JOINTED YOKE AND ACTUATOR HAVING A JOINTED YOKE

Abstract

A joint fork (1) for connection to a joint. The joint fork having two side plates (2a, 3) that are arranged approximately parallel with one another, and each having a side plate surface (F1, F2). A web (2b) connects the side plates (2a, 3) with one another. A fixing bore (6) is arranged in the web (2b) and has a longitudinal axis (a). The joint forks (1) are coupled to an actuator. The side plate surfaces (F1, F2) form, with the longitudinal axis (a), an angle of inclination () and the angle of inclination () is in the range from 20 to 70, in particular around 30. The actuator is fitted with the joint forks (1).

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A joint fork, for connecting to a joint, for a control arm or a rear-axle steering system, the joint fork comprising: first and second side plates (2a, 3) being arranged at least substantially parallel to one another, and each of the first and the second side plates (2a, 3) having a respective side plate surface (F1, F2), a web (2b) connecting the first and the second side plates (2a, 3) to one another, a fixing bore (6) arranged in the web (2b) and having a longitudinal axis (a), and the side plate surfaces (F1, F2) forming an angle of inclination () with the longitudinal axis (a), and the angle of inclination () ranges from 20 to 70.

12. The joint fork according to claim 11, wherein the joint fork (1) is made in two parts and one of the first and the second side plates is made as a separate component (3).

13. The joint fork according to claim 12, wherein the separate component (3) is screwable onto the web (2b) of the joint fork (1).

14. The joint fork according to claim 13, wherein the web (2b) has threaded bores (5) and fixing screws (4) are threadable into the threaded bores (5) to fix the separate component (3).

15. The joint fork according to claim 12, wherein the separate component (3) is made as a sheet-metal component.

16. The joint fork according to claim 12, wherein the joint fork (1), without the separate component (3), is made as a forged component (2).

17. The joint fork according to claim 16, wherein a first side plate (2a) of the first and the second side plates and the web (2b) of the forged component (2) merge into one another by way of a curved section (2c) and, in an area of the curved section (2c), an attachment support (2d) is arranged coaxially with the longitudinal axis (a) of the fixing bore (6).

18. The joint fork according to claim 11, wherein inside surfaces of the first and the second side plates are at least partially knurled.

19. The joint fork according to claim 11, wherein the angle of inclination () is 30

20. An actuator (8) with a spindle drive having a spindle for a rear-axle steering system of a motor vehicle, and the actuator comprising at least one joint fork (9, 10) connected to the spindle; and the at least one joint fork (9, 10) having first and second side plates (2a, 3) being arranged at least substantially parallel to one another, each of the first and second side plates (2a, 3) having a respective side plate surface (F1, F2), a web (2b) connecting the first and the second side plates (2a, 3) to one another, a fixing bore (6) being arranged in the web (2b) and having a longitudinal axis (a), and the side plate surfaces (F1, F2) form an angle of inclination () with the longitudinal axis (a) and the angle of inclination () ranges from 20 to 70.

21. The actuator according to claim 20, wherein the at least one joint fork (9, 10) is connected to a screw-on stud of the spindle by a screw-bolt that passes through the fixing bore (6).

22. The joint fork according to claim 21, wherein the angle of inclination () is 30

23. A joint fork for a control arm or a rear-axle steering system, for connecting to a joint, the joint fork comprising: first and second side plates being arranged parallel to one another, each of the first and the second side plates having a side plate surface, and the side plate surfaces of the first and the second side plates facing one another; a web connecting the first and the second side plates to one another, and the web having a fixing bore which defines a longitudinal axis; and the side plate surfaces of the first and the second side plates being at an angle of inclination relative to the longitudinal axis, and the angle of inclination ranges between 20 and 70.

24. The joint fork according to claim 23, wherein the angle of inclination () is 30.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] An example embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and will be described in greater detail below, so that further features and/or advantages may emerge from the description, and/or from the drawings, which show:

[0017] FIG. 1: A view of a joint fork according to the invention,

[0018] FIG. 2: A section along the plane 2-2 in FIGS. 1 and 4,

[0019] FIG. 3: A view of the joint fork, seen from below,

[0020] FIG. 4: A side view of the joint fork,

[0021] FIG. 5: A perspective representation of the joint fork, and

[0022] FIG. 6: An actuator with fitted joint forks.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] FIG. 1 shows a joint fork 1 according to the invention, which can preferably be used for a rear-axle steering system of a motor vehicle, i.e. for connection or attachment to an actuator. For this, reference is made to the document DE 10 2014 206 934 A1 by the present applicant, mentioned at the beginning. The joint fork 1 is made in two parts, i.e. it consists of two components, a forged component 2 that forms a basic body and a separately made sheet component 3. The two components 2, 3 are connected firmly to one another by fixing screws 4, so that from the basic body/forged component and the separate side plate a joint fork with two side plates, or to name them differently two arms, is formed. The forged component 2 has a first side plate 2a, a web 2b and a curved section 2c that connects the first side plate 2a and the web 2b, so that the forged component 2 is approximately L-shaped. The separate component 3 made as a sheet-metal component forms the second side plate 3. The two side plates 2a and 3 have inside surfaces F1, F2 arranged essentially parallel to one another. In the area of the curved section 2c and partially in the area of the web 2b is arranged an attachment support 2d, which is made integrally, i.e. forged onto the forged component 2. Inside the attachment support 2d there extends a fixing bore (not visible in FIG. 1) with the longitudinal axis a, which forms with the inside surface F2 of the second side plate 3 an angle of inclination a. In the two side plates 2a, 3 are formed openings (not shown) with a common axis b. The openings serve to receive a screw-bolt (not shown) for fixing a rubber mounting of a control arm, as for example is known from DE 10 2015 211 414 A1 by the present applicant, mentioned earlier, in which particular reference is made to FIG. 2b.

[0024] The above-mentioned angle of inclination a is in a range of 2070, preferably around 30. This makes it possible to articulate an actuator 8 (FIG. 6) arranged centrally in the vehicle kinematically effectively to an obliquity angle of around 30 (20, +40) relative to the transverse or y-axis of the vehicle. As can be seen from FIG. 1, this produces an offset x of the spindle axis, which corresponds to the longitudinal axis a, and the so-termed kinematic axis c which intersects the axis b of the rubber mounting at its mid-point M, also known as the kinematic point. The offset x is to be attributed to the fact that the spindle axis a has been displaced in the vehicle to the rear, i.e. contrary to the travel direction, for reasons of space. The kinematic axis c is thus no longer identical to the spindle axis a.

[0025] FIG. 2 shows a section in the plane 2-2 in FIG. 1 (and FIG. 4), i.e. in the area where the separate component 3 is attached to the web 2b. The separate component 3 is in the form of a profiled sheet component and has two openings 3a, through which the fixing screws 4 are inserted and screwed into threaded holes or bores 5 in the web 2b. In the sectioned view, moreover, the fixing bore 6 and an annular contact surface 7 for the screw head of a screw-bolt (not shown) can be seen.

[0026] FIG. 3 shows a view of the assembled fork 1 with its forged component 2, side plate 3 as a separate component, and fixing screws 4, as seen from below. The fixing bore 6 and the machined contact surface 7 for the screw-bolt can also be seen. The side plate 3 has a hole 3l (see also FIG. 4) through which a bolt or a screw can be inserted for the already-mentioned connection to a wheel carrier or control arm or a ball joint or ball sleeve joint. Around this hole, on the inside of the second side plate 3, i.e. inclined toward the first side plate 2a of the basic body 2, knurling 2r is formed, for example by rolling. After the assembly of the fork with the aforesaid components this knurling prevents slipping of the components or of the connection relative to one another. This also allows a smaller screw or screw-head size to be used during assembly.

[0027] FIG. 4 shows a side view of the joint fork 1 with particular reference to the separate component 3 and the fixing screws 4.

[0028] FIG. 5 shows a perspective representation of the assembled joint fork 1 with its forged component 2, the second side plate 3 as a separate component, fixing screws 4 and the forged-on attachment support 2d. The first side plate 2a on the forged component or basic body 2 has knurling all over its inside surface and there is also knurling 3r on the inclined inside surface of the second side plate 3. After extraction from the forging die this knurling can be produced by deformation, such as rolling. In a forged fork with two side plates such knurling could be produced only with great difficulty and cost.

[0029] FIG. 6 shows an actuator 8 with two assembled joint forks 9, 10, which correspond to the above-described fork 1. As is known from the prior art, the actuator 8 has a spindle drive (not visible here) with a spindle, whose ends are connected to the forks 9, 10 by means of screw-on studs. To the forks 9, 10, wheel carriers can be connected or attached directly, or by way of control arms such as track-rods. Thus, a linear displacement of the spindle can produce a steering movement of the wheel carriers.

Indexes

[0030] 1 Joint fork/fork [0031] 2 Forged component/basic body [0032] 2a First side plate [0033] 2b Web [0034] 2c Curved section [0035] 2d Attachment support [0036] 2r Knurling [0037] 3 Separate component/second side plate [0038] 3a Opening [0039] 3l Hole [0040] 3r Knurling [0041] 4 Fixing screw [0042] Threaded bore [0043] 6 Fixing bore [0044] 7 Contact surface [0045] 8 Actuator [0046] 9 First fork [0047] Second fork [0048] a Longitudinal axis [0049] b Joint axis [0050] c Kinematic axis [0051] F1 Inside surface of the first side plate [0052] F2 Inside surface of the second side plate [0053] M Mid-point/kinematic point [0054] x Offset [0055] Angle of inclination