CN213808613U - Auxiliary elastic element for vehicle shock absorber and vehicle shock absorber - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle shock absorber and an auxiliary spring element thereof, the auxiliary spring element including a first part and a second part removably fitted together with the first part, the first and second parts having end faces that at least partially contact each other when fitted, at least two sets of radially extending grooves formed in one of the end faces of the first and second parts, the at least two sets of radially extending grooves being circumferentially spaced apart from each other in a staggered manner and having different axial depths or radial lengths, and a set of radially extending bosses formed on the other of the end faces of the first and second parts to be received by one of the at least two sets of radially extending grooves when the first and second parts are fitted together.

Description

Auxiliary elastic element for vehicle shock absorber and vehicle shock absorber

Technical Field

The present application relates generally to the field of vehicle suspensions and, more particularly, to an auxiliary resilient element for a vehicle shock absorber and a shock absorber including the same.

Background

In the prior art, most of the auxiliary elastic elements used in the vehicle shock absorbers are designed in a fixed structure, once the structure is determined, it is difficult to adjust the stiffness curve of the structure (herein, the stiffness curve refers to the variation curve of the stress of the structure along with the deformation of the structure, and for convenience, the stiffness curve is also referred to as stiffness hereinafter), and if the structural stiffness curve needs to be changed, the structure of the auxiliary elastic element needs to be redesigned. Therefore, in the early debugging process of the style of the vehicle suspension in the prior art, aiming at the debugging requirements of different styles, a large number of auxiliary elastic elements with different structures need to be manufactured in a trial mode so as to meet the requirement of a variable debugging rigidity curve. In addition, in the vehicle production process, a large number of molds are also required for producing auxiliary elastic elements with different rigidities for suspensions of different styles of the same model platform. These bring about an increase in production cycle time and production cost. Therefore, in the field of vehicle suspensions, in particular shock absorbers for vehicle suspensions, there is a need for improved auxiliary spring elements whose stiffness profile can be adjusted and/or varied.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The present application is directed to providing a stiffness-adjustable auxiliary elastic member capable of realizing different stiffnesses through a flexible assembly form by adopting an assembly type structural design, thereby satisfying diverse stiffness requirements during vehicle production development at a reduced cost.

According to an aspect of the present application, there is provided an auxiliary spring element for a vehicle shock absorber, the auxiliary spring element comprising a first component and a second component removably fitted together with the first component, the first and second parts have end faces which at least partially contact each other when assembled, at least two sets of radially extending grooves are formed in one of the end face of the first part and the end face of the second part, the at least two sets of radially extending grooves are circumferentially staggered from one another and have different axial depths or radial lengths, a set of radially extending bosses are formed on the other of the end face of the first part and the end face of the second part, to be received by one of the at least two sets of radially extending grooves when the first and second components are assembled together.

Optionally, the first and second parts have coincident central axes, the groove or the boss being rotationally symmetric about the central axis.

Optionally, each set of grooves comprises at least two grooves, each set of lands comprises at least two lands, and optionally each groove has a groove width greater than 1/10 of the diameter of the outer periphery of the first or second component in which the groove is located.

Optionally, the axial depth of the boss is less than or equal to the axial depth of the groove, and optionally the axial depth of the groove is greater than 1/10 of the axial extension of the first or second component in which the groove is located.

Optionally, each groove extends radially outward from a center of the first or second component to an outer periphery of the first or second component.

Optionally, each groove of one of the at least two sets of radially extending grooves has a radial length equal to a radial length of each land of the one set of radially extending lands, and each groove of the other of the at least two sets of radially extending grooves has a radial length greater than a radial length of each land of the one set of radially extending lands.

Optionally, the first member and the second member have a through hole through which a damper post of a damper passes, and the central axis is a central axis of the through hole.

Optionally, one or more radially outwardly projecting annular rings are formed on the outer periphery of the first and second components.

Optionally, the first and second components are fitted in an interference or form fit, and optionally an adhesive is applied between the end faces of the first and second components.

According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a vehicle shock absorber comprising: a cylinder filled with a damping fluid; a shock absorber post extending from said cylinder; and an auxiliary elastic element according to the above, threaded on the shock absorber column, the first part of the auxiliary elastic element being axially distant from the cylinder and the second part of the auxiliary elastic element being axially close to the cylinder.

By adopting the technical means of the application, the style of the suspension, particularly the shock absorber can be flexibly changed on the premise of not redesigning and manufacturing the auxiliary elastic element, the manufacturing period is shortened, and the manufacturing cost is correspondingly reduced because a large number of different molds for manufacturing the elastic auxiliary element are not required to be manufactured in a trial mode.

Drawings

The following description is made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The figures are for illustration purposes only and are not necessarily drawn to scale. Like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the drawings:

fig. 1 is a simplified view schematically illustrating a vehicle shock absorber to which an auxiliary elastic member according to the present application may be applied;

fig. 2 is a side perspective view illustrating a secondary elastic element according to a first embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a top side exploded perspective view illustrating the components of the secondary spring element of FIG. 2;

fig. 4 is a bottom side perspective view illustrating an upper portion of the auxiliary elastic element of fig. 2 and 3 according to a first embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a top side perspective view illustrating a lower portion of the auxiliary elastic element of fig. 2 and 3 according to a first embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a bottom side perspective view illustrating an upper portion of a secondary elastic element according to a second embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a top side perspective view illustrating a lower portion of a secondary elastic element according to a second embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The following description of the specific embodiments is provided for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to readily understand and use the principles of the present application, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application to these embodiments. The use of spatially relative terms, such as "upper," "lower," "top," "bottom," and the like, are used herein for ease of description only to describe one element/feature's spatial relationship to another element/feature as presented in the figures. It will be understood that this application is intended to cover any other orientations of the elements in use or operation in addition to the orientation shown in the figures. For example, when the elements presented in the figures are inverted, features described as "upper portions" will become "lower portions," and corresponding spatially descriptive elements will be read correspondingly.

The auxiliary elastic element referred to in this application, as its name implies, is made of an elastic material. The elastic material includes, but is not limited to, elastomers, hyperelastomers, viscoelastic materials, and the like, and/or combinations of materials known in the art.

Axial in the present application refers to a direction parallel to the central axis of the structure, circumferential refers to a direction around the central axis, and radial refers to a direction perpendicular to both the axial and circumferential directions. Radially inward refers to a direction radially toward the central axis, and radially outward refers to a direction radially away from the central axis. Axially inward refers to a direction axially towards the inside of the structure and/or the part where the stated object is located, and axially outward refers to a direction axially towards the outside of the structure and/or the part where the stated object is located.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a shock absorber 100 for a vehicle to which an auxiliary elastic member 150 according to the present application may be applied. The shock absorber 100 generally includes a cylinder 110. The cylinder block 110 is substantially hollow cylindrical, having one end closed, and the other end closed by a cylinder head 120. Thus, the cylinder block 110 defines, together with the cylinder head 120, an inner hollow space for containing a damping fluid.

The shock absorber 100 further includes a shock absorber post 130 that is capable of fluid-tight passage through the cylinder head 120 for axial reciprocation relative to the cylinder block 110. The damper post 130 is fixedly provided with a plunger 140 at an end portion extending into the cylinder 110. The plunger 140 forms a sliding friction fit with the inner wall surface of the cylinder 110 and is capable of moving axially back and forth with the damper post 130 in the interior hollow space of the cylinder 110 relative to the cylinder 110. An input valve 140a and an output valve 140b for selectively passing fluid are provided on the plunger 140 so as to provide a damping action to the plunger 140 moving back and forth and the absorber column 130 by the damping fluid filled in the inner hollow space of the cylinder 110. Outside the cylinder body 110, a bracket 160 is fixed to the absorber column 130. Meanwhile, the auxiliary elastic member 150 is fixed to the bracket 160 by passing through the shock absorber column 130, wherein the auxiliary elastic member 150 is located between the bracket 160 and the cylinder head 120 with a gap La therebetween. The shock absorber 100 further includes an outer cover 170 fixed with respect to the bracket 160 so as to prevent foreign substances such as dust from contacting the cylinder 110, the auxiliary elastic member 150, and the like.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the auxiliary elastic member according to the present application can be variously applied to other types of vehicle shock absorbers in addition to the vehicle shock absorber 100 described above.

When the suspension of the vehicle is jumped excessively, the cylinder head may contact the auxiliary elastic member. When the cylinder cover contacts the auxiliary elastic element, the auxiliary elastic element is stressed and deformed, and the deformation characteristic influences the style of the suspension. The prior art requires remanufacturing the secondary spring element to modify its stiffness to accommodate the suspension style when tuning the suspension, which results in wasted tooling and increased production cycle and cost.

Fig. 2 specifically shows the auxiliary elastic element 250 according to the first embodiment of the present application, and fig. 3 is an exploded view of the auxiliary elastic element 250 according to the first embodiment of the present application. Referring to fig. 2 and 3, the auxiliary elastic member 250 is assembled from the upper portion 1 and the lower portion 2. The upper part 1 and the lower part 2 may be composed of the same or different elastic materials. A through hole, which is a combination of the through hole 14 in the upper part 1 and the through hole 24 in the lower part 2 (not visible in fig. 2, see fig. 3), extends through the auxiliary elastic element 250 along a central axis 251 of the auxiliary elastic element 250, so that a damper post, such as the damper post 130 in fig. 1, passes through the auxiliary elastic element 250 via said through hole. The upper part 1 and the lower part 2 are each substantially circular in shape, having two axially opposite ends 7 and 17 and 27 and 37. In the example illustrated in fig. 2, the end 7 of the upper part 1 has a substantially flat end face 3 for connection to a bracket fixed relative to the vehicle body, such as the bracket 160 in fig. 1. The other end 17 of the upper part 1 then meets the end 27 of the lower part 2 in such a way that the axial projection 21 provided on the end 27 of the lower part 2 is inserted into the opposite first recess 11 of the end 17 of the upper part 1. As can be seen from fig. 2, the axial recess depth of the groove 11 is shallower than the second groove 12 also provided on the end portion 17. In addition, each of the upper and lower portions 1 and 2 further includes a generally circular body extending between the two opposite ends 7 and 17 and 27 and 37. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, there are radially outwardly projecting collars 15, 16 and 25, 26 on the outer periphery of the bodies of the first and second parts. The rings 15, 16 and 25, 26 provide good resilience to axial compression of the auxiliary resilient element 250.

Fig. 4 shows a detail of the end 17 of the upper part 1 of the auxiliary elastic element 250 according to the first embodiment of the present application. Although three first grooves 11 and three second grooves 12 are shown in fig. 4, it will be understood that other numbers of first grooves 11 and second grooves 12, such as two or more than three, may be employed. Preferably, the number of first grooves 11 and second grooves 12 is equal. In the example of fig. 4, the three first grooves 11 are evenly spaced in the circumferential direction, and the three second grooves 12 are also evenly distributed in the circumferential direction and are circumferentially offset by an angle with respect to the three first grooves 11 such that the first grooves 11 and the second grooves 12 are circumferentially staggered in interval. The depth to which the first grooves 11 are recessed axially inwardly from the end face 13 is less than the depth to which the second grooves 12 are recessed axially inwardly from the end face 13 (best seen in fig. 2), and preferably greater than 1/10 of the axial extension of the upper portion 1. Optionally, the first groove 11 and the second groove 12 have the same width (the width of the groove or the groove width as referred to herein and elsewhere herein refers to the minimum separation distance between the two side surfaces of the groove extending in the radial direction), and preferably said width is greater than 1/10 of the diameter of the outer periphery of the upper part 1. In addition, the first groove 11 and the second groove 12 each extend radially outward in a straight line from the through hole 14 to the outer periphery of the upper portion 1, thereby providing a radial communication path from the through hole 14 to the outside environment, so that foreign matter (such as particles, sludge, and the like carried up during running of the vehicle) entering the through hole 14 or 24 can be radially discharged through the communication path.

Fig. 5 illustrates the lower part 2 shown in fig. 2 and 3. As shown, three bosses 21 project axially outwardly from an end face 23 of the lower portion 2, the three bosses 21 being arranged circumferentially uniformly on the end face 23. Similarly, although three bosses 21 are shown, more or fewer bosses may be employed. Preferably, the number of the bosses 21 is equal to the number of the first grooves 11 or the second grooves 12. The width of the boss 21 (which as referred to herein and elsewhere herein refers to the minimum spanning distance between two side surfaces of the boss extending in the radial direction) is dimensioned to fit into the first groove 11 or the second groove 12 of the upper part 1, preferably slightly smaller than the width of the first groove 11 or the second groove 12. Similarly to the first groove 11 or the second groove 12, the boss 21 extends radially outward in a straight line from the through hole 24 located at the center of the lower portion to the outer periphery of the lower portion 2 where the boss 21 is located. Preferably, the height of the boss 21 is less than or equal to the axial recess depth of the shallower first groove 11.

When the lower part 2 is fitted to the upper part 1, the boss 21 on the upper end 27 of the lower part 2 can fit into the first groove 11 on the lower end 17 of the upper part 1 to form an auxiliary resilient element 250 with a first structural rigidity as shown in fig. 2. Alternatively, the auxiliary resilient element 250 as shown in fig. 2 may also be disassembled and reassembled with the boss 21 aligned with the second groove 12, thereby having a second structural rigidity different from the first structural rigidity. And vice versa. The reason why the first structural rigidity is different from the second structural rigidity is that when the auxiliary elastic element is subjected to a head impact, the amount of axial deformation between the boss and the groove of the auxiliary elastic element having the first structural rigidity is different from the amount of axial deformation between the boss and the groove of the auxiliary elastic element having the second structural rigidity. Thus, when the cylinder cover contacts the auxiliary elastic element, the rigidity characteristic of the auxiliary elastic element resisting deformation is different, so that the suspension is suitable for different styles of suspension designs.

Fig. 6 and 7 show an upper portion 1 'and a lower portion 2', respectively, of an auxiliary elastic element according to a second embodiment of the present application. The upper part 1' shown in fig. 6 is identical to the upper part 1 shown in fig. 4, except that: the second grooves 12 'of the upper part 1' have an axial recess depth equal to the first grooves 11, but a different radial extension. As shown in fig. 6, the second groove 12' extends radially outward from the central through hole 14 by a length smaller than that of the first groove 11. Correspondingly, the lower part 2 'of the second embodiment of the auxiliary elastic element according to the present application has a boss 21' adapted to the shorter second groove 12 'of the upper part 1' so that the boss 21 'can fit into the second groove 12'. For example, the boss and the recess can be fitted together in an interference or form fit.

Likewise, when assembling the auxiliary resilient element according to the second embodiment of the present application, the boss 21 ' of the lower portion 2 ' may be fitted into the first groove 11 of the upper portion 1 ' or the second groove 12 ' of the upper portion 1 ' to form the auxiliary resilient element with the third stiffness or the fourth stiffness, respectively. The difference in the radial extension of the first groove 11 and the second groove 12 'is such that when the first portion and the second portion are pressed by an external force in the axial direction, the boss 21' is constrained by a different radial expansion when fitted to the first groove 11 and the second groove 12 ', respectively so that the auxiliary elastic element fitted in such a manner that the boss 21' is aligned with the first groove 11 and the auxiliary elastic element fitted in such a manner that the boss 21 'is aligned with the second groove 12' have different axial compression deformations. In this way, the secondary spring element is made to have a stiffness that can be adjusted and/or varied, thereby enabling adaptation to different styles of suspension designs.

It is noted that the lower part 2' as shown in fig. 7 can also be used for fitting with the upper part 1 shown in fig. 4, and that, again, depending on the chosen mating recess, an auxiliary resilient element with a fifth or sixth stiffness can be formed.

Alternatively, according to another possibility of the present application, the boss 21 as shown in fig. 5 or 21' in fig. 7 may be removable, so that by simply replacing the bosses with different radial extension, it is possible to form the assembled secondary elastic element with a lower portion of different structure and, correspondingly, different stiffness.

The present invention has been described in conjunction with embodiments thereof, however, it is to be understood that modifications, variations, substitutions and/or combinations may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. All such modifications, variations, alternatives, and/or combinations are intended to be included within the scope of this application as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (13)

1. An auxiliary elastic element (150, 250) for a vehicle shock absorber, characterized in that it comprises:

a first part (1, 1'); and

a second component (2, 2 ') removably fitted together with the first component (1, 1 '), the first component (1, 1 ') and the second component (2, 2 ') having end faces (13, 23) that at least partially contact each other when fitted, at least two sets of radially extending grooves (11, 12 ') formed in one of the end faces of the first component (1, 1 ') and the second component (2, 2 ') and circumferentially spaced from each other and having different axial depths or radial lengths, and a set of radially extending bosses (21, 21 ') formed on the other of the end faces of the first component (1, 1 ') and the second component (2, 2 ') so as to radially extend between the first component (1, 1 ') and the second component (2), 2 ') are received by one of said at least two sets of radially extending grooves (11, 12') when fitted together.

2. Auxiliary elastic element (150, 250) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first part (1, 1 ') and the second part (2, 2') have coinciding central axes (251), said groove (11, 12 ') or said boss (21, 21') being rotationally symmetric with respect to said central axes (251).

3. Auxiliary elastic element (150, 250) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each set of grooves (11, 12 ') comprises at least two grooves and each set of bosses (21, 21') comprises at least two bosses.

4. Auxiliary elastic element (150, 250) according to claim 3, characterized in that the axial depth of said boss (21, 21 ') is smaller than or equal to the axial depth of said groove (11, 12').

5. Auxiliary elastic element (150, 250) according to claim 4, characterized in that each groove extends radially outwards from the centre of the first part (1, 1 ') or the second part (2, 2') to the periphery of the first part (1, 1 ') or the second part (2, 2').

6. Auxiliary elastic element (150, 250) according to claim 3, characterized in that the radial length of each groove of one of said at least two sets of radially extending grooves (11, 12 ') is equal to the radial length of each boss of said one set of radially extending bosses (21, 21'), and the radial length of each groove of the other of said at least two sets of radially extending grooves (11, 12 ') is larger than the radial length of each boss of said one set of radially extending bosses (21, 21').

7. Auxiliary elastic element (150, 250) according to claim 2, characterized in that the first part (1, 1 ') and the second part (2, 2') have a through hole (14, 24) for passing a damper post of a damper and the central axis (251) is the central axis of the through hole (14, 24).

8. Auxiliary elastic element (150, 250) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that one or more radially outwardly protruding loops (15, 16; 25, 26) are formed on the outer circumference of the first part (1, 1 ') and the second part (2, 2').

9. Auxiliary elastic element (150, 250) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said first part (1, 1 ') and said second part (2, 2') are assembled in an interference or form-fit manner.

10. Auxiliary elastic element (150, 250) according to claim 3, characterized in that the groove width of each groove is larger than 1/10 of the diameter of the outer circumference of the first or second part in which the groove is located.

11. Auxiliary elastic element (150, 250) according to claim 4, characterized in that the axial depth of the groove is greater than 1/10 of the axial extension of the first or second part in which the groove is located.

12. Auxiliary elastic element (150, 250) according to claim 9, characterized in that an adhesive is applied between the end faces (13, 23) of the first part (1, 1 ') and the second part (2, 2').

13. A vehicle shock absorber (100) comprising:

a cylinder (110) filled with a damping fluid;

a shock absorber post (130) extending from the cylinder (110); and

auxiliary elastic element (150, 250) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, pierced on said shock absorber column (130), a first part (1, 1 ') of said auxiliary elastic element (150, 250) being axially distant from said cylinder (110) and a second part (2, 2') of said auxiliary elastic element (150, 250) being axially close to said cylinder (110).

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