AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEM

Abstract

An air suspension system, includes an air suspension bellows connected to a vehicle frame, and an air suspension piston connected to a link, wherein the air suspension bellows and the air suspension piston are connected to each other and enclose an inner air volume, the air suspension piston has a rolling surface for rolling of the air suspension bellows, the air suspension bellows has a contact portion for rolling on the rolling surface, the rolling surface or the contact portion has at least one opening, wherein contacting areas of the rolling surface and the contact portion define a contact surface, and wherein a fluidic connection for an air flow through the at least one opening between the inner air volume and an environment is enabled and prevented by a change in the contact surface that includes a relative movement of the air suspension bellows to the air suspension piston.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. An air suspension system, in particular for commercial vehicles, comprising: an air suspension bellows; an air suspension piston; and a valve arrangement; wherein the air suspension bellows is configured to be indirectly and/or directly connected to a first chassis part that includes a vehicle frame; wherein the air suspension piston is configured to be indirectly and/or directly connected to a second chassis part including a link, wherein the air suspension bellows and the air suspension piston are indirectly and/or directly connected to each other; wherein the air suspension bellows and the air suspension piston at least partially enclose an inner air volume; wherein the air suspension piston has a rolling surface for rolling of the air suspension bellows; wherein the air suspension bellows has a contact portion for rolling on the rolling surface; wherein the rolling surface and/or the contact portion have at least one opening; wherein contacting areas of the rolling surface and the contact portion define a contact surface; wherein a fluidic connection for an air flow through the at least one opening between the inner air volume and an environment is enabled or prevented by a change in the contact surface that includes a relative movement of the air suspension bellows to the air suspension piston; wherein the at least one opening has a first end and a second end, the first end of the at least one opening opening into the inner air volume, and the second end of the at least one opening being arranged and/or opening in/into the rolling surface or in/into the contact portion; and wherein the valve arrangement is configured to enable and prevent an air flow through the at least one opening from the inner air volume to the environment.

17. The air suspension system according to claim 16, wherein a sealing element that includes an O-ring, is arranged in and/or around the opening

18. The air suspension system according to claim 16, wherein a fluid distance between the first end and the environment is a maximum of 2 cm.

19. The air suspension system according to claim 18, wherein the maximum of the fluid distance is 1.5 cm.

20. The air suspension system according to claim 19, wherein the maximum of the fluid distance is 0.9 cm.

21. The air suspension system according to claim 16, wherein a ratio of a length of the at least one opening to a cross-sectional area of the at least one opening is in the range of 0.1 to 0.6.

22. The air suspension system according to claim 21, where the ratio is in the range of 0.2 to 0.5.

23. The air suspension system according to claim 22, wherein the ratio is in the range of 0.27 to 0.4.

24. The air suspension system according to claim 16, wherein the at least one opening extends in a straight line.

25. The air suspension system according to claim 16, wherein the valve arrangement comprises a closing body, wherein the closing body is configured to enable and prevent the air flow through the at least one opening from the inner air volume into the environment by a translatory or by a rotational movement relative to the rolling surface or to the contact portion.

26. The air suspension system according to claim 25, wherein the closing body is arranged at least partially between the rolling surface and the contact portion when the air flow through the at least one opening from the inner air volume into the environment is prevented.

27. The air suspension system according to claim 26, wherein the closing body comprises plastic.

28. The air suspension system according to one claim 25, wherein the closing body has a film joint and/or is connected via a film joint to the rolling surface

29. The air suspension system according to claim 16, wherein the valve arrangement extends at least partially into the at least one opening.

30. The air suspension system according to claim 29, wherein the valve arrangement extends completely through that at least one opening.

31. The air suspension system according to claim 16, wherein the valve arrangement comprises a spring element, and wherein the valve arrangement is configured to allow an air flow through the at least one opening in an unloaded state of the spring element.

32. The air suspension system according to claim 16, wherein the closing body is concave on a side of the closing body facing away from the at least one opening.

33. The air suspension system according to claim 16, wherein the at least one opening includes a plurality of openings, wherein a valve arrangement is assigned to each of the openings.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Further advantages and features of the present invention result from the following description with reference to the figures. Individual features of the depicted embodiments can also be used in other embodiments, unless this has been explicitly excluded.

[0022] It is shown in:

[0023] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an air suspension system;

[0024] FIG. 2 is a detailed view of an air suspension system;

[0025] FIG. 3 is another detailed view of a section through an air suspension system;

[0026] FIG. 4 is a detailed view of an air suspension system with a valve arrangement;

[0027] FIG. 5 is an alternative embodiment of an air suspension system with a valve arrangement; and

[0028] FIG. 6 is another alternative embodiment of an air suspension system with a valve arrangement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0029] FIG. 1 shows an air suspension system 1 according to the invention. The air suspension system 1 comprises an air suspension bellows 10 and an air suspension piston 30, which is designed as a plunger in the form shown in FIG. 1. The air suspension bellows 10 has a contact section 12 which is in direct contact with the rolling surface 32 of the air suspension piston 30. These contacting areas of the rolling surface 32 and the contact section 12 define the contact surface K. The air suspension bellows 10 is mechanically connected to the plunger 30 via the clamping plate 36. The plunger 30 has the rolling surface 32 in its jacket area 34. An opening 40 is arranged in the rolling surface 32. This opening 40 has a first end 42 and a second end 44. The first end 42 of the opening 40 opens into the inner air volume L. This inner air volume L is formed by the working volume as well as by the volume inside the air suspension piston 30. These two volumes are fluidically connected to each other via the valves located in the clamping plate 36. The second end 44 of the opening 40 opens into the environment U. A relative movement of the air suspension bellows 10 in the longitudinal direction LR of the air suspension piston causes a change in the contact surface K. This change in the contact surface K allows a volume of air to flow through the opening 40. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, however, air is prevented from flowing through the opening 40, because part of the air suspension bellows 10 closes the opening 40, so that no fluidic connection between the internal air volume L and the environment U is possible through the opening 40.

[0030] FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of an air suspension system. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a sealing element 60, in the form of an O-ring, extends partially into the opening 40. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, an air flow is furthermore prevented between the internal air volume L and the environment U by the air bellows 10 and its contact portion 12. The opening 40 has a distance L1 in the longitudinal direction from the first distal end of the air suspension piston 30.

[0031] FIG. 3 shows another detailed view of an alternative embodiment of an air suspension system, wherein the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 can in principle match the embodiment shown in FIG. 2. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, an air flow LS through the opening 40 is made possible, in particular because the contact surface K is significantly smaller than in a state in which an air flow LS through the opening is prevented, as is the case in the situation shown in FIG. 2, for example.

[0032] FIG. 4 shows another detailed view of an air suspension system that is in accordance with the invention. The air suspension system 1 has a valve arrangement 50, which has a closing body 52 and a spring element 54. The closing body 52 is designed in such a way that it is concave and mushroom-shaped on its side facing away from the opening 40. In the state shown in FIG. 4, an air flow LS through the opening 40 from the internal air volume L to the environment U is made possible, in particular because the valve arrangement 50 extending completely through the opening 40 is in an open state.

[0033] FIG. 5 shows another detailed view of an embodiment of an air suspension system that is in accordance with the invention. The air suspension system shown in FIG. 5 differs from the air suspension system shown in FIG. 4 in particular in that the valve arrangement 50 and the opening 40 are located in the area of the contact section 12 of the air suspension bellows 10. In the state shown in FIG. 5, an air flow LS from the internal air volume L to the environment U is also enabled or possible.

[0034] FIG. 6 shows another detailed view of an air suspension system that is in accordance with the invention. In the valve arrangement shown in FIG. 6, the closing body 52 is plate-shaped and connected to the air suspension piston via a film joint. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the valve arrangement 50 is designed in such a way that the closing body 52 does not protrude beyond the outer jacket area of the air suspension piston in a closed position.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0035] 1—Air suspension system [0036] 10—Air suspension bellows [0037] 12—Contact portion [0038] 30—Air suspension piston [0039] 32—Rolling surface [0040] 34—Jacket area [0041] 36—Clamping plate [0042] 40—Opening [0043] 42—First end of the opening (40) [0044] 44—Second end of the opening (40) [0045] 50—Valve arrangement [0046] 52—Closing body [0047] 54—Spring element [0048] 60—Sealing element [0049] K—Contact surface [0050] L—inner air volume [0051] LR—Longitudinal direction of the air suspension piston (30) [0052] L1—distance in longitudinal direction of the opening (40) from the first distal end of the air suspension piston (30) [0053] LS—Air flow [0054] U—Environment