Patent Application
20130039697
The invention relates to a fastening device for fastening an assembly in an opening of a wall of a vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1.
In the automotive industry, components, particularly sensors (e.g., for restraint systems), are fastened to the vehicle in various ways, typically by means of screws, rivets or adhesives. Especially for sensors for safety-critical applications (e.g., airbag systems), reliable mounting is of crucial importance. On the one hand, correct mounting must be guaranteed when the vehicle leaves the factory. On the other hand, the sensor must remain safely mounted in the correct location and position or be safely replaceable during repairs or the like throughout its lifetime.
Therefore, the mounting process of present-day sensors that are fastened, e.g., by means of screws is documented in many cases. This may be done by, e.g., monitoring and recording the torque and the angle of rotation during the screwing process of the sensor.
From publication DE 199 23 985 A1, a sensor assembly is known in which the casing of an air pressure sensor used for side-on collision sensing is fastened to a wall in the vehicle by means of fastening means (e.g., screws), wherein the vehicle door preferably has a two-part structure with a dry space facing the interior of the vehicle and a wet space facing the external sheet metal as well as a dividing wall located therebetween. The air pressure sensor is arranged on said dividing wall. On the one hand, the sensor must measure the changes in air pressure in the wet space. On the other hand, the electrical components or at least the plugs and cables must be accommodated in the electrically safe dry space.
To this end, the dividing wall has an opening. The air pressure is transmitted through said opening to what is called a dry-space sensor. Said sensor is arranged in the dry space. The plug of a wet-space sensor is located in the wet space and fastened to an opening of the dividing wall. At the same time, the opening in the dividing wall is closed by adapting the fastening element.
A generic fastening device is known from DE 10 2008 048 318, for example. DE 10 2008 048 318 presents a quarter-turn fastener solution instead of a screwed connection. In said quarter-turn fastener, a retaining element having at least one, preferably at least two, retaining wing(s) is rotatably arranged in a supporting element, wherein the retaining wings can be inserted into the opening of the wall in a first rotational position and reach behind the wall in the second rotational position, thereby fastening the supporting element, the retaining element and the assembly located thereon to the wall. In this way, mounting can be performed without tools and fast and yet safely. One or more supporting nose(s) arranged on the supporting element can prevent the supporting element from joining in the rotation, and an additional locking unit can prevent the retaining element from rotating back after a predetermined (e.g., the intended) end position is reached, wherein the retaining element is manually rotated relative to the supporting element by grasping the retaining element.
The object of the present invention is to provide a further development of such a fastening device, said further development making easy and safe mounting without tools possible.
This object is achieved by the features of the independent claims. The subclaims reveal advantageous further developments of the invention, wherein combinations and further developments of individual features are also possible.
If one wants to have a large number of such assemblies manually mounted in vehicles (possibly in places that are not easily accessible) in industrial production on the assembly line, it is desirable to have ergonomically shaped assemblies and it is necessary to make sure that a required force is generated that acts in the direction of rotation and presses the assembly against the wall regardlessly of the respective physical strength of the respective fitter and regardlessly of the number of repetitions.
In the following, the invention will be explained in greater detail on the basis of exemplary embodiments and with the aid of the figures. The figures always show views of exactly one exemplary embodiment in the different positions and with different sections for illustrating the mode of operation in the interior. However, the teaching according to the claims is defined by the patent claims and should not be construed as being limited to only that one exemplary embodiment.
In the following, similar reference numerals may denote elements having similar functions and/or similar elements. Moreover, we tried to order the reference numerals in a hierarchical way, and the first place of a reference numeral always indicates the respective overall element.
Moreover, the grasping surface AF is also inclined in the radial direction R at an angle beta and in the axial direction A at an angle gamma so that a part of the force acts in the radial direction R, thereby preventing the fingertips from slipping during rotation.
Each rotating wing 3.2 consists of a wall 3.2.1 that is approximately perpendicular to the direction of rotation T and that is parallel to the axial direction A. Said wall 3.2.1 is reinforced by at least two webs 3.2.2 that are approximately perpendicular to the wall (and thus to the tangential direction T) and that are parallel to the axial direction A, i.e., the wall 3.2.1 and the webs 3.2.2 are at least essentially parallel to the axial direction A. Therefore, if the retaining element 3 is manufactured in an injection mold, the retaining element 3 can be pushed out of the mold by a simple axial movement.
The webs 3.2.2 extend from the transition region 3.2.3 between the retaining element and the rotating wing across at least a part of the surface of the wall 3.2.1 of the rotating wing and are beveled toward the grasping surface AF such that on the whole a grasping surface AF is obtained that is inclined at least in the direction of rotation toward the direction of rotation and toward the wall, i.e., an actually inclined grasping surface AF for the fingertips placed on the webs 3.2.2 is obtained because the axial height of the webs 3.2.2 is smaller than that of the wall 3.2.1 and because the webs 3.2.2 are beveled.
The distance between the webs in the radial direction is not greater than 5 mm so that the webs are perceived as a virtually well-closed surface by the fingertip, i.e., the webs do not significantly cut into the fingertip but the grasping surface AF is perceived as a rather well-closed surface because the required rotatory forces and forces of pressure are not so high.
The fastening device preferably has two rotating wings 3.2 that are offset relative to each other by at least approximately 180 degrees so that the evenness of the pressing-on and rotation operations without jamming is ensured and the natural position of the hand is made use of during fastening by rotating.
Consequently, both the wall 3.2.1 and the webs 3.2.2 thereof extend parallel to each other in the axial direction A and parallel to the axis of rotation, whereby it is possible to directly remove the entire retaining element 3 together with the rotating wings 3.2 from an injection mold without having to use any special tools on account of any inclined angles. On the other hand, the desired inclination of the grasping surface AF is achieved since the webs are beveled.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2010 019 092.6 | Apr 2010 | DE | national |
| 10 2010 020 959.7 | May 2010 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/DE11/00433 | 4/20/2011 | WO | 00 | 10/22/2012 |
