Sealing device having compression limiter, housing having such sealing device, and motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a sealing device. The sealing device is provided with a first sealing surface; a second sealing surface; an annular seal (8; 8 ') made of a sealing material is arranged between the first and second sealing surfaces. 18), the sealing element (8; 18) has at least one compression limiter, which is each formed by a stack of sealing material and / or an insert (12), which is integrated into the sealing material and is covered by the sealing material, 18) in a mounted and loaded state, along the sealing element (8; 18), as viewed in the circumferential direction of the seal (8; 18), there is a smaller pressure per area between the first sealing surface and the seal directly before and directly after the compression limiter than in the region in which the compression limiter is provided. 18) and a motor vehicle.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a sealing device, a housing, in particular a battery housing for a motor vehicle, the housing having such a sealing device, and the present invention also relates to a motor vehicle having such a sealing device or such a housing. Background Art

[0002] It is known that drive batteries for electrified motor vehicles are arranged under the vehicle passenger compartment or on the vehicle floor. This requires the battery housings of these drive batteries to be realized in an airtight manner. Such a battery housing typically has a housing basin and a housing cover covering the housing basin. The edge of the housing basin is usually stable enough so that a good seal between the housing basin and the housing cover can be achieved. However, the walls of the battery housing are relatively large in area and relatively thin-walled, so it is more difficult to seal in the case where a service opening (which can be covered by a service cover) is provided in one of the walls, such as the housing cover, because in this case the seal lies flat on a thin-walled substrate. The wall may, for example, be slightly arched upwards or downwards at the position to be sealed. That is to say, the part to be sealed has a larger tolerance range in this case. In order to ensure the seal, the seal must be pressed between the wall and the service cover with sufficient force. However, this force cannot be too high, because otherwise cracks may occur in the seal, which will lead to damage to the seal or be disadvantageous in terms of aging resistance. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to at least partially eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks. This object is solved by the sealing device according to claim 1, the housing according to claim 7, and the motor vehicle according to claim 10. Advantageous developments of the present invention are the technical solutions of the dependent claims.

[0004] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a sealing device is provided, which has: a first sealing surface; a second sealing surface; an annular seal made of a sealing material disposed between the first and second sealing surfaces, wherein the seal has at least one compression limiter, which is formed by accumulation of the sealing material and / or by an insert, the insert being integrated into the sealing material and being coated with the sealing material, in particular completely (i.e., without interruption), wherein, in the installed and loaded state of the seal, especially under a planar load, when observed in the circumferential direction of the seal, there is a lower unit area pressure between the first sealing surface and the seal directly before and directly after the compression limiter than in the area provided with the compression limiter. The stop against compression is limited by a higher unit area pressure, i.e., the degree to which the seal is compressed or can be compressed. This has the advantage that a stop is provided during installation of the cover when compressing the seal by the integrated insert, which ensures that the seal is compressed to just the right degree. Thus, on the one hand, good sealing is achieved during installation and on the other hand, over-compression is avoided, which improves the durability of the seal.

[0005] The areas "directly before the compression limiter" and "directly after the compression limiter" in the circumferential direction include areas up to 5 mm, especially 3 mm and especially 1 mm before and after the compression limiter in the circumferential direction of the annular seal.

[0006] For example, the ratio of the unit area pressure can be determined or measured by inserting strain gauges between the first sealing surface and the seal at the respective parts to be compared and installing and loading the seal.

[0007] Especially in the unloaded state of the seal, the seal has a constant maximum height in the circumferential direction. Here, the maximum height only relates to the section of the seal that is located or clamped between the first and second sealing surfaces in the installed state of the seal.

[0008] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the insert is made of plastic and / or silicone. These materials have sufficient strength and can be well integrated into the sealing material during the manufacturing process of the seal. The sealing material is especially made of an elastomer, especially made of silicone.

[0009] Especially, the elastic modulus of the insert is at least 10 times greater than the elastic modulus of the sealing material. Thus, the insert is relatively hard to act as a stop and the sealing material is correspondingly soft.

[0010] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the insert is plate-shaped.

[0011] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the seal has fixed through-holes, and the at least one compression limiter is arranged at a distance from these fixed through-holes. The fixed through-holes may also have bushings, but the functions of the bushings are different. The function of the bushing is to provide support for the installation of the nut so that the seal is not damaged when the nut is tightened. The compression limiter has the function of restricting the compression of the sealing material. By spacing the compression limiter from the fixed through-holes, these two functions are clearly separated spatially.

[0012] Furthermore, the present invention provides a housing, in particular a battery housing for a motor vehicle, which has a service opening constructed in the wall of the housing; a service cover for closing the service opening, and the above-mentioned sealing device, wherein the wall and the service cover form a first sealing surface and a second sealing surface, that is to say, the wall forms the first sealing surface and the service cover forms the second sealing surface, or the wall forms the second sealing surface and the service cover forms the first sealing surface. With this embodiment, the advantages already mentioned in connection with the seal can be achieved in this housing.

[0013] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the housing has a housing basin and a housing cover closing the housing basin, and the wall constructed with the service opening is formed by the housing cover.

[0014] According to another embodiment of the present invention, bolts are mounted on the wall, and the bolts extend through the fixed through-holes.

[0015] Furthermore, the present invention provides a motor vehicle having such a sealing device or such a housing. Description of the Drawings

[0016] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are as follows:

[0017] Figure 1 A motor vehicle schematically shown according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 Showing a partial view of the wall of the housing with the service opening introduced;

[0019] Figure 3 Showing the service cover screwed to the service opening;

[0020] Figure 4a A schematic cross-sectional side view of a seal according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4b A schematic cross-sectional top view of the seal according to the first embodiment of the present invention at the insert height;

[0022] Figure 5a A schematic cross-sectional side view of a seal according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and

[0023] Figure 5b Schematically shows a cross-sectional top view of a seal according to a second embodiment of the present invention in terms of the insert height. Detailed implementation

[0024] Figure 1 Shows a motor vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The motor vehicle 1 has a drive battery 2 in which electrical energy is stored on an electrochemical basis. The motor vehicle 1 is an electrified motor vehicle that is at least temporarily driven by pure battery power, such as a pure electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. In particular, it relates to a sedan. The drive battery 2 is arranged below the vehicle passenger compartment 3.

[0025] The drive battery 2 has a battery housing 4 that encloses a plurality of Figure 1 battery cells 5 schematically shown in height. The battery cells are in particular cylindrical battery cells (often also referred to as round cells). The battery cells 5 are electrically connected in series and / or in parallel with each other and together form a drive battery with a voltage level greater than 150 volts. The drive battery stores electrical energy on an electrochemical basis and supplies the electrical energy to the drive device (i.e., one or more electric motors) of the motor vehicle and other vehicle electrical appliances.

[0026] The battery housing 4 has, for example, a housing basin and a housing cover that covers and closes the housing basin. However, the present invention is not limited to the battery housing, but can also be applied to other housings, for example, housings for enclosing power electronic components, control computers, etc.

[0027] Figure 2 Shows a part of the wall 6 of the battery housing 4 in which a service opening 7 is introduced. The wall 6 is in particular the housing cover of the battery housing 4 or other housing, but can also be other walls of the battery housing 4 or the housing. A ring-shaped and flat seal 8 is provided around the edge of the service opening 7. In particular, the inner peripheral edge of the seal is flush with the opening edge of the service opening 7. The seal 8 is in direct contact with the outer-facing side of the wall 6.

[0028] Bolts 9 facing the outside are provided around the service opening 7, and the bolts are directly fixed, for example, welded to the wall 6, in particular on the outer-facing side of the wall 6. Each bolt 9 has an external thread.

[0029] Figure 3 Shows a service cover 10 that covers the service opening 7 and is screwed onto the bolts 9. The seal 8 is arranged and clamped between the wall 6 and the service cover 10. The service cover 10 has a fixing opening through which the bolts 9 are inserted. By means of nuts 11 (see the following drawings) screwed onto the bolts 9, the service cover 10 is fixed to the wall 6.

[0030] The wall 6 and the service cover 10 form a first and a second sealing surface, that is, the wall 6 forms the first sealing surface and the service cover 10 forms the second sealing surface, or vice versa. The wall 6 forms the second sealing surface and the service cover 10 forms the first sealing surface.

[0031] Figure 4a A sectional side view of a seal 8 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown and Figure 4b A cross-sectional top view thereof is shown. Figure 4a The service cover 10, the wall 6 and the seal 8 arranged therebetween are shown. The seal 8 has a base 8a and a sealing lip 8b extending from the base to the sealing surface. In this case, the sealing surface is the wall 6 and the service cover 10. The base 8a and the sealing lip 8b are made of the same sealing material in one piece and are especially constructed in an integral manner. The seal 8 is made of an elastomer, especially silicone. Between the two opposite sealing surfaces, the seal 8 or the sealing material has a maximum height H in an unloaded state. An insert 12 is embedded in the sealing material, which constitutes a compression limiter. In particular, the insert 12 is completely, that is, embedded in the sealing material without interruption. That is, the insert 12 is covered by the sealing material on all its sides. The insert 12 is made of silicone or plastic and is harder than the sealing material. When used in accordance with regulations, the material of the insert 12 is designed so that the insert is substantially not compressed by the compression force to which the seal 8 is subjected during installation and thus determines the limit of the compressibility of the seal 8. Between two opposite sealing surfaces, the insert 12 has in the unloaded state a maximum dimension h (ie in a direction perpendicular to the sealing surfaces) which is smaller than the maximum height H, in particular at least 10% smaller and in particular at least 20% smaller.

[0032] Arranged in the seal 8 is at least one single insert 12 , but in particular a plurality of inserts 12 distributed in the circumferential direction of the annular seal 8 .

[0033] However, it is also possible that the compression limiter is formed by an accumulation of sealing material instead of the insert 12, so that the compression limiter is formed integrally with the sealing material. That is, the base body 8a can be formed significantly higher in some areas (in the direction perpendicular to the sealing surface) and the sealing lip 8b at this location can be lower, so that the maximum height H of the seal 8 remains constant in the circumferential direction. The compression limiter can also be formed in the following way: the material accumulation is formed by designing the seal 8 to be wider in a plane parallel to the sealing surface and perpendicular to the circumferential direction than in other locations.

[0034] Furthermore, the sealing element 8 has a fixing through-hole 13 through which the bolt 9 extends. The insert 12 is spaced apart from the fixing through-hole 13, in particular, there is a gap between the fixing through-hole 13 and the insert 12, in which gap the sealing material is located.

[0035] existFigure 4b As can be seen, the seal 8 is provided, for example, with two sealing lips 8b extending side by side in a plane parallel to the sealing plane, and the insert 12 is arranged between the two sealing lips 8b in this plane and in a top view (viewed perpendicular to the sealing surface).

[0036] Figure 5a A sectional side view of a seal 18 according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown and Figure 5b its sectional top view is shown. To avoid repetition, only the differences from the first embodiment are mentioned within the scope of the second embodiment and reference is made to the description of the first embodiment in other respects.

[0037] According to the second embodiment, a bolt 14 is provided, which is not mounted on the outer surface of the wall 6 facing outwards as in the first embodiment, but penetrates the wall 6 and forms an undercut on the inner side of the wall, so that the bolt 14 is held by the wall 6 in this way. In addition, the bolt 14 can be glued or welded to the wall 6. As in the first embodiment, the bolt 14 cooperates with the nut 11 to tighten the service cover 10. The bolt 14 is shown in Figure 5a and omitted in Figure 5b

[0038] The fixing through-hole 13 of the seal 8 is directly provided in the sealing material 8a, while in the second embodiment, a fixing through-hole 15 formed by a hollow cylindrical bushing is provided, and the hollow cylindrical bushing is embedded or integrated into the seal 18. The bushing 16 is made of metal or plastic, for example.

[0039] As described in connection with the first embodiment, the seal 18 has a sealing material 8a and sealing lips 8b. Here, the seal 18 has three sealing lips 8b, so that every two sealing lips are distributed on the outer edge of the seal 18.

[0040] In Figure 5b it can be seen that the seal 18 is provided, for example, with three sealing lips 8b extending side by side in a plane parallel to the sealing surface, and in this plane the insert 12 is arranged between the middle sealing lip 8b and the outer sealing lip 8b in a top view (viewed perpendicular to the sealing surface).

[0041] Although the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the foregoing description, this illustration and description should be understood as being exemplary rather than restrictive and not intended to limit the present invention to the disclosed embodiments. The mere fact that certain features are mentioned in different dependent claims does not mean that a combination of these features cannot be used advantageously.​

Claims

1. A sealing device comprising: a first sealing surface; a second sealing surface; an annular sealing member (8; 18) made of a sealing material and arranged between the first and second sealing surfaces, wherein: The seal (8; 18) has at least one compression limiter, which is respectively formed by a deposit of sealing material and / or by an insert (12) which is integrated into the sealing material and is covered by the sealing material, wherein, when the seal (8; 18) is installed and loaded, a smaller pressure per unit area exists between the first sealing surface and the seal directly before and directly after the compression limiter as viewed in the circumferential direction of the seal (8; 18) than in the area where the compression limiter is arranged.

2. The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one compression limiter is in each case formed by an insert (12).

3. The sealing device according to claim 2, wherein: The insert (12) is made of plastic and / or silicone.

4. The sealing device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The elastic modulus of the insert (12) is at least 10 times greater than the elastic modulus of the sealing material.

5. The sealing device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein: The insert (12) is plate-shaped.

6. A sealing device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The sealing element (8; 18) has fixing through holes (13; 15), and the at least one compression limiter is arranged spaced apart from the fixing through holes (13; 15).

7. A housing, in particular a battery housing (4) for a motor vehicle (1), comprising: a maintenance opening (7) formed in a wall (6) of the housing; a maintenance cover (10) for closing the maintenance opening (7), and a sealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The wall (6) and the maintenance cover (10) form first and second sealing surfaces.

8. The housing according to claim 7, wherein: The housing comprises a housing pot and a housing cover closing the housing pot, wherein the wall (6) provided with the service opening (7) is formed by the housing cover.

9. A housing according to claim 7 or 8, each dependent on claim 6, wherein: A bolt (9; 14) is mounted on the wall (6), and the bolt extends through the fixing through hole (13; 15). 10 . A motor vehicle ( 1 ) comprising a seal ( 8 ; 18 ) according to claim 1 or a housing according to claim 7 .

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