ASSEMBLY AID, CAMSHAFT MODULE, AND METHOD FOR FIXING THE ROTATIONAL POSITION OF ROTATABLY MOUNTED SHAFTS

Abstract

An assembly aid configured to fix the rotational position of rotatably mounted shafts. The assembly aid has at least two parallel mandrels which are connected to one another by way of a bridge, each mandrel being assigned a positioning element which is arranged at least in sections eccentrically with respect to the respective mandrel.

Claims

1.-13. (canceled)

14. An assembly aid for fixing the rotational position of rotatably mounted shafts, comprising: at least two parallel mandrels; a bridge interconnecting the two mandrels; and a positioning element assigned to each mandrel, each positioning element arranged at least in sections eccentrically with respect to each respective mandrel.

15. The assembly aid of claim 14, wherein the positioning element is arranged spaced apart radially from the mandrel.

16. The assembly aid of claim 14, wherein the positioning elements are oriented at different rotational angles with regard to the respective associated mandrel.

17. The assembly aid of claim 14, wherein the mandrels each have a tapering tip.

18. The assembly aid of claim 14, wherein the bridge has two end segments and a connecting segment, the bridge being angled off between the connecting segment and the end segments.

19. The assembly aid of claim 14, wherein the bridge is configured as a C-shaped handle.

20. The assembly aid of claim 14, wherein the bridge has at least one reinforcing rib.

21. , in particular the end segments and/or the connecting segment,

22. The assembly aid of claim 14, wherein a plate is disposed between the bridge and the mandrel, which plate extends perpendicularly with respect to a longitudinal axis of the mandrel.

23. The assembly aid of claim 22, wherein the plate has at least one recess, the positioning element and/or the mandrel being arranged in the recess.

24. The assembly aid of claim 22, wherein a T-shaped handle is disposed on a side of the plate, which side faces away from the mandrel.

25. The assembly aid of claim 14, wherein the assembly aid is of one-piece construction

26. The assembly aid of claim 25, wherein the assembly aid is plastic.

27. The assembly aid of claim 14, wherein the assembly aid is manufactured in multiple pieces, the bridge being connected releasably to the mandrels and/or to the plates.

28. A camshaft module having an assembly aid according to claim 14, and two camshafts which are arranged in parallel and in each case have an end-side receiving bore and an end-side positioning groove, in each case a mandrel of the assembly aid engaging into a receiving bore and a positioning element engaging into a positioning groove in such a way that a relative rotational orientation of the camshafts with respect to one another is fixed.

29. A method for fixing the rotational position of rotatably mounted camshafts, comprising: providing an assembly aid for fixing the rotational position of the rotatably mounted camshafts, comprising: at least two parallel mandrels; a bridge interconnecting the two mandrels; and a positioning element assigned to each mandrel, each positioning element arranged at least in sections eccentrically with respect to each respective mandrel; and inserting the mandrels of the assembly aid into end-side receiving bores of the camshafts, with the rotatably mounted camshafts are rotated such that the positioning elements engage into positioning grooves of the camshafts.

Description

[0027] In the following text, the invention will be described in greater detail with further details with reference to the appended diagrammatic drawings, in which:

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an assembly aid in accordance with one exemplary embodiment according to the invention,

[0029] FIG. 1b shows a side view of the assembly aid in accordance with FIG. 1,

[0030] FIG. 1c shows a side view of the assembly aid in accordance with FIG. 1 from a different angle,

[0031] FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the assembly aid in accordance with FIG. 1,

[0032] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an assembly aid in accordance with a further exemplary embodiment according to the invention,

[0033] FIG. 3b shows a section of the assembly aid in accordance with FIG. 3, and

[0034] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an inlet and outlet camshaft which can be connected to the assembly aid.

[0035] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an assembly aid 4 in accordance with one preferred exemplary embodiment. The assembly aid 4 can preferably be used for fixing the rotational position of rotatably mounted shafts and particularly preferably for fixing the rotational position of rotatably mounted inlet camshafts 1 and outlet camshafts 2. The assembly aid 4 has two parallel mandrels 6 which are connected to one another by way of a bridge 5, each mandrel 6 being assigned a positioning element 8 which is arranged at least in sections eccentrically with respect to the respective mandrel 6. The bridge 5 extends perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis from one end of a mandrel 6 to the end of at least one further mandrel 6. The tip 10 of the mandrels 6 is shown with a tapered portion by way of example. The tapered portion of the tip 10 can be effected, for example, as a chamfer or rounded portion. The tip 10 can be flattened as shown or can taper to a point. The mandrels 6 can have different shapes. The mandrels 6 can have a cross-shaped cross section as in the exemplary embodiment. The mandrels 6 can also be configured, for example, in a cylindrical manner, in a rectangular manner or else in any other desired shape.

[0036] In each case one plate 7 which extends perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the respective mandrel 6 is configured between the bridge 5 and the mandrels 6. Furthermore, the bridge 5 has two end segments 11 and a connecting segment 12. The end segments 11 are arranged on the plates 7 by way of example in FIG. 1 and extend away from the plates 7 parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mandrels 6. The end segments 11 can have any desired height, in order to define the spacing between the mandrels 6 or the plates 7 and the connecting segment 12. The end segments 11 are connected by way of the connecting segment 12. Furthermore, the bridge 5 is angled off between the connecting segment 12 and the end segments 11. This can be seen at the chamfers between the components. As a result, the bridge 5 is configured in a C-shaped manner as a handle. Reinforcing ribs 13 are arranged in each case by way of example on the connecting segment 12 and the end segments 11. The components can have a multiplicity of reinforcing ribs 13, as shown in the exemplary embodiment. It is possible, however, to arrange only one or else no reinforcing rib 13 on the components. Here, the reinforcing ribs 13 can be configured in any desired shape or thickness. Moreover, beads are also conceivable which contribute to the increase of the stability.

[0037] The shape of the bridge 5, in particular of the two end segments 11 and the connecting segment 12, can be selected freely. In the exemplary embodiment, the bridge 5 is configured with a web transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the mandrels 6, which web extends between the mandrels, and in each case one web which extends along the longitudinal axis of the mandrels 6 on the side which faces away from the mandrel 6. The webs are stabilized by way of the reinforcing ribs 13. It is likewise possible to configure the bridge 5, for example, in a cylindrical manner, rectangular manner or in any other desired shape.

[0038] Furthermore, the positioning elements 8 are arranged in each case spaced apart radially from the mandrels 6. The positioning elements 8 are spaced apart in such a way that they are configured at the edge of the plates 7. The radial position and shape of the positioning elements 8, specifically their height, width, length and/or the spacing on the plate 7 from the respective mandrel 6, conform with the respective positioning grooves 15 which are configured in the shafts, in particular camshafts. In the assembled state, the positioning elements 8 and the positioning grooves 15 form a positively locking connection. The positioning elements 8 and the positioning grooves 15 can be configured as a tongue and groove arrangement.

[0039] The positioning elements 8 are arranged in each case in a recess 9 of the plate 7.

[0040] In one exemplary embodiment (not shown), the positioning elements 8 can be arranged directly on the mandrel 6 as an alternative and can extend radially to the outside from the latter. The recess can be arranged around the positioning element 8 and around the mandrel 6.

[0041] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the assembly aid 4 in accordance with FIG. 1, the mandrels 6 being shown in a plan view of the tapering tip 10. Therefore, the plates 7 extend perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the mandrels 6 and define a plane which is shown as a circular area by way of example here. The plates 7 can be configured in a rectangular manner, in a triangular manner, in an oval manner or in any other desired shape. The positioning elements 8 which are spaced apart radially and are arranged in the recess 9 at the edge of the plates 7 are shown on the circular area of the plates 7.

[0042] As can be seen in FIG. 2, the positioning elements 8 are arranged at different angles on the circular area, which angles correspond to the pre-oriented rotational angles of the shafts.

[0043] The assembly aid 4 is configured in one piece in this exemplary embodiment. The complete assembly aid 4 can be manufactured in one method step by way of an injection molding method. For this purpose, the rounded portions are additionally provided on the assembly aid 4. It is also conceivable to manufacture the assembly aid 4 in multiple pieces in a further exemplary embodiment (not shown). For this purpose, a releasable connection is provided between the bridge 5 and the mandrels 6 and/or the plates 7. The releasable connection is designed in such a way that the bridge 5 and the mandrels 6 and/or the plates 7 can be connected at only one precisely defined angle. This ensures that the shafts can be pre-oriented exactly.

[0044] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an assembly aid 4 in accordance with a further exemplary embodiment, which assembly aid 4 has two parallel mandrels 6 which are connected to a bridge 5 perpendicularly with respect to their longitudinal axis in this exemplary embodiment. The positioning elements 8 are arranged spaced apart radially from each mandrel 6. On the side which faces away from the mandrel, a T-shaped handle 14 extends. The T-shape is configured from a web, the center axis of which is congruent with the longitudinal axis of the mandrels 6, and a grip surface which extends on both sides of the center axis parallel to the bridge 5 (see FIG. 3b). In this exemplary embodiment, the bridge 5 extends as a web transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the mandrels 6 between the T-shaped handles 14 and the mandrels 6. On the side which faces away from the mandrel, a continuous reinforcing rib 13 extends on the web of the bridge 5, which continuous reinforcing rib 13 is arranged on the webs of the T-shaped handles 14.

[0045] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an inlet camshaft 1 and an outlet camshaft 2 which are mounted in a cover 3. The camshafts are integrated into the cover 3 and are mounted rotatably. The ends of the inlet camshaft 1 and the outlet camshaft 2 protrude out of the cover 3. The positioning grooves 15 for the positioning elements 8 are shown by way of example on the outer edges at the end-side end of the camshafts. Furthermore, the end-side central receiving bores 16 of the camshafts for the mandrels 6 are shown. The positioning grooves 15 are arranged eccentrically with respect to the receiving bores 16.

[0046] As an alternative, the positioning grooves 15 can be arranged on the inside on the end-side receiving bores 16 and can extend from the latter radially to the outer edge of the shaft.

[0047] The assembly aid 4 which is shown in FIG. 1 is pushed with the two mandrels 6 into the end-side receiving bores 16 of the inlet camshaft 1 and the outlet camshaft 2. After said method step, the rotatably mounted camshafts are rotated in such a way that the positioning elements 8 engage into the positioning grooves 15. The mandrels 6 and the positioning elements 8 are pushed into the end-side receiving bores 16 of the camshafts to such an extent that the plates 7 terminate flush with the shaft ends. After this step, the positioning elements 8 and the positioning grooves 15 form a positively locking connection. As a consequence, the shafts are pre-oriented and secured for transport.

LIST OF DESIGNATIONS

[0048] 1 Inlet camshaft [0049] 2 Outlet camshaft [0050] 3 Cover [0051] 4 Assembly aid [0052] 5 Bridge [0053] 6 Mandrel [0054] 7 Plate [0055] 8 Positioning element [0056] 9 Recess [0057] 10 Tip [0058] 11 End segment [0059] 12 Connecting segment [0060] 13 Reinforcing rib [0061] 14 T-shaped handle [0062] 15 Positioning groove [0063] 16 End-side receiving bore