Actuator for automotive applications

Abstract

The invention relates to an actuator for automotive applications, in particular a charging socket actuator of a motor vehicle. For this purpose, the actuator has, in its basic design, an electric motor drive (1), a housing (2) accommodating the drive (1), and a flexible actuating means (3, 4) that can be actuated by the drive (1) and leads out of the housing (2) through a leadthrough (5, 6) for coupling to an actuating element (8) that can be actuated by the drive (1). According to the invention, the leadthrough (5, 6) is designed as a rotary leadthrough (5, 6) that is rotatably mounted in a receptacle (2c) of the housing (2) and secured by a holding element (7).

Description

The invention relates to an actuator for automotive engineering applications, in particular a charging socket actuator of a motor vehicle for releasably locking a charging plug in a charging socket or charging socket, having an electric motor drive, furthermore having a housing receiving the drive, and having a flexible actuating means which is guided out of the housing through a feedthrough.Actuators for motor vehicle-technical applications are used in a variety of configurations in and on the motor vehicle. An associated motor vehicle battery normally ensures its electrical energy supply. Accordingly, the electric motor drive generally resorts to a high-speed electric motor, the revolutions of which of the output shaft are reduced by means of a transmission. In this way, the desired actuating movements can be realized on the output side. The actuating movements are transmitted here, for example, to an actuating element.With the aid of the actuating means guided out through the passage, an emergency unlocking of the actuating element can now be achieved in principle. If, for example, the actuating element is a latch with the aid of which the charging plug is releasably locked in the charging socket or charging socket, the actuating element can be virtually unlocked by note via the flexible actuating means in order, for example, to still be able to remove the charging plug from the charging socket in the event of failure of the motor vehicle battery. The flexible adjusting means used in this connection basically enables variable attachment.In this way, the installation location of, for example, a handle acting on the actuating means can be made flexible. It is conceivable, for example, for this handle to be placed in the trunk, in the engine compartment or else at another easily accessible location. Here, there is a general problem in that the manual actions transmitted via the handle to the flexible actuating means ensure and can also ensure emergency unlocking without problems.In the generic prior art according to DE 10 2015 106 834 A1, the actuator is designed as a so-called auxiliary locking drive and can be applied with its aid to a rotary latch in the direction to be pulled. This takes place with the interposition of a Bowden cable as flexible actuating means. An emergency release via the Bowden cable is not addressed.Of course, other further application cases for such actuators for motor vehicle-technical applications are also conceivable, for example in connection with the realization of an electric seat adjustment, an electric mirror adjustment, the remote unlocking of a motor vehicle flap, a front hood, the actuation of window lifters, in order to mention only individual conceivable application cases by way of example. All installation situations and application cases are distinguished, on the one hand, in that the electric motor drive has to be operated with the aid of a low-voltage DC voltage available in the motor vehicle of typically 12 V, 24 V or, more recently, even 48 V. As a result, small-sized electric motors are used, the rotational speeds of which are reduced for the actuating operation.Moreover, and on the other hand, such actuators are exposed to a wide variety of environmental conditions and for this reason are mostly constructed so as to be moisture- and media-tight. Therefore, the housing receiving the drive is largely closed in a medium-tight manner and in particular protected from splashing and dust. Only via the passage can the flexible adjusting means be guided to the outside of the otherwise closed housing. For this purpose, the feedthrough is typically likewise designed to be sealed.Such actuators for motor vehicle-technical applications have in principle proved successful, but still offer room for improvements. For example, the generic prior art according to DE 102015 106 834 A1 presupposes a more or less rectilinear guidance of the flexible actuating means out of the housing. Such rectilinear guides, however, generally cannot be realized and implemented, or not always, taking into account the different installation situations. Moreover, the various and different installation situations require increasing flexibility depending on the motor vehicle, which is not ensured in this context.In the further prior art according to DE 102 20 732 A1, there are already approaches to increasing the number of installation variants in a motor vehicle door lock and not an actuator. For this purpose, the aforementioned teaching proposes that the Bowden cable led out of the housing is rotatably mounted on the housing in a rotary mount. As a result, the Bowden cable can be guided away from the housing in an arc, starting from the rotary mount, with recourse to a guide of arc-shaped design.However, this is in the present case a motor vehicle door lock and not an actuator for motor vehicle-technical applications and there is in principle the risk that the rotary feedthrough is unintentionally disassembled.Such an undesired disassembly is due to the fact that the actuator is initially fixed and then coupled to the actuating element that can be actuated by the drive by means of the flexible actuating means that is led out of the housing. In this coupling between the flexible actuating means and the actuating element, it may occur that the flexible actuating means or the Bowden cable experiences an undesired disassembly, for example is completely or partially pulled out of the housing accommodating it. This is particularly disadvantageous against the background that the electric motor located in the interior of the housing and in particular the transmission which generally follows it are exposed to environmental influences and consequently damage takes place directly or on medium time scales.If the prior art is considered in DE 102 20 732 A1, an electromotive drive is not realized in the interior of the housing and an emergency unlocking via the Bowden cable led out of the housing is accordingly also sought to be vended. Instead, work can be carried out from outside the housing via the Bowden cable on closing elements in the interior of the housing.The problem underlying the present invention is to develop such an actuator for motor vehicle-technical applications such that a large number of installation variants are covered, taking into account a compact and media-tight and permanently functionally appropriate construction.To solve this technical problem, an actuator of the generic type is, within the scope of the invention, characterized in that the bushing is designed as a rotary bushing which is mounted rotatably and secured by a retaining element in a receptacle of the housing.In contrast to the prior art of the generic type according to DE 10 2015 106 834 A1, work is therefore not done with a straight guide of the flexible actuating element out of the housing, but rather with a rotary bushing. Since the rotary feedthrough is rotatably mounted in the receptacle of the housing, the flexible actuating means guided through the rotary feedthrough to the outside of the housing can generally be guided away from the housing in an arc. Depending on the orientation of the rotary feedthrough, virtually all conceivable installation situations can consequently be controlled. This applies regardless of whether emergency unlocking of an actuating element or latch takes place or can take place with the aid of the flexible actuating means via a handle connected thereto. Or whether an adjusting movement is conducted outwards by means of the electromotive drive arranged in the housing via the flexible adjusting means.In addition, according to the invention, the rotary feedthrough is not only rotatably mounted in the receptacle of the housing, but rather experiences an additional securing with the aid of the retaining element. As a result, the holding element ensures that the rotary feedthrough is not unintentionally disassembled with respect to the housing. This applies both when mounting the actuator, for example, in the interior of a motor vehicle and when an actuating movement and, in particular, emergency unlocking is to be initiated via the flexible actuating means from the outside of the housing into the interior via a handle. The holding element also ensures that the rotary feedthrough remains in the receptacle of the housing and the unintentional dismantling already described at the beginning is avoided. The essential advantages can be seen here.According to an advantageous embodiment, the rotary feedthrough is designed as a curved guide or comprises a curved guide. It is recommended that the rotary feedthrough is aligned substantially parallel to a central plane of the housing. In this way, the adjusting means guided through the rotary feedthrough can be led out of the housing at an angle to the central plane, namely in an arc via the rotary feedthrough.For reasons of cost-effective and simple production, the rotary feedthrough is generally produced from plastic and is in particular formed as a plastic molded part. Here, plastic injection molded parts have proven to be particularly practicable. In this way, the rotary feedthrough can additionally and advantageously be equipped with a connected sealing bushing. The sealing sleeve is also made of plastic, namely of an elastomeric plastic.In order to connect the holding element in a captive manner to the receptacle of the housing and to ensure the desired securing of the rotary feedthrough, the holding element is generally latched to the receptacle of the housing in a fundamentally releasable manner. For this purpose, the holding element specifically has latching hooks, which engage under latching projections in the receptacle in the mounted state. Moreover, the assembly is facilitated in the event that the holding element is formed with lateral guide webs. The lateral guide webs of the retaining element engage in corresponding guide grooves in the receptacle during assembly. As a result, the holding element is aligned at the same time and then secured with the aid of the latching projections under which the latching hooks engage.The holding element, just like the rotary feedthrough, is a plastic molded part. In this case, too, the recourse to a plastic injection molded part has proven to be particularly favorable.The receptacle is generally integrally formed on the housing made of plastic. The housing is likewise a plastic injection-molded part. This makes it possible to produce and produce the receptacle and the housing in one step in a plastic injection molding process.Finally, the adjusting means is advantageously designed as a Bowden cable with a core and jacket. The core extends through the rotary feedthrough. In addition, the rotary feedthrough can function in this way at least in sections as a jacket for the core.As a result, an actuator for automotive technical applications is provided which is characterized not only by functionally reliable and permanent operation, because the housing and the rotary bushing can each be designed to be protected from splashing and dust. Instead, it is additionally possible to guide the flexible adjusting means or Bowden cable through the rotary feedthrough to the outside of the housing in virtually any direction. As a result, almost all conceivable installation situations of, on the one hand, the electromotive drive and consequently the housing and, on the other hand, a handle for acting on the flexible actuating means can be thought of or reproduced. That is, the actuator according to the invention enables functionally reliable operation taking into account virtually any number of installation variants. The essential advantages can be seen here.The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing which merely represents an exemplary embodiment; it shows: FIG. 1 shows the actuator according to the invention in the form of a load cell actuator of a motor vehicle in an overview, FIG. 2 shows the actuator in a detail in the region of a rotary feedthrough for a flexible actuating means during an assembly process, and FIG. 3 shows the rotary feedthrough in the assembled ready-to-use state.The figures show an actuator for automotive technical applications. The actuator is a load cell actuator of a motor vehicle. With the aid of the charging socket actuator, a charging plug S indicated in FIG. 1 can be locked in an associated charging socket or charging socket D on the motor vehicle side. For this purpose, the load cell actuator has an electric motor drive 1 and a housing 2 which accommodates the drive 1 and encloses it in a media-tight manner. As a rule, an electric motor is used at this point, with the aid of which, within the scope of FIG. 1, a locking element R can be acted upon as an adjusting element R. In fact, by means of this locking element R, the charging plug S can be locked in a releasable manner in the charging socket D. For this purpose, a transmission is implemented downstream of the electric motor.In addition, FIG. 1 also shows a flexible adjusting means 3, 4 which, according to the exemplary embodiment, is designed as a Bowden cable with core 3 and jacket 4. For this purpose, the flexible adjusting means or Bowden cable 3, 4 is guided through a bushing 5, 6 into the housing 2 (cf. FIG. 2 ). According to the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 1, a handle H acts on the actuating means 3, 4, which handle can be manually acted upon and is present, for example, in the trunk, in the engine compartment or otherwise accessible. In this way, the locking element R can be unlocked to note in the case 2 in the event of a failure of the electromotive drive 1, in order to be able to remove the charging plug S from the charging socket D.It can be seen that the housing 2 according to the exemplary embodiment is formed in two parts with a housing base 2 aand a cover 2 b. The housing base or the housing shell 2 aand the cover 2 bare connected to one another in a liquid- and dust-tight manner in the mounted state with the interposition of a seal, not shown, in order to protect the electric motor drive 1 located in the interior from environmental influences during operation of an associated motor vehicle, such as moisture or dust, for example.The lead-through 5, 6 through the housing 2 for the flexible actuating means 3, 4 is designed according to the exemplary embodiment and according to the invention as a rotary lead-through 5, 6. The rotary feedthrough 5, 6 is rotatably mounted in a receptacle 2 cof the housing 2. The receptacle 2 cis formed onto the housing 2 according to the exemplary embodiment. Specifically, the receptacle 2 cis a component which is integrally formed on the housing base or the housing shell 2 a, wherein the receptacle 2 cand the housing base or the housing shell 2 aare, taken together, embodied as a one-piece plastic injection-molded part. The cover 2 bis also designed as a plastic injection-molded part.The rotary feedthrough 5, 6 is additionally secured with a retaining element 7 in the mounted state for mounting within the receptacle 2 cof the housing. The holding element 7 is also designed as a plastic molded part and specifically as a plastic injection molded part.It is clear from a comparative consideration of FIGS. 1 and 2 that the locking element R can be note-unlocked via the flexible adjusting means 3, 4 or the connected handle H. With the aid of the locking element R, the charging plug S can be locked in a releasable manner in the charging socket D and can be unlocked by note via the handle H.The locking of the charging plug S in the charging socket D is typically effected after an authorisation check of a user with a charge. Only when the charging plug S is correctly locked in the charging socket D and the user's authorisation check has undergone a positive termination does electric current flow via the charging plug S, the charging socket D as far as a battery on the motor vehicle side and to be electrically charged.The rotary feedthrough 5, 6, as a whole, is constructed in a media-tight manner--just like the housing 2--i.e. prevents any moisture, dust, dirt etc. from entering the interior of the housing 2 via the flexible actuating means 3, 4 which is led to the outside. For this purpose, the rotary feedthrough 5, 6 is made in detail from plastic, namely has a curved guide 5 on the one hand and a sealing sleeve 6 connected thereto on the other hand.With the aid of the housing-side sealing bushing 6, the rotary bushing 5, 6 is sealed with respect to the housing 2.It can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3 that the rotary feedthrough 5, 6 is rotatably mounted in the receptacle 2 cof the housing 2 and is secured with the holding element 7. For this purpose, the holding element 7 engages in a latching and releasable manner in the receptacle 2 cof the housing 2.As already explained, the rotary feedthrough 5, 6 has an arcuate guide 5 and the sealing sleeve 6 connected thereto on the housing side. Furthermore, the design is such that the rotary feedthrough 5, 6 is aligned substantially parallel to a central plane of the housing 2 and the flexible adjusting means 3, 4 guided thereby is led out of the housing 2 at an angle to the central plane, namely with the aid of the arcuate guide 5. Practically any conceivable installation situations of, on the one hand, the actuator or its housing 2 and, on the other hand, the locking element R acted upon by the flexible actuating means 3, 4 as actuating element R can thereby be realized and implemented.The releasable fixing with the aid of the retaining element 7 in the receptacle 2 cof the housing 2 takes place in that the retaining element 7 engages in the receptacle 2 cin a releasable latching manner. For this purpose, the holding element 7 is equipped, as shown in FIG. 2, with latching hooks 8 which engage under latching projections 11 in the interior of the receptacle 2 cin the mounted state. In addition, the holding element 7 is also formed with lateral guide webs 9, which engage in corresponding guide grooves 10 in the receptacle 2 cfor mounting. In this way, it is ensured during the assembly of the holding element 7 that the holding element is guided perfectly and, according to the exemplary embodiment, predominantly vertically, so that the holding element 7 can perfectly engage in the receptacle 2 c, which is U-shaped in cross section. As soon as the holding element 7 has reached its mounting position, the latching hooks 8 engage under the latching projections 11 in the receptacle 2 c. In the assembled state of the rotary feedthrough 5, 6 achieved in this way, not only is the rotary feedthrough 5, 6 secured against involuntary dismantling, but it is at the same time ensured that the sealing sleeve 6 made of an elastomeric plastic ensures and can also ensure the necessary sealing in the region of an opening for receiving the rotary feedthrough 5, 6 with respect to the housing 2.As already explained, the flexible adjusting means 3, 4 is designed as a Bowden cable with the core 3 and the jacket 4. The core 3 extends through the rotary feedthrough 5, 6 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the rotary feedthrough 5, 6 is formed at least in sections as a jacket 4 of the Bowden cable 3, 4 or functions as such a jacket, namely at least in the region of the curved guide 5 and the sealing sleeve 6.The sealing sleeve 6 is not only flexible with regard to its diameter and is made from an elastomeric plastic for this purpose. It can be seen from FIG. 2 that the sealing sleeve 6 is additionally also equipped with bellows in the vicinity of the sheet guide 5. As a result, the sealing sleeve 6 can be adapted flexibly not only with regard to its diameter to the opening in the housing 2, but also to the effect that, during the assembly of the rotary feedthrough 5, 6, the sealing sleeve 6 on the housing side is compressed axially if necessary and additionally ensures a media-tight closure of the opening with the bellows or bellows, through which the rotary feedthrough 5, 6 and the core 3 are guided into the interior of the housing 2.With the aid of the electromotive drive 1 in the housing 2, the locking element R is "locked" and "unlocked" in accordance with its positions in the frame of FIG. 1. As a result, the locking element R can be moved with respect to the charging socket D or aligned bores in, on the one hand, the charging socket D and, on the other hand, the charging plug S in the plugged-in state of the charging plug S. The "locked" state of the locking element R corresponds to this, whereas the "unlocked" state corresponds to the locking element R being pulled back with respect to the aligned bores, so that the charging plug S can be removed from the charging socket D.In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the locked and unlocked position is assumed by means of the electromotive drive 1 in the housing 2. This corresponds to the locking element R being moved back into its "unlocked" position.Finally, it should be emphasized that the described exemplary embodiment of the actuator and the actuating means 3, 4 is only an example of the application of the actuator according to the invention. The actuator can just as well be realized in connection with the different fields of application already described in the introduction. This is not shown in detail.List of reference characters1 Drive 2 Housing 2a Housing base 2a Housing shell 2b Cover 2c Receptacle 3, 4 Actuating means 3, 4 Bowden cable 3 Core 4 Jacket 5 Arc guide 6 Sealing sleeve 5, 6 Rotary feedthrough 7 Holding element 8 Latching hook 9 Guide webs 10 Guide grooves 11 Latching projections D Charging socket S Charging plug R Locking element H HandleReferences included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedDE 10 2015 106 834 A1 [0005, 0008, 0015]DE 102 20 732 A1 [0009, 0012]

Claims

Actuator for automotive engineering applications, in particular a load cell actuator of a motor vehicle, having an electric motor drive (1), furthermore having a housing (2) receiving the drive (1), and having a flexible actuating means (3, 4) which is guided out of the housing (2) through a passage (5, 6), characterized in that the passage (5, 6) is designed as a rotary passage (5, 6) which is mounted rotatably and secured by a retaining element (7) in a receptacle (2c) of the housing (2).Actuator according to Claim 1, characterized in that the rotary feedthrough (5, 6) has a curved guide (5) or is designed as such.Actuator according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rotary feedthrough (5, 6) is aligned substantially parallel to a central plane of the housing (2) and the actuating means (3, 4) guided thereby leads out of the housing (2) at an angle to the central plane.Actuator according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the rotary feedthrough (5, 6) is produced from plastic and is in particular designed as a plastic moulded part.Actuator according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the rotary feedthrough (5, 6) has a connected sealing sleeve (6).Actuator according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the retaining element (7) is equipped with latching hooks (8) which engage under latching projections (11) in the receptacle (2c) in the mounted state.Actuator according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the retaining element (7) is formed with lateral guide webs (9) which engage in corresponding guide grooves (10) in the receptacle (2c) for mounting purposes.Actuator according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the retaining element (7) is formed from plastic and in particular as a plastic moulded part.Actuator according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the receptacle (2c) is integrally formed on the housing (2) made of plastic.Actuator according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the flexible actuating means (3, 4) is designed as a Bowden cable (3, 4) with a core (3) and jacket (4), wherein the core (3) passes through the rotary feedthrough (5, 6) and the rotary feedthrough (5, 6) functions at least in sections as jacket (4).

Images