motor vehicle

Abstract

Motor vehicle (4) with a body (3) and a body opening (8) into which a connecting element (1) for fastening an earth cable (2) to a body (3) of the motor vehicle (4) is inserted, wherein the connecting element (1) is designed as a plug-in earth bolt with a bolt head (5) and a bolt shaft (6), wherein paint-scraping elements (7) are arranged on the bolt shaft (6) and are designed such that, when the connecting element (1) is inserted with its bolt shaft (6) into the body opening (8), they at least partially remove a layer of paint covering it and enable electrical contact, and wherein the paint-scraping elements (7) are supported in the body opening (8).

Description

The present invention relates to a motor vehicle having a body and a body opening into which a connecting element is inserted.From DE 10 2015 222 889 A1, a screw is known, having a shank provided with a thread having at least one asymmetric thread turn with a plurality of turns, wherein the thread has an outer diameter, a core diameter and a thread pitch, wherein the thread turn has thread flanks with a flank angle and wherein the thread flanks have a load flank and a counter flank which abut one another directly or indirectly in a thread base and at a thread tip.From EP 3 163 097 A1 a fastening element is known, comprising a shank, a head connected thereto, a drilling section opposite the head and a plurality of first threads and second threads arranged spirally on the shank.DE 10 2017 204 197 A1 discloses a ground bolt for connecting a vehicle body to a pole of a vehicle battery, having a bolt plate and a bolt shank projecting therefrom, which bolt shank is provided with an external thread and the longitudinal axis of which forms a center line of the ground bolt, wherein the bolt plate has a single or two radially outwardly pointing installation securing surfaces.DE 10 2012 018 518 A1 discloses a paint-scraping screw, in particular for fastening a ground cable to a body-side ground nut of a motor vehicle, having an external thread which is formed in a complementary manner to an internal thread of the ground nut. The external thread of the paint-scraping screw has a thread anomaly which is designed such that, when it is screwed into the internal thread of the compound nut, it at least partially scrapings off a paint layer covering the latter and makes possible electrical contact. This is intended to allow, in particular, a convenient and process-safe production of a ground connection to be achieved.However, a disadvantage of such paint-scraping screws for electrical contacting with, for example, a body of a motor vehicle is that, for screwing in the paint-scraping screws, on the one hand, a tool has to be used and, on the other hand, the torque applied with the tool has to be monitored in order to be able to ensure process-safe production of a mass connection.The present invention is therefore concerned with the problem of specifying an improved or at least one alternative embodiment for a motor vehicle, by means of which the disadvantages known from the prior art can be overcome.This problem is solved according to the invention by the subject matter of independent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.The present invention is based on the general idea of no longer using paint-scraping screws for the first time for the electrical ground connection of a ground cable, for example, to a body of a motor vehicle, but merely using a paint-scraping ground bolt which is pressed into an associated body opening of the body of the motor vehicle and reliably establishes the electrical connection when it is pressed in via corresponding paint-scraping elements. The connecting element for fastening a ground cable to a body of a motor vehicle according to the invention is thus designed as a pluggable ground bolt having a bolt head and a bolt shank, wherein paint-scraping elements are arranged directly or indirectly on the bolt shank, which elements are designed such that, when the ground bolt is inserted with its bolt shank into the associated body opening of the motor vehicle, they at least partially remove a paint layer lining or covering this body opening and thus make reliable electrical contact possible. Compared to paint-scraping screws known from the prior art, this offers the great advantage that no separate tool is necessary any longer, since for setting the pluggable mass bolt, it only has to be pressed or driven into the associated body opening. In addition, torque monitoring no longer has to take place, since the connection element is no longer screwed in in the manner of a paint-scraping screw. It is likewise not possible for the connecting element to fall out of the vehicle body opening, since this reliably prevents the paint-scraping elements. All in all, an extremely simple, process-safe and reliable ground connection, i.e. an electrically conductive connection to a vehicle body, for example, can thus be created with the connecting element.In an advantageous development of the connecting element, the paint-scraping elements project from the bolt shank by an angle α of 30°≤α≤60 °, preferably by an angle α of approximately 45°. Depending on the selected angle α, the force required for pressing in can be individually influenced, as can the force required for pulling the connecting element out of the vehicle body opening. The paint-scraping elements themselves are preferably formed integrally with the bolt shank or a circumferential ring, wherein the bolt shank, the elements and the bolt head, i.e. the entire connecting element, are / are preferably formed from metal. If, for example, a slight pressing of the connecting element into the associated vehicle body opening is to be achieved, a smaller angle α is selected, for example, which is also associated with a lower resistance force to unintentional pulling out of the connecting element from the vehicle body opening. If higher resistance forces are to be required, a connecting element with elements projecting from the bolt shank at a greater angle α can be selected, for example.It is of course conceivable that the paint-scraping elements can have sharp edges, barbs or other pointed elements on an outer side, which elements allow a reliable scraping of the electrically insulating paint layer from the body or body opening when the connecting element is pressed into the body opening and thereby produce a reliable electrically conductive connection.In a particularly preferred embodiment of the connecting element, the latter has, on its bolt shank, circumferential rings, on the outer side of which the paint-scraping elements are arranged. In this way, a higher elasticity of the connecting element can be achieved by a bolt shank which is thinner in the core, while the paint-scraping elements likewise experience an increased elasticity due to the arrangement on the outside of the circumferential rings. Purely theoretically, it is even conceivable for the connecting element to be produced with a cylindrical bolt shank, on which the circumferential rings with the paint-scraping elements are then pressed. This allows individual production of the connecting element to be achieved, as a result of which the flexibility can be increased.The present invention is based on the general idea of specifying a motor vehicle according to the invention having a body and a body opening into which a connecting element according to one of the preceding paragraphs is inserted. As a result, the advantages described with respect to the connecting element can be transferred to the motor vehicle according to the invention. Specifically, these advantages lie, in particular, in a simple and reliable production of a mass connection without separate tools and without further monitoring, such as, for example, a torque monitoring system.According to the invention, the elements are supported in the vehicle body opening. Depending on how thick the body is in the region of the body opening, the elements can be supported in the body opening and thereby secure the connecting element against unintentional pulling out. Alternatively, it is of course also conceivable that the paint-scraping elements spread apart again after being pushed through the body opening, i.e. spring outwards, and thereby engage behind the body opening and thereby ensure a reliable securing against unintentional pulling out. The paint-scraping elements on the bolt shank of the connecting element can be arranged at different axial heights, for example distributed over the circumference at different axial heights, wherein an arrangement of the paint-scraping elements along a screw thread on the outer side of the bolt shank is also possible, as a result of which a continuous engagement behind the vehicle body opening is made possible. Of course, the paint-scraping elements can also be arranged on two or more helical paths running around the bolt shank, whereby a continuous connection of the connecting element to the vehicle body opening is likewise made possible.In a particularly preferred embodiment of the motor vehicle according to the invention, a thickness of the body is smaller than a length of the bolt shank, so that at least one paint-scraping element engages behind the body. In addition to supporting the paint-scraping elements in the vehicle body opening, engaging behind the vehicle body opening by at least one paint-scraping element of this type offers a particularly great resistance to unintentional pulling out.Expediently, a sleeve is arranged, for example welded, flush with the body opening on an inner side of the body, the inner diameter of which sleeve is greater than the inner diameter of the body opening, so that an undercut results in the transition between the sleeve and the body opening and the connecting element, that is to say the mass bolt, is supported via elements both in the sleeve and engages behind the body opening with elements. This not only provides a clearly improved electrical contacting, but also an increased resistance force to pulling out.In a further advantageous embodiment of the motor vehicle according to the invention, a cable lug of a ground cable is electrically contacted to the vehicle body via the connecting element. As a result, a mass connection can be produced easily in terms of production technology, in particular without separate tools and without separate monitoring, such as torque monitoring, for example, and reliably and quickly.Further important features and advantages of the invention are evident from the dependent claims, from the drawings and from the associated description of the figures with reference to the drawings.It is understood that the features mentioned above and those still to be explained below can be used not only in the respectively specified combination, but also in other combinations or alone, without departing from the scope of the present invention. The above-mentioned components of a superordinate unit, such as a device, a device or an arrangement, which are designated separately, can form separate components or components of this unit or can be integral regions or sections of this unit, even if this is illustrated differently in the drawings.Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and are explained in more detail in the following description, wherein the same reference numerals refer to the same or similar or functionally the same components.In each case, diagrammatically show: FIG. 1 shows a sectional illustration through a motor vehicle according to the invention in the region of a body with a connecting element placed on, FIG. 2 is a view as in FIG. 1, but with the connecting element inserted into the vehicle body opening, FIG. 3 shows an illustration as in FIG. 2, but with a ground cable fixed to the vehicle body via the connecting element, FIG. 4 is a view analogous to FIG. 2, but with an additional sleeve arranged on an inner side of the body in alignment with the opening in the body.According to FIGS. 1-4, a connecting element 1 for fastening a ground cable 2 (compare FIG. 3 ) to a body 3 of a motor vehicle 4 according to the invention has a bolt head 5 and a bolt shank 6. According to the invention, the connecting element 1 is now designed as a pluggable ground bolt, wherein paint-scraping elements 7 are arranged on the bolt shank 6, which are designed such that, when the ground bolt, i.e. the connecting element 1 with its bolt shank 6, is inserted into a vehicle body opening 8, they at least partially remove a paint layer covering or covering it and thus make possible an electrical contact. The paint-scraping elements 7 can be designed as expansion branches and can be spring-biased outwards by the bolt shank, so that when the connecting element 1 is pressed into the body opening 8, they are biased in the direction of an inner lateral surface of the body opening 8 and thereby scrape off the paint.The paint-scraping elements 7 can be arranged on circumferential rings 9 which are arranged spaced apart in the axial direction on the bolt shank 6. It is purely theoretically conceivable that the circumferential rings 9 with the paint-scraping elements 7 are formed integrally with the bolt shank 6, or that the bolt shank 6 is formed as a cylindrical section, on which the circumferential rings 9 with the paint-scraping elements 7 are plugged or pressed.If the paint-scraping elements 7 are considered here, it can be seen that they project from the bolt shank 6 or from the circumferential rings 9 by an angle α of between 30 and 60°, preferably by an angle α of approximately 45°. The angle α describes a direction of the respective paint-scraping elements 7 relative to a bolt axis 10.The connecting element makes it possible for the first time to produce an electrically conductive connection of a ground cable 2 to a body 3 of a motor vehicle 4 without separate tools, such as a screwdriver, and without additional test tools, such as a torque tester or the use of a torque wrench. The connecting element 1 is simply pressed into the body opening 8 and, when pressed in, the paint-scraping elements 7 scrape the paint from the body opening 8 and thereby produce an electrically conductive connection between the connecting element 1 on the one hand and the body 3 on the other hand.If one thereby considers FIGS. 1 to 3, it can be seen that a thickness D of the body 3 is smaller than an axial length of the bolt shank 6, so that at least one paint-scraping element 7 engages behind the body opening 8 and is thereby supported from behind on the body 3, as is illustrated, for example, in accordance with FIGS. 2 and 3.According to FIG. 4, a sleeve 12 is arranged, for example welded, flush with the body opening 8 on an inner side 11 of the body 3, the inner diameter of which sleeve is greater than the inner diameter of the body opening 8, so that a ground bolt inserted therein, i.e. a connecting element 1 inserted therein, is supported both in the sleeve 12 via its paint-scraping elements 7 and engages behind the body opening 8 with the paint-scraping elements 7. This allows a particularly simple electrically conductive connection to be provided, since the paint-scraping elements 7 remove an electrical insulation, i.e. the paint, not only from the body opening 8, but also from an inner side of the sleeve 12.In order to connect the ground cable 2 via the connecting element 1 according to the invention to the body 3 of the motor vehicle 4, a cable lug 13, for example, is arranged at the end of the ground cable 2 (compare FIG. 3 ), which can be designed, for example, in the manner of a metal ring and through which the bolt shank 6 of the connecting element 1 passes. The connecting element 1 is made of an electrically conductive material, for example metal, and naturally does not have any electrically insulating covering, so that a reliable electrical contact with the body 3 is made possible by inserting the connecting element 1 through the cable lug 13 of the ground cable 2 into the body opening 8 on the body side.All in all, preferably toolless and nevertheless highly reliable electrical contacting in the manner of a ground connection can be achieved with the connecting element 1 and with the motor vehicle 4 according to the invention. In the case of paint-scraping screws used hitherto, both a screwdriver and a check of a torque during the tightening of the paint-scraping screw were required for this purpose, which could be carried out using a torque wrench, but was significantly more expensive.

Claims

Motor vehicle (4) having a body (3) and a body opening (8), into which a connecting element (1) for fastening a ground cable (2) to a body (3) of the motor vehicle (4) is inserted, wherein the connecting element (1) is designed as a pluggable ground bolt having a bolt head (5) and a bolt shank (6), wherein paint-scraping elements (7) are arranged on the bolt shank (6), which elements are designed such that, when the connecting element (1) is inserted with its bolt shank (6) into the body opening (8), they at least partially remove a paint layer covering the latter and make electrical contact possible, and wherein the paint-scraping elements (7) are supported in the body opening (8).Motor vehicle (4) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the paint-scraping elements (7) are arranged directly on the bolt shank (6) or indirectly on circumferential rings (9) arranged on the bolt shank (6).Motor vehicle (4) according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the paint-scraping elements (7) are inclined by an angle α of 30° 5 α ≤ 60°, preferably by an angle α of approximately 45°, with respect to a bolt axis (10).Motor vehicle (4) according to Claim 2, characterized in that the paint-scraping elements (7) are formed integrally with the bolt shank (6) or the circumferential rings (9).Motor vehicle (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a thickness (D) of the body (3) is less than a length of the bolt shank (6), such that at least one paint-scraping element (7) engages behind the body opening (8).Motor vehicle (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a sleeve (12) is arranged on an inner side (11) of the body in alignment with the body opening (8), the inner diameter of said sleeve being greater than the inner diameter of the body opening (8), with the result that the connecting element (1) is supported in the sleeve (12) via paint-scraping elements (7) and engages behind the body opening (8) with paint-scraping elements (7).Motor vehicle (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that electrical contact is made with a cable lug (13) of a ground cable (2) via the connecting element (1) to the body (3).

Images