JOINT CONNECTION AND ARRANGEMENT FOR MOUNTING A WHEEL

Abstract

An articulated joint (1) for the articulated connection of a first chassis component (2) to a second chassis component (3), which includes a joint body (4) with a central axis (m) and a rotational axis (a). A housing (6) holds the joint body (4) such that the joint body (4) can be attached to the first chassis component (2) and the housing (6) can be attached to the second chassis component (3). The rotational axis (a) is positioned eccentrically relative to the central axis (m).

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. An articulated joint for an articulated connection of a first chassis component (2) to a second chassis component (3), the articulated joint comprising: a joint body (4) having a central axis (m) and a rotational axis (a), a housing (6) holding the joint body (4), the joint body (4) being attachable to the first chassis component (2), the housing (6) being attachable to the second chassis component (3), and the rotational axis (a) being arranged eccentrically relative to the central axis (m).

16. The articulated joint according to claim 15, wherein the joint body (4) comprises at least one fixing mechanism (12, 13) arranged a distance away from the rotational axis (a) for absorbing either adjustment forces or bearing forces (F).

17. The articulated joint according to claim 15, wherein the joint body is in a form of a ball pin (4, 4a).

18. The articulated joint according to claim 15, wherein the joint body (4) is cylindrical.

19. The articulated joint according to claim 16, wherein the at least one fixing mechanism is in a form of a pin or a bolt (12, 13).

20. The articulated joint according to claim 15, wherein a bearing sleeve (8) is fitted in the joint body (4) coaxially with the rotational axis (a), and the bearing sleeve (8) is able to rotate in the joint body.

21. The articulated joint according to claim 20, wherein either a slide bearing or a roller bearing is arranged between the bearing sleeve (8) and the joint body (4).

22. The articulated joint according to claim 21, wherein the bearing sleeve (8) is braced against the first chassis component (2, 2a, 2b) by a tension bolt (11) that extends through the bearing sleeve (8).

23. The articulated joint according to claim 15, wherein the first chassis component is in a form of a subframe (2a, 2b) of a wheel suspension of a motor vehicle.

24. The articulated joint according to claim 15, wherein the second chassis component is in a form of a control arm (3) of a wheel suspension of a motor vehicle.

25. The articulated joint according to claim 16, wherein an actuator is articulated to either the at least one fixing mechanism or a bolt (12, 13).

26. An arrangement (16) for the suspension of a wheel on a motor vehicle, the arrangement comprising: a wheel carrier (17), an upper transverse control arm (18), a lower transverse control arm (19), a track-rod (20), a subframe (2), each of the upper and lower transverse control arms (18, 19) being connected, on a first side, to the wheel carrier (17) and, on a second side, to the subframe (2), the track-rod (20) being connected both to the subframe (2) and also to an actuator (F) by way of an articulated joint (1; 21, 21a, 21b), the articulated joint comprising a joint body (4) with a central axis (m) and a rotational axis (a), a housing (6) holding the joint body (4), the joint body (4) being attachable to the subframe (2), the housing (6) being attachable to the track-rod, and the rotational axis (a) being arranged eccentrically relative to the central axis (m).

27. The arrangement according to claim 26, wherein the housing (6) is held in the track-rod (20), the joint body (4) is connected to the subframe (2) by a bearing sleeve (8; 21a), and a fixing mechanism or a bolt (12, 13; 21b) is connected to the actuator.

28. An arrangement (22) for the suspension of a wheel on a motor vehicle, the arrangement comprising: a wheel carrier (23), an upper transverse control arm (24), a lower transverse control arm (25), a track-rod (26), a subframe (2), each of the upper and the lower transverse control arms (24, 25) being connected, on a first side, to the wheel carrier (23) and, on a second side, to the subframe (2), the lower transverse control arm being in a form of a four-point or trapezoidal link (25) and having two articulated joints on a wheel side, a first of the two articulated joints (27) is made for an articulated connection of the subframe (2) to a second chassis component (3), the articulated joint comprising a joint body (4) with a central axis (m) and a rotational axis (a), a housing (6) holding the joint body (4), the joint body (4) being attachable to the subframe (2), the housing (6) being attachable to the second chassis component (3), and the rotational axis (a) being arranged eccentrically relative to the central axis (m).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Example embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and will be described in greater detail below, so that other features and/or advantages may emerge from the description and/or from the drawings, which show:

[0018] FIG. 1: An articulated joint according to the invention, with an eccentric rotational axis,

[0019] FIG. 2a: The articulated joint according to FIG. 1, seen in cross-section in an initial position,

[0020] FIG. 2b: The articulated joint in a displaced position,

[0021] FIG. 3: The articulated joint according to the invention, built into a track-rod of a wheel suspension,

[0022] FIG. 4a: An articulated joint according to the invention for connecting a four-point link to a wheel carrier of a wheel suspension,

[0023] FIG. 4b: The wheel suspension according to FIG. 4a, looking in the direction toward the inside of the wheel carrier.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] FIG. 1 shows an articulated joint 1 according to the invention between a first component 2 in the form of a subframe 2a, 2b of a motor vehicle and a second component 3 in the form of a control arm 3 of a wheel suspension for a motor vehicle. The subframe 2 can be understood to be an axle support fixed to the vehicle, to which control arms of a wheel suspension are articulated. The articulated joint 1 comprises a joint body 4 in the form of a ball pin with an axis of symmetry or central axis m. The joint body 4 has a ball-shaped part 4a and two cylindrical pins 4b, 4c connected to the ball-shaped part 4a. The ball-shaped part 4a is held and able to rotate in a shell-shaped housing 6 which has a slide-bearing lining 5 and is connected to the control arm 3. Thus, together with the housing 6 the joint body 4 or ball pin forms a ball joint with rotational degrees of freedom about three spatial axes. Parallel to the central axis m and offset by the amount of an eccentricity e there is arranged a rotational axis a of a rotary joint 7. The rotary joint 7 comprises a bearing sleeve 8 and a slide bearing 9, which is held in a bore 10 of the joint body 4 arranged coaxially with the rotational axis a. Through the bearing sleeve 8 passes a tension bolt 11, which clamps the bearing sleeve 8 at its ends between the subframe 2a, 2b and thereby fixes it in a form-enclosed manner. In addition the joint body 4 has two fixing means in the form of bolts 12, 13 arranged on a common longitudinal axis, which are pressed into corresponding blind-hole bores 14, 15 in the pins 4b, 4c of the joint body 4. The bolts 12, 13 serve as linkage points for an actuator (not shown).

[0025] Otherwise than in the representation shown in FIG. 1 the joint body 4, in particular its ball-shaped part 4a, can also be made as a cylindrical body with the central axis m as the cylinder axis. Thus, instead of the ball joint a rotary joint with the rotational axis m could also work.

[0026] Also otherwise than in the representation of FIG. 1, the component 2 can be a control arm and the component 3 a subframe. An actuator (not shown) could then be linked directly to the component 2; the bores 14, 15 and the fixing means 12, 13 could be omitted or replaced by appropriate fixing means modifications on the control arm.

[0027] FIGS. 2a and 2b show the articulated joint according to FIG. 1, seen in cross-section in different positions. The pass-through point of the rotational axis a (FIG. 1) through the plane of the drawing is denoted A in FIGS. 2a and 2b and is a fixed point, since the rotary joint 7 (FIG. 1) is fixed relative to the subframe 2a, 2b. The pass-through point of the central axis m (FIG. 1) through the plane of the drawing is denoted M. The housing 6, in which the ball-shaped part 4a of the joint body 4 is held, is surrounded by a ring-shaped eye 3a of the control arm 3. In the area of the bolts 12, 13 an adjustment force F of an actuator (not shown) is applied andas shown in FIG. 2bthis causes the joint body 4 to pivot about the fixed point A or the positionally fixed rotational axis a (FIG. 1). The pivoting can be recognized by a broken indicator line s passing through the fixed point A and by the displaced position of the bolt 12. Due to the pivoting there is translation movement of the central point M from its initial position in FIG. 2a, toward the central point M in FIG. 2b. At the same time as the displacement of the central point M the control arm 3 is displaced to position 3, as is shown clearly by the displacement path x. Thus, besides the rotational degrees of freedom, by virtue of the ball joint 4a the articulated joint according to the invention has in addition a translational degree of freedom which is made possible by the eccentrically arranged rotary joint 7. In contrast to the rubber mountings mentioned earlier, the rotary joint 7 gives rise to only minimal bearing friction, so that the adjustment force F required for the displacement movement x is relatively small.

[0028] FIG. 3 shows an example application of the invention for a wheel suspension 16 of a rear axle steering system of a motor vehicle. The wheel suspension 16 comprises a wheel carrier 17 articulated to an upper transverse control arm in the form of a wishbone 18 and a lower transverse control arm 19 also in the form of a wishbone. Not shown in the figure is that the two transverse control arms 18, 19 are connected on the vehicle side to a subframe. Attached to the wheel carrier 17 is a track-rod 20, which is connected on the vehicle side, i.e. to the subframe (not shown), by means of the articulated joint 21 according to the invention. The articulated joint 21, which is connected to the vehicle-side end of the track-rod 20, comprises an eccentric rotary joint 21a and a pin 21b for the articulation of an actuator 30. The rotary joint 21a is connected in a fixed position to the subframe (not shown). When the actuator is actuated the bolt 21b pivots about the rotary joint 21a so that the track-rod 20 undergoes a translation movement which is transmitted to the wheel carrier 17, causing it to rotate about its vertical axis, i.e. changing the track angle.

[0029] FIGS. 4a and 4b show a further example application of the invention for a wheel suspension 22, which is shown in different isometric views. A wheel carrier 23 is connected to a subframe (not shown) by an upper transverse control arm 24 and a lower transverse control arm in the form of a four-point or trapezoidal link 25. Furthermore, the wheel carrier 23 is attached to a track-rod 26. The four-point link 25 is connected by two joints to the wheel carrier 23, one of these two joints being an articulated joint 27 according to the invention. In this case the eccentrically arranged rotary joint 27a is connected to the wheel carrier 23. By virtue of the articulated joint 27 the four-point link 25, in addition to the three rotational degrees of freedom, can also undergo translation movement in the area of the articulated joint 27. The wheel suspension 22 according to the invention corresponds to the trapezoidal link suspension known from the prior art mentioned at the beginning, in which the upper and lower transverse control arms are connected to one another by an additional link also known as the integral link. This known integral link, in the form of an intermediate coupling, is replaced by the articulated joint 27 according to the invention, whereby its function is preserved but the wheel suspension as a whole is simplified.

INDEXES

[0030] 1 Articulated joint [0031] 2 First chassis component [0032] 2a Subframe [0033] 2b Subframe [0034] 3 Second chassis component/control arm [0035] 3 Control arm, displaced [0036] 4 Joint body [0037] 4a Ball-shaped part [0038] 4b Pin [0039] 4c Pin [0040] 5 Slide-bearing lining [0041] 6 Housing [0042] 7 Rotary joint [0043] 8 Bearing sleeve [0044] 9 Slide bearing [0045] 10 Bearing bore [0046] 11 Tension bolt [0047] 12 Bolt [0048] 12 Bolt, displaced [0049] 13 Bolt [0050] 14 Blind-hole bore [0051] 15 Blind-hole bore [0052] 16 Wheel suspension [0053] 17 Wheel carrier [0054] 18 Upper transverse control arm [0055] 19 Lower transverse control arm [0056] 20 Track-rod [0057] 21 Articulated joint [0058] 21a Rotary joint [0059] 21b Bolt [0060] 22 Wheel suspension [0061] 23 Wheel carrier [0062] 24 Upper transverse control arm [0063] 25 Lower transverse control arm [0064] 26 Track-rod [0065] 27 Articulated joint [0066] 27a Rotary joint [0067] 30 Actuator [0068] A Pivot point [0069] a Rotational axis [0070] b Longitudinal axis [0071] M Central point [0072] M Central point, displaced [0073] m Central axis [0074] e Eccentricity [0075] F Adjustment force/Actuator [0076] s Indicator line [0077] x Displacement path