BALL JOINT

Abstract

A ball joint with a housing having a housing opening with which a central axis (5) extending in an axial direction (z) and emerging through the housing opening is associated. A ball journal (12) having a joint ball (11) which, with its joint ball (11), is fitted and able to move within the housing and which extends out of the housing through the housing opening. A locking ring (13) is securely fitted into the housing which surrounds the central axis (5) and supports the joint ball (11) in the axial direction (z). The ring delimits a locking ring opening (25) through which the ball journal (12) extends, such that the locking ring opening (25) is larger, in a longitudinal direction (x), that extends transversely to the central axis (5) than in a transverse direction (y), that extends transversely to the central axis (5) and to the longitudinal direction (x).

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A ball joint comprising: a housing (2) having a housing opening (4) with which a central axis (5) is associated, the central axis extending in an axial direction (z) and emerging through the housing opening (4), a ball journal (12) having a joint ball (11) which, with the joint ball (11), is fitted and movable within the housing (2) and which extends out of the housing through the housing opening (4), a locking ring (13) being fitted securely into the housing (2) and which surrounds the central axis (5) and supports the joint ball (11) in the axial direction (z), the locking ring delimiting a locking ring opening (25) through which the ball journal (12) extends, and the locking ring opening (25) being larger in a longitudinal direction (x), that extends transversely to the central axis (5), than in a transverse direction (y), that extends transversely to the central axis (5) and to the longitudinal direction (x).

12. The ball joint according to claim 11, wherein the locking ring opening (25) is one of oval, elliptical or in a shape of an elongated hole.

13. The ball joint according to claim 11, wherein an outer circumferential surface (16) of the locking ring is rotationally-symmetrical relative to the central axis.

14. The ball joint according to claim 11, wherein the locking ring (13) has a circular-cylindrical outer circumferential surface (16).

15. The ball joint according to claim 11, wherein an end-face of the locking ring (13) facing away from the joint ball (11) lies in an end-face plane that extends transversely to the central axis (5).

16. The ball joint according to claim 11, wherein the locking ring (13) overlaps the ball joint (11) in the axial direction (z).

17. The ball joint according to claim 11, wherein the joint ball (11) is fitted into the housing (2) with interposition of a ball socket (7) which has a ball socket opening (9) and an overlap area (8) that delimits the ball socket opening (9), the overlap area overlaps the joint ball (11), in the axial direction (z), and is overlapped, in the axial direction (z), by the locking ring (13), and the ball journal (12) extends out through the ball socket opening (9).

18. The ball joint according to claim 11, wherein the locking ring (13) comprises an annular area (20) facing away from the joint ball (11) and an annular area (19) facing toward the joint ball (11), the locking ring has, relative to the central axis (5), a rotationally-symmetrical inner circumferential surface (17), an inner circumferential surface (22) of the annular area (20), facing away from the joint ball (11), has a larger diameter, in the longitudinal direction (x), than in the transverse direction (y), and there is a transition (24) between the inner circumferential surface (22) of the annular area (20) facing away from the joint ball (11) and the inner circumferential surface (17) of the annular area (19) facing toward the joint ball (11).

19. The ball joint according to claim 17, wherein the overlap area (8) of the ball socket (7) is overlapped around the central axis (5), in the axial direction (z), by an annular area (19) of the locking ring (13) facing toward the joint ball (11), and an additional overlap of the overlap area (8) of the ball socket (7), in the axial direction (z), only exists in the transverse direction (y), in an angular range of 60 perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction (x), by an annular area (20) of the locking ring (13) facing away from the joint ball (11).

20. The ball joint according to claim 18, wherein the inner circumferential surface (17) of the annular area (19) facing toward the joint ball (11) tapers with increasing distance from a mid-point (M) of the joint ball (11).

21. A ball joint comprising: a housing comprising a housing opening and defining a central axis that extends in an axial direction and passes centrally through the housing opening; a ball journal having a joint ball which being movably fitted within the housing such that the ball journal extends out of the housing through the housing opening; a locking ring being mounted securely into the housing such that the locking ring surrounds the central axis and is at least substantially perpendicular to the central axis, and the locking ring fixing the joint ball in the axial direction within the housing, the locking ring delimiting a locking ring opening through which the ball journal extends, the locking ring opening being larger, in a longitudinal direction, than in a transverse direction, the longitudinal direction extending transversely to the central axis, and the transverse direction extending transversely to the central axis and the longitudinal direction.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Below, the invention is described with reference to a preferred embodiment and in relation to the drawings, which show:

[0033] FIG. 1: A sectioned view of a first embodiment of a ball joint,

[0034] FIG. 2: An enlarged view of the area marked A in FIG. 1, with a locking ring,

[0035] FIG. 3: The representation as in FIG. 2, but rotated by 90 about a central axis of the ball joint,

[0036] FIG. 4: A schematic view of the locking ring, seen from above, and

[0037] FIG. 5: A schematic view from above, of a different variant of a locking ring.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a sectioned view of an embodiment of a ball joint 1, which comprises a housing 2 with an inside space 3 and a housing opening 4, such that in an area facing toward the housing opening 4, the inside space 3 is delimited by a cylindrical inner circumferential surface 6 of the housing 2 that extends around a central axis 5. The central axis 5 extends in an axial direction z. In addition a longitudinal direction x and a transverse direction y are shown, such that the longitudinal direction x extends transversely to the axial direction z and the transverse direction y extends transversely to the axial direction z and to the longitudinal direction x. In FIG. 1 the transverse direction y extends into the plane of the drawing.

[0039] In the inside space 3 is arranged a ball socket 7 open toward the housing opening 4, which has an overlap area 8 on its side facing toward the housing opening 4, this overlap area delimiting a ball socket opening 9 of the ball socket 7. Furthermore the overlap area 8 is inclined inward relative to the central axis 5 in the direction of the housing opening 4, and together with the cylindrical inner circumferential surface 6 of the housing 2 delimits an annular space 10. In the ball socket 7 a ball journal 12 with a joint ball 11 is fitted so that the joint ball 11 is able to move by sliding, which journal extends through the ball socket opening 9 and the housing opening 4 out of the housing 2. The mid-point of the joint ball 11 is indexed M.

[0040] In the annular space 10 delimited by the overlap area 8 and the cylindrical inner circumferential surface 6 of the housing 2 is fitted a locking ring 13, which is held axially between the ball socket 7 and an inner shoulder 14 of the housing 2 provided in the area of the housing opening 4, the shoulder being formed by a housing rim 15 of the housing 2 that is bent inward. The locking ring 13 is supported on the ball socket 7 on its side facing away from the housing opening 4. Moreover the locking ring 13 is pressed by the inner shoulder 14 axially against the ball socket 7, so that it is held under some prestress. The locking ring 13 has a cylindrical outer circumferential surface 16 that is in contact with the cylindrical inner circumferential surface 6 of the housing 2 and a contact surface 17 which is in contact with the overlap area 8 of the ball socket 7 and is inclined, relative to the central axis 5, inward in the direction of the housing opening 4. Seen in cross-section the surfaces 16 and 17 form a wedge, wherein the cylindrical inner circumferential surface 6 of the housing 2 and the overlap area 8 of the ball socket 7 make the annular space 10 also wedge-shaped in cross-section. The locking ring 13 also has a free opening surface 18 facing toward the housing opening 4 and inclined outward relative to the central axis 5 in the direction of the housing opening 4. An enlarged view of the area indexed A in FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2.

[0041] As can be seen particularly clearly in FIG. 2, the locking ring 13 can be divided into a first annular area 19 facing toward the joint ball 11 and a second annular area 20 facing away from the joint ball 11 the annular areas 19 and 20 being in each case ring-shaped and merging into one another at a transition 21 in the axial direction z. The transition 21 is formed by the transition from the contact surface 17 to the opening surface 18 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this case the contact surface 17 forms an inner circumferential surface of the first annular area 19 and is rotation-symmetrical relative to the central axis 5. In contrast, the inner circumferential surface of the second annular area 20 extending around the central axis 5 is larger in the longitudinal direction x than in the transverse direction y.

[0042] FIGS. 1 and 2 show sectioned views of the ball joint in the z-x plane, whereas in contrast FIG. 3 shows the view according to FIG. 2 but in the y-z pane. According to FIG. 2 the inner surface of the second annular area 20 is formed by the opening surface 18, whereas in contrast, according to FIG. 3 the inner surface of the second annular area 20 is formed by surface areas 22 and 23, of which surface area 22 is referred to as the inner surface area and surface area 23 is referred to as the outer surface area. In this case the inner surface area 22 faces toward the joint ball whereas the outer surface area 23 faces away from the joint ball 11. Furthermore, the surface areas 22 and 23 merge into one another in the axial direction z at a transition 24.

[0043] From FIG. 3 it can be seen that starting from the first annular area 19, the inner surface of the second annular area 20 first tapers in the inner surface area 22 with increasing distance from the mid-point M of the joint ball 11 and is only inclined outward relative to the central axis 5 at an axial distance from the first annular area 19 in the outer surface area 23. Here, the surface area 22 forms an extension and/or prolongation of the contact surface 17 of the first annular area 19. Thus, by means of the surface area 22 and the contact surface 17, a supporting area for the joint ball 11 is formed, which in the transverse direction y is larger than a supporting area consisting exclusively of the contact surface 17 in the longitudinal direction x as in FIG. 2.

[0044] Thus, at the transition 24 between the surface areas 22 and 23 the distance of the locking ring 13 from the central axis 5 is smaller than at the transition 21, so that the projection of the locking ring opening 25 delimited by the locking ring 13 onto a plane extending transversely to the central axis 5 forms an oval area. This can be seen in FIG. 4, which shows a schematic view of the locking ring 13 as seen from above.

[0045] The locking ring opening 25 is larger in the longitudinal direction x than in the transverse direction y. In this case the inner circumferential line 26 of the closure opening, viewed from above in FIG. 4, does not lie in a plane but in the longitudinal direction x is a smaller axial distance away from the mid-point M of the joint ball 11 than in the transverse direction y. Furthermore, the axial overlapping of the joint ball 11 by the locking ring 13 in the transverse direction y is larger than in the longitudinal direction x. Because of this, however, the ball journal 12 can be deflected farther relative to the housing 2 in the longitudinal direction x than in the transverse direction y.

[0046] FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of a locking ring 13 according to a variant, wherein the locking ring 13 has a slot 27 and is in the form of a split or open ring. Apart from this difference the locking ring according to FIG. 5 is identical to the locking ring according to FIGS. 1 to 4, so that for a more detailed description of the locking ring in FIG. 5 reference should be made to the locking ring according to FIGS. 1 to 4. In particular, the locking ring of FIG. 5 can be used in place of the locking ring according to FIGS. 1 to 4.

[0047] In this example embodiment the slot 27 is directed perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction x, or along the transverse direction y. In alternative embodiments the slot 27 can be arranged in any other position, for example transversely to the longitudinal direction x and/or transversely to the transverse direction y.

INDEXES

[0048] 1 Ball joint [0049] 2 Housing of the ball joint [0050] 3 Inside space of the housing [0051] 4 Housing opening [0052] 5 Central axis of the housing [0053] 6 Inner circumferential surface of the housing [0054] 7 Ball socket [0055] 8 Overlap area of the ball socket [0056] 9 Ball socket opening [0057] 10 Annular space [0058] 11 Joint ball of the ball joint [0059] 12 Ball journal [0060] 13 Locking ring [0061] 14 Inner shoulder [0062] 15 Rim of the housing [0063] 16 Outer circumferential surface of the locking ring [0064] 17 Contact area of the locking ring [0065] 18 Opening area of the locking ring [0066] 19 First annular area of the locking ring [0067] 20 Second annular area of the locking ring [0068] 21 Transition between the annular areas [0069] 22 Inner surface area of the second annular area [0070] 23 Outer surface area of the second annular area [0071] 24 Transition between the surface areas [0072] 25 Locking ring opening [0073] 26 Inner circumferential line [0074] 27 Slot [0075] x Longitudinal direction [0076] y Transverse direction [0077] z Axial direction [0078] M Mid-point of the joint ball