Locking element for a ball and ball joint with such a locking element

Abstract

The invention relates to a locking element (2) for a ball-and-socket joint (1) comprising a locking section (11) for closing a housing opening (3) and a mounting section (5) for attaching an electronic component (6). In order to be able to secure the locking element (2) to the joint housing (4) without deforming any part of the joint housing (4), the locking element (2) is characterized in that the locking section (11) is designed as a hollow spherical segment.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a closure element for a ball and pivot joint, comprising a closure portion for closing a housing opening and a fastening portion for arranging an electronic component. Furthermore, the invention relates to a ball and pivot joint comprising such a closure element and a joint housing, wherein a first housing opening of the joint housing is closed by means of the closure element, and a ball pivot, wherein a joint ball of the ball pivot is mounted in a bearing shell for articulation, and the bearing shell is arranged in a housing recess of the joint housing.

[0002] Such a closure element and such a ball and socket joint are known from DE 10 2020 207 193 A1. Here, the closure element in the form of a closure cover is arranged from the outside on or over the housing opening to be closed, with a housing edge of the joint housing subsequently being formed or flanged to secure the closure element. The closure section is plate-like and flat.

[0003] However, there are ball and socket joints where plastic deformation of a housing edge to fix the locking element is not possible or not desired.

[0004] The object underlying the invention is to further develop a closure element and / or a ball and socket joint of the type mentioned above such that the closure element can be secured to the joint housing without deforming a part of the joint housing. In particular, an alternative embodiment is to be provided.

[0005] The object underlying the invention is achieved with a closure element according to claim 1 and by means of a ball and socket joint according to claim 5. Preferred developments of the invention can be found in the subclaims and in the following description.

[0006] The locking element is designed for a ball and stud joint, in particular in a vehicle. The locking element and / or the ball and stud joint is preferably designed for a chassis component in a chassis of a motor vehicle or is arranged in a chassis of a motor vehicle. Thus, the ball and stud joint and / or the locking element can be a component of a chassis and / or a chassis component. Ball and stud joints are used in a variety of ways in vehicle construction. In the chassis in particular, ball and stud joints are used to articulate chassis components or parts, such as control arms, wheel carriers, tie rods, or the like, to one another or to the vehicle body or an axle carrier attached thereto.

[0007] The closure element has a closure portion for closing a housing opening and a fastening portion for arranging an electronic component. In particular, the closure portion assumes the actual closure function of the closure element for closing the housing opening, while the fastening portion provides an additional function for arranging or fastening the separate electronic component. According to the invention, the closure portion is designed as a hollow spherical segment.

[0008] The advantage here is that the design of the closure section as a hollow spherical segment allows for an alternative arrangement of the closure element on the joint housing and for closing the housing opening. In particular, this arrangement on the joint housing makes it possible to avoid the need to reshape a part of the joint housing, for example, a housing edge, for securing it to the joint housing. The hollow spherical segment preferably forms a housing cap that can be inserted into the housing opening.

[0009] In particular, the closure portion, preferably the hollow spherical segment, has a concave inner surface. The fastening portion is formed on an outer side facing away from the inner surface, preferably of the closure portion or the closure element. The outer side can be formed by means of an annular spherical surface segment and the fastening portion. The fastening portion can be formed centrally to the annular spherical surface segment. Preferably, at least the annular spherical surface segment is convexly curved.

[0010] In particular, the concave or convex formations mentioned in the context of this invention arise in relation to a center point of the ball and socket joint and / or to a center point of a joint ball of a ball stud of the ball and socket joint.

[0011] According to a further development, the fastening section has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface. When the closure element is mounted in a ball and socket joint, the cylindrical outer peripheral surface can extend longitudinally and / or coaxially to a central longitudinal axis of the ball and socket joint and / or the joint housing. In particular, an annular groove is formed in a transition region from the cylindrical outer peripheral surface to the annular spherical surface segment. A sealing element, in particular a sealing ring, can be arranged in the annular groove. The sealing element can be designed as a separate or independent component of the closure element. The sealing element reliably prevents moisture from penetrating the interior of the ball and socket joint.

[0012] The closure element is preferably made of a non-ferromagnetic material, in particular aluminum. In particular, the closure element is formed as a single piece. The closure section and the fastening section thus form a single-piece component. The fastening section can have two ring sections and / or an insertion groove for arranging the electronic component. The electronic component can preferably be fastened in or to the fastening section as an independent and / or separate component from the closure element. The positive connection between the fastening section and the electronic component can result in a clearly predetermined, directional assembly of the electronic components with respect to the closure element.

[0013] A ball and pivot joint with a closure element according to the invention is particularly advantageous. The ball and pivot joint has a joint housing, wherein a first housing opening of the joint housing is closed by means of the closure element. Furthermore, the ball and pivot joint has a ball stud, wherein a joint ball of the ball stud is mounted in a bearing shell for articulation. In particular, the bearing shell is made of a plastic. The bearing shell is arranged in a housing recess of the joint housing. The housing recess can be designed like a hollow sphere. The closure element is arranged in a form-fitting manner between an inner housing side of the joint housing, which at least partially forms the housing recess, and an outer side of the bearing shell. In particular, the closure element is inserted or inserted in a form-fitting manner into the inner housing side.Preferably, the outer side of the closure section and / or the annular spherical surface segment rests against the inner side of the housing, and the inner side of the hollow spherical segment of the closure section rests against the outer side of the bearing shell. Thus, the closure element is fixed between the joint housing and the bearing shell. No deformation of a part of the joint housing is necessary to fix the closure element.

[0014] According to a further embodiment, the housing recess has an annular depression surrounding the inside of the first housing opening. In particular, the annular depression is formed in the inside of the housing. The annular depression partially forms the inside of the housing. Furthermore, the annular depression is designed to correspond in shape to the form-fitting reception of the annular spherical surface segment of the closure element. Preferably, the annular depression forms an annular spherical surface section. This annular spherical surface section of the recess is designed to form-correspondingly engage the annular spherical surface segment of the closure element. In particular, the annular spherical surface segment is supported on the annular depression of the housing recess.

[0015] According to a further development, an inner diameter of the first housing opening is configured to correspond in shape to the outer diameter of the cylindrical outer circumferential surface of the fastening section of the closure element. Thus, the fastening section is received and held in the first housing opening by means of the cylindrical outer circumferential surface. The first housing opening and the cylindrical outer circumferential surface can be configured relative to one another in such a way that a press fit is realized between an edge of the first housing opening and the outer circumferential surface of the fastening section.

[0016] Alternatively, the inner diameter of the first housing opening can be at least partially larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical outer circumferential surface of the fastening section of the closure element. As a result, an air gap is at least partially formed between the inner diameter of the first housing opening and the outer diameter of the cylindrical outer circumferential surface. This air gap can contribute to a lesser deflection of a magnetic field and / or to an improvement or increase in the magnetic flux that can be measured, for example, by means of the electronic component. The magnetic field can originate from a magnet arranged in the ball stud. To prevent the penetration of moisture, an annular groove can be formed in a transition region from the cylindrical outer circumferential surface to the annular spherical surface segment, in which an annular groove a sealing element, in particular a sealing ring, is arranged.

[0017] The bearing shell is preferably supported on the concave inner surface of the closure element, in particular the hollow spherical segment of the closure section. This holds the closure element between the housing interior and the bearing shell. In particular, the bearing shell is designed as a hollow sphere. The bearing shell preferably has an opening that coincides with a second housing opening of the joint housing. The bearing shell preferably bears against the entire concave inner surface of the closure element.

[0018] According to a further embodiment, the closure element has a first anti-rotation section, and the joint housing, particularly in the region of the first housing opening, has a second anti-rotation section. The first anti-rotation section and the second anti-rotation section interact in a form-fitting manner, thereby preventing rotation of the closure element, particularly about the central longitudinal axis of the ball and socket joint and / or the joint housing.

[0019] Preferably, a pin portion of the ball pin extends outwardly from the joint ball through a second housing opening of the joint housing facing away from and / or opposite the first housing opening. In particular, the second housing opening for inserting the closure element has an inner diameter that is larger than an outer diameter of the closure element.

[0020] To assemble the ball and stud joint, the locking element is preferably first inserted through the second housing opening into the housing recess and inserted into the ring-shaped recess in the housing interior in the region of the first housing opening. The ball stud is then inserted together with the bearing shell through the second housing opening into the housing recess so that the outer side of the bearing shell rests against the inner side of the locking section of the locking element. In particular, a locking ring is then fixed in the region of the second housing opening so that the ball stud is held in the housing recess or in the bearing shell in an articulated manner. In particular, the bearing shell is held in the housing recess in a rotationally fixed manner.

[0021] In particular, the electronic component has a sensor element. The electronic component can interact with a magnet or another electronic component to form a sensor device. For example, the magnet or the other electronic component can be assigned to the ball stud. In particular, a magnet is arranged in or on the joint ball of the ball stud. By means of such a sensor device, for example, the position of the ball stud in the ball-and-socket joint and / or in relation to the joint housing can be determined. A corresponding sensor device can be designed as an angle sensor device.

[0022] Preferably, the ball-and-socket joint is further developed according to the embodiments explained in connection with the closure element according to the invention described here. Furthermore, the closure element described here can be further developed according to the embodiments explained in connection with the ball-and-socket joint.

[0023] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. Like reference numerals refer to like, similar, or functionally identical components or elements. They show: Fig. 1 a perspective side view of a ball and socket joint according to the invention with a closure element according to the invention, Fig. 2 a section of a sectional side view of the ball and socket joint according to the invention according to Fig. 1, Fig. 3 a perspective first view of the closure element according to the invention according to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 a perspective view of a joint housing for the ball and socket joint according to the invention according to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

[0024] Fig. 1 shows a perspective side view of a ball and socket joint 1 according to the invention with a closure element 2 according to the invention. A first housing opening 3 of a joint housing 4 is closed by means of the closure element 2. The closure element 2 has a fastening section 5 (not shown in detail here). An electronic component 6 is arranged or fastened to the fastening section 5. In this exemplary embodiment, the electronic component 6 is part of a sensor device and has a sensor element (not shown in detail here), wherein the sensor element is designed to detect or measure a magnetic field.

[0025] In this embodiment, the joint housing 4 has an alignment groove 7. The electronic component 6 is at least partially arranged in the alignment groove 7. Thus, the electronic component is aligned in a clearly defined position relative to the joint housing 4 by means of the alignment groove 7.

[0026] The ball and pivot joint 1 has a ball pivot 8. The ball pivot 8 is articulated in the joint housing 4. A pivot portion 9 of the ball pivot 8 extends out of the joint housing 4 from a second housing opening 10, not shown in detail here.

[0027] Fig. 2 shows a section of a sectional side view of the ball and socket joint 1 according to the invention according to Fig. 1. In addition to the fastening section 5, the closure element 2 has a closure section 11. The closure element 2 is formed integrally with the fastening section 5 and the closure section 11.

[0028] The closure portion 11 is designed as a hollow spherical segment. Accordingly, the closure portion 11 has a concave inner side 12. The fastening portion 5 is formed on an outer side 13 of the closure element 2, facing away from the inner side 12. The outer side 13 is formed by an annular spherical surface segment 14 and the fastening portion 5. The fastening portion 5 is formed centrally with respect to the annular spherical surface segment 14.

[0029] The ball and socket joint 1 has a bearing shell 15. The bearing shell 15 is arranged in a housing recess 16 of the joint housing 4. The housing recess 16 is essentially hollow spherical in shape. The bearing shell 15 rests against the concave inner side 12 of the closure element 2. As a result, the closure element 2 is positioned and held between a housing inner side 17 and the bearing shell 15.

[0030] In this exemplary embodiment, the housing recess 16 has an annular depression 22 surrounding the first housing opening 3 on the inside. The annular depression 22 is formed in the housing inner side 17 or partially forms the housing inner side 17. The annular depression 22 is designed to correspond in shape to the positive reception of the annular spherical surface segment 14 of the closure element 2. Here, the annular depression 22 is filled by the closure element 2 or the annular spherical surface segment, flush with the housing inner side 17, outside the depression 22.

[0031] The bearing shell 15 is essentially hollow spherical in shape. Furthermore, the bearing shell 15, in the area of ​​the closure element 2, lies fully against the entire concave inner side 12 of the closure section 11. A joint ball 26 of the ball stud 8 is arranged in the bearing shell 15 according to Fig. 1 jointed movable.

[0032] The fastening section 5 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 18. The cylindrical outer peripheral surface 18 extends longitudinally and coaxially with a central longitudinal axis 19 of the ball and socket joint 1. In this exemplary embodiment, an annular groove 20 is formed in a transition region from the cylindrical outer peripheral surface 18 to the annular spherical surface segment 14. A sealing element 21, in this exemplary embodiment in the form of a sealing ring, is arranged in the annular groove 20.

[0033] Fig. 3 shows a perspective first view of the closure element 2 according to the invention according to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. The ring-like spherical surface segment 14 of the closure section 11 and the fastening section 5 formed centrally thereto are clearly visible.

[0034] In this exemplary embodiment, the fastening section 5 has two ring sections 23, 24 and an insertion groove 25 for arranging the electronic component 6 (not shown here). The electronic component 6 can be fastened in a form-fitting manner in or on the fastening section 5. Due to the form-fitting connection between the fastening section 5 with its components in the form of the ring sections 23, 24 and the insertion groove 25 on the one hand and the electronic component 6 on the other hand, a clearly predetermined oriented mounting of the electronic components 6 with respect to the closure element 2 can result.

[0035] Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the joint housing 4 for the ball and socket joint 1 according to the invention according to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. The second housing opening 10 and the housing recess 16 can be clearly seen. The second housing opening 16 for inserting the closure element 2 (not shown in detail here) has an inner diameter that is larger than an outer diameter of the closure element 2. Accordingly, the inner diameter of the first housing opening 3 is smaller than the inner diameter of the second housing opening 10.

[0036] In addition, the recess 17 surrounding the first housing opening 3 can be seen in the housing inner side 17, into which the closure element 2 fits in the assembled state according to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 is used to close the first housing opening 3. Reference symbol 1 ball stud joint 2 locking element 3 first housing opening 4 joint housings 5 Fastening section 6 electrical components 7 Alignment groove 8 ball studs 9 Tenon section 10 second housing opening 11 Closure section 12 concave inside 13 Outside 14 ring-like spherical surface segment 15 bearing shell 16 Housing recess 17 Inside the housing 18 cylindrical outer peripheral surface 19 Central longitudinal axis 20 ring groove 21 Sealing element 22 ring-like depression 23 ring section 24 ring section 25 Insertion groove 26 joint ball QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 10 2020 207 193 A1

[0002]

Claims

[1] Closure element for a ball and socket joint (1) and with a closure section (11) for closing a housing opening (3) and with a fastening section (5) for arranging an electronic component (6), characterized by that the closure section (11) is designed as a hollow sphere segment. [2] Closure element according to claim 1, characterized by in that the closure section (11) has a concave inner side (12), wherein the fastening section (5) is formed on an outer side (13) facing away from the inner side (12), in particular the outer side (13) is formed by means of an annular spherical surface segment (14) and the fastening section (5), preferably the fastening section (5) is formed centrally to the annular spherical surface segment (14). [3] Closure element claim 2, characterized bythat the fastening section (5) has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface (18), in particular an annular groove (20) is formed in a transition region from the cylindrical outer peripheral surface (18) to the annular spherical surface segment (14), preferably a sealing element (21) is arranged in the annular groove (20). [4] Closure element according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the closure element (2) is made of a non-ferromagnetic material and / or is formed in one piece, in particular the fastening section (5) has two ring sections (23, 24) and / or an insertion groove (25) for arranging the electronic component (6). [5] Ball and socket joint with a closure element (2) according to one of the preceding claims, with a joint housing (4), wherein a first housing opening (3) of the joint housing (4) is closed by means of the closure element (2), and with a ball stud (8), wherein a joint ball (26) of the ball stud (8) is mounted in a bearing shell (15) in an articulated manner, and the bearing shell (15) is arranged in a housing recess (16) of the joint housing (4), characterized by that the closure element (2) is arranged in a form-fitting manner between an inner side (17) of the joint housing (4), which at least partially forms the housing recess (16), and an outer side of the bearing shell (15). [6] Ball joint according to claim 5, characterized byin that the housing recess (16) has an annular depression (22) surrounding the first housing opening (3) on the inside, wherein the annular depression (22) partially forms the housing inner side (17) and the annular depression (22) is designed to correspond in shape to the positive reception of the annular spherical surface segment (14) of the closure element (2), in particular the annular spherical surface segment (14) is supported on the annular depression (22) of the housing recess (16). [7] Ball joint according to claim 5 or 6, characterized bythat an inner diameter of the first housing opening (3) is designed to correspond in shape to an outer diameter of a cylindrical outer circumferential surface (18) of the fastening section (5) of the closure element (2) or that the inner diameter of the first housing opening (3) is at least partially larger than an outer diameter of the cylindrical outer circumferential surface (18) of the fastening section (5) of the closure element (2), so that an air gap is at least partially formed between the inner diameter of the first housing opening (3) and the outer diameter of the cylindrical outer circumferential surface (18). [8] Ball joint according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized bythat the bearing shell (15) is supported on a concave inner side (12) of the closure element (2), in particular the bearing shell (15) is designed like a hollow sphere, preferably the bearing shell (15) lies fully against the entire concave inner side (12) of the closure element (2). [9] Ball joint according to one of claims 5 to 8, characterized by in that the closure element (2) has a first anti-rotation section and the joint housing (4), in particular in the region of the first housing opening (3), has a second anti-rotation section, wherein the first anti-rotation section and the second anti-rotation section interact in a form-fitting manner, whereby rotation of the closure element (2) is prevented. [10] Ball joint according to one of claims 5 to 9, characterized bythat a pin section (9) of the ball pin (8) extends outwards from the joint ball (26) through a second housing opening (10) of the joint housing (4) facing away from and / or opposite the first housing opening (3), in particular the second housing opening (10) for inserting the closure element (2) has an inner diameter which is larger than an outer diameter of the closure element (2).

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