Mounting unit and corresponding sensor unit

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mounting unit (10) comprising a plastic flange (12) connected to a part (3) to be mounted and having a through opening (14), and a mounting screw (19) having a threaded shank (19.1) passing through the through opening (14) of the plastic flange (12) and screwed into a threaded hole (7.1) provided in a mounting point (7), the through opening (14) being formed with an elastic narrowing (16) in the area facing the threaded hole (7.1), the inner spacing (A) of the narrowing (16) being determined by the thread of the mounting screw (19). The present invention relates to a mounting unit (10) having an outer diameter (Da) smaller than the outer diameter (Da) of the threaded shank (19.1), which during the screwing operation plastically and elastically deforms the elastic material of the narrowed portion (16), so that when the mounting screw (19) is screwed in, a force coupling (KS) is formed between the threads of the threaded shank (19.1) and the remaining elastic material of the narrowed portion (16), which force coupling (KS) acts against loosening of the mounting screw (19).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mounting unit and a corresponding sensor unit comprising such a mounting unit.

[0002] Wheel rotation speed sensors and many other vehicle components are frequently screwed onto the vehicle. Typically, for components with plastic flanges, a metal bushing is injection molded or integrated. The purpose is to create a fully metallic pretensioned screw fastener that prevents the screw fastener from loosening when external forces are applied to the vehicle.

[0003] Furthermore, the prior art also discloses locking nuts with a plastic ring (usually made of polyamide) having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the corresponding thread Da. This plastic ring undergoes plastic and elastic deformation when the screw is screwed in. This creates a force or frictional connection that locks the screw fastener against loosening.

[0004] German Patent No. 2638937 discloses a fastening element, particularly a screw or nut fastening element, equipped with a thread, comprising a metal locking ring with ribs extending substantially radially and a spring element disposed between the locking ring and the fastening element, the volume of the spring element being smaller than the volume of the receiving chamber formed between the fastening element and the inner wall of the locking ring, and the spring element being arranged so that no axial forces, particularly pretension forces, are transmitted. In this case, the fastening element, particularly the screw or nut itself, also has corresponding radially extending protrusions located outside the spanner surface. The spring element is made of an elastic plastic and only partially fills the receiving chambers formed between the ribs in the radial direction, although the plastic can penetrate into the cavities between the ribs and the protrusions.

[0005] German Utility Model No. 8609005 discloses a unit for fixing screws. The unit includes a fixing element for a non-circular, in particular hexagonal, screw head, which is recessed in a recess whose wall extends at a distance from the head. The fixing element is made of a viscoelastic plastic and is configured as an annular body that surrounds the head and is pressed into the space between the head and the wall.

[0006] Disclosure of the Invention A mounting unit with the features of independent claim 1 has the advantage that the additional metal bushings mentioned at the beginning can be dispensed with, and yet the mounting screws of the mounting unit are not at risk of spontaneous loosening under the conditions of use in the vehicle, and the residual pretension of the screw fastening means is maintained. Furthermore, no special mounting screws are required for embodiments of the mounting unit according to the invention, which may increase the likelihood of customer acceptance.

[0007] An embodiment of the present invention provides a mounting unit comprising a plastic flange connected to a component to be mounted and having a through opening, and a mounting screw having a threaded shank passing through the through opening of the plastic flange and screwed into a threaded hole at the mounting point, wherein an elastic narrowing is formed in the through opening, the inner spacing of which is smaller than the outer diameter of the threaded shank of the mounting screw, and the threaded shank plastically and elastically deforms the elastic material of the narrowing during the screwing operation, so that when the mounting screw is screwed in, a force or frictional connection is formed between the threads of the threaded shank and the remaining elastic material of the narrowing, which force or frictional connection acts against loosening of the mounting screw.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention proposes a sensor unit having a sensor attached to an attachment point via such an attachment unit.

[0009] The part to be attached may refer to a vehicle component such as a sensor, etc. The attachment point may refer to a holder, a body part, etc.

[0010] Advantageous developments of the mounting unit according to independent claim 1 and the sensor unit according to independent claim 9 are possible by means of the measures and improvements set forth in the dependent claims.

[0011] It is particularly advantageous if the elastic narrowing is formed in the end region of the through-opening facing the threaded bore. Due to the advantageous position of the narrowing in the lower region of the through-opening, the mounting screw can be advantageously pre-centered already during mounting.

[0012] In an advantageous configuration of the mounting unit, the through-opening can be formed as an elongated hole in the plastic flange. This allows for better compensation of manufacturing tolerances for the distance between the receiving opening and the threaded hole when mounting a sensor, for example, by inserting it into the receiving opening and screwing it into the threaded hole via a mounting screw. At the same time, the sensor can have improved guidance against rotation within the mounting hole. To prevent the mounting screw from loosening, the narrowed section can have, for example, at least two narrow webs, which can be formed on opposite long sides of the elongated hole. Alternatively, the through-opening can be formed as a rotationally symmetrical opening in the plastic flange.

[0013] In another advantageous configuration of the mounting unit, the narrowed portion can have a plurality of narrowed segments that are preferably uniformly spaced apart from one another on the inner circumference of the through-opening. Alternatively, the narrowed portion can have a narrowed lip that can be annularly formed on the inner circumference of the through-opening. Of course, further geometrical embodiments of the narrowed portion are also conceivable.

[0014] In another advantageous configuration of the mounting unit, the plastic flange with the through opening and the narrowing can be formed as a plastic injection-molded part, so that the geometry of the narrowing can be inexpensively produced directly in the injection mold during the production of the mounting flange or the part to be mounted, without any additional parts.

[0015] In an advantageous configuration of the sensor unit, the sensor may include a housing with a first housing part and a second housing part, the second housing part being inserted into a receiving opening in the mounting location. In this case, a plastic flange may be connected to the housing between the first and second housing parts and screwed into a threaded hole in the mounting location via a mounting screw. Preferably, the plastic flange with the narrowed portion can be inexpensively produced in an injection mold directly during the production of the sensor housing.

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In the drawings, components or elements that perform the same or similar functions are provided with the same reference numerals, and examples of the invention are illustrated and explained in more detail in the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a sensor unit according to the invention, with an embodiment of a mounting unit according to the invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic perspective cross-sectional view of the mounting unit according to the present invention shown in FIG. 1; [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view of a plastic flange of the mounting unit according to the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of the plastic flange shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a portion of a second embodiment of the plastic flange shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a portion of a third embodiment of the plastic flange shown in FIG. 3.

[0018] Embodiments of the invention 1 to 3, the illustrated embodiment of a mounting unit 10 according to the invention comprises a plastic flange 12, which is connected to the part 3 to be mounted and has a through opening 14, and a mounting screw 19, the threaded shank 19.1 of which passes through the through opening 14 of the plastic flange 12 and is screwed into a threaded hole 7.1 provided in the mounting point 7. In this case, an elastic narrowing 16 is formed in the through opening 14, and the inner spacing A of the narrowing 16 is smaller than the outer diameter Da of the threaded shank 19.1 of the mounting screw 19. During the screwing-in process, the threaded shank 19.1 plastically and elastically deforms the elastic material of the narrowed section 16, so that when the mounting screw 19 is screwed in, a force connection KS or a friction connection is formed between the threads of the threaded shank 19.1 and the remaining elastic material of the narrowed section 16, which force connection KS or friction connection acts against loosening of the mounting screw 19.

[0019] As can be seen from FIGS. 1 to 6 , the component 3 to be mounted is a sensor 3A in the illustrated embodiment, which is configured as a rotational speed sensor. In the illustrated embodiment of the corresponding sensor unit 1, the sensor 3A is mounted to a mounting point 7 via a mounting unit 10 according to the invention. As can be seen from FIGS. 1 to 6 , the sensor 3A comprises a housing 5 with a first housing part 5.1, here configured as a connector receptacle, and a second housing part 5.2, which is inserted into a receiving opening 7.2 in the mounting point 7. A plastic flange 12 is connected to the housing 5 between the first and second housing parts 5.1 and 5.2 in the illustrated embodiment and is screwed into a threaded hole 7.1 in the mounting point 7 via a mounting screw 19. In this case, the housing 5 of the sensor 3A and the plastic flange 12 with the through opening 14 and the narrowed portion 16 are manufactured in a single, common plastic injection molding process. The attachment point 7 corresponds in the illustrated embodiment to a holding portion 7A, in which a threaded hole 7.1 and a receiving hole 7.2 are formed at a predetermined distance AB from each other.

[0020] As can be seen from FIGS. 1 to 3, the elastic narrowing 16 is formed in the end region of the through-opening 14 facing the threaded bore 7.1. As a result, when the mounting screw 19 is inserted into the through-opening 14, it is pre-centered before reaching the narrowing. As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the mounting screw 19 has, in addition to a threaded shank 19.1, a head 19.2 with a mounting pan 19.3. During installation, the threaded shank is threaded through the narrowing 16 and into the threaded bore 7.1. As a result, the threaded shank 19.1 plastically and elastically deforms the elastic material of the narrowing 16, so that in the illustrated screw-in state of the mounting screw 19, with the mounting pan 19.3 of the head 19.2 resting on the plastic flange 12, an interference 18 is created between the threads of the threaded shank 19.1 and the remaining elastic material of the narrowing 16. The resulting force or friction connection KS secures the mounting screw 19 in place against loosening.

[0021] Various embodiments of the plastic flange 12, 12A, 12B, 12C will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0022] As can be further seen in Figure 4, the through opening 14 is formed in the plastic flange 12A as a slot 14A in the first embodiment of the plastic flange 12A shown, where the narrow portion 16 includes two narrow webs 16A formed on opposite long sides of the slot 14A.

[0023] As can be further seen from Figures 5 and 6, the through opening 14 is formed in the plastic flanges 12B, 12C as a rotationally symmetric opening 14B in the illustrated embodiment of the plastic flanges 12B, 12C.

[0024] As can be further seen from FIG. 5, the narrowed portion 16 in the illustrated second embodiment 12B of the plastic flange comprises a plurality of narrowed segments 16B which are uniformly spaced apart and distributed around the inner periphery of the through opening 14, which is formed as a rotationally symmetrical opening 14B.

[0025] In one embodiment (not shown) of the plastic flange 12, these narrow segments 16B are uniformly spaced apart and distributed around the inner periphery of the through opening 14, which is formed as an elongated hole 14A.

[0026] As can be further seen from FIG. 6, the narrowed portion 16 includes a narrowed lip 16C in the illustrated third embodiment 12C of the plastic flange, which is annularly formed on the inner periphery of the through opening 14, which is formed as a rotationally symmetric opening 14B.

[0027] In one embodiment (not shown) of the plastic flange 12, the narrow lip 16C is formed annularly around the inner periphery of the through opening 14, which is formed as an elongated hole 14A.

Claims

1. A mounting unit (10) comprising a plastic flange (12) connected to a part (3) to be mounted and having a through opening (14), and a mounting screw (19) having a threaded shank (19.1) passing through the through opening (14) of the plastic flange (12) and screwed into a threaded hole (7.1) provided in a mounting point (7), wherein an elastic narrow portion (16) is formed in the through opening (14), and the inner spacing (A) of the narrow portion (16) is set to the width of the mounting screw (19). the outer diameter (Da) of the threaded shank (19.1) of the mounting screw (19), which threaded shank (19.1) plastically and elastically deforms the elastic material of the narrowed portion (16) during the screwing-in operation, so that, in the screwed-in state of the mounting screw (19), a force coupling (KS) is formed between the threads of the threaded shank (19.1) and the remaining elastic material of the narrowed portion (16), which force coupling (KS) acts against loosening of the mounting screw (19); The mounting unit (10) has an elastic narrowing (16) formed in the end region of the through opening (14) facing the threaded hole (7.1).

2. The mounting unit (10) of claim 1, wherein the through opening (14) is formed in the plastic flange (12) as a slot (14A).

3. The mounting unit (10) of claim 2, wherein the narrow portion (16) includes at least two narrow webs (16A) formed on opposing long sides of the slot (14A).

4. 3. The mounting unit (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the through opening (14) is formed in the plastic flange (12) as a rotationally symmetrical opening (14B).

5. 2. The mounting unit (10) according to claim 1, wherein the narrow portion (16) has a plurality of narrow segments (16B), the narrow segments (16B) being formed around the inner periphery of the through opening (14) and being distributed at intervals from one another.

6. 2. The mounting unit (10) of claim 1, wherein the narrowed portion (16) has a narrowed lip (16C) formed annularly on the inner periphery of the through opening (14).

7. 3. The mounting unit (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plastic flange (12) with the through opening (14) and the narrowed portion (16) is formed as a plastic injection-molded part.

8. A sensor unit (1) comprising a sensor (3A) attached to an attachment point (7) via a mounting unit (10) according to claim 1 or 2.

9. 9. The sensor unit (1) according to claim 8, wherein the sensor (3A) comprises a housing (5) having a first housing part (5.1) and a second housing part (5.2) inserted into a receiving opening (7.2) provided in the mounting location (7), and a plastic flange (12) is connected to the housing (5) between the first housing part (5.1) and the second housing part (5.2) and is screwed to a threaded hole (7.1) provided in the mounting location (7) via a mounting screw (19).

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