Upper bearing cap for suspension thrust bearing device
By designing the hook section and reinforcement section in the upper bearing cover of the suspension thrust bearing device, the problem of insufficient robustness of the upper bearing cover is solved, and the cost-effectiveness is improved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411389607.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2023-10-09
- Filing Date
- 2024-10-08
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-11
AI Technical Summary
The upper bearing cover of existing suspension thrust bearing devices lacks sufficient robustness in the face of strong force, resulting in increased cost and weight.
An upper bearing cover is designed including a radial portion and an annular axial outer skirt, and at least one hook section and a plurality of reinforcement sections are provided in the circumferential direction to increase wall thickness and robustness while reducing material usage.
By increasing the wall thickness of the hook section and reinforcement section, the robustness of the upper bearing cover is improved while reducing material usage without reducing robustness and reducing cost.
Smart Images
Figure CN119802096A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to an upper bearing cap for a suspension thrust bearing device. Background Art
[0002] Suspension thrust bearing devices are usually provided with a rolling bearing comprising an upper ring and a lower ring, between which rolling elements (such as balls or rollers) are located. The lower and upper covers form housings for the rings of the rolling bearing and provide interfaces between the rings and adjacent elements.
[0003] The suspension thrust bearing device is arranged at the top of the suspension strut between the vehicle body and the suspension spring. The suspension spring is mounted around the damping piston rod, the end of which is connected to the vehicle body. The suspension spring is directly or indirectly axially supported by the lower cover of the thrust bearing device.
[0004] The suspension thrust bearing arrangement allows axial and radial forces to be transmitted between the suspension spring and the vehicle body while allowing relative rotational movement between the lower cover and the upper cover caused by deflection of the vehicle's steered wheels and / or compression of the suspension spring.
[0005] Due to the forces acting on the suspension thrust bearing device, the cover (especially the upper bearing cover) must be quite robust. In order to increase the robustness of the cover, since the cover is usually made of plastic material through a molding process, it is necessary to increase the amount of material used to mold the cover. This leads to an increase in the weight and cost of each cover.
[0006] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cost-effective upper bearing cap for a suspension thrust bearing arrangement having improved robustness. Summary of the invention
[0007] This object is solved by an upper bearing cap for a suspension thrust bearing device according to technical solution 1.
[0008] Hereinafter, an upper bearing cap for a suspension thrust bearing device is provided, the upper bearing cap comprising a radial portion providing an upper surface configured to face a retaining seat and an opposite lower surface configured to contact a rolling bearing, and an annular axial outer skirt extending axially downward from an outer side edge of the radial portion and having an outer surface and an opposite inner surface.
[0009] The wall of the radial portion has a first thickness at the axially outer side of the radial portion, and the annular axially outer skirt has a wall of a second thickness. The annular axially outer skirt may be configured to at least partially surround a lower support cap of the suspension thrust bearing.
[0010] In order to provide a cost-effective upper bearing cap with improved robustness, the upper bearing cap includes at least one hook section in a circumferential direction, the at least one hook section including at least one hook configured to interact with another component of the suspension thrust bearing device, wherein the at least one hook section includes at least one wall having a thickness greater than the first thickness and / or the second thickness.
[0011] Since at least one wall of at least one hook section has a greater thickness than the radial portion and / or the outer skirt, the robustness of the upper bearing cap can be increased. Therefore, the thickness of at least one wall of the upper bearing cap can also be reduced without reducing the robustness of the upper bearing cap, so that the amount of material required for the upper bearing cap can be reduced, which can therefore reduce the costs for the upper bearing cap.
[0012] Also, the radial portion of the upper bearing cap may have a stepped shape, wherein an outside portion of the radial portion may have a smaller thickness than an inside portion of the radial portion. The thickness of the outside portion of the radial portion may be equal to the thickness of the outer skirt wall.
[0013] Preferably, the upper bearing cap may include a plurality of hook segments distributed in a circumferential direction around the upper bearing cap. A plurality of hook segments may be arranged on the outer skirt and adapted to interfere with the lower cap of the bearing arrangement. The hooks may form retaining means arranged to retain the upper cap and the lower cap relative to each other in the axial direction.
[0014] According to another embodiment, the at least one hook segment has a radial wall extending at least partially along the radial portion and an axial wall extending at least partially along the outer skirt, wherein the thickness of the radial wall and / or the thickness of the axial wall is greater than the first thickness and / or the second thickness. For example, the thickness of the radial wall is equal to the thickness of the axial wall. As another option, the thickness of the radial wall is different from the thickness of the axial wall.
[0015] By increasing the wall thickness of the upper bearing cap in the region of the at least one hook section by providing the at least one hook section with a thicker radial and / or axial wall, the robustness of the upper bearing cap may be increased. Alternatively or additionally, this may allow the thickness of the remaining upper bearing cap wall to be reduced, which may allow the amount of material required for the upper bearing cap to be reduced.
[0016] Preferably, the upper bearing cover further comprises at least one reinforcement section in the circumferential direction, wherein the at least one reinforcement section has at least one wall, and the thickness of the at least one wall is greater than the first thickness and / or the second thickness. In addition, the at least one reinforcement section may be provided with at least one reinforcement rib. Adding at least one reinforcement section may increase the robustness of the upper bearing cover.
[0017] The thickness of the wall of the at least one reinforcement section may be equal to or greater than the thickness of the radial wall and / or axial wall of the at least one hook section. For example, the at least one reinforcement section may have a radial reinforcement wall extending at least partially along the radial portion and / or an axial reinforcement wall extending at least partially along the outer skirt.
[0018] Preferably, the thickness of the radial reinforcement wall may be equal to the thickness of the axial reinforcement wall. Alternatively, the thickness of the radial reinforcement wall may be different from the thickness of the axial reinforcement wall.
[0019] According to another embodiment, the upper bearing cover comprises a plurality of reinforcement sections distributed around the circumferential direction of the upper bearing cover. Preferably, the at least one reinforcement section and the at least one hook section are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction.
[0020] For example, at least one reinforcement section may be arranged between two hook sections in the circumferential direction. This allows the robustness of the upper bearing cap to be further increased, so that the amount of material required for the upper bearing cap can be reduced, which allows the weight of the upper bearing cap and / or the cost for the upper bearing cap to be reduced. Furthermore, at least one hook section and at least one reinforcement section may be arranged alternately.
[0021] Moreover, the extension of at least one hook segment in the circumferential direction may be equal to the extension of at least one reinforcement segment in the circumferential direction. Alternatively, the extension of at least one hook segment in the circumferential direction may be different from the extension of at least one reinforcement segment in the circumferential direction. For example, the extension of at least one hook segment and / or reinforcement segment in the circumferential direction may depend on the thickness of the respective section.
[0022] According to another aspect, a suspension thrust bearing device is provided, comprising a lower support cover, an upper bearing cover as described above, and at least one bearing disposed between the lower support cover and the upper bearing cover.
[0023] Further preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims as well as in the description and the drawings. Hence, elements described or shown in conjunction with other elements may exist alone or in combination with other elements without departing from the scope of protection. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] In the following, preferred embodiments of the present invention are described with respect to the accompanying drawings, wherein the drawings are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of protection. The scope of protection is defined solely by the appended claims.
[0025] The accompanying drawings show:
[0026] Figure 1 : A perspective view of the upper side of an upper bearing cap according to one embodiment;
[0027] Figure 2 : Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of the underside of the upper bearing cap,
[0028] Figure 3 : Figure 1 Top view of the upper bearing cap.
[0029] Figure 4 : Along the upper bearing cover Figure 3 The section of line AA in
[0030] Figure 5 : Along the upper bearing cover Figure 3 The section of line BB in
[0031] Figure 6 : Along the upper bearing cover Figure 3 Section along line CC in .
[0032] Reference numerals
[0033] 1 Upper bearing cap
[0034] 2 Radial section
[0035] 4 Inner skirt
[0036] 6 Outer skirt
[0037] 8 Upper surface
[0038] 10 Lower surface
[0039] 11Bearing area
[0040] 12 Outer part
[0041] 13Inside part
[0042] 14 hooks
[0043] 16 hook sections
[0044] 18 Radial Wall
[0045] 20 Axial wall
[0046] 22 Strengthening Section
[0047] 24 Radial reinforcement wall
[0048] 26 Axial reinforcement wall
[0049] d1 first thickness
[0050] d2 Second thickness DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0051] In the following, elements with the same or similar functions are denoted by the same reference numerals.
[0052] Reference Figures 1 to 6 , an upper bearing cap 1 for a suspension thrust bearing arrangement is described. The suspension thrust bearing arrangement is adapted to be mounted between a top retainer seat and a suspension spring, the top retainer seat being adapted to resting directly or indirectly in an element of a chassis of a motor vehicle.
[0053] The suspension thrust bearing device comprises an upper bearing cap 1, a lower support cap (not shown) and a rolling bearing (not shown) axially interposed between the upper bearing cap and the lower support cap. The cap can be installed to be in direct contact with the rolling bearing without the interposition of an intermediate element, or to be installed to be in indirect contact with the rolling bearing with the interposition of an intermediate element.
[0054] The upper bearing cap 1 can be produced, for example, in one piece from a plastic material, such as polyamide PA6.6, which may or may not be reinforced with fibers, such as glass fibers.
[0055] The upper bearing cap 1 comprises a radial portion 2, an annular axial inner skirt 4 and an annular axial outer skirt 6 radially surrounding the inner skirt 4. The radial portion 2 presents an upper surface 8 intended to face the top retaining seat and an opposite lower surface 10 having an area 11 configured to be in contact with the rolling bearing.
[0056] In the example shown, the radial portion 2 has a stepped shape with an inner portion 13 and an outer portion 12. The bearing area 11 is arranged at the lower surface of the inner portion 13. At the outer portion 12, the thickness of the wall of the radial portion is defined by the upper surface 8 and the opposite lower surface 10, wherein the outer portion 12 has a thickness d1 that is smaller than the inner portion 13 of the radial portion 2.
[0057] The outer skirt 6 radially surrounds the lower support cap (not shown). The inner skirt 4 and the outer skirt 6 extend axially downward from the outer portion 12 of the radial portion 2, wherein the outer skirt 6 has an outer surface 5 and an opposite inner surface 7. In the example shown, the outer skirt 6 extends from the large diameter edge of the radial portion 2. The inner skirt 4 extends from the small diameter edge of the radial portion 2. The outer surface 5 and the inner surface 7 define the thickness d2 of the outer skirt 6.
[0058] The upper bearing cap 1 comprises a plurality of hook sections 16 distributed in the circumferential direction. Each hook section 16 comprises at least one hook 14, which is configured to interact with another component of the suspension thrust bearing device, such as the lower cap. Each of the hook sections 16 comprises a radial wall 18 extending at least partially along the radial portion 2 and an axial wall 20 extending at least partially along the outer skirt 6.
[0059] As in Figure 4 and Figure 6 As can be seen from the comparison between the radial wall 18 and the axial wall 20, the thickness is greater than the first thickness d1 and the second thickness d2. Figure 4 As can be seen, the thickness of the radial wall 18 is equal to the thickness of the axial wall. Alternatively, the thickness of the radial wall may be different from the thickness of the axial wall.
[0060] In addition, the upper bearing cap 1 includes a plurality of reinforcement sections 22 in the circumferential direction. Figure 5 As can be seen, each reinforcement section 22 has a radial reinforcement wall 24 extending at least partially along the radial portion 2 and an axial reinforcement wall 26 extending at least partially along the outer skirt 6. Preferably, the thickness of the radial reinforcement wall 24 is equal to the thickness of the axial reinforcement wall 26, as shown in FIG. Figure 5As another option, the thickness of the radial reinforcement wall 24 can be different from the thickness of the axial reinforcement wall 26.
[0061] As can be seen from the figure, both the reinforcement section 22 and the hook section 16 are distributed around the circumferential direction of the upper bearing cap 1, so that one reinforcement section 22 is arranged between two hook sections 16, and vice versa. As another option, more than one (for example, two) reinforcement sections 22 can be arranged between two hook sections 16. It should also be noted that the reinforcement section 22 can also be omitted. For example, if the required robustness of the upper bearing cap 1 can be achieved using only the hook section 16, the reinforcement section 22 can be omitted to further reduce the amount of material required for the upper bearing cap 1.
[0062] The extension of the hook section 16 in the circumferential direction is different from the extension of at least one reinforcement section 22 in the circumferential direction. Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , the circumferential extension of the reinforcement section 22 may be less than the circumferential extension of the hook section 16. Alternatively, the circumferential extensions of the hook section 16 and the reinforcement section 22 may be equal, or the circumferential extension of the hook section 16 may be less than the circumferential extension of the reinforcement section 22.
[0063] In summary, by providing at least one hook section 16 and / or at least one reinforcement section 22, each hook section 16 and / or reinforcement section 22 having at least one wall with locally increased thickness, the robustness of the upper bearing cap can be increased. Therefore, the thickness of the remaining wall of the upper bearing cap can be reduced without reducing the robustness of the upper bearing cap, so that the amount of material required for the upper bearing cap can be reduced, which can therefore reduce the cost for the upper bearing cap.
Claims
1. An upper bearing cap (1) for a suspension thrust bearing device, comprising a radial portion (2) and an annular axial outer skirt (6), wherein the radial portion (2) provides an upper surface (8) configured to face a retaining seat and an opposite lower surface (11) configured to contact a rolling bearing, the annular axial outer skirt (6) extending axially downward from an outer side edge of the radial portion (2) and having an outer surface (5) and an opposite inner surface (7), wherein: The wall of the radial portion (2) has a first thickness (d1) at the axially outer side of the radial portion (2), and the annular axially outer skirt (6) has a wall with a second thickness (d2), It is characterized in that The upper bearing cover (1) includes at least one hook section (16) in the circumferential direction, and the at least one hook section (16) includes at least one hook (14) configured to interact with another component of the suspension thrust bearing device, wherein the at least one hook section (16) includes at least one wall, and the thickness of the at least one wall is greater than the first thickness (d1) and / or the second thickness (d2).
2. The upper bearing cover (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The at least one hook segment (16) has a radial wall (18) extending at least partially along the radial portion (2) and an axial wall (20) extending at least partially along the outer skirt (6), wherein the thickness of the radial wall (18) and / or the thickness of the axial wall (20) is greater than the first thickness (d1) and / or the second thickness (d2).
3. The upper bearing cover (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The upper bearing cover (1) comprises a plurality of hook sections (16) distributed around the circumferential direction of the upper bearing cover (1).
4. The upper bearing cap (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The upper bearing cover (1) further comprises at least one reinforcement section (22) in the circumferential direction, wherein the at least one reinforcement section (22) has at least one wall, the thickness of the at least one wall being greater than the first thickness (d1) and / or the second thickness (d2).
5. The upper bearing cover (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that: The thickness of the wall of the at least one reinforcement section (22) is equal to or greater than the thickness of the radial wall (18) and / or the axial wall (20) of the at least one hook section.
6. The upper bearing cover (1) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that: The at least one reinforcement section (22) has a radial reinforcement wall (24) extending at least partially along the radial portion (2) and / or an axial reinforcement wall (26) extending at least partially along the outer skirt (6).
7. The upper bearing cover (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that: The thickness of the radial reinforcement wall (24) is equal to the thickness of the axial reinforcement wall (26).
8. The upper bearing cover (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that: The thickness of the radial reinforcement wall (24) is different from the thickness of the axial reinforcement wall (26).
9. The upper bearing cover (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that: The upper bearing cover (1) comprises a plurality of reinforcement sections (22) distributed in a circumferential direction around the upper bearing cover (1).
10. The upper bearing cover (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that: The at least one reinforcement section (22) and the at least one hook section are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction.
11. A suspension thrust bearing device, comprising a lower support cover, an upper bearing cover (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, and at least one bearing arranged between the lower support cover and the upper bearing cover.