Fastening arrangement for fastening a device housing of a device to a vehicle panel of a motor vehicle, and motor vehicle and device

{
  "publication_number": "US2024380094A1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A1",
  "title": "Fastening arrangement for fastening a device housing of a device to a vehicle panel of a motor vehicle, and motor vehicle and device",
  "abstract": "Disclosed is a fastening arrangement of a device housing of a device on a vehicle panel of a motor vehicle, wherein a device housing bears on a first side of the vehicle panel and an assembly appendage of the device is inserted through an assembly opening of the vehicle panel, and a fastening screw protruding from the device housing into the assembly appendage is tightened and pulls a counterpart against an opposite second side of the vehicle panel. Provided in the device housing is a supporting element which transmits a force exerted by the tightening of a screw head of the fastening screw, via the supporting element through a housing wall of the device housing, onto the vehicle panel, and in this way prevents, or at least minimizes, deformations on the housing and/or on a PCB disposed therein, so as to avoid damage due to the introduced screw force.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A fastening arrangement of a device housing of a device on a vehicle panel of a motor vehicle, wherein a device housing bears on a first side of the vehicle panel and an assembly appendage of the device is inserted through an assembly opening of the vehicle panel, and a fastening screw protruding from the device housing into the assembly appendage is tightened and, as a result, pulls a counterpart disposed in the assembly appendage against a second side, opposite the first side, of the vehicle panel, wherein provided in the device housing is a supporting element which, along at least one spatial direction parallel to a panel surface of the vehicle panel, has an external dimension which is larger than an internal diameter of the assembly opening, or equal to the internal diameter, or smaller than the internal diameter by at most 20 percent, in the same spatial direction, and the supporting element in this way transmits a force exerted by the tightening of a screw head of the fastening screw, via the supporting element through a housing wall of the device housing, onto the vehicle panel. 2. The fastening arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting element has a curvature, and the supporting element has a shape coding that corresponds to a shape of an enclosure device of the device housing into which the supporting element is placed, and a convexity of the supporting element caused by the curvature points away from the vehicle panel. 3. The fastening arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting element is made of a material that is harder and/or stiffer than a material of the housing wall, wherein the supporting element is disposed between the screw head and the housing wall and for this purpose has a through opening through which a screw shank of the fastening screw is inserted. 4. The fastening arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein formed on the counterpart is at least one spike which on the second side of the vehicle panel is pressed into a paint of the vehicle panel and/or into a metal of the vehicle panel at a respective puncture site, wherein the supporting element extends opposite the respective puncture site on the first side of the vehicle panel and in this way supports the vehicle panel at the respective puncture site. 5. The fastening arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein formed on at least one edge of the supporting element is a tab which is inserted through a respective slot in the housing wall and bears directly on the vehicle panel. 6. The fastening arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein configured on at least one edge of the supporting element is a collar which is formed by bending a periphery of the supporting element. 7. The fastening arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting element is fastened to the screw head. 8. The fastening arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein a printed circuit board, PCB, of an electric circuit of the device is held in the device housing by the screw head and/or by the supporting element. 9. The fastening arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the assembly opening and the assembly appendage has an elongate shape with a longitudinal dimension and a transverse dimension smaller in relation to the longitudinal dimension, and the counterpart is shorter than the longitudinal dimension or a diagonal of the elongate shape and longer than the transverse dimension, and is mounted in the assembly appendage so as to be rotatable by a rotation angle in a range from 40° to 140°, wherein the assembly appendage is specified in such a way that, when the device is assembled on the vehicle panel, a rotational position of the counterpart, proceeding from an assembly position, by tightening the fastening screw changes so that part of the counterpart is rotated laterally out of lateral walls of the assembly appendage into a holding position by the tightening and bears on a detent of the assembly appendage. 10. The fastening arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting element bears on a rib structure configured on the housing wall. 11. The fastening arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is a roof antenna module, and the vehicle panel is a vehicle roof of the motor vehicle. 12. A motor vehicle having a device fastened to a vehicle panel of the motor vehicle, wherein the device is fastened by a fastening arrangement as claimed in claim 1. 13. A device, comprising a device housing and an assembly appendage disposed thereon for insertion through an assembly opening of a vehicle panel of a motor vehicle along a designated insertion direction, wherein a fastening screw protruding from the device housing into the assembly appendage is connected to a counterpart disposed in the assembly appendage by a thread, wherein provided in the device housing is a supporting element which, along at least one spatial direction transverse or perpendicular to the designated insertion direction, has an external dimension which is equal to or greater than a transverse dimension of the assembly appendage and/or than a longitudinal extent of the counterpart. 14. The device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the device is a roof antenna module. 15. The fastening arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the supporting element is made of a material that is harder and/or stiffer than a material of the housing wall, wherein the supporting element is disposed between the screw head and the housing wall and for this purpose has a through opening through which a screw shank of the fastening screw is inserted; wherein formed on the counterpart is at least one spike which on the second side of the vehicle panel is pressed into a paint of the vehicle panel and/or into a metal of the vehicle panel at a respective puncture site, wherein the supporting element extends opposite the respective puncture site on the first side of the vehicle panel and in this way supports the vehicle panel at the respective puncture site; wherein formed on at least one edge of the supporting element is a tab which is inserted through a respective slot in the housing wall and bears directly on the vehicle panel, wherein configured on at least one edge of the supporting element is a collar which is formed by bending a periphery of the supporting element; wherein the supporting element is fastened to the screw head; wherein a printed circuit board, PCB, of an electric circuit of the device is held in the device housing by the screw head and/or by the supporting element; wherein at least one of the assembly opening and the assembly appendage has an elongate shape with a longitudinal dimension and a transverse dimension smaller in relation to the longitudinal dimension, and the counterpart is shorter than the longitudinal dimension or a diagonal of the elongate shape and longer than the transverse dimension, and is mounted in the assembly appendage so as to be rotatable by a rotation angle in a range from 40° to 140°, wherein the assembly appendage is specified in such a way that, when the device is assembled on the vehicle panel, a rotational position of the counterpart, proceeding from an assembly position, by tightening the fastening screw changes so that part of the counterpart is rotated laterally out of lateral walls of the assembly appendage into a holding position by the tightening and bears on a detent of the assembly appendage; and wherein the supporting element bears on a rib structure configured on the housing wall. 16. The fastening arrangement as claimed in claim 15, wherein the device is a roof antenna module, and the vehicle panel is a vehicle roof of the motor vehicle."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The invention relates to a fastening arrangement of a device housing of a device or module on a vehicle panel of a motor vehicle. A device housing of the device herein bears on a first side of the vehicle panel (e.g. on the outside) and an assembly appendage of the device is inserted through an assembly opening of the vehicle panel, and a fastening screw is tightened in such a manner that it pulls a counterpart in the assembly appendage against a second side of the vehicle panel, opposite the first side of the vehicle panel (e.g. against the inside of the vehicle panel). A device can be attached to a vehicle panel of a motor vehicle, for example the outer panel or the so-called outer skin, during the assembly of the motor vehicle, which device is in this way carried or held by the vehicle panel. Examples of such devices are an antenna module, such as a roof antenna module, a side indicator, a wiper motor of a windshield wiper. The assembly of such a device on a vehicle panel should be able to be carried out with only a few hand movements and quickly in order to be able to make the production of the motor vehicle cost-effective. In addition, the components used should be able to be provided in a cost-effective manner.",
  "cpc": [
    "H01Q 1/1207",
    "B60R 11/00",
    "B60R 2011/004",
    "F16B 37/044",
    "F16B 43/00",
    "F16B 5/02",
    "F16B 5/0208",
    "H01Q 1/1214",
    "H01Q 1/3275"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B60R 11/00",
    "F16B 37/04",
    "F16B 5/02",
    "H01Q 1/12",
    "H01Q 1/32"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE TECH GMBH"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "FLADERER FLORIAN",
    "GERBL SEBASTIAN",
    "HILDEBRAND RUDOLF"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2022-07-21",
  "publication_date": "2024-11-14",
  "priority_date": "2021-08-31",
  "application_number": "US-202218688140-A",
  "family_id": "82799795",
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}