Fastening system for fastening a controller to an actuator device, actuator module having such a fastening system, and production method

Abstract

The invention relates to a fastening system (12) for fastening a controller (8) to an actuator device (2), wherein the controller (8) has a plastic housing (9) and the actuator device (2) has a metal housing (6), and having fastening means (21) for fastening the plastic housing (9) to the metal housing (6). According to the invention, the fastening means (21) have at least one insertion pin (13) formed on the plastic housing (9) and at least one insertion opening (14) for the insertion pin (13) formed in the metal housing (6), wherein the metal housing (6) has a side wall (17) delimiting the insertion opening (14), said side wall being plastically deformable or plastically deformed in such a way that the side wall (17) can be pressed or is pressed laterally into the insertion pin (13) inserted into the insertion opening (14).

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] title

[0003] MOUNTING SYSTEM FOR ATTACHING A CONTROL UNIT TO AN ACTUATOR DEVICE, ACTUATOR MODULE WITH SUCH A MOUNTING SYSTEM AND MANUFACTURING METHOD

[0004] The present invention relates to a fastening system for attaching a control unit to an actuator device, wherein the control unit has a plastic housing and the actuator device has a metal housing, and fastening means for attaching the plastic housing to the metal housing are provided.

[0005] Furthermore, the invention relates to an actuator module for a motor vehicle, in particular an electric motor brake force generator or amplifier, parking brake actuator or ABS / ESP actuator, comprising an actuator device and a control unit comprising a plastic housing which is attached to a metal housing of the actuator device by means of a fastening system.

[0006] Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing the actuator module described above.

[0007] State of the art

[0008] Actuator modules and mounting systems for these are already known from the prior art. Typically, the plastic housing of the control unit for such an actuator module is attached to the metal housing of the actuator assembly using mounting screws and, optionally, adhesive for additional sealing. The screw heads of the mounting screws rest on the plastic housing of the control unit and are screwed into a mating thread in the metal housing of the actuator assembly or into a nut located on the metal housing. The mounting screws and the mating thread thus serve as the fastening means.

[0009] Disclosure of the invention

[0010] The fastening system according to the invention with the features of claim 1 has the advantage that screwing can be dispensed with and is preferably dispensed with, thereby simplifying assembly and in particular reliably preventing relaxation processes that could permanently reduce the holding force or preload force of a screw connection.

[0011] According to the invention, the fastening means comprise at least one insertion pin formed on the plastic housing and at least one insertion opening for the insertion pin formed on the metal housing. The metal housing has a side wall defining the insertion opening, which is plastically deformable or plastically deformed in such a way that the side wall can be pressed laterally into the insertion pin inserted into the insertion opening. The fastening system thus provides a clamping action by which the control unit housing, and therefore the control unit as a whole, is fixed or can be fixed to the actuator assembly or its metal housing. The plastic deformation of the side wall secures the insertion pin in the insertion opening in a force-fit and form-fit manner, thereby holding the control unit housing securely to the actuator assembly.Preferably, the insertion pin is formed integrally with the housing, in particular with a housing part of the preferably multi-part housing, for example with a lower part or a lower shell of the housing.

[0012] Preferably, the insertion opening is designed to be positioned so close to a side edge of the metal housing that the side wall between the side edge and the insertion opening is plastically deformable, or sufficiently thin to achieve the desired plastic deformation. The thickness of the metal housing between the side edge and the insertion opening is thus selected such that the side wall can advantageously be crimped inwards from the outside using a suitable tool, in order to be pressed into the insertion pin.

[0013] The insertion pin itself is preferably elastic and / or plastically deformable or deformed by the pressed-in side wall, so that the riveting process results not only in a force-fit but also a form-fit connection between the metal housing and the plastic housing.

[0014] Preferably, the insertion pin has at least one clamping rib extending along its length. The clamping rib ensures improved deformation of the insertion pin by means of the indented side wall. The clamping rib allows for the avoidance of deformation of the entire insertion pin's cross-section; only deformation of the clamping rib is necessary to secure the insertion pin in the insertion opening.

[0015] Particularly preferably, the insertion pin has several clamping ribs that are arranged distributed around its circumference and preferably aligned parallel to each other. This ensures easy assembly because, regardless of the orientation of the insertion pin, the side wall can be pressed into or is pressed into at least one of the several clamping ribs when the side wall is deformed.

[0016] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the insertion pin has one or more clamping ribs, wherein the clamping ribs are arranged only on one side, which, when the insertion pin is inserted into the insertion opening, is associated with the side wall. Because the insertion pin is, in particular, formed integrally with the rest of the plastic housing of the control unit, its orientation with respect to the plastic housing is fixed. The clamping ribs on the insertion pin are then arranged such that they advantageously lie in the insertion opening in such a way that they interact with the deformable side wall. If several insertion pins are present, the clamping ribs are preferably arranged or formed on their respective outwardly facing sides with respect to the control unit.This results in the clamping ribs being arranged on the respective outer side, which corresponds to the deformable side wall, thus advantageously enabling the control unit to be riveted to the actuator assembly at each of the insertion pins from the outside. Preferably, one or more clamping ribs are formed integrally with the respective insertion pin. Optionally, the actuator housing has a lateral recess corresponding to each insertion opening, which weakens the material of the metal housing and into which a tool for riveting the remaining side wall can be inserted.

[0017] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the insertion pin has a cross-section that deviates from a circular shape. Particularly preferably, the insertion opening has a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the insertion pin, so that the insertion pin can be inserted into the insertion opening in a predetermined orientation. The non-circular cross-sectional shape of the insertion pin ensures that deformation of the insertion pin by the pressed-in material of the side wall of the metal housing requires less force (compared to a circular cross-section). In particular, a non-circular cross-section allows for the provision of one or more clamping ribs, especially on a flat section of the insertion pin, without the installation space required for the insertion pin exceeding that of an insertion pin with a circular cross-section.

[0018] Preferably, the insertion pin is designed to be flat, at least on the side facing the side wall when inserted, and has at least one clamping rib there. This ensures the advantageous deformability of the clamping rib when pressing in the side wall with minimal force and simultaneously guarantees secure locking of the control unit to the actuator assembly.

[0019] The clamping rib itself preferably has a substantially rectangular cross-section, although it can also have a trapezoidal, triangular, semicircular, or oval cross-section. In any case, the clamping rib is smaller than the insertion pin or the remaining cross-section of the insertion pin, thus ensuring advantageous deformability of the clamping rib and therefore advantageous crimping.

[0020] The actuator module according to the invention, comprising the features of claim 10, is characterized by the design of the fastening system according to the invention. This results in the advantages already mentioned above.

[0021] The method according to the invention, with the features of claim 11, is characterized in that at least one insertion pin of the plastic housing is inserted into an insertion opening of the metal housing, and subsequently a side wall of the metal housing that defines the insertion opening is plastically deformed such that the side wall is pressed laterally into the insertion pin inserted into the insertion opening. This results in the advantages already mentioned above.

[0022] Further advantages and preferred features and combinations of features will become apparent in particular from the foregoing and from the claims. The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing. To this end, we show...

[0023] Figure 1 shows an advantageous actuator module in a perspective exploded view.

[0024] Figure 2 shows an advantageous fastening system of the actuator module in a simplified sectional view, and

[0025] Figures 3A, B and C show an advantageous insertion pin of the fastening system in different views.

[0026] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an advantageous actuator module 1 for a motor vehicle not shown in detail here. The actuator module is designed as an electromechanical brake force generator. For this purpose, the actuator module comprises an actuator assembly 2, which includes a controllable electric motor 3, a master brake cylinder 4, and a transmission 5 connecting the electric motor 3 to a piston of the master brake cylinder 3. The transmission 5 further comprises a metal housing 6 in which the transmission components are at least substantially arranged, and to which the electric motor 3 and the master brake cylinder 4 are attached. A control unit 8 is also arranged on one side 7 of the housing 6, which is shown in Figure 1 in an exploded view spaced apart from the actuator assembly 2.The control unit 8 has a plastic housing 9, which in the assembled state has a lower part 10 associated with the metal housing 6 and an upper part 11 facing away from the metal housing 6.

[0027] For attaching the control unit 8 to the actuator assembly 2, an advantageous fastening system 12 is provided. The fastening system 12 has, on the one hand, insertion pins 13 formed on the housing 9, in this case on the lower part 10, and, on the other hand, insertion openings 14 formed in the metal housing 6 in the housing side 7. The number of insertion pins 13 corresponds to the preferred number of insertion openings 14. Furthermore, the arrangement of the insertion pins 13 corresponds to the arrangement of the insertion openings 14, so that when the control unit 8 and the actuator assembly 2 are joined, one insertion pin 13 can be inserted into, or is inserted into, each insertion opening 14.

[0028] The insertion pins 13 each protrude vertically from the underside 10 of the housing 9 and are integrally formed with the underside 10. In this respect, the insertion pins 13 are also made of a plastic material, specifically the same plastic material as the housing 8.

[0029] The insertion openings 14 are, for example, designed as bores in the metal housing 6. They preferably have a diameter that allows the insertion pins 13 to be fully received. The insertion openings 14 are each arranged so close to a side edge 15, 16 of the metal housing 6, in particular the housing side 7, that the side wall of the insertion opening 14, located between the side edge 15 and the insertion opening 14, can be plastically deformed by external force and, in particular, pressed into the insertion opening 14. This crimping of the metal housing 6 locks the insertion pins 13 in the insertion opening 14.

[0030] Figure 2 shows a simplified sectional view of the actuator module 1 through one of the insertion openings 14 in the mounted state of the control unit 8. The control unit 8 rests with its underside 10 on the metal housing 6, and one of the insertion pins 13 is inserted into one of the insertion openings 14 of the metal housing 6. The cross-section of each insertion opening 14 is selected such that the respective insertion pin 13 can be inserted into the respective insertion opening 14 with little or no friction. Using a crimping tool 16, the side wall 17 is then plastically deformed so that it is pressed into the insertion opening 14 and simultaneously pressed into the insertion pin 13, causing it to be plastically and / or elastically deformed.

[0031] Due to the plastic deformation of the metal housing, the side wall 17 remains in its deformed state in and / or on the insertion pin 13 such that the latter is permanently held in the insertion opening 14 by the deformed side wall 17 in a force-fit and / or form-fit manner. This fastening system 12 ensures a secure and permanent locking of the control unit 8 to the actuator assembly 2.

[0032] While in previous solutions the control unit 2 is usually screwed to the metal housing, whereby relaxation processes can lead to a reduction in the preload force of the screw connection, the solution proposed here ensures that such reaction processes do not take place and thus the locking of the control unit 8 on the actuator assembly 2 guarantees a high robustness and service life.

[0033] By inserting the insertion pins 13 into the insertion openings 14, the control unit 8 is already oriented in the X / Y plane on the actuator assembly 2 and optionally also fixed in place. The crimping also ensures fixation in the z-direction, thus reliably preventing unintentional removal of the control unit 8 from the actuator assembly 2.

[0034] The advantageous fastening system 12 eliminates the need for additional fasteners such as screws or similar components. Furthermore, it avoids the need for additional material combinations between the control unit and the actuator assembly 2, which could potentially lead to undesirable corrosion processes. The advantageous fastening system 12 allows for short process times and effective process monitoring. In addition, the process result can be visually inspected. The insertion depth, and thus the deformation of the side wall 17 and the respective insertion pin 13, is adjustable and therefore precisely controllable.

[0035] Furthermore, by an advantageous design of the insertion pin 13, its flexibility and tendency to deformation can be promoted or hindered, depending on the requirements of the actuator module.

[0036] Figures 3A to C show several illustrations of an embodiment of the insertion pin 13, which is characterized by having several clamping ribs extending in the longitudinal extent of the insertion pin 13.

[0037] Figure 3A shows the insertion pin in a side view, Figure B in a top view, and Figure 3C shows the insertion pin in its deformed state. Figure 3B shows that the insertion pin 13 has a cross-sectional shape that deviates from a circle. The cross-section of the insertion pin 13 is oval-shaped with two opposing sides 19 and 20, which are flat and parallel to each other. Only on side 20, which in the assembled state is associated with the side wall 17 to be crimped, are at least two clamping ribs formed, in particular integrally, with the insertion pin 13.As shown in Figure 3C, the clamping ribs 18 allow the insertion pin 13 to be deformed in such a way that the side wall 17 can be advantageously pressed or pressed into the insertion pin 13 or its clamping ribs 18 with minimal effort, under elastic and / or plastic deformation of the insertion pin 13 or the clamping ribs 18, thereby ensuring the advantageous positive locking also in the z-direction mentioned above.

[0038] The insertion pins 13, together with the respective insertion openings 14, each form advantageous fastening means 21 of the fastening system 12.

Claims

Claims 1. Fastening system (12) for an actuator module (1) for attaching a control unit (8) to an actuator assembly (2), wherein the control unit (8) has a plastic housing (9) and the actuator assembly (2) has a metal housing (6), and with fastening means (21) for attaching the plastic housing (9) to the metal housing (6), characterized in that the fastening means (21) have at least one insertion pin (13) formed on the plastic housing (9) and at least one insertion opening (14) formed on the metal housing (6) for the insertion pin (13), wherein the metal housing (6) has a side wall (17) limiting the insertion opening (14), which is plastically deformable or plastically deformed in such a way that the side wall (17) can be pressed laterally into or is pressed into the insertion pin (13) inserted into the insertion opening (14).

2. Fastening system according to claim 1, characterized in that the insertion opening (14) is formed so close to a side edge (15) of the metal housing (6) that the side wall (17) between side edge (15) and insertion opening (14) is plastically deformable.

3. Fastening system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insertion pin (13) is elastically and / or plastically deformable or deformed by the pressed-in side wall (17).

4. Fastening system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insertion pin (13) has at least one clamping rib (18) extending in the longitudinal extent of the insertion pin (13).

5. Fastening system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insertion pin (13) has several clamping ribs (18) which are arranged distributed over the circumference of the insertion pin (13) and are in particular aligned parallel to each other.

6. Fastening system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insertion pin (13) has one or more clamping ribs (18), wherein the clamping ribs (18) are arranged only on a side (20) of the insertion pin (13) facing the side wall (17) in the insertion opening (14) state.

7. Fastening system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insertion pin (13) has a cross-section that deviates from a circular shape at least in sections.

8. Fastening system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insertion pin (13) is formed flat at least on the side (20) facing the side wall (17) in the inserted state and has at least one clamping rib (18).

9. Fastening system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one clamping rib (18) has a substantially rectangular cross-section and / or is formed integrally with the insertion pin (13).

10. Actuator module (1) for a motor vehicle, in particular electromechanical brake force generator or amplifier, by-wire actuator, parking brake actuator or ABS / ESP actuator, comprising an actuator assembly (2) and a control unit (8) having a plastic housing (9), wherein the control unit (8) is attached to a metal housing (6) of the actuator assembly (2) by means of a fastening system (12), characterized by the design of the fastening system (12) according to one of claims 1 to 9.

11. Method for manufacturing an actuator module according to claim 10, characterized in that at least one insertion pin (13) of the plastic housing (9) is inserted into an insertion opening (14) of the metal housing (6) and subsequently a side wall (17) of the metal housing (6) limiting the insertion opening (14) is plastically deformed such that the The side wall (17) is pressed laterally into the insertion pin (13) which is inserted into the insertion opening (14).

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