Functional element comprising a ball-like welded element, combination of components comprising a functional element of said type, and method for manufacturing a combination of components of said type

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11266209-B2
Application number	US-201615099743-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 15, 2016
Priority date	Jan 9, 2014
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

A method is provided for manufacturing a combination of components. The method includes the following steps: manufacturing a functional element by providing a plate-type base element and integrally bonding a ball or a ball-shaped element to the plate-type base element, in particular by welding a ball or a ball-shaped element onto a flat plate-type element, and joining the functional element to a first component.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A combination of components, comprising:
a first component;
a functional element connected to the first component, the functional element having a plate-shaped main element, to which a ball or a ball-shaped element has been connected before the connection of the functional element to the first component via welding of the ball or the ball-shaped element onto the plate-shaped main element;
wherein the plate-shaped main element has a circumferential edge with an indentation or a depression;
wherein the first component defines a through hole with an edge;
wherein the plate-shaped main element is disposed in the through hole of the first component such that the edge of the through hole is received in the circumferential edge of the plate-shaped main element to result in a first undercut of the edge of the through hole with respect to a first surface of the plate-shaped main element.

2. The combination of components as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a second component clipped or clamped fixedly to the ball or the ball-shaped element.

3. The combination of components as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the second component engages into a region which is situated between an equatorial plane of the ball or the ball-shaped element and an upper side of the main element or the first component, which region results in an undercut.

4. The combination of components as claimed in claim 3 , wherein a second ball or a second ball-shaped element is fixed on the ball or the ball-shaped element.

5. The combination of components as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the second component engages into a region which is situated between equatorial planes of the two balls or the two ball-shaped elements.

6. The combination of components as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plate-shaped main element is disposed in the through hole of the first component such that the edge of the through hole is received in the circumferential edge of the plate-shaped main element to result in a second undercut of the edge of the through hole with respect to a second surface of the plate-shaped main element.

Assignees

• Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag

Inventors

• Van Niekerk Johann
• Dunckern Christian
• Hammer Maik

Classifications

• B23K31/02 Primary

  relating to soldering or welding · CPC title

• B23K2101/18

  Sheet panels · CPC title

• B23K2101/006

  Vehicles · CPC title

• F16B5/065

  the plates being one on top of the other and distanced from each other, e.g. by using protrusions to keep contact and distance · CPC title

• A44B17/0041

  Press-button fasteners consisting of two parts (A44B17/0029 takes precedence) · CPC title