AND VIBRATIONS

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to an insulator according to the preamble of the independent claim which is adjustable and can deal with impacts and vibrations.

Background to the invention

There are many different ways of absorbing impacts and/or vibrations which may occur between two units and within the units themselves. It is for example possible to place between a vehicle's radiator grille and bodywork an insulator which prevents the grille and the bodywork from being subject to wear because the grille strikes the bodywork when being closed, or by vibrations which occur when the vehicle is in motion. The tolerance between the radiator grille and the bodywork may be different on different vehicles, which means that the insulator may need to be adapted to the prevailing tolerance during assembly of the vehicle. Effecting the adaptation needs to be easy and quick, to facilitate the work of fitting the insulator and the grille.

The insulator may be fastened to the bodywork by, for example, a threaded connection. However, the threaded connection will be subject to vibrations which occur when the vehicle is in motion, so the connecting nut may well work loose from the connecting screw. One way of securing the threaded connection is to use a locknut which locks the nut firmly to the screw thread. The various kinds of locknuts use different kinds of locking characteristics. For example,

CN10037681 OC refers to an kind of locknut embedded in rubber which is compressed during use in order to be usable with tight contact while at the same time protecting the parts connected together. CN200985942Y refers to a nut and disc covered with rubber to achieve a tight connection. The nut is elastically deformable to achieve a self-locking function. In other examples a resilient lock washer or a further plastic covering is used to achieve greater frictional torque. Fitting a locknut does however involve using a special tool, which means that any adaptation of the threaded connection will be advanced, time-consuming and in some cases not ergonomic for fitters. It is therefore an object of the invention to propose an alternative insulator which allows easy adaptation to different tolerances and can withstand impacts and/or vibrations.

Summary of the invention

The object described above is at least partly achieved by an insulator according to the independent claim. The insulator comprises a threaded unit which has running through it a threaded hole with a diameter di intended to accommodate a corresponding threaded rod. It also comprises a buffer unit made of elastic material which has at one end a hole with a diameter d ₂ . The buffer unit is secured to the threaded unit so that the threaded hole running through the latter and the hole in the buffer unit are connected, the diameter d ₂ of the hole in the buffer unit being smaller than the diameter di of the hole in the threaded unit.

The fact that diameter d ₂ is smaller than diameter di results in a thread locking mechanism in the insulator such that the position of the insulator on the threaded rod during any vibrations etc. may be secure while still allowng manual adjustment of its position thereon. Adjusting the insulator's position becomes more economic for a fitter to effect, since it does not involve handling any kind of tool in an environment where the space is limited. The fact that no tool is required also means that time can be saved in fitting the insulator.

Preferred embodiments are described in the independent claim and the detailed description. Brief description of the attached drawings

The invention is described below with reference to the attached drawings, in which: Fig. 1 depicts the front of a truck with a radiator grille partly lowered.

Fig. 2 depicts an insulator according to the invention fitted to the vehicle's bodywork.

Fig. 3 illustrates how the insulator can be fitted to the vehicle's bodywork via a mounting with a screw.

Fig. 4A depicts the insulator according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4B depicts a cross-section of the insulator in Fig. 4A along A-A.

Fig. 4C depicts a cross-section of an insulator according to another embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

Fig. 1 depicts part of the front 1 of a vehicle, here a truck, with a radiator grille 2 shown partly lowered. The grille is used to protect the air intake to the vehicle's radiator from dirt, road dust and foreign objects. In the version depicted in Fig. 1 the grille is fitted suspended from the vehicle's bodywork so that it can be opened and closed and thus provide easy access to the air intake etc., e.g. for cleaning.

It is important that fitting the radiator grille 2 be quick and easy. It has to be fitted in such a way that in its closed state it rests against the bodywork in a stable way which reduces the risk of impacts and/or vibrations between grille and bodywork. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of part of the vehicle's front 1 , showing which part of the bodywork the grille has to rest against. The circled portion 3, which also appears in Fig. 1 , depicts a mounting which connects two different body parts. The mounting 6 takes here the form of a flat piece of metal with fitting holes running through it. An insulator 4 against which the grille 2 is to rest in its closed state is fastened to the mounting 6. The insulator 4 will now be described in more detail with reference to Figures 3-4C. It should be noted that the insulator application illustrated in Figures 1 -2 is merely one example and that the insulator has a broad area of application beyond what is here described.

Fig. 3 depicts an unattached mounting 6 to which the insulator 4 is fitted by means of a threaded rod 5, here a screw 5. The screw 5 is inserted through a hole in the mounting, and the insulator is screwed firmly to the screw by means of a corresponding threaded hole in the insulator. By screwing the insulator it is thus possible to adjust subsequently the distance from the mounting at which the insulator is to be situated, i.e. the insulator's intended position on the screw.

Fig. 4A depicts an embodiment of the insulator 4 which has an arrow on one side to mark the direction in which the insulator has to be rotated relative to the threaded rod 5 in order to be screwed on. Fig. 4B depicts a cross-section of the insulator 4 along the line A-A (Fig. 4A) according to an embodiment of the insulator. The insulator comprises a threaded unit 7 with a hole 9 running through it with a diameter di intended to

accommodate the corresponding threaded rod 5, which may be a screw (Fig. 3). The insulator comprises also a buffer unit 8 made of elastic material which has at one end a hole 10 with a diameter d ₂ . The buffer unit 8 is secured to the threaded unit 7 so that the threaded hole 9 running through the threaded unit and the hole 10 in the buffer unit are connected. As may be seen in Fig. 4B, the diameter d ₂ of the hole in the buffer unit is smaller than the diameter di in the threaded unit. When the insulator is screwed onto the threaded rod 5, the rod will first be screwed through the threaded hole 9 in the unit 7 before continuing into the hole 10 with the smaller diameter d ₂ in the buffer unit. The diameter d ₂ is thus smaller than the diameter di of the hole 9 in the threaded unit, and hence also smaller than the diameter of the threaded rod 5. The inside surface of the buffer unit in conjunction with the extent of the hole 1 0 will thus enclose the threads on the threaded rod 5 and slow down the screwing of the insulator. The insulator will thus serve as a thread locking mechanism. Adapting diameter d ₂ to diameter di makes it possible to achieve a suitable inertia so that a fitter can adjust the insulator by hand but the insulator will remain on the rod when the insulator and the threaded rod vibrate or are subject to impacts. In Figures 4A and 4B the hole 10 runs right through the buffer unit, which inter alia facilitates the manufacture of the insulator. Fig. 4C depicts another embodiment of the insulator 4, in which the hole 1 0 does not run all the way through but only a short distance into the buffer unit 8. The buffer unit also surrounds all sides of the threaded unit 7 and defines the hole 10 on both sides round the hole 9 in the threaded unit. Here again the diameter d ₂ of the hole 10 in the buffer unit is smaller than the diameter di of the hole in the threaded unit, thus making a thread locking mechanism possible on both sides of the hole 9 in the threaded unit.

In the two embodiments depicted in Figures 4B and 4C the hole 10 in the buffer unit and the threaded hole 9 running through the threaded unit are concentric. The centrelines of the holes therefore coincide. To create the thread locking mechanism, the diameter d ₂ of the hole in the buffer unit will in one embodiment be at least one 1 mm smaller than the diameter di of the hole in the threaded unit, e.g. 1 .5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 or 4 mm smaller. In one example the threaded rod 5 is a so-called M8 screw. The diameter di of the hole 9 in the threaded unit will then be 8 mm and the diameter d ₂ of the hole in the buffer unit may be 4-7 mm to create a thread locking mechanism. It should be noted that no part of the buffer unit will be inside the hole 9 in the threaded unit. In the two embodiments depicted in Figures 4B and 4C the buffer unit 8 runs over the outer circumference of the threaded unit 7. This enables the threaded unit 7 to be held firmly by, and thus be secured to, the buffer unit. The outside diameter of the buffer unit in this embodiment is larger than that of the threaded unit, e.g. 0.5, 1 , 1 .5 or 2 mm larger. The buffer unit can thus cover the outer circumference of the threaded unit. If for example the outside diameter of the threaded unit is 24 mm, that of the buffer unit may be 25 mm. The buffer unit will thus cover the outer circumference of the threaded unit with a 0.5 mm thick layer of the buffer unit. In an alternative embodiment not depicted in the drawings, the buffer unit extends along only one side of the threaded unit or along one side, and partly round the outer circumference, of the threaded unit. This makes it possible for a fastening element such as an adhesive to be used for fastening the buffer unit and the threaded unit to one another. A fastening element may also be used in the other embodiments to strengthen the securing of the threaded unit to the buffer unit.

The transition for the threaded rod 5 between the hole 9 in the threaded unit 7 and the hole 10 in the buffer unit 8 may be facilitated by the buffer unit being provided with a chamfer 1 1 (Fig. 4B) between the hole 9 and the hole 10. The chamfer may be between 25 and 75°, e.g. 45°. The chamfer 1 1 is only depicted in Fig. 4B but may also appear in the embodiment in Fig. 4C or other embodiments which are not depicted.

In one embodiment the buffer unit 8 is made of rubber, e.g. vulcanised rubber. The buffer unit may have a circular or oval external cross-section, or alternatively an angular cross-section to facilitate gripping by hand. In one embodiment the threaded unit 7 is made of metal, e.g. steel or copper. It may also be provided with a coating, e.g. zinc. The threaded unit may for example take the form of a nut, plate, screwplate or nutplate. The threaded unit may have a circular or oval external cross-section, or alternatively an angular external cross-section.

Making the insulator may for example involve the threaded unit 7 being embedded in the buffer unit 8 by vulcanising, in which case the buffer unit will be stable in shape but still be elastic.

The present invention is not restricted to the embodiments described above. Sundry alternatives, modifications and equivalents may be used. The aforesaid embodiments therefore do not limit the invention's scope, which is defined by the attached claims.