PROTECTIVE HOUSING FOR A BRAKE CONTROL DEVICE COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO PARTS ASSEMBLED BY A REMOVABLE FIXING SYSTEM

Abstract

The invention relates to a protective housing (1) for a brake control system, said housing comprising at least two parts assembled by a fastening system, the housing parts comprising at least one housing body (2) and one housing cover (3). The fastening system comprises an elastically deformable assembly piece (4; 4') between an unconstrained state and a constrained state, capable of being fixed to said body and to said cover by hooking two ends (5; 5') of the assembly piece onto two retaining elements, one (6) of the two retaining elements being provided on said cover and the other retaining element (7) being provided on said body, said assembly piece being fixed to said housing by elastic deformation of a central portion (8; 8') included between the two ends of the assembly piece. Figure for the abstract: [Fig. 1]

Description

Title of the invention: PROTECTIVE CASE OF A BRAKE CONTROL DEVICE COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO PARTS ASSEMBLED BY A REMOVABLE FIXING SYSTEM

[0001] The present invention relates in particular to a protective housing for a brake control device, such as a geared motor unit containing an electric motor, a reduction mechanism etc., the housing comprising at least two parts assembled together and designed to be fixed in a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, in the vicinity of a wheel. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] The brake control devices are enclosed in protective housings which are fixed near the wheels of a vehicle. They are thus subjected to strong vibrations and possibly to shocks or projections of various objects (stones, objects of varying sizes on the road) when the vehicle is moving.

[0003] Usually, the housings are made in several parts: they include a housing body in which the control devices to be protected are arranged and they include a closing cover which is securely fixed to the housing body.

[0004] The cover is secured to the body of the case by means of strong adhesives or by means of very resistant fastening devices, which prevent any opening of the case during vibrations of the vehicle.

[0005] These means of securing make it impossible to open the casing without destroying them.

[0006] However, during the quality control of the control device placed in its housing, it would sometimes be useful to be able to reopen the housing to access the control device in order to repair or modify what makes the control device non-compliant: indeed, when a control device does not pass the quality control, the assembly including the control device enclosed in its housing is discarded.

[0007] At a time when manufacturers are required to find solutions to repair the devices they design, or to recycle the mechanical parts of the devices designed, the invention aims to allow the opening of a protective case in order to access its contents, while ensuring an assembly of the parts of the protective case sufficiently robust to withstand the shocks and vibrations that they may undergo during the movement of a vehicle. Description of the invention

[0008] The invention relates to a protective housing for a brake control system, said housing comprising at least two housing parts assembled by a fastening system, said at least two housing parts comprising at least a housing body and a housing cover.

[0009] The housing according to the invention is remarkable in that the fastening system comprises an elastically deformable assembly piece between an unconstrained state and a constrained state, capable of being fixed to said housing body and to said housing cover by hooking two ends of the assembly piece onto two retaining elements, one of the two retaining elements being provided on said housing cover and the other retaining element being provided on said housing body, said assembly piece being fixed to said housing by elastic deformation of a median part included between the two ends of the assembly piece.

[0010] Advantageously, the assembly part comprises steel, preferably spring steel.

[0011] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, said assembly part comprises a sandwich structure including a silicone layer.

[0012] Furthermore, the two said retaining elements comprise at least a first retaining rib extending along a retaining direction, said rib projecting from a wall of said cover, and a retaining surface extending along a plane parallel to the retaining direction, said retaining surface being formed perpendicular to a lateral wall of the body of said housing and extending along the plane, a chamfer being formed between the retaining surface and the lateral wall of said body of said housing. The chamfer makes it easier to position the retaining element.

[0013] Preferably, at least one of the two attachment ends of the assembly part has a hook shape suitable for receiving the retaining rib.

[0014] According to one embodiment, at least one of the two attachment ends of the assembly part includes at least one protruding claw. This claw further secures the retaining part to the housing and also physically marks the housing if it is reopened.

[0015] Preferably, the assembly piece has axial symmetry, the axis of symmetry being achieved by a transverse fold of the middle part: this makes it possible in particular not to have to orient the assembly piece during its positioning, which saves time.

[0016] According to a particular embodiment which will be presented later, said assembly part has a U-shaped, or substantially U-shaped, cross-section in said stressed state and a W-shaped, or substantially W-shaped, cross-section in said unstressed state.

[0017] Preferably, the invention relates to an assembly comprising a braking system including a protective housing as defined above.

[0018] It must be understood that the protective housing according to the invention can be applied to electromechanical brakes as well as to hydraulic and electric brakes (APB).

[0019] Finally, the invention relates to a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, comprising at least one assembly according to the invention, the braking system of which is associated with a wheel of said vehicle.

[0020] LIST OF FIGURES

[0021] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of implementations and embodiments, which are by no means limiting, and from the accompanying drawings where:

[0022] [Fig. 1] is a perspective view of a protective housing according to the invention,

[0023] [Fig.2] is a side view of the housing illustrated in [Fig. 1],

[0024] [Fig.3] is a perspective view of an assembly part of a housing protection in accordance with the invention,

[0025] [Fig.4] is a side view of the assembly part, shown in [Fig.3],

[0026] [Fig.5] is a cross-sectional view along plane VV shown in [Fig.1], of a part of the housing conforming to the invention,

[0027] [Fig.6] is a cross-sectional view illustrating only a portion of the cover and a portion of the body of the casing, shown in [Fig.5], and

[0028] [Fig.7] is a perspective view of a second assembly part of a protective housing according to the invention.

[0029] DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT METHODS

[0030] The embodiments that will now be described are not limiting: in particular, variants of the invention may be made comprising only a selection of features described below, isolated from the other features described, if this selection of features is sufficient to confer a technical advantage or to differentiate the invention from the prior art.

[0031] Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples that will be described, and many modifications can be made to these examples without departing from the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the various features, forms, variants, and embodiments of the invention can be combined with one another in various ways, provided that they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive.

[0032] The protective housing according to the invention can be applied to electromechanical brakes as well as to hydraulic and electric brakes (APB).

[0033] Fig. 1 illustrates a protective housing 1 according to the invention: it is designed to house a set of elements ensuring the operation of a floating caliper brake, for example a geared motor unit and a planetary gear system enabling the piston to be actuated, ensuring the movement of the caliper, to ensure braking.

[0034] The protective housing 1 is self-supporting and forms a body for the geared motor.

[0035] The protective housing 1 comprises a housing body 2, usually made of metal, including aluminum. It houses all the elements to be protected (gears, motor etc): the body of the case includes a lower part which has a roughly cylindrical shape, to house the motor in particular, this lower part being surmounted by an upper part whose cross-section is elongated, almost semi-elliptical, this upper part housing the epicyclic gears.

[0036] The housing 1 is closed by a cover 3, generally made of plastic, of complementary shape to that of the elongated upper part of the body 2 of the housing, the free edge of the cover 3 coming to be positioned exactly on the free edge of the opening of the body 2 of the housing 1.

[0037] Traditionally, the two edges are fixed to each other by screwing.

[0038] The invention makes it possible to avoid using this fastening system: indeed, although allowing a resistant assembly, the screwing can loosen over time, because of the vibrations that the protective housing undergoes, or because of climatic changes (alternating temperatures causing the screw to rotate).

[0039] The invention therefore proposes to replace the conventional screwing with another assembly system, more robust, which also allows the case to be quickly reopened if necessary, for example after an unsatisfactory quality control of the assembly.

[0040] This assembly system is visible in particular in figures 1 and 2: it comprises assembly parts 4 which are associated with protruding elements 30 and 20 which protrude on the side wall of the cover 3 and on the side wall of the body 2.

[0041] They are more clearly visible in Figures 5 and 6, where they are shown in cross-section: the protruding element 20 is a solid body with a substantially rectangular cross-section. The protruding element 30 is a hollow body, also with a substantially rectangular cross-section, which is positioned in line with the protruding element 20 when the cover 3 closes the body 2 of the housing 1.

[0042] The fact that the protruding element 20 is solid results from the realization of the body 2 of the metal box.

[0043] The fact that the protruding element 30 is hollow results from the making of the cover 3 in molded plastic material.

[0044] The lower protruding element 20 (when the elements 20 and 30 are superimposed, when the cover 3 closes the body 2 of the housing 1) has a flat lower face 7 and the upper protruding element 30 has a summit wall (or summit flat) 31 which is also substantially flat, and which extends along a plane parallel to that of the lower face 7 of the protruding element 20.

[0045] The assembly parts 4 are designed to hold together the protruding elements 20 and 30.

[0046] A first example of an embodiment is illustrated in particular in figures 3 and 4.

[0047] The assembly part is made of spring steel: this means that this part it can deform (it can be forced to deform) but as soon as the constraint ceases, it returns to its initial shape.

[0048] The assembly piece 4 is made of a single piece: it has a middle part 8 and two ends 5 having a curved shape, forming a hook: the two hook-shaped ends 50 are both turned on the same side of the assembly piece.

[0049] Each hook-shaped end terminates in a bar 52 (a flat termination) which extends over the width of the assembly piece 4, and whose ends each include a claw 51. Each claw 51 is oriented towards the inside of the assembly piece.

[0050] Advantageously the bar with claws is formed by lateral cutting in the thickness of the spring steel layer, at the level of the hook shape, then the end is bent in the opposite direction to the direction of the hook shape, to obtain the end bar.

[0051] Finally, the middle part 8 of the assembly piece 4 has a fold line 80 which gives the middle part a hollow shape (slightly V-shaped) and which facilitates the deformation of the assembly element to constrain it.

[0052] The assembly part is thus made in one piece, which gives it rigidity and robustness.

[0053] It is noted that the assembly piece 4 has a symmetry and that the axis of symmetry is made by the folding pin 80: this has the advantage of not having to worry about the orientation of the assembly element when it is positioned on the protruding elements 20 and 30.

[0054] To ensure the positioning and fixing of the hook-shaped ends 50 of the assembly piece on the housing, the protruding elements 20 and 30 respectively include: a chamfer 9 and a protruding rib 60.

[0055] One end 5 is initially positioned on the protruding element 30 by positioning the hollow shape of the hook 50 of one end of the assembly part 4 around the protruding rib 60. In this position, the claws 51 of this first end of part 4 then comes to rest on the foot of the rib 60, as can be seen in [Fig.5], which helps to keep the assembly part 4 in position on the protruding element 30.

[0056] Then, the other end 5 of the assembly piece 4 is fixed on the protruding element 20 by deforming the middle part 8 to bring it closer to the surface of the outer walls of the protruding elements 20 and 30, and to position the other end 5 on the surface 70, the chamfer 9 helping to pass this other end 5 for its positioning on the surface 70.

[0057] The claws 51 then come to rest on the retaining surface 70 of the protruding element 20.

[0058] Thus, the assembly piece 4 is fixed to the body and to the cover of the case by hooking its two ends 5 onto two retaining elements 7 and 6 which comprise the protruding elements 20 and 30, one 6 of the two retaining elements being provided on said cover 3 (the retaining element 6 being made at least partially by the rib 60) of the case and the other 7 retaining element being provided on said body of the case: this retaining element 7 is made at least in part by the surface 70 on which at least one claw 51 rests.

[0059] It is noted on [Fig.5] that the retaining rib 60 extends along a direction DI (called "retaining direction") which is parallel to the retaining surface 70 (plane PI).

[0060] When the assembly part 4 is in the unconstrained position (see [Fig.3] and 4), it has a W-shaped or substantially W-shaped cross-section. When it is constrained (see [Fig.5]) and deformed, it then has a U-shaped or substantially U-shaped cross-section.

[0061] It is the elastic restoring force of the assembly part 4 in the constrained position, associated with the retaining elements 6, 7 (and the claws 51) which ensures the retention of the cover 3 on the body 2 of the housing 1.

[0062] It is thus sufficient to deform the assembly part 4 to force its release, to allow the opening of the cover 3 of the housing 1 again.

[0063] The claws 51, however, will leave a mark on the retaining surface 70, which allows a person to identify whether a case has been opened or not.

[0064] According to the standards for use of the box 1, it is not authorized to use and open the installed boxes, for reasons of safety, proper functioning and warranty.

[0065] Nevertheless, it is valuable to be able to open a case that would have been closed before its marketing, if only to access its contents in case of non-compliance with a quality control, for example, to reuse certain parts.

[0066] The invention therefore makes it possible both to reopen the cases before they are marketed, to identify a prohibited opening of the case after it has been placed on the market, and the assembly system is more effective than a screw which can loosen over time.

[0067] A second embodiment is illustrated in [Fig.7]: the assembly part 4' is shown in cross-section to show how it is made.

[0068] It comprises a sandwich structure consisting of an inner layer 41 of elastomer material (silicone type for example) surrounded by two layers 40 of spring steel. The three layers form the middle part 8' of the assembly part 4'.

[0069] The ends 5', of the middle part 8', are made in one piece with the outer layer 40 of spring steel: the bar with claws is formed by lateral cutting in the thickness of the layer of spring steel, at the level of the hook shape, then the end is bent in the opposite direction to the direction of the hook shape, to obtain the end bar.

[0070] The production of an assembly part with a sandwich structure makes the assembly part even more robust than the assembly part made with a single layer of spring steel.

[0071] In the illustrated embodiment, four assembly sets are provided, an assembly set comprising two protruding elements 20 and 30 positioned one on top of the other and held together by an assembly piece 4: the assembly sets are provided around the housing so that they face each other in pairs.

[0072] It should be understood that the housing according to the invention could comprise more or fewer assembly assemblies, without departing from the scope of the invention, the housing comprising at least one. Preferably, if it comprises two, the two assembly assemblies are arranged opposite each other around the housing.

[0073] Nomenclature:

[0074] 1 - Protective case

[0075] 2 - housing body

[0076] 3 - housing cover

[0077] 4 - assembly part (1st embodiment)

[0078] 4' - assembly part (2nd embodiment)

[0079] 5 - ends of the assembly part 4

[0080] 5'- ends of the assembly part 4'

[0081] 6 - first retaining element

[0082] 7 - second retaining element

[0083] 8 - middle part of the assembly part 4

[0084] 8' - middle part of the assembly piece 4'

[0085] 9 - Chamfer

[0086] 20 - protruding element of body 2

[0087] 30 - protruding element of the lid 3

[0088] 31 - top plate of the protruding box 30

[0089]

[0090]

[0091]

[0092]

[0093]

[0094]

[0095]

[0096]

[0097]

[0098] 40 - spring steel layer 41 - elastomer layer, preferably silicone 50 - curved shape - hook shape 51 - claw 52 - end bar 60 - retaining rib 70 - retaining surface 80 - fold line of the middle part 8 DI - retaining direction PI - retaining plane

Claims

Demands

1. A protective housing (1) for a brake control system, said housing comprising at least two housing parts (2, 3) assembled by a fastening system, said at least two housing parts comprising at least one housing body (2) and one housing cover (3), characterized in that the fastening system comprises an elastically deformable assembly piece (4; 4') between an unconstrained state and a constrained state, capable of being fixed to said housing body (2) and to said housing cover (3) by hooking two ends (5; 5') of the assembly piece onto two retaining elements (6, 7), one (6) of the two retaining elements being provided on said housing cover (3) and the other retaining element (7) being provided on said housing body (2), said assembly piece (4; 4') being fixed to said housing by elastic deformation of a median part (8; 8') included between the two extremities (5;5') of the assembly part (4; 4'), characterized in that the two said retaining elements (6, 7) comprise at least a first retaining rib (60) which extends along a retaining direction (Dl), said rib being made projecting from a wall of said cover (3) and a retaining surface (70) which extends along a plane (PI) parallel to the retaining direction (Dl), said retaining surface (70) being made perpendicular to a lateral wall of the body (2) of said housing and extending along the plane (PI), a chamfer being made between the retaining surface (70) and the lateral wall of said body (2) of said housing.;

2. Protective housing according to claim 1, characterized in that said assembly part (4, 4') comprises steel, preferably spring steel.

3. Protective housing according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said assembly part (4') comprises a sandwich structure including a silicone layer (41).

4. Housing according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the two attachment ends (5; 5') of the assembly part (4; 4') has a hook shape (50) suitable for receiving said retaining rib (60).

5. Housing according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the two attachment ends (5; 5') of the assembly part (4; 4') comprises at least one protruding claw (51).

6. Housing according to claim 5, characterized in that said at least one protruding claw (51) is oriented towards the inside of said assembly part (4, 4').

7. Housing according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the assembly part (4; 4') has axial symmetry, the axis of symmetry being achieved by a transverse fold (80) of the middle part (8).

8. Housing according to claim 7, characterized in that said assembly part (4, 4') has a U-shaped, or substantially U-shaped, cross-section in said stressed state and a W-shaped, or substantially W-shaped, cross-section in said unstressed state.

9. Assembly comprising a floating caliper brake system, said brake system comprising a protective housing (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.

10. Vehicle, in particular motor vehicle, comprising at least one assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that said braking system is associated with a wheel of said vehicle.

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