Seal arrangement for an air spring system

Abstract

A seal arrangement for an air spring system for sealing off a shock-absorbing damper is disclosed. The shock-absorbing damper is situated in a rolling tube and in another tube, where the air spring system has at least one integrated control valve for the admission of compressed air into a pressure chamber formed between the outer tube, the rolling tube, and an air spring bellows that connects the outer tube and rolling tube. The seal arrangement is arranged between an inner circumferential surface of the rolling tube and an outer circumferential surface of the shock-absorbing damper and/or between an inner circumferential surface of the outer tube and the outer circumferential surface of the shock-absorbing damper. A support ring which is of step-shaped form on an outer circumferential surface is arranged on a distal end of the rolling tube and/or on a distal end of the outer tube.

Claims

1. An air spring system with a seal arrangement, comprising: a shock absorber which is disposed in a rolling tube and an outer tube; a control valve for loading a pressure chamber with compressed air, wherein the pressure chamber is formed between the rolling tube, the outer tube, and an air spring bellows which connects the rolling tube and the outer tube; and a seal arrangement, wherein the seal arrangement is disposed between an inner circumferential face of the rolling tube and an outer circumferential face of the shock absorber, the seal arrangement comprising: a supporting ring which has a step-shaped configuration on an outer circumferential face of the supporting ring, wherein the supporting ring is disposed at a distal end of the rolling tube; wherein the distal end of the rolling tube includes, on the inner circumferential face, a receiving region in which the supporting ring is received, wherein the receiving region has a greater internal diameter than a surrounding region of the rolling tube and wherein an increase in the internal diameter forms a shoulder; a seal element, wherein the seal element is arranged axially between an end face of the supporting ring and the shoulder; and an annular disk, wherein the annular disk is arranged between the seal element and the end face of the supporting ring.

2. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting ring is a metallic or a polymeric material.

3. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting ring is connected to the shock absorber in an integrally joined manner.

4. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting ring has at least two step faces, wherein one of the at least two step faces is a supporting face for the rolling tube and wherein another of the at least two step faces is a supporting face for the seal element or the annular disk.

5. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the annular disk is mounted in a floating manner between the outer circumferential face of the shock absorber and the inner circumferential face of the rolling tube.

6. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the annular disk is a metallic or a polymeric material and wherein an end side of the annular disk arranged next to the seal element is surface-ground.

7. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the end face of the supporting ring is surface-ground.

8. An air spring system with a seal arrangement, comprising: a shock absorber which is disposed in a rolling tube and an outer tube; a control valve for loading a pressure chamber with compressed air, wherein the pressure chamber is formed between the rolling tube, the outer tube, and an air spring bellows which connects the rolling tube and the outer tube; and a seal arrangement, wherein the seal arrangement is disposed between an inner circumferential face of the outer tube and an outer circumferential face of the shock absorber, the seal arrangement comprising: a supporting ring which has a step-shaped configuration on an outer circumferential face of the supporting ring, wherein the supporting ring is disposed at a distal end of the outer tube; wherein the distal end of the outer tube includes, on the inner circumferential face, a receiving region in which the supporting ring is received, wherein the receiving region has a greater internal diameter than a surrounding region of the outer tube and wherein an increase in the internal diameter forms a shoulder; a seal element, wherein the seal element is arranged axially between an end face of the supporting ring and the shoulder; and an annular disk, wherein the annular disk is arranged between the seal element and the end face of the supporting ring.

9. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the supporting ring is a metallic or a polymeric material.

10. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the supporting ring is connected to the shock absorber in an integrally joined manner.

11. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the supporting ring has at least two step faces, wherein one of the at least two step faces is a supporting face for the outer tube and wherein another of the at least two step faces is a supporting face for the seal element or the annular disk.

12. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the annular disk is mounted in a floating manner between the outer circumferential face of the shock absorber and the inner circumferential face of the outer tube.

13. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the annular disk is a metallic or a polymeric material and wherein an end side of the annular disk arranged next to the seal element is surface-ground.

14. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the end face of the supporting ring is surface-ground.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a partial longitudinal section through an air spring system having a seal arrangement according to the invention; and

(2) FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section through an air spring system having a seal arrangement according to the invention in accordance with a first preferred exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(3) The air spring system according to FIG. 1 consists substantially of an outer tube 2 with an upper fastening eye 13, opposite which outer tube 2 a rolling tube 1 with an associated lower fastening eye 14 lies. The lower fastening eye 14 is a constituent part of a hydraulic shock absorber 3 which is surrounded coaxially by the outer tube 2 and the rolling tube 1. The upper fastening eye 13 is connected to a piston rod of the shock absorber 3. An air spring bellows 5 which is made from an elastomer material and rolls on the outer surface of the rolling tube 1 depending on the air spring stroke runs between the outer tube 2 and the rolling tube 1. A pressure chamber 6 which, loaded with compressed air, fulfills the air spring function of the air spring system is formed by the outer tube 2, the rolling tube 1 and the air spring bellows 5. A control valve 4 which is arranged on an inner circumferential face of the rolling tube 1 is provided for loading the pressure chamber 6 with pressure. Furthermore, together with a tube lower part 16 and a compression spring 17 which is prestressed and is arranged in between, a tube upper part 15 which is integrally formed coaxially on the outer tube 2 forms a telescopic arrangement.

(4) In each case one metallic supporting ring 7a and 7b which is configured in a step-shaped manner on an outer circumferential face is connected in an integrally joined manner to a distal end of the rolling tube 1 and to a distal end of the outer tube 2. The distal end of the rolling tube 1 and the distal end of the outer tube 2 have a receiving region 8 which is configured for receiving the supporting rings 7a and 7b on the inner circumferential face. The receiving region 8 has a greater internal diameter than a surrounding region, the result of which is the formation of a shoulder 9.

(5) According to FIG. 2 which shows an enlarged illustration of the lower region of FIG. 1, a seal element 10 in the form of an O-ring is arranged on an outer circumferential face of the shock absorber 3. The seal element 10 is fixed by way of an annular disk 11 which is arranged axially on an end face of the supporting ring 7b. The supporting ring 7b has two step faces 12a and 12b, one step face 12b serving as a supporting face of the rolling tube 1 and the other step face 12a serving as a supporting face of the annular disk 11. The figure next to it represents an enlarged illustration of the seal arrangement which is shown only partially.

(6) The arrangement is not restricted to the preferred exemplary embodiments which are described in the above text. Rather, modifications herefrom are also conceivable which are also included in the scope of protection of the following claims. It is thus also possible, for example, to arrange a different seal element 10 instead of an O-ring on the outer circumferential face of the shock absorber 3, which seal element 10 ensures the function of reliable sealing.

(7) In addition, it is to be noted that comprising does not rule out any other elements or steps and one or a does not rule out a plurality. Furthermore, it is to be noted that features or steps which have been described with reference to one of the above exemplary embodiments can also be used in combination with other features or steps of other above-described exemplary embodiments. Designations in the claims are not to be considered to be restrictive.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(8) 1 Rolling tube 2 Outer tube 3 Shock absorber 4 Control valve 5 Air spring bellows 6 Pressure chamber 7a, 7b Supporting ring 8 Receiving region 9 Shoulder 10 Seal element 11 Annular disk 12a, 12b Step face 13 Upper fastening eye 14 Lower fastening eye 15 Tube upper part 16 Tube lower part 17 Compression spring

(9) The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.