DEVICE FOR ADJUSTING THE HEIGHT OF A VEHICLE BODY

• US 20170028805A1
• Filed: 02/27/2015
• Published: 02/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co.KG (INA-Holding Schaeffler GmbH & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co.KG (INA-Holding Schaeffler GmbH & Co. KG)
• Inventors: Krehmer, Hartmut
• Granted Patent: US 10,166,831 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 11/16 characterised by means specially adapted for attaching the spring to axle or sprung part of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 13/006 on the stub axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 15/063 characterised by the mounting of the spring on the damper B60G15/065, B60G15/066 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 15/07 the damper being connected to the stub axle and the spring being arranged around the damper B60G15/068 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/00 Resilient suspensions having means for adjusting the spring or vibration-damper characteristics, for regulating the distance between a supporting surface and a sprung part of vehicle or for locking suspension during use to meet varying vehicular or surface conditions, e.g. due to speed or load levelling or stabilising systems for tippers B60P1/045
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/021 the mechanical spring being a coil spring B60G17/0272 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2202/312 The spring being a wound spring
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2202/42 Electric actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/1242 on a damper, e.g. MacPerson strut
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/419 Gears
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/4191 Planetary or epicyclic gears
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/42 Joints with cam surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/44 Centering or positioning means
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/30 Height or ground clearance
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 25/2204 with balls
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 25/2454 Brakes; Rotational locks

Abstract

A device for adjusting the height of a vehicle body, containing a movement thread, which is arranged between the vehicle body and a wheel carrier. The movement thread has two threaded parts that can be rotated in relation to each other, which are formed by a spindle and a spindle nut, and a locking apparatus, which bridges the movement thread at at least two axial positions in a positive-locking manner and which has a locking sleeve having locking stops arranged over the periphery at different axial positions. The device is characterized in that the locking sleeve is modularly formed of a stack of at least one locking element containing locking stops and groove sections and at least one intermediate element containing only groove sections.

Claims

1. A device for adjusting a height of a vehicle body, comprising a movement thread adapted to be arranged between the vehicle body and a wheel carrier, with two thread parts that are rotatable relative to each other and are formed from a spindle and a spindle nut, a locking device bridging the movement thread in at least two axial positions with a positive lock, including a locking sleeve with locking stops arranged over a circumference at different axial positions, the locking sleeve has a modular construction formed from a stack including at least one locking element containing locking stops and groove sections and at least one intermediate element containing exclusively groove sections.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein multiple ones of the locking elements and the intermediate elements are formed as identical parts.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one locking element and the at least one intermediate element each have a ring-shaped construction.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one locking element and the at least one intermediate element are placed at an axial position on a three-part division of the locking stops.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein for two different axial positions on one of the locking elements, three locking stops are distributed equally over the circumference and a groove section arranged between said stops, and six groove sections distributed equally over the circumference on the intermediate element.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein for forming the locking sleeve with two of the locking stops arranged at different axial positions in a three-part division, two of the locking elements are rotated by 60°

and one of the intermediate elements arranged axially between said locking elements, and the locking elements and the intermediate element are connected to each other.

7. The device according to claim 5, wherein the locking element and the intermediate element have, on one end side, an axially raised positioning tab and on an opposite end side, a positioning groove rotated by 60°

relative to the positioning tab.

8. The device according to claim 4, wherein for three different axial positions on the locking element, three of the locking stops are distributed over the circumference and two of the groove sections are arranged between said stops and nine of the groove sections are distributed equally over the circumference on the intermediate element.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein the locking element and the intermediate element have, on one end side, an axially raised positioning tab and on an opposite end side a positioning groove rotated by 40°

relative to the positioning tab.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the locking device includes:

a locking ring that is held so it is rotatable and is axially fixed on the spindle with control cams arranged distributed over the circumference,

a ramp ring arranged axially fixed on the spindle nut,

and the locking sleeve is held axially fixed on the spindle nut and is provided with the locking stops arranged over the circumference at different axial positions with guide grooves of different lengths,

wherein the control cams are oriented by displacement of the locking ring against the ramp ring and rotation of the locking ring on the ramp ring on the locking stops of specified axial position and for a reversal of a direction of rotation between spindle and spindle nut the control cams track into the guide grooves and form an axial positive fit connection with the locking stops.

11. The device at least according to claim 10, wherein the locking elements are arranged successively in the circumferential direction with small, medium, and large spacing or with small, large, and medium spacing relative to the ramp ring.