Guiding Link Bearing System for a Wheel Suspension of a Motor Vehicle

The present invention relates to a guiding link bearing system for a wheel suspension of a motor vehicle in which an elastic link bearing is supported at a carrier of the body structure of the vehicle.

From German Published Unexamined patent application No. 3,441,560, a vertical link bearing is known that is held via a bearing bracket reaching under the bearing, is connected with it via a screw and is fastened in a weld nut held on the side of the carrier. The bearing is held at the bearing bracket at a distance from the carrier, so that the remaining space is bridged by an end part of the elastic bearing sleeve that supports itself at the carrier. In this design, a constructively costly bearing holding means is required in order to absorb forces affecting the bearing that, in addition to the fixing via the screw at the carrier, requires the bearing bracket. As a result of the space that has to remain, the securing screw, during assembly, cannot be screwed in to the stop but only to a limited extent. This requires a measuring of the space that must remain. It is also a disadvantage in the case of this type of construction that as a result of the not rigidly limited threading depth, the elastic element is easily deformed and a desired bearing characteristic is no longer ensured.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a guiding link bearing system in which a direct introduction of force into the side member or carrier is ensured, and the link bearing is easily mountable from the direction of the underside of the vehicle.

This and other objectives are achieved in the present invention by providing a guiding link bearing arrangement with supporting arm means having a free lower end, this supporting arm means being fastened at upper and lower walls of the carrier. These upper and lower walls are separated a distance from one another, and the elastic link bearing is held at the free lower end.

The main advantages achieved by means of the invention are that the bearing can be easily placed at or fitted onto the supporting arm. A fixing takes place by a screw or by a nut without the distortion of the elastic element and thus a disadvantageous change of the bearing characteristic. This is possible because of the bush clamped in between the collar and the rebound plate. The fixing of the bearing via the screw at the carrier takes place without measurements, which have been hitherto required in the state of the art, because a space between the carrier and the bearing should be maintained in a certain manner in order to ensure a desired characteristic of the elastic element.

It is also an advantage of the present invention that forces affecting the bearing via the supporting arm are introduced directly into the carrier of the body structure of the vehicle. In this case, the double fastening, once in the upper carrier wall and once in the lower carrier wall, results in a relatively large support base. Thus, transverse and longitudinal forces are optimally absorbable and introduceable into the carrier without a tilting of the bearing.

The supporting arm for the fastening in the carrier is fitted from below into the openings and is fastened in these openings by a weld. So that for a carrier having a diagonally extending lower wall, a supporting is possible that is located in a horizontal plane, a bearing support is fastened at the carrier with a horizontal support surface that will then form a corresponding support for the collar of the supporting arm.

According to certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the collar of the supporting arm has longitudinal grooves having the same axes into which corresponding projections of the bush engage so that in longitudinal direction, a frictionally engaged connection and in transverse direction, a form-fitting connection is created between the supporting arm and the bush.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a lateral, partly sectional view of a link bearing constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a lateral, partly sectional view of a further preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional front view of the link bearing and supporting arm of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view according to the Line IV--IV of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a guiding link with the link bearing.

FIG. 6 is a lateral, partly sectional view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view according to the Line VII--VII of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a sectional representation of a preferred embodiment of an elastic bearing.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the bearing of FIG. 8 viewed in the direction of the Arrow Z.

As seen in the Figures, the guide link bearing system of the present invention comprises a supporting arm 1 that is fastened in a side member 2 and that on its end side below the side member or carrier 2 carries an elastic link bearing 3. This elastic link bearing 3 is connected with a wheel guiding link 4 that has another bearing 5 on the side of the body. Opposite these bearings 3 and 5, the wheel is coupled to a wheel carrier which is not shown in detail.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a supporting arm 1 with a holding nut 6. In further embodiments shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, the supporting arm la is equipped with a threaded bolt 7. The nut 6 as well as the bolt 7 have the same objective, namely to fix the link bearing 3 at the carrier 2.

The supporting arm 1; 1a; 1b (FIG. 6) extends in a vertical plane X--X through the carrier 2 (as shown in FIG. 3) and by self-substance (a weld) is fastened at the carrier 2 and a bearing support 8.

For the mounting, the supporting arm 1; 1a; 1b is fitted through an opening 9 into the bearing support 8 and through another opening 10 of a lower carrier wall 13. With its upper free end 12, the supporting arm 1; 1a; 1b is threaded into an opening 11 of the upper carrier wall 14. The welding of the supporting arm 1; 1a; 1b takes place at the upper carrier wall 14 as well as at the bearing support 8.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, at its free lower end 15, the supporting arm 1 has a bearing bolt 16 that comprises a holding collar 17 supporting itself at the bearing support 8. Between this holding collar 17 and a rebound plate 18, the link bearing 3 is arranged on the bolt 16, a bush 19 being clamped in between the collar 17 and the rebound plate 18. For the fastening, the nut 6 is used which, on the end side of the bolt 16, is screwed onto a threaded part 20 of the supporting arm 1.

The bush 19 supports itself directly at the collar 17 of the supporting arm 1. The collar 17, by means of the bearing support 8, supports itself at the carrier 2 or at the lower and upper carrier walls 13, 14 so that the occurring longitudinal and transverse forces cannot cause any tilting of the supporting arm because of the relatively large fastening base. In addition, the bearing center 21 is placed close to the supporting point of the arm at the bearing support 8.

According to the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the supporting arm la, at its lower end 15a that ends with the collar 17, has a threaded bore 22 for the threaded bolt 7. A rebound plate 18 is arranged on this bolt 7, a bush 19a of the bearing 3 being clamped in between this rebound plate 18 and the collar 17. This bush 19a supports itself directly at the holding collar 17 which, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, has longitudinal grooves 23 and 23a with the same axes (FIG. 4), into which corresponding projections 24, 25 of the opposing bush 19a engage. The projections 24, 25 hold the collar 17 with respect to the supporting arm 1a in longitudinal direction 26 in a frictionally engaged manner, and in transverse direction 27, in a form-fitting manner.

According to the preferred embodiment of the supporting arm 1b seen in FIG. 6, the supporting arm 1b, at its free end 15b, has a bearing core 28 projecting beyond the collar 17 that receives the elastic bearing 3. In the bearing core 28, a pocket bore 29 is provided that reaches over the collar 17. As a result, it becomes possible to provide a thread connection that is protected with respect to corrosion.

As seen in FIG. 9, the elastic bearing 3, in certain preferred embodiments, has an oval bush 19 that in transverse direction 30 is form-fitting with the bolt 16, but in longitudinal direction 31, has play with respect to the bolt 16. As a result, the bush 19 can shift within the scope of the ovality, so that tolerance deviations can be balanced. After the tightening of the nut 6, the bush 19 is held in a frictionally engaged manner in longitudinal direction 31.

The supporting arm 1; 1a; 1b in certain preferred embodiments, consists preferably of metal, such as steel or aluminum, but in other preferred embodiments is made of a plastic material and has a shape that tapers off in the direction of the upper free end 12.

As shown in detail in FIG. 5, the wheel suspension element comprises an A-arm that has a bearing 5 with a horizontal bearing axis that is located in front, viewed in driving direction F, whereas the rear elastic bearing 3 has a vertical axis and is coordinated in such a way that cardanic movements are possible.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only, and is not to be taken by way of limitation. The spirit and scope of the present invention are to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims.