Drive unit for on-vehicle protection device, in particular in interior of vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a drive unit for an on-vehicle protection device, in particular in the interior of a vehicle. The present invention relates to a drive unit for a protection device in a vehicle interior. A drive unit of this type is known having an electric motor and having control electronics for the electric motor arranged on a printed circuit board. According to the invention, the electric motor and the printed circuit board with the control electronics are incorporated into a common plastic housing, which consists of a plurality of housing parts connected together, in particular without tools, and the control electronics arranged on the printed circuit board are arranged in the plastic housing adjacent to the electric motor. Use of an on-vehicle protection device for a motor vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a drive unit for an on-vehicle protection device, in particular in the interior of a vehicle, having an electric motor and having control electronics for the electric motor arranged on a printed circuit board. Background Art

[0002] Drive units of this type are generally known for winding shafts for shielding devices of vehicle openings in the vehicle interior of motor vehicles. The control electronics are arranged separately from the electric motor. The electric motor can be arranged fixedly on the vehicle and coaxially or radially offset relative to the winding shaft.

[0003] DE 10 2011 007 298 A1 discloses a motor / gear unit combination for a roller blind system inside a vehicle, the motor / gear unit combination having an electric motor. The electric motor is flange-mounted externally to a gear housing of multi-part construction. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a drive unit of the above-mentioned type which enables a compact structure and is easy to operate.

[0005] This object is achieved in that the electric motor and the printed circuit board with the control electronics are incorporated into a common plastic shell, wherein the shell consists of a plurality of shell parts connected together, in particular without tools, and wherein the control electronics arranged on the printed circuit board are arranged in the shell adjacent to the electric motor. The solution according to the invention is suitable for providing a drive unit for at least one winding shaft of a protection device in the interior of the vehicle, and is also suitable for providing a drive unit for driving a transmission line (such as a spiral cable or a Bowden cable system). The protection device takes the form of a shielding device for the side window or rear window of a motor vehicle or other vehicle or for the transparent roof area of ​​the interior of a motor vehicle or other vehicle. An alternative protection device is a luggage compartment covering device or a luggage compartment dividing device for a motor vehicle, which has a covering or dividing structure that can be unfolded approximately horizontally or approximately vertically in the area of ​​the luggage compartment. The seat belt presenter in the interior of the vehicle also serves as a protection device for the purpose of the present invention. Finally, it is also possible to provide an application according to the solution of the invention for the exterior of the vehicle, such as a cover for an electrical plug-in connector for charging a battery on the vehicle for a propulsion drive. According to the invention, both the electric motor and the printed circuit board with the control electronics are completely accommodated in the plastic housing. The plastic housing is a multi-part construction consisting of at least two shell parts joined together. The shell parts are connected in such a way that on the one hand the shell parts form a plastic housing unit that can be handled in the assembled operating state and on the other hand the shell parts terminate flush against each other. The plastic housing formed in this way has a cavity into which the electric motor and the printed circuit board with the control electronics are incorporated.

[0006] In one configuration of the invention, the printed circuit board is positioned to the rear of the electric motor and is oriented in a radial plane relative to the drive rotation axis of the electric motor in the plastic housing. This results in a relatively short structural length of the drive unit along the drive rotation axis of the electric motor. The orientation of the printed circuit board perpendicular to the electric motor and to the rear of the electric motor (i.e. on the side opposite to the output side of the electric motor) enables the electric motor to be directly and compactly attached to adjacent functional components (such as, in particular, a gear unit).

[0007] In another configuration of the invention, the housing has a substantially hollow cylindrical motor housing part, a printed circuit board housing part adjoining the motor housing part, and a cover part closing the printed circuit board housing part at the rear. The housing is thus of three-part construction.

[0008] In another configuration of the invention, the housing is L-shaped, wherein one leg of the L is oriented generally horizontally and the other leg of the L is oriented generally vertically when the drive unit is in an assembled operating state. The L-shape of the housing is based on viewing the drive unit from the side.

[0009] In another configuration of the invention, the electric motor is arranged in the horizontally oriented leg of the L and the printed circuit board is arranged in the vertically oriented leg of the L, and the horizontally oriented leg of the L surrounds the output side of the drive rotation axis of the electric motor at the front end, and the vertically oriented leg of the L surrounds the printed circuit board with the control electronics arranged to the rear of the electric motor. This results in an easy handling and compact construction of the drive unit.

[0010] In another configuration of the invention, an opening is provided in the vertical leg of the L on one side, in particular on the front side, for flush accommodation of a plug connection part which is arranged on the printed circuit board and is electrically connected to the control electronics. The plug connection part in the opening enables simple access from the outside for making a plug connection. The opening can be open in the downward direction or can be open to the rear, to the side or to the front, depending on which side access is most advantageous according to the installation standard. If the opening in the vertical leg of the L is located at the front, this enables a plug connection to be made from the front of the vertical leg of the L. This ensures particularly good accessibility for installing or uninstalling the corresponding plug connector.

[0011] In another configuration of the invention, latching profiles are molded onto the shell parts, which latching profiles have mutually complementary configurations, so that adjacent shell parts are connected together using complementary latching profiles. The latching profiles may or may not be able to be unlocked. In both cases, they ensure tool-free interconnection of the shell parts simply by fitting and latching adjacent shell parts together.

[0012] In another configuration of the invention, the latching connection produced by the latching profile is made releasable. This makes it possible to disassemble after assembly if necessary, in particular to replace the electric motor or the control electronics.

[0013] In another configuration of the invention, the electric motor has an output shaft which defines a drive rotation axis and projects outwardly from the electric motor to the front and rear, and the printed circuit board has a passage coaxial with the drive rotation axis of the electric motor, the net cross section of which preferably corresponds to at least one diameter of the output shaft. In this way, when the electric motor is in an assembled operating state in the plastic shell, when the functional component is axially arranged in place, the axial rear support of the output shaft is ensured, so that any axial pressure applied from the front due to the installation of the functional component reliably does not bring about an axial rear displacement of the output shaft. In particular, the functional component that can be provided is a pinion, a worm or other gear component to which the driving force of the electric motor will be transmitted.

[0014] In another configuration of the invention, the housing parts are provided with peripheral seals at their connection areas with the respective other housing parts in order to achieve sealing of the housing when joined together. Depending on the design of the seals, tightness according to IP classes IP61 to IP69 is possible.

[0015] In another configuration of the present invention, the seal is molded onto the shell part in one piece. In this case, the shell part is preferably produced using a multi-component injection molding method, wherein a suitable soft elastic component forms the seal, and a dimensionally stable plastic component ensures a dimensionally stable configuration of the shell part.

[0016] In a further embodiment of the invention, the electric motor is suspended in the housing in an acoustically damped manner. This enables a low-noise operation of the drive unit.

[0017] In another embodiment of the invention, elastically yielding damping rings are provided in the housing to the front and rear of the electric motor and coaxially with the drive rotation axis. The damping rings can be produced as separate functional parts and inserted into the housing. Alternatively or in addition, at least one damping ring can be constructed in one piece in the part of the housing part adjacent to the end face of the electric motor. Similar to the above-mentioned seal, the damping ring is also made of an elastically yielding plastic material, which is constructed in one piece with the corresponding housing part in a multi-component injection molding method.

[0018] In another embodiment of the invention, the shell part is produced as a two-component injection-molded part consisting of two plastic materials, one of which constitutes the elastomeric material and forms the damping ring. The term elastomeric material is to be understood as meaning pure elastomers, synthetic or naturally occurring, and also thermoplastic elastomers. In the case of a molded seal of the shell part, the material used for the damping ring is preferably the same as the material used for the seal. For the shell part itself, a dimensionally stable thermoplastic plastic material is provided.

[0019] In another embodiment of the invention, at least one housing part is provided with a bearing contour on the inside, which interacts with a complementary mating contour on the end face of the electric motor for torque support of the electric motor relative to the housing. This enables the electric motor to be held particularly securely in the plastic housing without the need to fix the electric motor in the plastic housing by additional fastening elements. Preferably, the mating contour of the electric motor is provided on the end face of the electric motor housing of the electric motor.

[0020] In another configuration of the invention, at least one housing part has an adapter disc molded in one piece externally on the output side of the drive rotation axis of the electric motor, which adapter disc is configured for torque support of the housing against the functional components adjacent to the output side. In this way, the housing itself is simply supported so that the torque generated by the electric motor and transmitted to the housing is supported against the fixed functional components via the adapter disc. For this purpose, the adapter disc is preferably rotationally asymmetrical with respect to the drive rotation axis. When installed, the adapter disc is interlockingly fixed to the corresponding adjacent functional components. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Further advantages and features of the invention are revealed by the claims and by the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention which is explained with reference to the drawings.

[0022] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a drive unit according to the invention,

[0023] Figure 2 From another perspective, it shows Figure 1 The drive unit,

[0024] Figure 3 is the vertical central longitudinal plane passing through the Figure 1 and Figure 2 an enlarged view of a longitudinal section of a drive unit of FIG. 1 , in which the drive axis of rotation of the electric motor of the drive unit lies in the vertical central longitudinal plane,

[0025] Figure 4 Shown through the Figure 1 and Figure 2 another longitudinal section of the drive unit along a horizontal central longitudinal plane, the horizontal central longitudinal plane containing the drive rotation axis,

[0026] Figure 5 is based on Figures 1 to 4 A perspective exploded view of the drive unit of

[0027] Figure 6 From another perspective Figures 1 to 5 Another exploded view of the drive unit,

[0028] Figure 7 Shows the first-person perspective Figures 1 to 6 The shell part of the drive unit,

[0029] Figure 8 Shown according to Figure 7 But the shell part viewed from another angle,

[0030] Fig. 9 is based on Figure 7 and Figure 8 A front view of the shell portion, and

[0031] Fig.10 is along Fig. 9 The cross section line XX in Fig. 9 A cross-sectional view of a shell portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] according to Figures 1 to 10The drive unit 1 is provided as an electric drive for a screening device for a side window of a passenger carrier. Here, the drive unit 1 is used to drive a flexible screening structure, which is held on a winding shaft in the form of a drum so that it can be wound on and off the winding shaft. Using the drive unit 1, the roller blind drum is displaced between a rest position and a screening position covering the side window in the passenger compartment. The drive unit 1 can be directly associated with the winding shaft of the roller blind drum via a suitable gear unit in order to drive the drum, or the drive unit 1 is used for an electric drive of a transmission transmission system with a spiral cable or a Bowden cable system. Both the spiral cable and the Bowden cable system are installed in corresponding lateral guides fixed to the carrier and move the pull-out profile connected to the screening drum. This necessarily leads to the desired displacement of the screening drum between the rest position and the screening position.

[0033] The drive unit 1 has an electric motor M provided with an output shaft 2 which extends through the motor housing of the motor M and defines a drive rotation axis for the purposes of the present invention. Corresponding electric drive components which drive the output shaft 2 when supplied with electric current are incorporated in the motor housing in a substantially known manner. The output shaft 2 protrudes outwardly from the end of the motor housing both to the front (e.g. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown on the right side of the figure, it protrudes to the rear, such as Figures 3 to 5 The electric motor M is controlled by control electronics housed on a printed circuit board P. Figures 1 to 10 Described in detail, both the electric motor M and the printed circuit board P with the control electronics are incorporated into a plastic housing. The plastic housing consists of three housing parts, namely a motor housing part 3, a printed circuit board housing part 4 and a cover part 5, which are made of plastic independently of one another and assembled as a structural unit to form the plastic housing.

[0034] The motor housing part 3 is essentially a hollow cylindrical embodiment and serves to completely accommodate the electric motor M in the motor housing part 3. In this way, the electric motor M is suspended in the motor housing part 3 at the end by means of a first elastically yielding damping ring 10 of elastomeric material. The motor housing part 3 also has an adapter disk 9 at its front face, which is molded in one piece with the motor housing part 3. The adapter disk 9 coaxially surrounds the output shaft 2. The adapter disk 9 is non-rotationally symmetrical and serves to be non-rotatably fixed to an adjacent fixed functional component, in particular a gear housing. The adapter disk 9 thus forms a torque support for the motor housing part 3.

[0035] At the rear, the motor housing part 3 is closed by the printed circuit board housing part 4, which brings about rear support and fixation of the electric motor M at the rear end face of the electric motor M. The rear end face of the motor housing of the electric motor M has two recesses 13 serving as mating contours, which are radially offset relative to the drive rotation axis, into which recesses 13 complementary support contours 15 of the printed circuit board housing part 4 protrude axially and in a rotationally locked manner relative to the motor housing of the electric motor M. The support contours 15 and the recesses 13 serve for torque support of the motor housing of the electric motor M relative to the plastic housing, i.e. relative to the motor housing part 3 and relative to the printed circuit board housing part 4.

[0036] The printed circuit board housing part 4 has a further damping ring 11 which is made of an elastic material and which supports the motor housing of the electric motor M at its rear end face in an acoustically damping manner. This damping ring 11 is formed in one piece on the printed circuit board housing part 4, wherein the printed circuit board housing part 4 is embodied as a two-component injection-molded part. The damping ring 11 and the support contour 15 are made of an elastically yielding, acoustically damping plastic material, while the dimensionally stable housing of the printed circuit board housing part 4 is made of a thermoplastic plastic material. By using a two-component injection-molding method for production purposes, the damping ring 11, the support contour 15 and the dimensionally stable housing of the printed circuit board housing 4 form a one-piece component, wherein the elastic plastic material and the dimensionally stable thermoplastic plastic material are bonded together. The printed circuit board housing part 4 serves, on the one hand, as a rear end closure for the motor housing part 3. On the other hand, the printed circuit board housing part 4 serves at its rear end to accommodate and support a printed circuit board P provided with control electronics. For reasons of clarity, the control electronics are not shown in the figure.

[0037] The motor housing part 3 and the printed circuit board housing part 4 have mutually complementary latching contours 6 which, when the two housing parts are joined together, form an interlocking latching connection between the two housing parts, which in this case is releasable. The latching contour 6 is molded in one piece on the printed circuit board housing part 4 on the one hand and on the motor housing part 3 on the other hand.

[0038] from Figure 6 It is clear that, relative to the hollow cylindrical motor housing part 3, the end face closed area of ​​the printed circuit board housing part 4 is provided with a circular arc-shaped centering protrusion on the one hand, and with a peripheral elastic seal D on the other hand, which is also formed in one piece by a two-component injection molding method in the printed circuit board housing part 4. The printed circuit board housing 4 can be inserted flush and tightly on the open end face of the motor housing part 3 using this connection area, so that the rear end face fixation and sound damping suspension of the electric motor M are also achieved at the same time.

[0039] from Figures 1 to 3 It is clear that the drive unit 1 is substantially L-shaped when in the assembled operating state. Figures 1 to 3The horizontal leg of the L is formed by the hollow cylindrical motor housing part 3, and the vertical leg of the L is formed by the printed circuit board housing part 4, which can be closed by the cover part 5 at the rear.

[0040] The printed circuit board housing part 4 has a box-shaped receiving part radially below its connection area (relative to the drive rotation axis of the electric motor M), which is provided with a substantially rectangular opening 14 at the front. The opening 14 is used to receive the plug connection part 8, which is arranged on the front of the printed circuit board P and is electrically connected to the electronic control components of the printed circuit board P. The plug connection part 8 has a rectangular cross-section, which substantially corresponds to the cross-section of the opening 14. In this way, the plug connection part 8 can be inserted into the opening 14 from the rear, so that the socket of the plug connection part 8 protrudes from the front of the box-shaped housing area of ​​the printed circuit board housing part 4 into the opening 14 ( Figure 1 ). The periphery of the opening 14 is provided with an elastic seal D, which is likewise formed in one piece in the printed circuit board housing part 4. The seal D, the damping ring 11 and the support profile 15 of the printed circuit board housing part 4 can be made of the same elastic material, preferably an elastomer or a thermoplastic elastomer, and incorporated in one piece into the printed circuit board housing part 4 in a two-component injection molding process.

[0041] As from Figure 8 It is clear that the printed circuit board housing part 4, which is open at the rear, has a supporting projection 16, which is molded in one piece in its open interior, and which serves to axially position the printed circuit board P in the printed circuit board housing part 4. The rear of the printed circuit board housing part 4 can be closed by a cover part 5, which can be arranged in place flush on the rear of the printed circuit board housing part 4 and can be interlockedly connected with the printed circuit board housing part 4 in the flush position by means of a latching profile 7. The cover part 5 and the printed circuit board housing part 4 each have two mutually complementary latching profiles 7 at opposite side regions, which are spaced vertically relative to each other and are formed on the one hand by latching lugs on the printed circuit board housing part 4 and on the other hand by latching hooks on the cover part 5. The cover part 5 has, on its end face facing the printed circuit board housing part 4, on the one hand a peripheral centering projection and on the other hand a peripheral seal D, which is made of an elastic material and is formed in one piece on the cover part 5 in the exemplary embodiment shown. The cover part D also has a support protrusion 17 similar to the support protrusion 16, which presses the printed circuit board P axially from the rear against the support protrusion 16 and thus against the printed circuit board shell part 6, resulting in the printed circuit board P being securely positioned between the cover part 5 and the printed circuit board shell part 4.

[0042] from Figures 3 to 6As is clear from the drawing, the printed circuit board P has a passage 12 at the level of the output shaft 2 and coaxial therewith, through which the rear end region of the output shaft 2 protrudes axially when the drive unit 1 is in the assembled state. This makes it possible to insert functional components such as pinions, worms or similar components axially onto the output shaft 2 at the front and at the same time to apply an axial bearing moment to the output shaft 2 from the rear even when the drive unit 1 is in the assembled operating state. Figure 3 It is clear that a corresponding axially mating supporting element G can be installed on the inner side of the cover part 5, so that by utilizing the setting and latching of the cover part 5, axial support of the rear end face of the output shaft 2 has been necessarily achieved, so that when the drive unit 1 is in an assembled operating state, the functional component can be axially inserted at the front, and the output shaft 2 cannot give way axially in the rearward direction.

[0043] The peripheral seal D on the inner side of the cover part 5 ensures a tight closure with the rear edge area of ​​the printed circuit board housing part 4, so that the printed circuit board P together with its electronic control components are accommodated in the plastic housing in a watertight manner. Depending on the design of the seal D, sealing values ​​in the range of IP grades IP61 to IP69 can be achieved.

[0044] In accordance with Figures 1 to 10 In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the plastic housing containing the electric motor M and the printed circuit board P with its three housing parts, namely the motor housing part 3, the printed circuit board housing part 4 and the cover part 5, is made so as to be disengaged. For this purpose, the corresponding latching hooks of the latching profiles 6 and 7, which interlock on the latching lugs of the latching profiles 6 and 7 molded in one piece, are embodied to be slightly elastically widenable, so that if necessary, the cover part 5 can be removed again from the rear of the printed circuit board housing part 4 and the motor housing part 3 can be removed again from the front of the printed circuit board housing part 4. This makes it easy to replace the electric motor M and / or the printed circuit board P.

Claims

1. A drive unit (1) for a protective device on a vehicle, in particular in the interior of a vehicle, having an electric motor (M) and having control electronics for the electric motor (M) arranged on a printed circuit board (P), characterized in that The electric motor (M) and the printed circuit board (P) with the control electronics are integrated into a common plastic housing, wherein the plastic housing consists of a plurality of housing parts which are connected together, in particular without tools, and wherein the control electronics arranged on the printed circuit board (P) are arranged in the plastic housing adjacent to the electric motor (M).

2. The drive unit (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that The printed circuit board (P) is positioned to the rear of the electric motor (M) and is oriented in the plastic housing in a radial plane relative to the drive rotation axis of the electric motor (M).

3. The drive unit (1) according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that: The plastic housing has a substantially hollow cylindrical motor housing portion (3), a printed circuit board housing portion (4) adjacent to the motor housing portion (3), and a cover portion (5) closing the printed circuit board housing portion (4) at the rear.

4. Drive unit (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The plastic shell is L-shaped, wherein one leg of the L is oriented substantially horizontally and the other leg of the L is oriented substantially vertically when the drive unit (1) is in an assembled operating state.

5. The drive unit (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that The electric motor (M) is arranged in the horizontally oriented leg of the L, and the printed circuit board (P) with the control electronics is arranged in the vertically oriented leg of the L, and wherein the horizontally oriented leg of the L surrounds the output side of the drive rotation axis of the electric motor at the front end, and wherein the vertically oriented leg of the L surrounds the printed circuit board with the control electronics arranged to the rear of the electric motor (M).

6. The drive unit (1) according to claim 4 or claim 5, characterized in that: An opening (14) is provided on one side of the vertical legs of the L, in particular on the front side, for flush accommodation of a plug connection part (8) arranged on the printed circuit board (P) and electrically connected to the control electronics.

7. Drive unit (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that Latching profiles (6, 7) are molded onto the shell parts, the latching profiles having mutually complementary configurations so that adjacent shell parts are connected together using complementary latching profiles (6, 7).

8. The drive unit (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that The latching connection produced by the latching profiles (6, 7) is made releasable.

9. Drive unit (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The electric motor (M) has an output shaft (2) which defines a drive rotation axis and projects outwardly from the electric motor (M) to the front and rear, and wherein the printed circuit board (P) has a passage (12) coaxial with the drive rotation axis of the electric motor (M), the clear cross-section of the passage preferably corresponding to at least one diameter of the output shaft (2).

10. Drive unit (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The shell parts are provided with peripheral seals (D) at their connection areas with the respective other shell parts in order to achieve tightness of the plastic shell when joined together.

11. The drive unit (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that The seal (D) is molded in one piece with the housing portion.

12. Drive unit (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The electric motor (M) is suspended in the plastic housing in an acoustically damped manner.

13. The drive unit (1) according to claim 12, characterized in that Elastically yielding damping rings (10, 11) are provided in the plastic housing to the front and rear of the electric motor (M) and are coaxial with the drive rotation axis.

14. The drive unit (1) according to claim 13, characterized in that At least one damping ring (11) is formed in one piece in a portion of the housing part adjoining an end face of the electric motor (M).

15. Drive unit (1) according to one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that The shell part is produced as a two-component injection-molded part consisting of two plastic materials, one of the components constituting the elastomeric material and forming the damping ring (11).

16. Drive unit (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that At least one shell part is provided with a bearing contour (15) on the inner side, which interacts with a complementary mating contour (13) on the end face of the electric motor (M) for torque support of the electric motor (M) relative to the plastic shell.

17. Drive unit (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that At least one housing part has an adapter disk (9) molded in one piece externally on the output side of the drive rotation axis of the electric motor (M), the adapter disk (9) being designed for torque support of the plastic housing against functional components adjacent to the output side.

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