Device for adjusting the height of a vehicle body

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9987897-B2
Application number	US-201515324899-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2015
Priority date	Jul 9, 2014
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for adjusting the height of a vehicle body, having two components, which can be moved longitudinally relative to each other, and a movement thread, which is arranged between these components. The movement thread includes a partial thread which is designed as a spindle paired with a first component and a partial thread which is designed as a spindle nut paired with the other component. The partial threads are designed to be axially movable relative to each other by a rotational drive. The device also includes a locking device which bridges the movement thread in at least three longitudinal positions and which comprises an axially fixed locking ring that is arranged on the spindle in a rotatable manner and has locking cams distributed over the circumference and a shifting gate that is rigidly connected to the spindle nut in an axial manner, receives the locking cams, and includes locking stops, which are arranged at end positions of the at least three longitudinal positions and are distributed over the circumference, and switching ramps, which lie axially opposite the locking stops, are provided with slopes that decrease in the circumferential direction, and are arranged over the circumference. A movement of the locking cams towards the locking stops and towards the switching ramps in the shifting gate is provided by an axial movement of the spindle relative to the spindle nut, this displacement depending on a rotational direction of the rotational drive, and a selection of the locking stops is carried out by rotating the locking ring by the rotated locking cams resting against switching stops provided between the switching ramps. In order to shorten the switching paths and the switching times of the locking device, at least one switching ramp arranged between two locking stops is expanded relative to the remaining switching ramps in a direction of the locking stops.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for adjusting a height of a vehicle body, comprising two components that are displaceable longitudinally relative to each other and a motion thread arranged between said two components with a partial thread formed as a spindle allocated to one of the components and a partial thread formed as the spindle nut allocated to the other of the components, the partial threads are formed so that they are displaceable axially relative to each other by a rotary drive, a locking device bypassing the motion thread in at least three longitudinal positions with a locking ring arranged on the spindle in an axially fixed and rotatable manner with locking cams distributed over a circumference and a shifting gate connected axially fixed to the spindle nut and holding the locking cams with locking stops arranged at end positions of the at least three longitudinal positions and distributed over the circumference, and switching ramps arranged axially opposite the locking stops and provided with slopes decreasing in a circumferential direction and arranged over the circumference, wherein a displacement of the locking cams in the shifting gate against the locking stops and against the switching ramps is provided by an axial displacement of the spindle relative to the spindle nut dependent on a rotational direction of the rotary drive, and a selection of the locking stops is realized by a rotation of the locking ring by the locking cams contacting switching stops in the circumferential direction between the switching ramps, and at least one of the switching ramps is extended axially relative to other ones of the switching ramps in a direction of the locking stops.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the three longitudinal positions are provided with a spacing of the components relative to each other, with a first one of the longitudinal positions being provided with a minimum spacing, a second one of the longitudinal positions being provided with a medium spacing, and a third one of the longitudinal positions being provided with a maximum spacing.

3. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one switching ramp extended in the direction of the locking stops is arranged between the first and second longitudinal positions.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the locking stops distributed over the circumference are allocated to each of the longitudinal positions.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the switching stops are arranged in a circumferential area of the locking stops.

6. The device according to claim 2 , further comprising control ramps that, in a direction of motion toward the locking stops, rotate the locking cams relative to the switching stops, the control ramps being oriented toward the locking stops and being provided axially between the switching stops and locking stops.

7. The device according to claim 6 , wherein the control ramps are provided on an opposite wall of the shifting gate on the at least one switching ramp extended in the direction of the locking stops.

8. The device according to claim 2 , wherein a switching occurs from the first into the third longitudinal position in that, for the same rotational direction of the rotary drive, the locking cam is displaced out from the first longitudinal position via the at least one extended switching ramp and at least one of the switching ramps that is adjacent in the circumferential direction is displaced against the switching stop opposite the third longitudinal position and is displaced against the locking stop of the third longitudinal position after a subsequent reversal of the rotational direction of the rotary drive.

9. The device according to claim 2 , wherein a switching occurs from the first longitudinal position into the second longitudinal position in that, for a first rotational direction of the rotary drive, the locking cam is displaced out from the first longitudinal position via the at least one extended switching ramp and the locking cam is displaced before reaching a next one of the switching ramps and against the locking stop of the second longitudinal position after successful reversal of the rotational direction of the rotary drive.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the motion thread is formed as a ball screw drive.

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag
• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Mersmann Simon
• Marsing Kilian
• Andreev Georgi
• Frank Marco

Classifications

• B60G17/005 Primary

  Suspension locking arrangements {(for retractable wheels B62D61/12)} · CPC title

• B60G2202/42

  Electric actuator · CPC title

• B60G2202/312

  The spring being a wound spring · CPC title

• B60G13/001

  Arrangements for attachment of dampers (mounting arrangements of combined spring and damper units B60G15/00; mountings of fluid dampers in general F16F9/54) · CPC title

• B60G17/021

  the mechanical spring being a coil spring (B60G17/0272 takes precedence) · CPC title