LINK FOR A WHEEL SUSPENSION OF A MOTOR VEHICLE AND WHEEL SUSPENSION FOR A WHEEL OF A FRONT AXLE OF A MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract

A link for a wheel suspension of a motor vehicle, and a corresponding wheel suspension for a wheel of a front axle of a motor vehicle. The link includes a link base with a bearing point on the vehicle body side. The bearing point on the vehicle body side is designed in the form of a bearing eye. The bearing eye is designed as a frangible member which breaks when a specified misuse load is exceeded.

Claims

1-9. (canceled)

10. A control arm of a wheel suspension of a motor vehicle, comprising a control arm base having a bearing point on the motor vehicle body side, wherein the bearing point on the motor vehicle body side is designed in the form of a bearing eye, wherein the bearing eye is designed as a predetermined breaking part that breaks open when a predetermined misuse load is exceeded, wherein the control bar base has a stop, which extends in the direction of the bearing axis in the area of the bearing eye and which, when viewed in the installed state of the control arm, is oriented extending to the rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction, wherein the stop is dimensioned and positioned such that, when viewed in the installed state of the control arm, when a defined, maximum permissible pivoting movement of the control arm in a bearing point on the motor vehicle body side around the vehicle vertical direction is exceeded, the stop contacts a support surface provided on the motor vehicle body.

11. The control arm according to claim 10, wherein the bearing eye is designed having two predetermined breaking points arranged radially opposite to one another.

12. The control arm according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined breaking points are designed in the form of two notch points which are introduced into one of the two annular end faces of the bearing eye, wherein the notch points are introduced into the end face oriented forward, when viewed in the installed state of the control arm, in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

13. The control arm according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined breaking points are in the form of two, when viewed in the circumferential direction of the bearing eye, locally delimited material removals of the lateral surface of the bearing eye.

14. A wheel suspension for a wheel of a front axle of a motor vehicle, in which the wheel is articulated and guided via a control arm assembly on the motor vehicle body and which is designed such that in case of a frontal collision with an obstacle with a small width overlap, a load transfer from a control arm of the control arm assembly to the wheel is interrupted and the wheel is deflected outwards to the rear, viewed in the longitudinal and transverse directions of the vehicle, wherein the control arm is designed according to claim 10.

15. The wheel suspension according to claim 14, wherein the control arm is designed as a wishbone and is arranged together with a trailing control arm in a lower or upper control arm plane.

16. The wheel suspension according to claim 14, wherein the control arm is mounted on the motor vehicle body side pivotably movable around the bearing axis oriented in the vehicle longitudinal direction via a rubber-metal bearing.

17. The wheel suspension according to claim 14, wherein the chassis bearing of the control arm on the motor vehicle body side is mounted between two bearing legs of a bearing bracket oriented in the vehicle transverse direction, wherein the rear bearing leg viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction has a support surface for the stop formed on the control arm base, wherein the stop and the support surface are positioned and dimensioned such that if a defined maximum permissible pivoting movement of the control arm in the bearing bracket on the motor vehicle body side around the vehicle vertical direction is exceeded, the stop contacts the support surface formed on the rear bearing leg.

18. The wheel suspension according to claim 15, wherein the control arm assembly is mounted on the vehicle body via an auxiliary frame.

19. The wheel suspension according to claim 15, wherein the control arm is mounted on the motor vehicle body side pivotably movable around the bearing axis oriented in the vehicle longitudinal direction via a rubber-metal bearing.

20. The wheel suspension according to claim 15, wherein the chassis bearing of the control arm on the motor vehicle body side is mounted between two bearing legs of a bearing bracket oriented in the vehicle transverse direction, wherein the rear bearing leg viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction has a support surface for the stop formed on the control arm base, wherein the stop and the support surface are positioned and dimensioned such that if a defined maximum permissible pivoting movement of the control arm in the bearing bracket on the motor vehicle body side around the vehicle vertical direction is exceeded, the stop contacts the support surface formed on the rear bearing leg.

21. The wheel suspension according to claim 16, wherein the chassis bearing of the control arm on the motor vehicle body side is mounted between two bearing legs of a bearing bracket oriented in the vehicle transverse direction, wherein the rear bearing leg viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction has a support surface for the stop formed on the control arm base, wherein the stop and the support surface are positioned and dimensioned such that if a defined maximum permissible pivoting movement of the control arm in the bearing bracket on the motor vehicle body side around the vehicle vertical direction is exceeded, the stop contacts the support surface formed on the rear bearing leg.

22. The wheel suspension according to claim 16, wherein the control arm assembly is mounted on the vehicle body via an auxiliary frame.

23. The wheel suspension according to claim 17, wherein the control arm assembly is mounted on the vehicle body via an auxiliary frame.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0021] Further advantages and possible uses of the present invention will be apparent from the following description in conjunction with the exemplary embodiment depicted in the drawing.

[0022] In the figures:

[0023] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a control arm according to the invention;

[0024] FIG. 2 shows the control arm from FIG. 1 in the installed state in a wheel suspension;

[0025] FIG. 3 shows the wheel suspension from FIG. 2 in a small-overlap crash situation;

[0026] FIG. 4 shows the control arm according to the invention in a second embodiment;

[0027] FIG. 5 shows a further embodiment of the control arm from FIG. 4;

[0028] FIG. 6 shows the control arm from FIG. 4 in the installed state in a wheel suspension; and

[0029] FIG. 7 shows the control arm from FIG. 4 in a small-overlap crash situation.

[0030] In the following description and in the figures, to avoid repetition, the same parts and components are identified by the same reference numerals, provided that no further differentiation is necessary or useful.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a control arm for a wheel suspension of a motor vehicle identified as a whole by the reference numeral 10. The control arm 10 comprises a control arm base 12 and a bearing eye formed at one end of the control arm base 12 and identified as a whole by the reference numeral 14 for receiving a chassis bearing—not shown here. As FIG. 1 also shows, the bearing eye 14 has two predetermined breaking points 16-1, 16-2 arranged radially opposite to one another, which in the present case are in the form of two notch points.

[0032] In the installed state, cf. FIG. 2, the control arm 10 is mounted between two bearing legs 22-1, 22-2 of a bearing bracket 22 arranged on the motor vehicle body side via a rubber-metal bearing 18 pressed into the bearing eye 14 so that it is pivotably movable around a bearing axis 20 aligned essentially in the x direction. As can also be seen in FIG. 2, the two notch points are introduced into the annular end face 14-1 of the bearing eye which is in front view in the x direction (=direction of travel). The notch points are dimensioned such that when a predetermined misuse load is exceeded, the bearing eye 14 breaks open in a targeted manner in order to enable the control arm 10 to separate.

[0033] The misuse load is selected so that the bearing eye 14 only breaks open if a corresponding predetermined maximum permissible torque load is exceeded and/or a corresponding predetermined maximum traction load is exceeded, which is or are to be expected in particular only in the event of a small-overlap crash, i.e., a frontal collision with a small width overlap. That is to say, the operation of the control arm 10 is ensured in normal driving operation and in the event of other special events and/or misuse events, such as very briskly driving over a high curb or the like.

[0034] In a small-overlap crash situation, as shown in FIG. 3, the control arm 10 is deflected to the rear in the x direction (counter to the direction of travel) around the bearing point—identified here as the U3 point. Due to the deflection of the control arm 10 to the rear, a cardanic entanglement occurs in the rubber-metal bearing 18, as a result of which a high restoring torque M is generated at the U3 point around the z axis. The combination of torque M and traction force F acting on control arm 10 is sufficient to trigger a targeted failure of the bearing eye 14, i.e., the bearing eye 14 first breaks open at the predetermined breaking points 16-1 and 16-2 formed as Notch points, then tears open completely and releases the control arm 10, so that the earliest possible separation of the control arm 10 is ensured.

[0035] The embodiment of the control arm 10 shown in FIG. 4 essentially corresponds to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1; According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, only the two radially opposite predetermined breaking points are formed—viewed in the circumferential direction of the bearing eye 14—as locally limited material removals in the outer lateral surface 14-2 of the bearing eye 14. The behavior in a small-overlap crash situation corresponds to that described for FIG. 3. According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a stop 24 is formed on the control bar base 12 in the area of the bearing eye 14. As can be seen from FIG. 6, the stop 24 is arranged on the control bar base 12 in such a way that in the installed state of the control bar 10, the stop 24 is oriented extending to the rear in the x direction (=direction of travel). In addition—as can also be seen in FIG. 6—a support surface 26 is formed on the opposite bearing bracket 22-1, i.e., the rear bearing bracket 22-1 in the x direction (direction of travel).

[0036] The stop 24 and the support surface 26 are positioned and dimensioned such that in a small-overlap crash situation, cf. FIG. 7, after a defined, maximum permissible pivoting movement of the control arm 10 around the U3 point has been exceeded, the stop 24 comes into contact on the support surface 26. This generates an additional lever effect, which advantageously assists the targeted breaking open of the bearing eye 14 as described under FIG. 3