Articulated connection for transferring a steering movement onto a vehicle wheel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9302706-B2
Application number	US-201414252548-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2014
Priority date	Apr 15, 2013
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

An articulated connection can be used to transfer a steering movement to a vehicle wheel. The articulated connection can include an axle journal and a steering arm. The axle journal can be configured to be coupled to the wheel. The steering arm can be configured to receive and transfer the steering movement to the axle journal. The steering arm can be bendable so as to elastically deflect with respect to the axle journal. The steering arm can be curved along a portion of its length and/or the articulated connection can include a limiting device. The limiting device can be configured to limit an amount of deflection of the steering arm in at least one direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An articulated connection for transferring a steering movement to a vehicle wheel, the articulated connection comprising:
an axle journal configured to be coupled to the wheel;
a steering arm configured to receive a steering movement at a coupling section of a free end of the steering arm and transfer the steering movement to the axle journal, the steering arm being bendable so as to elastically deflect with respect to the axle journal; and
a limiting device disposed such that at least the coupling section of the steering arm impacts the limiting device to limit an amount of deflection of the steering arm in at least one direction.

2. The articulated connection of claim 1 , wherein the limiting device is arranged on the axle journal.

3. The articulated connection of claim 1 , wherein the limiting device comprises a first limiting arm extending in a same direction as the steering arm and arranged so as to impact the steering arm to limit the amount of deflection of the steering arm in at least a first direction.

4. The articulated connection of claim 3 , wherein the limiting device further comprises a second limiting arm extending in the same direction as the steering arm and arranged so as to impact the steering arm to limit the amount of deflection of the steering arm in at least a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the steering arm is arranged between the first and second limiting arms in plan view.

5. The articulated connection of claim 1 , wherein the steering arm, the axle journal, and the limiting device are integral components formed from the single material.

6. The articulated connection of claim 1 , wherein the steering arm is spaced from the limiting device by at least one recess.

7. The articulated connection of claim 1 , wherein a coupling section is configured to attach the steering arm to a steering linkage of the vehicle.

8. The articulated connection of claim 1 , wherein:
the free end of the steering arm is opposite to the axle journal, and
the limiting device is disposed such that at least a portion of the steering arm between the free end and the axle journal impacts the limiting device to limit the amount of deflection of the steering arm in the at least one direction.

9. An articulated connection for transferring a steering movement to a vehicle wheel, the articulated connection comprising:
an axle journal configured to be coupled to the wheel;
a steering arm configured to receive and transfer the steering movement to the axle journal, the steering arm being bendable so as to elastically deflect with respect to the axle journal; and
a limiting device configured to limit an amount of deflection of the steering arm in at least one direction wherein the limiting device has a thicker portion disposed to contact the at least a portion of the steering arm between a free end of the arm and the axle journal, the thicker portion having an increased thickness, relative to a thickness of the limiting device, in the at least one direction.

10. An articulated connection for transferring a steering movement to a vehicle wheel, the articulated connection comprising:
an axle journal configured to be coupled to the wheel; and
a steering arm coupled to the axle journal and configured to receive and transfer the steering movement to the axle journal, the steering arm being bendable so as to elastically deflect within a bending plane and with respect to axle journal,
a limiting device configured to limit a deflection capacity of the steering arm in two substantially opposite directions.

11. The articulated connection of claim 10 , wherein the steering arm is coupled to the axle journal by at least one connecting means.

12. The articulated connection of claim 10 , wherein the steering arm has a free end opposite to the axle journal, and the free end has a coupling section configured to receive a steering movement.

13. The articulated connection of claim 12 , wherein the coupling section is configured to attach the steering arm to a steering linkage of the vehicle.

14. The articulated connection of claim 10 , wherein the axle journal is formed of a different material than that of the steering arm, the material of the steering arm being more resilient than the material of the axle journal.

15. The articulated connection of claim 10 , wherein the limiting device has a substantially U-shaped configuration in the bending plane.

16. The articulated connection of claim 10 , wherein the limiting device has a substantially W-shaped configuration in the bending plane.

17. An articulated connection comprising:
an axle journal configured to be coupled to a wheel of a vehicle;
a steering arm coupled to the axle journal via a base of the steering arm so as to convert a translational steering movement applied to a coupling section of the steering arm into a rotational movement of the axle journal; and
a limiting device extending in a same direction as the steering arm and arranged wherein a bending plane of steering arm to limit a maximum deflection capacity of the steering arm in at least one direction, wherein the bending plane is defined by an elastic deflection of the steering arm.

18. The articulated connection of claim 17 , wherein the limiting device has a substantially W-shaped configuration in the bending plane.

19. An articulated connection comprising:
an axle journal configured to be coupled to a vehicle wheel;
a steering arm extending from the axle journal so as to convert a translational steering movement applied to a coupling section of the steering arm into a rotational movement of the axle journal; and
one or more limiting devices spaced apart from the steering arm at a free end of the steering arm by a recess and disposed in a bending plane of the steering arm so as to limit an elastic deflection capacity of the steering arm relative to the axle journal in a direction parallel to the translational steering movement.

20. The articulated connection of claim 19 , wherein the axle journal, the steering arm, and the one or more limiting devices are formed as an integral piece from a single material.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Van Der Jagt Pim
• Simon Marc
• Halfmann Edmund
• Gerhards Thomas

Classifications

• B60G2206/50

  Constructional features of wheel supports or knuckles, e.g. steering knuckles, spindle attachments · CPC title

• B62D7/18 Primary

  Steering knuckles; King pins · CPC title

• B60G2200/44

  steerable · CPC title