Wheel carrier for a vehicle's wheel suspension

Abstract

Wheel carrier (10) for a wheel of a vehicle, comprising a support part (14) arranged on the wheel side, which is connected to a guide part (16) arranged on the body side, characterized in that the support part (14) and the guide part (16) are mounted against each other via at least three bearings (30), which in the installed state of the wheel carrier (10) each have an axis (A) aligned in the longitudinal direction (X) of the vehicle.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a wheel carrier for a wheel suspension of a vehicle of the type specified in the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to a wheel suspension with a wheel carrier as described above according to claim 6 and to a vehicle with a wheel suspension as described above according to claim 10.

[0002] In a vehicle with independent suspension, the wheels of each axle are movably connected to the vehicle body via a wheel suspension. The wheel suspension conventionally comprises a wheel carrier on which the vehicle wheel is rotatably and pivotably mounted, as well as wheel guidance elements, in particular control arms, which connect the wheel carrier to the vehicle body, especially via a subframe.

[0003] High ride comfort, especially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, requires significant elasticity in the wheel suspension. This is because the forces acting on the chassis when driving over obstacles such as potholes or expansion joints, as well as the natural vibrations of the tires, exhibit a broad frequency spectrum extending into the audible range. To decouple these forces and / or vibrations, the large-volume subframe bearings conventionally exhibit soft force-displacement characteristics in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0004] As a possible way to improve the design of a wheel suspension, multi-part wheel carriers are proposed in the prior art, which in particular allow further freedom with regard to an axle concept.

[0005] German patent DE 10 2006 054 200 A1 describes a multi-part wheel carrier for an axle of a multi-track vehicle, which is guided relative to the vehicle body by one or more wheel guidance elements. The wheel carrier comprises a wheel-side support part for receiving the wheel and a body-side guide part to which a wheel guidance element is articulated. The support part and the guide part are connected to each other by several elastomer elements or rubber-metal bearings.

[0006] EP 1 319 533 A1 relates to a wheel suspension for a motor vehicle, which includes a bearing element for the axis of rotation of the wheel to be suspended. The bearing element, which may in particular be designed as a steering knuckle or a spindle, is rotatably mounted on a support with respect to a substantially vertical axis, the vertical axis passing in close proximity to the wheel center or wheel center point.

[0007] EP 1 958 797 A1 discloses a wheel suspension for the steered wheels of an axle of a vehicle. The wheel suspension comprises a two-part wheel carrier, which has a wheel-side first component for rotatably receiving the respective wheel, wherein the first component is pivotally connected to a second body-side component via a bearing. The first component is connected to a steering device by means of a tie rod, and the second component is guided on the vehicle body by means of a linkage assembly articulated to the vehicle body and a telescopic shock absorber arranged approximately vertically and rigidly connected to the second component.

[0008] EP 1 958 797 B1 describes a wheel suspension comprising a two-part wheel carrier, which has a substantially U-shaped wheel-side support part for rotatably receiving the respective wheel. This support part is pivotably mounted on a guide part via two bearings defining a steering axis. The support part is connected to a steering device by means of a tie rod, and the guide part is guided on the vehicle body by means of a linkage assembly articulated to the vehicle body and a telescopic shock absorber arranged approximately vertically and rigidly connected to the second component. An auxiliary spring is provided on a link of the linkage assembly. It is supported against the guide part and counteracts a tilting moment resulting from the wheel's contact force.

[0009] DE 10 2017 201 615 A1 discloses a wheel suspension for a steered wheel of a vehicle axle. The wheel suspension comprises a wheel carrier, which is designed in two parts. The wheel carrier includes a wheel-side pivoting section, which is rotatably mounted about a first, substantially vertically oriented steering axis on a body-side support section. The support section is mounted on the body-side via a linkage assembly. The body-side support section is rotatably mounted about a second, substantially vertically oriented steering axis on a link of the linkage assembly, wherein the wheel-side pivoting section is connected to a link of the steering assembly by a track coupling.

[0010] EP 3 600 921 B1 relates to a wheel suspension with a wheel carrier. A carrier part supporting the wheel is arranged on the wheel side and has a first steering axis that allows a wheel turning within a predetermined range. The carrier part is connected to a guide part arranged on the body side via two bearings. The respective bearings have an axis oriented essentially in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The wheel suspension includes components for connecting the guide part to a vehicle chassis, with an optionally releaseable second steering axis assigned to the guide part or to one of the components.

[0011] DE 10 2020 001 445 A1 describes a wheel carrier with generic features, comprising a support part arranged on the wheel side and a guide part arranged on the body side. The support part is designed to accommodate a brake and a wheel bearing. A tie rod end joint for articulated connection with a tie rod, as well as an upper transverse flexure bearing and a lower transverse flexure bearing, are arranged on the guide part. The transverse flexure bearings define a geometric steering axis about which the guide part can pivot by means of a steering force applied to the tie rod end joint. The guide part and the support part are elastically connected to each other by bearings so as to pivot about a longitudinal axis of lateral force. The bearings are arranged and configured such that the longitudinal axis of lateral force intersects the road surface in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in front of the geometric steering axis and in front of the perpendicular dropped from the wheel axle to the road surface.

[0012] The invention is based on the objective of further developing a wheel carrier for a wheel suspension of a vehicle according to the type specified in the preamble of claim 1 in such a way that a high level of driving comfort is achieved with reduced weight and low installation space requirements.

[0013] This problem is solved by the characterizing features of claim 1 in conjunction with its preamble features.

[0014] The dependent claims constitute advantageous further developments of the invention.

[0015] In a known manner, the wheel carrier for a vehicle wheel is designed in multiple parts. The wheel carrier has a support part arranged on the wheel side and a guide part arranged on the body side, wherein the support part and the guide part are connected to each other, in particular via at least one bearing.

[0016] The support section of the wheel carrier serves to hold and rotatably mount a wheel. For this purpose, a wheel hub unit and a wheel bearing unit are arranged on the support section. Furthermore, a brake caliper and a brake disc may be mounted on the support section.

[0017] The wheel carrier's guide section is mounted to the vehicle body via a linkage assembly. This linkage assembly can include multiple wheel-guiding links that connect the guide section to the subframe and the body. The links feature elastically compliant bearings and, in addition to their wheel-guiding functions, also transmit stabilizer, spring, and damping forces.

[0018] Traditionally, the wheel carrier, when installed, absorbs the forces arising between the road surface and the wheel and transmits them via the linkage arrangement to the subframe, whose large-volume subframe bearings serve to reduce forces and to dampen vibration transmission to the vehicle body.

[0019] According to the invention, the support part and the guide part of the wheel carrier are mounted relative to each other via at least three bearings, each of which has an axis aligned in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle when the wheel carrier is installed. The bearings serve to connect and / or mutually support the guide part and the support part. They fulfill the function of transmitting movements and, on the other hand, absorbing loads, such as the longitudinal and lateral forces acting on the wheel carrier.

[0020] According to a preferred embodiment, the bearings are designed as rubber-metal bearings, each exhibiting higher stiffness in the radial direction than in the axial direction. Rubber-metal bearings are known to be suitable for shock-absorbing and vibration-isolating mounting of vehicle components. For example, rubber-metal bearings can be made of elastomeric materials. These materials possess inherent damping properties. As a result, the rubber-metal bearings connecting the carrier part to the guide part create a decoupling effect within the wheel carrier. This decoupling reduces the transmission of vibrations and noise from the carrier part to the guide part.

[0021] The rubber-metal bearings of the two-part wheel carrier are oriented and designed such that they exhibit significantly higher stiffness in the radial direction than in the axial direction. Generally, rubber-metal bearings offer a high degree of flexibility with regard to the adjustment of their characteristic properties and force-displacement curves. The compression-pressure behavior of a rubber-metal bearing is influenced by the material hardness on the one hand, and by the shape, form, and profile of the elastomer body on the other. Through the specific design of, for example, the bearing geometry and / or the material selection, a rubber-metal bearing can be precisely adapted to the respective application. For instance, the elastokinematics of a wheel suspension can be specifically influenced or adjusted by the orientation of the rubber-metal bearings and the selection of their elasticities in the various load directions.

[0022] The spring rates of the respective rubber-metal bearings of the wheel carrier according to the invention are set such that, while maintaining the same elastokinematic properties of the vehicle axle, a very high degree of additional longitudinal flexibility is introduced within the wheel carrier. For this purpose, the rubber-metal bearings arranged between the carrier part and the guide part are configured such that the respective axial force-displacement characteristic is very soft and extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. This means that the bearings exhibit high compliance in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, whereby the carrier part of the wheel carrier is connected to the guide part via a longitudinally flexible connection. This results in a high degree of elastic longitudinal suspension of the carrier part of the wheel carrier. For example, forces introduced into the carrier part via a wheel bearing, which cause a displacement of the wheel with the carrier part, are isolated and damped by the rubber-metal bearings in the wheel carrier.This results in a reduction of the transmission of disruptive forces to the guide element and thus to the steering assembly and the vehicle body. The mitigation and reduction of vibration and noise transmission to the body and therefore to the passenger compartment contributes significantly to a high level of driving comfort.

[0023] The axial characteristic curve of the respective rubber-metal bearings within the wheel carrier according to the invention can be selected to be so soft that the additional longitudinal softness introduced by the rubber-metal bearings in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle eliminates the need for a vibration-isolating connection of the wheel suspension via the subframe. This means that the rubber-metal bearings of the wheel carrier replace or compensate for the effect of the large-volume subframe bearings connected to the body, which conventionally serve to dampen vibrations and prevent their transmission to the vehicle structure. Consequently, the subframe can be rigidly connected to the body in a simplified design and / or integrated into the body in a weight- and space-saving manner without compromising ride comfort.

[0024] At the same time, the radial force-displacement characteristics of the respective rubber-metal bearings are very rigid with respect to the vehicle's transverse direction. As a result, the connection between the support element and the guide element exhibits high lateral stiffness and rigidity due to the necessary camber stiffness in the vehicle's transverse direction. Advantageously, despite the rigid connection of the support element in the transverse direction (i.e., high lateral stiffness), a high level of ride comfort is achieved through the longitudinally flexible connection of the support element, which minimizes the transmission of disruptive vibrations and forces into the vehicle body.

[0025] Preferably, the support part and / or the guide part form bearing receptacles for receiving the bearings. For example, the support part can form bearing receptacles in which the bearings for supporting the guide part are received. An alternative embodiment provides that the guide part forms bearing receptacles in which the bearings for supporting the support part are received. It is also possible that both the support part and the guide part are designed with bearing receptacles. The connection points between the support part and the guide part are preferably designed as bushing bearings, wherein an inner part of the respective bearing has a passage that serves to receive a pin or bolt, screw, or the like of the component of the wheel carrier to be supported.

[0026] According to a preferred embodiment, the support part and the guide part each have a base body, with the respective base bodies arranged one behind the other in the transverse direction of the vehicle. The base bodies are each arranged in a plane that spans essentially in the vertical and longitudinal directions of the vehicle, with the respective planes being arranged one behind the other, particularly in the transverse direction. That is, the wheel carrier is divided in a vertical plane. The respective base bodies can, for example, be designed as flat surfaces to save weight.

[0027] The respective base bodies of the support part and the guide part can be designed to accommodate further components. For example, they can have an opening, which is particularly centrally located and serves to accommodate a drive shaft.

[0028] Furthermore, the respective base bodies can be designed with legs that extend essentially in the same plane as the base body and project away from it. The free ends of the legs of the support part and / or the guide part can, for example, either be designed with bearing receptacles that serve to receive the rubber-metal bearings, or have a through-hole for receiving a bearing bolt or the like.

[0029] Preferably, the wheel-side support part is designed as a wheel bearing housing. The support part can be formed integrally with the wheel bearing housing, with the base body of the support part forming the wheel bearing housing. Alternatively, the wheel bearing housing can be bonded to the base body of the support part. The wheel bearing housing, in which the wheel bearing is arranged, is directly connected to the guide part via the rubber-metal bearings. This results in simple assembly of the wheel bearing to the support part. Furthermore, the support part designed as a wheel bearing housing advantageously exhibits high rigidity. Weight savings are achieved by reducing the number of components.

[0030] Furthermore, the invention relates to a wheel suspension for a wheel of an axle of a vehicle, wherein the wheel suspension comprises, in a known manner, a multi-part wheel carrier on which the wheel is rotatably and pivotably mounted and which is articulated to the vehicle body via a linkage arrangement. According to the invention, the wheel suspension has a wheel carrier as described above.

[0031] According to a preferred embodiment, the linkage assembly of the wheel suspension, arranged on the wheel carrier, is directly connected to the vehicle body. Conventionally, longitudinal flexibility of the wheel suspension is achieved by the large-volume subframe bearings through which the subframe is connected to the body. Subframe bearings exhibit high stiffness in the transverse direction of the vehicle and low stiffness or high compliance in the longitudinal direction, thereby reducing force transmission, preventing unwanted vibration excitations from reaching the body, and suppressing the transmission of structure-borne noise. Advantageously, the multi-part wheel carrier achieves high longitudinal elasticity by utilizing the very soft axial characteristic curve of the respective rubber-metal bearings that connect the carrier part and the guide part.Longitudinal flexibility or springiness of the wheel suspension reduces the impact force when driving over an obstacle. The vibration- and noise-damping properties of the rubber-metal bearings of the wheel carrier reduce the transmission of forces, vibrations, and road noise absorbed by the carrier to the guide element and thus to the body and passenger compartment. This means that the longitudinal flexibility of the wheel suspension required for a high level of ride comfort is achieved through the split design of the wheel carrier and the alignment of the rubber-metal bearings. The longitudinal elasticity is selected or set to be so soft that the vibration-isolating function of the subframe bearings, which connect the subframe to the body, is eliminated. In other words, the connection of the control arm assembly, particularly to the subframe of a rear axle of the vehicle, becomes unnecessary.This means that the subframe, for example for the rear axle, can be omitted or integrated into the body, and the suspension linkage is directly connected to the body. This advantageously simplifies the vehicle's construction, reduces its weight, and increases the available installation space, resulting in a more compact package.

[0032] According to a preferred embodiment, the linkage is designed as a double wishbone assembly comprising an upper wishbone, a lower wishbone, and a track rod. This simplifies the linkage between the wheel carrier and the vehicle body. The guide element is connected directly to the vehicle body, for example, via two triangular links arranged above and below the wheel center for force distribution. The wishbones can each be arranged on the guide element via a hinge-like pivot point, with the base of the guide element having, for example, legs that fork around the pivot point. It is also conceivable that the wishbones are each connected to the guide element of the wheel carrier via a ball joint.Fixing the guide element via the connection to the control arms reduces its degrees of freedom and results in increased stiffness of the wheel suspension. Furthermore, the guide element's base body has a projection to which the track rod is connected, defining the wheel's track.

[0033] Alternatively, the suspension linkage can be designed as a multi-link system with four or five individual control arms. Multi-link axles offer advantageously greater flexibility in the spatial arrangement of the individual control arms.

[0034] The invention further relates to a vehicle comprising a wheel suspension as described above.

[0035] Further advantages and application possibilities of the present invention will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the embodiment shown in the drawing.

[0036] In the drawing, this means: Fig. 1 a first embodiment of a wheel carrier according to the invention; Fig. 2 a further embodiment of a wheel carrier according to the invention; and Fig. 3 a top view of a wheel carrier according to the invention Fig. 1.

[0037] In Fig. 1 to Fig. Figure 3 shows a wheel carrier according to the invention, designated overall by reference numeral 10, for a wheel suspension of a rear axle of a multi-track vehicle.

[0038] In Fig. Figure 1 is a spatial representation of a multi-part wheel carrier 10 of a wheel suspension 12, shown in a side view obliquely from the front. The wheel carrier 10 is designed in two parts and comprises a support part 14 arranged on the wheel side and a guide part 16 arranged on the vehicle body side. The support part 14 and the guide part 16 are arranged one behind the other in the transverse direction Y of the vehicle. They each have a base body 18, 42, which has a substantially planar shape and which is spanned approximately in a plane that, in the installed state of the wheel carrier 10, extends in the vertical direction Z of the vehicle and in the transverse direction X of the vehicle.

[0039] The support part 14 is designed to receive and rotatably mount a wheel (not shown). A wheel hub unit 20 is arranged on the base body 18 of the support part 14. The wheel can be attached to the wheel hub unit 20 with brake discs (not shown) inserted between the wheel and the hub unit. A brake caliper 22 is also arranged on the support part 14.

[0040] The wheel hub unit 20 is arranged on a wheel bearing housing 24, which is screwed to the base body 18 of the support part 14. The wheel bearing housing 24 has an opening 26, which can, for example, serve to accommodate a drive shaft. A wheel bearing (not shown) is housed in the wheel bearing housing 24 and serves to support and guide the wheel. The wheel bearing absorbs forces occurring at the wheels during acceleration, braking, and cornering and transmits them to the support part 14.

[0041] The base body 18 of the support part 14 is formed with legs 28, which are arranged essentially in the same plane XZ as the respective base body 18. In this case, a pair of legs 28 project upwards and downwards from the base body 18 in the vehicle's vertical direction Z. At their free ends, the legs 28 of the support part 14 are connected to the guide part 16 via bearings 30. The legs 28 of the support part 14 have bearing receptacles 32 in which rubber-metal bearings 30 are arranged, each bearing having an inner part with a through-hole 34. The through-hole 34 serves to receive a bearing bolt or the like in order to connect the guide part 16, which is to be supported in this case, to the support part 14.

[0042] According to the invention, the support part 14 and the guide part 16 are mounted relative to each other by at least three rubber-metal bearings 30, each aligned with respect to an axis A extending in the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle. In this case, the support part 14 and the guide part 16 of the wheel carrier 10 are connected to each other by four rubber-metal bearings 30. The rubber-metal bearings 30 are arranged such that the radial characteristic line of the rubber-metal bearings 30, which is very hard, is oriented in the transverse direction Y of the vehicle. This results in the support part 14 being arranged in the transverse direction Y of the vehicle via a rigid connection to the guide part 16, which advantageously provides high camber stiffness.

[0043] The rubber-metal bearings 30 are designed in such a way that the vibration-isolating subframe bearings can be dispensed with. This means that the rubber-metal bearings each have a very soft axial characteristic line, which is specifically aligned in the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle. This achieves the necessary longitudinal softness of the support part 14 in the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle, which reduces or largely prevents the transmission and penetration of vibrations caused by road surface and wheel vibrations into the guide part 16 of the wheel carrier 10, thereby ensuring a high level of driving comfort.

[0044] The wheel carrier 10 according to the invention is installed in a double wishbone independent wheel suspension 12. In the vehicle's vertical direction Z, an upper wishbone 36 and a lower wishbone 38 are arranged above and below the opening 26, which corresponds to a wheel center. The wishbones 36, 38 are each connected to the guide part 16 via an elastic pivot point 40 and to the vehicle body (not shown) via two pivot points 41. The base body 42 of the guide part 16 forms two pairs of legs 44. As can be seen from the Fig. As shown in Figure 3, one pair of legs 44 projects upwards in the vehicle vertical direction Z, and the other pair of legs projects downwards in the vehicle vertical direction Z away from the base body 42. At their free ends, the pairs of legs 44 each engage a pivot point 40 in a fork-like manner.

[0045] In Fig. 1 On the base body 42 of the guide part 16, a projection 46 is formed on which a track link 48 is arranged, which defines the track of the wheel.

[0046] In Fig. 2 to Fig. The three elements are structurally and functionally identical to the others. Fig. 1 marked with the same reference symbols and not described again.

[0047] Fig. Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of a wheel carrier 10 of a wheel suspension 12 according to the invention. The wheel carrier 10 according to the invention is divided and comprises a wheel-side support part 14 and a body-side guide part 16, which are each mounted against each other via four rubber-metal bearings 30.

[0048] In this case, the wheel-side support part 14 is formed integrally with the wheel bearing housing 24, with the base body 18 of the support part 14 forming the wheel bearing housing 24. The wheel bearing housing 24 is directly connected to the guide part 16 via the rubber-metal bearings 30. This design achieves high rigidity of the support part 14 of the wheel carrier 10 and allows for simple assembly of the wheel bearing located in the wheel bearing housing 24 to the guide part 16. Furthermore, weight savings are achieved by reducing the number of components of the wheel suspension 12.

[0049] In Fig.Figure 3 shows a top view of the wheel carrier 10 according to the invention in the transverse direction Y of the vehicle. It is clearly visible that the carrier part 14 and the guide part 16 are mounted relative to each other via four rubber-metal bearings 30, the bearings 30 each being aligned with respect to an axis A extending in the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle. The axial characteristic curve of the respective rubber-metal bearings 30 is selected to be sufficiently flexible such that the wheel-side carrier part 14 is given the necessary longitudinal flexibility in the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle, which eliminates the need for a vibration-isolating connection of the linkage assembly via the subframe. The additional, high longitudinal flexibility provided by the wheel carrier 10 according to the invention makes it possible to dispense with the large-volume subframe bearings.Thus, the steering arrangement can be directly attached to the body, eliminating the subframe, especially of the rear axle, as a chassis component and instead integrating it into the body in a weight- and space-saving manner.

Claims

[1] Wheel carrier (10) for a wheel of a vehicle, comprising a support part (14) arranged on the wheel side, which is connected to a guide part (16) arranged on the body side, characterized by , that the support part (14) and the guide part (16) are supported against each other by at least three bearings (30), which in the installed state of the wheel carrier (10) each have an axis (A) aligned in the longitudinal direction (X) of the vehicle. [2] Wheel carrier according to claim 1, characterized by , that the bearings (30) are designed as rubber-metal bearings (30), each exhibiting a higher stiffness in the radial direction than in the axial direction. [3] Wheel carrier according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by , that the support part (14) and / or the guide part (16) form bearing receptacles (32) for receiving the bearings (30). [4] Wheel carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by, that the carrier part (14) and the guide part (16) each have a base body (18, 42), wherein the respective base bodies (18, 42) are arranged one behind the other in the transverse direction (Y) of the vehicle. [5] Wheel carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by , that the wheel-side support part (14) is designed as a wheel bearing housing (24). [6] Wheel suspension (12) for a wheel of an axle of a vehicle, comprising a multi-part wheel carrier (10) on which the wheel is rotatably and pivotably mounted, and wherein the wheel carrier (10) is articulated to the body side via a linkage arrangement, characterized by , that the wheel carrier (10) is designed according to one of claims 1 to 5. [7] Wheel suspension according to claim 6, characterized by that the steering mechanism is directly connected to the vehicle's body. [8] Wheel suspension according to claim 7, characterized by, that the linkage arrangement is designed as a double wishbone linkage arrangement comprising an upper wishbone (36), a lower wishbone (38) and a track link (48). [9] Wheel suspension according to claim 7, characterized by that the steering arrangement is designed as a multi-link arrangement, which has four or five rod links. [10] Vehicle comprising a wheel suspension (12) for the wheels of an axle, wherein the wheel suspension (12) has a wheel carrier (10) which is mounted on the body side via a linkage arrangement, characterized by , that the wheel suspension (12) is designed according to one of claims 6 to 9.

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