# US 11,111,989 B2 · Device for level adjustment for a motor vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,111,989 B2 - Document ID: US11111989B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/605,916 - Filed: 2018-02-22 - Published: 2020-02-13 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2017-04-27 - Assignees: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG - Applicants: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG - Inventors: Wilfried Breton; Christian Harkort; Markus Holzberger; Sebastian Sommerkorn; Kilian Marsing - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11111989B2 ## CPC - F16H 25/2204: {with balls} - F16C 19/18: with two or more rows of balls - F16C 23/086: {forming a track for rolling elements} - F16C 19/10: for axial load mainly - F16C 19/54: Systems consisting of a plurality of bearings with rolling friction (spindle bearings F16C35/08) - F16C 25/083: {with resilient means acting axially on a race ring to preload the bearing} - F16C 27/08: primarily for axial load, e.g. for vertically-arranged shafts - F16C 2361/61: Toothed gear systems, e.g. support of pinion shafts - F16H 2025/2081: {Parallel arrangement of drive motor to screw axis} - F16H 2025/2445: {Supports or other means for compensating misalignment or offset between screw and nut} - F16H: GEARING - F16C: SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS ## Abstract A device for level adjustment for a motor vehicle includes a ball screw. The screw nut of the ball screw is driven by an electric motor. The spindle of the ball screw is displaceable with respect to a housing. The ball screw is supported with respect to the housing using two axial self-aligning bearings with a common pivot point such that the housing can pivot with respect to the spindle, thereby avoiding loads on the balls of the ball screw. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device for level adjustment for a motor vehicle, comprising a ball screw with a threaded spindle and a spindle nut which interacts with the threaded spindle via rolling bodies and which is drivable by means of an electric motor and which is mounted by two axial self-aligning ball bearings with respect to a housing which is displaceable with respect to the threaded spindle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two axial self-aligning ball bearings have a common pivot point around which the spindle nut is pivotable together with the threaded spindle relative to the housing. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pivoting of the spindle nut together with the threaded spindle with respect to the housing is restricted by a plain bearing element which acts between the threaded spindle and the housing. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the plain bearing element permits a pivoting between the threaded spindle and the housing up to an angle of at least 1.2 degrees. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the pivoting between the threaded spindle and the housing is restricted to an angle of at most 5 degrees. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a pretensioning element which acts on one of the two axial self-aligning ball bearings. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electric motor interacts via a transmission with the spindle nut. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein a gear transmission is provided as a transmission. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the axial self-aligning ball bearings are formed as multi-row self-aligning bearings. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the common pivot point is not axially between the two self-aligning ball bearings. ### Claim 11 A device for level adjustment for a motor vehicle, comprising: a housing; a threaded spindle displaceable with respect to the housing; and a spindle nut which interacts with the threaded spindle via rolling bodies, which is rotatable by means of an electric motor, and which is mounted relative to the housing by two axial self-aligning multi-row bearings, the two axial self-aligning multi-row bearings each having pivot points axially offset from the respective axial self-alignment multi-row bearing in a first axial direction. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the pivot points of the two axial self-aligning multi-row bearings coincide with one another. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The device as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a plain bearing between the housing and the threaded spindle. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the plain bearing element permits a pivoting between the threaded spindle and the housing up to an angle of at least 1.2 degrees and no more than 5 degrees. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a pretensioning element which acts on one of the two axial self-aligning multi-row bearings. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the axial self-aligning multi-row bearings are ball bearings. ### Claim 17 A device for level adjustment for a motor vehicle, comprising: a housing; a threaded spindle displaceable with respect to the housing; a plain bearing between the housing and the threaded spindle; and a spindle nut which interacts with the threaded spindle via rolling bodies, which is rotatable by means of an electric motor, and which is mounted relative to the housing by two axial self-aligning bearings, the two axial self-aligning bearings each having pivot points axially offset from the bearing in a first axial direction, wherein the pivot points of the two axial self-aligning bearings coincide with one another.