Wheel suspension for a vehicle axle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10144258-B2
Application number	US-201615741643-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2016
Priority date	Jul 18, 2015
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

A wheel suspension for a vehicle axle, in particular a front axle, of a two-track vehicle, having a wheel carrier carrying a vehicle wheel, this carrier being linked via a link assembly to a vehicle body, which link assembly has at least two links that are linked to the wheel carrier at bearing points on the side of the wheel carrier and to the vehicle body at bearing points on the body side. In the event of a head-on collision, in particular with a small lateral overlap, the vehicle wheel can be shifted rearwards in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and specifically with a pivoting movement of the crash-facing first link and with deformation of the crash-remote second link.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wheel suspension for a vehicle axle of a two-track vehicle, comprising:
a wheel carrier carrying a vehicle wheel, this carrier being linked via a link assembly to a vehicle body, which link assembly has at least two links, including a first link which is a crash-facing first link and a second link which is a crash-remote second link, that are linked to the wheel carrier at bearing points on the side of the wheel carrier and to the vehicle body at bearing points on the body side, wherein in the event of a head-on collision, the vehicle wheel can be shifted rearwards in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and specifically with a pivoting movement of the crash-facing first link and with deformation of the crash-remote second link wherein an additional element is arranged between the first link and the second link, said element, in the event of a crash, bringing about a block formation in which the two links and the additional element are joined together in a force-transmitting manner in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, wherein the block formation counteracts the pivoting movement of the crash-facing first link and the deformation of the crash-remote second link.

2. The wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein the additional element is linked at the first link and/or at the second link and/or at an adjoining part of a chassis or component fixed to the vehicle.

3. The wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein during normal driving operation, the additional element is without function such that a force-transmitting connection between the first and second links is not made possible, and/or during normal driving operation, the additional element is distanced from the first and/or second link(s) by a clearance.

4. The wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein the additional element is a material-integrated and/or one-piece component of the first or second link, and/or the additional element is made of plastic that is molded to the first or second link.

5. The wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein the bearing point on the wheel-carrier side or the bearing point on the vehicle-body side of the crash-facing first link is designed so that after the block formation, it breaks in the further course of the crash, whereby the wheel carrier together with the crash-remote second link execute another pivoting movement about the bearing point of the crash-remote second link on the body side, and specifically with a crosswise shifting of the vehicle wheel toward the outside of the vehicle.

6. The wheel suspension according to claim 3 , wherein the additional element and the first link or the second link have contact surfaces facing one another, these surfaces being distanced from one another by the clearance during normal vehicle operation, and, in the event of a crash, are joined to one another in an abutment link, and the contact surfaces facing one another have form-fitting contours that increase the engagement between the additional element and the first/second link.

7. The wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein the first link and the second link are two-point links.

8. The wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein the first link and the second link are arranged in a lower link plane of the link assembly, and the first link is applied as a linear transverse link aligned essentially in the transverse direction of the vehicle, and the second link is applied as a sickle-shaped longitudinal link that is aligned essentially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

9. The wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein the first link and the second link are arranged in an upper link plane of the link assembly, and the first link is found in front of the second link in the direction of travel, and this arrangement is implemented alone or in addition to a block formation in the lower link plane.

10. The wheel suspension according to claim 9 , wherein the second link is additionally found behind the center of the wheel.

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Mohrlock Dominik
• Goldberg Ruben
• Kramer Tobias

Classifications

• B60G2206/016

  allowing controlled deformation during collision · CPC title

• B60G7/006

  Attaching arms to sprung or unsprung part of vehicle, characterised by comprising attachment means controlled by an external actuator, e.g. a fluid or electrical motor (B62D7/146 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60G2206/11

  the arm being a radius or track or torque or steering rod or stabiliser end link · CPC title

• B60G3/20

  all arms being rigid · CPC title

• B60G2204/422

  Links for mounting suspension elements · CPC title