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EP-4741688-A1 - SEALING DEVICE FOR ARRANGEMENT IN A CONNECTION REGION OF A MOTOR VEHICLE

EP4741688A1EP 4741688 A1EP4741688 A1EP 4741688A1EP-4741688-A1

Abstract

A sealing device (16) comprises a base element (22) having a base (23) with a through-opening (28) and a side wall (24) extending from the base (23) and completely surrounding it. The sealing device (16) further comprises a first sealing ring (26) arranged on the side of the base (23) facing away from the side wall (24), surrounding the through-opening (28), and a second sealing ring (27) arranged at the end of the side wall (24) spaced apart from the base (23). Such a sealing device (16) is advantageously suited for sealing a connection point where two components of a motor vehicle, in particular an element of a floor assembly and a battery housing (8), are joined together. To connect the components, a connecting element (15) can be used, comprising a support section (17) which is arranged for complete arrangement within an interior space (29) bounded by the sealing device (16), a first connecting section (18a) extending from a first side of the support section (17) and through the through-opening (28) of the base (23) of the sealing device (16), and a second connecting section (18b) extending from a second side of the support section (17).

Inventors

  • DEMMER, CARSTEN

Assignees

  • Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20251024

Claims (13)

  1. Sealing device (16) with a base element (22) having a bottom (23) with a through-opening (28) and a side wall (24) extending from the bottom (23) and surrounding it circumferentially, and with a first sealing ring (26) arranged on the side of the bottom (23) facing away from the side wall (24) and surrounding the through-opening (28), and a second sealing ring (27) arranged at the end of the side wall (24) spaced away from the bottom (23).
  2. Sealing device (16) according to claim 1, characterized in that the second sealing ring (27) is arranged on the side of a collar (25) facing away from the bottom (23), which extends in a closed ring shape from the side wall (24).
  3. Sealing device (16) according to claim 2, characterized in that the collar (25) is arranged on the outside of the side wall (24).
  4. Sealing device (16) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base element (22) is designed in one piece.
  5. Sealing device (16) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base element (22) is made of plastic and/or metal.
  6. Combination of a sealing device (16) according to one of the preceding claims and a connecting element (15) comprising a support section (17) which is arranged for complete arrangement within an interior space (29) bounded by the sealing device (16), a first connecting section (18a) extending from a first side of the support section (17) and which extends or may extend through the through-opening (28) of the base (23) of the sealing device (16), and a second connecting section (18b) extending from a second side of the support section (17).
  7. Combination according to claim 8, characterized in that the first connecting section (18a) and/or the second connecting section (18b) is/are designed as a threaded bolt.
  8. Combination according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the support section (17) of the connecting element (15) has a circumferential dimension that is larger than a circumferential dimension of the through-opening (28) of the sealing device (16).
  9. Combination according to one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that a height of the support section (17) of the connecting element (15) substantially corresponds to a height of the interior space (29) bounded by the sealing device (16).
  10. Arrangement of at least two components of a motor vehicle, which are spaced apart from each other in a connection area (30) within which a connection point is formed, characterized in that a sealing device (16) according to one of claims 1 to 7 is arranged in the connection area (30), wherein the connection point is arranged within the base element (22) of the sealing device (16) and wherein the first sealing ring (26) abuts a first of the components in a sealing manner and the second sealing ring (27) abuts a second of the components in a sealing manner.
  11. Arrangement according to claim 12, characterized in that the components are connected to each other by means of a connecting element (15) of a combination according to one of claims 8 to 11.
  12. Arrangement according to claim 13, characterized in that the height of the support section (17) of the connecting element (15) is dimensioned such that a defined distance between the components at the connection point is set by it.
  13. Arrangement according to one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that one of the components is an element of a floor assembly (1) of the motor vehicle and another of the components is a battery housing (8) of a battery (6) of the motor vehicle.

Description

The invention relates to a sealing device, a combination of such a sealing device and a connecting element, and an arrangement of two connected components of a motor vehicle. A motor vehicle typically incorporates a variety of sealing elements to prevent, among other things, the ingress of rainwater, which may also be contaminated, from the surrounding environment into the vehicle's interior, its functional components, or into gaps formed by the vehicle's body. This is intended to prevent this rainwater, sometimes kicked up from the ground, from causing corrosion and/or malfunctions. Due to the large number of sealing elements installed in a motor vehicle, these should not only have a sufficient sealing effect, but also be inexpensive to manufacture and quick and easy to install. In motor vehicles, sealing devices may also be used to seal a connection area where two vehicle components are spaced apart and joined by a connecting element. This is intended to protect the connection point—that is, the connecting element and the interacting sections of the components—from moisture ingress. Because such sealing devices must bridge the gap between the components, they are often relatively complex in design and time-consuming to install. Such a sealing device is made from the DE 10 2020 125 308 A1 A known invention discloses an electric motor vehicle in which a traction battery is mounted at a distance below a floor plate of the vehicle body. The fastening element is a screw connection comprising a support section from which two threaded bolts extend in opposite directions. One of these threaded bolts also serves as a spacer between the floor plate and a housing cover of the traction battery. This threaded bolt is surrounded by a multi-part sealing ring to seal the connection. A sealed connection of a traction battery to a vehicle's floor panel is also required from the DE 10 2019 115 452 A1 known. The invention is based on the objective of developing an advantageous seal for a connection area of two components of a motor vehicle that are spaced apart in the connection area and connected to each other. This problem is solved in an arrangement according to claim 12, which comprises at least one sealing device according to claim 1, preferably in combination with a connecting element according to claim 8. Preferred embodiments thereof are the subject of further claims and will become apparent from the following description of the invention. A sealing device according to the invention comprises a pot-shaped base element having a bottom with a preferably centrally located through-opening and a side wall extending from the bottom and circumferentially surrounding it. The sealing device further comprises a first sealing ring arranged on the side of the bottom facing away from the side wall and surrounding the through-opening, and a second sealing ring arranged at the end of the side wall spaced away from the bottom. Such a sealing device is advantageously suited for sealing the interior enclosed by it and, in particular, by the base element, within which a connection point can be arranged through which two components are joined. Furthermore, the sealing device is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to assemble. According to the invention, a "sealing ring" is understood to be an annular element that is structurally designed to achieve a sealing effect by being arranged between two contact surfaces and thereby preventing the passage of at least one liquid through a gap formed between the contact surfaces. As a sealing ring, it seals an area inside the annular shape against an area outside the annular shape. Such a sealing ring can preferably be made partially or completely of an elastic material, in particular an elastomer. Preferably, the first sealing ring and/or the second sealing ring can be a commercially available O-ring. A sealing device according to the invention is suitable for sealing a connection point where at least two components of a motor vehicle are connected to each other. Accordingly, the invention also relates to such an arrangement of at least two components of a motor vehicle, which are spaced apart from one another in a connection area within which a connection point is formed, wherein a sealing device according to the invention is arranged in the connection area. The first sealing ring bears against a first of the components in a sealing manner, and the second sealing ring bears against a second of the components in a sealing manner. The connection point, which is located at least partially within the interior space defined by the sealing device and, in particular, the base element, is characterized by the fact that a (mechanical) connection exists between the components at this point, the connection bridging the gap between the components. This connection can be effected, in particular, by means of at least one connecting element of any desired design, the connecting element preferably being detachab