JOINT AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING A JOINT OF THIS TYPE

Abstract

A joint has a housing with journal openings, an inner joint portion with a bearing area, which is fitted into the housing and extends axially out of the housing through the openings. A bearing body is arranged in and firmly connected to the housing which encloses the bearing body and comprises plastic. The inner joint portion is fitted and able to move within the body. Sealing bellows surround the inner joint portion and extend from a bearing-body-side bellows contact area, provided on the body or the housing, to an inner-joint-portion-side bellows contact area, provided on the inner joint portion. A sleeve is provided, on at least one of the bellows contact areas, that surrounds the inner joint portion and extends axially. The sleeve surrounds the bellows or is surrounded by the bellows, and has, at an axial end, a radial limb against which the bellows is axially supported.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A joint comprising: a housing (3) provided with at least one journal opening (2), an inner joint portion (5) having a bearing area (4), the inner joint portion with the bearing area (4) being arranged in the housing (3) and extending in an axial direction (x) out of the housing (3) through the journal opening (2), a bearing body (6) being arranged in and firmly attached to the housing (3) and enclosing the bearing area (4), the bearing body comprising plastic, the inner joint portion (5), with the bearing area (4) thereof, being movably accommodated within the bearing body, at least one sealing bellows (7) surrounding the inner joint portion (5) and extending from a bearing-body-side bellows contact area (8) provided on the bearing body (6) to an inner-joint-portion-side bellows contact area (9) provided on the inner joint portion (5), a sleeve (10, 11) being provided on at least one of the bearing-body-side and the inner-joint-portion-side bellows contact areas (8, 9) and surrounding the inner joint portion (5), and the sleeve extending in an axial direction (x) and being made of plastic, the sleeve surrounding the sealing bellows (7) or being surrounded by the sealing bellows, and the sleeve having, at an axial end thereof, a radial limb (12) against which the sealing bellows (7) is axially supported.

17. The joint according to claim 16, wherein a sleeve (10, 11), made of plastic, is provided on each of the bearing-body-side and the inner-joint-portion-side bellows contact areas (8, 9), the sleeves surround the inner joint portion (5) and extend in the axial direction (x), the sleeves surround the sealing bellows (7) or are surrounded by the sealing bellows and, have at the axial end, the radial limb (12) against which the sealing bellows (7) is axially supported.

18. The joint according to claim 16, wherein the sleeve, is a sleeve (11) on the inner joint portion side, which is firmly attached to the inner joint portion (5).

19. The joint according to claim 18, wherein the sealing bellows (7) surrounds the inner-joint-portion-side sleeve (11), and the radial limb (12) extends away from the inner joint portion (5).

20. The joint according to claim 16, wherein the sleeve is a sleeve (10) on the bearing body side and is firmly attached to the bearing body (6) or made integrally with the bearing body.

21. The joint according to claim 20, wherein the sealing bellows (7) is surrounded by the bearing-body-side sleeve (10), and the radial limb (12) extends toward the inner joint portion (5).

22. A method of producing a joint (1) according to claim 16, and the method comprising: making the inner joint portion (5), the housing (3) and the at least one sealing bellows (7), fitting the inner joint portion (5) into the housing (3) so that, via the bearing area (4), the inner joint portion is arranged in the housing (3) and extends out of the housing in the axial direction (x) through the journal opening (2), making the bearing body (6) by injecting or casting plastic around the bearing area (4) arranged in the housing (3), and firmly attaching the bearing body to the housing (3), guiding the at least one sealing bellows (7) over the inner joint portion (5) so that the sealing bellows (7) surrounds the inner joint portion (5) and extends from the bellows contact area (8), on the bearing body side, to the bellows contact area (9), on the inner joint portion side, and forming the at least one sleeve (10, 11) as a cylindrical plastic sleeve and fitting the at least one sleeve over the at least one of the bearing-body-side and the inner-joint-portion-side bellows contact areas (8, 9), so that the sleeve (10, 11) surrounds the inner joint portion (5) and extends in the axial direction (x), after which, when the sealing bellows (7) is guided over the inner joint portion (5), the sealing bellows (7) and the sleeve (10, 11) are pushed into one another, after which the sleeve (10, 11) is provided with the radial limb (12) that supports the sealing bellows (7) axially.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the sleeves (10, 11) are made as cylindrical plastic sleeves and are provided on the bellows contact areas (8, 9) so that the sleeves (10, 11) surround the inner joint portion (5) and extend in the axial direction (x), after which, when the sealing bellows (7) is guided over the inner joint portion (5), the sealing bellows (7) and each of the sleeves (10, 11) are pushed into one another, after which each of the sleeves (10, 11) is provided with the radial limb (12) that axially supports the sealing bellows (7).

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein the sleeve is a sleeve (11) on the inner joint portion side, which is firmly attached to the inner joint portion (5).

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the sealing bellows (7) and the sleeve (11) on the inner joint portion side are pushed into one another in such a manner that the sealing bellows (7) surrounds the inner-joint-portion-side sleeve (11), after which the inner-joint-portion-side sleeve (11) is bent, in such a manner, that the radial limb (12) extends away from the inner joint portion (5).

26. The method according to claim 24, further comprising injection the inner-joint-portion-side sleeve (11) onto the inner joint portion (5).

27. The method according to claim 22, wherein the sleeve is a sleeve (10) on the bearing body side, which is firmly attached to the bearing body (6) or made integrally with the bearing body.

28. The method according to claim 27, further comprising pushing the sealing bellows (7) and the bearing-body-side sleeve (10) into one another such that the sealing bellows (7) is surrounded by the bearing-body-side sleeve (10), after which the bearing-body-side sleeve (10) is bent such that the radial limb (12) extends toward the inner joint portion (5).

29. The method according to claim 27, further comprising making the bearing-body-side sleeve (10) together with the bearing body (6).

30. The method according to claim 27, further comprising making, on the inner joint portion side, the bearing-body-side sleeve (10) at a same time as the sleeve (11).

31. A joint comprising: a housing defining an axis and having at least one journal opening, an inner joint portion having a bearing area which arranged within the housing, and the inner joint portion extending axially out of the housing through the at least one journal opening, a bearing body being arranged within the housing and firmly affixed thereto, the bearing body enclosing the bearing area of the inner joint portion and comprising plastic, the bearing area of the inner joint portion being secured within the bearing body such that the inner joint portion is axially fixed and at least one of rotatable and pivotable relative to the bearing body and the housing, at least one sealing bellows extending axially and surrounding the inner joint portion and having first and second axial ends, the first axial end of the at least one sealing bellows mating with a contact area of the bearing body while the second axial end of the at least one sealing bellows mating with a contact area of the inner joint portion, and at least one sleeve extending axially and surrounding the inner joint portion and mating with one of the contact areas of the bearing body and the inner joint portion, the at least one sleeve comprising plastic, and the at least one sleeve either surrounding, or being surrounded by, the sealing bellows, and the at least one sleeve having a radial limb at an axial end thereof, and one of the first and the second axial ends of the sealing bellows being axially fixed by the radial limb of the sleeve.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] Below, the invention will be described below using a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings. The drawings show:

[0048] FIG. 1: A longitudinal section through the joint, according to an embodiment of the invention,

[0049] FIG. 2: A longitudinal section through the joint in the partially assembled condition, wherein an inner joint portion is fitted into a housing,

[0050] FIG. 3: The longitudinal section according to FIG. 2 wherein, in addition, a bearing body that encloses the inner joint portion is provided in the housing, and

[0051] FIG. 4: The longitudinal section according to FIG. 3 wherein, in addition, two sealing bellows have been pushed onto the inner joint portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0052] FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a joint 1 in the form of a ball sleeve joint according to one embodiment, which comprises a housing 3 with two journal openings 2 opposite one another in an axial direction x, an inner joint portion 5 in the form of a ball sleeve that comprises a ball-shaped bearing area 4, which with its bearing area 4 is arranged in the housing 3 and which extends through the journal openings 2 out of the housing 3, a bearing body 6 which is arranged in the housing 3, is firmly attached to the housing 3, encloses the bearing area 4, and consists of plastic, in which bearing body 6 the inner joint portion 5 with its bearing area 4 is fitted so that it can move, and two sealing bellows 7 that surround the inner joint portion, each of which extends from a bearing-body-side bellows contact area 8 provided on the bearing body 6 to an inner-joint-portion-side bellows contact area 9 provided on the inner joint portion 5.

[0053] A sleeve 10 is provided on each of the bearing-body-side bellows contact areas 8 and is made of plastic, extends in the axial direction x and surrounds the inner joint portion 5, which surrounds the respective sealing bellows 7 and at its axial end has a radial limb 12 that extends toward the inner joint portion 5, against which limb the respective sealing bellows 7 is axially supported at its end. In addition, on each of the inner-joint-portion-side bellows contact areas 9 a sleeve 11 is provided, which is made of plastic, extends in the axial direction x and surrounds the inner joint portion 5, which sleeve is surrounded by the respective sealing bellows 7 and has at an axial end a radial limb 12 that extends away from the inner joint portion 5, against which the respective sealing bellows 7 is supported axially at its end.

[0054] Associated with the joint 1 and/or the housing 3 there is a longitudinal axis 13 that extends in the axial direction x, which in particular passes centrally through the housing 3 and/or through the journal openings 2. In particular, each or any direction transverse to the axial direction x and/or to the longitudinal axis 13 is called a radial direction. Relative to the longitudinal axis 13, the housing 3 is rotationally symmetrical or approximately rotationally symmetrical. Furthermore, associated with the inner joint portion 5 there is an inner joint portion longitudinal axis, which in the neutral position of the inner joint portion 5 shown in the figures of the drawing, coincides with the longitudinal axis 13. Relative to the longitudinal axis of the inner joint portion, the inner joint portion 5 is rotationally symmetrical. Moreover, particularly in the neutral position, relative to a plane of symmetry 14 that passes through the mid-point M of the bearing area 4 perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis 13, the joint 1 is made mirror-symmetrically, or approximately mirror-symmetrically.

[0055] The housing 1 has a wall 15 that surrounds the bearing body 6, in which a number of impressions 16 a distance apart from one another in the circumferential direction of the housing 3 are provided, which extend radially into the material of the bearing body 6 so that the bearing body is attached to the housing 3 in a rotationally fixed manner. Apart from these impressions 16, the housing 3 is in particular of rotationally symmetrical form. Furthermore, at its axial ends, the housing 3 has in each case a projection 17 that extends radially into the material of the bearing body 6, by which the bearing body 6 is secured with interlock to the housing 3 in the axial direction x.

[0056] Through the inner joint portion 5 there passes a through-going hole 18, which in particular extends in the axial direction x and/or in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the inner joint portion. In addition, the inner joint portion 5 has two neck areas 19 and 20 which are each connected with the bearing area 4 and extend away from it, between which the bearing area 4 is located. The inner-joint-portion-side bellows contact areas 9 are provided on the neck areas 19 and 20. In particular the inner-joint-portion-side bellows contact areas 9 are formed by preferably axial end sections of the inner joint portion 5. Preferably, in the inner-joint-portion-side bellows contact areas 9, the inner joint portion 5 is provided on its outer circumference with all-round recesses 21, which form sleeve seatings for the sleeves 11 on the inner joint portion sides. Furthermore, the sealing bellows 7 are in each case provided at their ends with embedded reinforcing rings 22.

[0057] Below, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 a method for producing the joint 1 will be described.

[0058] First, the housing 3, the inner joint portion 5 and the sealing bellows 7 are produced. Then, the inner joint portion 5 is fitted into the housing 3 so that it is arranged with the bearing area 4 inside the housing 3 and extends out of the housing through the journal openings 2. This can be seen in FIG. 2. Thereafter, the bearing body 6 is made by injecting plastic around the bearing area 4 arranged in the housing 3, and at the same time the sleeves 10 and 11 are produced initially as cylindrical sleeves made of plastic, as can be seen in FIG. 3. During this the bearing-body-side sleeves 10 are made integrally with the bearing body 6. In addition, the inner-joint-portion-side sleeves 11 are injected into the all-round recesses 21 on the inner joint portion 5.

[0059] After that, the sealing bellows 7 are guided over the inner joint portion 5 from various axial sides, so that the sealing bellows 7 and the sleeves 10 and 11 are pushed one into the other. Thus, the sealing bellows 7 surround the inner-joint-portion-side sleeves 11, while in contrast, the sealing bellows 7 are surrounded by the bearing-body-side sleeves 10, as can be seen in FIG. 4.

[0060] Thereafter, by ultrasonic forming or using a thermal process the sleeves 10 and 11 are bent, whereby they are provided with the radial limbs 12 so that the joint 1 according to FIG. 1 is obtained.

INDEXES

[0061] 1 Joint [0062] 2 Journal opening [0063] 3 Housing [0064] 4 Bearing area [0065] 5 Inner joint portion [0066] 6 Bearing body [0067] 7 Sealing bellows [0068] 8 Bellows contact area on the bearing body side [0069] 9 Bearing contact area on the inner joint portion side [0070] 10 Sleeve on the bearing body side [0071] 11 Sleeve on the inner joint portion side [0072] 12 Radial limb of the sleeves [0073] 13 Longitudinal axis [0074] 14 Plane of symmetry [0075] 15 Wall of the housing [0076] 16 Impression [0077] 17 Projection [0078] 18 Through-going hole [0079] 19 Neck area [0080] 20 Neck area [0081] 21 Recess [0082] 22 Reinforcing ring [0083] 23 Axial end section [0084] x Axial direction [0085] M Mid-point of the bearing area