Joint device for a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10280971-B2
Application number	US-201314652824-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2013
Priority date	Dec 19, 2012
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

A joint device (6) having an axially extending joint pin (8) and a housing (11) that radially surrounds the pin, either wholly or partially. The joint pin (8) and the housing (11) can move relative to one another at least by pivoting or rotating, and a gap (13) between the two components is closed by a sealing device (14) which is effective in any position of the components (8; 11) relative to one another. The sealing device is designed in such manner that the sealing device (14), radially on the outside thereof, is in contact with and is supported by an inner wall area (15) of the housing (11).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A joint device comprising:
an axially extending joint pin,
a housing surrounding the joint pin radially either wholly or partially,
the joint pin and the housing being movable relative to one another at least by either pivoting or rotating,
a gap between the joint pin and the housing being closed by a sealing device which closes the gap in any position of the joint pin and the housing relative to one another,
the sealing device having first and second axial sides and a radially outer edge area radially on an outside thereof, and when the sealing device is located in an installed position the outer edge area being in contact with and being supported by an inner wall area of the housing and, at a radially inner edge area of the sealing device, the inner edge area of the sealing device, when the sealing device is located in the installed position, being secured in one axial direction by either a radially projecting edge of the joint pin or by a separate holding ring located on the first axial side of the inner edge area of the sealing device, and in the installed position of the sealing device, an entirety of the sealing device is axially located within the housing,
the sealing device extends radially between the inner and the outer edge areas, and the sealing device extends axially from a lowermost axial level thereof located axially between the first and the second axial sides of the inner and the outer edge areas to an uppermost axial level thereof located axially beyond the first axial side of the inner and the outer edge areas, and
an exterior surface of the joint pin widens radially outward to form a plate-shaped flange located on the second axial side of the inner edge area of the sealing device so that the inner edge area of the sealing device cannot slip in the other axial direction.

2. The joint device according to claim 1 , wherein a radially outermost portion of the sealing device has a ring element in the outer edge area, and the ring element of the radially outermost portion of the sealing device pre-stresses the outer edge area of the sealing device outward.

3. The joint device according to claim 2 , wherein the ring element that pre-stresses the outer edge area of the sealing device is a clamping ring located either within or externally of seal material of the sealing device.

4. The joint device according to claim 1 , wherein either a notch or a radially inward-extending groove provided in the housing forms a first contact surface for the sealing device, and the notch or the groove in the housing forms a second contact surface for the sealing device which extends radially, the second contact surface of the housing being radially aligned with the radially projecting edge of the joint pin or the holding ring such that the first axial sides of the inner and the outer edge areas of the sealing device are at a same axial level relative to the pin.

5. The joint device according to claim 1 , wherein a radially outermost edge area of the sealing device abuts against the inner wall area of the housing, and the inner wall area of the housing has an axial length of at least 8 millimeters.

6. The joint device according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing device in the installed position is screened by the housing radially from the outside thereof.

7. The joint device according to claim 6 , wherein the sealing device is located completely radially between the housing and the pin and within an axial extent of the housing.

8. The joint device according to claim 1 , wherein the plate-shaped flange is attached to a differential housing of a rear axle of a motor vehicle.

9. The joint device according to claim 1 , wherein in the installed position of the sealing device, the first axial side of the radially inner edge area and the first axial side of the radially outer edge area of the sealing device are located axially at a same level relative to the joint pin, and the second axial side of the radially inner edge area and the second axial side of the radially outer edge area of the sealing device are located axially at a same level relative to the joint pin.

10. The joint device according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing device is axially secured in position by the radially inner edge area and the radially outer edge area of the sealing device which directly contact the exterior surface of the joint pin and the inner wall area of the housing, respectively, at least with interlock.

11. The joint device according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing device extends in a meandering shape, between the radially inner edge area and the radially outer edge area of the sealing device, with axially upward and axially downward sections, the axially upward and the axially downward sections all being axially located above the second axial sides of the inner and the outer edge areas of the sealing device.

12. The joint device according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing device is made at least substantially from a rubber-elastic material.

13. A joint device in combination with a motor vehicle, the joint device comprising:
an axially extending joint pin,
a housing surrounding the joint pin radially either wholly or partially,
the joint pin and the housing being movable relative to one another at least by either pivoting or rotating,
a gap between the joint pin and the housing being closed by a sealing device which closes the gap in any position of the joint pin and the housing relative to one another,
the sealing device having first and second axial sides and a radially outer edge area radially on an outside thereof, and when the sealing device is located in an installed position the outer edge area is in contact with and supported by an inner wall area of the housing and, at a radially inner edge area of the sealing device, the inner edge area of the sealing device, when the sealing device is located in the installed position, being prevented from axially moving relative to the joint pin in a first axial direction by either a radially projecting edge of the joint pin or by a separate holding ring, the first axial side of the inner edge area of the sealing device facing the projecting edge of the joint pin or the holding ring, and in the installed position of the sealing device, an entirety of the sealing device is axially located within the housing,
the sealing device extends radially from the inner edge area to the outer edge area, and the sealing device extends axially such that sections of the sealing device are arranged in the first axial direction beyond axial levels of the first axial sides of the inner and the outer edge areas, and the second axial sides of the inner and the outer edge areas of the sealing device forming an axial extent of the sealing device in a second axial direction, and
an exterior surface of the joint pin continuously widens radially outward from the projecting edge of the joint pin or the holding ring to form a plate-shaped flange so that the inner edge area of the sealing device is prevented from axial movement in a second axial direction toward the plate-shaped flange.

14. The joint device in combination with the motor vehicle according to claim 13 , wherein the motor vehicle is a utility vehicle (UV) and the joint device guides an axle of the motor vehicle by at least one link running either directly or indirectly from the joint device to at least one chassis component.

15. A joint device comprising:
a joint pin defining an axis,
a housing radially surrounding the joint pin,
the joint pin being received within the housing such that the joint pin and the housing being at least one o

Assignees

• Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen
• Zf Friedrichshafen

Inventors

• Brunneke Hans-Gerd

Classifications

• Y10T403/31

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y10T403/32729

  Externally packed · CPC title

• F16C11/0666 Primary

  Sealing means between the socket and the inner member shaft · CPC title

• B60G7/005

  Ball joints (B60G7/006 takes precedence; for steering linkage B62D7/16; ball joints per se F16C11/06) · CPC title

• F16C11/06

  Ball-joints; Other joints having more than one degree of angular freedom, i.e. universal joints (universal joints in which flexibility is produced by means of pivots or sliding or rolling connecting parts F16D3/16) · CPC title