Ball and socket joint for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9545828-B2
Application number	US-201314386363-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2013
Priority date	Apr 20, 2012
Publication date	Jan 17, 2017
Grant date	Jan 17, 2017

Abstract

A ball joint for a vehicle, with a ball pin that has a joint ball, a joint housing that encloses the joint ball and is provided with a pin opening, in which the joint ball of the ball pin is fitted and able to move. The ball pin extends out of the joint housing through the pin opening. An actuator can press a pressure element, in an axial direction, against the joint housing in such a manner that pressure can be exerted by the joint housing and the pressure element onto the joint ball. The actuator acts upon a spring which acts upon the pressure element. The length of the spring can be measured by a displacement sensor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A ball joint, for a vehicle, with a ball pin ( 3 ) comprising:
a joint ball ( 2 ),
a joint housing ( 9 ) enclosing the joint ball ( 2 ) and being provided with a pin opening ( 10 ) in which the joint ball ( 2 ), of the ball pin ( 3 ), is fitted and movable, the joint housing defines an axis,
the ball pin ( 3 ) extending out of the joint housing ( 9 ) through the pin opening ( 10 ),
an actuator ( 14 ) having a static part and a moving part, the static part is axially fixed with respect to the joint housing and the moving part is connected to the static part, the moving part is axially movable with respect to the static part such that movement of the moving part away from the static part presses a pressure element ( 11 ) in an axial direction ( 7 ) against the joint housing ( 9 ) such that pressure is exerted by the joint housing ( 9 ) and the pressure element ( 11 ) onto the joint ball ( 2 ),
the actuator comprising a spring ( 12 ) that extends axially and by way of which the actuator ( 14 ) acts upon the pressure element ( 11 ), and
a displacement sensor ( 19 ) comprising a sensor element and an emitter element for measuring an axial length (d) of the spring ( 12 ), a first axial end of the spring and one of the sensor and the emitter elements abut a common surface of the moving part of the actuator, and a second axial end of the spring and the other of the sensor and the emitter elements abut a common surface of the pressure element.

2. The ball joint according to claim 1 , wherein the ball joint comprises an evaluation unit ( 20 ) which is connected to the sensor element of the displacement sensor ( 19 ), by which a force (F), exerted by the pressure element ( 11 ) on the joint ball ( 2 ), is determinable.

3. The ball joint according to claim 1 , wherein the emitter element ( 17 ) and the sensor element ( 18 ) are aligned with each other along the axis, at least one signal emitted by the emitter element ( 17 ), is detectable by the sensor element and the signal provides information about an axial distance between the moving part of the actuator and the pressure element as well as the length (d) of the spring ( 12 ).

4. The ball joint according to claim 3 , wherein the emitter element is connected to the second end of the spring ( 12 ) that is coupled to the pressure element ( 11 ) and the sensor element is connected to the first end of the spring ( 12 ) that is coupled to the actuator ( 14 ) so that a distance, between the sensor element and the emitter element ( 17 , 18 ), depends upon the axial length (d) of the spring ( 12 ).

5. The ball joint according to claim 3 , wherein the emitter element ( 17 ) comprises a permanent magnet and the sensor element ( 18 ) comprises a sensor that is sensitive to a magnetic field, and a magnetic field from the permanent magnet is arranged to pass through the sensor.

6. The ball joint according to claim 1 , wherein the spring ( 12 ) is selected from a group of springs consisting of a spiral spring, a cup spring, a leaf spring and a membrane spring.

7. The ball joint according to claim 1 , wherein the moving part of the actuator ( 14 ) is axially movable relative to the static part of the actuator and is coupled to the pressure element ( 11 ) and the spring ( 12 ) is interposed therebetween.

8. The ball joint according to claim 1 , wherein the ball joint comprises a ball socket ( 4 ) that is arranged in the joint housing ( 9 ) and surrounds the joint ball ( 2 ), the joint ball ( 2 ) is fitted and movable in the ball socket, and the ball socket ( 4 ) is arranged in the axial direction ( 7 ) between the pressure element ( 11 ) and an abutment ( 22 ) of the joint housing.

9. The ball joint according to claim 8 , wherein the ball socket ( 4 ) comprises two ball socket components ( 5 , 6 ), a first of the ball socket components ( 5 ) is axially in contact with another surface of the pressure element ( 11 ) opposite the common surface thereof and a second of the ball socket components is axially in contact with the abutment ( 22 ), and the joint ball ( 2 ) is arranged, in the axial direction ( 7 ), between the first and the second ball socket components ( 5 , 6 ).

10. The ball joint according to claim 8 , wherein the ball socket ( 4 ) is made integrally and is compressible in the axial direction ( 7 ) by the actuator ( 14 ).

11. A ball joint for a vehicle, the ball joint comprising:
a ball pin comprising a joint ball;
a joint housing enclosing the joint ball such that the joint ball being movably fitted within the joint housing, and the joint housing comprises a pin opening through which the ball pin extends in an axial direction out of the joint housing;
an actuator comprises a static part and a moving part, one axially facing surface of the static part abuts an axial end of the joint housing such that the static part of the actuator is axially fixed relative to the joint housing, the moving part abuts an opposite axially facing surface of the static part, a control unit is connected the actuator and axially moves the moving part relative to the static part an axial surface of the moving part that is axially opposite the static part contacts one axial end of a spring, an opposite axial end of the spring abuts, in the axial direction, against a pressure element and the pressure element contacts the joint ball, the moving part being axially movable to axially bias the spring and the pressure element to apply pressure on the joint ball; and
a displacement sensor being fixed to the axial surface of the moving par that is axially opposite the static part, and the displacement sensor measures a separation distance between the moving part of the actuator and the pressure element and thereby a length of the spring.

Assignees

• Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen

Inventors

• Grannemann Bernd
• Rechtien Martin

Classifications

• G01L1/04

  by measuring elastic deformation of gauges, e.g. of springs · CPC title

• Y10T403/20

  with indicator or inspection means · 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

• B60G2202/40

  Type of actuator · CPC title

• G01L5/0023

  by using magnetic sensors · CPC title