Mount for a sensor

Abstract

Holder (1) for a sensor (3) having a mounting surface (8) for attaching the holder (1) to a fairing (2) of a vehicle, wherein the mounting surface (8) comprises: - a sensor opening (6) for receiving the sensor (3), - a first fastening protrusion (4) that completely surrounds the sensor opening (6), wherein the first fastening protrusion (4) is arranged on an outer circumference of the mounting surface (8), and - a plurality of second mounting protrusions (5) that only partially surround the sensor opening (6), wherein the second mounting protrusions (5) are separated from each other by channels (11) extending radially to the sensor opening (6), wherein the second mounting protrusions (5) each have a bearing surface (9) for resting on the cover (2), wherein the bearing surface (9) increases with increasing distance of the second mounting protrusions (5) from the sensor opening (6), and - wherein the first fastening protrusion (4) and the second fastening protrusions (5) are provided for fastening to the cladding (2).

Description

State of the art

[0001] The present invention relates to a holder for a sensor. In particular, the invention relates to a holder for an ultrasonic sensor that can be used on a vehicle.

[0002] A mounting for a sensor is known, for example, from US 8,986,478 B2. The mount shown therein has a circular design and features two ring-shaped protrusions on one mounting surface, which are intended to be attached to a vehicle body panel by torsional ultrasonic welding. However, the use of several such ring-shaped protrusions has the disadvantage that differing thermal expansion rates of the panel and the sensor mount can lead to stresses, thus limiting the service life of such a connection. Furthermore, the two protrusions on the mounting surface do not dampen the propagation of waves generated by an ultrasonic sensor held in the mount, causing a large area of ​​the panel to vibrate. This is particularly contrary to the intended use of ultrasonic sensors, which require a locally confined vibration for measurement.

[0003] A similar sensor mount as described above is known from WO 2011 / 101412 A1.

[0004] Document DE 10 2012 109 838 A1 discloses an ultrasonic sensor device for a motor vehicle, comprising an ultrasonic sensor which has a membrane for emitting and / or receiving ultrasonic waves, and a stiffening unit for attaching to a fairing part of the motor vehicle and for stiffening the fairing part.

[0005] Document DE 11 2009 004 942 B4 discloses an ultrasonic sensor module mounting device.

[0006] Document DE 10 2006 044 656 A1 discloses a fastening construction for ultrasonic sensors.

[0007] Document DE 10 2007 045 809 A1 discloses an obstacle detector device. Disclosure of the invention

[0008] The sensor holder according to the invention advantageously allows for the reduction of stresses that can occur within a connection point between the holder and a fairing. Furthermore, the holder according to the invention allows for the damping of vibration waves emanating from a sensor held by the holder. The sensor holder according to the invention has a mounting surface, which serves to attach the holder to a fairing of a vehicle. The fairing of the vehicle is, in particular, a bumper, and the sensor is advantageously an acoustic sensor, especially an ultrasonic sensor, so that the holder enables the attachment of an ultrasonic sensor to the vehicle. The mounting surface comprises a sensor opening, a first mounting protrusion, and a plurality of second mounting protrusions.The first mounting protrusion and the second mounting protrusions are designed for attachment to the panel. Specifically, the first mounting protrusion and the multiple second mounting protrusions are designed to lie flat against the panel. The sensor opening serves to accommodate the sensor. The mounting bracket is designed to have additional retaining elements, particularly those arranged perpendicular to the mounting surface, which can be used to hold the sensor. The first mounting protrusion completely surrounds the sensor opening. Specifically, the first mounting protrusion extends continuously around the sensor opening. Thus, the first mounting protrusion provides a seal, as its advantageous flat contact with the panel prevents the ingress of foreign matter, such as dirt. The sensor is therefore protected from external influences.The second mounting protrusions only partially surround the sensor opening and are, in particular, arranged between the first mounting protrusion and the sensor opening. "Partially surrounded" here means, in particular, that the second mounting protrusions do not extend completely around the sensor opening. Thus, starting from the center point of the sensor opening, the second mounting protrusions cover an angular range of less than 360°. Particularly advantageous are the second mounting protrusions forming individual sections of a geometric shape surrounding the sensor opening, such as, in particular, individual segments of a circular path surrounding the sensor opening.

[0009] The dependent claims describe preferred embodiments of the invention.

[0010] According to the invention, the first mounting protrusion is arranged on an outer circumference of the mounting surface. The second mounting protrusions are located between the first mounting protrusion and the sensor opening. Thus, the first mounting protrusion forms a boundary of the mounting surface. In this way, no foreign object can be introduced between the mounting surface and the cover, thereby ensuring both a stable and reliable connection between the mount and the cover, and reliable operation of the sensor. Furthermore, this arrangement gives the first mounting protrusion a maximum dimension, thus creating a secure and reliable hold.

[0011] Preferably, the mounting surface is designed to have a circular or elliptical circumference. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the mounting surface is circular or elliptical, with the first mounting protrusion being a circumferential ring on the mounting surface. The second mounting protrusions are advantageously individual ring segments that extend partially around the sensor opening. It is also particularly preferred that the second mounting protrusions are arbitrarily arranged between the sensor opening and the first mounting protrusion.

[0012] According to the invention, the second mounting protrusions are separated from each other by channels extending radially to the sensor opening. The channels preferably extend regularly around the sensor opening. Furthermore, the channels preferably have the same dimensions. Thus, a regular arrangement of the second mounting protrusions is ensured. In this way, on the one hand, a secure and reliable connection of the bracket to the housing is enabled, and on the other hand, the propagation of vibration waves emanating from the sensor is dampened by the second mounting protrusions. The second mounting protrusions are therefore preferably arranged within adjacent circular and / or elliptical segments. The shape of the mounting surface and / or the first mounting protrusion is irrelevant. The circular and / or elliptical sectors, in particular, have the same size or dimensions.the same solid angle, with every second fastening elevation being a ring segment within each circular sector being particularly advantageous. The individual circular and / or elliptical sectors each contain ring segments of at least one ring.

[0013] According to the invention, the second mounting protrusions each have a bearing surface. These bearing surfaces can be placed against the trim panel. The bearing surface increases with the increasing distance of the respective second mounting protrusion from the sensor opening. This ensures optimal force distribution when attaching the bracket to the trim panel. Simultaneously, this results in advantageous damping characteristics for the bracket. Thanks to the separate ring segments of the second mounting plane, temporary deformations of the trim panel, such as those that occur particularly during a blunt impact on a bumper, can be better absorbed.The inventive design of the bracket thus allows, on the one hand, sufficient stiffening of the covering so that sensors attached to it, in particular ultrasonic sensors, can reliably perform their function even through the covering, and on the other hand, stresses that arise in particular from external forces and / or from temperature changes with different material properties can be compensated.

[0014] The second fastening points are designed either as points or strips. The strip shape allows for a flat contact surface, thus ensuring a secure hold of the bracket on the cladding. The point shape allows for the targeted creation of individual support points.

[0015] The first and / or second mounting protrusions advantageously have a height of 1 mm to 10 mm. Particularly advantageous are the first and / or second mounting protrusions having a height of 4 mm to 7 mm. The height is specifically a measure of the protrusion of the first and / or second mounting protrusions above the rest of the mounting surface. This height ensures that the first and second mounting protrusions stand out clearly from the rest of the mounting surface. Thus, fastening is only possible at the first and second mounting protrusions. At the same time, the gap between the bracket and the cover is minimized.

[0016] The invention further relates to an arrangement comprising a bracket as described above and a cover. It is provided that a surface of the first mounting protrusion and a surface of the second mounting protrusion correspond to a surface of the cover. The bracket, in particular the respective surfaces of the first and second mounting protrusions, and the cover are advantageously bonded by a material interlock. This ensures a secure and reliable hold of the bracket on the cover, with the bond being very inconspicuous. In particular, the presence of the bracket is not perceptible from the opposite surface of the cover.

[0017] The bracket is welded to the cover. It is particularly advantageous that the first mounting point and the multiple secondary mounting points are welded to the cover. Welding is preferably carried out by torsional welding, especially torsional ultrasonic welding.

[0018] Alternatively or additionally, the first and second mounting points are bonded to the fairing and / or otherwise permanently connected. This prevents, in particular, the heating of the fairing and the mounting bracket caused by welding.

[0019] The second mounting points advantageously allow for the damping or prevention of vibration waves emanating from the sensor. These vibration waves arise particularly at the sensor's operating frequency, especially if the sensor is an acoustic sensor, particularly an ultrasonic sensor. The arrangement and dimensions of the second mounting points allow the damping characteristics of the mount to be preferably adjusted such that these vibration waves are, in particular, completely damped. This enables local wave emission from the sensor, allowing for precise measurement. Brief description of the drawings

[0020] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing. The drawing shows: Fig. 1 a schematic illustration of a bracket according to a first embodiment of the invention, which is attached to a panel, Fig. 2 a schematic illustration of the mounting surface of the bracket according to the first embodiment of the invention, Fig. 3 a schematic illustration of the mounting surface of a bracket according to a second embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 4 a schematic illustration of the mounting surface of a bracket according to a third embodiment of the invention. Embodiments of the invention

[0021] Fig. Figure 1 schematically shows a bracket 1 attached to a cover 2. The bracket 1 serves in particular to hold a sensor 3. The sensor 3 is in particular an ultrasonic sensor. The cover 2 is preferably a bumper of a vehicle. Thus, the sensor 3 can preferably be attached to the vehicle by means of the bracket 1.

[0022] In its preferred embodiment, the sensor 3, an ultrasonic sensor, emits acoustic signals that are reflected by the surroundings of the sensor 3 in order to measure these surroundings. In this way, distance information, in particular, can be obtained. To enable high-quality measurements with the sensor 3, it is necessary that the sensor 3 emits waves only in defined directions. In particular, large-area vibration of the housing 2 must be avoided. The bracket 1 has a mounting surface 8 with which the bracket 1 can be attached to the housing 2. The mounting surface 8 includes a sensor opening 6 in which the sensor 3 is arranged. Furthermore, the mounting surface 8 includes a first mounting projection 4 that completely surrounds the sensor opening 6, as well as a plurality of second mounting projections 5. The arrangement of the first mounting projection 4 and the second mounting projections 5 is described in Fig. 2 shown.

[0023] Fig. Figure 2 schematically shows a top view of the mounting surface 8 of the bracket 1. It can be seen that the mounting surface 8 has a circular circumference, with the first mounting projection 4 having a ring shape. As can be seen from Fig. 1 and Fig. As can be seen in Figure 2, the first mounting protrusion 4 is attached to the outer circumference of the mounting surface 8. Thus, the first mounting protrusion 4 forms a seal around the mounting surface 8. Furthermore, the first mounting protrusion 4 completely surrounds the sensor opening 6. This ensures that no foreign matter, especially dirt, from the surrounding area can reach the sensor opening 6 and therefore the sensor 3. The first mounting protrusion 4 thus has a sealing effect.

[0024] The ring-shaped design of the first mounting projection 4 also ensures a surface contact between the bracket 1 and the cover 2. This allows the bracket 1 to be connected to the cover 2 in a stable and reliable manner.

[0025] The second mounting protrusions 5 are each designed as a ring segment and partially surround the sensor opening 6. In the Fig. In the first embodiment shown in Figure 2, the second mounting protrusions 5 appear to be arranged arbitrarily between the sensor opening 6 and the first mounting protrusion 4. It is merely provided that the contact surface 9 of the second mounting protrusions 5 increases with increasing distance from the sensor opening 6. In a preferred embodiment, the planar distribution, particularly of the contact surfaces 9 of the mounting protrusions 5, is selected such that vibrations introduced into the housing 2 by the sensor 3 do not propagate along the housing 2. Thus, a secure and stable connection to the housing 2 is ensured. A distance to the sensor opening 6 can be determined, in particular, along a radius 10. It is also provided that the second mounting protrusions 5, designed as ring segments, always extend perpendicular to the respective radius 10, thereby forming a circular arc.

[0026] The second mounting protrusions 5 increase the contact area between the cover 4 and the bracket 1 and, at the same time, dampen waves propagating along the mounting surface 8 from the sensor 3. Such waves are undesirable during the operation of the sensor 3 and lead to distortions in the sensor 3's measurement result. Thus, the arrangement of the second mounting protrusions 5 prevents vibration waves from forming at the operating frequency of the sensor 3.

[0027] The bracket 1 is advantageously attached to the cover 2 by torsional ultrasonic welding. In this process, the first mounting protrusion 4 and the second mounting protrusions 5 are locally melted so that they can bond with the cover 2. The melting is achieved in particular by a vibratory movement about a central axis 20 (see figure). Fig. 1) of the bracket 1. Alternatively, it is preferably provided that the first fastening projection 4 and the second fastening projections 5 are bonded to the cover 2. However, according to the invention, other connection forms are also possible. Connection forms that cannot be removed without damage are particularly suitable.

[0028] Fig. Figure 3 shows the mounting surface 8 of a bracket 1 according to a second embodiment of the invention. In the second embodiment of the invention, the mounting surface 8 has a plurality of circular sectors 7, wherein the circular sectors 7 are formed by ring segments separated from one another by channels 11 extending radially to the sensor opening 6, and wherein the ring segments are the second mounting projections 5. Thus, a regular arrangement of the second mounting projections 5 is provided, which on the one hand increases the stability of the mounting of the bracket 1 to the panel 2, and on the other hand improves the damping characteristics of the bracket 1 with respect to waves propagating from the sensor 3 along the mounting surface 8. These channels 11 allow deformations acting on the vehicle panel 2 to be absorbed in a controlled manner.Thus, a bumper used as a cover 2 and the attached bracket 1 will deform predominantly along the channels 11 away from the connection between bracket 1 and cover 2 by means of the second fastening projections 5.

[0029] Fig.Figure 4 schematically shows a third embodiment of the bracket 1. In this embodiment, the mounting surface 8 and the sensor opening 6 each have an elliptical circumference. Thus, the first mounting projection 4 is also elliptically shaped. It is evident that different membrane shapes of sensors 3 designed as ultrasonic sensors can be used. Due to the elliptical shape of the mounting surface 8, the damping characteristic of the bracket 1 is particularly well adapted to an elliptically shaped membrane of the sensor 3. By arranging the second mounting projections 5, the directional characteristic of an acoustic sensor can be adapted to the requirements. Otherwise, the third embodiment corresponds to the first embodiment.

Claims

[1] Holder (1) for a sensor (3) comprising a mounting surface (8) for attaching the holder (1) to a fairing (2) of a vehicle, wherein the mounting surface (8) comprises: - a sensor opening (6) for receiving the sensor (3), - a first fastening protrusion (4) that completely surrounds the sensor opening (6), wherein the first fastening protrusion (4) is arranged on an outer circumference of the mounting surface (8), and - a plurality of second mounting protrusions (5) that only partially surround the sensor opening (6), wherein the second mounting protrusions (5) are separated from each other by channels (11) extending radially to the sensor opening (6), wherein the second mounting protrusions (5) each have a bearing surface (9) for resting on the cover (2), wherein the bearing surface (9) increases with increasing distance of the second mounting protrusions (5) from the sensor opening (6), and - wherein the first fastening protrusion (4) and the second fastening protrusions (5) are provided for fastening to the cladding (2). [2] Mounting device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the mounting surface (8) has a circular or elliptical outer perimeter. [3] Mounting device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the second fastening elevations (5) are strip-shaped, in particular ring-segment-shaped, or point-shaped. [4] Mounting device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the first fastening protrusion (4) and / or the second fastening protrusions (5) have a height of 1 mm to 4 mm, in particular of 4 mm to 7 mm. [5] Arrangement comprising a holder (1) according to one of the preceding claims and a cover (2), wherein a surface of the first fastening protrusion (4) and a surface of the second fastening protrusions (5) correspond to a surface of the cover (2) and are in particular arranged for a material-bonded connection. [6] Arrangement according to claim 5, characterized by , that the first fastening protrusion (4) and the second fastening protrusions (5) are welded to the cladding (2). [7] Arrangement according to claim 5, characterized by that the first fastening protrusion (4) and the second fastening protrusions (5) are bonded to the cladding (2) or otherwise inseparably connected.

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