Wheel suspension

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10759243-B2
Application number	US-201616065312-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2016
Priority date	Jan 7, 2016
Publication date	Sep 1, 2020
Grant date	Sep 1, 2020

Abstract

A wheel suspension (1) for a motor vehicle, having a wheel carrier (3) which is mounted so that the wheel carrier (3) can pivot relative to a wheel-guiding control arm (4). The wheel-guiding control arm (4) includes a longitudinal control arm section (4a) with a forward body-side bearing (11) and a transverse control arm section (4b) with a rear body-side bearing (12). The rear body-side bearing (12) is designed as a ball joint.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wheel suspension for a motor vehicle comprising:
a wheel carrier that is pivotally mounted relative to a wheel-guiding control arm,
the wheel-guiding control arm having a longitudinal control arm section with a forward body-side bearing and a transverse control arm section with a rear body-side bearing,
wherein the rear body-side bearing is in a form of a ball joint, and an integral joint is connected, at one end, to the wheel carrier by a first hinge and, at the other end, to the wheel-guiding control arm by a second hinge, and
when the wheel suspension is viewed from a transverse side, axes of the first and the second hinges of the integral joint intersect at a point located ahead of a wheel center in relation to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and when viewed from the transverse side, the axis of the second hinge of the integral joint, on a link side, is directed substantially parallel to a rotational axis of the wheel-guiding control arm.

2. The wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein the wheel-guiding control arm is essentially L-shaped, the longitudinal control arm section forms a longer arm of the “L” and the transverse control arm section forms a shorter arm of the “L”.

3. The wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein, relative to a transverse direction of the vehicle, the rear body-side bearing of the wheel-guiding control arm is closer to a middle of the vehicle than the forward body-side bearing such that a rotational axis of the wheel-guiding control arm is inclined by an angle relative to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

4. The wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein the rear body-side bearing is orientated parallel to a rotational axis of the wheel-guiding control arm that runs through the forward and the rear body-side bearings.

5. The wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein the wheel-guiding control arm is connected, by the rear body-side bearing, to an axle carrier and, by the forward body-side bearing, to a vehicle body.

6. The wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein in relation to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the transverse control arm section of the wheel-guiding control arm has substantially greater elasticity than in either vertical or transverse directions of the vehicle.

7. The wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein the wheel carrier is connected to the wheel-guiding control arm:
directly by a ball joint in a first connection area, and
indirectly by an integral joint in a second connection area.

8. The wheel suspension according to claim 7 , wherein the first and the second connection areas are spaced apart from one another in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, with one of the first and the second connection areas ahead of a wheel center and the other one of the first and the second connection areas behind the wheel center.

9. The wheel suspension according to claim 7 , wherein the integral joint substantially extends, in an undeflected condition of the wheel carrier, in a vertical direction of the vehicle.

10. The wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein, when the wheel suspension is viewed from above, axes of the first and the second hinges of the integral joint extend substantially parallel to a rotational axis of the wheel-guiding control arm.

11. The wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein the wheel carrier is additionally connected to an axle carrier by a camber link, and the camber link is associated with an upper link plane while the wheel-guiding control arm is associated with a link plane lower than the upper link plane.

12. The wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein the wheel suspension is associated with steering means which are articulated to the wheel carrier behind a wheel center in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

13. The wheel suspension according to claim 12 , wherein the steering means are designed as a track control link which is configured to be actuate for active steering.

14. The wheel suspension according to claim 12 , wherein the steering means are designed as a track rod for passive steering by way of the wheel stroke.

15. A wheel-guiding control arm, for mounting a wheel carrier of a wheel suspension, comprising:
a longitudinal control arm section with a forward body-side bearing and a transverse control arm section with a rear body-side bearing,
wherein the rear body-side bearing is a ball joint and an integral joint is connected, at one end, to the wheel carrier by a first hinge and, at the other end, to the wheel-guiding control arm by a second hinge, and
when the wheel suspension is viewed from a transverse side, axes of the first and the second hinges of the integral joint intersect at a point located ahead of a wheel center in relation to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and when viewed from the transverse side, the axis of the second hinge of the integral joint, on a link side, is directed substantially parallel to a rotational axis of the wheel-guiding control arm.

16. A wheel suspension for a wheel of a motor vehicle, the wheel suspension comprising:
a wheel carrier that is coupled to a wheel-guiding control arm such that the wheel carrier is pivotable relative to the wheel-guiding control arm;
the wheel-guiding control arm having a longitudinal control arm section and a transverse control arm section, and the longitudinal control arm section being aligned in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle and the transverse control arm section being aligned in a transverse direction of the vehicle;
the longitudinal control arm section having one end fixed to one end of the transverse control arm section such that the wheel-guiding control arm is L-shaped, and an opposite end of the longitudinal control arm section having a forward body-side bearing and an opposite end of the transverse control arm section having a rear body-side bearing designed as a ball joint; and
an integral joint is connected, at one end, to the wheel carrier by a first hinge and, at the other end, to the wheel-guiding control arm by a second hinge, and
when the wheel suspension is viewed from a transverse side, axes of the first and the second hinges of the integral joint intersect at a point located ahead of a wheel center in relation to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and when viewed from the transverse side, the axis of the second hinge of the integral joint, on a link side, is directed substantially parallel to a rotational axis of the wheel-guiding control arm.

Assignees

• Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen

Inventors

• Hacker Clemens
• Heidsieck Knut

Classifications

• B60G2200/154

  the lateral arm having an L-shape · CPC title

• B60G2204/416

  Ball or spherical joints · CPC title

• B60G2204/1431

  of an L-shaped arm · CPC title

• B60G7/005

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

• B60G2200/184

  Assymetric arrangements · CPC title