Roller bushing assembly
First Claim
1. An assembly for rotatably mounting a suspension member, having first and second ends each formed with an internal bore, to a vehicle body through first and second support members adapted to extend between the vehicle body and the suspension member, comprising, in combination:
- a first roller bushing assembly including a first bushing member adapted to be non-rotatably mounted within the internal bore formed in the first end of the suspension member, a first roller bearing unit mounted within the first bushing member, and an elongated bushing member being rotatably mounted within the first bushing member through the first roller bearing unit, with the elongated bushing member having opposing terminal ends projecting from the first bushing member that are adapted to be fixedly secured to the first support member;
a pair of shackle links each having first and second end portions, with the first end portion of each shackle link being adapted to be rotatably attached to the second support member and the second end portion of each shackle link being formed with a bearing pocket; and
a second roller bushing assembly including a second bushing member adapted to be non-rotatably mounted within the internal bore formed in the second end of the suspension member and second roller bearing units each of which is mounted in a respective one of the bearing pockets, with the second bushing member including first and second end portions projecting out of the internal bore formed in the second end of the suspension member and being rotatably attached to the shackle links, within the bearing pockets, through the second roller bearing units.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A roller bushing assembly (21d, 21e, 21f) designed to enable a low tolerance, frictional fit within an out-of-round or otherwise distorted support member (5, 9) includes a bushing member (29a, 216) having an outer surface (102) machined to provide various axially spaced, annular grooves (127-130, 132 and 242-250). Between or directly adjacent respective ones of the annular grooves (127-130, 132 and 242-250) are defined a plurality of axially spaced and radially extending ribs (113-122 and 232-240). The axial outermost ribs (113, 122 and 240) are preferably elongated relative to the remaining ribs (114-121 and 232-239) and have annularly chamfered portions (124, 125 and 252). The ribs (113-122 and 232-240) are adapted to shear upon mounting of the bushing member (29a, 216) within an out-of-round or otherwise distorted support. By providing the shearable ribs (113-122 and 232-240), the bushing assembly (21d, 21e, 21f) can be effectively mounted within a greater range of varying sized support members. In accordance with a first embodiment, the bushing member constitutes a sleeve (29a) within which is mounted at least one bearing unit (33, 34). The shearing of the ribs (113-122) assures that the bearing unit (33, 34) will not be excessively pre-loaded in a radial direction.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. An assembly for rotatably mounting a suspension member, having first and second ends each formed with an internal bore, to a vehicle body through first and second support members adapted to extend between the vehicle body and the suspension member, comprising, in combination:
- a first roller bushing assembly including a first bushing member adapted to be non-rotatably mounted within the internal bore formed in the first end of the suspension member, a first roller bearing unit mounted within the first bushing member, and an elongated bushing member being rotatably mounted within the first bushing member through the first roller bearing unit, with the elongated bushing member having opposing terminal ends projecting from the first bushing member that are adapted to be fixedly secured to the first support member;
a pair of shackle links each having first and second end portions, with the first end portion of each shackle link being adapted to be rotatably attached to the second support member and the second end portion of each shackle link being formed with a bearing pocket; and
a second roller bushing assembly including a second bushing member adapted to be non-rotatably mounted within the internal bore formed in the second end of the suspension member and second roller bearing units each of which is mounted in a respective one of the bearing pockets, with the second bushing member including first and second end portions projecting out of the internal bore formed in the second end of the suspension member and being rotatably attached to the shackle links, within the bearing pockets, through the second roller bearing units. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- a first roller bushing assembly including a first bushing member adapted to be non-rotatably mounted within the internal bore formed in the first end of the suspension member, a first roller bearing unit mounted within the first bushing member, and an elongated bushing member being rotatably mounted within the first bushing member through the first roller bearing unit, with the elongated bushing member having opposing terminal ends projecting from the first bushing member that are adapted to be fixedly secured to the first support member;
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15. A roller bushing assembly adapted to be non-rotatably mounted in a bore of a support member, with the bore having a size and shape within a predetermined tolerance range, comprising, in combination:
- a sleeve having a generally cylindrical inner surface and a generally cylindrical outer surface;
a plurality of axially spaced, shearable ribs fixed to and extending radially from the generally cylindrical outer surface of the sleeve; and
at least one bearing assembly mounted against the generally cylindrical inner surface of the sleeve wherein, when the roller bushing assembly is mounted within the bore of the support member and the bore of the support member is not within the predetermined tolerance range, the ribs will shear to compensate for size and shape distortions of the bore of the support member thereby enabling the sleeve to be frictionally, non-rotatably mounted within the bore of the support member independent of whether the bore of the support member is within the predetermined tolerance range or not. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
- a sleeve having a generally cylindrical inner surface and a generally cylindrical outer surface;
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21. An assembly for rotatably mounting a suspension member to a vehicle body through a support member adapted to extend between the vehicle body and the suspension member, with the suspension member including an end formed with an internal bore, comprising, in combination:
- a roller bushing assembly including a bushing member having a generally cylindrical outer surface, with the bushing member being adapted to be press-fit within the internal bore to non-rotatably mount the bushing member to the suspension member;
a plurality of axially spaced ribs extending radially from the generally cylindrical outer surface of the bushing member, with the ribs being adapted to shear as the bushing member is press-fit within the internal bore of the suspension member to compensate for size and shape distortions of the internal bore; and
at least one bearing assembly operatively interconnected between the bushing member and the support member to rotatably attach the suspension member to the vehicle body through the bushing member, the at least one bearing assembly and the support member. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
- a roller bushing assembly including a bushing member having a generally cylindrical outer surface, with the bushing member being adapted to be press-fit within the internal bore to non-rotatably mount the bushing member to the suspension member;
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31. A combination shackle and bushing assembly for rotatably attaching a first member having an internal bore to a support comprising, in combination:
- a shackle assembly including a pair of shackle links each having first and second end portions, with the first end portion of each shackle link being adapted to rotate relative to the support and the second end portion of each shackle link being formed with a bearing pocket;
a bearing unit mounted in each of the bearing pockets;
a bushing assembly including a bushing member in the form of a pin having a central body portion and first and second axially spaced stub shafts;
a first flange between the central body portion and the first stub shaft; and
an internally threaded cap member including a second flange, with the second stub shaft being externally threaded for threaded receipt of the internally threaded cap member, with the central body portion of the bushing member being adapted to be non-rotatably mounted within the internal bore of the first member with the first member being clamped between the first and second flanges, with the stub shafts projecting out respective axial ends of the internal bore and being rotatably mounted within a respective one of the bearing pockets through a respective bearing unit. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
- a shackle assembly including a pair of shackle links each having first and second end portions, with the first end portion of each shackle link being adapted to rotate relative to the support and the second end portion of each shackle link being formed with a bearing pocket;
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38. A combination shackle and bushing assembly for rotatable attaching a first member having an internal bore to a support comprising, in combination:
- a shackle assembly including a pair of shackle links each having first and second end portions, with the first end portion of each shackle link being adapted to rotate relative to the support and the second end portion of each shackle link being formed with a bearing pocket;
a roller bearing unit mounted in each of the bearing pockets; and
a bushing assembly including a bushing member in the form of a pin having a central body portion and a pair of axially spaced stub shafts, with the central body portion of the bushing member being adapted to be non-rotatably mounted within the internal bore of the first member, with the stub shafts protecting out respective axial ends of the internal bore and being rotatable mounted within a respective one of the bearing pockets through a respective roller bearing unit, wherein each of the roller bearing units comprises, in combination;
a roller bearing, a thrust bearing and a cap member, with the roller bearing being positioned radially about the cap member within the bearing pocket, the thrust bearing being positioned within the bearing pocket axially between the shackle link and the cap member and the cap member including a cavity adapted to non-rotatably receive a respective one of the stub shafts therein. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41)
- a shackle assembly including a pair of shackle links each having first and second end portions, with the first end portion of each shackle link being adapted to rotate relative to the support and the second end portion of each shackle link being formed with a bearing pocket;
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42. A method of mounting at least a portion of a roller bushing assembly within a bore of a support member, with the bore having a size and shape within a predetermined tolerance range, comprising the steps of:
- providing a roller bushing assembly including a bushing member including a generally cylindrical outer surface having a plurality of axially spaced, shearable ribs extending radially therefrom; and
press-fitting the bushing member into the bore of the support member while shearing off a portion of at least one of the ribs as the bushing member moves into the bore so as to non-rotatably mount the bushing member within the bore. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44)
- providing a roller bushing assembly including a bushing member including a generally cylindrical outer surface having a plurality of axially spaced, shearable ribs extending radially therefrom; and
Specification