US 11,982,310 B2
Ball joint for a chassis of a vehicle and method for producing a ball joint of this kind
Thomas Kramer, Oldenburg (DE); and Josef Holtheide, Neuenkirchen (DE)
Assigned to ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Friedrichshafen (DE)
Appl. No. 17/600,422
Filed by ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Friedrichshafen (DE)
PCT Filed Mar. 4, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/055719
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 30, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/200615, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 8, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2019 204 659.2 (DE), filed on Apr. 2, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0170504 A1, Jun. 2, 2022
Int. Cl. F16C 11/06 (2006.01); B60G 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC F16C 11/0642 (2013.01) [B60G 7/005 (2013.01); F16C 11/0657 (2013.01); F16C 11/0685 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A ball joint for a chassis of a vehicle, the ball joint comprising:
an inner joint portion,
a slide bearing,
the inner joint portion being movably fitted in the slide bearing,
a closure element for closing a joint housing,
the slide bearing and the closure element being connected to one another,
the slide bearing, for the inner joint portion, being made as a single, one-piece plastic component, the plastic component defining a central longitudinal axis of the ball joint and having a radially outer surface, the plastic component having a first opening at an axial end facing the closure element and a second opening located on a side facing away from the closure element, and the first and the second openings both being aligned with the central longitudinal axis,
a central opening of the closure element also being aligned with the central longitudinal axis to facilitate communication with an electronic component,
the plastic component having a cylindrical receptacle section, configured to accommodate the electronic component within a recess portion of the receptacle section, and a bearing shell section, facing the inner joint portion, and
the receptacle section extending away from the closure element and the inner joint portion such that the closure element being arranged between the bearing shell section and the receptacle section.