A ball joint includes a stud extending from a ball. A housing has a bore that receives the ball. The housing has an interior surface facing the ball that includes a groove. A plastic bearing is arranged between the ball and the housing. The plastic bearing has first and second sides opposite one another. The first side has a spherical surface engaging the ball. The second side has a protrusion opposite the spherical surface that is received in and fills the groove and a recess in the spherical surface opposite the protrusion.

The application discloses a universal joint assembly. The universal joint assembly, includes a base, two clamping members, a ball shaft, and a locking member. The base has an accommodating groove, a first opening and a second opening disposed opposite to the first opening. The clamping member is disposed inside the accommodating groove. Each of the two clamping members includes a bearing portion, a fulcrum portion, and a clamping portion. An adjustable space exists between an outer side of the bearing portion and an inner wall of the accommodating groove. The locking member presses the ball shaft and the bearing portion. The clamping member take a position where the fulcrum portion contacts the inner wall as a fulcrum, so that the clamping portion moves toward the ball shaft and clamps the ball shaft.

A system and method for a universal housing. The universal housing has a central void. The system also includes a sleeve sized to be received within the central void. The universal housing can be used to house a ball joint and a uniball interchangeably. This allows the consumer to switch between a ball joint or a uniball joint without replacing the support arm. This aids in flexibility and versatility as well as decreases the product and labor costs associated with changing from one type to another.

A clamping mechanism embodying the invention may be disposed between a swivel ball and a housing overlying the ball for selectively locking or unlocking the swivel ball relative to the housing. The clamping mechanism includes first and second gears mounted on a compression screw with rotational forces being selectively applied to the first and second gears via respective first and second gear-pawl assemblies. The rotational forces cause vertical (up/down) motion along the screw which increases or decreases the pressure exerted between the housing and the swivel ball which effectively may be used to lock (clamp) or unlock (unclamp) the swivel ball relative to the housing.

An axial ball joint is provided with: a ball stud including a stud section and a ball section; a metallic housing which rotatably supports the ball section of the ball stud; and a resin-made ball seat which is provided to be interposed between the ball section and the housing. The housing is formed into a bottomed cylinder shape by pressing. The thickness of a bottom wall and the thickness of a circumferential side wall of the housing are set to be equal to each other. A plurality of bead sections are formed on the inner bottom of the housing by press-molding or forging.

A ball joint includes: a ball stud including a stud portion having one end portion connected to a structural member and another end portion, to which a ball portion is integrally joined; a housing made of metal and configured to support the ball portion to allow swinging and rotating movement of the ball portion; and a ball seat made of plastic and interposed between the housing and the ball portion. The ball seat includes a plurality of protrusions jutting out from the ball seat and inserted into a plurality of through holes formed in a bottom portion of the housing. The protrusions having pierced through the through holes are staked at their distal portions. The protrusion of the ball seat has a large diameter portion, whose diameter is larger than an inner diameter of the through hole, at its proximal portion proximal from the distal portion thereof.

A floating joint includes a driving side coupling portion and a driven side coupling portion serving as first and second connections. A pressure adjusting structure in the floating joint is provided between the bottom surface exposed region of the spherical portion for contact and the bottom surface facing region of a fixing ring without a gap, and has elasticity. Therefore, the floating joint relatively firmly maintains the one-side spherical contact relationship, in which the top region of the spherical portion for contact contacts a part of the bottom surface portion of the frame body by the elastic force of the pressure adjusting structure.

A clamping mechanism embodying the invention may be disposed between a swivel ball and a housing overlying the ball for selectively locking or unlocking the swivel ball relative to the housing. The clamping mechanism includes first and second gears mounted on a compression screw with rotational forces being selectively applied to the first and second gears via respective first and second gear-pawl assemblies. The rotational forces cause vertical (up/down) motion along the screw which increases or decreases the pressure exerted between the housing and the swivel ball which effectively may be used to lock (clamp) or unlock (unclamp) the swivel ball relative to the housing.

A ball channel and ball channel assembly are disclosed with the ball channel having a channel top, a channel bottom, and an inner portion including a first inner sidewall, a second inner sidewall, a first end wall, and a second end wall. A first resilient tab extends from the first inner sidewall with a first tab end surface, and a second resilient tab extends from the second inner sidewall with a second tab end surface. An elongated gutter extends longitudinally along the inner portion and adjacent the channel bottom, wherein the combination of the first and second tab end surfaces and a gutter top surface form a ball track for receiving a head of a ball stud and allowing secured sliding longitudinal movement of the head. An outer portion is also provided having a flange wall that is configured to engage a receiving wall of a mounting panel.

The invention relates to a valve assembly (10) for a charging device, in particular for a wastegate of an exhaust gas turbocharger, comprising a spindle (100), a lever arm (110) coupled to the spindle (100), and a valve unit (200). The lever arm (110) has a connecting element (112), designed as at least partially spherical, and the valve unit (200) has an accommodation region (212) with at least one first conical accommodation surface (214) in which the connecting element (112) is arranged.