Digital proportional valve for shock absorber damping force adjustment control

Abstract

The present invention discloses a digital proportional valve for adjusting and controlling the damping force of a shock absorber, comprising a switch valve assembly and a main valve assembly; the switch valve assembly comprises a magnetic yoke assembly, a coil assembly, an armature push rod assembly and a pilot valve spring; the main valve assembly comprises a main valve sleeve, a main valve core and a main valve seat, a first oil inlet hole, a first circulation channel, an upper chamber, a first connecting hole, an oil inlet chamber and a first oil outlet hole are sequentially connected to form a first oil circuit; a second channel forms a second oil circuit, the main valve assembly is arranged at the lower end of the magnetic yoke assembly of the switch valve, so that the upper chamber forms a sealed cavity, one end of the armature push rod assembly extends into the upper chamber, and the armature push rod assembly can control the on and off of the first oil circuit when it moves in the axial direction. The oil circuit in the proportional valve can be switched at high frequency by controlling the input signal, and the throttling area of ​​the proportional valve can be continuously adjusted by controlling the duty cycle of the input signal, thereby realizing continuous adjustment and control of the damping force of the shock absorber.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of shock absorber control, and in particular to a digital proportional valve used for regulating and controlling the damping force of a shock absorber. Background Art

[0002] Shock absorbers are installed on vehicles such as cars to improve ride comfort by absorbing and suppressing vibrations from the ground during vehicle travel. Shock absorbers generally include a piston rod installed in a cylinder to perform a compression stroke and a rebound stroke, and a piston valve arranged in the cylinder in a state connected to the piston rod to generate a damping force. When the damping force is set low, the shock absorber can improve ride comfort by absorbing vibrations caused by the unevenness of the road surface. On the contrary, when the damping force is set high, the shock absorber can improve steering stability by suppressing changes in the body posture. At present, variable damping force shock absorbers have been applied to vehicles, and the damping force characteristics of the shock absorber can be set differently according to different performance requirements of the vehicle.

[0003] This kind of shock absorber with variable damping force can adjust the damping force of the shock absorber according to different road conditions by setting a control valve on the shock absorber. At present, the shock absorber using proportional valve control technology has very high requirements on the control accuracy of the proportional valve, especially the processing accuracy of the proportional solenoid has a great influence on the control accuracy of the proportional valve, and the controller used is complex in structure, which brings great difficulties to the localization of this kind of shock absorber using proportional valve control. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the above technical problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a digital proportional valve for adjusting and controlling the damping force of a shock absorber.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A digital proportional valve for adjusting and controlling the damping force of a shock absorber, comprising a switch valve assembly and a main valve assembly;

[0007] The switch valve assembly includes a magnetic yoke assembly, a coil assembly, an armature push rod assembly and a pilot valve spring. The armature push rod assembly and the coil assembly are arranged in the magnetic yoke assembly. The armature push rod assembly and the magnetic yoke assembly are slidably matched. When the coil assembly is energized, the armature push rod assembly can be pushed to move along the axial direction of the magnetic yoke assembly. The pilot valve spring provides a restoring force for the armature push rod assembly to return to its initial position.

[0008] The main valve assembly comprises a main valve sleeve, a main valve core and a main valve seat, the main valve sleeve is respectively provided with an upper cavity and a lower cavity, the main valve core is arranged in the lower cavity of the main valve sleeve, and is slidably matched with the lower cavity of the main valve sleeve, the main valve seat is arranged at the end of the lower cavity, a return spring is arranged between the main valve core and the main valve sleeve, the return spring applies a force to the main valve core, so that an end face of the main valve core and an end face of the main valve seat are closely matched, the main valve seat and the main valve core are matched in the main valve sleeve, and the lower cavity is divided into an independent oil inlet cavity and an oil outlet cavity, and the oil outlet cavity is communicated with the outside;

[0009] The main valve sleeve is provided with a first circulation channel communicating with the upper chamber and a first communication hole communicating with the upper chamber and the lower chamber, the main valve core is provided with a first oil outlet hole communicating with the oil inlet chamber and the oil outlet chamber, the main valve seat is provided with a first oil inlet hole and a second channel, the first oil inlet hole is communicated with the first circulation channel, the main valve core is provided at one end of the second channel to control the connection and disconnection between the second channel and the oil outlet chamber;

[0010] The first oil inlet hole, the first circulation channel, the upper chamber, the first communicating hole, the oil inlet chamber and the first oil outlet hole are sequentially connected to form a first oil circuit; the second channel forms a second oil circuit;

[0011] The main valve assembly is arranged at the lower end of the magnetic yoke iron component of the switch valve, so that the upper cavity forms a sealed cavity, and one end of the armature push rod assembly extends into the upper cavity. When the armature push rod assembly moves in the axial direction, it can control the opening and closing of the first oil circuit.

[0012] In the above technical solution, further, when the coil assembly is in a power-off state, the armature push rod assembly is located above the first connecting hole, and the first oil circuit is connected; when the coil assembly is energized, the armature push rod assembly is pushed toward the first connecting hole, thereby blocking the first connecting hole and disconnecting the first oil circuit.

[0013] In the above technical solution, further, the first circulation channel is arranged on the main valve sleeve along its axial direction, the first oil inlet hole is arranged on the main valve seat along its axial direction, and a connecting pipe is arranged at the connection between the first oil inlet hole and the first circulation channel, and the two ends of the connecting pipe are respectively inserted in the first oil inlet hole and the first circulation channel.

[0014] In the above technical solution, further, two first circulation channels are arranged on the main valve sleeve, and two first oil inlet holes are correspondingly arranged on the main valve seat.

[0015] In the above technical solution, further, a first oil inlet channel is arranged on an end surface of one end of the main valve seat, one end of the first oil inlet channel is connected to the first oil inlet hole, and the other end is connected to the second channel.

[0016] In the above technical solution, further, the first oil inlet channel is an open groove structure horizontally arranged on an end surface of one end of the main valve seat.

[0017] In the above technical solution, further, one or more oil outlet gaps are provided at the lower end of the main valve sleeve, and the oil outlet cavity is connected to the outside through the oil outlet gaps.

[0018] In the above technical solution, further, the main valve seat includes a positioning portion and a connecting portion, a positioning end face is formed between the positioning portion and the connecting portion, the connecting portion is inserted into the main valve sleeve, the main valve sleeve end face and the positioning end face are sealed, and the first oil inlet hole is arranged on the positioning portion.

[0019] In the above technical solution, further, the main valve sleeve is provided with a positioning hole, the connecting portion of the main valve seat is provided with corresponding connecting holes along its radial direction, and the main valve seat and the main valve sleeve are connected by arranging positioning pins in the positioning hole and the connecting hole.

[0020] In the above technical solution, further, a mounting sleeve is provided at the lower end of the magnetic yoke assembly, the main valve assembly is arranged in the mounting sleeve, and the end face of the main valve sleeve is sealed with the end face of the magnetic yoke assembly, so that the upper cavity of the main valve sleeve forms a sealed cavity.

[0021] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0022] 1) The digital proportional valve in the present invention can perform high-frequency switching control on the oil circuit in the proportional valve by controlling the input signal, and can realize continuous adjustment of the throttling area of ​​the proportional valve by controlling the duty cycle of the input signal, thereby realizing continuous adjustment and control of the damping force of the shock absorber.

[0023] 2) By designing the switch valve assembly and the main valve assembly structure, the overall structure of the proportional valve is simple and reasonable, and by optimizing the oil circuit structure on the main valve assembly, the machining accuracy requirements for the oil circuit control components in the switch valve assembly are reduced. The control and operation of the proportional valve are stable and reliable, and the cost of the proportional valve can be effectively reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the digital proportional valve of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the switch valve assembly in the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the main valve assembly in the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the main valve sleeve structure in the present invention.

[0028] Figure 5 for Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the AA section of the main valve sleeve structure.

[0029] Figure 6 It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main valve seat structure in the present invention.

[0030] Figure 7 for Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the AA section of the main valve seat structure.

[0031] In the figure: 101, magnetic yoke iron assembly, 102, coil assembly, 103, armature push rod assembly, 104, pilot valve spring, 105, stop seat, 106, nut, 111, mounting sleeve;

[0032] 201, main valve sleeve, 202, main valve core, 203, main valve seat, 204, return spring, 205, upper chamber, 206, oil inlet chamber, 207, oil outlet chamber, 208, first circulation channel, 209, first communicating hole, 210, first oil outlet hole, 211, first oil inlet hole, 212, second channel, 213, connecting pipe, 214, oil outlet notch, 215, first oil inlet channel, 216, positioning hole, 217, connecting hole, 231, positioning part, 232, connecting part, 233, positioning end face;

[0033] Ⅰ, the first oil circuit, Ⅱ, the second oil circuit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the digital proportional valve in this embodiment includes a switch valve assembly and a main valve assembly.

[0036] Reference Figure 2The switch valve assembly serves as a pilot stage of the digital proportional valve, and includes a magnetic yoke assembly 101, a coil assembly 102, an armature push rod assembly 103 and a pilot valve spring 104. The armature push rod assembly 103 and the coil assembly 102 are arranged in the magnetic yoke assembly 101, and the armature push rod assembly 103 and the magnetic yoke assembly 101 are slidably matched. The coil assembly 102 is fixedly installed in the magnetic yoke assembly 101 through a nut 106, and the coil assembly 102 is sleeved outside the armature push rod assembly 103. When the coil assembly is energized, it can push the armature push rod assembly to move along the axial direction of the magnetic yoke iron assembly; a stop seat 105 is arranged between the armature push rod assembly 103 and the magnetic yoke iron assembly 101, and a pilot valve spring 104 is arranged between the stop seat 105 and the armature push rod assembly 103, providing the armature push rod assembly with a restoring force to return to its initial position, that is, when the coil assembly is powered off, the electromagnetic force of the coil assembly on the armature push rod assembly disappears, and the pilot valve spring pushes the armature push rod assembly to move in the opposite direction back to its initial position.

[0037] Reference Figure 3 In this embodiment, the main valve assembly includes a main valve sleeve 201, a main valve core 202 and a main valve seat 203. The main valve sleeve 201 is respectively provided with an upper chamber 205 and a lower chamber. The main valve core 202 is arranged in the lower chamber of the main valve sleeve 201 and slides with the lower chamber of the main valve sleeve. The main valve seat 203 is arranged at the end of the lower chamber. A return spring 204 is arranged between the main valve core 202 and the main valve sleeve 201. The return spring 204 applies a force to the main valve core so that one end face of the main valve core and one end face of the main valve seat are tightly matched. The main valve seat 203 and the main valve core 202 are matched in the main valve sleeve 201 to divide the lower chamber into a closed oil inlet chamber 206 and an oil outlet chamber 207. The oil outlet chamber 207 is connected to the outside.

[0038] The main valve sleeve 201 is provided with a first circulation channel 208 communicating with the upper chamber and a first connecting hole 209 connecting the upper chamber and the lower chamber, the main valve core 202 is provided with a first oil outlet hole 210 connecting the oil inlet chamber and the oil outlet chamber, the main valve seat 203 is provided with a first oil inlet hole 211 and a second channel 212, the first oil inlet hole 211 is connected with the first circulation channel 208, the main valve core 202 blocks the second channel 212 to control the connection between the second channel and the oil outlet chamber.

[0039] The first oil inlet hole 211, the first circulation channel 208, the upper chamber 205, the first connecting hole 209, the oil inlet chamber 206 and the first oil outlet hole 210 on the main valve assembly are connected in sequence to form a first oil circuit I through the oil outlet chamber 207; the second channel 212 is connected to the oil outlet chamber 207 to form a second oil circuit II.

[0040] The lower end of the magnetic yoke iron component 101 of the switch valve assembly is provided with a mounting sleeve 111, and the main valve assembly is arranged in the mounting sleeve 111. The main valve assembly and the mounting sleeve 111 are interference fit, and the main valve assembly is fixedly mounted on the switch valve assembly. At this time, the end face of the main valve sleeve and the end face of the magnetic yoke iron component are sealed, so that the upper cavity of the main valve sleeve forms a sealed cavity. One end of the armature push rod assembly 103 of the switch valve assembly extends into the upper cavity 205. When the armature push rod assembly 103 moves in the axial direction, it can control the on-off of the first oil circuit, thereby realizing the on-off control of the first oil circuit through the on-off electrical control of the coil assembly, so that the oil flow in the proportional valve is switched between the first oil circuit and the second oil circuit, and the control and continuous adjustment of the throttling area of ​​the proportional valve are realized.

[0041] In the digital proportional valve of this embodiment, when the coil assembly is powered off, the armature push rod assembly 103 is located above the first connecting hole 209, and the first oil circuit is connected; when the coil assembly is powered on, the armature push rod assembly is pushed toward the first connecting hole, the first connecting hole 209 is blocked, and the first oil circuit is disconnected. Its control and working process are as follows:

[0042] like Figure 1 As shown, when the coil assembly is powered off, the armature push rod assembly is separated from the first connecting hole under the action of the pilot valve spring. At this time, the first oil circuit is connected, and the second oil circuit is in a disconnected state under the action of the return spring and the main valve core. The oil flows in the first oil circuit. At this time, the flow area of ​​the first oil circuit is the flow throttling area of ​​the proportional valve.

[0043] When the coil assembly is powered on, the input signal is controlled by the controller. When the input PWM signal is high, the coil assembly generates electromagnetic force, pushing the armature push rod assembly toward the main valve assembly, the armature push rod assembly blocks the first connecting hole, and the first oil circuit is disconnected; at this time, the oil pressure in the second channel increases, and the oil pushes the main valve core under the action of pressure, the second oil circuit is opened, and the oil flows through the second oil circuit. At this time, the flow area of ​​the second oil circuit is the flow throttling area of ​​the proportional valve. When the input PWM signal is low, the coil assembly is not powered, the electromagnetic force disappears, and the armature push rod assembly moves away from the main valve assembly under the action of the pilot valve spring. At this time, the first oil circuit is reconnected, the oil pressure in the second channel decreases, and under the action of the reset spring, the main valve core disconnects the second oil circuit.

[0044] By inputting PWM signals to control the on and off of the coil assembly and high-frequency switching of the high and low levels of the PWM signal, the digital proportional valve is continuously switched between the first oil circuit and the second oil circuit. By changing the duty cycle of the PWM signal, the throttling area of ​​the proportional valve can be changed, and the throttling area can be continuously adjusted, thereby realizing the connection adjustment and control of the damping force of the shock absorber.

[0045] Preferably, if Figure 3 , 4 5. In this embodiment, the first circulation channel 208 is arranged on the main valve sleeve along its axial direction, and the first oil inlet hole 210 is arranged on the main valve seat along its axial direction. A connecting pipe 213 is arranged at the connection between the first oil inlet hole 210 and the first circulation channel 208. The two ends of the connecting pipe 213 are respectively inserted into the first oil inlet hole 210 and the first circulation channel 208, so as to realize the sealing connection between the first oil inlet hole and the first circulation channel, and effectively position the main valve seat and the main valve sleeve. Two first circulation channels 208 are arranged on the main valve sleeve 201, and two first oil inlet holes 211 are correspondingly arranged on the main valve seat 203 to increase the throttling area of ​​the first oil circuit.

[0046] Preferably, one or more oil outlet notches 214 are provided at the lower end of the main valve sleeve 201 , and the oil outlet cavity 207 is communicated with the outside through the oil outlet notches 214 .

[0047] Preferably, if Figure 6 A first oil inlet channel 215 is provided on an end surface of one end of the main valve seat 203 , wherein one end of the first oil inlet channel 215 is connected to the first oil inlet hole 211 , and the other end of the first oil inlet channel 215 is connected to the second channel 212 .

[0048] The first oil inlet channel 215 is an open groove structure horizontally arranged on an end surface of the main valve seat.

[0049] like Figure 6 and 7 As shown, the main valve seat 203 includes a positioning portion 231 and a connecting portion 232, a positioning end face 233 is formed between the positioning portion 231 and the connecting portion 232, the connecting portion 232 is inserted in the main valve sleeve 201, and the end face of the main valve sleeve 201 and the positioning end face 233 are sealed to form a closed oil outlet cavity in the lower cavity between the main valve sleeve, the main valve core and the main valve seat. The first oil inlet hole 211 is vertically arranged on the positioning portion 231.

[0050] A positioning hole 216 is provided on the main valve sleeve 201, and a connecting hole 217 is correspondingly provided on the connecting portion 232 of the main valve seat 203 along its radial direction. The main valve seat 203 and the main valve sleeve 201 are connected by arranging positioning pins in the positioning hole and the connecting hole, and the main valve seat is fixedly installed in the main valve sleeve to realize a fixed connection between the main valve seat and the main valve sleeve, which has a simple structure and is easy to assemble.

[0051] The specification and drawings of the present invention are considered to be illustrative rather than restrictive. On the basis of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make some substitutions and modifications to some of the technical features according to the disclosed technical content without creative labor, all of which are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A digital proportional valve for adjusting and controlling the damping force of a shock absorber, characterized in that: Including a switch valve assembly and a main valve assembly; The switch valve assembly includes a magnetic yoke assembly, a coil assembly, an armature push rod assembly and a pilot valve spring. The armature push rod assembly and the coil assembly are arranged in the magnetic yoke assembly. The armature push rod assembly and the magnetic yoke assembly are slidably matched. When the coil assembly is energized, the armature push rod assembly can be pushed to move along the axial direction of the magnetic yoke assembly. The pilot valve spring provides a restoring force for the armature push rod assembly to return to its initial position. The main valve assembly comprises a main valve sleeve, a main valve core and a main valve seat, the main valve sleeve is respectively provided with an upper cavity and a lower cavity, the main valve core is arranged in the lower cavity of the main valve sleeve, and is slidably matched with the lower cavity of the main valve sleeve, the main valve seat is arranged at the end of the lower cavity, a return spring is arranged between the main valve core and the main valve sleeve, the return spring applies a force to the main valve core, so that an end face of the main valve core and an end face of the main valve seat are closely matched, the main valve seat and the main valve core are matched in the main valve sleeve, and the lower cavity is divided into an independent oil inlet cavity and an oil outlet cavity, and the oil outlet cavity is communicated with the outside; The main valve sleeve is provided with a first circulation channel communicating with the upper chamber and a first communication hole communicating with the upper chamber and the lower chamber, the main valve core is provided with a first oil outlet hole communicating with the oil inlet chamber and the oil outlet chamber, the main valve seat is provided with a first oil inlet hole and a second channel, the first oil inlet hole is communicated with the first circulation channel, the main valve core is provided at one end of the second channel to control the connection and disconnection between the second channel and the oil outlet chamber; The first oil inlet hole, the first circulation channel, the upper chamber, the first communicating hole, the oil inlet chamber and the first oil outlet hole are sequentially connected to form a first oil circuit; the second channel forms a second oil circuit; The main valve assembly is arranged at the lower end of the magnetic yoke iron component of the switch valve, so that the upper cavity forms a sealed cavity, and one end of the armature push rod assembly extends into the upper cavity. When the armature push rod assembly moves in the axial direction, it can control the opening and closing of the first oil circuit.

2. The digital proportional valve for adjusting and controlling the damping force of a shock absorber according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the coil assembly is powered off, the armature push rod assembly is located above the first connecting hole and the first oil circuit is connected; when the coil assembly is powered on, the armature push rod assembly is pushed toward the first connecting hole to block the first connecting hole and disconnect the first oil circuit.

3. The digital proportional valve for adjusting and controlling the damping force of a shock absorber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first circulation channel is arranged on the main valve sleeve along its axial direction, the first oil inlet hole is arranged on the main valve seat along its axial direction, a connecting pipe is arranged at the connection between the first oil inlet hole and the first circulation channel, and both ends of the connecting pipe are respectively inserted into the first oil inlet hole and the first circulation channel.

4. The digital proportional valve for adjusting and controlling the damping force of a shock absorber according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: Two first flow channels are arranged on the main valve sleeve, and two first oil inlet holes are correspondingly arranged on the main valve seat.

5. The digital proportional valve for adjusting and controlling the damping force of a shock absorber according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first oil inlet channel is arranged on an end surface of one end of the main valve seat, one end of the first oil inlet channel is connected to the first oil inlet hole, and the other end of the first oil inlet channel is communicated with the second channel.

6. The digital proportional valve for adjusting and controlling the damping force of a shock absorber according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first oil inlet channel is an open groove structure horizontally arranged on an end surface of one end of the main valve seat.

7. The digital proportional valve for adjusting and controlling the damping force of a shock absorber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower end of the main valve sleeve is provided with one or more oil outlet gaps, and the oil outlet cavity is communicated with the outside through the oil outlet gaps.

8. The digital proportional valve for adjusting and controlling the damping force of a shock absorber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main valve seat includes a positioning portion and a connecting portion, a positioning end face is formed between the positioning portion and the connecting portion, the connecting portion is inserted into the main valve sleeve, the main valve sleeve end face and the positioning end face are sealed, and the first oil inlet hole is arranged on the positioning portion.

9. The digital proportional valve for adjusting and controlling the damping force of a shock absorber according to claim 8, characterized in that: The main valve sleeve is provided with a positioning hole, and the connecting portion of the main valve seat is provided with a corresponding connecting hole along its radial direction. The main valve seat and the main valve sleeve are connected by arranging positioning pins in the positioning hole and the connecting hole.

10. The digital proportional valve for adjusting and controlling the damping force of a shock absorber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower end of the magnetic yoke assembly is provided with a mounting sleeve, the main valve assembly is arranged in the mounting sleeve, and the end face of the main valve sleeve is sealed with the end face of the magnetic yoke assembly, so that the upper cavity of the main valve sleeve forms a sealed cavity.

Images