Ball joint and vehicle having the same
AssigneesHyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
InventorSeong Hee Jeong
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ball joint configured for detecting movement of a ball stud with a simple configuration, determining stability and behavior of a vehicle, and determining the presence or absence of abnormalities in parts, and a vehicle including the same, may include: a ball stud including a spherical head and a rod integrally formed with the head; a bearing formed in a shape of a tube open to first and second sides thereof and at least partially surrounding the head; a case formed in a shape of a tube open to first and second sides thereof and at least partially surrounding an external side of the bearing; a cap assembled in the case to close an opening on the first side of the case; and an optical sensor mounted on the cap facing the head.
Claims7
A ball joint apparatus, comprising:
- a ball stud including a spherical head and a rod integrally formed with the head;
- a bearing formed in a shape of a tube open to first and second sides thereof and at least partially surrounding the head;
- a case formed in a shape of a tube open to first and second sides thereof and at least partially surrounding an external side of the bearing;
- a cap assembled in the case to close an opening on the first side of the case;
- an optical sensor mounted on the cap facing the head;
- and
- a control unit electrically connected to the optical sensor,
- wherein the optical sensor of the ball joint apparatus is configured to detect at least one of a change amount in a height of the ball stud and an inclination direction of the ball stud and to output the at least one to the control unit, and
- wherein the control unit is configured to determine a height of a vehicle, or to determine stability and behavior of the vehicle according to data detected by the optical sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.