FASTENING ELEMENT AND DECOUPLING ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A fastening element and a decoupling assembly, the fastening element for add-on parts connected to a body structure of a motor vehicle, a method for producing the de-coupling assembly and assembling it.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A component made of a thermoplastic, which is configured to be assembled with a second identical component and a decoupling element made of an elastomer to form a decoupling assembly for an add-on part of a motor vehicle connected to a body structure, comprising i) a base plate including a central opening, ii) at least two identically shaped cylinder wall segments arranged equidistantly from one another on the upper side of the base plate on a circular line coaxial with the center of the opening, the side of which facing the opening has in each case at least one spring element which is configured to engage in thread flanks of the threaded bolt when a threaded bolt is introduced into the opening, wherein the length of the circular arc between two cylinder wall segments is at least as great as the length of an upper edge of a cylinder wall segment, and wherein each of the cylinder wall segments includes a detent lug on its upper edge, which lug is configured to engage in a corresponding recess of the second identical component and to lock the two com-ponents together, and iii) recesses arranged in each case between two cylinder wall segments.

12. The component as claimed in claim 11 further comprising more than two cylinder wall segments.

13. The component as claimed in claim 11, further comprising centering elements arranged at the edge of the opening between the equidistantly arranged cylinder wall segments.

14. The component as claimed in claim 11, wherein the thermoplastic is a polyamide, polyamide 6, or polyamide 66, optionally reinforced with glass fibers.

15. The component as claimed in claim 11, which is produced by an injection molding process.

16. A decoupling assembly for an add-on part on a body structure of a motor vehicle, which comprises two identical components as claimed in claim 11 and a decoupling element made of an elastomer.

17. The decoupling assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein the elastomer is an ethylene propylene diene rubber, a thermoplastic elastomer, or a crosslinked olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer.

18. The decoupling assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein the decoupling element includes a central cylindrical channel

19. The decoupling assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein the decoupling element has a circumferential groove on its outside.

20. A for vibration decoupling of an add-on part on a body structure of a motor vehicle, in which a decoupling element made of an elastomer and including a central cylindrical channel is introduced into a recess of a holder of the add-on part and fixed there, then two components as claimed in claim 11 are plugged into the central cylindrical channel of the decoupling element from opposite sides of the recess of the holder of the attachment and are locked together to form a decoupling assembly, and then the decoupling assembly is plugged onto a threaded bolt attached to a body structure of the motor vehicle, due to which spring elements of the decoupling assembly engage in thread flanks of the threaded bolt and fix the decoupling assembly.

21. The component as claimed in claim 12, further comprising centering elements arranged at the edge of the opening between the equidistantly arranged cylinder wall segments.

22. The component as claimed in claim 12, wherein the thermoplastic is a polyamide, polyamide 6, or polyamide 66, optionally reinforced with glass fibers.

23. The component as claimed in claim 13, wherein the thermoplastic is a polyamide, polyamide 6, or polyamide 66, optionally reinforced with glass fibers.

24. The component as claimed in claim 12, which is produced by an injection molding process.

25. The component as claimed in claim 13, which is produced by an injection molding process.

26. The component as claimed in claim 14, which is produced by an injection molding process.

27. The decoupling assembly as claimed in claim 17, wherein the decoupling element includes a central cylindrical channel

28. The decoupling assembly as claimed in claim 17, wherein the decoupling element has a circumferential groove on its outside.

29. The decoupling assembly as claimed in claim 18, wherein the decoupling element has a circumferential groove on its outside.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0037] The invention is schematically illustrated in the drawings with the aid of embodiments and is described further with reference to the drawings. In the figures:

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of the component according to the invention.

[0039] FIG. 2 shows a view from below of an embodiment of the component according to the invention;

[0040] FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of two components according to the invention that have been plugged together;

[0041] FIG. 4 shows a longitudinal section of a decoupling assembly which comprises two components according to the invention;

[0042] FIG. 5 shows work steps (assembly steps) of the method according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the component 10 according to the invention. The component 10 shown can be plugged together with a second identical component 10. The component 10 consists of a hard thermoplastic, e.g., PA, PA6, PA66, etc., with or without glass fiber content.

[0044] The component 10 comprises a base plate 12 having a central opening 11. In the embodiment shown, the base plate 12 is round and the central opening 21 is an elongated opening having a circular central part. In another embodiment, the outer contour of the base plate 12 is a polygon having an even number of corners, for example four, six, or eight corners. The central opening 11 can also have a polygonal contour having at least three corners, for example can be triangular, square, pentagonal, hexagonal, or octagonal.

[0045] On the upper side of the base plate 12 there are two cylinder wall segments 14 on a circular line coaxial with the center of the opening 11. In the embodiment shown, the opening 11 extends from the base of one cylinder wall segment 14 to the base of the other cylinder wall segment 14. The cylinder wall segments 24 are identically shaped and arranged equidistantly from one another, so that the length of the circular arc between two cylinder wall segments 14 is equal to the length of an upper edge of a cylinder wall segment 14. In the embodiment shown, the length of the upper edge of the cylinder wall segments 14 is less than the length of the lower edge, i.e., the cylinder wall segments 14 taper upwards. In one embodiment, the upper edge of the cylinder wall segments 14 has the same length as their lower edge.

[0046] There is a first recess 15 in the base plate 12 between each two cylinder wall segments 14; and each of the cylinder wall segments 14 includes a detent lug 16 on its upper edge. The detent lug 16 is configured to engage in a corresponding first recess 15 of a second identical component 10 when this is pushed onto the component 10 and to lock the two components 10 together. The gaps between the cylinder wall segments 14 of both components 10 are filled by the cylinder wall segments 14 of the respective other component 10, so that a closed hollow cylinder is formed.

[0047] A second recess 19 is located in the base plate 12 on the rear side of each cylinder wall segment 14. The recess 19 facilitates the production of the component 10 in the injection molding process by avoiding undercuts that require additional slides in the injection molding tool. However, the component could certainly also be produced without the recess 19.

[0048] A spring element 13 is arranged on the upper side of the base plate 12 on the side of each of the cylinder wall segments 14 facing toward the opening 11. The spring elements 13 are configured to engage in thread flanks of the threaded bolt 300 when a threaded bolt 300 is introduced into the opening 11. The embodiment shown includes two spring elements 13 which are attached on opposite sides of the opening 11. In the embodiment shown, the spring elements are arranged above the opening 11. In the embodiment shown, the spring elements 13 are designed as tongues which extend parallel to the base plate 12.

[0049] In the embodiment shown, centering elements 17 are arranged between the spring elements 13 on the upper side of the base plate 12 at the edge of the opening 11. These guide a threaded bolt 300, which enters through the central opening 11 of the component 10 and prevent it from getting caught.

[0050] In the embodiment shown, the component 10 has a mirror-symmetrical structure, wherein the plane of symmetry extends through the vertical axis (Z-axis) of the component 10.

[0051] FIG. 2 shows a view from below of an embodiment of the component 10 according to the invention.

[0052] The component 10 comprises a base plate 12 having a central opening 11. In the embodiment shown, the base plate 12 is round and the central opening 21 is an elongated opening having a circular central part.

[0053] In the view from below, the spring elements 13 and the detent lugs 16, which are arranged on the cylinder wall segments 14 (not visible in this illustration) and are located above the plane of the base plate 12, can be clearly seen, as can the first recesses 15 and the second recesses 19 in the base plate 12. Stiffening ribs 18, which increase the rigidity of the component 10, are arranged on the lower side of the base plate 12.

[0054] FIG. 3 shows an assembly made up of two plugged-together components 10 according to the invention. The detent lugs 16 of the two components 10 engage in the corresponding first recesses 15 of the respective other component 10 and lock the two components 10 together. The cylinder wall segments 14 of both components 10 form a closed hollow cylinder.

[0055] FIG. 4 shows a longitudinal section through a decoupling assembly 100, which comprises two plugged-together components 10 and a decoupling element 30. The decoupling element 30 consists of a soft, elastic material, e.g., EPDM, TPE, or TPV. The two components 10, 30 of the decoupling assembly 100 have different functions. The hard component 10 functions as a support structure and provides the strength of the assembly 100, the soft component 30 causes a vibration decoupling between a holder 200 and the components 10 and ensures the damping of vibrations and structure-borne noise. The decoupling element 30 encloses the hollow cylinder formed from the cylinder wall segments 14 of the plugged-together components 10. If a threaded bolt 300 is inserted into the central opening of the decoupling assembly 100, the centering elements 17 guide it and prevent it from hooking. The spring elements 13 engage in thread flanks of the threaded bolt 300 and thereby fix the decoupling assembly 100 on the threaded bolt 300.

[0056] FIG. 5 shows work steps of the method according to the invention for vibration decoupling of a holder 200 connected to a body structure 400 in a motor vehicle.

[0057] In the figure at the top left, a holder 200 for an add-on part is shown, which includes recesses 210. First, two identical decoupling elements 30 are introduced into the recesses.

[0058] The figure at the top right shows how in each case two identical components 10 according to the invention are then inserted from opposite sides through the central openings of the decoupling elements 30 and the recesses 210 of the holder 200 and locked together to form decoupling assemblies 100.

[0059] The figure at the bottom right shows the mounting of the holder 200 on a body structure 400 of a motor vehicle. To do this, the holder 200 is simply plugged onto threaded bolts 300 that are attached to the body structure 400. The spring elements 13 contained in the decoupling assemblies 100 engage in thread flanks of the threaded bolt 300 and thereby fix the holder 200 on the threaded bolt 300, without additional components or further work steps.

[0060] The figure at the bottom left shows the result of the assembly process.

[0061] The body structure 400 on which the threaded bolt 300 is mounted can be part of an engine compartment or a technical recess of a vehicle, for example. For example, after the holder 200 has been mounted, the technical recess can accommodate a repair tool set by means of this holder 200. For example, a valve can be fastened on the holder 200 using the components 10 according to the invention in the technology recess, for example in order to cool a control unit.

List of Reference Numerals

[0062] 10 component [0063] 11 opening [0064] 12 base plate [0065] 13 spring element [0066] 14 cylinder wall segment [0067] 15 first recess [0068] 16 detent lug [0069] 17 centering element [0070] 18 stiffening ribs [0071] 19 second recess [0072] 30 decoupling element [0073] 100 decoupling assembly [0074] 200 holder [0075] 210 recess [0076] 300 threaded bolt [0077] 400 body structure