ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION DEVICE AND MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrical transmission device (10), in particular a coil spring arrangement (10), for a motor vehicle and to a motor vehicle, wherein the electrical transmission device (10) has a strip-type electrical transmission element (2), in particular a coil spring (2), which is designed and configured, in a functional installation state of the electrical transmission device (10) in a vehicle, to form an electrical connection, in particular a connection for signal and/or energy transmission, between a component (3A) arranged on the vehicle body side and/or an assembly (3) arranged on the vehicle body side, and a component (4A) arranged on the steering input side, in particular on the steering wheel side, and/or an assembly (4) arranged on the steering input side, wherein the electrical transmission device (10) furthermore has at least one electrical discharge apparatus (5) for discharging an electrostatic charge of the electrical transmission device (10) which is electrically connected to the strip-type electrical transmission element (2) and is designed and configured such that an electrostatic charge of the electrical transmission device (10) can be discharged at least in part via the electrical discharge apparatus (5).

Claims

1. An electrical transmission device comprising a coil spring arrangement for a motor vehicle, the electrical transmission device comprising: a strip-type electrical transmission element comprising a winding strip or a coil spring, which, in a functional installation state of the electrical transmission device in a motor vehicle, is configured to form an electrical connection for signal and/or energy transmission, between a component arranged on the vehicle structure side and a component arranged on the steering wheel side; and at least one electrical discharge device for dissipating an electrostatic charge of the electrical transmission device, wherein the discharge device is electrically contacted with the strip-type electrical transmission element and is configured in such a way that an electrostatic charge of the electrical transmission device is dissipated at least partially via the electrical discharge device.

2. The electrical transmission device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: at least one housing part of a housing for accommodating the strip-type transmission element, wherein the strip-type electrical transmission element is accommodated at least partially by the at least one housing part, wherein at least one discharge device is electrically connected to this at least one housing part in such a way that at least one electrostatic charge of the housing part is dissipated via the discharge device, which is electrically connected to the at least one housing part.

3. The electrical transmission device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one electrical discharge device, in a functional installation state in a motor vehicle, is configured to be electrically connected to a defined protective potential so that, in a functional installation state of the electrical transmission device in a motor vehicle, an electrostatic charge of the strip-type transmission element and/or at least one housing part is dissipated at least partially via at least one electrical discharge device to the defined protective potential.

4. The electrical transmission device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strip-type electrical transmission element has a first strip end on the vehicle structure side, with a first connection region on the vehicle structure side, and a second strip end on the steering input side, with a second connection region on the steering input side, wherein it is possible to establish an electrical connection via at least part of the first connection region, to a component arranged on the vehicle structure side and/or to an assembly arranged on the vehicle structure side, and wherein it is possible to establish an electrical connection via at least part of the second connection region, to the component arranged on the steering wheel side, wherein at least one discharge device is electrically connected to the electrical transmission element at least via a part of the first connection region and/or at least via a part of the second connection region, so that, in a functional installation state of the electrical transmission device in a motor vehicle, an electrostatic charge of the electrical transmission device is dissipated at least partially at least via the associated part of the first connection region and/or at least via the associated part of the second connection region and the at least one discharge device.

5. The electrical transmission device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strip-type electrical transmission element has at least one conductor track having a first conductor track end and a second conductor track end, wherein the conductor track extends from the first strip end to the second strip end, wherein an end region at the first conductor track end and at the second conductor track end in each case forms part of the associated connection region of the strip-type transmission element, wherein at least one discharge device is electrically connected to the electrical transmission element via a first conductor track end or a second conductor track end, so that, in a functional installation state of the electrical transmission device in a motor vehicle, an electrostatic charge of the electrical transmission device is dissipated, at least partially, via at least one conductor track and at least one discharge device.

6. The electrical transmission device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising: at least one electrical connection device electrically connected to the strip-type transmission element comprising at least one plug device, via which the electrical transmission element is electrically connected to a component, wherein the connection device is electrically connected to the strip-type transmission element via the connection region of the strip end facing the connection device.

7. The electrical transmission device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one connection device comprises at least one protective potential contact pin, wherein the at least one protective potential contact pin, in a functional installation state in a motor vehicle, is configured to be electrically connected to a defined protective potential, in particular to ground (GND), wherein the at least one electrical discharge device of the transmission device is electrically connected to the at least one protective potential contact pin in such a way that, in a functional installation state of the electrical transmission device in a motor vehicle, an electrostatic charge of the electrical transmission device is dissipated at least partially via the discharge device and the associated protective potential contact pin to the defined protective potential.

8. The electrical transmission device as claimed in claim 6, wherein at least one connection device at least one plug device, is formed in multiple parts, wherein the connection device has a first connection portion a plug element, arranged facing the transmission element, and a second connection portion comprising a plug collar, arranged facing the associated component that is connected via the connection device, wherein the first connection portion and the second connection portion are electrically connected to one another via at least one contact element.

9. The electrical transmission device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one discharge device comprises at least one electronic component comprising an SMD component or a wired component selected from the group consisting of: an ohmic resistor, a varistor, a leakage diode and a Zener diode and/or a glow discharge gap and a spark gap formed therefrom.

10. The electrical transmission device as claimed in claim 9, wherein at least one discharge device at least one electronic component of the discharge device, is integrated at least partially into the connection device into the first connection portion.

11. The electrical transmission device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one discharge device is formed at least partially by the connection device itself, by the first connection portion and/or the second connection portion of the connection device, wherein the connection device and the associated connection portion has a suitable coating which enables electrical discharge of an electrical charge.

12. The electrical transmission device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the connection device is at least partially accommodated by the housing part, wherein the connection device is accommodated in the housing part and electrically connected to the housing part when the at least one discharge device is formed at least partially by the connection device, in such a way that an electrical charge of the housing part is dissipated via the connection device.

13. The electrical transmission device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one discharge device is configured with regard to its electrical conductivity and/or its electrical resistance, in such a way that, in a functional installation state of the electrical transmission device in a motor vehicle, a signal and/or energy transmission to a component electrically connected to the strip-type transmission element and/or to a assembly is at least substantially not impaired, wherein electrostatic charges can be dissipated at least to the extent that undesirable influence on and/or damage to the component electrically connected to the strip-type transmission element and/or to the assembly is avoided.

14. The electrical transmission device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one discharge device is resistive, wherein the at least one resistive discharge device has a resistance of at least 0.1 MΩ, and at most of 100 MΩ.

15. The electrical transmission device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one discharge device is at least partially non-resistive, and has an at least partially voltage-dependent electrical resistance, the discharge device being configured in such a way that it has a high resistance in the presence of a voltage below a defined voltage limit value, and it has a low electrical resistance in the presence of a voltage above the defined voltage limit value.

16. The electrical transmission device as claimed in claim 14, further comprising at least one resistive discharge device and at least one non-resistive discharge device, wherein the at least one resistive discharge device comprises at least one electronic component or consists of at least one electronic component, and wherein the at least one non-resistive discharge device is at least partially formed by at least one connection device on the steering input side, which connection device is made of a material and/or has a coating which is selected to have a high resistance in the presence of a voltage below a defined voltage limit value and to have a low electrical resistance in the presence of a voltage above the defined voltage limit value.

17. A motor vehicle comprising an electrical transmission device wherein the transmission device is formed as claimed in claim 1.

Description

[0111] The invention will now be explained in more detail on the basis of a preferred exemplary embodiment and with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures:

[0112] FIG. 1 shows a section through a schematic view of a detail of an electrical transmission device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,

[0113] FIG. 2 shows a section through a schematic view of an electrical transmission device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention with a connection device on the vehicle structure side and a connection device on the steering wheel side, and

[0114] FIG. 3 shows a section through a schematic view of an electrical transmission device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention with a connection device on the vehicle structure side and a connection device on the steering wheel side, and discharge devices on the vehicle structure side and steering wheel side.

[0115] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a detail of a section through an exemplary embodiment of an electrical transmission device 10 according to the invention. The electrical transmission device 10 shown here is a coil spring arrangement 10 for a motor vehicle (not shown).

[0116] In the electrical transmission device 10 shown here in the motor vehicle, the strip-type electrical transmission element 2 (i.e., the coil spring) forms an electrical connection between a component 3A arranged on the vehicle structure side and a component 4A arranged on the steering input side, in particular on the steering wheel side, wherein the components 3A and 4A are each parts of an associated assembly 3 and 4, respectively. The electrical connection is illustrated in each case by the reversible direction arrows 60, 61 filled in black.

[0117] The component 4A arranged on the steering wheel side or the assembly 4 is an airbag 4A or an airbag assembly 4, which is connected via the electrical transmission device 10 to an associated control unit 3A arranged on the vehicle structure side, in this case a corresponding airbag control unit 3A, as a component 3A on the vehicle structure side and part of the assembly 3. The electrical transmission device 10 thereby establishes an electrical connection for energy transmission and signal transmission (for example in the form of voltage transmission) between the component 3A on the vehicle structure side or the assembly 3 on the vehicle structure side and the component 4a on the steering input side or the assembly 4 on the steering input side.

[0118] In accordance with the invention, this exemplary embodiment of an electrical transmission device 10 comprises a strip-type electrical transmission element 2 in the form of a winding strip or a coil spring 2 and, in accordance with the invention, a plurality of discharge devices 5, 7, 31, 33 and 34, which will be described in more detail later and which are each designed to dissipate an electrostatic charge of the electrical transmission device, wherein the discharge devices 5, 31, 33 and 34 are each electrically connected to, in particular electrically contacted with the strip-type electrical transmission element 2 and are designed and configured in such a way that an electrostatic charge of the electrical transmission device 10 can be dissipated in each case via the electrical discharge devices 5, 7, 31, 33 and 34. The dissipation is achieved here in particular by a discharge of an overvoltage generated by electrostatic charge on the conductor tracks 18 and 19 via the discharge devices 5, 7, 31, 33 and 34 to ground (GND).

[0119] The electrical transmission element 2 formed as a winding strip or coil spring 2 is a spirally wound cable 2, in particular a ribbon cable 2, which is accommodated by a housing 6, in particular a coil spring cassette 6, and which, as shown in FIG. 1, has electrically insulated conductors 18 and 19, in particular conductor tracks 18 and 19 running in parallel, in the example shown here a first conductor track 18 and a second conductor track 19. The conductor tracks 18, 19 can be arranged here in one or more planes (not shown) and can be insulated from each other.

[0120] The strip-type electrical transmission element 2, i.e., the coil spring, has a first strip end 11, in particular on the vehicle structure side, with a first connection region, not shown here, in particular on the vehicle structure side, and a second strip end 12, in particular on the steering input side, with a second connection region 23, in particular on the steering input side. As indicated by the arrow 60, an electrical connection to the component 3A arranged on the vehicle structure side or the assembly 3 is established via the first connection region. As indicated by the arrow 61, an electrical connection to the component 4A or the assembly 4 arranged on the steering input side, in particular on the steering wheel side, is established via the second connection region 23. The connection region 23 of the strip-type transmission element 2 on the steering input side is formed here by the conductor track ends 21 and 22 associated with the conductor tracks 18, 19—as can be clearly seen in FIG. 1.

[0121] This exemplary embodiment of an electrical transmission device 10 according to the invention has two electrical discharge devices 5, each of which is designed as an electronic component 7 or is formed in each case by an electronic component 7, presently in each case by a Zener diode 7 or alternatively a varistor, which is connected in each case accordingly for dissipation of electrostatic charges of the electrical transmission device 10.

[0122] The discharge devices 5 in the form of electronic components 7 are electrically connected here to the electrical transmission element 2, in particular contacted with the conductor track ends 21 and 22, in such a way that, in a functional installation state of the electrical transmission device 10 in the motor vehicle, an electrostatic charge of the electrical transmission device 10, in particular of the conductor tracks 18 and 19, can be dissipated at least partially via the electronic components 7.

[0123] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the electronic components 7 are arranged as discharge devices 5 in the region of the second strip end 12, in each case between a conductor track end 18 or 19 and a protective potential contact element 16, and in each case are electrically contacted with an associated conductor track end 18 or 19 and the protective potential contact element 16, in this case, for example, via corresponding solder contacts not specified in greater detail here.

[0124] The protective potential contact element 16 is electrically connected here via an electrical contact point 51 to a contact element 42 leading to an electrical ground GND of the motor vehicle, for example in the steering wheel region, in particular is electrically contacted with said contact element. The end regions of the conductor tracks 18 and 19 which terminate in the region of the second strip end 12 are furthermore electrically connected (for example via soldered connections), in particular are electrically contacted, via contact points 50, to/with electrically conductive contact elements 41 in the form of contact pins 41, which are plug pins 41, wherein the contact elements 41 are electrically connected to the component 4A arranged on the steering input side and/or to the assembly 4 arranged on the steering input side.

[0125] The contact elements 41 and the contact element 42 leading to ground GND are components of a connection device 30, in particular a plug device 30, which in the exemplary embodiment shown here is composed of a first connection portion 31, in particular a plug element 31, and a second connection portion 32, in particular a plug collar 34 formed in one piece with a plug plate 33.

[0126] In this case, the first connection portion 31 faces the second connection region 23 of the electrical transmission element 2 and is likewise arranged in the housing 6, wherein the connection region 23 extends with the conductor track ends 18 and 19 into the plug element 31. In this exemplary embodiment, the second connection portion 32 is a plug plate 33 inserted into a housing opening 8 and formed in one piece with a plug collar 34, wherein the plug collar 34 adjoins the plug plate 33 at the edge and extends perpendicularly and circumferentially in relation to the plug plate 33, wherein the plug plate 33 is in particular in the form of a circular disc, but alternatively can also be rectangular or the like.

[0127] Here, the contact elements 41, 42 each pierce the plug plate 33 at a right angle, in particular in openings provided specifically for this purpose, and form plug pins 41, 42 for establishing an electrically contacting plug-in connection with the connection device 30, in particular the second connection portion 32.

[0128] The ends 21, 22 of the conductor tracks 18, 19 arranged in the region of the second strip end 12 are in each case integrated in the connection device 30, in particular the first connection portion 31, or terminate in the first connection portion 31, wherein the ends 21 and 22 of the conductor tracks 18, 19 have been embedded in particular in the first connection portion 31 by overmolding, as have incidentally also the protective potential contact element 16 and the discharge devices 5.

[0129] Furthermore, in this exemplary embodiment, the two connection portions 31 and 32 each themselves form an electrical discharge device 31 and 33, 34, respectively, wherein they are made of an appropriately suitable material for this purpose and, in particular, have a high-resistance behavior, so that electrostatic charges can be dissipated and the useful signals can nevertheless be transmitted via the conductor tracks 18 and 19.

[0130] The high-resistance discharge devices 31, 33 and 34 formed by the connection portions 31 and 32 can optionally be made here of a material selected in such a way that the connection device 30, at least in portions, has a high resistance when a voltage below a defined voltage limit value is present and a low electrical resistance when a voltage above the defined voltage limit value is present.

[0131] Due to the arrangement and design of the discharge devices 5, 31, 33 and 34 selected in this exemplary embodiment, not only electrostatic charges from the strip-type transmission element 2, but also electrostatic charges of the housing 6 can be dissipated, the latter in particular via the connection device 30 in electrical contact with the housing 6, in particular through the connection portion 32.

[0132] By combining the various discharge devices 5, 31 and 34, a wide range of discharges can be realized, in particular without appreciably adversely affecting a useful function of the transmission device 10.

[0133] FIG. 2 is based fundamentally on the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1, wherein the connection device 30a on the vehicle structure side is now also shown at the belt end 11 on the vehicle structure side. The first and second conductor tracks 18, 19 are routed from the connection device 30 on the steering wheel side to the connection device 30a on the vehicle structure side. The connection device 30a on the vehicle structure side has a first connection portion 31a. In the first connection portion 31a on the vehicle structure side, the conductor tracks 18, 19 are connected to the contact elements 41a, 42a via the contact points 50a, 51a.

[0134] The contact elements 41a are led out of the first connection portion 31a through the plug plate 33a and into the second connection portion 32a. The second connection portion 32a on the vehicle structure side forms a plug receptacle with the contact elements 41a led out and the plug collar 34a, so that the electrical transmission device 10 can also be contacted on the vehicle structure side. For example, a cable with a corresponding plug can be inserted into the plug receptacle formed in order to connect a control unit on the vehicle structure side to an assembly provided on the steering wheel side via the electrical transmission device 10.

[0135] FIG. 3 shows a development of the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2. In this exemplary embodiment, in addition to the conductor tracks 18, 19, the protective potential contact element 16 is also routed in the sense of a third conductor track from the connection device 30 on the steering wheel side to the connection device 30a on the vehicle structure side. In the first connection portion 31a on the vehicle structure side, the protective potential contact element 16 is connected to the contact element 42a via the contact point 51a. Correspondingly to the contact elements 41a, the contact element 42a is also led out of the first connection portion 31a through the plug plate 33a and into the second connection portion 32a. This means that, for example, a protective potential or the ground potential can also be applied to the protective potential contact element 16 on the vehicle structure side.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0136] 10 electrical transmission device

[0137] 2 electrical transmission element

[0138] 3A component arranged on the vehicle structure side

[0139] 3 assembly arranged on the vehicle structure side

[0140] 4A component arranged on the steering input side

[0141] 4 assembly arranged on the steering input side

[0142] 5, 5a electrical discharge device

[0143] 6 housing part

[0144] 7, 7a electronic component

[0145] 8 opening

[0146] 11 first strip end

[0147] 12 second strip end

[0148] 16 protective potential contact element

[0149] 18 first conductor track

[0150] 19 second conductor track

[0151] 21 end of the first conductor track on the steering input side

[0152] 22 end of the second conductor track on the steering input side

[0153] 23 second connection region

[0154] 30 connection device on the steering input side

[0155] 30a connection device on vehicle structure side

[0156] 31 first connection portion on the steering input side

[0157] 31a first connection portion on the vehicle structure side

[0158] 32 second connection portion on the steering input side

[0159] 32a second connection portion on the vehicle structure side

[0160] 33, 33a plug plate

[0161] 34, 34a plug collar

[0162] 41, 42 contact element

[0163] 50, 51 contact point

[0164] 60, 61 electrical connection

[0165] GND ground