Ball-and-socket joint with an angle sensor

US7405557B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG · DE
• Sensitec GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Joachim Spratte · Osnabrück, DE
• Uwe Loreit · Wetzlar, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 19, 2004
• Grant date: Jul 29, 2008
• Expiry date: Dec 7, 2024

Classification

• Technology area (CPC F): Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
• CPC primary: F16C2326/05
• WIPO field: Mechanical elements
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A ball and socket joint with integrated angle sensor, especially for use as a vehicle level control in the chassis of a motor vehicle. The ball and socket joint has a ball and socket joint housing (1), a ball pivot (2) mounted in the ball and socket joint housing (1), a bipolar field transducer (4) arranged at the joint ball (3) of the ball pivot (2), and at least one magnetic field direction sensor (5), which is arranged at the ball and socket joint housing (1) and interacts with the magnetic field generated by the field transducer (4), wherein only one pole of the bipolar field transducer (4) is arranged on the surface of the ball.