radially inward from a lateral contour 9 of the holder 10.

[0065] In this way, the holder 10 and the outer skin component 12 are connected fixedly and not detachably nondestructively by the weld seam 14, which is accommodated completely in the interior of the plastic bodies pressing against one another of the holder 10 and the outer skin component 12.

[0066] This optimum positioning of the connecting point can be achieved by means of a production method according to one of the exemplary embodiments from FIG. 3 or 4, in that the laser radiation used for joining is applied through the outer skin component 12 to the connecting point.

[0067] In this way, the holder and the outer skin component can maintain their position in relation to one another and thus uniform optical conditions for the laser reliably over the service life of the motor vehicle.

[0068] The weld seam 14 is formed completely circumferential around a sensing window 16, which is defined by a plane of section of the end face with the sensing area 8, at the end faces 11 and 13. An intermediate space between the holder 10 and the outer skin component 12 is thus sealed off against moisture and dirt.

[0069] In sectional view A-A of FIG. 2, especially the circumferential weld seam 14 having its spacing in the radial direction from the sensing window 16 radially outward and the lateral contour 9 of the holder 10 radially inward can be recognized well.

[0070] A first exemplary method for producing the apparatus 1 is shown in FIG. 3.

[0071] The holder 10 and the outer skin component 12 are shown already positioned in relation to one another with end faces 11 and 13 pressing against one another.

[0072] By means of a laser welding head 21, the end faces 11 and 13 are welded to one another by means of a single laser beam 20.

[0073] The laser beam is guided through the outer skin component 12 for welding, wherein no heat development takes place there due to the laser-transmissive design of the outer skin component 12, but only upon incidence of the laser beam 20 on the end face 11 of the holder 10. This is because the holder 10 is not formed from a laser-transmissive plastic.

[0074] The connection between the holder 10 and the outer skin component 12 is thus introduced through the laser-transparent outer skin component 12 by means of the laser beam 20, in that the material of the holder 10 is melted on its end face 11, and via this heat introduction the material of the outer skin component 12 is also melted on its end face 13.

[0075] A second exemplary method for producing the apparatus 1 is shown in FIG. 4. The second exemplary method differs from that according to FIG. 3 in particular in that the heat introduction into the holder 10 takes place on the end face 11 due to a superposition of two laser beams 20.1 and 20.2, which are guided separately through the outer skin component.

[0076] Due to the superposition of the two laser beams 20.1 and 20.2—originating from welding heads 21 and 22—the heat introduction can be delimited locally very accurately to the superposition point of the two beams 20 and 21.2.

[0077] FIG. 5 illustrates for the first exemplary method according to FIG. 3 how the circumferential weld seam 14 from FIG. 2 is successively introduced by moving or pivoting the welding head 21. Of course, a similar procedure is also provided in the second exemplary method according to FIG. 4, wherein then the welding heads 21 and 22 are pivoted or moved in such a way that the superposition point of the two laser beams 20.1 and 20.2 travels accordingly.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0078] 1 surroundings sensing apparatus [0079] 2 laser sensing device [0080] 4 laser emitter [0081] 6 sensing sensor system [0082] 8 sensing area [0083] 9 lateral contour of the holder [0084] 10 holder [0085] 11 end face of the holder [0086] 12 outer skin component [0087] 13 end face of the outer skin component [0088] 14 plastic weld seam [0089] 16 sensing window [0090] 20 laser beam [0091] 21, 22 laser welding heads