DE102021111328A1 - Process for constructing a bolted joint and bolted joint - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for constructing a screw connection (100) having a first component (1) and a second component (2), in particular as components of a lighting device of a motor vehicle or a front end of a motor vehicle, at least comprising the following method steps in a non-fixed order :- Providing the first component (1) with a screw mount (11),- Screwing a hammer-head screw (3) into the screw mount (11) in an intermediate position, in which a shank section and the screw head (31) of the hammer-head screw (3) over the screw receptacle (11), - providing the second component (2) with an elongated hole (21) and with at least one ramp-shaped and/or helical elevation (22) arranged on the side of the elongated hole (21), - arranging the second component (2) on first component (1) into an assembly position in which the shank section extends through the elongated hole (21) and the screw head (31) protrudes beyond the elongated hole (21), and screwing the hammer head screw (3) into an end position in which the screw head (31) has run up to the elevation (22) forming an elastic tension of the screw connection (100). .

Description

The present application relates to a method for constructing a screw connection having a first component and a second component, in particular as components of a lighting device of a motor vehicle or a front end of a motor vehicle. The invention also relates to a corresponding screw connection.

STATE OF THE ART

During the final assembly of lighting devices or front-end components of motor vehicles, a large number of screw connections are usually set up using automated or semi-automated processes. For this purpose, automatic screwing machines are mainly used, which are attached to robots or cobots and connected to the associated screw feeding devices. The construction of screw connections is usually time-consuming, since a large number of revolutions of the screw have to be carried out during the screwing process, with the torque applied having to be regulated appropriately. Due to further process steps necessary in the context of a final assembly, the screwing machines involved typically cannot be operated continuously, but waiting times have to be observed, so that the effective utilization of the screwing machines is disadvantageously low. Furthermore, the supply of parts necessary for the construction of screw connections, in particular the screws, is disadvantageously complicated and time-consuming in the course of final assembly. Overall, the result is a complex and therefore error-prone overall process control in the final assembly.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to propose a method for constructing a screw connection from at least two components, which enables an effective and simple process control, in particular in the context of final assembly.

This object is achieved on the basis of a method according to claim 1 and an associated screw connection according to claim 5. Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

• - Bereitstellen des ersten Bauteils mit einer Schraubenaufnahme,
• - Einschrauben einer Hammerkopfschraube in die Schraubenaufnahme in eine Zwischenstellung, in welcher ein Schaftabschnitt und der Schraubenkopf der Hammerkopfschraube über die Schraubenaufnahme hinausragen,
• - Bereitstellen des zweiten Bauteils mit einem Langloch und mit wenigstens einer seitlich des Langlochs angeordneten rampenförmigen und/oder wendelförmigen Erhebung,
• - Anordnen des zweiten Bauteils am ersten Bauteil in eine Montageposition, in welcher sich der Schaftabschnitt durch das Langloch erstreckt und der Schraubenkopf über das Langloch hinausragt, und
• - Einschrauben der Hammerkopfschraube in eine Endstellung, in welcher der Schraubenkopf unter Bildung einer elastischen Verspannung des Schraubverbundes auf die Erhebung hinaufgelaufen ist.

The invention includes the technical teaching that the method for assembly comprises at least the following method steps in no fixed order:

• - Providing the first component with a screw mount,
• - Screwing a hammer-head screw into the screw mount in an intermediate position in which a shank section and the screw head of the hammer-head screw protrude beyond the screw mount,
• - providing the second component with an elongated hole and with at least one ramp-shaped and/or helical elevation arranged on the side of the elongated hole,
• - arranging the second component on the first component in an assembly position in which the shank section extends through the slot and the screw head protrudes beyond the slot, and
• - Screwing the hammer head screw into an end position in which the screw head has run up to the elevation forming an elastic tension of the screw connection.

The invention is based on the idea of dividing the actual screwing process into two intervals, namely screwing the hammer head screw into the first component in an intermediate position even before the second component is arranged in its assembly position, and finally screwing the hammer head screw into an end position Formation of the screw connection. According to the invention, these two screwing intervals can be spaced apart in time and can be carried out at two different, spatially separate workstations. In particular, the hammer-head bolt can be screwed into the intermediate position immediately after individual part production of the first component or in the course of pre-assembly, so that in subsequent final assembly with the provision of the second component, only the final screwing of the hammer-head bolt into the final position has to be carried out. This eliminates the need for a screw feed during final assembly and, in particular, there is no need to use dedicated screwing machines, since screwing the hammer head screw into the end position only requires a rotation of less than 180 degrees and thus using a correspondingly pivotable handling device, for example a gripper.

The first component is, for example, an injection-molded or die-cast product and the hammer-head screw can be screwed in directly on or in the corresponding tool while the freshly manufactured component is cooling down. This can shorten the overall process because a large part of the screwing process is already carried out before final assembly. It goes without saying that the advantages of the method according to the invention are particularly evident when constructing screw assemblies with a large number of screws.

The provision of the second component with an elongated hole makes it possible to arrange the second component in the assembly position on the first component after the T-head bolt has already been screwed into its intermediate position in the first component. In the intermediate position of the hammer head screw, a threaded section engages with the internal thread of the screw receptacle of the first component and an adjoining shank section of the hammer head screw extends through the oblong hole of the second component, with the screw head protruding beyond the oblong hole. As it is screwed in further, the screw head comes into contact or engages with the ramp-shaped and/or helical elevation on the side of the elongated hole, runs up it and in the end position sits on the elevation in such a way that elastic tensioning of the assembly, i.e. in particular a stretching of the hammer-head screw and a local compression of the second component results, which establishes an appropriate connection between the first component and the second component.

In an advantageous embodiment, the second component is provided with two ramp-shaped and/or helical elevations, which are arranged on both sides of the elongated hole at an angle of essentially 180 degrees to one another, such that when the hammer head screw is screwed into the end position, both end sections of the screw head each have one run up elevation. This then results in a symmetrical bracing without appreciable lateral forces on the screw shank and an elastic deflection of the screw head on both sides along its direction of longitudinal extent between the end sections.

The second component is preferably provided with at least one ramp-shaped and/or helical elevation, which has a groove on the upper side, the hammer-head screw being screwed into an end position in which the screw head is accommodated in the groove. The groove represents a means of securing which ensures that the screw head cannot easily be loosened from the end position. In particular, it is advantageous to provide such a groove in each elevation when using two elevations. As an alternative to a groove, the screw head can be secured against rotation between spaced nubs, for example.

For example, the hammer head screw is rotated by essentially 90 degrees when being screwed in from the intermediate position into the end position, the direction of longitudinal extension of the screw head being aligned essentially at right angles to the direction of longitudinal extension of the elongated hole. After arranging the second component in the assembly position, the longitudinal directions of the screw head and slot are typically parallel and screwing the T-head bolt further from this intermediate position into the end position by essentially 90 degrees then results in a right-angled arrangement of the longitudinal directions.

With further advantage, the first component and/or the second component are provided with anti-twist means, which prevent the second component from twisting out of the assembly position while the hammer-head screw is being screwed into the end position. Suitable anti-twist means are formed, for example, by pairs of pins and holes plugged into one another, or by an appropriate collar.

The present invention is also directed to a screw connection, in particular as part of a lighting device of a motor vehicle or a front end of a motor vehicle, having a first component with a screw receptacle and a second component with an elongated hole and with at least one ramp-shaped and/or arranged on the side of the elongated hole helical elevation, further comprising a hammer-head screw, wherein the hammer-head screw is screwed into the screw receptacle, and wherein a shank section of the hammer-head screw extends through the elongated hole, and the screw head of the hammer-head screw rests on the elevation, forming an elastic tension of the screw connection. In particular, such a screw connection can be built up using the method according to the invention.

The two components are, for example, injection-molded or pressure-cast components, and preferably the ramp-shaped and/or helical elevation is formed in one piece and from the same material on the upper side of the second component.

As already mentioned above in connection with the method according to the invention, the second component preferably has two ramp-shaped and/or helical elevations, which are arranged on both sides of the elongated hole at an angle of essentially 180 degrees to one another, with both end sections of the screw head each having one elevation sit up With a further advantage, the at least one elevation has a groove on the upper side, with the screw head being accommodated in the groove. In addition, the direction of longitudinal extent of the screw head and the direction of longitudinal extent of the elongated hole are aligned, in particular, essentially at right angles to one another.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

• 1 - 3: schematische Darstellungen einzelner Verfahrensschritte des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens,
• 4: eine schematische Darstellung eines erfindungsgemäßen Schraubverbundes in Aufsicht,
• 5: eine erste Schnittebenendarstellung zur 4, und
• 6: eine zweite Schnittebenendarstellung zur 4.

Further measures improving the invention are presented in more detail below together with the description of a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention with reference to the figures. It shows:

• 1 - 3 : schematic representations of individual process steps of the process according to the invention,
• 4 : a schematic representation of a screw connection according to the invention in a top view,
• 5 : a first cutting plane representation for 4 , and
• 6 : a second cutting plane representation for 4 .

1 - 3 show schematic representations of individual process steps of the method according to the invention for building a screw connection between the first component 1 and the second component 2 by means of the hammer head screw 3. A top view of the components of the screw connection is shown in each case.

1 shows the provision of the first component 1 with the screw receptacle 11, which is arranged here by way of example in a section of the component 1 provided for establishing the connection. The screw receptacle 11 is formed as an internally threaded hole for screwing in a threaded portion of the T-head bolt. The anti-rotation means 41 are designed as pins which protrude beyond the planar surface of the first component 1 and are intended to be received in associated holes on the second component. The pin-shaped anti-rotation means 41 are, for example, integrally formed on the first component 1 and are made of the same material.

2 shows the state after the hammer-head screw 3 has been screwed into the screw receptacle 11 on the first component 1, with the hammer-head screw 3 being arranged in an intermediate position in which the longitudinal direction of the screw head 31 is oriented parallel to the left-hand outer edge of the component 1, for example. The state shown is preferably produced immediately after the production of the first component 1 or during pre-assembly, in particular by means of an automatic screwing machine, for which purpose the screw head 31 can have a rotary drive, not shown here.

3 shows the provision of the second component 2 with the elongated hole 21 and with the helical elevations 22 arranged on both sides of the elongated hole 21, as well as the arrangement of the second component 2 on the first component 1 in the assembly position shown, in which a shank section of the T-head bolt 3 extends through the elongated hole 21 extends and the screw head 31 protrudes beyond the slot 21. The elongated hole 21 is dimensioned such that the screw head 31 can be passed through the elongated hole 21 when the component 2 is arranged. The elevations 22 shown in dashed lines start at the two end sections of the elongated hole 21 and then run, for example, steadily increasing along a segment of a circle and open into the grooves 23 in the area of the greatest height of the elevations 22 above the surface of the second component 2. As indicated by the open arrows indicated, the hammer head screw 3 is screwed in further into the end position by rotating it essentially through 90 degrees, so that the longitudinal direction of the screw head 31 is aligned essentially at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole 21 . When the T-head bolt 3 is screwed in, the bolt head 31 runs up the two elevations 22 , with the resultant elastic bracing increasing in accordance with the gradient of the elevations 22 . The second component 2 also has anti-twist protection means 42 in the form of holes, in which the pin-shaped anti-twist protection means 41 of the first component 1 are received in the assembly position, so that unintentional twisting of the two components 1, 2 in relation to one another while the hammer-head screw 3 is being screwed into the end position is prevented. The related to the 3 described process steps are carried out in particular in the course of a final assembly.

4 shows a screw connection according to the invention 100, which by means of in the 1 - 3 illustrated process steps was built. The screw head 31 rests in the end position of the hammer head screw 3 in the grooves 23 of the elevations 22 and is thus secured against unintentional loosening.

5 shows a sectional plane representation of the screw connection 100 along the section line AA′ of FIG 4 . A lower threaded section of the hammer head screw 3 is screwed into the screw receptacle 11 of the first component 1 (Screw threads and internal threads are not shown here), a subsequent shaft section extends through the slot 21 of the second component 2 and the two end sections of the screw head 31 sit prestressed in the grooves 23 on the elevations 22.

6 shows a sectional plane representation of the screw assembly 100 along the section line BB ' 4 . Again, the hammer head screw 3 is shown in its end position, in which the screw head 31 is seated in the groove 23 . Also visible here is the slope of the helical elevation 22, which the screw head 31 runs up into the end position when the hammer head screw 3 is finally screwed in.

The invention is not limited in its implementation to the preferred exemplary embodiment given above. Rather, a number of variants are conceivable which make use of the solution shown even in the case of fundamentally different designs. All features and/or advantages resulting from the claims, the description or the drawings, including structural details, spatial arrangements and method steps, can be essential to the invention both on their own and in a wide variety of combinations.

reference list

100

screw connection

1

first component

11

screw mount

2

second component

21

Long hole

22

elevation

23

groove

3

hammer head screw

31

screw head

41.42

anti-rotation means

Claims (10)

Method for constructing a screw connection (100) having a first component (1) and a second component (2), in particular as components of a lighting device of a motor vehicle or a front end of a motor vehicle, at least comprising the following method steps in no fixed order: - Providing the first component (1) with a screw receptacle (11), - screwing a hammer-head screw (3) into the screw mount (11) in an intermediate position in which a shank section and the screw head (31) of the hammer-head screw (3) protrude beyond the screw mount (11), - Providing the second component (2) with an elongated hole (21) and with at least one ramp-shaped and/or helical elevation (22) arranged on the side of the elongated hole (21), - arranging the second component (2) on the first component (1) in an assembly position in which the shank section extends through the slot (21) and the screw head (31) projects beyond the slot (21), and - Screwing in the hammer head screw (3) into an end position in which the screw head (31) has run up to the elevation (22) forming an elastic bracing of the screw connection (100). procedure after claim 1 , characterized in that the screwing of the hammer head screw (3) is carried out in the intermediate position in the immediate aftermath of a single part production of the first component (1) or in the course of pre-assembly. procedure after claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the second component (2) is provided with two ramp-shaped and/or helical elevations (22), which are arranged on both sides of the elongated hole (21) at an angle of essentially 180 degrees to one another, such that when screwing in the T-head bolt (3) in the end position both end sections of the screw head (31) each run up a survey (22). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second component (2) is provided with at least one ramp-shaped and/or helical elevation (22) which has a groove (23) on the upper side, the hammer-head screw (3) in an end position is screwed in, in which the screw head (31) is accommodated in the groove (23). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hammer head screw (3) is rotated through essentially 90 degrees when screwing in from the intermediate position into the end position, the direction of longitudinal extension of the screw head (31) being essentially perpendicular to the direction of longitudinal extension of the elongated hole (21). is aligned. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first component (1) and / or the second component (2) are provided with anti-rotation means, wel che prevent the second component (2) from twisting out of the assembly position while the hammer head screw (3) is being screwed into the end position. Screw connection (100), in particular as part of a lighting device of a motor vehicle or a front end of a motor vehicle, having a first component (1) with a screw receptacle (11) and a second component (2) with an elongated hole (21) and with at least one on the side ramp-shaped and/or helical elevation (22) arranged in the elongated hole (21), furthermore having a hammer-head screw (3), the hammer-head screw (3) being screwed into the screw receptacle (11), and a shank section of the hammer-head screw (3) protruding the elongated hole (21) extends, and wherein the screw head (31) of the hammer head screw (3) sits on the elevation (22) forming an elastic tension of the screw connection (100). Screw connection (100) according to claim 7 , characterized in that the second component (2) has two ramp-shaped and/or helical elevations (22) which are arranged on both sides of the elongated hole (21) at an angle of essentially 180 degrees to one another, with both end sections of the screw head (31) sit on a survey (22). Screw connection (100) according to claim 7 or 8th , characterized in that the at least one ramp-shaped and/or helical elevation (22) has a groove (23) on the upper side, the screw head (31) being accommodated in the groove (23). Screw connection (100) according to one of Claims 7 until 9 , characterized in that the direction of longitudinal extent of the screw head (31) and the direction of longitudinal extent of the elongated hole (21) are aligned substantially at right angles to one another.

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