Ball pivot

A ball and socket joint for a motor vehicle, the ball and socket joint comprising:

• a housing;
• a ball pivot mounted rotatably and pivotally in said housing, said ball pivot including a pivot pin and a joint ball connected to said pivot pin, said ball pivot being composed of a ferromagnetic material, said joint ball having an inner wall surface and a bottom joint ball surface, said inner wall surface and said bottom joint ball surface defining a cylindrical joint ball recess;
• a cylindrical or truncated cone shaped magnet having a jacket surface and a joint ball engaging surface, said magnet being arranged in said joint ball recess with said joint ball engaging surface in direct contact with said bottom joint ball surface, said magnet being in contact with said ferromagnetic material of said ball pivot via said bottom joint ball engaging surface and said bottom joint ball surface, said jacket surface, said inner wall surface and said bottom joint ball surface defining an intermediate space, said magnet having a magnet rotational axis, said recess having a recess rotational axis, said magnet rotational axis being aligned with said recess rotational axis;
• and
• a fixing means arranged in said intermediate space for fixing said magnet in said joint ball recess, said fixing means including a stamped and bent part, said stamped bent part comprising a first leg portion and a second leg portion, said first leg portion engaging said inner wall surface.

A ball and socket joint for a motor vehicle, the ball and socket joint comprising:

• a housing;
• a magnetic field sensor arranged in said housing, said magnetic field sensor having a magnetic field sensor longitudinal axis;
• a ball pivot mounted rotatably and pivotally in said housing, said ball pivot including a pivot pin and a joint ball, said joint ball having an inner wall surface and a bottom joint ball surface, said inner wall surface being adjacent to said bottom joint ball surface, said inner wall surface and said bottom joint ball surface defining a cylindrical recess of said joint ball, said joint ball being formed of a ferromagnetic material around said recess;
• nonmagnetic material;
• a cylindrical or truncated cone shaped magnet arranged in said recess, said magnet engaging said bottom joint ball surface such that said magnet engages said ferromagnetic material of said joint ball, said magnet having an outer cylindrical surface and a top surface, said outer cylindrical surface, said inner wall and said bottom joint ball surface defining an intermediate space between said outer cylindrical surface of said magnet and said inner wall surface of said joint ball, said intermediate space extending circumferentially around a rotational axis of said magnet, said nonmagnetic material engaging said outer cylindrical surface and said top surface, said nonmagnetic material being arranged between said outer cylindrical surface of said magnet and said inner wall, said nonmagnetic material being of the type and said intermediate space being of a size to optimize a magnetic field that extends out from said magnet and out of said joint ball for detection by said magnetic field sensor in said housing, said longitudinal axis of said magnet and said magnetic field sensor longitudinal axis being aligned with a longitudinal axis of said ball pivot;
• and
• a bent spring part comprising a first leg portion and a second leg portion, said first leg portion having an outer first leg portion surface, said outer first leg portion surface engaging said inner wall surface, said second leg portion having an inner second leg portion surface and an outer second leg portion surface, said inner second leg portion surface and said outer second leg portion surface engaging said nonmagnetic material.