US 11,867,225 B2
Pivot joint assembly
Sidney Paerewyck, Aalst (BE); and Johannes Kankare, Woluwe-St-Lambert (BE)
Assigned to Federal-Mogul Motorparts LLC, Southfield, MI (US)
Filed by FEDERAL-MOGUL MOTORPARTS LLC, Southfield, MI (US)
Filed on Jun. 29, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/361,751.
Application 17/361,751 is a division of application No. 16/354,324, filed on Mar. 15, 2019, granted, now 11,053,972.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/643,954, filed on Mar. 16, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0324904 A1, Oct. 21, 2021
Int. Cl. F16C 11/06 (2006.01)
CPC F16C 11/0633 (2013.01) [F16C 11/0647 (2013.01); F16C 2208/32 (2013.01); F16C 2208/66 (2013.01); F16C 2326/05 (2013.01); Y10T 403/32737 (2015.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle suspension system, comprising:
a knuckle;
a control arm;
a joint assembly operably connecting said knuckle with said control arm while providing said knuckle with three rotational degrees of freedom and one translational degree of freedom for moving relative to said control arm, said joint assembly comprising;
a housing fixedly attached with said control arm;
a housing with an opening which extends along an axis;
a bearing received in said opening of said housing and having a cylindrical outer surface;
said bearing having a curved inner bearing surface;
an inner ring having a curved outer bearing surface that is in slidable contact with said curved inner bearing surface of said bearing so that said inner ring can rotate and articulate relative to said housing;
said inner ring being fixedly attached with said knuckle; and
an outer ring received in said opening of said housing and having a cylindrical inner surface, said cylindrical inner surface being in slidable contact with said cylindrical outer surface of said bearing so that said bearing can slide in an axial direction relative to said housing.