Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Friedrich Peter Wolf-Monheim

Ralf Hintzen

Daniel Mainz

Thomas Gerhards

Paul Zandbergen

Rainer Souschek

Alberto Girelli Consolaro

Michael Frantzen

Timothy Drotar

Nicole Zandbergen

Michael Seemann

Matthias Dehmel

Wolfgang David

Marc Simon

Edmund Halfmann

Brian Chen

Jacopo Palandri

Bjoern Reff

A chassis for an electrically powered vehicle, including a front wheel suspension and a rear wheel suspension, each having longitudinal control arms arranged on both sides and a torsion spring actively connected to the longitudinal control arms. The chassis includes a battery housing receiving a propulsion battery. A front transverse carrier extends between the respective longitudinal control arms of the front wheel suspension, and a rear transverse carrier extends between the respective longitudinal control arms of the rear wheel suspension. The respective transverse carriers are rigidly connected to the battery housing and couple the longitudinal control arms and the torsion spring.

Vehicle chassis for an electrically powered vehicle

A bearing eye for a leaf spring for sprung support of a vehicle component on a vehicle body of a vehicle may include a through opening and a torsion spring therein, and a first catch. The bearing eye may provide pivotable mounting of the leaf spring on the vehicle body. The torsion spring is twistable relative to the bearing eye and connectable non-rotatably to the vehicle body. The first catch may project radially inwardly into the through opening, and the torsion spring has a second catch that projects radially outwardly into the through opening. The first and second catches may form a locking engagement which, depending on a degree of relative twisting between the bearing eye and the torsion spring, stops the relative twisting.

Bearing eye for a leaf spring and leaf spring having a bearing eye

A control arm including a frame, a mounting structure on the frame, and a ball-and-socket joint on the frame. The ball-and-socket joint includes an insert formed of a resilient plastic material bonded in a complementary receptacle or socket of the frame. A ball portion of a ball-and-socket joint pin is rotatably arranged in the insert. A plastic material coating is provided on the ball portion and a metal coating is provided on the plastic material coating. When placed in the insert the metal coating of the ball portion contacts an inner surface of the insert.

Control arm with ball-and-socket joint and method for manufacturing same

A motor vehicle independent rear-wheel suspension system including a left-hand and a right-hand transverse link, each articulated at an inner end on a chassis of the motor vehicle and fixedly connected at an outer end to a wheel carrier. The suspension system having a left-hand and a right-hand trailing arm unit. Each trailing arm unit articulated a front end on the chassis of the motor vehicle and at a rear end on a wheel carrier. Open installation space is formed between the trailing arm units and the transverse links for at least a partial accommodation of an electrical drive train.

Motor vehicle rear wheel suspension system

A motor vehicle wheel suspension having a wheel carrier connected to the vehicle body or frame. The suspension having a lower transverse link. The wheel carrier connected to the lower transverse carrier at two connection locations. A first connection location on a first side wall of the wheel carrier and second connection location on a second side wall of the wheel carrier. The first connection location including a connector connected to both the lower transverse and the wheel carrier. The second connection location including a connection between the wheel carrier and the lower transverse link.

Motor vehicle wheel suspension

The disclosure concerns a spring assembly with a leaf spring. The leaf spring extends in a vehicle longitudinal axis, supports a vehicle axle and is connected at least indirectly to a vehicle superstructure at a front end and at a rear end. In order to provide a wheel suspension with advantageous springing and damping behavior that is optimized with regard to weight and complexity, according to the disclosure it is provided that at least one damping region, which is at least partially fluid-filled, is integrated in the leaf spring.

Spring assembly for a vehicle suspension

A chassis for an electrically powered vehicle including a front wheel suspension and a rear wheel suspension each having longitudinal control arms arranged on both sides and a torsion spring actively connected to the longitudinal control arms. The chassis includes a battery housing receiving a propulsion battery. A front transverse carrier extends between the respective longitudinal control arms of the front wheel suspension and a rear transverse carrier extends between the respective longitudinal control arms of the rear wheel suspension. The respective transverse carriers are rigidly connected to the battery housing and couple the longitudinal control arms and the torsion spring.

There is provided a control arm comprising a shell-like shell of a first material and a reinforcement of a plastic material, wherein the reinforcement has a flex-element which protrudes therefrom and which can be supported or guided by means of a vehicle structure in order in the event of jounce and/or rebound of the suspension to produce a resilient action equivalent to a conventional spring.

Suspension control arm with integrated resilient element

A leaf spring assembly resiliently supporting a wheel carrier on a vehicle body of a motor vehicle. The leaf spring assembly including first and second spring leaves and a clamp having a clamping part exerting a clamping force whereby the first and second spring leaves are held together by the clamp. A bridging part arranged between the first spring leaf and the clamping part transmits at least part of the clamping force from the clamping part to the first spring leaf bridging the second spring leaf and reducing the clamping force exerted thereon.

Motor vehicle leaf spring assembly

A mount located in a wheel housing of a motor vehicle, the mount receiving an upper end of a shock absorber. The mount has a plurality of upper receiving points each mounting point for allowing a different shock absorber orientation.

Shock absorber mount

A longitudinal leaf spring device for suspending a motor vehicle body or chassis on a vehicle axle thereof. Leaf spring device including an elongated leaf spring unit, a coupling device connecting the leaf spring unit to the vehicle axle, and suspension unit arranged in a substantially vertical direction between a chassis and the axle. The suspension unit including suspension elements providing a spring-back force in the vertical direction and producing an active connection between the chassis and the axle when the distance between the chassis and axle exceeds a predetermined first deflection depth.

Vehicle suspension unit

A motor vehicle rear suspension includes left and right trailing links mounted, at respective forward ends thereof, to a vehicle body for pivoting movement about a transversely-extending axis. The trailing links extend rearward from the axis, and each has a wheel carrier attached thereto adjacent a rear end thereof. Left and right leaf springs are fixed, at respective forward ends thereof, to the vehicle body and extend rearward therefrom alongside and generally parallel with their respective trailing links. Rear ends of the leaf springs contact their respective trailing links and applying spring-force thereto.

Trailing-arm suspension with leaf springs

A longitudinal leaf spring device for the suspension of a body of a motor vehicle has a leaf spring unit in an elongated form, a coupling device for the mechanical coupling of the leaf spring unit to a motor vehicle axle and at least one bump stop unit having two separate elastic stop elements which can be connected, in a manner arranged vertically above one another, to a chassis or to the axle. According to the invention, perpendicular directions to a downwardly directed mean contact area of the upper stop element and to an upwardly directed mean contact area of the lower stop element each form an angle other than zero with the vertical.

Longitudinal leaf spring device having bump stop unit

A motor vehicle suspension having a leaf spring, a control, and a connector formed of a monolithic piece of elastomer. The connector has a blind-hole cavity receiving an end of the leaf spring and a through-hole cavity through which the control arm extends. The connector is bonded to the leaf spring and to the control arm by vulcanization. The control arm has at least one hole formed through a flat connection portion thereof, and the connector extends through the at least one hole. At least one stiffener plate is embedded in the connector and is arranged substantially parallel to the flat connection portion of the control arm received by the through-hole cavity.

Vehicle suspension having a leaf spring and a control arm joined by elastomer connector

An independent wheel suspension of a rear wheel of a motor vehicle, includes a control arm and a controllable actuator. The control arm is able to be articulated to a chassis of the motor vehicle and is able to be connected to a wheel carrier. The actuator is able to be fastened to the chassis and is able to be operatively connected to a front outer end of the control arm. According to the disclosure, when the actuator is controlled, said actuator is provided to carry out a length alteration which is substantially aligned in a direction parallel to a straight-ahead direction of travel.

Growing community of inventors

Aachen, Germany

Friedrich Peter Wolf-Monheim