Coolant Ground Rivet Connection for Sealed Vehicle Housings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies face challenges in simply and safely connecting cooling liquid to a common potential in vehicles, ensuring a reliable electrical contact while sealing the housing of coolant-conducting components, and maintaining a cost-effective and fast ground connection.
Innovation Solution
A ground-connection apparatus using a rivet element with a cooling liquid contact portion, fastening portion, and ground connection portion, where the rivet element is deformed to establish both mechanical and electrical connections, ensuring a secure and sealed connection between the coolant-conducting component and the ground connector.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional ground connection methods using ground belts and press-welded ends are used, then electrical connection is established, but the connection process is time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines mechanical fastening and electrical grounding into a single rivet element. The rivet simultaneously provides mechanical attachment to the housing and establishes electrical contact with the cooling liquid, eliminating the need for separate ground belts and press-welded connections. This integration directly resolves the contradiction by reducing both installation time and structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The rivet element serves multiple functions: it acts as a mechanical fastener to secure the ground connector, provides electrical conduction path to ground, and creates sealing against the housing. This multi-functionality allows a single component to replace traditional multi-component ground connection systems, improving productivity while simplifying the overall device structure.
2Reliability
If a reliable electrical connection is established through traditional methods, then ground potential is achieved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a simple, inexpensive rivet element that can be easily manufactured and installed. Rather than using expensive ground belts and press-welded assemblies, the invention uses a basic rivet structure that achieves reliable electrical connection at lower cost. The rivet's simplicity makes it more cost-effective while maintaining adequate reliability for the application.
Solution Approach 2:
The rivet element automatically establishes both mechanical and electrical connections during the fastening process. The deformation of the rivet during installation creates both the mechanical anchor in the housing and the electrical contact with the cooling liquid, eliminating the need for separate grounding operations. This self-service capability reduces manufacturing complexity and cost while ensuring reliable connection.
3Reliability
If traditional ground connection methods are used, then electrical grounding is achieved, but sealing of the housing is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges sealing function with the ground connection structure. The rivet element is positioned to create a seal between the ground connector and the housing while simultaneously establishing electrical contact. This integration of sealing and electrical connection functions into a single structural element resolves the contradiction by improving sealing reliability without adding device complexity.
4Volume of moving object
If a compact ground connection is implemented, then space requirements are reduced, but installation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions (mechanical fastening, electrical grounding, and sealing) into a single rivet element that is installed in one operation. This integration allows the compact ground connection to be installed quickly without requiring separate steps for each function, thereby maintaining installation speed while achieving space efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-functional rivet element performs mechanical attachment, electrical conduction, and sealing simultaneously. This universality allows a single compact component to replace bulkier traditional ground connection assemblies, reducing space requirements while the single-step installation process maintains high productivity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus provides a vibration-resistant, cost-effective, and quickly mountable solution that ensures a safe electrical connection and sealing, preventing equalizing currents and leaks, while reducing manufacturing costs and space requirements.
Implementation Method 1
the rivet element (5) is deformed, in particular plastically deformed
Implementation Method 2
a cooling liquid contact portion (10), a second end of the rivet element (5) forms a ground connection portion (6), which is arranged outside the housing (2)
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a ground-connection apparatus for coolant-conducting components in motor vehicles. The ground-connection apparatus includes a coolant-conducting component and an electrically conductive ground connector. The coolant-conducting component includes a housing which is not or only poorly electrically conductive and comprises a passage opening for receiving an electrically conductive rivet element. The electrically conductive ground connector can be connected at a first end to a ground and comprises at a second end an opening for the rivet element, in particular a blind rivet. The rivet element along its longitudinal axis comprises a cooling liquid contact portion, a fastening portion, and a ground connection portion. A first end of the rivet element forms the cooling liquid contact portion, which is arranged within the housing in such a way that it can contact a cooling liquid located in the housing in order to establish an electrical connection with a cooling liquid. The fastening portion is, in regions, tangentially surrounded by the housing in the region of the passage opening. The ground connection portion is connected to the ground connector in such a way that an electrical connection is established between the ground connector and the housing rivet element, and the rivet element is connected by deformation to the housing in the region of the passage opening via the fastening portion.