FORM 2
THE PATENT ACT 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
The Patents Rules, 2003 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See Section 10, and rule 13)
1. TITLE OF INVENTION MOTOR-VEHICLE CHASSIS UNIT

2. APPLICANT(S)
a) Name :ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
b) Nationality :GERMAN Company
c) Address :8803 8 FRIEDRICHSHAFEN
GERMANY

3. PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed : -

The invention relates to a motor-vehicle chassis unit according to the pre-characterised clause of claim 1, and also to a joint and/or bearing arrangement for said unit.
In motor-vehicle chassis units, it is known practice, for the purpose of connecting, for example, a lower transverse link to the wheel-carrier supported on said link, to fix a joint arrangement on that end of the transverse link which is nearest the wheel, said joint arrangement being fixedly mounted, for this purpose, on a supporting plate provided with three slots. Said supporting plate can then be screwed to the end of the transverse link, the slots providing the possibility of adjustment.
The joint pin projecting upwards from the supporting plate reaches through the wheel-carrier and can be secured above the latter by a screw connection.
As a result, the outlay on assembly is high. The screw connection is difficult of access since it lies on that side of the wheel-carrier that faces towards the hub. This applies particularly in the case of driven axles, in which the drive shaft lies, with its enveloping sealing gaiter, close to that arm of the wheel-carrier which is connected to the transverse bar. In particular, this makes subsequent replacement of the joint considerably more difficult.
In addition, with this arrangement, that arm of the wheel-carrier which is connected to the transverse bar has to be designed in such a way that it is far enough away, radially, from the hub to still actually allow the possibility of access to the screw connection. Because of the arrangement of the arm in a manner situated a long way out radially, said arm is nevertheless very closely adjacent to the wheel flange, so that problems of space arise in this respect too.
The problem underlying the invention is to achieve an improvement in a motor-vehicle chassis unit.


The invention solves this problem by means of a motor-vehicle chassis unit having the features in claim 1 and also by means of a joint and/or bearing arrangement having the features in claim 12 and a motor vehicle having the features in claim 15. The reader is referred to the other claims, 2 to 11 and 13 to 14, as regards advantageous refinements and further developments of the invention.
By means of the invention, the fastening between the wheel-carrier and transverse link is relocated radially outwards with respect to the wheel axle through the fact that there is associated with the wheel-carrier a pin which points rigidly outwards and is supported on a receptacle associated with the link. No fastening means is then necessary in the space between the wheel-carrier and the hub, and no intervention at this point is needed during assembly or demounting. As a result, the arm of the wheel-carrier can come closer to the hub, and the free motion in relation to the wheel flange is increased.
If there can be attached to the outwardly-pointing end of the pin, a fastening means which secures the connection of the latter to the link, for example a nut which can be put onto the pin and which clamps the latter radially, said fastening means is easily accessible from outside so that not only assembly, but also demounting for servicing purposes, is made easier. After the easily accessible nut has been undone, the transverse link drops down, provided it is a lower transverse link which the pin faces from above with a downwardly-pointing component, so that a sleeve joint, for example, which is fastened to said transverse link for receiving the pin, can be replaced in a simple manner.
The pin may be rigidly connected to the wheel-carrier or formed onto the latter in one piece, depending upon the construction.
The invention may be used particularly advantageously on a McPherson axle having drive shafts which reach through the wheel-carrier above the pin that connects the


latter to the transverse link, where the abovementioned problems of the conventional solution particularly arise and the invention therefore displays very great advantages.
If the rigid pin of the wheel-carrier is received on the transverse link in a sleeve joint, the forces that occur can be absorbed in a satisfactory manner. The joint can be subjected to bending stress axially and also radially and, in addition, allows optimised alignment.
It is very advantageous if the sleeve joint has an eccentric bore, so that the transverse spacing of the receptacle of the pin can be adjusted in a variable manner by rotating said bore. This adjustment can be carried out with the wheel fitted and can be fixed by tightening the fastening means, of which there is only one, that secures the pin to the transverse link. The outlay on adjustment is thus minimised.
Further advantages and features of the invention emerge from the exemplified embodiments of the subject of the invention which are represented in the drawings and described below.
In the drawings:
fig. 1 shows a diagrammatic general drawing of a joint and/or bearing
arrangement according to the invention, at a driven wheel of a motor-vehicle chassis unit;
fig. 2 shows a detail view, approximately corresponding to the portion II in
fig. 1, with the transverse link demounted;
fig. 3 shows an exploded drawing of the parts of the connection in fig. 2,
with the joint in the transverse link cut away;


fig. 4 shows a plan view of the joint, when received in the transverse link;
fig. 5 shows a sectional view of various shapes of pin;
fig. 6 shows an exploded view, in perspective, of a transverse link with a
sleeve joint supported on it at the end that reaches out, and a pin which belongs to the wheel-carrier and is received in said joint;
fig. 7 shows a view, which is similar to fig. 6 but simplified, of, in this
instance, the right-hand wheel-carrier; and
fig. 8 shows a representation comparing the previous design and the design
according to the invention.
Represented in an exemplary manner in the drawings is a portion of a chassis unit with an axle in a McPherson arrangement 1, in which a spring leg 2 acts upon the upper end of a wheel-carrier 3 and there is provided, at the lower end of said wheel-carrier 3, an arm 4 which points in the direction of the transverse centre of the vehicle with one component and via which the wheel-carrier 3 is connected, via a joint and/or bearing arrangement 8, to a transverse link 7 which carries, or at least guides, the wheel 5 which, in this instance, is illustrated in outline by the rim 6. The link 7 is, in this instance, constructed as a so-called "triangular transverse link" and is articulated on the vehicle body so as to pivot about an axis 9 which lies at least nearly longitudinally in relation to the vehicle.
Passing through the wheel-carrier 3 is a drive shaft 10 which, in turn, is surrounded by a gaiter 11.
Instead of a McPherson arrangement, other geometries may also be used. For example, an arrangement having an upper and a lower transverse link 7 may be


provided. An exemplified embodiment having only one, lower transverse link 7 will be described below:
Associated with the wheel-carrier 3 is at least one, and in the drawings just one, pin 12 which points rigidly outwards from said wheel-carrier, points downwards towards the transverse link 7 with one component and is received in said link in the joint arrangement 8.
The pin 12 may be rigidly connected to the wheel-carrier 3, and, for example, secured in a clearance, which is let in at that point, via a press fit or welded connection. Alternatively, the pin 12 may also be formed onto the wheel-carrier 3 in one piece. In any case, the unit consisting of the wheel-carrier 3 and the pin 12 can be supplied to the assembly line in the ready-assembled state.
Depending upon the geometry, the pin 12 may have a cross-sectional shape that deviates from rotational symmetry, for example an elliptical or triangular cross-section, such as is represented in fig. 5, in order to work against a predominant direction of stressing. Likewise, in a manner that differs from what is represented in fig. 1, the pin 12 need not have a uniform cross-section over its entire length, but may also, for example, taper conically, hyperbolically or parabolically or be stepped. Said pin 12 typically has a length of four to seven centimetres, depending upon the joint arrangement 8 that receives it.
In any case, a fastening means 14 which secures the connection of the pin 12 to the transverse link 7 may be attached to the outwardly-pointing end 13 of said pin. In this instance, an external thread, which can be secured via a nut 14, is provided on the end 13 of the pin.
In the assembled position, the pin 12 reaches through the link 7, so that the fastening element 14 can be put onto said pin 12 on the end which is situated on the other side


of said link 7, that is to say on the underside of the latter in this instance. As a result, it is possible to completely dispense with a fastening means which would have to be installed in the space between the arm 4 and the drive shaft 11. Said arm 4 can thereby move a number of centimetres closer to the wheel hub, compared to previous versions, as a result of which the free motion in relation to the wheel flange is increased by the corresponding amount.
Since the nut 14 is put on radially on the outside with respect to the wheel axle, it is also easily accessible. This also facilitates demounting, in the course of which, after undoing the nut 14, the transverse link 7 pivots downwards about its axis 9 as a result of its own weight and, for assembly purposes, merely has to be pivoted upwards in a corresponding manner in the direction of the arrow P and secured from below via the easily accessible nut 14 (fig. 2).
As can be inferred, for example, from figure 3, the pin 12 may be received on the transverse link 7 in a joint arrangement 8 which is constructed as a sleeve joint 15, the joint shell 17 of which is pressed into the transverse link 7 or welded in by means of, for example, a circumferential weld seam. In the embodiment according to fig. 6, the sleeve joint 15 lies between the wheel-carrier 3 and the transverse link 7 and is secured to the latter, underneath it, by a coupling nut 14. The precise arrangement of the sleeve joint therefore depends upon the particular geometries within the vehicle. Another possibility, for example, is the supporting of the sleeve joint 15 on an adapter which can be screwed to the transverse link 7, for example via slots. In any case, the joint 15 is fixedly connected to the transverse link 7 after being fitted.
In order to permit compensation for manufacturing tolerances in the transverse link 7, its articulating arrangement, the vehicle body or other parts, the sleeve joint 15 has an eccentric through-bore 18 with a central axis Al, for the purpose of receiving the pin 12. Said central axis Al is offset in a parallel manner in relation to the central axis A2 of the joint body 16 by the eccentricity e. It is thereby possible, on assembly,


to first of all connect the wheel-carrier 3 to the transverse link 7 by passing the pin 12 through the bore 18, and then to carry out fine adjustment, particularly in the transverse direction of the vehicle, in this connecting position in which the wheel alignment can be easily verified by visual checking: for this purpose, the joint body 16 of the sleeve joint 15 has, on its end which is the lower end in this instance, an external hexagon 19 or other possible connection for a tool by means of which the joint body 16 can be twisted until the wheel camber set corresponds to an ideal specification. This position can then be fixed through the fact that the nut or like fastening element 14 is put onto that end 13 of the pin which reaches through in the downward direction, and tightened, as a result of which the lower edge 20 of the arm 4 is fixedly clamped to the upper edge 21 of the joint body 16.
The use of an eccentric and adjustable joint arrangement 8 facilitates assembly and makes it possible, in spite of the possibility of adjustment, to only have to tighten one fastening means 14 or loosen it for demounting purposes, a fact which means considerably easier work and, in addition, a reduction in weight compared, for example, to an adapter-type solution having a number of slots.
The joint 15 can be subjected to bending stress both axially and radially.


List of reference symbols

1 McPherson arrangement
2 spring leg
3 wheel-carrier
4 arm
5 wheel
6 rim
7 transverse link
8 joint and/or bearing arrangement
9 axis of pivoting
10 drive shaft
11 gaiter
12 pin
13 end of pin
14 fastening means
15 sleeve joint
16 joint body
17 joint shell
18 through-bore
19 connection for a tool
20 lower edge of wheel-carrier
21 upper edge of joint body
P direction of pivoting
Al central axis of bore
A2 central axis of joint body
e eccentricity


WE CLAIM:
1. Motor-vehicle chassis unit which has, on at least one axle, a transverse link (7) which guides and/or carries one wheel in each case, and at least one wheel-carrier (3) which is movably connected to said transverse link and to the wheel (5), wherein the connection between the transverse link (7) and the wheel-carrier (3) comprises a joint and/or bearing arrangement (8), characterised in that there is associated with the wheel-carrier (3) at least one pin (12) which points rigidly outwards and is supported in an articulated manner on a receptacle associated with the link (7).
2. Motor-vehicle chassis unit according to claim 1, characterised in that there can be attached to the outwardly-pointing end (13) of the pin (12), a fastening means (14) which secures the connection of said pin to the link (7).
3. Motor-vehicle chassis unit according to either of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the pin (12) is connected to the wheel-carrier (3).
4. Motor-vehicle chassis unit according to either of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the pin (12) is formed onto the wheel-carrier (3) in one piece.
5. Motor-vehicle chassis unit according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the link (7) is a lower transverse link towards which the pin (12) faces from above with a downwardly-pointing component.
6. Motor-vehicle chassis unit according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that, in the fitted position, the pin (12) reaches through the link (7) and the fastening element (14) is, in the fitted position, put onto that end (13) of the pin which is situated on the other side of the link (7).


7. Motor-vehicle chassis unit according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the at least one axle is a McPherson axle (1) having drive shafts (10) which reach through the wheel-carrier (3) above the pin (12) that connects said wheel-carrier to the transverse link (7).
8. Motor-vehicle chassis unit according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the pin (12) is received on the transverse link (7) in a sleeve joint (15).
9. Motor-vehicle chassis unit according to claim 8, characterised in that the sleeve joint (15) has an eccentric bore (18).
10. Motor-vehicle chassis unit according to claim 9, characterised in that the eccentricity (e) of the bore (18) can be adjusted and can be fixed by the fastening element (14) that secures the pin (12) to the transverse link (7).
11. Motor-vehicle chassis unit according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that, for assembly purposes, the transverse link (7) can be pivoted (P) up to the wheel-carrier (3) with the pin (12) which is mounted at that point, and the securing fastening element (14) can be fitted or demounted from the other side of the plane in which the transverse link (7) extends.
12. Joint and/ or bearing arrangement (8) for a motor-vehicle chassis unit according to one of claims 1 to 11.
13. Joint and/or bearing arrangement according to claim 12, characterised in that the said joint and/or bearing arrangement (8) can be subjected to bending stress both axially and radially.
14. Joint and/or bearing arrangement according to either of claims 12 to 13, characterised in that the pin (12) has a cross-sectional shape that deviates


from rotational symmetry in order to work against a predominant direction of stressing.
15. Motor vehicle having at least one joint and/or bearing arrangement (8) according to one of claims 12 to 14, particularly inside chassis-unit parts and/or steering-system parts.

ABSTRACT
A motor-vehicle chassis unit which has, on at least one axle, a link (7) which guides and/or carries one wheel in each case, and at least one wheel-carrier (3) which is movably connected to said link and to the wheel (5), wherein the connection between the link (7) and the wheel-carrier (3) comprises a joint and/or bearing arrangement (8), is constructed in such a way that there is associated with the wheel-carrier (3) at least one pin (12) which points rigidly outwards from said wheel carrier and is supported in an articulated manner on a receptacle associated with the link (7).


To,
The Controller of Patents
The Patent office
Mumbai
Figure 1