Protective cover for a shock absorber and shock absorber

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of vibration damper technology, providing a protective cover for a vibration damper and the vibration damper itself. The protective cover is located inside the dust cover of the vibration damper. The rear end of the dust cover is open, and a piston rod is fitted into the front end of the protective cover with a clearance. The rear end of the protective cover is movably fitted into an outer cylinder. A cavity extending from the rear end of the protective cover towards the front end is provided at the rear end. During the operation of the vibration damper, the piston rod drives the protective cover to perform axial reciprocating motion, causing air entering the dust cover from the rear end of the dust cover to be drawn in and expelled from the cavity. This invention, through the cavity at the rear end of the protective cover, allows airflow to draw in and expel air entering the dust cover during the axial reciprocating motion of the piston rod. This draws in and carries away impurities such as mud and dust from the air, preventing dust from entering the clearance between the protective cover and the piston rod. This enhances the dustproof effect of the protective cover and extends the lifespan of the vibration damper's oil seal and the vibration damper itself.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vibration damper technology, and more specifically, to a protective cover for a vibration damper and a vibration damper. Background Technology

[0002] Shock absorbers are crucial components of a car chassis, playing a vital role in the vehicle's handling and passenger comfort. A protective cover for the shock absorber is installed between the outer cylinder and the dust cover. The piston rod of the shock absorber passes through the rod hole in the protective cover and extends into the inner cylinder of the shock absorber. The protective cover serves to bear loads, protect the outer cylinder, protect the oil seals mounted within the outer cylinder, and prevent dust accumulation.

[0003] Currently, dust protection for shock absorbers used in automotive rear suspension typically employs an open dust cover in conjunction with a protective cap, with a safety gap between the two. Due to the open design of the dust cover, dust can easily enter during vehicle movement. If excessive dust enters the rod hole of the protective cap, it can damage the oil seal, affecting the lifespan of both the oil seal and the shock absorber.

[0004] Currently, dust prevention is mainly achieved by controlling the gap between the protective cover and the dust cover. However, this method has limited effectiveness and cannot effectively prevent dust from entering the rod holes of the protective cover.

[0005] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background section above is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of the present invention, and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of this, the present invention provides a protective cover that can improve the dustproof effect. By setting a cavity at the rear end of the protective cover, during the axial reciprocating motion of the protective cover driven by the piston rod, the airflow will draw in and push out the air into the dust cover. Thus, impurities such as mud, sand and dust in the air will be drawn in and carried out of the cavity, preventing impurities from entering the mating gap between the protective cover and the piston rod. This enhances the dustproof effect of the protective cover and can extend the life of the oil seal of the shock absorber and the shock absorber.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, a protective cover for a vibration damper is provided, located inside a dust cover of the vibration damper, the rear end of the dust cover being open, the front end of the protective cover being fitted with a piston rod of the vibration damper with a gap, and the rear end of the protective cover being movably fitted with an outer cylinder of the vibration damper; wherein, the rear end of the protective cover has a cavity extending from its end face to the front end of the protective cover, during the operation of the vibration damper, the piston rod drives the protective cover to perform axial reciprocating motion, so that air entering the dust cover from the rear end of the dust cover is drawn in and pushed out of the cavity.

[0008] During vehicle movement, the shock absorber undergoes stretching and compression motions as the wheels bounce up and down. This means the piston rod of the shock absorber reciprocates axially within the inner cylinder, causing the protective cover to reciprocate axially as well. This invention utilizes a cavity at the rear end of the protective cover. During the axial reciprocating motion of the protective cover driven by the piston rod, airflow draws in and out of the dust cover. This prevents impurities such as mud and dust from entering the rod hole of the protective cover, thus preventing them from entering the gap between the front end of the protective cover and the piston rod. This enhances the dustproof effect of the protective cover and extends the lifespan of the shock absorber's oil seal and the shock absorber itself.

[0009] The protective cover of this invention has a simple, ingenious and reasonable structural design, which can effectively improve the impact of impurities such as mud, sand and dust on the shock absorber, especially the rear shock absorber, during operation, and prevent impurities from entering the rod hole of the protective cover. It can effectively protect the oil seal and extend the service life of the shock absorber.

[0010] In some embodiments, during the operation of the shock absorber, the piston rod also drives the protective cover to make a torsional motion, so that an air vortex is formed at the port of the cavity to draw in and draw out air entering the dust cover from the rear end of the dust cover.

[0011] During the operation of the shock absorber, the piston rod will also rotate clockwise and counterclockwise, which will drive the protective cover to rotate. This will create an air vortex at the port of the cavity, which will draw in and out of the cavity impurities such as mud and dust in the air entering the dust cover, preventing impurities from entering the rod hole of the protective cover, thus enhancing the dustproof effect of the protective cover and extending the life of the oil seal and the shock absorber.

[0012] In some embodiments, the rear end of the protective cover is clearance-fitted with the dust cover.

[0013] A safety gap is left between the protective cover and the dust cover to prevent the dust cover from scratching the outer cylinder of the shock absorber during its movement.

[0014] In some embodiments, the cavity is formed as an annular cavity.

[0015] The annular cavity is completely distributed around the rear end of the protective cover in a circular direction, which facilitates the intake and exhaust of air and the formation of an air vortex. This effectively prevents impurities such as mud, sand, and dust from entering the rod hole of the protective cover.

[0016] In some embodiments, the annular cavity near the front end of the protective cover is narrowed.

[0017] The cavity narrows to collect impurities such as mud, sand, and dust from the air entering the dust cover, and these impurities are then carried out of the cavity by airflow.

[0018] In some embodiments, the inner ring wall of the annular cavity extends axially, and the outer ring wall of the annular cavity extends outward from the connection between the annular cavity and the front end of the protective cover to form a trumpet shape.

[0019] The inner ring wall of the annular cavity extends axially, enabling it to stably fit the outer cylinder of the shock absorber; the outer ring wall of the annular cavity is formed in a trumpet shape to create an annular cavity with a narrow opening between the outer ring wall and the inner ring wall.

[0020] In some embodiments, the wall thickness of the outer ring wall is equal to or greater than the wall thickness of the inner ring wall.

[0021] The inner ring wall thickness is designed to ensure a stable fit with the outer cylinder; the outer ring wall thickness is equal to or greater than the inner ring wall thickness to ensure the structural strength of the outer ring wall and prevent damage such as bending under airflow.

[0022] In some embodiments, the inner end face of the front end of the protective cover is provided with a weight-reducing groove.

[0023] The thinning design with a weight-reducing groove on the inner end face can effectively improve the exhaust and heat dissipation effect between the protective cover and the oil seal. The thinning design also reduces costs, makes the shrinkage rate easier to control, improves manufacturing feasibility, and makes it easier to manufacture and mass-produce.

[0024] In some embodiments, the weight-reducing grooves are arranged at uniform intervals around the circumference.

[0025] This ensures the overall structure of the protective cover is stable and the stress is evenly distributed.

[0026] According to another aspect of the present invention, a vibration damper is provided, comprising an inner cylinder, an outer cylinder sleeved outside the inner cylinder, an oil seal assembled at the front ends of the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder, a piston rod extending through the oil seal into the inner cylinder, and a dust cover sleeved outside the outer cylinder; the vibration damper further comprises: a protective cover as described in any of the above embodiments, located inside the dust cover, the front end of the protective cover being loosely sleeved with the piston rod, and the rear end of the protective cover being movably sleeved with the outer cylinder.

[0027] The shock absorber is equipped with the aforementioned protective cover that improves dust protection. This allows airflow to draw in and out of the dust cover as the piston rod moves the cover through its cavity. This prevents impurities such as mud and dust from entering the cavity and thus avoids them from entering the gap between the protective cover and the piston rod. This enhances the dust protection effect and extends the lifespan of the shock absorber's oil seal and the shock absorber itself.

[0028] The beneficial effects of this invention compared to the prior art include at least the following:

[0029] This invention utilizes a cavity at the rear end of the protective cover. During the movement of the protective cover driven by the piston rod, airflow draws in and pushes out air from the dust cover. This draws in and carries away impurities such as mud, sand, and dust from the air, preventing them from entering the rod hole of the protective cover, and thus preventing impurities from entering the gap between the front end of the protective cover and the piston rod. This enhances the dustproof effect of the protective cover and extends the life of the oil seal and the shock absorber.

[0030] The protective cover of this invention has a simple, ingenious and reasonable structural design, which can effectively improve the impact of impurities such as mud, sand and dust on the shock absorber, especially the rear shock absorber, during operation, and prevent impurities from entering the rod hole of the protective cover. It can effectively protect the oil seal and extend the service life of the shock absorber.

[0031] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0032] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of the invention, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort.

[0033] Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the protective cover of the shock absorber in an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0034] Figure 2 A top view of the protective cover of the shock absorber in an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0035] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the protective cover of the vibration damper in an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0036] Figure 4 A partial cross-sectional view of the vibration damper in an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0037] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to fully and completely convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art.

[0038] The accompanying drawings are merely illustrative of the invention and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts, and therefore, repeated descriptions of them will be omitted.

[0039] In the description of this invention, the terms "front," "rear," "left," and "right," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. The term "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified. Furthermore, in the description of this invention, when it is said that a device is "connected" to another device, this includes not only direct connections but also indirect connections through other elements.

[0040] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in different embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0041] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates the three-dimensional structure of the protective cover of the shock absorber in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 The diagram shows the top view of the protective cover. Figure 3 The diagram illustrates the cross-sectional structure of the protective cover. Figure 4 The diagram illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the shock absorber; combined with Figures 1 to 4 As shown:

[0042] The protective cover 10 of the shock absorber provided in this embodiment of the invention is located inside the dust cover 20 of the shock absorber. The rear end 20b of the dust cover 20 is open. The front end 10a of the protective cover 10 is gap-fitted to the piston rod 30 of the shock absorber. The rear end 10b of the protective cover 10 is movably fitted to the outer cylinder 60 of the shock absorber.

[0043] The protective cover 10 has a cavity 11 extending from its end face to the front end 10a of the protective cover 10. During the operation of the shock absorber, the piston rod 30 drives the protective cover 10 to reciprocate axially, so that the air entering the dust cover 20 from the rear end 20b of the dust cover 20 is drawn in and pushed out of the cavity 11.

[0044] During vehicle movement, the shock absorber undergoes stretching and compression motions as the wheels bounce up and down. This means the piston rod 30 of the shock absorber reciprocates axially within the inner cylinder 40, causing the protective cover 10 to reciprocate axially. The front end 20a of the dust cover 20 is connected to a support frame, which is connected to the vehicle body, thus creating relative movement between the protective cover 10 and the dust cover 20. This invention utilizes a cavity 11 located at the rear end 10b of the protective cover 10. During the reciprocating motion of the dust cover 20 driven by the piston rod 30, airflow draws in and pushes out air from the dust cover 20 into the cavity 11, thereby drawing in and carrying away impurities such as mud and dust from the air.

[0045] Specifically, when the piston rod 30 drives the protective cover 10 to perform a stretching motion, air entering the dust cover 20 from the rear end 20b is drawn into the cavity 11, and impurities such as mud and dust in the air adhere to the inner wall of the cavity 11. When the piston rod 30 drives the protective cover 10 to perform a compressing motion, the impurities adhering to the inner wall of the cavity 11 are carried out of the cavity 11 by the airflow. In this way, impurities are effectively prevented from entering the rod hole 12 of the protective cover 10, that is, impurities are prevented from entering the mating gap between the front end 10a of the protective cover 10 and the piston rod 30, thereby enhancing the dustproof effect of the protective cover 10 and extending the life of the oil seal 50 of the shock absorber and the shock absorber.

[0046] The protective cover 10 of the present invention has a simple, ingenious and reasonable structural design, which can effectively improve the impact of impurities such as mud, sand and dust on the shock absorber, especially the rear shock absorber, during the movement process, prevent impurities from entering the rod hole 12 of the protective cover 10, effectively protect the oil seal 50, and extend the service life of the shock absorber.

[0047] In some embodiments, during the operation of the shock absorber, the piston rod 20 also drives the protective cover 10 to make a torsional motion, so that an air cyclone is formed at the port of the cavity 11 to draw in and draw out the air entering the dust cover 20 from the rear end 20b of the dust cover 20.

[0048] During the operation of the shock absorber, the piston rod 20 also twists clockwise and counterclockwise, which in turn drives the protective cover 10 to twist, thereby forming an air vortex at the port of the cavity 11. For example, when the protective cover 10 twists clockwise, a positive air vortex is formed at the port of the cavity 11; when the protective cover 10 twists counterclockwise, a negative air vortex is formed at the port of the cavity 11. In this way, through the action of the air vortex, impurities such as mud and dust in the air entering the dust cover 20 are drawn into and out of the cavity 11, preventing impurities from entering the rod hole 12 of the protective cover 10, thereby enhancing the dustproof effect of the protective cover 10 and extending the life of the oil seal 50 and the shock absorber.

[0049] In some embodiments, the rear end 10b of the protective cover 10 is clearance-fitted with the dust cover 20.

[0050] A safety gap is provided between the protective cover 10 and the dust cover 20 to prevent the dust cover 20 from scratching the outer cylinder 60 of the shock absorber during its movement. The value of the safety gap can be set as needed, for example, 3mm-3.5mm.

[0051] In some embodiments, cavity 11 is formed as an annular cavity.

[0052] The annular cavity is completely distributed in the circumferential direction at the rear end 10b of the protective cover 10, which facilitates the intake and exhaust of air and the formation of an air vortex. It can effectively prevent impurities such as mud, sand and dust from entering the rod hole 12 of the protective cover 10.

[0053] Of course, the shape of the cavity 11 is not limited to a ring shape, but can be set according to actual needs; in addition, the dimensions of the cavity 11, including the depth along the axial direction and the width along the radial direction, can also be set as needed, as long as it can achieve the dustproof effect of sucking in / entraining impurities in the air.

[0054] In some embodiments, the annular cavity is closed at the portion near the front end 10a of the protective cover 10.

[0055] The cavity 11 is closed to collect impurities such as mud and dust from the air entering the dust cover 20, and facilitates the removal of these impurities from the cavity 11 by airflow.

[0056] In some embodiments, the inner annular wall 11a of the annular cavity extends axially, and the outer annular wall 11b of the annular cavity extends outward from the connection between the annular cavity and the front end 10a of the protective cover 10 to form a trumpet shape.

[0057] The inner ring wall 11a of the cavity 11 extends axially and can stably cooperate with the outer cylinder 60 of the shock absorber; the outer ring wall 11b of the cavity 11 is formed in a trumpet shape to form an annular cavity with a narrow opening between the outer ring wall 11b and the inner ring wall 11a.

[0058] In some embodiments, the wall thickness of the outer ring wall 11b is equal to or greater than the wall thickness of the inner ring wall 11a.

[0059] The wall thickness of the inner ring wall 11a is designed to ensure a stable fit with the outer cylinder 60; the wall thickness of the outer ring wall 11b is equal to or greater than the wall thickness of the inner ring wall 11a to ensure the structural strength of the outer ring wall 11b and prevent damage such as bending of the outer ring wall 11b under the action of airflow.

[0060] In some embodiments, a weight-reducing groove 15 is provided on the inner end face of the front end 10a of the protective cover 10.

[0061] The thinning design with a weight-reducing groove 15 on the inner end face can effectively improve the exhaust and heat dissipation effect between the protective cover 10 and the oil seal 50. The thinning design also reduces costs, makes the shrinkage rate easier to control, improves manufacturing feasibility, and makes it easier to manufacture and mass-produce.

[0062] In some embodiments, the weight-reducing grooves 15 are evenly spaced around the circumference. This makes the overall structure of the protective cover 10 stable and the stress evenly distributed.

[0063] This invention also provides a vibration damper, see reference. Figure 4 As shown, and can be combined Figures 1 to 3 The vibration damper includes:

[0064] Inner cylinder 40, outer cylinder 60 sleeved outside the inner cylinder 40, oil seal 50 assembled at the front end of the inner cylinder 40 and outer cylinder 60, piston rod 30 extending into the inner cylinder 40 through the oil seal 50, and dust cover 20 sleeved outside the outer cylinder 60.

[0065] The protective cover 10 is located inside the dust cover 20. The front end 10a of the protective cover 10 is fitted with the piston rod 30 with a gap, and the rear end 10b of the protective cover 10 is movably fitted with the outer cylinder 60.

[0066] The shock absorber is equipped with the protective cover 10 of the present invention, which improves the dustproof effect. It can achieve the following: through the cavity 11 of the protective cover 10, during the movement of the protective cover 10 driven by the piston rod 30, the air entering the dust cover 20 is drawn in and pushed out of the cavity 11 by the airflow. It can also entrain the air entering the dust cover 20 into and out of the cavity 11. Thus, impurities such as mud, sand and dust in the air are carried into and out of the cavity 11, preventing impurities from entering the mating gap between the protective cover 10 and the piston rod 30. This enhances the dustproof effect and extends the life of the oil seal 50 and the shock absorber.

[0067] The protective cover 10 of the present invention has a simple, ingenious and reasonable structural design, which can effectively improve the impact of impurities such as mud, sand and dust on the shock absorber, especially the rear shock absorber, during the movement process, prevent impurities from entering the rod hole 12 of the protective cover 10, effectively protect the oil seal 50, and extend the service life of the shock absorber.

[0068] The above description, in conjunction with specific preferred embodiments, provides a further detailed explanation of the present invention. It should not be construed that the specific implementation of the present invention is limited to these descriptions. For those skilled in the art, various simple deductions or substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and all such modifications and substitutions should be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A protective cover for a shock absorber, located inside a dust cover of the shock absorber, wherein the rear end of the dust cover is open, the front end of the protective cover is fitted with a piston rod of the shock absorber, and the rear end of the protective cover is movably fitted with the outer cylinder of the shock absorber; Its features are, The rear end of the protective cover has a cavity extending from its end face to the front end of the protective cover. During the operation of the shock absorber, the piston rod drives the protective cover to perform axial reciprocating motion, so that air entering the dust cover from the rear end of the dust cover is drawn in and pushed out of the cavity.

2. The protective cover as described in claim 1, characterized in that, During the operation of the shock absorber, the piston rod also drives the protective cover to make a torsional motion, so that an air vortex is formed at the port of the cavity to draw in and draw out the air that enters the dust cover from the rear end of the dust cover.

3. The protective cover as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The rear end of the protective cover and the dust cover are fitted with a clearance.

4. The protective cover as described in any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The cavity is formed as an annular cavity.

5. The protective cover as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The annular cavity narrows at the front end near the protective cover.

6. The protective cover as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The inner ring wall of the annular cavity extends axially, and the outer ring wall of the annular cavity extends outward from the connection between the annular cavity and the front end of the protective cover to form a trumpet shape.

7. The protective cover as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The thickness of the outer ring wall is equal to or greater than the thickness of the inner ring wall.

8. The protective cover as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The inner end face of the front end of the protective cover is provided with a weight reduction groove.

9. The protective cover as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The weight-reducing grooves are evenly spaced around the perimeter.

10. A shock absorber, comprising an inner cylinder, an outer cylinder sleeved outside the inner cylinder, an oil seal assembled at the front ends of the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder, a piston rod extending through the oil seal into the inner cylinder, and a dust cover sleeved outside the outer cylinder; Its features are, Also includes: The protective cover as described in any one of claims 1-9 is located inside the dust cover, with the piston rod sleeved at the front end of the protective cover and the outer cylinder movably sleeved at the rear end of the protective cover.

Images