WO2020220114A1

WO2020220114A1 - Ball socket assembly with anti-rotation member

Info

Publication number: WO2020220114A1
Application number: PCT/CA2020/050522
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dan Cosmin
Original assignee: Magna Closures, Inc.
Priority date: 2019-05-01
Filing date: 2020-04-20
Publication date: 2020-11-05
Also published as: CN113748270A

Abstract

A ball socket assembly including a socket housing defining a socket. A ball mount is received by and coupled with the socket and is pivotable relative to the socket housing. An anti-rotation member is coupled with the socket housing and moveable between a locked position in which the anti-rotation member engages the ball mount and prevents pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing in at least one direction, and an unlocked position in which the anti-rotation member is spaced from the ball mount and allows pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing in the at least one direction.

Description

BALL SOCKET ASSEMBLY WITH ANTI-ROTATION MEMBER

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This PCT International Application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 62/841 ,506 filed on May 1 , 2019, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/851 ,331 filed on May 22, 2019. The entire disclosures of the above-applications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to a ball socket assembly, such as that used on an electromechanical strut for raising and lowering closure members of an automobile. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a ball socket assembly including an anti-rotation member for selectively inhibiting pivoting of a ball mount relative to a socket housing in at least one direction.

BACKGROUND

[0003] This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

[0004] Lift gates provide convenient access to cargo areas of hatchbacks, wagons, and other utility vehicles. Typically, the lift gate is hand operated, requiring manual effort to move the lift gate between open and closed positions. Depending on the size and weight of the lift gate, this effort can be difficult for some users. Additionally, manually opening or closing a lift gate can be inconvenient, particularly when the user's hands are full. [0005] Attempts have been made to reduce the effort and inconvenience of opening and closing lift gates. Automated power closure systems used to open and close vehicle lift gates are well-known in the art and typically include a power actuator that is operable to apply a force directly to the lift gate to enable opening and closing thereof. Such automated power closure systems are also known to be used to open and close other closure members of vehicles, such as trunks of cars. One type of such automated power closure systems is an electromechanical strut, which generally includes a housing that extends along a central axis, and an extensible shaft that is axially moveable relative to the housing in response to actuation by an actuator. A first ball socket assembly interconnects the housing and a body of the vehicle, and a second ball socket assembly interconnects the extensible shaft and closure member of the vehicle. The ball sockets provide pivoting movements of the electromechanical strut at both the body and closure member during lengthening and shortening of the electromechanical strut in order to convert linear movement of the strut into pivoting movement of the closure member.

[0006] Inserting a ball of a ball socket assembly into a socket requires the socket to be larger than the stem of the ball mount. Once the ball is received in the socket, the socket housing can be rotated about the ball, and since the opening of the socket is larger than the stem, the socket housing can contact the stem (and vice versa), causing noise and undesired rotation, especially in electromechanical strut applications. Accordingly, there remains a need for improvements to such ball socket assemblies. SUMMARY

[0007] This section provides a general summary of the disclosure and is not intended to be interpreted as a comprehensive listing of its full scope or all of its objects, aspects features and/or advantages.

[0008] It is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide a ball socket assembly that fills in a gap between a socket housing and a ball mount in at least one location to inhibit pivoting of a ball mount in at least one direction in order to prevent noise and wear on the ball mount.

[0009] It is a further aspect of the present disclosure to provide a ball socket assembly that is easily and inexpensively adaptable with ball mounts of various sizes and configurations while inhibiting noise and wear.

[0010] It is a further aspect of the present disclosure to provide a ball socket assembly that is simple in design, compact, inexpensive and easy to assemble.

[0011] According to these and other aspects of the disclosure, a ball socket assembly is provided including a socket housing defining a socket. A ball mount is received by and coupled with the socket and pivotable relative to the socket housing. An anti-rotation member is coupled with the socket housing and moveable between a locked position in which the anti-rotation member engages the ball mount and prevents pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing in at least one direction, and an unlocked position in which the anti-rotation member is spaced from the ball mount and allows pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing in the at least one direction. [0012] According to another aspect of the disclosure, an anti-rotation member for a ball mount that is receivable within a socket of a socket housing is provided. The anti-rotation member includes at least one a shim portion that is positionable within the socket between the socket housing and the ball mount for inhibiting pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing in at least one direction.

[0013] According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, a method of forming a ball socket locking configuration is provided. The method includes locating an anti rotation member including a shim portion into a locked position in which the shim portion is located a socket between a socket housing and a ball mount for inhibiting pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing in at least one direction.

[0014] The anti-rotation member may easily be connected to, and disconnected from the socket housing. Therefore, the ball mount may be easily and quickly removed or inserted into the ball socket for repair or installation.

[0015] Furthermore, a standard ball socket housing may be utilized in conjunction with ball mounts of various sizes and shapes because the anti-rotation member may be inexpensively tailored to operate with different ball mounts.

[0016] In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a system for assisting a closure member to move between an open position and a closed position, the system including a strut for coupling between the closure member and the vehicle body, the system further including a ball socket assembly for providing the coupling of the strut between the vehicle body and the closure member, the ball socket assembly having a socket housing defining a socket, a ball mount received by and coupled with the socket and pivotable relative to the socket housing, and an anti-rotation member coupled with the socket housing and moveable between a locked position in which the anti-rotation member engages the ball mount and prevents pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing in at least one direction, and an unlocked position in which the anti-rotation member is spaced from the ball mount and allows pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing in the at least one direction.

[0017] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

[0018] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations thereof such that the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 1 is perspective view of an example vehicle including a pair of electromechanical struts for moving a closure member between an open position and a closed position;

[0020] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of an example electromechanical strut;

[0021] FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a first example ball socket assembly with a ball mount received by a ball socket housing and with an anti-rotation member positioned in an unlocked position; [0022] FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the first example ball socket assembly with the ball mount received by the ball socket housing and with the anti-rotation member positioned in a locked position;

[0023] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the first example ball socket assembly without the ball mount and with the anti-rotation member positioned in the unlocked position;

[0024] FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the first example ball socket assembly without the ball mount and with the anti-rotation member positioned in the locked position;

[0025] FIG. 5 is a front cross-sectional view of the first example ball socket assembly with the ball mount received by the ball socket housing and with the anti rotation member positioned in the locked position;

[0026] FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of the first example ball socket assembly with the ball mount received by the ball socket housing and with the anti rotation member positioned in the locked position;

[0027] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the anti-rotation member of the first ball socket assembly;

[0028] FIGS. 8A to 8C are side cross-sectional views showing further illustrative examples of anti-rotation members engaging different illustrative examples of ball mounts in a locked position;

[0029] FIG. 9A is a perspective view of a second example ball socket assembly illustrating tensioned, unlocked positions of an anti-rotation member; [0030] FIG. 9B is a perspective view of the second example ball socket assembly illustrating untensioned, locked positions of the anti-rotation member;

[0031] FIG. 10 is a perspective, exploded view of a socket housing of the second example ball socket assembly;

[0032] FIG. 11A is a front cross-sectional view of the second example ball socket assembly, with the anti-rotation member in the tensioned, unlocked position;

[0033] FIG. 11 B is a front cross-sectional view of the second example ball socket assembly, with the anti-rotation member in the untensioned, locked position;

[0034] FIG. 12 is a side cross-sectional view of the second example ball socket assembly;

[0035] FIG. 13A is a front, perspective view of a third example ball socket assembly illustrating tensioned, unlocked positions of an anti-rotation member;

[0036] FIG. 13B is a front, perspective view of a third example ball socket assembly illustrating untensioned, locked positions of an anti-rotation member;

[0037] FIG. 14A is a front cross-sectional view of the third example ball socket assembly illustrating the anti-rotation member in the tensioned, unlocked position and with the ball mount located outside of the socket housing;

[0038] FIG. 14B is a front cross-sectional view of the third example ball socket assembly illustrating the anti-rotation member in the tensioned, unlocked position and with the ball mount partially received in the socket housing;

[0039] FIG. 14C is a front cross-sectional view of the third example ball socket assembly illustrating the anti-rotation member in the untensioned, locked position and with the ball mount fully received in the socket housing; [0040] FIG. 15 is a side cross-sectional view of the third example ball socket assembly;

[0041] FIG. 16 is an exploded view of the socket housing of the third example ball socket assembly; and

[0042] FIG. 17 is a flow chart of a method for preventing rotation of a ball mount relative to a ball socket, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

[0043] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, examples of electromechanical struts 10, 100 are generally shown. FIG. 1 shows an example of a strut, and in particular an electromechanical strut 10, mounted to a motor vehicle. The electromechanical strut 10 includes a lower outer housing 12, an upper outer housing 14, and an extensible shaft 16. A first ball socket assembly 18, located at an end of lower outer housing 12, is pivotally mounted to a portion of the vehicle body that defines an interior cargo area in the vehicle. A second ball socket assembly 20 is attached to the distal end of extensible shaft 16 and is pivotally mounted to a lift gate 21 of the vehicle. It should be appreciated that the struts disclosed herein may be mounted to other types of closure members, such as a trunk of a vehicle. It should be appreciated that the struts disclosed herein may also be non-electromechanical strut types, or non-powered struts, such as a spring based or gas-based counterbalance not provided with an electric motor. Examples of struts employable with the teachings herein include without limitation struts disclosed in US Patent No. 9,976,332 entitled“Electromechanical strut with integrated flex coupling and slip device and clutch/coupling assembly therefor”, in US Patent No. 7,234,757 entitled“Electromechanical strut”, in US Patent No. 7566092 entitled, in US Patent No. 10,370,886 entitled“Swing door actuation system having a power swing door actuator and a control system”, in US Patent No. 9,776,483 entitled“Electromechanical strut with motor-gearbox assembly having dual stage planetary gearbox”, in US Patent Application No. 2019/0218841 entitled “Closure panel extension mechanism with multiple springs”, in US Patent Application No. 2016/0312514 entitled “Electromechanical strut with electromechanical brake and method of allowing and preventing movement of a closure member of a vehicle”, and in US Patent Application No. 2019/0128323 entitled“Closure panel extension mechanism with bushings”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a more detailed example of another example of such an electromechanical strut 100, which is particularly suited for smaller closure panels such as a trunk deck lid because it has a short overall length. Electromechanical strut 100 includes a lower outer housing 112 defining a gearbox housing 124, and an upper outer housing 114 having a cylindrical sidewall 132 defining a chamber 134. The lower and upper outer housings 112, 114 extend along a central axis A. A first ball socket assembly 102 is connected to lower outer housing 112. The lower 112 and upper 114 outer housings may be formed as a single outer housing. Electromechanical strut 100 also includes an extensible shaft 116 movable between a retracted position, shown in FIG. 2 corresponding to a closed position of the deck lid, and an extended position (not shown), corresponding to an open position of the deck lid.

[0046] A motor-gearbox assembly 135, including an actuator 142 such as a motor unit 142 and a geared reduction unit 136, drives a power screw 140 which, in turn, drives extensible shaft 116 as is discussed in greater detail below. In this particular embodiment, motor 142 is an electric motor mounted in a housing 143 while geared reduction 136 is a two-stage geartrain 136. More particularly, motor 142 features an output shaft 150 with a worm 151 fixedly mounted thereon that extends into gearbox housing 124. Worm 151 drivingly engages a worm gear 152 mounted in gearbox housing 124. Worm 151 and worm gear 152 define a worm gearset. Worm gear 152, in turn, includes an integral or rigidly mounted shaft 153 extending transversely from worm gear 152 along its rotational axis, thus providing a first stage speed reduction and torque multiplication. Shaft 153 is journalled in gearbox housing 124 and features a pinion gear 155 that drivingly engages a drive gear 156, thus providing a second stage of speed reduction and torque multiplication. In the present embodiment, two-stage geartrain 136 provides about a 38:1 gear ratio reduction, although this ratio will vary depending on the specific geometry of any particular application. Power screw 140 has a non-threaded butt 141 that extends into and is fixedly connected in a central aperture of drive gear 156, thus transferring rotary power from motor 142 to power screw 140. In the foregoing manner, motor 142 may be mounted with its longitudinal axis 180 which is centered along motor output shaft/worm 150, 152, transverse to a longitudinal axis 187 of upper housing 114, which is centered along power screw 140. Hence, the overall length of the electromechanical strut 100 may be reduced compared to the previously described embodiments 10, 10' of the strut. Electromechanical strut 100 may be configured as a non-powered counterbalance strut, and not provided with motor- gearbox assembly 135, but only with telescoping tubes provided with counterbalancing springs, such as power spring 168.

[0047] Extensible shaft 116 extends between opposing first 170 and second 172 ends. First end 170 of extensible shaft 116 is open and second end 172 of extensible shaft 116 is closed off by an end wall 176. Second end 172 of extensible shaft 116 is connected to a second ball joint assembly 120. A drive nut 158 is rigidly mounted in extensible shaft 116 at first end 170 thereof. Drive nut 158 is threadedly coupled to power screw 140 in order to convert the rotational movement of power screw 140 into linear motion of the extensible shaft 116 along longitudinal axis 187 of power screw 140. Thus, power screw 140 and drive nut 158 define a threaded spindle drive assembly.

[0048] A power spring 168 is fitted over cylindrical sidewall 132. A first end 188 of spring 168 abuts or is otherwise connected to a lip 189 proximate second end 172 of extensible shaft 116. A second end 190 of spring 168 abuts or is otherwise connected to upper outer housing 114 adjacent lower outer housing 112. The spring 168 is a coil spring that uncoils and recoils as the extensible shaft 116 moves relative to upper 114 and lower 112 outer housings. In the mounting position, spring 168 is in compression and is biased to urge extensible shaft 116 toward the extended position corresponding to the open position of the deck lid. In this embodiment, the second ball joint assembly 120 is connected to a goose neck hinge (not shown) that pivots the deck lid (not shown) with the first ball joint assembly 102 connected to the vehicle body. A foam dampener 192 is concentrically installed between the coils of spring 168 and cylindrical sidewall 132 to inhibit collapse of the coils and the minimize gear noise.

[0049] In powered operation, torque provided by electric motor 142 is transferred via two-stage geartrain 136 to power screw 140, causing linear motion of extensible shaft 116 as described above. For manual operation, because there is no clutch, the motor 142 and geartrain 136 must be back driven. As an alternative to the direct connection between drive gear 156 and butt portion 141 of power screw 140, a coupling unit 193, shown in phantom in FIG. 2, can be installed therebetween to provide at least one of a torque-limiting (i.e. slip clutch) function and a torsional/axial damping (i.e. flex damper) function. In this regard, various embodiments of such an integrated coupling unit will be described hereinafter.

[0050] Power spring 168 provides a mechanical counterbalance to the weight of the deck lid. Spring 168, which may be a coil spring, assists in raising the deck lid both in its powered and un-powered modes. When extensible shaft 116 is in the retracted position, power spring 168 is tightly compressed between extensible shaft 116 and lower housing 112. As power screw 140 rotates to extend shaft 116, power spring 168 extends as well, releasing its stored energy and transmitting an axial force through shaft 116 to help raise the deck lid. When power screw 140 rotates to retract extensible shaft 116, or when the deck lid is manually closed, power spring 168 is compressed between shaft 116 and lower housing 112 and thus recharges. [0051] FIGS. 3A-8C illustrate a first example embodiment an improved ball socket assembly 200A that may be used in place of the previously discussed first and second ball joint assemblies 102, 120. It should be appreciated that improved ball socket assembly 200A may be employed in various types of struts. The ball socket assembly 200A includes a socket housing 202A that extends along a central axis A and defines a socket 204A extending into the socket housing 202A along a ball axis B that is generally perpendicular to the central axis A. A ball mount 206, 208 is pivotally coupled with the socket housing 202 in the socket 204A. The ball mount 206, 208 includes a ball 206 and a stem 208 that extends from the ball 206 and is connected with one of the closure member or the body of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 5, a portion of the stem 208 that engages the ball 206 tapers from the ball 206 at a first angle A1 relative to the ball axis B.

[0052] With further reference to FIG. 5, from a front view, the socket 204A is defined by a wall 210, 212A that is comprised of a bottom portion 210 that has a generally semi-spherical shape and an upper portion 212A that extends upwardly from the bottom portion 210. The ball mount 206, 208 is pivotally received by the socket 204 with the ball 206 positioned in the bottom portion 210 and with the stem 208 positioned along the upper portion 212A. A clip 214 extends through the upper portion of the wall 210, 212A and is biased against the stem 208 for securing the ball mount 206, 208 within the socket 204. As best illustrated in FIG. 6, a majority of a length of the upper portion 212A of the wall 210, 212A of the socket 204 tapers when viewed from a side cross-section along the central axis A. This provides space to allow the ball mount 206, 208 to pivot in forward and rearward directions C. [0053] As best shown in FIGS. 3A-4B, the socket housing 202 defines a pair of channels 216 that extend parallel to the central axis A into the socket 204 along the upper portion 212A of the wall 210, 212A. The channels 216 extend in spaced and parallel relationship with one another. The channels 216 receive legs 222A of an anti rotation member 218A. As shown in FIG. 7, the anti-rotation member or anti-rotation bracket generally has a U-shape with a base 220A and the pair of legs 222A that extend in parallel relationship with one another from the base 220A. Each of the legs 222A has an inside surface 224A, with the inside surfaces 224A of the legs 222A facing one another. Each of the legs 222A also has an outside surface 226A opposite the inside surface 224A, as well as opposing top and bottom surfaces 228A, 230A.

[0054] With reference back to FIGS. 3A-4B, the anti-rotation member 218A is slideable in the directions of the central axis A toward and away from the socket 204 between a locked position (FIGS. 3B and 4B) wherein the legs 222A are positioned in the socket 204, and an unlocked position (FIGS. 3A and 4A) wherein the legs 222A are located axially outside of the socket 204.

[0055] As best illustrated by FIGS. 5 and 8A-8C, when the anti-rotation member 218A is in the locked position, a shim portion 244A located along the inside surfaces 224A of each the legs 222A of the anti-rotation member 218A engages the stem 208 and inhibits the ball mount 206, 208 from pivoting in left and right side directions D (about the central axis A), which may be caused by the torque T generated by the motor-gearbox assembly 135 when energized. Inhibiting the ball mount 206, 208 from pivoting in the left and right side directions D (about the central axis A) in this manner reduces and/or eliminates backlash in the system, as well as reduces and/or eliminates the fatigue stresses applied on the ball the ball mount 206, 208, for example as a result of the socket 204 applying a force on the ball mount 206, 208 as a result of the rotation of the of the socket 204 caused by the activation of motor-gearbox assembly 135 causing the rotation of the power screw 1140 acting on the extensible shaft 116. As can be appreciated by FIGS. 3A and 4A, when the anti-rotation member 218A is in the unlocked position, the shim portions 244A of the legs 222A of the anti rotation member 218A are out of engagement with the stem 208, thereby allowing the ball mount 206, 208 to be moved into and out of the socket 204, such as during initial installation or during servicing of the ball socket assembly 200A.

[0056] As best illustrated in FIG. 5, the shim portions of the inside surfaces 224A of the legs 222A taper relative to the ball axis B at the first angle A1 of the stem 208. This allows the shim portions 244A of the legs 222A to lie flush against the stem 208 to create a large contact region of the legs 222A against the stem 208 to inhibit the pivoting movement in the left and right side directions D while still allowing a predetermined range of pivoting movement in the forward and rearward directions C (shown in FIGS. 3A and 6) and while allowing free rotation of the ball mount 206, 208 about the ball axis B. In the example embodiment, a range of approximately +-12 degrees is provided in the forward and rearward directions C. It should be appreciated that the legs 222A can have various shapes, heights, and thicknesses in order to allow the anti-rotation member 218A to be used in conjunction with differently sized ball mounts 206, 208. This advantageously provides a low cost solution for using various ball mounts 206, 208 with a standard socket housing 202A arrangement. For example, the shim portions 244A / inside surfaces 224A of the legs 222A may taper at other angles to accommodate stems that taper at other angles.

[0057] It should be appreciated that preventing pivoting of the ball mount 206, 208 in the left and right side directions D due to the arrangement of the anti-rotation member 218 advantageously prevents noises and long-term damage that are known to occur due to left and right side direction D rotation while the actuator of such strut assemblies changes a rotational direction.

[0058] As best shown in FIG. 3A, the socket housing 202 includes a pair of tabs 232 that are each positioned adjacent to one of the channels 216. The tabs 232 extend toward one another. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, the outside surfaces 226A of the legs 222A each defines a notch 234 for receiving the tabs 232 when the anti rotation member 218A is in the unlocked position for inhibiting axial movement out of the unlocked position. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the anti-rotation member 218A is in the locked position, the tabs 232 inhibit movement of the anti rotation member 218A out of the channels 216 through engagement against the base 220A of the anti-rotation member 218A. The tabs 232 and notches 234 each have a curved shape, and the legs 222A of the anti-rotation member 218 are able to flex toward one another, in order to allow the anti-rotation member 218A to be axially moved out of the unlocked and locked positions when a sufficient force is applied thereto, e.g., by pressing a screwdriver against the base 220A of the anti-rotation member 218A.

[0059] Now referring to FIGS. 8A-8C there is illustrated examples of side cross-sectional views of the anti-rotation member 218A engaging ball mounts 206, 208 having different stem 208 profiles in a locked position. FIG. 8A shows an inwardly tapered shim portion 244A’ / inside surface 224A’ for mating with a tapered outer surface of stem 208’. FIG. 8B shows a generally flat shim portion 244A / inside surface 224A” for mating with a correspondingly flat outer surface of stem 208”. FIG. 8C shows an outwardly protruding circular feature on shim portion 244A / inside surface 224A’” for mating with a inwardly protruding circular profile on outer surface 215 of stem 208’”. Other side cross-sections of the anti-rotation member 218A, as well as corresponding outer surfaces 215A of stem 208 are possible.

[0060] FIGs. 9A-12 disclose a second example embodiment of an improved ball socket assembly 200B including a second embodiment of a socket housing 202B and a second embodiment of an anti-rotation member 218B that may be used in place of any of the aforementioned ball socket assembly embodiments.

[0061] More particularly, as shown in FIGS. 9A-9B, the socket housing 202B extends along a central axis A and has a top surface 203B, a bottom surface 205B and a pair of side surfaces 207B. The top surface 205B defines a socket 204B that extends downwardly into the socket housing 202N along a ball axis B that is generally perpendicular to the central axis A. An inlet area of the socket 304 defines a sloped region 215B. The sloped region 215B is defined along a recess that has a width that is approximately the same as a shim portion 244B of the anti-rotation member 218B (discussed in further detail below) for aligning the shim portion 224B. A pair of locating flanges 209B extend outwardly from each of the side surfaces 207B of the socket housing 202B.

[0062] Similar to the previous embodiments, a ball mount 206, 208 includes a ball 206 and a stem 208 that extends from the ball 206 and is connected with one of the closure member or the body of the vehicle. The socket 204B is defined by a wall 21 OB, 212B that is comprised of a bottom portion 21 OB that has a generally semi-spherical shape and an upper portion 212B that extends upwardly from the bottom portion 21 OB and terminates at the sloped region 215B. The ball mount 206, 208 is pivotally received by the socket 204 with the ball 206 positioned in the bottom portion 210B and with the stem 208B positioned along the upper portion 212B. A clip 214 extends through the upper portion 212B of the wall 210B, 212B and is biased against the stem 208 for securing the ball mount 206, 208 within the socket 204B. As shown in FIG. 12, a majority of a length of the upper portion 212B of the wall 210B, 212B of the socket 204B tapers when viewed from a side cross-section along the central axis A. This provides space to allow the ball mount 206B, 208B to pivot in forward and rearward directions C, like the previously described embodiment.

[0063] The anti-rotation member 218B is configured to fill in a gap between the upper wall 212B of the socket 204B and the stem 208 to inhibit the ball mount 206, 208 from pivoting in left and right directions D (about the central axis A). More particularly, the anti-rotation member 218B takes the form of a resilient locking clip which is made of a resilient materials, such as metal or plastic, and includes a base 240B which is located below the bottom surface 205B of the socket housing 202B, and a pair of legs 222B which extend upwardly from edges of the base 240B and extend along the side surfaces 207B of the socket housing 202. The pair of legs 222B each terminate at a shim portion 244B, with the shim portions 244B extending toward one another and each terminating at a distal end 246B that curves downwardly. A center of the base 240B has a convex shape which serves as a pivot point during flexing of the legs 242B outwardly, away from one another during movement between tensioned and untensioned positions.

[0064] During assembly of the ball socket assembly 200B, after the ball 206 is inserted into the socket 204B and while the anti-rotation member 218B is disconnected from the socket housing 202B and in an untensioned position, a generally horizontal force F1 is applied against an inside surface of each of the legs 222B (such as with a tool) to pivot the legs 222B about the base 240B away from one another to move the anti-rotation member 218B to the tensioned position (e.g., see FIG. 10). While in the tensioned position, the anti-rotation member 218B is slid about the socket housing 202B in the direction of the central axis A such that the legs 222B are each located between a pair of the locating flanges 209B of the socket housing 202B (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 9A and 11 A). In this position, the shim portions 244B are located outside of the socket 204B. As shown in FIG. 9B and 11 B, at this point, the horizontal force F1 is removed from the legs 222B, thus allowing the anti-rotation member 218B to deform back into the untensioned position. During this deformation, the shim portions 244B are received in the socket 204B. In this position, the distal ends 246B of the shim portions 244B are located in the socket 204B with the radius of the distal ends 246B generally following a radius of the sloped region 215B of the socket 204B such that the shim portions 244B lie generally flush with the outer surface of the socket housing 202B in the socket 204B. While in this position, the ball mount 206, 208 is inhibited from pivoting in the left and right side directions D because the shim portions 244B fill in the gap between the stem 208 and the upper portion 212B of the socket 204B. [0065] FIGS. 13A-16 disclose a third example embodiment of an improved ball socket assembly 200C including a third embodiment of a socket housing 202C and a third embodiment of an anti-rotation member 218C that may be used in place of any of the aforementioned ball socket assembly embodiments. FIGS. 13A and 14A show the anti-rotation member 218C in a tensioned and unlocked position, and FIGS. 13B and 14C show the anti-rotation member 218C in an unbiased / installed position.

[0066] With reference to FIG. 13A and 13B, similar to the previously described embodiment, the socket housing 202C extends along a central axis A and has a top surface 203C, a bottom surface 205C and a pair of side surfaces 207C. The top surface 205C defines a socket 204C that extends downwardly into the socket housing 202C along a ball axis B that is generally perpendicular to the central axis A. An inlet of the socket 204C defines a sloped region 215C. Unlike the previously described embodiment, two pairs of locating flanges 209C each extend upwardly from the top surface 203C of the socket housing 202C, with the pairs of locating flanges 209C positioned on opposite sides of the socket 204C from one another.

[0067] With reference to FIGS. 14A-15, similar to the previously described embodiments, a ball mount 206, 208 includes a ball 206 and a stem 208 that extends from the ball 206 and is connected with one of the closure member or the body of the vehicle. The socket 202C is defined by a wall 210C, 212C that is comprised of a bottom portion 210C that has a generally semi-spherical shape and an upper portion 212C that extends upwardly from the bottom portion 210C. The ball mount 207, 208 is pivotally received by the socket 204C with the ball 206 positioned in the bottom portion 210C and with the stem 218 positioned along the upper portion 212C. A clip 214 extends through the upper portion 212C of the wall 210C, 212C and is biased against the stem 208 for securing the ball mount 206, 208 within the socket 204C. As best shown in FIG. 15, a majority of a length of the upper portion 212C of the wall 210C, 212C of the socket 204C tapers when viewed from a side cross-section along the central axis A. this provides space to allow the ball mount 206, 208 to pivot in forward and rearward directions C, like the previously described embodiment.

[0068] The anti-rotation member 218C is configured to fill in a gap between the upper portion 212C of the socket 204C by engaging the stem 208 to inhibit the ball mount 206, 208 from pivoting in left and right directions D (about the central axis). The anti-rotation member 218C includes a pair of legs 222C which extend upwardly from edges of a base 220C and extend along the side surfaces 207C of the socket housing 202C. The pair of legs 222C each terminate at a shim portion 244C, with each shim portion 244C extending to a distal end 246C. As illustrated in FIG. 13A, each shim portion 244C includes a recessed portion 248C that is recessed in the direction of the central axis A, thus defining a thinner region of the shim portion 244C. Furthermore, a protrusion 252C is defined at the distal end 246C of each of the shim portions 244C. The protrusion 252C has an inside surface 254C that has a shape that generally follows a profile of the stem 208 of the ball mount 206, 208 and an outside surface 256C opposite the inside surface 254C that has a shape that follows a profile of the upper portion 212C of the socket 204C.

[0069] As best shown in FIGS. 13A-13B, a generally circular-shaped locating pin 250C extends upwardly from the base 240C and is received by a generally circular shaped slot 258C at the bottom surface 205C for inhibiting the anti-rotation member 218C from moving in vertical and horizontal directions. The locating pin 250C and slot 258C could have various shapes and sizes.

[0070] During assembly of the third embodiment of the ball socket assembly 200C, as illustrated in FIG. 16, while the anti-rotation member 218C is disconnected from the socket housing 202C and while the ball mount 206, 208 is located outside of the socket 204C, a horizontal force F2 is applied against an internal surface of each of the shim portions 244C (such as with a spreader tool), to elastically flex the shim portions 244C away from one another about the base 240C. This allows the anti rotation member 218C to be positioned about the socket housing 202C. At this time, the recessed portion 248C of each of the shim portions 244C is located between a pair of the locating flanges 209C in order to fix the anti-rotation member 218C relative to the socket housing 202C in the direction of the central axis A. Furthermore, at this time, the locating pin 250C is received in the slot 258C (as shown in FIGS. 13A and 14A). As shown in FIGS. 13B and 14B-14C, the ball mount 206, 208 is then moved downwardly, with a shoulder 260 of the stem 208 of the ball mount 206, 208 engaging the protrusion 252C, thus driving the anti-rotation member 218C downwardly and allowing it to snap into an untensioned, locked position with the inside surface 254C of the protrusion 252C generally flush with the stem 208 of the ball mount 206, 208 and the outside surface 256C of the protrusion 252C flush with a profile of the upper portion 212C of the socket 204C. As shown in FIGS. 13B and 14C, while in the untensioned and locked positions, the shim portions 244C of the anti-rotation member 218C mate with the tapered portion 211 C of the stem 208C to fill the gap between the upper portion 212C of the socket 202C and the stem 2108C to prevent rotation thereof in the left and right directions D. [0071] It should be appreciated that other materials may be used for the aforementioned anti-rotation members 318, 418, however they should be resilient to allow the legs 342, 442 to be flexed relative to one another.

[0072] According to a further aspect of the disclosure, the anti-rotation member could be comprised of a simple shim portion that is located between the stem 208 of the ball mount 206, 208 and the socket housing 202B.

[0073] Now referring additionally to FIG. 17, there is provided a method 1000 of preventing rotation of a ball mount coupled with a socket 1000, the method including the steps of locating an anti-rotation member including a shim portion into a locked position in which the shim portion is located between a socket housing and a ball mount for inhibiting pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing in at least one direction 1002. The method 1000 may further include the step of linearly moving the shim portion into the socket 1004. The method 1000 may further include the step of deflecting the anti-rotation member to a tensioned position and unlocked position for allowing the ball mount to be received within the socket 1006, and releasing the anti rotation member from its tensioned and unlocked positions into an untensioned and locked position when the ball mount is received within the socket wherein the shim portion is located within the socket against the socket housing and the ball mount 1008. The method 1000 may further include the step of locating the anti-rotation member about the socket housing with a base of the anti-rotation member under the socket housing a pair of legs of the anti-rotation member along side surfaces of the socket housing and a pair of shim portions of the pair of legs extending downwardly toward the base 1010, and moving the shim portion into the socket of the socket housing and adjacent to a stem of a ball mount such that pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing in at least one direction is blocked by the shim portion 1012.

[0074] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will recognize that concepts disclosed in association with the example ball socket and strut assemblies can likewise be implemented into many other systems.

[0075] Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

[0076] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms“a,”“an,” and“the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms“comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and“having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0077] When an element or layer is referred to as being“on,”“engaged to,” “connected to,” or“coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being“directly on,” “directly engaged to,”“directly connected to,” or“directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus“directly between,” “adjacent” versus“directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0078] Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as“first,”“second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

[0079] Spatially relative terms, such as“inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,”“above,”“upper,”“top”,“bottom”, and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element’s or feature’s relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as“below” or“beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented“above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term“below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 180 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptions used herein interpreted accordingly.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A ball socket assembly, comprising;

a socket housing defining a socket;

a ball mount received by and coupled with the socket and pivotable relative to the socket housing; and

an anti-rotation member coupled with the socket housing and moveable between a locked position in which the anti-rotation member engages the ball mount and prevents pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing in at least one direction, and an unlocked position in which the anti-rotation member is spaced from the ball mount and allows pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing in the at least one direction.

2. A ball socket assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the anti-rotation member includes a pair of legs and wherein shim portions of the pair of legs engage opposing sides of the ball mount when the anti-rotation member is in the locked position for preventing the pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing in the at least one direction.

3. A ball socket assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein the pair of legs extend in spaced and parallel relationship with one another.

4. A ball socket assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein the anti-rotation member further includes a base portion extending between the pair of legs.

5. A ball socket assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein the pair of legs and the base portion form a resilient member comprised of a resilient material and the pair of legs are pivotable relative to one another about the base portion between a tensioned position and a locked position in which the resilient member is spaced from the ball mount and the socket and an untensioned position and an unlocked position in which the resilient member engages the ball mount and is located inside the socket.

6. A ball socket assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein the pair of legs each extend from the base portion and terminate at a shim portion extending downwardly toward the base portion and configured to be spaced from the ball mount and the socket when the resilient member is in the tensioned position and the unlocked position, and configured to be in engagement with the ball mount and inside the socket when the resilient member is in the untensioned position and the locked position.

7. A ball socket assembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein the shim portion of each of the pair of legs includes a protrusion aligned with a shoulder of the ball mount to allow downward movement of the ball mount to move the shim portion into the untensioned and locked positions.

8. A ball socket assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the anti-rotation member includes at least one resilient member being bendable between a tensioned position and unlocked position in which the at least one resilient member is spaced from the ball mount and the socket, and a tensioned position and locked position in which the at least one resilient member engages the ball mount and is located inside the socket.

9. A ball and socket assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the anti-rotation member is comprised of a metal or plastic material.

10. An anti-rotation member for a ball mount receivable within a socket of a socket housing the anti-rotation member comprising:

at least one a shim portion positionable within the socket between the socket housing and the ball mount for inhibiting pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing in at least one direction.

11. An anti-rotation member for a ball mount as set forth in claim 10, further including a pair of legs, and wherein the at least one shim portion includes a pair of shim portions each along one of the pair of legs, and wherein the pair of shim portions engage opposing sides of the ball mount when the anti-rotation member is in a locked position for preventing the pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing in the at least one direction.

12. An anti-rotation member for a ball mount as set forth in claim 11 wherein the pair of legs extend in spaced and parallel relationship with one another.

13. An anti-rotation member for a ball mount as set forth in claim 11 wherein the anti-rotation member further includes a base portion extending between the pair of legs.

14. An anti-rotation member for a ball mount as set forth in claim 13 wherein the pair of legs and the base portion are comprised of a resilient material and the pair of legs are pivotable relative to one another about the base portion between a tensioned position and an unlocked position in which the resilient member is spaced from the ball mount and the socket and an untensioned position and the locked position in which the resilient member engages the ball mount and is located inside the socket.

15. An anti-rotation member for a ball mount as set forth in claim 14 wherein the pair of legs each extend from the base portion and terminate at a shim portion extending downwardly toward the base portion and configured to be spaced from the ball mount and the socket while in the untensioned and unlocked positions, and configured to be in engagement with the ball mount and inside the socket when the resilient member is in the untensioned and locked positions.

16. An anti-rotation member as set forth in claim 15 wherein the shim portion of each of the pair of legs includes a protrusion aligned with a shoulder of the ball mount to allow downward movement of the ball mount to move the shim portion in the untensioned and locked positions in which pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing is inhibited.

17. A method of forming a ball socket locking configuration, including:

locating an anti-rotation member including a shim portion into a locked position in which the shim portion is located between a socket housing and a ball mount for inhibiting pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing in at least one direction.

18. A method of Claim 17, further comprising linearly moving the shim portion into the socket.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising deflecting the anti-rotation member to a tensioned position and unlocked position for allowing the ball mount to be received within the socket, and

releasing the anti-rotation member from its tensioned and unlocked positions into an untensioned and locked position when the ball mount is received within the socket wherein the shim portion is located within the socket against the socket housing and the ball mount.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising locating the anti-rotation member about the socket housing with a base of the anti-rotation member under the socket housing a pair of legs of the anti-rotation member along side surfaces of the socket housing and a pair of shim portions of the pair of legs extending downwardly toward the base; and

moving the shim portion into the socket of the socket housing and adjacent to a stem of a ball mount such that pivoting of the ball mount relative to the socket housing in at least one direction is blocked by the shim portion.