Arrangement for mounting and adjusting a sensor

An arrangement is provided for mounting and adjusting a sensor, particularly a radar distance sensor, on a motor vehicle. The sensor is accommodated in a sensor housing. The sensor housing is fastened on a holder so as to be tiltable about a degree of freedom. The holder is fastened to the motor vehicle. The sensor housing includes receiving devices in a first lateral edge area and an opposite, second, lateral edge area, in which fastening domes are in each case arranged. The sensor housing is fixed in the first lateral edge area by way of at least two fastening domes and fasteners engaging therein on the holder. The sensor housing is tiltably fixed with respect to the holder in the second lateral edge area by way of at least one fastening dome and a threaded bolt engaging in this fastening dome and the holder.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 from German Patent Application No. 10 2013 217 939.1, filed Sep. 9, 2013, the entire disclosure of which is herein expressly incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an arrangement for mounting and adjusting a sensor, particularly a distance radar sensor, on a motor vehicle, the sensor being accommodated in a sensor housing which is tiltably fastened with a degree of freedom on a holder to be fastened to the motor vehicle.

Arrangements of the above-mentioned type for fastening such a sensor are known, for example, from German Patent Document DE 10 2004 046 559 A1, European Patent Document EP 1 444 114 B1 or European Patent Document EP 0 937 311 B1. In the case of holding arrangements according to the state of the art, the sensor housing is either fastened by use of at least three screws to a holder and adjusted, or an adjusting screw is rotatably and tiltably held in a torsion-proof manner at the mounting point in a fixing dome. In the case of the systems known from the state of the art, although the adjusting of the sensor housing can take place by way of a plurality of adjusting devices, this also involves the risk of an adjusting of the alignment of the sensor housing with respect to the holder at several adjusting possibilities. A radar distance sensor can basically predominantly be adjusted in the vertical direction; a horizontal alignment plays a subordinate role and can be omitted.

Based on this background, it is an object of the invention to provide a simplified arrangement for mounting and adjusting a sensor on a motor vehicle, by which a vertical alignment of the sensor becomes possible using a single adjusting device.

This and other objects are achieved by an arrangement for mounting and adjusting a sensor, particularly a radar sensor, on a motor vehicle. The sensor is accommodated in a sensor housing, which is fastened in a tiltable manner with a degree of freedom on a holder to be fastened on the motor vehicle. The sensor housing has receiving devices or seats in a first lateral edge area and an opposing second lateral edge area, in which fastening domes are, in each case, arranged. The sensor housing is fixed in the first lateral edge area by way of at least two fastening domes and fasteners engaging therein, rotatably about an axis, on the holder. The sensor housing is tiltably fixed with respect to the holder in the second lateral edge area by way of a fastening dome and a single threaded bolt engaging in the fastening dome and the holder.

The sensor housing can be moved with respect to the holder in only one degree of freedom, so that only a vertical tilting of the sensor housing becomes possible. The pivotal point or the axis of rotation of the sensor housing with respect to the holder is situated in the two fastening domes arranged in the first lateral edge area, fasteners devices engaging into the fastening domes.

In an advantageous embodiment, the fastening domes reach around receiving spaces in which correspondingly complementarily designed sections of the fastening devices can engage, so that a rotation can be achieved.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the fasteners are ball clips having a ball end (head), which fits into the correspondingly spherical receiving space of the corresponding fastening dome. The ball clips are snapped or clipped with their respective ball ends through the holder into the respective pertaining fastening dome. The ball clips therefore fasten the sensor housing to the holder by way of the fastening domes arranged therein, but simultaneously permit a rotation or tilting of the sensor housing with respect to the holder along an axis of rotation formed by the ball centers of the ball ends of the ball clips.

The continuous adjusting of the tilted position of the sensor housing with respect to the holder takes place exclusively by way of a single threaded bolt. The threaded bolt engages in a third fastening dome arranged in the second lateral edge area of the sensor housing and engages with the holder at a corresponding pertaining point. This is done in order to define the variable distance of the sensor housing from the holder in the second lateral edge area with respect to the defined distance of the sensor housing from the holder in the first lateral edge area, and thereby coordinate the tilted position of the sensor housing with respect to the holder. In this case, it is advantageous for the fastening dome inserted into the sensor housing in the second lateral edge area to have an open design toward the front, so that an adjusting tool can be guided through the fastening dome to the threaded bolt. As a result of the rotation of the threaded bolt, the tilted position of the sensor housing can be adapted with respect to the holder.

In an advantageous embodiment, the threaded bolt is constructed as a spherical threaded bolt and engages with its spherical section in the pertaining fastening dome, which has a complementary receiving device, in order to be rotatably fixed therein. The threaded bolt extends through an opening in the holder, in which an insert nut is arranged which fixes the threaded bolt in its position at the holder. As an alternative, it may be provided in a simplified embodiment to make available a thread, which correspondingly matches the threaded bolt, directly in the opening of the holder.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is further provided that the fastening domes have slots. These extend along the holding area, which rests against the sensor housing, as well as along the area which is inserted into the receiving devices of the sensor housing.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the ball clips are also slotted, in which case, a holding area extending along the holder also has slots, and these extend in an area that is inserted through the holder into the fastening domes. The slots have the advantageous effect that the fastening domes have a certain elasticity in the area of their receiving spaces. As a result, when the sensor housing is rotated with respect to the holder, no deformations will occur in the area of the fastening points at the connection between the ball clips and the fastening domes.

The advantageous material for the fastening domes as well as the ball clips is plastic material; the spherical threaded bolt is preferably constructed of metal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWIN

The figures are schematic examples, in which the GS same reference numbers indicate identical parts.

The embodiment of the invention ofFIG. 1illustrates an arrangement1for mounting and adjusting a sensor (not shown) on a motor vehicle. The sensor is received in the sensor housing2and is adjusted with the sensor housing2with respect to the holder3to be fastened at the motor vehicle. A first lateral edge area4of the sensor housing2is disposed on the holder3in a fixed but rotatable manner, and a second lateral edge area5of the sensor housing2can be fastened and adjusted, respectively, with respect to the holder in regard to its distance in a variable manner.

The sensor housing2has two spaced receiving devices (seats)6in the first lateral edge area4, which receiving devices6are each designed for receiving a fastening dome7. The opposite second lateral edge area5of the sensor housing2has a single receiving device6which receives a third fastening dome8.

Viewed in the circumferential direction, the fastening domes7,8as well as the ball clips9have several slots16,15, which result in an increased elasticity of the entire arrangement1.

FIG. 2is a sectional view taken along line A-A of the arrangement1ofFIG. 1. In the holder3, ball clips9are fastened to corresponding passages31. The ball clips9have a protruding section, which is designed as a ball end (head)11and is accommodated in a fixed manner in a complementary section12of the associated fastening dome7. The ball end11and the receiving device (socket)12permit a fastening of the sensor housing2indirectly at the holder3. The sensor housing2can simultaneously be tilted or rotated with respect to the holder3because the receiving device12of the fastening dome7permits a relative movement of the respective ball end11about the axis of rotation. The connection of the ball clips9to the receiving devices6illustrated inFIG. 1in the first lateral edge area4, however, is identical on each lateral side.

In the second lateral edge area5of the sensor housing2, the head13of a spherical threaded bolt10is rotatably accommodated in the fastening dome8in a fixed manner. The fastening dome8has an opening20toward its front, by way of which a rotation of the spherical threaded bolt10is made possible by means of a corresponding tool (such as a screw driver). The holder3has a passage32, through which the spherical threaded bolt10extends, and to which the latter is fastened via an insert nut14by way of a thread. As a result of the rotation of the spherical threaded bolt10, the latter moves in the direction of the arrow P and generates a movement of the second lateral edge area5of the sensor housing2relative to the holder3. Thus, the sensor housing2moves and tilts in the direction of the arrow P2. The ball ends11of the ball clips9, as well as the head13of the spherical threaded bolt10, are clipped into the respectively associated fastening domes7,8. The fastening domes7,8are also clipped into the respective receiving devices6of the sensor housing2.

In its implementation, the invention is not limited to the above-mentioned preferred embodiments. On the contrary, a number of variants are conceivable which use the illustrated solution also in cases of principally different types of designs. For example, instead of ball clips and spherical receiving areas (ball and socket connections) in the fastening domes, different shapes known from the state of the art can also be selected, which allow a rotatable fixing accommodation.