Steering knuckle assembly and vehicle

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a steering knuckle assembly and a vehicle. The steering knuckle assembly includes a steering knuckle, a wheel hub bearing, and a drive shaft. The outer ring of the wheel hub bearing is connected to the steering knuckle, and the drive shaft passes through a mounting hole on the steering knuckle and connects to the inner ring of the wheel hub bearing. The shaft diameter section of the drive shaft that mates with the mounting hole is a stepped shaft, and the inner circumferential wall of the mounting hole is a stepped hole that mates with the stepped shaft. In the steering knuckle assembly provided in this disclosure, the mating positions of the steering knuckle and the drive shaft are designed using a multi-segment labyrinth groove structure formed by the mating of the stepped shaft and the stepped hole. The multiple steps create a tortuous path, which can prevent external water or stones from entering the mating gap, thereby preventing them from entering the mating space with the wheel hub bearing, preventing damage to the wheel hub sensor, extending its service life, and ensuring the normal operation of the wheel speed sensor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of vehicle component technology, and more particularly to steering knuckle assemblies and vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] In automotive components, the steering knuckle is used to guide the vehicle's normal and safe driving, connect various chassis systems, and support the entire vehicle. In related technologies, the wheel hub bearing is fixed to the steering knuckle with bolts, and the drive shaft is fixed to the wheel hub bearing and has a clearance fit with the steering knuckle. When driving over puddles or gravel roads, water or stones can easily enter the clearance fit and damage the magnetic coil of the wheel hub sensor, affecting the normal operation of the wheel speed sensor. Utility Model Content

[0003] To overcome the problems existing in the related technologies, this disclosure provides a steering knuckle assembly and a vehicle.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a steering knuckle assembly is provided, including a steering knuckle, a hub bearing, and a drive shaft. The outer ring of the hub bearing is connected to the steering knuckle, and the drive shaft passes through a mounting hole on the steering knuckle and is connected to the inner ring of the hub bearing. The shaft diameter section of the drive shaft that mates with the mounting hole is a stepped shaft, and the inner peripheral wall of the mounting hole is a stepped hole that mates with the stepped shaft.

[0005] In some possible implementations, the stepped shaft is multi-segmented, with the shaft diameter of each segment gradually decreasing towards the hub bearing. Similarly, the stepped hole is multi-tiered, with the diameter of each step gradually decreasing from the outside in. This allows the drive shaft to be installed from the inside of the steering knuckle, inserted into the mounting hole from the inside out. The drive shaft is fixedly connected to the inner ring of the hub bearing, while the hub bearing is installed on the outside of the steering knuckle, preventing interference or impact on the drive shaft installation.

[0006] In some possible implementations, the end face of the steering knuckle that mates with the wheel hub bearing has deep grooves. At the location of these deep grooves, the wheel hub bearing and the steering knuckle do not directly contact each other, reducing their contact area. This improves their fit during minor deformations, preventing abnormal noises, and also reduces the weight of the steering knuckle, achieving a lightweight design.

[0007] In some possible implementations, the steering knuckle has a recess that matches the shape of the wheel hub bearing. The wheel hub bearing fits against the end face of the recess, and deep grooves are provided on the end face of the recess. These deep grooves are multiple arc-shaped grooves arranged at circumferential intervals along the recess. The wheel hub bearing is installed within the recess, which can provide pre-positioning for the wheel hub bearing and increase the connection strength between the wheel hub bearing and the steering knuckle.

[0008] In some possible implementations, the steering knuckle assembly includes a shock absorber. The steering knuckle has a mounting portion for inserting the shock absorber. The mounting portion has a slot on its side, and the shock absorber is fixed to the mounting portion by fasteners. By optimizing the fit between the shock absorber and the steering knuckle, the clamping force on the shock absorber is increased. Under some extreme strength conditions, the shock absorber slippage due to insufficient fastener tightening force is avoided, ensuring the stability of the four-wheel parameters of the vehicle and thus ensuring normal vehicle operation.

[0009] In some possible implementations, the mounting portion has lugs on both sides of the slot, and the fastener can pass through openings in the lugs to lock in place. The lugs can increase the contact area between the steering knuckle and the fastener, thereby increasing the locking force of the fastener.

[0010] In some possible implementations, the inner circumferential surface of the mounting part has a frosted layer, which increases the roughness of the mating surface by adding secondary processing, thereby preventing the damper from slipping.

[0011] In some possible implementations, the steering knuckle assembly includes a control arm, a connecting member press-fitted onto the steering knuckle, and a ball pin of the control arm passing through the connecting member and secured to the steering knuckle by a locking member. By press-fitting the connecting member into a receiving hole in the lower part of the steering knuckle, and having the ball pin pass through the connecting member from bottom to top and secured by the locking member, the connection between the control arm and the steering knuckle can be achieved.

[0012] In some possible implementations, the connector and the ball pin are tapered, with the ball pin having a gradually decreasing shaft diameter along its insertion direction, and the inner diameter of the connector's insertion hole gradually decreasing. This tapered fit design between the connector and the ball pin prevents excessive pulling of the locking element when tightening the ball pin, which could crush the steering knuckle and cause torque loosening of the locking element, ensuring the reliability and stability of the connection and thus avoiding abnormal noise or breakage.

[0013] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle is provided, including a steering knuckle assembly provided in the present disclosure.

[0014] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this disclosure may include the following beneficial effects: In the steering knuckle assembly provided by this disclosure, the mating positions of the steering knuckle and the drive shaft are designed respectively. A multi-segment labyrinth groove structure is formed by the mating of a stepped shaft and a stepped hole. The multi-level steps form a tortuous path, which can prevent external water or stones from entering the mating gap, thereby avoiding them from entering the mating space with the wheel hub bearing, preventing damage to the wheel hub sensor, extending its service life, and ensuring the normal operation of the wheel speed sensor.

[0015] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a steering knuckle assembly according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of a steering knuckle assembly according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a partially enlarged view of a steering knuckle assembly according to an exemplary embodiment, showing the mating position of the stepped shaft and the stepped bore.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of a steering knuckle in a steering knuckle assembly according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0021] Figure 5 and Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a steering knuckle in a steering knuckle assembly according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0022] Figure 7 This is a partially enlarged view of a steering knuckle assembly according to an exemplary embodiment, showing the mounting portion.

[0023] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a control arm in a steering knuckle assembly according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0024] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0025] 1-Steering knuckle; 11-Mounting hole; 111-Stepped hole; 12-Deep groove; 13-Mounting part; 130-Slot; 131-Slot; 132-Lug; 133-Opening; 14-Receiving hole; 15-Recess; 150-End face; 2-Hub bearing; 3-Drive shaft; 31-Stepped shaft; 4-Shock absorber; 5-Locking element; 6-Control arm; 61-Ball pin; 611-Connecting section; 7-Connecting element. Detailed Implementation

[0026] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0027] In this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, directional terms such as "upper" and "lower" generally refer to the normal installation of the steering knuckle assembly provided in this disclosure. For details, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 2 The directions shown in the drawing, "inner" and "outer," can refer to the inner and outer contours of the corresponding component, or its location within or outside its surrounding environment, depending on the specific context. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 1 The direction indicated by the middle arrow. Additionally, when the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements.

[0028] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, this disclosure provides a steering knuckle assembly, which includes a steering knuckle 1, a hub bearing 2, and a drive shaft 3. The outer ring of the hub bearing 2 is connected to the steering knuckle 1, and the drive shaft 3 passes through a mounting hole 11 on the steering knuckle 1 and is connected to the inner ring of the hub bearing 2. The shaft diameter section of the drive shaft 3 that mates with the mounting hole 11 can be a stepped shaft 31, and the inner peripheral wall of the mounting hole 11 can be a stepped hole 111 that mates with the stepped shaft 31. Here, the number of steps of the stepped shaft 31 and the stepped hole 111 is not limited, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the stepped shaft 31 has at least two sections with different shaft diameters, and the shape of the stepped hole 111 can be matched with the stepped shaft 31.

[0029] In the steering knuckle assembly provided in this disclosure, the mating positions of the steering knuckle 1 and the drive shaft 3 are designed respectively. A multi-segment labyrinth groove structure is formed by the mating of the stepped shaft 31 and the stepped hole 111. The multi-level steps form a tortuous path, which can prevent external water or stones from entering the mating gap, thereby avoiding them from entering the mating space with the wheel hub bearing 2, preventing damage to the wheel hub sensor, extending its service life, and ensuring the normal operation of the sensor.

[0030] In this disclosure, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the stepped shaft 31 can be multi-segmented, and the shaft diameter of the multi-segment stepped shaft gradually decreases along the direction close to the hub bearing 2 (from the inside to the outside). Correspondingly, the stepped hole 111 can be multi-stepped, and the hole diameter of the multi-step stepped hole 111 gradually decreases along the direction from the inside to the outside. In this way, the drive shaft 3 can be installed from the inside of the steering knuckle 1 and inserted into the mounting hole 11 from the inside to the outside. The drive shaft 3 is fixedly connected to the inner ring of the hub bearing 2, while the hub bearing 2 is installed on the outside of the steering knuckle 1, so that it will not interfere with or affect the installation of the drive shaft 3.

[0031] In this disclosure, the gap between the stepped shaft 31 and the stepped hole 111 is between 0.3mm and 0.7mm. For example, a gap of 0.5mm or 0.6mm can be reserved between the stepped shaft 31 and the stepped hole 111 for easy assembly and disassembly.

[0032] In related technologies, the mating surfaces of the wheel hub bearing 2 and the steering knuckle 1 are in a close-fitting state. During steering, both undergo slight deformation, which can easily cause abnormal noise at the mating surface. In this disclosure, as... Figure 5 As shown, the end face of the steering knuckle 1 that mates with the wheel hub bearing 2 has a deep groove 12. At the location of the deep groove 12, the wheel hub bearing 2 and the steering knuckle 1 do not directly contact each other, reducing the contact area between them. When minor deformation occurs, the mating relationship between the two can be improved, avoiding abnormal noise. At the same time, the weight of the steering knuckle 1 can be reduced, achieving a lightweight design and solving the problem of abnormal noise easily generated at the mating surface of the wheel hub bearing 2 and the steering knuckle 1.

[0033] For example, such as Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the steering knuckle 1 has a recess 15 that matches the shape of the hub bearing 2. The hub bearing 2 contacts the end face 150 of the recess 15. A deep groove 12 is provided on the end face 150 of the recess 15. The deep groove 12 can be multiple arc-shaped grooves arranged at intervals along the circumference of the recess 15. The hub bearing 2 is installed in the recess 15, which can play a pre-positioning role for the hub bearing 2 and increase the connection strength between the hub bearing 2 and the steering knuckle 1. The number and shape of the deep groove 12 are not limited in this disclosure. In other embodiments, the deep groove 12 can also be a complete circle provided on the end face 150, or one or more square grooves, circular grooves, or irregularly shaped grooves, etc.

[0034] like Figure 1 and Figure 6 As shown, the steering knuckle assembly provided in this disclosure includes a shock absorber 4. The steering knuckle 1 has a mounting portion 13 for inserting the shock absorber 4. The side of the mounting portion 13 is provided with a slot 131 and the shock absorber 4 is fixed to the mounting portion 13 by fasteners (not shown in the figure).

[0035] For example, the mounting portion 13 can be a cylindrical structure that matches the shape of the shock absorber 4. The slot 131 extends to the upper and lower ends of the mounting portion 13. The degree of opening of the mounting portion 13 can be controlled according to the shaft diameter of the shock absorber 4, and the dimensions of the steering knuckle 1 before slotting can be controlled. Assembly is performed using specific tooling, so that the shock absorber 4 can be inserted into the slot 130 of the mounting portion 13 from above and tightened with fasteners, which can meet the clamping force requirements of the shock absorber 4. By optimizing the fit between the shock absorber 4 and the steering knuckle 1, the clamping force of the shock absorber 4 is increased. Under some extreme strength conditions, the shock absorber 4 is prevented from slipping due to insufficient fastener locking force, ensuring the stability of the four wheel parameters of the vehicle and thus ensuring the normal driving of the vehicle.

[0036] For example, such as Figure 6 As shown, the mounting part 13 has lugs 132 on both sides of the slot 131, and the fastener can pass through the opening 133 on the lug 132 to lock it. The lugs 132 can increase the contact surface between the steering knuckle 1 and the fastener, and increase the locking force of the fastener.

[0037] In addition, to further increase the clamping force on the shock absorber 4, the inner circumferential surface of the mounting part 13 has a frosted layer, which increases the secondary processing and the roughness of the mating surface to prevent the shock absorber 4 from slipping.

[0038] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 8 As shown, the steering knuckle assembly provided in this disclosure includes a control arm 6, a connecting member 7 press-fitted onto the steering knuckle 1, and a ball pin 61 of the control arm 6 passing through the connecting member 7 and fixed to the steering knuckle 1 by a locking member 5. By press-fitting the connecting member 7 into the receiving hole 14 at the lower part of the steering knuckle 1, and by having the ball pin 61 pass through the connecting member 7 from bottom to top and be fixed by the locking member 5, the connection between the control arm 6 and the steering knuckle 1 can be realized.

[0039] Furthermore, the traditional MacPherson strut suspension has limited space and insufficient clearance for assembly with the drive shaft 3, leading to difficulties in assembly and disassembly. In this disclosure, a clearance of more than 10mm is maintained between the control arm 6 and the drive shaft 3, facilitating the disassembly and assembly of components surrounding the steering knuckle 1.

[0040] like Figure 2 and Figure 8 As shown, the connector 7 and the ball pin 61 can be a tapered fit. Along the insertion direction of the ball pin 61, the ball pin 61 has a connecting section 611 with a gradually decreasing shaft diameter, and the inner diameter of the insertion hole of the connector 7 also gradually decreases. The tapered fit design of the connector 7 and the ball pin 61 prevents the locking member 5 from being pulled in too far when locking the ball pin 61, thus avoiding crushing of the steering knuckle 1 and preventing torque loosening of the locking member 5. This ensures the reliability and stability of the connection, thereby preventing abnormal noise or breakage. The taper of the connector 7 can be designed based on the taper of the connecting section 611 of the ball pin 61.

[0041] For example, such as Figure 1 As shown, when assembling the steering knuckle assembly provided in this disclosure, the shock absorber 4 is inserted into the slot 130 of the mounting part 13 above the steering knuckle 1 and fixed to the steering knuckle 1 by fasteners; the connector 7 is pressed into the receiving hole 14 of the steering knuckle 1, and the ball pin 61 of the control arm 6 is inserted into the connector 7 from bottom to top and locked by the locking member 5; the wheel hub bearing 2 is fixed to the outside of the steering knuckle 1 by bolts, and the drive shaft 3 is inserted into the mounting hole 11 from the inside and fixed to the wheel hub bearing 2. The drive shaft 3 and the steering knuckle 1 are clearance-fitted, thus completing the assembly of the entire steering knuckle assembly.

[0042] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a vehicle is provided that includes the steering knuckle assembly described above. This vehicle possesses all the beneficial effects of the aforementioned steering knuckle assembly, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0043] Furthermore, the term “exemplary” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as advantageous compared to other aspects or designs. Rather, the use of the term “exemplary” is intended to present the concept in a concrete manner. As used herein, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, “X applies A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive arrangements. That is, “X applies A or B” satisfies any of the foregoing instances if X applies A; X applies B; or both X applies A and B. Additionally, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context to refer to the singular form, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims are generally understood to mean “one or more.”

[0044] Similarly, although this disclosure has been shown and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent variations and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding this specification and the accompanying drawings. This disclosure includes all such modifications and variations and is limited only by the scope of the claims. In particular, with respect to the various functions performed by the components described above (e.g., elements, resources, etc.), unless otherwise indicated, the terminology used to describe such components is intended to correspond to any component (functionally equivalent) that performs the specific function of the described component, even if structurally not equivalent to the disclosed structure. Furthermore, although specific features of this disclosure may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such features may be combined with one or more other features of other implementations, as may be desired and advantageous to any given or particular application. Moreover, with regard to the terms “comprising,” “owning,” “having,” “having,” or variations thereof as used in the detailed description or claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “including.”

[0045] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the appended claims.

[0046] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

[0047] In the above detailed description, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate specific aspects of this disclosure by way of illustration. In this regard, terms indicating direction or positional relationship, such as “center,” “longitudinal,” “lateral,” “length,” “width,” “thickness,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” “outer,” “clockwise,” “counterclockwise,” “axial,” “radial,” and “circumferential,” are used with reference to the orientation of the described figures. Since components of the described device can be positioned in multiple different orientations, directional terms are used for illustrative purposes and not for limitation. It should be understood that other aspects can be utilized and structural or logical changes can be made without departing from the concept of this disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be considered limiting.

[0048] It should be understood that, unless otherwise specifically indicated, features of various embodiments of this disclosure described herein can be combined with each other. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any one of the relevant listed items and any combination of any two or more; similarly, “at least one of…” includes any one of the relevant listed items and any combination of any two or more.

[0049] It should be understood that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "joining," "attaching," "installing," "connecting," "linking," "fixing," etc., used in the embodiments of this disclosure should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a connection that allows communication between them; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms herein based on the specific circumstances.

[0050] Furthermore, the term "above" as used herein with respect to components, elements, or material layers formed or located "above" a surface may be used to indicate that the component, element, or material layer is "indirectly" positioned (e.g., placed, formed, deposited, etc.) on the surface such that one or more additional components, elements, or layers are arranged between the surface and the component, element, or material layer. However, the term "above" as used with respect to components, elements, or material layers formed or located "above" a surface may also optionally have a specific meaning: that the component, element, or material layer is "directly" positioned (e.g., placed, formed, deposited, etc.) on the surface, for example, in direct contact with the surface.

[0051] Although terms such as “first,” “second,” and “third” may be used herein to describe various components, parts, regions, layers, or sections, these components, parts, regions, layers, or sections are not limited to these terms. Rather, these terms are used only to distinguish one component, part, region, layer, or section from another. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the examples described herein, the first component, part, region, layer, or section mentioned in the examples may also be referred to as the second component, part, region, layer, or section. Furthermore, the terms “first” and “second” are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as “first” or “second” may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description herein, “a plurality” means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0052] It should be understood that spatial relative terms, such as “above,” “upper,” “below,” and “lower,” are used herein to describe the relationship between one element and another shown in the figures. In addition to the orientation depicted in the figures, these spatial relative terms are also intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if the device in the figures is flipped, an element described as “above” or “upper” relative to another element would be “below” or “lower” relative to that other element. Thus, depending on the spatial orientation of the device, the term “above” encompasses both above and below orientations. Devices may have other orientations (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relative terms used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

Claims

1. A knuckle assembly, characterized by, The device includes a steering knuckle, a hub bearing, and a drive shaft. The outer ring of the hub bearing is connected to the steering knuckle, and the drive shaft passes through a mounting hole on the steering knuckle and is connected to the inner ring of the hub bearing. The shaft diameter section of the drive shaft that mates with the mounting hole is a stepped shaft, and the inner circumferential wall of the mounting hole is a stepped hole that mates with the stepped shaft.

2. The knuckle assembly of claim 1, wherein, The stepped shaft is multi-segmented, and the diameter of the stepped shaft gradually decreases along the direction close to the hub bearing. The stepped hole is multi-stepped, and the diameter of the stepped hole gradually decreases along the direction from the outside to the inside.

3. The steering knuckle assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The end face of the steering knuckle that mates with the wheel hub bearing has a deep groove.

4. The steering knuckle assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that, The steering knuckle has a recessed portion that matches the shape of the wheel hub bearing. The wheel hub bearing fits against the end face of the recessed portion. The deep groove is provided on the end face of the recessed portion. The deep groove consists of multiple arc-shaped grooves and is arranged at intervals along the circumference of the recessed portion.

5. The steering knuckle assembly according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The steering knuckle assembly includes a shock absorber, the steering knuckle having a mounting portion for inserting the shock absorber, the mounting portion having a slot on its side and the shock absorber being fixed to the mounting portion by fasteners.

6. The steering knuckle assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that, The mounting part has lugs on both sides of the slot, and the fastener can pass through the opening on the lug to lock it in place.

7. The steering knuckle assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that, The inner circumferential surface of the mounting part has a frosted layer.

8. The steering knuckle assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The steering knuckle assembly includes a control arm, a connecting member press-fitted onto the steering knuckle, and a ball pin of the control arm passing through the connecting member and secured to the steering knuckle by a locking member.

9. The steering knuckle assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that, The connector and the ball pin are conical fits. Along the insertion direction of the ball pin, the ball pin has a connecting section with a gradually decreasing shaft diameter, and the inner diameter of the insertion hole of the connector gradually decreases.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that, The steering knuckle assembly included in any one of claims 1-9.

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