Hydraulic component, hydraulic adjustment system comprising such a hydraulic component, and vehicle comprising such a hydraulic adjustment system

Abstract

A hydraulic component for vehicles, such as for maritime applications, is a hydraulic cylinder-piston unit. The piston of the hydraulic component has a piston rod with a measurement section. A magnetic rod in the piston rod extends over the measurement section. The magnetic rod has a helically varied magnetic field direction. The hydraulic component includes a sensor device having a scanning region measuring the field direction. The sensor device is arranged such that, over the entire stroke path of the piston, at least a part of the magnetic rod is located in the scanning region. The sensor device has a sensor unit configured to transmit measurement results for the field direction to a processing unit, configured to process and output the measurement results. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a hydraulic adjustment system having at least one hydraulic component and a vehicle having at least one hydraulic adjustment system.

Claims

1. A hydraulic adjustment system for vehicles for maritime applications, the hydraulic adjustment system comprising: at least one hydraulic component configured as a hydraulic cylinder-piston unit with a piston and a cylinder; the piston being at least partially accommodated in the cylinder in order to form at least one stroke chamber within the cylinder; the piston being movable relative to the cylinder, wherein the volume of the at least one stroke chamber changes during movement of the piston relative to the cylinder; the cylinder having at least one inlet and at least one outlet, which are configured to connect the at least one stroke chamber to further hydraulic components; the piston having a piston rod with a measurement section, the piston rod further having a magnetic rod extending along the measurement section in the piston rod, the magnetic rod having a helical magnetic field direction; a sensor device having a scanning region in which the sensor device measures the magnetic field direction; the sensor device being arranged such that over an entire stroke movement of the piston at least a part of the magnetic rod of the piston rod lies within the scanning region of the sensor device; the sensor device having a sensor unit and a processing unit, the sensor unit being configured to transmit measurement results relating to the magnetic field direction within the scanning region to the processing unit; and the processing unit being configured to process and to output the measurement results obtained by the sensor unit.

2. The hydraulic adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to output analog and/or digital signals, in the form of electrical voltage, CAN signals and/or pulse-width modulated signals.

3. The hydraulic adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device is calibrated to a specific provided magnetic rod, in such a way that expected measurement results output by the processing unit extend over a predetermined range of values.

4. The hydraulic adjustment system according to claim 3, wherein the sensor device is configured such that the expected measurement results show a linear profile.

5. The hydraulic adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is provided in the form of a circuit board.

6. The hydraulic adjustment system according to claim 5, wherein the circuit board has a size of 9×11 mm.

7. The hydraulic adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit comprises a magnetoresistive sensor and/or a Hall sensor.

8. The hydraulic adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein the helical magnetic field direction of the magnetic rod has a constant helix pitch.

9. The hydraulic adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein the helical magnetic field direction of the magnetic rod has a helix pitch that varies, in particular continuously or discontinuously.

10. The hydraulic adjustment system according to claim 9, wherein the magnetic rod has at least a fine measurement section and a rough measurement section, the rough measurement section being larger than the fine measurement section, the helical magnetic field direction of the magnetic rod having a smaller helix pitch in the fine measurement section than in the rough measurement section.

11. The hydraulic adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein: the sensor device comprises a C-shaped support body configured to be fixed to a housing of the cylinder and to at least partially surround the piston; the support body has a receiving area in which the sensor unit and the processing unit are provided in such a way that the scanning region of the sensor device is located inside the C-shaped support body and that the processing unit does not influence the measurement of the sensor unit.

12. The hydraulic adjustment system according to claim 11, wherein the C-shaped support body is configured to be fixed to an upper end of the housing of the cylinder.

13. The hydraulic adjustment system according to claim 11, wherein the support body has at least one mounting opening through which at least one mounting member is passed, the mounting member engaging at least one corresponding engagement region formed on the housing of the cylinder to mount the support body to the housing of the cylinder.

14. The hydraulic adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein the hydraulic adjustment system is configured as a trim-tilt unit.

15. A vehicle for maritime applications, wherein the vehicle comprises at least one hydraulic adjustment system according to claim 1.

16. The vehicle according to claim 15, wherein the vehicle is a jet ski or boat or a sports boat with an outboard motor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the following, a merely exemplary but particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a hydraulic component according to the exemplary embodiment;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the hydraulic component from FIG. 1 without the cylinder;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the hydraulic component of FIG. 2, with other components of the hydraulic component omitted;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the hydraulic component of FIG. 3, with some additional elements of the piston rod omitted here;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the hydraulic component of FIG. 4, with the C-shaped support body and corresponding mounting members omitted;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the sensor device of the aforementioned figures from below; and

(8) FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an exemplary hydraulic component that includes a piston rod with a helical magnetic field direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(9) As shown in FIG. 1, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present Invention a hydraulic component 10 comprises a piston 20 and a cylinder 30, which together form a hydraulic cylinder-piston unit. Further, the hydraulic component 10 includes a sensor device 40. The sensor device 40 is attached to the end of the housing 34 of the cylinder 30 at which the piston 20 protrudes from the cylinder 30. The piston 20 includes a piston head 22 configured to be mechanically attached to a component to be moved, such as an outboard motor of a boat (not shown). The cylinder 30 includes a cylinder base 32 adapted to be mechanically attached to a support component, such as a hull of a boat (not shown). Here, both the piston head 22 and the cylinder base 32 are provided with a respective pivot bearing 22a and 32a. These pivot bearings 22a and 32a allow rotational movement of the hydraulic component with respect to the respective components mechanically coupled thereto. Further, the cylinder 30 is provided here with a combined in- and outlet 36. The combined in- and outlet 36 is used to supply hydraulic fluid from a pump unit (not shown) to a stroke chamber formed within the cylinder 30, or to discharge the hydraulic fluid from the stroke chamber. Although a combined in- and outlet 36 is provided here, two separate ports may of course be provided.

(10) In FIG. 2, the hydraulic component 10 of FIG. 1 is shown with the cylinder 30 omitted to illustrate the internal structure of the hydraulic component 10.

(11) In addition to the piston head 22, the piston 20 also includes a piston rod 24 and a piston end 26, as well as a fixation element 28 movably provided relative to the piston rod 24.

(12) In the assembled state of the hydraulic component 10, the stroke chamber is confined by the housing 30 of the cylinder 30, the cylinder base 32, and the piston end 26. Consequently, an introduction of hydraulic fluid through the combined in- and outlet 36 into the stroke chamber results in the piston 20 or piston rod 24 being raised or extended out of the cylinder 30. If the hydraulic fluid is discharged from the stroke chamber, this results in the piston 20 or piston rod 24 being lowered or retracted into the cylinder 30. The fixation element 28 serves to guide the piston 20 on the cylinder 30 and to stabilize the axial relative movement between the piston 20 and the cylinder 30.

(13) To enable more accurate operation of the hydraulic component 10, the fixation element 28 may further be formed as a sealing element to form an additional stroke chamber between the housing of the cylinder 34, the piston end 26 and the fixation element 28. In this case, the cylinder has an additional in- and outlet (not shown) for connecting this additional stroke chamber to a supply and disposal unit for hydraulic fluid. The additional stroke chamber is then always supplied with hydraulic fluid or freed from hydraulic fluid in the opposite direction to the primary stroke chamber, in order to be able to control a relative movement between the piston 20 and the cylinder 30 more precisely and stably.

(14) FIG. 3 shows the hydraulic component 10 of FIG. 1, with the piston end 26 and the fixation element 28 further omitted in addition to the cylinder 30, so that the sensor device 40 is clearly visible.

(15) As can be clearly seen here, in the present embodiment the sensor device 40 has a C-shaped support body 42. This is provided here with two mounting openings 42a and 42b. The mounting openings 42a and 42b are formed as stepped through-holes and are suitable for receiving corresponding mounting members 50 and 52. Although not shown here, the housing 32 of the cylinder 30 has two engagement portions at its upper end. These are adapted to receive the mounting members 50 and 52, thereby releasably securing the sensor device 40 to the housing 32 of the cylinder 30. Thus, a relative movement of the piston 20 with respect to the cylinder 30 also simultaneously causes a relative movement of the piston 20 or the piston rod 24 with respect to the sensor device 40. Here, the mounting members 50 and 52 are configured as bolt screws, although other designs for fastening the sensor device 40 to the cylinder 30 would also be conceivable.

(16) As shown in FIG. 4, the piston rod 24 has a cavity in which a magnet rod 24a is provided along a longitudinal direction of the piston rod 24. The magnetic rod 24a has a helical magnetic field direction that always extends in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the magnetic rod 24a and runs around the magnetic rod 24a along the longitudinal direction of the magnetic rod 24. An example of a hydraulic component 10 having a piston 20, which has a magnetic rod (not shown) with a helical magnetic field direction, pressed into a piston rod 24 of the piston 20, and a corresponding cylinder 30 is shown in FIG. 7. This magnetic rod 24a and the magnetic field generated by it define a measurement section of the piston rod 24.

(17) As indicated in FIG. 7 by the arrows extending from the piston rod 24, the helix pitch of the helical magnetic field direction of the magnetic rod 24a, and consequently of the piston rod 24, may be constant over the measurement section.

(18) Alternatively, the helix pitch of the helical magnetic field direction of the magnetic rod 24a, and consequently of the piston rod 24, may vary over the measurement section, in particular continuously or discontinuously. In this case, it is particularly advantageous if the magnetic rod 24a is divided into at least one range, but in particular into two ranges, namely at least one fine measurement section(s) and a rough measurement section. In this case, the rough measurement section should be larger, in particular significantly larger, than each of the provided fine measurement sections. In the fine measurement section(s), the helical magnetic field direction has a smaller helix pitch than in the rough measurement section.

(19) This enables particularly fine monitoring of the movement of the piston 20 or the magnetic rod 24a relative to the cylinder 30 in certain movement ranges.

(20) Further, reference is made here to two alignment pins 42c and 42d which are provided on the C-shaped support body. These serve to be inserted into corresponding receiving openings provided on the housing 32 of the cylinder 30 when the sensor device 40 is mounted on the cylinder 30. This facilitates proper alignment of the sensor device 40 with respect to the cylinder 30 prior to attachment of the sensor device 40 to the cylinder 30 with the mounting members 50 and 52.

(21) Further, for FIG. 5, as compared to FIG. 4, the support body 40 and the mounting members 50 and 52 have been omitted. This makes it possible to identify the sensor unit 44 provided in the sensor device 40 and the processing unit 46 connected thereto. The sensor unit 44 is adapted to measure the magnetic field direction in a specific scanning region. For this purpose, the sensor unit 44 has, for example, a magnetoresistive sensor and/or a Hall sensor. In this case, the sensor unit 46 is positioned in such a way that the magnetic rod 24a in the piston rod 24 lies at least partially in the scanning region of the sensor unit 44 and thus in the scanning region of the sensor device 40 over the entire stroke movement of the piston 20 relative to the cylinder 30.

(22) Due to a movement of the piston 20 relative to the cylinder 30, the magnetic field direction changes via the particular magnetization of the magnetic rod 24a in the scanning region of the sensor unit 46. This is documented by the sensor unit 44 via measurement results, which the sensor unit 44 transmits directly to the processing unit 46 connected to it.

(23) The processing unit 46, configured here in the form of a particularly small circuit board, is configured to receive and process the measurement results of the sensor unit 44 and then to output them, here via the cable 48. In this embodiment, the circuit board is only 9×11 mm in size, but can be made even smaller if possible. In addition to a wired output, wireless variants are of course also conceivable. In the present case, however, the cable 48 is used not only to output the processed measurement results but also to supply power to the processing unit 46. In particularly advantageous embodiments, the housing 34 of the cylinder 30 can have a cable duct (not shown) in which the cable 48 is guided along the cylinder 30. This leads not only to a particularly robust but also to a particularly space-saving overall configuration.

(24) In particular, the processing unit 46 outputs the measurement results obtained from the sensor unit 44 as analog and/or digital signals. Examples of suitable signal configurations are a voltage, CAN signals and/or pulse width modulated signals.

(25) Furthermore, the sensor device 40 is calibrated to the specifically provided magnetic rod 24a. In particular, this ensures that all measurement results output by the processing unit 46 as expected extend over a predetermined range of values. In other words, the measurement results are stretched or compressed such that they extend over the entire range of values available. This effectively provides signal amplification or noise reduction, depending on whether stretching or compression occurs. In particular, this calibration can be done by means of a two-point calibration. Such a calibration is particularly simple and functional.

(26) Alternatively, or in addition, the sensor device 40 may be linearized with respect to the specific magnetic rod 24a provided. In other words, the processing unit is programmed in such a way that it adapts the measured values in such a way that these have a profile as linear as possible for the specifically intended magnetic rod 24a. In particular, the measured values output by the processing unit as expected have a linear profile. This negates the unwanted influence of side effects such as hysteresis, non-linearity or the like. Correspondingly output measurement results are particularly easy to analyze and to process further.

(27) Both calibration and linearization produce a matched pair of sensor device and magnetic rod, which leads to particularly good measurement results. The necessary steps are usually carried out at the factory, i.e. before delivery of the hydraulic component.

(28) As can be seen in particular in FIG. 6, the sensor unit 44 and the processing unit 46 are provided in a receiving area within, and in particular below, the support body 42. Thus, in the assembled state of the hydraulic component 10, the sensitive sensor unit 44 and the sensitive processing unit 46 are particularly well protected against harsh environmental influences. To further improve this protection, the sensor unit 44 and the processing unit 46 may be surrounded by a suitable filling compound. This filling compound can then also simultaneously serve as an adhesive between the sensor unit 44, the processing unit 46, the cable 48 and the support body 42.

(29) Via this embodiment, a hydraulic component 10 is achieved which is particularly resistant to external environmental influences and, at the same time, is able to monitor the relative movement of the piston 20 with respect to the cylinder 30 particularly accurately and reliably.

(30) This makes such a hydraulic component 10 particularly suitable as a tilt hydraulic component for a hydraulic adjustment system of a maritime vehicle, for example for a trim-tilt unit of a sports boat with an outboard motor. In such an application, hydraulic components without separate sensor devices can advantageously be used for the trim hydraulic components.

(31) As described above, the present invention further relates to a corresponding hydraulic adjustment system and to a vehicle having such a hydraulic adjustment system.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(32) 10 hydraulic component 20 piston 22 piston head 22a pivot bearing 24 piston rod 24a magnetic rod 26 piston end 28 fixation element 30 cylinder 32 cylinder base 32a pivot bearing 34 housing 36 inlet and outlet 40 sensor device 42 support body 42a mounting opening 42b mounting opening 42c alignment pin 42d alignment pin 44 sensor unit 46 processing unit 48 cable 50 mounting member 52 mounting member