DE102023001174A1 - Gas pressure compensated vehicle level correction system - Google Patents

Abstract

A strut assembly 100 for a suspension system of a vehicle is disclosed that includes a damper 102, a load cell 104 configured with the damper 102 to sense the gas force of the damper 102, a spring 110 configured with the damper 102 so that an upper end of the spring 110 is in contact with an upper bracket of the damper 102, and a height adjustment unit 112 configured with an outer surface of the damper 102 such that a lower end 114 of the spring 110 is supported by the height adjustment unit 112 becomes. The height adjustment unit 112 is configured to raise the lower end 114 of the spring 110 upward to maintain the ride height of the vehicle body when the load cell 104 determines that the gas force of the damper 102 is reduced below a threshold level.

Description

The present disclosure relates generally to the technical field of vehicle suspension systems. In particular, it relates to an improved suspension strut assembly of a vehicle.

A vehicle's suspension system includes springs, shock absorbers/dampers, and linkages that connect a vehicle's body to its wheels and allow relative movement between the two to reduce the effects of driving over uneven terrain, resulting in good ride quality and handling of the vehicle. Generally, air-assisted shock absorbers or dampers are used to absorb and dampen shock impulses. Some suspension systems are provided with height-adjustable features to vary the ride height or ground clearance of the vehicle to improve ground clearance on uneven terrain, or to reduce ground clearance to improve performance and fuel economy at high speeds or for stylistic reasons . The height adjustment of the vehicle body is generally done via the air-assisted dampers, which enable height adjustment by varying the air pressure of the air-assisted dampers.

In addition, the weight of the body or the sprung mass of the vehicle is divided by the gas force of the air-assisted dampers and the springs of the suspension system. However, in such a suspension system, if the gas force in the dampers is reduced due to a fault, the vehicle attitude changes, resulting in a change in handling characteristics due to a change in ride height or ground clearance. Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a solution that eliminates the problem of vehicle body positioning due to an inadvertent reduction in gas force in the vehicle's dampers.

The patent document DE102013206122B4 discloses a device for adjusting the height of a vehicle body relative to a wheel suspension. The device includes at least a coil spring for supporting a wheel suspension member, movable relative to the vehicle body against the vehicle body, and a gas-tight air hose filled with air and expandable along the longitudinal axis of the coil spring. The gas-tight air hose is made of a stretchable material and is arranged inside the coil spring. The coil spring rests with its axial ends on a spring leaf on the body side and on another spring leaf on the wheel suspension side. The air hose is also supported on the body-side spring leaf and the suspension-side spring leaf, and the air pressure in the air hose is released by a pneumatic mechanism using the vibration energy of the compressing and rebounding suspension. The pneumatic mechanism includes at least one switchable drain valve and a switchable check valve, each of which is fluidly connected to the air hose. When the wheel suspension rebounds, in which the distance between the spring leaves increases, air flows into the air hose via the check valve. During a compression movement, ie when the distance between the ends of the coil springs decreases and the air pressure in the air hose increases, the air can neither flow back via the check valve nor escape through the switchable, closed release valve. Accordingly, the air hose inflates and expands, thereby lifting the vehicle body. In order to adjust a desired height of the vehicle body, at least the drain valve is designed to be switchable in the flow direction so that the air can temporarily flow out of the air hose in the flow direction in a controlled manner through the drain valve.

The cited patent document discloses a device for adjusting the height of a vehicle body relative to a suspension of a vehicle and does not provide an efficient solution to the above-mentioned problem.

There is therefore a need to provide a simple and cost-effective solution to avoid inadvertent change in the attitude of the vehicle body due to an inadvertent reduction in air pressure/force in the vehicle's air-assisted dampers.

A general object of the present disclosure is to provide an efficient, simple, and inexpensive strut assembly for a vehicle suspension system.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a strut assembly that improves the ride characteristics of a vehicle when gas force escapes/decreases from the damper.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a strut assembly for a suspension system of a vehicle to prevent inadvertent change in the attitude of the vehicle body due to misalignment To avoid increasing the air pressure/force in the vehicle's air-assisted dampers.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a strut assembly that can be easily installed in a vehicle without major modifications.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to vehicle shock absorbers. More particularly, it relates to an improved strut assembly for a suspension system of a vehicle.

In one aspect, the proposed strut assembly may include a damper configured between a vehicle body and a wheel support assembly of the vehicle, a load cell configured with the damper to sense the gas force of the damper, and a spring configured with the damper is configured such that an upper end of the spring is in contact with an upper bracket of the strut assembly. The upper bracket of the strut assembly is mounted to the vehicle body. The damper may include at least a tubular housing having compressed air therein, a lower bracket for attaching a lower end portion of the at least one tubular housing to the wheel support assembly, and a piston rod having a piston reciprocating in the at least one tubular housing - and spring-back movement is configured to slide within the at least one tubular housing. An upper end of the piston rod is coupled to the upper bracket of the damper.

The proposed strut assembly may include a height adjustment unit configured with an outer surface of the damper such that a lower end of the spring is supported by the height adjustment unit. The height adjustment unit may be configured to raise the lower end of the spring upward to maintain ground clearance of the vehicle body when the load cell detects a reduction in the damper's gas force below a threshold level. The weight of the vehicle body can be supported by the spring after reducing the gas force of the damper to avoid the reduction of ground clearance. The upward lifting of the lower end of the spring compensates for the loss of position of the body due to a reduction in the gas force of the damper.

The load cell can be communicatively coupled to a vehicle electronic control unit (ECU) to send a signal corresponding to the detected throttle force of the damper. If the ECU determines, based on the received signal, that the detected damper gas force is below the threshold level, the ECU may be configured to actuate the height adjustment unit.

The height adjustment unit may include a lower plate attached to the damper and an upper plate movably configured with the damper to selectively move up and down with respect to the lower plate to the lower end of the spring to selectively raise and lower. The lower end of the spring can be supported on the upper plate. The height adjustment unit may include a plurality of height adjusters configured between the lower plate and the upper plate. Each height adjuster may be a spiral groove mechanism including a groove element and a spiral element. The height adjustment unit may further include a pneumatic actuation mechanism that, when actuated, may be configured to rotate the scroll member of each height adjustment unit to enable movement of the top plate. The pneumatic actuation mechanism can be configured with the bottom plate.

The pneumatic actuation mechanism may include a plurality of torque wrenches configured to rotate the corresponding scroll members of the plurality of height adjusters and an air hose fluidly connected to the plurality of torque wrenches for supplying compressed air into the plurality of torque wrenches. The spiral groove mechanisms can be configured to convert the rotational motion of the plurality of torque wrenches into translational motion to provide translational motion to the top plate. In addition, the air hose can be fluidically connected to a source of compressed air via a first air inlet in order to obtain compressed air.

Each of the plurality of torque wrenches may include a housing fluidly connected to the air hose via a second air inlet for receiving a flow of compressed air from the air hose, an impeller rotatably disposed within the housing, and a tool head configured with the impeller. The impeller is configured to rotate within the housing when a flow of compressed air is received through the second air inlet in the housing. In addition, the tool head with the impeller can be configured such that a portion of the tool head protrudes from the housing. The tool head can be removably attached to the impeller, allowing the rotation of the work tool head allows the rotation of the corresponding spiral elements of the height adjuster through the impeller.

Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the subject invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals represent like components.

• 1A veranschaulicht eine beispielhafte Schnittdarstellung der vorgeschlagenen Federbeinbaugruppe für ein Aufhängungssystem eines Fahrzeugs gemäß einer Ausführungsform der vorliegenden Offenbarung.
• 1B veranschaulicht eine beispielhafte Federbeinanordnung für ein Aufhängungssystem gemäß einer Ausführungsform der vorliegenden Offenbarung.
• 2A und 2B veranschaulichen eine beispielhafte Höhenverstelleinheit der vorgeschlagenen Federbeinbaugruppe gemäß einer Ausführungsform der vorliegenden Offenbarung.
• 3A veranschaulicht einen beispielhaften Drehmomentschlüssel mit einem Höhenversteller einer Höhenverstelleinheit gemäß einer Ausführungsform der vorliegenden Offenbarung.
• 3B veranschaulicht eine Explosionszeichnung eines Drehmomentschlüssels einer Höhenverstelleinheit gemäß einer Ausführungsform der vorliegenden Offenbarung.
• 4A und 4B veranschaulichen eine beispielhafte Funktionsweise einer Höhenverstelleinheit der vorgeschlagenen Federbeinbaugruppe gemäß einer Ausführungsform der vorliegenden Offenbarung.

The accompanying drawings are included to provide further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated into and form a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

• 1A illustrates an exemplary sectional view of the proposed strut assembly for a suspension system of a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• 1B illustrates an example strut assembly for a suspension system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• 2A and 2 B illustrate an exemplary height adjustment unit of the proposed strut assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• 3A illustrates an exemplary torque wrench with a height adjuster of a height adjustment unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• 3B illustrates an exploded view of a torque wrench of a height adjustment unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
• 4A and 4B illustrate an exemplary operation of a height adjustment unit of the proposed strut assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The following is a detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are detailed enough to clearly convey the disclosure. However, the amount of detail provided is not intended to limit foreseeable variations in embodiments; on the contrary, the intent is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives that come within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

The embodiments explained herein relate to shock absorbers for vehicles. More particularly, it relates to an improved strut assembly for a suspension system of a vehicle.

In one aspect, the proposed strut assembly may include a damper configured between a vehicle body and a wheel support assembly of the vehicle, a load cell configured with the damper to sense the gas force of the damper, and a spring configured with the damper is configured such that an upper end of the spring is in contact with an upper bracket of the strut assembly. The proposed strut assembly may further include a height adjustment unit configured with an outer surface of the damper such that a lower end of the spring is supported by the height adjustment unit. The height adjustment unit may be configured to raise the lower end of the spring upward to maintain ground clearance of the vehicle body when the load cell detects a reduction in the gas force of the strut assembly damper below a threshold level. The weight of the vehicle body can be supported by the spring after reducing the gas force of the upward gas/pneumatic force of the damper to avoid reducing the ground clearance. The upward lifting of the lower end of the spring compensates for the loss of position of the body due to the reduction in the gas force of the damper.

With reference to 1A and 1B , in which the proposed strut assembly for a suspension system of a vehicle is shown. The proposed strut assembly 100 includes a damper 102 disposed between a vehicle body (not shown) and a wheel support assembly (not shown) of the vehicle, and a load cell 104 configured with the damper 102 to sense the gas force of the damper 102 . The damper 102 may include one or more tubular housings, including an inner tubular housing 106 and an outer tubular housing 108. The tubular housings 106 and 108 may be made of metal. The damper 102 can be filled with compressed air. The damper 102 may include a lower bracket (not shown) for attaching a lower end portion of the damper 102 to a wheel support assembly and an upper bracket (not shown) of the damper 102 for attaching an upper end portion of the damper 102 to the vehicle body included. In addition, the damper 102 is provided with a piston rod having a piston (not shown) slidably configured in the inner tubular housing 106 for reciprocating springing and rebounding motion within the inner tubular housing 106 to absorb shock pulses and to dampen. An upper end of the piston rod is coupled to the upper bracket of the damper 102.

Furthermore, as in 1 B As shown, the disclosed strut assembly 100 further includes a spring 110 configured with the damper 102 such that an upper end of the spring 110 is in contact with the upper mount of the damper 102. The spring 110 can be a coil spring. In addition, the proposed strut assembly 100 may include a height adjustment unit 112 configured with an outer casing 108 of the damper 102 such that a lower end 114 of the spring 110 is supported by the height adjustment unit 112. The height adjustment unit 112 may be configured to raise the lower end 114 of the spring 110 upward to maintain the ground clearance and/or the height of the vehicle body at a required level when the load cell 104 determines that the gas force of the damper 102 is below Threshold level is reduced. As the lower end 114 of the spring 110 is raised upward, the spring height changes, thereby increasing the rated spring load of the spring 110, compensating for the loss of position of the vehicle body due to a reduction in gas force. The weight of the vehicle body or the sprung mass may be supported by the spring 110 after reducing the gas force of the damper 102 to avoid a reduction in ground clearance. The upward lifting of the lower end 114 of the spring 110 thus compensates for the loss of position of the body due to a reduction in the gas force of the damper 102.

In one embodiment, the load cell 104 may be communicatively coupled to an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle to send a signal corresponding to the detected throttle force of the damper 102. If the ECU determines that the detected gas force of the damper 102 is below the threshold level based on the received signal, the ECU may actuate the height adjustment unit 112 to raise the lower end 114 of the spring 110.

In an alternative embodiment, the load cell 104 may be communicatively coupled to an indicator, such as a light source or a sound device, configured in an operator's cab of the vehicle to send a signal corresponding to the detected gas force of the damper 102 to alert the driver to the to draw attention to detected gas power. Based on the received signal, the display unit can flash different lights or sounds. The driver can operate the height adjustment unit 112. The indicator may be any other suitable device, such as a digital display device.

The height adjustment unit 112 may include a lower plate 116 attached to the damper 102 and an upper plate 118 movably configured with the damper 102 to selectively move up and down with respect to the lower plate 116, to selectively raise and lower the lower end 114 of the spring 110 and thus change the height of the spring 110. The lower end 114 of the spring 110 can be supported on the upper plate 118. The height adjustment unit 112 may include a plurality of height adjusters 120 configured between the lower plate 116 and the upper plate 118. For example, six height adjusters 120 are used in the height adjustment unit 112. The lower plate 116 and the upper plate 118 may be made of metal or hard material. The lower plate 116 and the upper plate 118 may be disk-shaped.

As in 4A and 4B As shown, each height adjuster 120 may be a spiral groove mechanism that includes a groove member 402 and a spiral member 404. Each groove element 402 is provided with an inner groove and each spiral element 404 is provided with a corresponding spiral projection 406 which engages the inner groove of the groove element 402. The groove elements 402 are movably configured with the spiral elements 404 through the grooves and the spiral projections 406 such that, as the spiral elements 404 rotate, the groove elements 402 selectively translate up or down to raise or lower the top plate 118. For example, rotation of the spiral elements 404 in a clockwise direction may enable upward movement of the groove elements 402 to move the top plate 118 upward, and rotation of the spiral elements 404 in a counterclockwise direction may enable downward movement of the groove elements 402 to move the top plate 118 downward. The upward movement of the top plate 118 is, for example, in the 4A and 4B shown.

With reference to 2 B The height adjustment unit 112 further includes a pneumatic actuation mechanism 202 configured to, when actuated, rotate the scroll member 404 of each height adjustment unit to enable movement of the top plate 118. The pneumatic actuation mechanism 202 can can be configured with the lower plate 116. The pneumatic actuation mechanism 202 may be actuated by the ECU to rotate the scroll elements 404 of the height adjusters 120 and raise the top plate 118 when the detected gas force of the damper 102 is below the threshold level. By upwardly moving the lower plate 116, the lower end 114 of the spring 110 can be raised, thereby changing the height of the spring 110 and increasing the spring force, thereby compensating for the loss of posture of the vehicle body due to the reduction in the gas force of the damper 102 can.

Further, the pneumatic actuation mechanism 202 may include a plurality of torque wrenches 204 and an air hose 206. For example, six torque wrenches are used. The torque wrenches 204 can be configured to rotate the corresponding spiral elements 404 of the majority of the height adjusters 120. The air hose 206 is fluidly connected to the plurality of torque wrenches 204 to supply compressed air into the torque wrenches 204. The air hose 206 may be connected via a first air inlet 208 to a source of compressed air, such as an air compressor of the vehicle, to receive compressed air.

Additionally, the spiral groove mechanisms of the height adjusters 120 can be configured to convert the rotational motion of the torque wrenches 204 into translational motion to provide translational motion to the top plate 118.

Furthermore, as in 3A and 3B shown, each torque wrench 204 may include a housing 302 fluidly connected to the air hose 206 via a second air inlet 304 to receive a stream of compressed air from the air hose 206, an impeller 306 rotatably configured in the housing 302 via a bushing 310, and a tool head 308 configured with the impeller 306. The impeller 306 is configured to rotate within the housing 302 when a flow of compressed air is received through the second air inlet 304 in the housing. The compressed air flow is directed into the housing through the second air inlet 304 when the pneumatic actuation mechanism 202 is actuated by the ECU or the driver. For example, the second inlet 304 may include one or more through holes to allow air flow from the air hose 206 into the housing 302.

In addition, the tool head 308 can be configured with the impeller 306 such that a portion of the tool head 308 protrudes from the housing 302. The tool head 308 can be removably attached to the impeller 306 such that rotation of the tool head 308 by the impeller 306 causes rotation of the corresponding spiral elements 404 of the height adjuster 120 to raise the top plate 118.

Thus, the present disclosure provides a simple and inexpensive strut assembly for a suspension system of a vehicle. The strut assembly can eliminate the positional change of the vehicle body due to a reduction in air pressure/or force in a damper of the strut assembly.

While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be formulated without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, variations or examples, which are included to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with the information and knowledge available to one of ordinary skill in the art.

The present disclosure provides an efficient, simple, and inexpensive strut assembly for a vehicle suspension system.

The present disclosure provides a strut assembly that improves the ride characteristics of a vehicle when gas force escapes/decreases from the damper.

The present disclosure provides a strut assembly for a suspension system of a vehicle to prevent an inadvertent change in attitude of the vehicle body due to a reduction in air pressure/force in the vehicle's dampers.

The present disclosure provides a strut assembly that can be easily installed in a vehicle without major modifications.

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 102013206122 B4 [0004]

Claims (10)

Strut assembly (100) for a suspension system of a vehicle, the strut assembly (100) comprising: a damper (102) configured between a vehicle body and a wheel support assembly of the vehicle; a load cell (104) configured with the damper (102) to sense the gas force of the damper (102); a spring (110) configured with the damper (102) such that an upper end of the spring is in contact with an upper bracket of the damper (102), the upper bracket mounted to the vehicle body; and a height adjustment unit (112) configured with an outer surface of the damper (102) such that a lower end (114) of the spring (110) is supported by the height adjustment unit (112); wherein upon detection of a reduction in the gas force of the damper (102) below a threshold level by the load cell (104), the height adjustment unit (112) is configured to raise the lower end (114) of the spring (110) upwards in order to increase the ground clearance of the Preserve vehicle body. Strut assembly (100). Claim 1 , wherein raising the lower end (114) of the spring (110) compensates for the loss of position of the vehicle body due to a reduction in the gas force of the damper (102). Strut assembly (100). Claim 1 , wherein the height adjustment unit (112) comprises: a lower plate (116) attached to the damper (102); an upper plate (118) movably configured with the damper (102) to move selectively up and down with respect to the lower plate (116) to the lower end (114) of the spring (110) selectively raise and lower with the lower end (114) of the spring (110) supported on the upper plate (118); a plurality of height adjusters (120) configured between the lower plate (116) and the upper plate (118), each height adjuster (120) being a spiral groove mechanism including a groove element (402) and a spiral element (404); and a pneumatic actuation mechanism (202) configured, when actuated, to rotate the scroll member (404) of each height adjuster (120) to enable movement of the top plate (118). Strut assembly (100). Claim 3 , wherein the pneumatic actuation mechanism (202) is configured with the lower plate (116). Strut assembly (100). Claim 4 , wherein the pneumatic actuation mechanism (202) comprises: a plurality of torque wrenches (204) configured to rotate the corresponding scroll elements (404) of the plurality of height adjusters (120); and an air hose (206) fluidly connected to the plurality of torque wrenches (204) for supplying compressed air into the plurality of torque wrenches (204). Strut assembly (100). Claim 5 , wherein the air hose (206) is fluidly connected to a compressed air source via a first air inlet (208) in order to receive compressed air. Strut assembly (100). Claim 5 , wherein the height adjusters (120) are configured to convert the rotational motion of the plurality of torque wrenches (204) into translational motion to provide translational motion to the top plate (118). Strut assembly (100). Claim 4 , wherein each of the plurality of torque wrenches (204) comprises: a housing (302) fluidly connected to the air hose (206) via a second air inlet (304) for receiving a flow of compressed air from the air hose (206); an impeller (306) rotatably configured within the housing (302), the impeller (306) being configured to rotate within the housing (302) when a flow of compressed air in the housing (302) through the second air inlet (304) is received; and a tool head (308) configured with the impeller (306) such that a portion of the tool head (308) protrudes from the housing (302), the tool head (308) being configured such that rotation of the tool head (308) 308) causes the corresponding spiral elements (404) of the height adjuster (120) to rotate through the impeller (306). Strut assembly (100). Claim 1 , wherein the load cell (104) is communicatively coupled to an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle to send a signal corresponding to the detected gas force of the damper (102), and wherein the ECU based on the received signal when the ECU determines that the detected gas force of the damper (102) is below the threshold level, is configured to actuate the height adjustment unit (112). Strut assembly (100). Claim 1 , wherein the damper (102) comprises: at least one tubular housing (106, 108) with compressed air in it; a lower bracket for securing a lower end portion of the at least one tubular housing (106, 108) to the wheel support assembly; and a piston rod having a piston slidably configured in the at least one tubular housing (106, 108) for reciprocating spring-back motion within the at least one tubular housing, an upper end of the piston rod having the upper posture the damper (102) is coupled.

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