WELDING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A CABLE HOLDER UNIT FOR FIXING AT LEAST ONE CABLE TO A VEHICLE COMPONENT OF A MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract

The invention relates to a welding device (26) for manufacturing a cable holder unit (18), wherein the cable holder unit (18) has a retaining part (24) and at least one cable (20) attached thereto, wherein the retaining part (24) is designed to fix the cable (20) to a vehicle component of a motor vehicle, wherein the welding device (26) comprises: an assembly (28) having a component guide (30) and a sonotrode (32) designed for forming and welding a retaining part blank (10) to the retaining part (24) while the cable (20) is arranged between respective wings (16) of the retaining part blank (10);wherein the sonotrode (32) is arranged for the component guide (30) and the component guide (30) is shaped such that during a common feed movement of the assembly (28) towards the holding blank (10), between whose wings (16) the cable (20) is arranged, respective contact surfaces (34) of the component guide (30) in front of the sonotrode (32) come into contact with the wings (16) of the holding blank (10) and the wings (16) are bent towards each other, after which the wings (16) are melted and welded together by means of the sonotrode (32) to form the holding part (24), wherein the wings (16) enclose the cable (20) received between them and thereby the cable holder unit (18) is formed from the holding part (24) and the cable (20) attached thereto;wherein the sonotrode (32) and the component guide (30) are separated from each other by a gap (38) so that vibrations of the sonotrode (32) are unaffected by the component guide (30) and are not transmitted to the component guide (30). The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a cable holder unit (18).

Description

Technical FieldThe present invention relates to a welding device for producing a cable holder unit, which has a holding part and at least one cable fastened thereto for fixing the cable to a vehicle component of a motor vehicle. The invention also relates to a method for producing a cable holder unit by means of a welding device.Prior ArtCables are installed in motor vehicles at many locations. It is often necessary to fasten the cables to a wide variety of vehicle components of the motor vehicle in question. Such cables can be, in particular, a single-core or multicore composite of individual lines sheathed with insulating materials, which serves for the transmission of energy or information. Different plastics are usually used as insulating materials, which surround the wires used as conductors and insulate them from one another.Viewed three-dimensionally, the cable usually follows a cylindrical or similar geometry and can also contain further sheathings of insulating material or metallic foils or braids in its overall structure for the purpose of electromagnetic shielding or as mechanical protection.One challenge with using cables in motor vehicles may be to reliably and efficiently connect cables and associated brackets to each other for holding and securing the cables to vehicle componentsDESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONIt is the object of the invention to provide an improved solution by means of which cables can be fastened to vehicle components.This object is achieved by the subject matters of the independent claims. Further possible embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims, the description and the figures. Features, advantages and possible configurations which are set forth in the context of the description for one of the subject matters of the independent claims are to be regarded at least analogously as features, advantages and possible configurations of the respective subject matter of the other independent claims and of each possible combination of the subject matters of the independent claims, optionally in conjunction with one or more of the dependent claims.The welding device according to the invention is designed for producing a cable holder unit. The cable holder unit comprises a holding part and at least one cable fastened thereto, wherein the holding part is designed for fixing the cable to a vehicle component of a motor vehicle. The welding device comprises at least components and properties described below. The welding device comprises an assembly which has a component guide and a sonotrode which is designed for forming and welding a holding part blank to form the holding part, while the cable is arranged between respective wings of the holding part blank. The component guide and the sonotrode can form a type of unit which can be moved together.The sonotrode is arranged for component guidance and the component guidance is shaped in such a way that during a common feed movement of the assembly in the direction of the holding part blank, between the wings of which the cable is arranged, respective contact surfaces of the component guidance come into contact with the wings of the holding part blank in front of the sonotrode and the wings are bent towards one another, after which the wings are melted and welded by means of the sonotrode, forming the holding part, wherein the wings enclose the cable accommodated between them and the cable holding unit is thereby formed from the holding part and the cable fastened thereto. The sonotrode and the component guide are separated from one another by a gap, so that oscillations of the sonotrode are unaffected by the component guide and are not transmitted to the component guide. This can mean, in particular, that the sonotrode and the component guide do not touch each other at all, in particular even at maximum movement amplitude of the sonotrode.The welding device can be designed in particular for the automated production of said cable holder unit. The cable comprises at least one line, but can also have, for example, a line bundle with a plurality of strands. The cable holder unit can also have a plurality of the cables. The sonotrode is in particular an ultrasonic sonotrode. The component guide serves as a feed of the wings of the holding part blank to be welded to the sonotrode, while the entire assembly of component guide and sonotrode is located in the feed movement in the direction of the holding part blank. In particular, where the sonotrode touches the bent wings of the holding part blank, a melt is formed by the energy introduced, in particular by means of ultrasound. The cable holder unit can function as an alternative to the conventional cable tie or winding clip.The sonotrode and the component guide are thus arranged with respect to one another in such a way that the component guide first meets the wings of the holding part blank with its contact surfaces. With further travel movement, the wings of the holding part blank are bent towards each other, in particular bent in the direction of the center of the holding part blank. Only after at least partial bending or forming of the wings does the sonotrode then strike the wings of the holding part blank, which for example in a central region of the holding part blank can already overlap or touch slightly as a result of the forming. The sonotrode then causes the wings to be melted and welded to one another. The component guide and the sonotrode are shaped such that the formed and welded together wings enclose the cable received between them and the cable holder unit is thereby formed from the holding part and the cable fastened therein.Because the sonotrode and the component guide are separated from one another by said gap, no oscillations can be transmitted from the sonotrode to the component guide; nor can the component guide influence, in particular inhibit, oscillations of the sonotrode. In other words, the solution according to the invention in particular prevents the contact surfaces of the component guide from being excited to oscillate by the sonotrode, so that it is possible to prevent the relevant cable from being damaged by the contact surfaces and when the wings of the holding part blank are in contact.The oscillations of the sonotrode cannot be transmitted to the component guide because of the in particular mechanical decoupling of sonotrode and component guide, since said gap exists between the sonotrode and the component guide. Tests with the welding device according to the invention have additionally shown that the welding result can be influenced by selecting the position of the sonotrode in relation to the contact surfaces of the component guide and the shape or the profile of the contact surfaces of the component guide.The welding device according to the invention can in particular prevent the contact surfaces of the component guide or the entire component guide from co-oscillating with the sonotrode. Via the contact surfaces of the component guide, therefore, no energy is introduced into the holding part blank, in particular during the feed movement and thus during the shaping or bending of the wings of the holding part blank. Heating and even melting of the wings or of the entire holding part blank can thereby be prevented as long as the sonotrode is not yet in contact with the wings. As a result, said cable holder unit can be produced in a particularly reliable manner by means of the welding device, which cable holder unit has the holding part and the cable fastened at least thereto for fixing the latter to a vehicle component.One possible embodiment of the invention provides that the contact surfaces of the component guide are designed in the form of lead-in slopes which deform the wings of the holding part blank during the feed movement. The lead-in slopes can be straight or also curved. The insertion slopes decoupled from the sonotrode allow the wings of the holding part blank to be deformed in a particularly reliable manner without energy already being introduced into the wings of the holding part blank while the sonotrode is being mediated.In a further possible embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the contact surfaces of the component guide are provided with a friction-reducing coating or have this. This makes it possible for the wings of the holding part blank to slide along the contact surfaces of the component guide in a particularly friction-free and smooth manner and to be capable of being deformed by the latter.One possible embodiment of the invention provides that the friction-reducing coating comprises polytetrafluoroethylene, often also known under the trade name Teflon. This makes it possible to ensure in a particularly reliable manner that no undesired friction or adhesion occurs between the contact surfaces of the component guide and the wings of the holding part blank.A further possible embodiment of the invention provides that the component guide surrounds the sonotrode, which is arranged set back to the contact surfaces of the component guide. This makes it possible to ensure that during the feed movement or the travel movement of the entire assembly which comprises the component guide and sonotrode, the contact surfaces of the component guide first come into contact with the wings of the holding part blank which are to be formed, before this is still effected by means of the sonotrode, which then ensures that the at least partially formed wings of the holding part blank are melted and welded to one another.In a further possible embodiment of the invention, it is provided that a working surface of the sonotrode configured to melt the wings is configured set back to the contact surfaces of the component guide, so that during the feed movement, the contact surfaces of the component guide first come into contact with the wings of the holding part blank and only after the at least partial shaping of the wings of the holding part blank does the working surface of the sonotrode come into contact with the wings of the holding part blank. Since the sonotrode and the component guide are separated from one another by the gap already mentioned, it can be ensured that the shaping of the wings of the holding part blank takes place first before energy is introduced into the wings of the holding part blank via the working surface of the sonotrode, as a result of which these are melted and welded to one another. This is achieved, among other things, by the recessed working surface of the sonotrode.The invention furthermore relates to a method according to the invention for producing a cable holder unit by means of the welding device according to the invention or a possible embodiment of the welding device according to the invention. The cable holder unit is made of a holding part and at least one cable fastened thereto for fixing the cable to a vehicle component of a motor vehicle. In the course of the method according to the invention, the holding part blank having at least two wings is arranged in a receptacle. At least one cable is placed between the wings of the support blank. A joint feed movement of the assembly in the direction of the holding part blank is carried out up to a defined end position, wherein during the feed movement respective contact surfaces of the component guide come into contact with the wings of the holding part blank in front of the sonotrode and are bent towards one another, after which the wings are melted and welded by means of the sonotrode, forming the holding part, wherein the wings enclose the cable melted between them and the cable holding unit is thereby formed from the holding part and the cable fastened thereto. Possible embodiments of the welding device according to the invention are to be regarded as possible embodiments of the method according to the invention and vice versa, wherein the welding device can have, in particular, means for carrying out the method steps. By means of the method according to the invention with the aid of the welding device according to the invention or a possible configuration of the welding device, it is possible in a particularly effective and efficient manner to produce said cable holder unit.In a further possible embodiment of the method according to the invention, it is provided that after the sonotrode has come into contact with the wings of the holding part blank, the assembly is moved further, forming an increasingly larger melt bath, on account of the melting of the wings, until the designated end position is reached. As a result, the forming process of the wings is continued even after coming into contact with the sonotrode, so that the wings are formed into their intended shape during the continuous welding process. The assembly is thus moved even further after coming into contact with the sonotrode, as a result of which the increasingly larger melt bath is formed. With an offset to the cable, which can be a line bundle, for example, the end position can be defined in which the assembly comprising the sonotrode and the component guide can remain until the melt cools and cures.A further possible embodiment of the method according to the invention provides that the defined end position of the feed movement is predefined as a function of a diameter of the at least one cable. If the cable is, for example, a cable bundle, the end position can be predefined as a function of a diameter of the relevant bundle diameter. By presetting the defined end position of the feed movement depending on said diameter, a particularly good result can be achieved in the production of the cable holder unit which has the holding part and the at least one cable fastened thereto.Further advantages, features and details of the invention can be derived from the following description of possible exemplary embodiments and from the drawing. The features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description and the features and combinations of features shown below in the description of the figures and / or in the figures alone can be used not only in the respectively specified combination but also in other combinations or alone without departing from the scope of the invention.Brief description of the FiguresThe drawing shows in: FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a blank of holding parts which has two straight wings or legs; FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a possible embodiment of a cable holder unit which has a holding part and a plurality of cables, wherein the holding part has been produced by forming and welding the wings of the holding part blank; FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of a further possible embodiment of the cable holder unit, which in turn has the holding part and in this case only one cable; FIG. 4 shows a perspective view obliquely from below of a welding device for producing such cable holder units, wherein the welding device has a sonotrode and a component guide; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the component guide; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the component guide.In the figures, identical or functionally identical elements are provided with the same reference numerals.A holding part blank 10 is shown in a schematic illustration in FIG. 1. The holding part blank 10 comprises a fastening region 12, a receiving region 14 for a cable, not shown here, which can consist of an individual line or else of a plurality of line bundles or a single line bundle. Furthermore, the holding part blank 10 comprises two wings 16, which in the case shown here are of straight design and, according to the present illustration, run in the vertical direction.In FIG. 2, a cable holder unit 18 is schematically shown, which has been produced from the holder part blank 10 and a plurality of cables 20. The cables 20 can have a line or also line bundles. The cable holder unit 18 is manufactured by deforming or bending the wings 16 and welding the wings 16 in a region 22. The bent and welded wings 16 thereby enclose the cables 20 and fix them to a holding part 24, which has been formed by forming and welding the holding part blank 10. In other words, the cable holder unit 18 is thus formed by the holding part 24 and by the cables 20. The fastening region 12 can be inserted, for example, into an opening in a vehicle component, for example a body part, in order to fix the cables to the vehicle component by means of the holder part 24.FIG. 3 shows a further possible embodiment of the cable holder unit 18, which differs from the cable holder unit 18 shown in FIG. 2 only in that it has only one cable 20, which is held by means of the holding part 24.In FIG. 4, a welding device 26 for producing such cable holder units 18 is shown in a perspective view obliquely from below. The welding device 26 comprises an assembly 28 which has a component guide 30 and a sonotrode 32. The component guide 30 serves for forming the wings 16 of the holding part blank 10, wherein the sonotrode 32 is configured for welding the wings 16, while the at least one cable 20 is arranged between the wings 16 of the holding part blank 10.The sonotrode 32 is arranged in such a way with respect to the component guide 30, and the component guide 30 is also shaped in such a way that, during a common feed movement of the assembly 28 in the direction of the holding part blank 10-as shown in FIG. 1 from top to bottom towards the holding part blank 10-respective contact surfaces 34 of the component guide 30 come into contact with the wings 16 of the holding part blank 10 in front of a working region 36 of the sonotrode 32.With a further advancing movement or traversing movement of the assembly 28, the wings 16 of the holding part blank 10 are thus bent or bent towards one another. With further travel movement of the assembly 28, the working region 36 then comes into contact with the bent wings 16, so that a melt forms in the region 22 (see FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 ), that is to say the wings 16 are melted and welded to one another. The previously at least one cable 20 has been positioned in the receiving region 14 between the wings 16, so that the at least one cable 20 is enclosed by the bent-over and welded-together wings 16 after the end of the production process and is thus fixed to the holding part 24 then produced.The sonotrode 32 and the component guide 30 are separated from one another by a gap 38 so that oscillations of the sonotrode 32 are unaffected by the component guide 30 and are not transmitted to the component guide 30. The contact surfaces 34 of the component guide 30 can be designed in the form of lead-in slopes which deform the wings 16 of the holding part blank 10 during the feed movement. The contact surfaces 34 can be provided with a friction-reducing coating 40 or can have it. The friction-reducing coating 40 can comprise polytetrafluoroethylene, for example, which is also known under the trade name Teflon. This can reduce the friction between the vanes 16 and the contact surfaces 34.As can be seen, the component guide 30 surrounds the sonotrode 32, which is arranged set back to the contact surfaces 34 of the component guide 30. The working surface 36 of the sonotrode 32 configured to melt the wings 16 is configured set back to the contact surfaces 34 of the component guide 30. During the feed movement of the assembly 28 in the direction of the holding part blank 10, the contact surfaces 34 of the component guide 30 thereby necessarily first come into contact with the wings 16 of the holding part blank 10. Only after at least partial deformation of the wings 16 of the holding part blank 10 then does the working surface 36 of the sonotrode 32 come into contact with the wings 16 of the holding part blank 10.In FIG. 5, the component guide 30 is shown in a perspective view. The sonotrode 32 cannot be seen here, which can be arranged in a type of shaft 42 within the component guide 30. Some of the contact surfaces 34 designed as lead-in slopes are again marked in the present case.FIG. 6 shows the component guide 30 in a cross-sectional view, wherein two of the component guides 34 configured as insertion slopes are characterized.The described welding device 26 is thus used to produce the cable holder units 18. For this purpose, the holding part blank 10 is first arranged in a type of receptacle, after which at least one cable 20 is arranged between the wings 16 of the holding part blank 10. The joint feed movement of the assembly 28, which comprises the sonotrode 32 and the component guide 30, is then carried out, specifically up to a defined end position. During the feed movement, the contact surfaces 34 of the component guide 30 come first into contact with the wings 16 of the holding part blank 10 even before the sonotrode 32 and bend the wings 16 towards one another, after which the wings 16 are then fused and welded in the region 22 by means of the sonotrode 32 with the further feed movement, forming the holding part 24. The wings 16 then enclose the at least one cable 20 received between them and fix the latter between themselves or on themselves, as a result of which the cable holder unit 18 is formed from the holding part 24 and the at least one cable 20.The assembly 28 can also be moved further, after the sonotrode 32 or its working region 36 has come into contact with the wings 16 of the holding part blank 10, forming an increasingly larger melt bath, as a result of the melting of the wings 16, until the defined end position is reached. This defined end position of the feed movement can be predefined as a function of a diameter of the at least one cable 20 or of the bundle formed from a plurality of cables 20.By separating the sonotrode 32 and the component guide 30 by the gap 38, it can thus be ensured that the oscillations of the sonotrode 32 are not transmitted to the component guide 30, and moreover the component guide 30 cannot inhibit the oscillations of the sonotrode 32. The contact surfaces 34 thus do not introduce any energy from the sonotrode 32 into the blades 16 during the forming thereof. The vibration-free contact surfaces 34 also do not mean that there is any risk of damaging the cable 20 or the cables 20 by means of the contact surfaces 34.LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS10 Blank for holding part 12 Fastening region 14 Receiving region 16 Wing 18 Cable holding unit 20 Cable 22 Region 24 Holding part 26 Welding device 28 Assembly 30 Component guide 32 Sonotrode 34 Contact surfaces of the component guide 36 Working surface of the sonotrode 38 Gap 40 Friction-reducing coating 42 Shaft

Claims

Welding device (26) for producing a cable holder unit (18), wherein the cable holder unit (18) has a holding part (24) and at least one cable (20) fastened thereto, and the holding part (24) is designed for fixing the cable (20) to a vehicle component of a motor vehicle, wherein the welding device (26) comprises: - an assembly (28), which has a component guide (30) and a sonotrode (32), which is designed for forming and welding a holding part blank (10) to form the holding part (24), while the cable (20) is arranged between respective wings (16) of the holding part blank (10); wherein the sonotrode (32) is arranged in such a way with respect to the component guide (30) and the component part guide (30) is shaped such that during a common feed movement of the assembly (28) in the direction of the holding part blank (10), between the wings (16) of which the cable (20) is arranged, respective contact surfaces (34) of the component guide (30) come into contact with the wings (16) of the holding part blank (10) in front of the sonotrode (32) and the wings (16) are bent towards one another, after which the wings (16) are melted and welded by means of the sonotrode (32), forming the holding part (24), wherein the wings (16) enclose the cable (20) accommodated between them and the cable holding unit (18) is thereby formed from the holding part (24) and the cable (20) fastened thereto; wherein the sonotrode (32) and the component part guide (30) are separated from one another by a gap (38), so that oscillations of the sonotrode (32) are not influenced by the component guide (30) and are not transmitted to the component guide (30).Welding device (26) according to claim 1, wherein the contact surfaces (34) of the component guide (30) are designed in the form of lead-in slopes which deform the wings (16) of the holding part blank (10) during the feed movement.Welding device (26) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the contact surfaces (34) of the component guide (30) are provided with or have a friction-reducing coating (40).The welding device (26) of claim 3, wherein the friction reducing coating (40) comprises polytetrafluoroethylene.Welding device (26) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the component guide (30) surrounds the sonotrode (32) which is arranged set back to the contact surfaces (34) of the component guide (30).Welding device (26) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a working surface (36) of the sonotrode (32) which is configured to melt the wings (16) is configured set back to the contact surfaces (34) of the component guide (30), such that during the feed movement the contact surfaces (34) of the component guide (30) first come into contact with the wings (16) of the holding part blank (10) and only after the at least partial shaping of the wings (16) of the holding part blank (10) does the working surface (36) of the sonotrode (32) come into contact with the wings (16) of the holding part blank (10).Method for producing a cable holder unit (18) by means of a welding device (26) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cable holder unit (18) is produced from a holding part (24) and at least one cable (20) fastened thereto for fixing the cable (20) to a vehicle component of a motor vehicle, comprising the steps: - arranging the holding part blank (10) having at least two wings (16) in a receptacle; - arranging at least one cable (20) between the wings (16) of the holding part blank (10); performing a common feed movement of the assembly (28) in the direction of the holding part blank (10) up to a defined end position, wherein during the feed movement respective contact surfaces (34) of the component guide (30) in front of the sonotrode (32) come into contact with the wings (16) of the holding part blank (10) and are bent towards one another, after which the wings (16) are melted and welded by means of the sonotrode (32), forming the holding part (24), wherein the wings (16) enclose the cable (20) accommodated between them and the cable holder unit (18) is thereby formed from the holding part (24) and the cable (20) fastened thereto.Method according to claim 7, wherein after the sonotrode (32) has come into contact with the wings (16) of the holding part blank (10), the assembly (28) is moved further until the defined end position is reached, forming an increasingly larger melt bath due to the melting of the wings (16).Method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the defined end position of the feed movement is predetermined as a function of a diameter of the at least one cable (20).

Images