BALL JOINT

Abstract

A ball joint, in particular a chassis joint, which has a housing and a ball socket that comprises a ball bearing section for receiving a joint ball. An anti-rotation member prevents movement of the ball socket within the housing. To improve operational performance of the ball joint, the anti-rotation member is formed by a connecting element of the housing and a mating connecting element of the ball socket. The connecting elements have corresponding holding profiles so that, in an assembled condition, the connecting elements form a shape-enclosing plug-in connection.

Claims

1-12. (canceled)

13. A ball joint comprising: a housing (2), a ball socket (3) having a ball bearing section (14) for receiving a joint ball (4), an anti-rotation means (7) for preventing any movement of the ball socket (3) within the housing (2), and the housing (2) and the ball socket (3) each having a respective connecting element (10, 11), which have corresponding holding profiles (12, 13), that form the anti-rotation means (7) so that, in an assembled condition of the housing (2) and the ball socket (3), the connecting elements (10, 11) form a plug-in connection.

14. The ball joint according to claim 13, wherein the ball bearing section (14) completely surrounds the connecting element (10) of the ball socket (3), and the connecting element (10) is arranged around a central longitudinal axis (8) of the ball joint (1).

15. The ball joint according to claim 13, wherein the connecting element (10) of the ball socket (3), relative to a geometrical mid-point (M) of the ball joint (1), is within a cone angle (a) and the ball bearing section (14) is outside the cone angle (a).

16. The ball joint according to claim 13, wherein the ball bearing section (14) is formed rotationally symmetrically, relative to a central longitudinal axis (8) of the ball joint (1), so that the ball bearing section (14) is designed without any slot and without any groove.

17. The ball joint according to claim 13, wherein the connecting element (10) of the ball socket (3) is designed as a positive shape and the connecting element (11) of the housing (2) is designed as a negative shape.

18. The ball joint according to claim 13, wherein the corresponding holding profiles (12, 13) of the connecting elements (10, 11) are in a form of hexagon or a six-point rounded star, or have a slot-shape, a cross-shape or a polygonal shape in cross-section.

19. The ball joint according to claim 13, wherein a recess (16) is formed, in an outside of the ball socket (3), which completely surrounds the connecting element (10) of the ball socket (3) and in which, in the assembled condition, the housing (2) engages with a correspondingly shaped annular ridge (17), and the recess (16) has a U-shaped cross-section.

20. The ball joint according to claim 19, wherein the annular ridge (17) of the housing (2) is formed, as a contact surface (18), on a side facing toward the ball bearing section (14).

21. The ball joint according to claim 13, wherein the ball bearing section (14) has, from the connecting element (10) of the ball socket (3) to a joint aperture (6) of the ball joint (1), a smoothly decreasing wall thickness (15).

22. The ball joint according to claim 19, wherein the ball bearing section (14) has, from the annular recess (16) to a joint aperture (6) of the ball joint (1), a smoothly decreasing wall thickness (15).

23. The ball joint according to claim 13, wherein the ball socket (3), before assembly, is of quasi-cylindrical shape from an aperture area to an equator (21) so that the joint ball (4) is insertable into the ball socket (3).

24. The ball joint according to claim 23, wherein an annular closing element (23) which, in the assembled condition, deforms a cylindrical portion of the ball socket (3) in such a manner that the ball socket (3) surrounds the joint ball (4) in a shape-enclosing manner.

25. A chassis ball joint comprising: a housing (2) and a ball socket (3) having a ball bearing section (14) which receives a joint ball (4); an anti-rotation means (7) for preventing movement of the ball socket (3) within the housing (2); the anti-rotation means (7) being formed by a connecting element of the housing (2) and a connecting element of the ball socket (3), and the connecting elements of the housing and the ball socket having complementary holding profiles (12, 13) such that, in an assembled condition, the connecting elements (10, 11) of the housing and the ball socket are connected together in a form-fitting manner.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Below, specific embodiments of the present invention are explained in greater detail with reference to the figures, which show:

[0018] FIG. 1: A cross-sectional representation of a ball joint,

[0019] FIGS. 2a, 2b: Cross-sectional representations of a ball socket, and

[0020] FIGS. 3a, 3b: Perspective representations of a ball socket and of a housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] FIG. 1 shows a specific design of the ball joint 1 in the assembled condition, with a housing 2, a ball socket 3 and a joint ball 4 fitted therein, which extends through the ball socket 2 with a shank 5 at a joint aperture 6. The ball socket 3 is connected to the housing 2 by anti-rotation means 7, which prevent any movement of the ball socket 3 within the housing 2, in particular any rotation about the central longitudinal axis 8 (vertical axis), which is arranged perpendicularly to a plane 9 of the joint aperture 6 or the equator 21 of the ball socket 3 and passes through the mid-point M of the ball socket 3. In the example embodiment shown, the anti-rotation means 7 consists of a connecting element 10 on the ball socket 3, which is designed as a positive shape, and a correspondingly designed connecting element 11 of the housing 2, which is designed as a negative shape. Both connecting elements are of cylindrical design and, on their respective cylindrical outer and cylindrical inner surfaces, they have holding profiles (not shown in FIG. 1). In this connection, the example embodiments of FIGS. 3a, 3b show on the ball socket 3 a holding profile 12 with an outer six-point rounded star, and on the housing 2 a holding profile 13 with an inner six-point rounded star. In the assembled condition a connecting element 10, 11 designed in such manner blocks any movement of the ball socket 3 within the housing 2, in particular any rotation of the ball socket 3 about the central longitudinal axis 8 of the ball joint 1.

[0022] The connecting element 10 of the ball socket 3 is surrounded by a ball bearing section 14, so that there is a separation between the anti-rotation means 7 or the connecting element 10 and the ball bearing section 14. To be specific, with reference to the mid-point M of the ball socket 3 it is provided that the anti-rotation means 7 is arranged within the cone angle α. In that way the ball bearing section 14 can be made completely rotationally symmetrically with a constant wall thickness 15 as viewed in the circumferential direction, which has a positive effect on the load-bearing capacity of the ball socket 3.

[0023] In the example embodiment illustrated, between the ball bearing section 14 and the anti-rotation means 7 an annular recess (or depression) 16 is formed, in which a correspondingly shaped annular ridge 17 of the housing 2 engages. In cross-section the depression 16 is essentially U-shaped. In this case the annular ridge 17 of the housing 2 is formed on the side of the contact surface 18 that faces toward the ball bearing section 14, so that the ball bearing section 14 can be supported against it. For example, if the shank 5 is pivoted in the direction of the arrow 19, then depending on the friction forces inside the joint 1 a force acts upon the ball bearing section 14 in the direction of the anti-rotation means 7 and the ball bearing section 14 can be supported against the contact surface 18 of the housing 2 positioned there.

[0024] FIGS. 2a and 2b shows, respectively, cross-sectional representations of the ball socket 3, such that the embodiment according to FIG. 2a has a recess 16 between the ball bearing section 14 and the connecting element 10, whereas the embodiment according to FIG. 2b has no recess between the ball bearing section 14 and the connecting element 10. Regardless of this, in both cases it is provided that the wall thickness 15 of the ball bearing section 14 continuously decreases from the connecting element 10 in the direction toward the joint aperture 6, i.e. in the direction of the arrow 20.

[0025] FIG. 3a shows a perspective view of the ball socket 3 according to FIG. 2a, wherein the ball socket 3 is represented in its not-yet-assembled condition. According to this, from the equator 21 to the joint aperture 6 there extends an essentially cylindrical section 22 which allows the joint ball 4 (not shown in FIG. 3a) to be inserted into the ball socket 3. Then the ball socket 3 is inserted into the housing 2, as is shown in perspective in FIG. 3b. In the assembled condition (see FIG. 1) an annular element 23 is then pressed onto the cylindrical section 22 of the ball socket 3, so that the ball socket 3 makes contact with the head 4 of the joint. Finally, the annular element 23 is inserted into the housing 2 far enough for detent connections 24 to hold the annular element 23 and therefore the ball socket 3 within the housing 2 in an interlocked manner.

INDEXES

[0026] 1 Ball joint [0027] 2 Housing [0028] 3 Ball socket [0029] 4 Joint ball [0030] 5 Shank [0031] 6 Joint aperture [0032] 7 Anti-rotation means [0033] 8 Central longitudinal axis [0034] 9 Plane [0035] 10 Connecting element on the ball socket [0036] 11 Connecting element of the housing [0037] 12 Holding profile of the ball socket [0038] 13 Holding profile of the housing [0039] 14 Ball bearing section [0040] 15 Wall thickness [0041] 16 Recess [0042] 17 Ridge [0043] 18 Contact surface [0044] 19 Direction of arrow [0045] 20 Direction of arrow [0046] 21 Equator [0047] 22 Cylindrical section of the ball socket [0048] 23 Annular element [0049] 24 Detent connection [0050] α Cone angle [0051] M Mid-point of the ball socket