STRUT BEARING FOR BEARING A STRUT ON A MOTOR VEHICLE BODY AND A METHOD FOR CONFIGURING CHASSIS OF MOTOR VEHICLES

Abstract

A strut bearing may help bear a strut on a vehicle body and set and adjust camber at the strut of a wheel suspension. The strut bearing may include a fixing means, a releasable clamping connection between the strut bearing and the vehicle body, a strut receiver, and an adjustment device. The adjustment device may comprise a sliding block with a guide element, a bearing plate with a guide element receiver forming a linear guide of the sliding block with the guide element together with the guide element receiver, and a clamping plate. The bearing and clamping plates and the sliding block may be arranged such that the sliding block is clamped between the bearing and clamping plates. The strut receiver may be arranged on the sliding block such that a position of the sliding block in the linear guide correlates with the setting of the camber at the strut.

Claims

1.-9. (canceled)

10. A strut bearing for bearing a strut on a motor vehicle body and for setting and adjusting a camber at the strut of a wheel suspension, the strut bearing comprising: a fixing means; a releasable clamping connection, wherein by way of the fixing means the releasable clamping connection can be formed between the strut bearing and the motor vehicle body; a strut receiver; and an adjustment device that includes a sliding block with a guide element, a bearing plate with a guide element receiver forming a linear guide of the sliding block with the guide element together with the guide element receiver, and a clamping plate, wherein the bearing plate, the sliding block, and the clamping plate are positioned relative to one another such that the sliding block can be fixed at least by clamping between the bearing plate and the clamping plate, wherein the strut receiver is disposed on the sliding block such that a position of the sliding block in the linear guide correlates with the setting of the camber at the strut.

11. The strut bearing of claim 10 wherein the adjustment device is disposed on a side facing the motor vehicle body, wherein the strut receiver rests against the strut bearing.

12. The strut bearing of claim 10 wherein the adjustment device is disposed on a side facing away from the motor vehicle body, wherein the strut receiver rests against the strut bearing.

13. The strut bearing of claim 10 wherein the guide element receiver is a guide frame, wherein the sliding block is disposed inside the guide frame.

14. The strut bearing of claim 10 wherein the bearing plate or the clamping plate and the sliding block comprise single and/or multiple toothings that can be paired together at least by form fit, wherein the paired single toothings and/or multiple toothings form a form-fit connection in a transverse direction to a longitudinal axis of the motor vehicle body.

15. The strut bearing of claim 14 wherein each of the single and/or multiple toothings is formed from at least one tooth module.

16. The strut bearing of claim 14 wherein the single and/or multiple toothings are formed at least partially as helical gearing.

17. The strut bearing of claim 10 wherein the clamping plate has an adjustment scale that is disposed such that the adjustment scale correlates with a position in which the strut receiver is disposed in a transverse direction to a longitudinal axis of the motor vehicle body.

18. The strut bearing of claim 10 wherein the clamping plate has an adjustment scale that is disposed such that the adjustment scale correlates with the camber.

19. A method for setting and adjusting camber of motor vehicles, the method comprising: providing a strut with a strut end disposed on a side facing away from a wheel; providing a strut bearing comprising a strut receiver for receiving the strut end, an adjustment device that includes a sliding block with a guide element, a bearing plate with a guide element receiver forming a linear guide of the sliding block with the guide element together with the guide element receiver, and a clamping plate, wherein the bearing plate, the sliding block, and the clamping plate are disposed relative to one another such that the sliding block can be fixed at least by clamping between the bearing plate and the clamping plate, wherein the strut receiver is disposed on the sliding block, a fixing means, and a releasable clamping connection, wherein by way of the fixing means the releasable clamping connection is formed between the strut bearing and a motor vehicle body, wherein the releasable clamping connection is formed between the strut bearing and the adjustment device, wherein the releasable clamping connection is formed between the strut bearing and the adjustment device, wherein the releasable clamping connection fixes a position of the sliding block at least by clamping; partially releasing the fixing means, wherein the releasable clamping connection is partially released and the strut bearing remains connected to the motor vehicle body, wherein the sliding block is displaceable in the adjustment device; displacing the sliding block in the adjustment device in a transverse direction to a longitudinal axis of the motor vehicle body for at least one of setting or adjusting camber, while the releasable clamping connection is partially released; and tightening the at least partially released fixing means, wherein the partially released releasable clamping connection is at least partially recreated, wherein the sliding block displaced in the adjustment device is fixed at least by clamping.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the bearing plate or the clamping plate and the sliding block comprise single and/or multiple toothings that can be paired together at least by form fit, wherein after the displacement of the sliding block, the method comprises creating a form-fit connection in the transverse direction.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] The strut bearing according to the invention and the method according to the invention for configuring chassis of motor vehicles, in particular for setting and adjusting the camber at the strut of a wheel suspension, are explained with reference to the drawings.

[0037] FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically, in an exploded depiction, an oblique view through a strut bearing according to an embodiment of the invention,

[0038] FIG. 2 shows diagrammatically a longitudinal section through a strut bearing according to FIG. 1 with exemplary arrangements on a motor vehicle body according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0039] FIG. 1 shows an oblique view through a strut bearing 1 according to one embodiment of the invention. The strut bearing 1 has a strut 2, a strut receiver 4 and an adjustment device 5. The adjustment device 5 comprises a bearing plate 8, a clamping plate 11 and a sliding block 6, wherein the sliding block 6 is arranged between the bearing plate 8 and the clamping plate 11. The sliding block 6 comprises a guide element 7, and the bearing plate 8 comprises a guide element receiver 9. The guide element 7 together with the guide element receiver 9 forms a linear guide of the sliding block 6. The strut bearing 1 is arranged on a vehicle body 10, 10 (not shown) by means of fixing means 3, 3, 3 such that the linear guide of the sliding block 6 runs in the transverse direction to the vehicle longitudinal axis. The vehicle fixing means 3, 3, 3 run from the bearing plate 8 through the clamping plate 11 and through the vehicle body 10, 10 (not shown). By means of the fixing means 3, 3, 3, the sliding block 6 can be fixed by clamping between the bearing plate 8 and the clamping plate 11. The guide element receiver 9 is formed as a guide frame, wherein the guide element receiver 9 has a single toothing and the sliding block 6 is arranged inside the guide frame. The sliding block 6 has a single toothing which can be paired with the single toothing of the guide element receiver 9. The strut receiver 4 is arranged on the sliding block 6 such that the position of the sliding block 6 in the linear guide correlates with the setting of the camber at the strut. An adjustment scale 12 is arranged on the clamping plate 11 such that the adjustment scale 12 correlates with the position in which the strut receiver 4 is arranged in the transverse direction to the vehicle longitudinal axis, in particular correlates with the camber.

[0040] FIG. 2 shows diagrammatically a longitudinal section through the strut bearing 1 according to FIG. 1 with exemplary arrangements on the vehicle body 10, 10 according to one embodiment of the invention. As an example, the vehicle body 10 is arranged on the clamping plate 11 or on the bearing plate 8. The double arrow shows the possible displacement direction of the sliding block 6 with the strut receiver 4 in the transverse direction to the vehicle longitudinal axis. The possible displacement direction is implemented by a spacing between the side of the strut receiver 4 facing the sliding block 6 and the side of the sliding block 6 facing the strut receiver 4, which is represented by a distance, in particular a clearance between the sliding block 6 and the strut receiver 4. For example, the distance is set to a desired distance value by fixing elements which connect the depicted mutually opposing openings of the sliding block 6 and strut receiver 4. For the adjustment function, it is clearly evident that when the sliding block 6 is connected to and spaced from the strut receiver 4, the possible displacement direction (indicated with the double arrow) of the sliding block 6 with the strut receiver 4 to the bearing plate 8, in particular in the transverse direction to the vehicle longitudinal axis, is possible as long as the sliding block 6 is not fixed between the bearing plate 8 and the clamping plate 11. Fixing may take place by the depicted engagement of the sliding block 6 with a paired toothing of the bearing plate, and/or a clamping connection which may be formed by clamping the sliding block 6 between the bearing plate 8 and the clamping plate 11 by means of the fixing means 3, 3, 3. In the fixing, also the side of the strut receiver 4 facing the sliding block 6 is spaced from the side of the sliding block 6 facing the strut receiver 4.

COMMERCIAL APPLICABILITY

[0041] A strut bearing and method for configuring chassis of motor vehicles, in particular for setting and adjusting the camber at the strut of a wheel suspension of the type described above for vehicles, are used in production and/or maintenance of vehicles, in particular chassis of motor vehicles.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0042] 1 Strut bearing [0043] 2 Strut [0044] 3, 3, 3 Fixing means [0045] 4 Strut receiver [0046] 5 Adjustment device [0047] 6 Sliding block [0048] 7 Guide element [0049] 8 Bearing plate [0050] 9 Guide element receiver [0051] 10, 10 Motor vehicle body [0052] 11 Clamping plate [0053] 12 Adjustment scale