STEERING SYSTEM

Abstract

A steering system, in particular for use in commercial vehicles, having a base body and a retaining element, wherein the base body has a contact surface on the base body side and the retaining element has a contact surface on the retaining side, wherein the base body has a bearing area for a pivotable suspension at its first distal end, wherein the contact surface on the base body side is arranged at the end of the base body opposite the first distal end, wherein the retaining element has a fastening section for fastening a spring element, wherein the retaining element can be fixed or is fixed to the base body by means of an adhesive introduced between the contact surface on the base body side and the contact surface on the retaining side, and/or wherein an axle body with a contact surface on the axle side is provided, wherein the base body can be fixed or is fixed to the axle body by means of an adhesive introduced between the contact surface on the base body side and the contact surface on the axle side, wherein the retaining element can be fixed or is fixed to the axle body by means of an adhesive introduced between the contact surface on the axle side and the contact surface on the retaining side.

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. A steering system comprising: a base body and a retaining element separate from the base body; wherein the base body has a contact surface on a base body side and the retaining element has a contact surface on a retaining side; wherein the base body has a bearing area for a pivotable suspension at a first distal end of the base body; wherein the contact surface on the base body side is arranged at an end of the base body opposite the first distal end; wherein the retaining element has a fastening section configured to fasten a spring element; and wherein the retaining element is fixed directly to the base body by an adhesive introduced between the contact surface on the base body side and the contact surface on the retaining side, and the contact surface on the base body side and the contact surface on the retaining side are of different sizes so that the retaining element can be fixed at a plurality of different positions on the base body; and/or wherein an axle body with a contact surface on the axle side is provided, the base body is fixed directly to the axle body by adhesive introduced between the contact surface on the base body side and the contact surface on the axle side, and the retaining element is configured to be fixed or is fixed to the axle body by an adhesive introduced between the contact surface on the axle side and the contact surface on the retaining side.

13. The steering system according to claim 12, wherein an adhesive bond is produced between the base body and the retaining element and between the base body and the axle element and between the retaining element and the axle element by the adhesive.

14. The steering system according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the contact surfaces has a roughness depth of 100 .Math.m to 200 .Math.m.

15. The steering system according to claim 14, wherein the roughness depth is about 150 .Math.m to about 170 .Math.m.

16. The steering system according to claim 14, wherein the base body comprises a different material than the retaining element.

17. The steering system according to claim 16, wherein the base body comprises aluminum, and wherein the retaining element comprises plastic or steel.

18. The steering system according to claim 17, wherein the contact surface on the base body side is larger than the contact surface on the retaining side, and wherein a height and/or a width of the contact surface on the base body side is 1.2 to 4 times a corresponding height and/or a corresponding width of the contact surface on the retaining side.

19. The steering system according to claim 18, wherein the height and/or the width of the contact surface on the base side is 1.5 to 2.5 times the corresponding height and/or the corresponding width of the contact surface on the retaining side.

20. The steering system according to claim 18, wherein the base body has an engagement section on the base body side adjacent to or in the region of the contact surface on the base body side, wherein the retaining element has an engagement section on the retaining side adjacent to or in the region of the contact surface on the retaining side, and wherein between the engagement section on the base body side and the engagement section on the retaining side, a direct form fit secures the base body and the retaining element against displacement relative to one another in at least two directions.

21. The steering system according to claim 20, wherein the adhesive comprises a two-component adhesive.

22. The steering system according to claim 21, wherein the contact surface on the base body side and the contact surface on the retaining side are each curved.

23. The steering system according to claim 12, wherein the contact surface on the base body side and/or the contact sur-face on the retaining side are formed as a partial surface of the circumferential surface of a cylinder and span an arc angle of at most 180°, about the cylinder axis.

24. The steering system according to claim 23, wherein the arc angle is at most 170°.

25. The steering system according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the contact surfaces has a roughness depth of 100 .Math.m to 200 .Math.m.

26. The steering system according to claim 12, wherein the base body comprises a different material than the retaining element.

27. The steering system according to claim 26, wherein the base body comprises aluminum, and wherein the retaining element comprises plastic or steel.

28. The steering system according to claim 12, wherein the contact surface on the base body side is larger than the contact surface on the retaining side, and wherein a height and/or a width of the contact surface on the base body side is 1.2 to 4 times a corresponding height and/or a corresponding width of the contact surface on the retaining side.

29. The steering system according to claim 12, wherein the base body has an engagement section on the base body side adjacent to or in the region of the contact surface on the base body side, wherein the retaining element has an engagement section on the retaining side adjacent to or in the region of the contact surface on the retaining side, and wherein between the engagement section on the base body side and the engagement section on the retaining side, a direct form fit secures the base body and the retaining element against displacement relative to one another in at least two directions.

30. The steering system according to claim 12, wherein the adhesive comprises a two-component adhesive.

31. The steering system according to claim 12, wherein the contact surface on the base body side and the contact surface on the retaining side are each curved.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Further advantages and aspects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying figures. It shows:

[0015] FIG. 1 is a first preferred embodiment of the steering system according to the invention;

[0016] FIG. 2 is a further preferred embodiment of the steering system according to the invention;

[0017] FIG. 3 is a further preferred embodiment of the steering system according to the invention;

[0018] FIG. 4 is a further preferred embodiment of the steering system according to the invention; and

[0019] FIG. 5 is a further preferred embodiment of the steering system according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] In the steering system shown in FIG. 1, the axle body 8 is fixed directly to the base body 2. In this embodiment, there is therefore no adhesive bond between the axle body 8 and the retaining element 4. Instead, the retaining element 4 is arranged directly on the base body 2 and the contact surface 22 on the base body side arranged on the base body 2 via the contact surface 42 on the retaining side, where it is firmly glued. The adhesive 6 is arranged in particular in the region between the contact surface 22 on the base body side and the contact surface 42 on the retaining side. Furthermore, at its distal end shown in the figure on the left, the base body 2 has a bearing area 24 for pivotable mounting on the frame of a commercial vehicle. Furthermore, the retaining element 4 has a fastening section 44 for fastening a spring element (not shown). The fastening section 44 of the retaining element 4 is preferably plate-shaped, so that a spring element can preferably be placed over the entire surface of the retaining element and fixed thereto. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the contact surface 22 on the base body side has a significantly larger width than the contact surface 42 on the retaining side. In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the width of the contact surface 22 on the base body side is preferably 2.5 to 3 times as large as the width of the contact surface 42 on the retaining side, which enables a large number of different fastening positions of the retaining element 4 on the base body 2.

[0021] FIG. 2 shows a further preferred embodiment of the interface area between the base body 2, the retaining element 4 and an axle body 8. Here, on the one hand, the base body 2 is both directly materially bonded to the retaining element 4 and also directly materially bonded to the axle body 8 via a contact surface 82 on the axle side. Likewise, the retaining element 4 is also bonded to the axle body 8, in particular at its contact surface 82 on the axle side. In addition to the adhesive bonds between the components formed between the contact surfaces 22, 42 on the base body side and on the retaining side, an engagement section 26 is formed on the base body side and an engagement section 46 is formed on the retaining side of the retaining element 4. In the state shown in FIG. 2, the engagement sections 26, 46 are already hooked into one another, so that there is a positive fastening of the retaining element 4 to the base body 2, which is produced in particular by the undercut between the hook-shaped engagement sections 26, 46. It is understood that the formation of engagement sections according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 can also be used in the example of FIG. 1, where the contact surface on the retaining side and the contact surface 22, 42 on the base body side are formed directly against each other and there is no connection between the retaining element and the axle body 8.

[0022] FIG. 3 shows a further preferred embodiment of the steering system according to the invention. Initially, only the composite of the base body 2 and the retaining element 4 is shown, which are fixed to each other by means of an adhesive bond between the contact surface 22 on the base body side and the contact surface 42 on the retaining side by means of an adhesive 6 applied there. Between the base body 2 and the retaining element 4 is the rounded receiving geometry for the axle body 8, which is not shown in FIG. 3, whereby contact surfaces 22, 42 are also provided there, on which an additional fastening can take place. Furthermore, the spring element 9 is shown as an example and dashed, which can be arranged on the fastening section 44 of the retaining element 4. FIG. 3 shows the preferred feature that the base body 2 has a considerably greater extension than the retaining element 4. The base body 2 thus ensures a correspondingly advantageous spacing of the axle body 8 from the pivotable suspension on the frame of the commercial vehicle.

[0023] FIG. 4 shows a top view of a preferred embodiment of the steering system according to the invention, whereby a retaining element 4 is shown in a first preferred fastening position on the base body 2. The reference line 4' shows an alternative fastening position of the retaining element 4 on the base body 2. Furthermore, it is shown that the contact surface 22 on the base body side and the contact surface 42 on the retaining side are slightly curved, whereby the radius of curvature is significantly larger than the distance between the contact surface 22 on the base body side and the bearing area 24. Due to the slight curvature, an advantageous slight pivoting of the retaining element 4 from its first fastening position to its second fastening position 4' can be produced.

[0024] FIG. 5 shows a further preferred embodiment, whereby a vertical displacement of the retaining element 4 can be selected from a first preferred fastening position to an alternatively selectable second fastening position, shown with the reference sign 4’. On the one hand, this allows the height of the fastening section 44 to be adjusted relative to the bearing area 24 on the base body 2 and thus to the frame of the vehicle to which it can be fastened. On the other hand, a corresponding pivoting of the fastening section 44 between the two fastening positions is achievable, whereby the position of the fastening section 44 can be optimally aligned for the spring axis of the spring element 9. It is understood that this embodiment can also be combined with the selection of a fastening position selected along the main extension axis of the axle body 8 shown in FIGS. 1 or 4, so that the retaining element 4 can be arranged both offset or pivoted in the vertical direction and can be fixed in a horizontal, i.e. essentially parallel to the main extension axis of the axle body 8, offset in a respectively determined fastening position on the base body 2.

Reference List

[0025] 2 base body [0026] 4 retaining element [0027] 6 adhesive [0028] 8 axle body [0029] 9 spring element [0030] 22 contact surface on the base body side [0031] 24 bearing area [0032] 26 engagement section on the base body side [0033] 42 contact surface on the retaining side [0034] 44 fastening section [0035] 46 engagement section on the retaining side [0036] 82 contact surface on the axle side