Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16F—SPRINGS; SHOCK-ABSORBERS; MEANS FOR DAMPING VIBRATION
  • F16F9/00—Springs, vibration-dampers, shock-absorbers, or similarly-constructed movement-dampers using a fluid or the equivalent as damping medium
  • F16F9/02—Springs, vibration-dampers, shock-absorbers, or similarly-constructed movement-dampers using a fluid or the equivalent as damping medium using gas only or vacuum
  • F16F9/04—Springs, vibration-dampers, shock-absorbers, or similarly-constructed movement-dampers using a fluid or the equivalent as damping medium using gas only or vacuum in a chamber with a flexible wall
  • F16F9/0454—Springs, vibration-dampers, shock-absorbers, or similarly-constructed movement-dampers using a fluid or the equivalent as damping medium using gas only or vacuum in a chamber with a flexible wall characterised by the assembling method or by the mounting arrangement, e.g. mounting of the membrane
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
  • B60G17/00—Resilient suspensions having means for adjusting the spring or vibration-damper characteristics, for regulating the distance between a supporting surface and a sprung part of vehicle or for locking suspension during use to meet varying vehicular or surface conditions, e.g. due to speed or load
  • B60G17/015—Resilient suspensions having means for adjusting the spring or vibration-damper characteristics, for regulating the distance between a supporting surface and a sprung part of vehicle or for locking suspension during use to meet varying vehicular or surface conditions, e.g. due to speed or load the regulating means comprising electric or electronic elements
  • B60G17/019—Resilient suspensions having means for adjusting the spring or vibration-damper characteristics, for regulating the distance between a supporting surface and a sprung part of vehicle or for locking suspension during use to meet varying vehicular or surface conditions, e.g. due to speed or load the regulating means comprising electric or electronic elements characterised by the type of sensor or the arrangement thereof
  • B60G17/01933—Velocity, e.g. relative velocity-displacement sensors
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B61—RAILWAYS
  • B61F—RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES
  • B61F5/00—Constructional details of bogies; Connections between bogies and vehicle underframes; Arrangements or devices for adjusting or allowing self-adjustment of wheel axles or bogies when rounding curves
  • B61F5/02—Arrangements permitting limited transverse relative movements between vehicle underframe or bolster and bogie; Connections between underframes and bogies
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
  • G01B21/00—Measuring arrangements or details thereof, where the measuring technique is not covered by the other groups of this subclass, unspecified or not relevant
  • G01B21/16—Measuring arrangements or details thereof, where the measuring technique is not covered by the other groups of this subclass, unspecified or not relevant for measuring distance of clearance between spaced objects
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
  • B60G2204/00—Indexing codes related to suspensions per se or to auxiliary parts
  • B60G2204/10—Mounting of suspension elements
  • B60G2204/11—Mounting of sensors thereon
  • B60G2204/111—Mounting of sensors thereon on pneumatic springs
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
  • B60G2400/00—Indexing codes relating to detected, measured or calculated conditions or factors
  • B60G2400/25—Stroke; Height; Displacement
  • B60G2400/252—Stroke; Height; Displacement vertical
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
  • B60G2401/00—Indexing codes relating to the type of sensors based on the principle of their operation

Definitions

• the invention relates to an air spring consisting of at least the following components
• a lower part which can be designed as a piston, layer spring or the like and which comprises a lower fastening plate,
• pressurized bellows made of elastomeric material that connects the upper support plate and the lower part to each other using fasteners (e.g. clamping rings); such as
• Air springs are often used as secondary suspension, the height of which is due to the supply or blowing off of compressed air can be varied according to the respective loading and / or driving conditions.
• the air springs are coupled with systems with which either the height of the air spring directly or the distance between two parts moving relative to each other (e.g.
• height sensors are used to determine the changes in height during relative movements between the bogie and car body, the measured values of which are processed in a control unit, which then generates corresponding control signals to the control valves, and brief changes in measured values can be filtered out.
• Height sensors are known, for example, which are installed in the interior of the air spring and change in height inductively (DE 34 46 41 1 A1, DE 40 35 784 A1, DE 44 13 559 A1) or by means of ultrasound (DE 36 20 957 A1, DE 34 23 602 A1) , US 4,798,369).
• Pressure sensors which are arranged on the outer wall of a rolling piston and are actuated by the air bellows rolling on the rolling piston when the height changes are known (DE 42 43 530 A2).
• air springs the air spring bellows of which is designed as a so-called tubular roller bellows and which can essentially only perform vertical movements in the direction of their longitudinal axis.
• air springs are mainly used in motor vehicles.
• the horizontal deflection of the air spring means that there is no consistently stable signal path between the transmitter and receiver unit of the ultrasonic sensor.
• the invention is therefore based on the object to avoid the disadvantages of the known technical solutions and to present a cost-effective solution that makes it possible to easily determine the change in height of an air spring, taking into account the horizontal deflections, when installing a height sensor inside the air spring is not possible due to the lack of space above and / or below the air spring for the parts of the height sensor protruding from the air spring, or if the air spring is connected directly to an additional pressure container and the air exchange is interrupted by a height sensor installed inside the air spring or would be hindered.
• the air spring according to the invention is characterized in that an upper arm and a lower arm are each led out to the side from the upper support plate and a lower arm, the height sensor being arranged between the two arms.
• Fig. 1 shows an air spring / height sensor arrangement in the normal state, i.e. the air spring is deflected neither vertically nor horizontally;
• Fig. 2 shows the same air spring / height sensor arrangement in which the air spring is deflected both vertically and horizontally.
• an air spring consists of an upper support plate 1, a lower part 2, which can be designed as a piston, layer spring or the like, and a bellows 3, which is made of an elastomeric material, and which presses the upper support plate 1 and the lower part 2 using suitable ones Fasteners connects together.
• the upper support plate 1 is fixed to the Car body, for example, connected by a continuous beam 4.
• the lower part 2 is fixedly connected to an assembly of the bogie, for example a cradle 5, which can serve as an additional pressure container, via a lower fastening plate 2.1.
• the upper support plate 1 is designed such that an upper arm 1.1 is led out to the side.
• a lower bracket 2.2 is also led out to the side from the lower fastening plate 2.1.
• a height sensor 6 is arranged with the aid of suitable fastening means, the push rod 6.1 of which is pressed by spring force against a sliding plate 1.2 arranged on the upper arm 1.1.
• the feeler plunger 6.1 can slide on the slide plate 1.2 arranged on the upper arm 1.1, without the measurement result being falsified thereby.
• the diameter d of the sliding plate 1.2 must of course be greater than twice the amount of the maximum horizontal displacement s occurring on the vehicle.
• the application of the solution according to the invention is not limited to the arrangement of a height sensor, which is shown by way of example in FIGS. 1 and 2 and operates with a mechanical scanning principle.
• Other height sensors for example working with a contactless scanning principle, can be used as well.
• the height of the car body regardless of the load and / or driving condition of the vehicle is always within a To keep the predetermined tolerance constant or to set it to a predetermined value in the empty state, it is in principle irrelevant whether the height sensor is arranged inside or outside the air spring.
• the virtual measuring plane which, when using a height sensor working with a mechanical scanning principle, through the points of contact of the plunger 6.1 of the height sensor 6 with the sliding plate 1.2, or when using a height sensor working with a non-contact scanning principle, through the reflection points of the transmitted measuring signal on upper boom 1.1 is stretched, in their axes of symmetry parallel and at right angles to the direction of travel coincides with the similar axes of symmetry of the vehicle.
• the height sensor 6 is expediently provided with a mechanical protective component, which can be a protective bellows (bellows).
• the protective component or the protective bellows is a polymer material, preferably an elastomer, a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) or a thermoplastic.
• the advantages of the invention are, in particular, that changes in components / assemblies of the vehicle, such as drilling holes to avoid construction, are avoided with this system solution. Even drilling holes in components / assemblies of the vehicle in order to screw on sensor components (or even welding holding elements) can be completely eliminated.
• Another advantage of the invention is that the air spring / sensor system is already completely pre-assembled by the manufacturer, so that no further work is required when mounting on the vehicle except for mounting on the bogie and mounting the car body.

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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ID=7635434

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

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• 2001
  • 2001-03-07 HU HU0202014A patent/HUP0202014A2/hu unknown
  • 2001-03-07 WO PCT/DE2001/000858 patent/WO2001070526A1/de not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2001-03-07 EP EP01916907A patent/EP1178892A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2001-03-07 JP JP2001568753A patent/JP4966467B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2001-03-07 AU AU44076/01A patent/AU4407601A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-03-07 DE DE10110878A patent/DE10110878A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2001-03-07 CN CNB018005896A patent/CN1291854C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2001-05-07 US US09/979,250 patent/US6568665B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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