LINK ROD FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract

A link rod for a motor vehicle, with a connecting rod (4) designed with an open profile that extends in an axial direction (x), which comprises a back (8) and two opposed sidepieces (9, 10) which are connected to one another by the back (8), extending away from the back so as to enclose an angle (a) of less than 180° between them. Two joints (2, 3) are connected to one another by the connecting rod (4), each joint comprises a joint housing (5) and an inner joint component (6) that is fitted and able to move in the housing and extends outwardly therefrom. The connecting rod (4) is embedded, at its respective axial ends, in one of the joint housings (5), and the sidepieces (9, 10) enclose an angle (α) of at least 90° between them.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A link rod for a motor vehicle comprising: a connecting rod (4) in a form of an open profile that extends in an axial direction (x), and comprising a back (8) and two opposed sidepieces (9, 10) which are connected to one another by the back (8) and extending away from the back, and the two sidepieces enclosing an angle (α) of less than 180° therebetween, and two joints (2, 3) being connected to one another by the connecting rod (4), each of the two joints comprising a joint housing (5) and an inner joint component (6) that is fitted and able to move in the joint housing and extending outward from the joint housing, the connecting rod (4) being embedded at respective axial ends thereof, in one of the joint housings (5), and the two sidepieces (9, 10) enclosing an angle (α) of at least 90° therebetween.

12. The link rod according to claim 1 wherein the back (8) is either flat or substantially flat.

13. The link rod according to claim 11, wherein the sidepieces (9, 10) are connected to the back (8), at ends thereof directed toward the back (8), and the sidepieces (9, 10) are spaced apart from one another by the back (8).

14. The link rod according to claim 11, wherein, in each case, the sidepieces (9, 10) form an angle (β) of at least 135° but less than 180° with the back (8).

15. The link rod according to claim 11, wherein at least one through-going positioning aperture (11) is provided in the back (8).

16. The link rod according to claim 11, wherein the two joints (2, 3) are rotated relative to one another, relative to a longitudinal central axis (7) that extends in the axial direction (x).

17. The link rod according to claim 11 wherein the two joints (2, 3) are ball joints and each of the inner joint components (6) is a ball pin.

18. The link rod according to claim 11, wherein the joint housing (5) is formed by injection-molding an injection-moldable material around the respective axial end of the connecting rod (4).

19. The link rod according to claim 11, wherein the joint housings (5) consist of plastic.

20. The link rod according to claim 11, wherein the connecting rod (4) is made of metal.

21. A link rod for a motor vehicle comprising: a connecting rod having an open profile extending in an axial direction and comprising a back and two sidepieces, the back facilitates connecting the two sidepieces to one another, and the two sidepieces extending away from the back and enclosing an angle of less than 180° therebetween, and two joints being connected to one another by the connecting rod, each of the two joints comprising a joint housing and an inner joint component that is fitted and able to move in the joint housing and extending outward from the joint housing, the connecting rod being embedded, at respective axial ends thereof, in one of the joint housings, and the two sidepieces enclosing an angle (α) of at least 90° therebetween.

22. A link rod for a motor vehicle comprising: a connecting rod defining a longitudinal axis, the connecting rod having a planar back and first and second sidepieces that are integral with and extending from laterally opposite sides of the planar back, one axial end of the connecting rod being embedded within a housing of a first joint and an opposite axial end of the connecting rod being embedded within a housing of a second joint, the housings of the first and the second joints each receiving a respective inner joint component such that the inner joint components being respectively pivotably coupled, via the first and the second joints, to the connecting rod, the inner joint components of the first and the second joints extending outwardly from the housings of the first and the second joints, respectively, and the first and the second sidepieces are oriented with respect to one another to enclose an angle therebetween which is at least 90° but less than 180°.

23. The link rod according to claim 22, wherein the planar back and the first and the second sidepieces are integrally connected to one another such that the connecting rod has cross section that is mirror-symmetrical relative to a plane of symmetry that contains the longitudinal axis and is perpendicular to the planar back.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Below, the invention is described with reference to a preferred embodiment, referring to the drawings which show:

[0021] FIG. 1: A perspective view of an embodiment of a link rod,

[0022] FIG. 2: A side view of the link rod,

[0023] FIG. 3: A view of the link rod, as seen from above, and

[0024] FIG. 4: A view of a connecting rod of the link rod shown in cross-section along the section line 4-4 in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a link rod 1 according to one embodiment, wherein the link rod comprises two ball joints 2 and 3 connected to one another by a connecting rod 4 that extends in an axial direction. A side view of the link rod 1 is shown in FIG. 2 and a view of the link rod 1 seen from above is shown in FIG. 3.

[0026] The ball joints 2 and 3 each comprise a joint housing 5 made of plastic and a ball pin 6, which is fitted in an articulated manner into the respective joint housing 5 and projects outward therefrom. Furthermore, relative to a longitudinal central axis 7 of the link rod 1 that extends in the axial direction x, the ball joints 2 and 3 are rotated by 180° in relation to one another. The connection rod 4 is embedded with its axial ends each in a respective joint housing 5, and is in the form of an open section.

[0027] A sectioned view of the connecting rod 4 along the section line 4-4 in FIG. 2 is shown in FIG. 4. The connecting rod 4 has a back 8 and two sidepieces 9 and 10 opposite one another which, at their ends directed toward the back 8, are connected to one another by the back 8 and extend away from it. The ends 13 of the sidepieces 9 and 10 facing away from the back 8 form free ends of the sidepieces. In this case the two sidepieces 9 and 10 enclose between them an angle α of at least 90° but smaller than 180°. In addition, the two sidepieces 9 and 10 each enclose with the back 8 an angle β of at least 135° but smaller than 180°. The back 8 and the sidepieces 9 and 10 are substantially flat and they extend in the axial direction x. Furthermore, relative to a plane of symmetry E that runs in the axial direction x, which plane also contains the longitudinal central axis 7, the connecting rod 4 is designed mirror-symmetrically. In the back 8 two through-going positioning apertures 11 are provided, which can be seen for example in FIG. 3.

INDEXES

[0028] 1 Link rod [0029] 2 Ball joint [0030] 3 Ball joint [0031] 4 Connecting rod [0032] 5 Joint housing [0033] 6 Ball pin [0034] 7 Longitudinal central axis [0035] 8 Back of the connecting rod [0036] 9 Sidepiece of the connecting rod [0037] 10 Sidepiece of the connecting rod [0038] 11 Positioning aperture [0039] 12 Sidepiece end directed toward the back [0040] 13 Sidepiece end facing away from the back [0041] α Angle between the sidepieces [0042] β Angle between sidepiece and the back [0043] x Axial direction [0044] E Plane of symmetry