Frequency-Dependent Damping Valve Arrangement

Abstract

A frequency-dependent damping valve arrangement including a damping piston with a check valve arranged inside a cylinder filled with a damping fluid; a control arrangement arranged at a carrier coaxial to the damping piston having a control pot and a control piston arranged in the control pot and axially displaceable at the carrier; a first end stop for limiting the axial movement of the control piston inside of the control pot. The end stop has a supporting disk and an adjusting disk. The adjusting disk is irreversibly plastically deformable and has a lower yield limit than supporting disk and/or the carrier. The axial end position of the control piston is adjustable by a plastic deformation of the adjusting disk. At least one of the structural component parts defines a free space for receiving the material of the adjusting disk which is displaced through the plastic deformation.

Claims

1.-10. (canceled)

11. A frequency-dependent damping valve arrangement of a vibration damper, comprising: a damping piston with a check valve, and arranged inside of a cylinder that is at least partially filled with a damping fluid; a carrier; a control arrangement arranged at the carrier and coaxial to the damping piston that comprises: a control pot; and a control piston arranged in the control pot and is slidingly axially displaceable at carrier; at least a first end stop configured to limit an axial movement of the control piston inside the control pot, that comprises: a supporting disk; and an adjusting disk that is irreversibly plastically deformable and has a lower yield limit than supporting disk and/or carrier, and wherein an axial end position of the control piston is adjustable by a plastic deformation of the adjusting disk, wherein at least one of the supporting disk and/or the carrier defines a free space configured to receive a material of the adjusting disk that is displaced through the plastic deformation.

12. The frequency-dependent damping valve arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the carrier has a radial shoulder for axial contact of the adjusting disk at the carrier.

13. The frequency-dependent damping valve arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the carrier has a conical portion arranged adjoining the shoulder configured to center the adjusting disk at the carrier.

14. The frequency-dependent damping valve arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the free space is limited by at least one recess formed at the supporting disk.

15. The frequency-dependent damping valve arrangement according to claim 13, wherein the free space is arranged between the conical portion and the shoulder.

16. The frequency-dependent damping valve arrangement according to claim 13, wherein the free space is arranged between the conical portion and an inner edge of the adjusting disk.

17. The frequency-dependent damping valve arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the supporting disk has at least one angled edge portion which radially limits the free space.

18. The frequency-dependent damping valve arrangement according to claim 17, wherein the angled edge portion is constructed so as to extend circumferentially uninterruptedly in circumferential direction.

19. Vibration damper for a motor vehicle, comprising: a cylinder that is at least partially filled with a damping fluid; and a vibration damper, comprising: a damping piston with a check valve, and arranged inside of the cylinder; a carrier; a control arrangement arranged at the carrier and coaxial to the damping piston that comprises: a control pot; and a control piston arranged in the control pot and is slidingly axially displaceable at carrier; at least a first end stop configured to limit an axial movement of the control piston inside the control pot, that comprises: a supporting disk; and an adjusting disk that is irreversibly plastically deformable and has a lower yield limit than supporting disk and/or carrier, and wherein an axial end position of the control piston is adjustable by a plastic deformation of the adjusting disk, wherein at least one of the supporting disk and/or the carrier defines a free space configured to receive a material of the adjusting disk that is displaced through the plastic deformation.

20. Motor vehicle, comprising at least one vibration damper comprising: a cylinder that is at least partially filled with a damping fluid; and a vibration damper, comprising: a damping piston with a check valve, and arranged inside of the cylinder; a carrier; a control arrangement arranged at the carrier and coaxial to the damping piston that comprises: a control pot; and a control piston arranged in the control pot and is slidingly axially displaceable at carrier; at least a first end stop configured to limit an axial movement of the control piston inside the control pot, that comprises: a supporting disk; and an adjusting disk that is irreversibly plastically deformable and has a lower yield limit than supporting disk and/or carrier, and wherein an axial end position of the control piston is adjustable by a plastic deformation of the adjusting disk, wherein at least one of the supporting disk and/or the carrier defines a free space configured to receive a material of the adjusting disk that is displaced through the plastic deformation.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The invention will now be described in more detail referring to the figures. The drawings show:

[0017] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an exemplary constructional variant of a frequency-dependent damping valve arrangement in a cylinder of a vibration damper;

[0018] FIG. 2 is a top view of an exemplary constructional variant of a supporting disk;

[0019] FIG. 3 is a side view of an exemplary constructional variant of a supporting disk according to the invention;

[0020] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an exemplary constructional variant of a carrier according to the invention;

[0021] FIG. 5 is a detailed view of a free space in the carrier according to FIG. 4;

[0022] FIG. 6 is a detailed enlarged sectional view of an exemplary constructional variant of an end stop; and

[0023] FIG. 7 is a detailed enlarged sectional view of a further exemplary constructional variant of an end stop.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] FIG. 1 shows a portion of a vibration damper for a motor vehicle with a frequency-dependent damping valve arrangement 1 according to one aspect of the invention in a sectional view.

[0025] The damping valve arrangement 1 comprises a cylinder 2 at least partially filled with a damping fluid.

[0026] The damping valve arrangement 1 is axially displaceably arranged inside the cylinder 2 and is fastened to a piston rod. Damping valve arrangement 1 comprises a damping piston 4 with at least one check valve 5 having at least one flow channel formed therein for the damping fluid, which flow channel is covered by at least one valve disk.

[0027] Damping piston 4 divides a first working chamber 18 from a second working chamber 19 inside cylinder 2 such that the ratio of the damping medium pressure in the two working chambers 18, 19 varies depending on the direction of axial movements of damping piston 4 in cylinder 2.

[0028] Further, damping valve arrangement 1 has a control arrangement 6 that contains a control pot 7 with a cylindrical pot wall 20 and a disk-shaped pot base 21 and with a control piston 8 which is axially displaceably arranged in control pot 7 and axially limits a control space 22 enclosed in control pot 7.

[0029] A spring arrangement 23 impinges with a defined spring force upon check valve 5 axially in direction of damping piston 4 and upon control piston 8 in direction of pot base 21 is arranged between damping piston 4 and control arrangement 5.

[0030] All of the structural component parts of the control arrangement 6 are arranged coaxial to one another at carrier 3. As is shown in FIG. 1, damping valve arrangement 1 is constructed such that carrier 3 is constructed as a guide sleeve and extends centrally through spring arrangement 23 and control piston 8. Carrier 3 comprises a first guide portion 24 and a second guide portion 25 axially adjoining the latter. Control piston 8 can slide axially along first guide portion 24, and spring arrangement 23 can slide axially along second guide portion 25. The direction of the axial movements of control piston 8 depend upon the damping medium pressure in control space 22.

[0031] Control pot 7 of control arrangement 6 is connected to carrier 3 in the area of pot base 21 with the aid of connection 26. Connection 26 is shown in FIG. 1 as a threaded nut. It will be appreciated that connection 26 can also have a different suitable constructional form. In general, the connection between carrier 3 and control pot 7 can be carried out by bonding engagement and/or positive engagement and/or frictional engagement.

[0032] Control piston 8 is arranged inside control pot 7 and constructed so as to be axially displaceable so that when a damping fluid pressure persists over a longer period of time in control space 22 of control arrangement 6 the control piston 8 is displaced in direction of check valve 5 and can tighten spring arrangement 23 so that the spring force acting on check valve 5 through spring arrangement 23 and, therefore, the damping force of check valve 5 are increased.

[0033] A first end stop 9 and a second end stop 27 are formed at control arrangement 6 to define the soft damping force characteristic and the hard damping force characteristic. In the constructional variant depicted in FIG. 1, first end stop 9 is formed of two parts and comprises an adjusting disk 11 and a supporting disk 10. In contrast, second end stop 27 is constructed as an at least partial ridge of pot base 21. It will be appreciated that second end stop 27 can also be formed as a stop ring or as an additional stop element, which can be arranged inside of control space 22.

[0034] As has already been explained, damping valve arrangement 1 according to one aspect of the invention provides that end stop 9 comprises a supporting disk 10 and an adjusting disk 11. Adjusting disk 11 is irreversibly plastically deformable and has a lower yield limit than supporting disk 10 and/or carrier 3. FIG. 6 shows a plastically deformable adjusting disk 11. The material of adjusting disk 11 which is displaced through the plastic deformation has been received by free spaces 12a and 12b. Free space 12a has been radially limited by the carrier on the one side, and free space 12b has been limited by a recess 15 in supporting disk 10.

[0035] As is shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7, a radial shoulder 13 is formed at carrier 3, and the adjusting disk contacts this radial shoulder 13 axially with respect to longitudinal axis A. Further, carrier 3 has a conical portion 14, which is arranged adjoining shoulder 13 and which serves to make the centering of adjusting disk 11 at carrier 3 more precise.

[0036] According to the constructional variant shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, free space 12 can be arranged between conical portion 14 and shoulder 13.

[0037] It is also possible to form free space 12a, 12b between conical portion 14 and inner edge 16 of adjusting disk 11 and/or at recess 15 formed at supporting disk 10 as is shown in FIG. 6. Recesses 15 can be formed at inner edge 28 of supporting disk 10 or also at another suitable position at supporting disk 10.

[0038] FIG. 7 shows a further constructional variant according to which free space 12 is radially limited by an angled edge portion 17 formed at supporting disk 10. The angled edge portion 17 can be formed so as to extend circumferentially uninterruptedly in circumferential direction or can also be formed of individual segments.

[0039] Thus, while there have shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.