VIBRATION DAMPER

Abstract

A vibration damper may include a damper tube and a damper piston disposed in the damper tube so as to be reciprocatingly movable. The damper tube may be connected to a piston rod extending out of the damper tube, and the damper piston may movably separate a first oil-filled damper chamber on a piston rod side from a second oil-filled damper chamber remote from the piston rod. A bottom element at one end of the damper tube seals the end of the damper tube. The bottom element may protrude into the end of the damper tube and thereby reduce oil volume of the second damper chamber.

Claims

1.-10. (canceled)

11. A vibration damper comprising: a damper tube; a damper piston disposed in the damper tube so as to be reciprocatingly movable, the damper piston being connected to a piston rod that extends out of the damper tube, wherein the damper piston movably separates a first oil-filled damper chamber on a piston rod side from a second oil-filled damper chamber remote from the piston rod; and a bottom element disposed at an end of the damper tube so as to seal the end of the damper tube, the bottom element protruding into the end of the damper tube so as to reduce an oil volume of the second oil-filled damper chamber.

12. The vibration damper of claim 11 wherein the bottom element comprises a solid component.

13. The vibration damper of claim 11 wherein the end of the damper tube into which the bottom element protrudes is an open end.

14. The vibration damper of claim 11 wherein the bottom element has a surface that is substantially flat and delimits the second oil-filled damper chamber.

15. The vibration damper of claim 11 wherein the bottom element includes a peripheral sealing collar that protrudes into the damper tube and receives a sealing element positioned against an inside of the damper tube.

16. The vibration damper of claim 11 wherein the bottom element includes a peripheral welding collar via which the bottom element is welded to the end of the damper tube with a weld seam.

17. The vibration damper of claim 16 wherein the bottom element includes a peripheral sealing collar that protrudes into the damper tube and receives a sealing element positioned against an inside of the damper tube.

18. The vibration damper of claim 17 wherein the bottom element includes a circumferential groove between the peripheral welding collar and the peripheral sealing collar so that the peripheral welding collar and the peripheral sealing collar are axially separated from each other in contact with the damper tube.

19. The vibration damper of claim 11 comprising a mounting eye disposed on the bottom element, wherein the mounting eye is integral with as the bottom element, wherein the bottom element and the mounting eye are comprised of the same material.

20. The vibration damper of claim 11 comprising an inner tube that is received in the damper tube, the inner tube extending concentrically to the damper tube so that a ring gap exists between the damper tube and the inner tube and so that the damper piston is guided in the inner tube.

21. The vibration damper of claim 20 comprising a bottom valve disposed on a bottom end of the inner tube, wherein the bottom valve receives the end of the inner tube and supports the end of the inner tube at least radially against the damper tube.

22. The vibration damper of claim 11 comprising an external compensation unit disposed on the damper tube, the external compensation unit having an oil chamber and a gas chamber, wherein the gas chamber is separated from the oil chamber by a movable separating piston and is fluidically connected to the second oil-filled damper chamber via an oil passage.

23. The vibration damper of claim 22 wherein an axial distance between the bottom element and the bottom valve corresponds to an opening diameter of the oil passage.

24. A vibration damper comprising: a damper tube; a damper piston movably disposed in the damper tube, the damper piston being connected to a piston rod that extends out of the damper tube, wherein the damper piston separates a first damper chamber proximal the piston rod from a second damper chamber distal the piston rod; and a bottom element disposed at an end of the damper tube so as to seal the end of the damper tube, the bottom element protruding into the end of the damper tube to reduce a volume of the second damper chamber.

25. The vibration damper of claim 24 wherein the bottom element includes a peripheral sealing collar that protrudes into the damper tube and receives a sealing element positioned against an inside of the damper tube.

26. The vibration damper of claim 24 wherein the bottom element includes a peripheral welding collar via which the bottom element is welded to the end of the damper tube with a weld seam.

27. The vibration damper of claim 24 wherein the bottom element includes a peripheral sealing collar that protrudes into the damper tube and receives a sealing element positioned against an inside of the damper tube, wherein the bottom element includes a peripheral welding collar via which the bottom element is welded to the end of the damper tube with a weld seam, wherein the bottom element includes a circumferential groove between the peripheral welding collar and the peripheral sealing collar so that the peripheral welding collar and the peripheral sealing collar are axially separated from each other in contact with the damper tube.

28. The vibration damper of claim 24 comprising a mounting eye integral with the bottom element.

29. The vibration damper of claim 24 comprising an inner tube that is received in the damper tube, the inner tube extending concentrically to the damper tube so that a ring gap exists between the damper tube and the inner tube and so that the damper piston is guided in the inner tube.

30. The vibration damper of claim 11 comprising an external compensation unit disposed on the damper tube, the external compensation unit having an oil chamber and a gas chamber, wherein the gas chamber is separated from the oil chamber by a movable separating piston and is fluidically connected to the second damper chamber via an oil passage.

Description

PREFERRED EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Further measures improving the invention are explained below in more detail together with the description of a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, with reference to the figures. The drawings show:

[0018] FIG. 1 a cross-sectional view of a vibration damper with the bottom element configured according to the invention, and

[0019] FIG. 2 a detail view of the arrangement of the bottom element at the end in the vibration damper.

[0020] FIG. 1 shows an overall view of the vibration damper 1 which is designed for example for a chassis of a vehicle. The vibration damper 1 has a damper tube 10 and a damper piston 11 which is arranged in the damper tube 10 so as to be reciprocatingly movable, and a piston rod 12 adjoins the damper piston 11 and extends from the end of the damper tube 10.

[0021] The damper piston 11 divides the interior of the damper tube 10 into a first oil-filled damper chamber 13 on the piston rod side and a second oil-filled damper chamber 14 remote from the piston rod, wherein on a movement of the damper piston 11, via the piston rod 12 inside the damper tube 10, oil flows to and fro between the damper chambers 13 and 14 through the damper piston 11.

[0022] When the piston rod 12 is retracted into the damper tube 10, it displaces part of the oil volume which is compensated by means of an external compensation unit 26. The compensation unit 26 is arranged on the outside of the damper tube 10 and has an oil chamber 27 and a gas chamber 28. The gas chamber 28 is here isolated from the oil chamber 27 by means of a movable separating piston 29. Via an oil passage 30, the oil chamber 27 is fluidically connected to the second damper chamber 14. When the piston rod 12 is retracted into the damper tube 10, the separating piston 29 moves in the direction towards the gas chamber 28 and reduces this with a simultaneous pressure rise. When the piston rod 12 then extends out of the damper tube 10 again, the gas in the gas chamber 28 expands and pushes the separating piston 29 back in the direction towards the oil-filled oil chamber 27. Thus oil flows back via the oil passage 30 from the oil chamber 27 into the second damper chamber 14.

[0023] To damp the oil flow movement between the second damper chamber 14 and the oil chamber 27, a bottom valve 25 is used which is arranged in the second damper chamber 14. The vibration damper 1 furthermore has an inner tube 23, and the inner tube 23 has a diameter which is smaller than the diameter of the damper tube 10. Consequently, a ring gap 24 is formed which is also filled with oil, and the oil in the ring gap 24 may execute a flow movement when the damper piston 11 is moved axially to and fro in the damper tube 10.

[0024] The damper tube 10, open at the end, is closed by a bottom element 15 which is formed integrally with a mounting eye 22. The bottom element 15 has a substantially cylindrical portion, and a flat face of the cylindrical portion is indicated by the surface 17 which points in the direction towards the second damper chamber 14.

[0025] FIG. 2 shows a more detailed view of the arrangement of the bottom element 15 inside the end of the damper tube 10. The figure shows an end part of the inner tube 23, and depicts the bottom valve 25 which adjoins the end of the inner tube 23; the bottom valve 25 sits centrally inside the damper tube 10 and receives the end of the inner tube 23.

[0026] The bottom element 15 protrudes into an end portion of the damper tube 10 and is welded to the damper tube 10 with a weld seam 19 via a welding collar 18. In the direction towards the surface 17, the welding collar 18 is adjoined by a sealing collar 20 which holds a sealing element 31; a groove 21, in the form of a radial depression produced from the outside, is situated between the sealing collar 20 and the welding collar 18.

[0027] The bottom element 15 is formed as a solid component 16 and made as one piece with the mounting eye 22, so that the vibration damper 1 can be connected directly to a wheel-axle unit of the vehicle by means of the bottom element 15.

[0028] The invention is not restricted in its embodiment to the preferred exemplary embodiment given above. Rather, a number of variants are conceivable which make use of the outlined solution even in embodiments of fundamentally different types. All features and/or advantages arising from the claims, the description and the drawings, including structural details or spatial arrangements, may be essential to the invention both alone and in widely varying combinations.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0029] 1 Vibration damper [0030] 10 Damper tube [0031] 11 Damper piston [0032] 12 Piston rod [0033] 13 First damper chamber [0034] 14 Second damper chamber [0035] 15 Bottom element [0036] 16 Solid component [0037] 17 Surface [0038] 18 Welding collar [0039] 19 Weld seam [0040] 20 Sealing collar [0041] 21 Groove [0042] 22 Mounting eye [0043] 23 Inner tube [0044] 24 Ring gap [0045] 25 Bottom valve [0046] 26 External compensating unit [0047] 27 Oil chamber [0048] 28 Gas chamber [0049] 29 Separating piston [0050] 30 Oil passage [0051] 31 Sealing element