Installation Structure, Air Spring and Vehicle Suspension

Abstract

The present application provides an installation structure, an air spring and an automotive suspension. The installation structure is applied to the air spring and includes a bearing seat, a piston and a bearing disposed between the bearing seat and the piston. The bearing seat and the piston are configured to relatively move under an external force to change the coupling state and sequentially be in a first coupling state and a second coupling state. Wherein, when the bearing seat and the piston are in the first coupling state, the bearing seat and the piston limit each other; when the bearing seat and the piston are in the second coupling state, the bearing seat and the piston are released from the limit and are rotatably connected to the piston through the bearing. For the above installation structure, instead of using a fixed pin for positioning, the relative movement between the bearing seat and the piston is used to control the coupling state between the bearing seat and the piston, so as to meet the limit requirements of the bearing seat and the piston during the transportation, handling and assembly of the air spring, and to meet the requirement of the bearing rotation to release the torsional angle generated by the bladder during the suspension movement process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of air springs, and particularly to an installation structure, an air spring and an automotive suspension. Background Art

[0002] At present, the positioning method of the rear air spring bearing seat in the market adopts the rear pin type, that is, after the bearing seat is assembled, the fixing pin is separately inserted into the positioning hole for rotational positioning to ensure the correct position of the bearing seat during transportation and assembly, and to accurately match the body mounting hole during the assembly process, and the positioning pin is removed at a special station after the vehicle assembly is completed.

[0003] However, this method will additionally increase the assembly and disassembly requirements. If the disassembly of the positioning pin is omitted, it is easy to cause the torsional angle of the automotive suspension not to be released and can only be directly borne by the bladder, resulting in relatively fast fatigue damage of the bladder. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Based on this, the present invention aims to provide an improved installation structure, an air spring and an automotive suspension to solve at least one of the above problems.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides an installation structure applied to an air spring. The installation structure includes a bearing seat, a piston and a bearing disposed between the bearing seat and the piston. The bearing seat and the piston are configured to move relative to each other under an external force to change the coupling state and sequentially be in a first coupling state and a second coupling state. Wherein, when the bearing seat and the piston are in the first coupling state, the bearing seat and the piston limit each other; when the bearing seat and the piston are in the second coupling state, the bearing seat and the piston are released from the limit and are rotatably connected to the piston through the bearing.

[0006] In the above installation structure, the coupling state between the bearing seat and the piston is changed by the relative movement between the bearing seat and the piston, so that when the bearing seat and the piston meet the first coupling state, the bearing seat and the piston can limit each other, thereby restricting the rotation of the bearing seat and meeting the positioning requirements of the bearing seat and the piston during the transportation, handling and assembly of the air spring. And, when the bearing seat and the piston meet the second coupling state, the bearing seat can rotate relative to the piston through the bearing, which is beneficial to releasing the torsional angle generated during the movement of the suspension through the rotation of the bearing, without additional disassembly actions, and avoiding the influence on the bladder life caused by the torsional angle not being released due to the omission of the disassembly of the positioning pin.

[0007] In one embodiment, during the process that the bearing seat and the piston are sequentially in the first coupling state and the second coupling state, the bearing seat and the piston are configured to move towards each other along the height direction of the installation structure under an external force.

[0008] In one embodiment, the bearing housing is configured to move towards the piston under the action of a first external force until the bearing housing and the piston are in the first coupling state; the piston is configured to move towards the bearing housing under the action of a second external force until the bearing housing and the piston are in the second coupling state.

[0009] In one embodiment, the bearing housing has a main body and at least one first coupling portion arranged circumferentially along the main body, and the piston has at least one second coupling portion corresponding to the first coupling portion one by one; when the bearing housing and the piston are in the first coupling state, the limiting portion of the first coupling portion is coupled with the second coupling portion; during the process of the bearing housing and the piston switching from the first coupling state to the second coupling state, the first coupling portion disengages from and moves away from the limiting portion.

[0010] In one embodiment, the first coupling portion includes a limiting block connected to the main body, and the limiting portion includes a limiting groove; when the first coupling portion is coupled with the limiting portion, the limiting block is clamped in the limiting groove; during the process of the first coupling portion disengaging from and moving away from the limiting portion, the limiting block moves out of the limiting groove and moves away from the limiting groove.

[0011] In one embodiment, a first inclined surface is provided on one side of the limiting block facing the limiting groove, and at least one groove wall of the limiting groove facing the limiting block is provided with a second inclined surface cooperating with the first inclined surface.

[0012] In one embodiment, the first coupling portion further includes a connecting member with one end connected to the main body and the other end connected to the limiting block, and the length of the connecting member in the height direction of the mounting structure is greater than or equal to the length of the limiting portion in the height direction of the mounting structure.

[0013] In a second aspect, the present application provides an installation method for the installation structure as described in any one of the previous embodiments, including: aligning the bearing housing with the piston; moving the bearing housing towards the piston until the bearing housing and the piston are in the first coupling state; after the vehicle is assembled, inflating the air spring to move the piston towards the bearing housing until the bearing housing and the piston are in the second coupling state.

[0014] In the above installation method, when the bearing housing and the piston satisfy the first coupling state, the bearing housing and the piston limit each other to restrict the rotation of the bearing housing, so as to meet the limit requirements for the bearing housing and the piston during the transportation, handling, and assembly of the air spring. Further, when the bearing housing and the piston satisfy the second coupling state, the bearing housing can rotate relative to the piston, which is beneficial to releasing the torsional angle generated during the suspension movement through the rotation of the bearing, without additional disassembly actions, and avoiding affecting the bladder life due to the failure to release the torsional angle caused by the omission of the disassembly of the positioning pin.

[0015] In a third aspect, the present application provides an air spring, including the installation structure described in any of the previous embodiments.

[0016] The above air spring can not only meet the limit requirements for the bearing housing and the piston during its transportation, handling, and assembly, but also release the torsional angle generated during the suspension movement through the rotation of the bearing during subsequent use, without additional disassembly actions, and avoiding affecting the bladder life due to the failure to release the torsional angle caused by the omission of the disassembly of the positioning pin.

[0017] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides an automotive suspension, including the air spring described in the previous embodiments.

[0018] The above automotive suspension can release the generated torsional angle through the rotation of the bearing during its movement, without additional disassembly actions, and avoiding affecting the bladder life due to the failure to release the torsional angle caused by the omission of the disassembly of the positioning pin. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present specification or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments recorded in the present specification. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic installation diagram of a traditional bearing housing and a piston;

[0021] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional view of the bearing housing and the piston of the installation structure of an embodiment of the present application before being in the first coupling state;

[0023] Figure 4 It is a cross-sectional view of the bearing housing and the piston of the installation structure of an embodiment of the present application when in the first coupling state;

[0024] Figure 5 A cross-sectional schematic view of a bearing housing and a piston of an installation structure according to an embodiment of the present application when in a second coupling state;

[0025] Figure 6 is Figure 4 An enlarged schematic view of part P shown. Detailed implementation manners

[0026] To make the above objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the following will describe the detailed implementation manners of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to fully understand the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without departing from the connotation of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0027] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

[0028] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0029] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may also be an intermediate element. When an element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intermediate element at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are only for the purpose of illustration and do not represent the only implementation manner.

[0030] Currently, the positioning method of the rear air spring bearing housing on the market adopts a rear plug-in type, such as Figure 1As shown in the figure, after the bearing housing 110’ is assembled, the fixing pin 130’ is separately inserted into the positioning holes of the bearing housing 110’ and the piston 140’ for rotational positioning, ensuring the correct relative position between the bearing housing 110’ and the piston 140’ during transportation and assembly, and enabling accurate matching with the vehicle body mounting holes during assembly. After the vehicle assembly is completed, the positioning pin needs to be removed at a special station. This method adds additional assembly and disassembly requirements. If the disassembly is omitted, it will shorten the life of the bladder, thereby affecting the use of the vehicle suspension.

[0031] Based on the above problems, the present application provides an installation structure that uses the relative movement between the bearing housing and the piston to change the coupling state between the bearing housing and the piston, so that when the bearing housing and the piston meet the first coupling state, the bearing housing and the piston can limit each other, thereby restricting the rotation of the bearing housing, meeting the limit requirements for the bearing housing and the piston during the transportation, handling, and assembly of the air spring; and, when the bearing housing and the piston meet the second coupling state, the bearing housing can rotate relative to the piston, which is conducive to releasing the large torsional angle generated by the bladder during the suspension movement through bearing rotation, without additional disassembly actions, avoiding the influence on the bladder life caused by the failure to release the torsional angle due to the omission of removing the positioning pin.

[0032] As Figures 2 to 5 shown, an embodiment of the present application provides an installation structure applied to an air spring. The installation structure includes a bearing housing 110, a piston 140, and a bearing (not shown in the figure) disposed between the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140. The bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 are configured to relatively move under an external force to change the coupling state to sequentially be in a first coupling state and a second coupling state; wherein, when the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 are in the first coupling state, the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 limit each other; when the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 are in the second coupling state, the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 are released from the limit and can rotate relative to the piston 140.

[0033] As Figure 2 shown, a plurality of connecting members 150 are axially arranged along the bearing housing 110. The traditional fixing method usually uses a positioning pin to pass through the positioning holes on the connecting members 150 to limit the bearing housing 110. Optionally, in the embodiment of the present application, the connecting members 150 can be further modified so that the modified connecting members 150 can automatically release the limit on the bearing housing 110 through the subsequent air spring inflation step, thereby avoiding the situation of omission of removing the positioning pin; optionally, the connecting members 150 used for modification can be one or more, for example, two connecting members symmetric about the plane where the axis of the bearing housing 110 is located. In some other embodiments, the above coupling state can also be achieved by adding one or more coupling components, and the present application does not limit this.

[0034] Exemplarily, before being in the first coupling state, the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 can be in a coupled state or an uncoupled state. Through relative movement, the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 can be first in the first coupling state and then in the second coupling state through interaction.

[0035] Exemplarily, "mutual limitation" can mean that the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 are fixed to each other; in some other embodiments, "mutual limitation" can also mean that the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 leave a small displacement space (such as a gap) for the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 to move, as long as the two still do not move out of the predetermined area.

[0036] Exemplarily, "the bearing housing 110 can rotate relative to the piston 140" can mean that in Figures 2 to 6 the shown perspective, the bearing housing 110 can rotate horizontally relative to the piston 140. Optionally, the bearing housing 110 can be rotatably connected to the piston 140 through a bearing, so as to realize the horizontal rotation of the bearing housing 110 relative to the piston 140.

[0037] Exemplarily, during the process of the coupling state of the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 switching from the first coupling state to the second coupling state, the mutual acting force between the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 gradually weakens, so that the mutual limiting effect of the two also gradually weakens, and the mutual limiting effect disappears at a certain time node, and the bearing housing 110 can rotate freely relative to the piston 140.

[0038] Optionally, during the process that the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 are successively in the first coupling state and the second coupling state, the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 are configured to move towards each other along the height direction D of the mounting structure (as shown by the arrow in Figure 3 ) under the action of an external force. Among them, "move towards each other" means that the bearing housing 110 can move towards the piston 140 under the action of a first external force (until the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 are in the first coupling state), or the piston 140 can move towards the bearing housing 110 under the action of a second external force (until the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 are in the second coupling state). Optionally, the first external force can be applied to the bearing housing 110 through an external device, which is beneficial to controlling the pressure magnitude. In addition, the bearing housing 110 can be slowly moved through the first external force to avoid large friction during the movement and affect the structural performance. Optionally, the subsequent inflation action of the air spring can be used to form a second external force to make the piston 140 move towards the bearing housing 110, so as to change the coupling state of the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140, thereby releasing the limitation of the bearing housing 110.

[0039] Exemplarily, before the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 are in the first coupling state, such as Figure 2 andFigure 3 As shown, the bearing housing 110 is in a free state. Optionally, for the convenience of subsequent docking, the coupling portion of the bearing housing 110 can be aligned with the coupling portion of the piston 140 first and then relatively moved.

[0040] In some embodiments of the present application, as Figures 3 to 5 shown, the bearing housing 110 has a main body 111 and at least one first coupling portion 112 arranged circumferentially along the main body 111, and the piston 140 has at least one second coupling portion 141 corresponding to the first coupling portion 112 one by one; when the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 are in the first coupling state, the limiting portion of the first coupling portion 112 is coupled with the second coupling portion 141; when the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 are switched from the first coupling state to the second coupling state, the first coupling portion 112 disengages from and moves away from the limiting portion.

[0041] Optionally, as Figures 3 to 5 shown, the first coupling portions 112 can be symmetrically arranged on both sides of the bearing housing 110, and the second coupling portions 141 correspond to the first coupling portions 112 one by one. Optionally, as Figure 3 shown, before the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 are in the first coupling state, the first coupling portion 112 can be slightly higher than the second coupling portion 141 and aligned with the second coupling portion 141. Optionally, as Figure 4 shown, when the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 are in the first coupling state, the first coupling portion 112 can be coupled with the limiting portion of the second coupling portion 141 so that the bearing housing 110 and the piston are mutually limited by the interaction between the two. Optionally, as Figure 5 shown, during the process of the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 being switched from the first coupling state to the second coupling state, the air spring is inflated, an upward pressure is generated inside, the piston 140 is lifted and moves upward, thereby driving the limiting portion to move upward, so that the first coupling portion 112 disengages from and moves away from the limiting portion; optionally, as Figure 5 shown, when the bearing housing 110 and the piston 140 are in the second coupling state, there is a gap between the coupling portion (such as the limiting block 1122) of the first coupling portion 112 and the limiting portion.

[0042] In some embodiments of the present application, as Figures 3 to 5 shown, the first coupling portion 112 includes a limiting block 1122 connected to the main body 111, and the limiting portion includes a limiting groove 1411; when the first coupling portion 112 is coupled with the limiting portion 1411, the limiting block 1122 is clamped in the limiting groove 1411; during the process of the first coupling portion 112 disengaging from and moving away from the limiting portion, the limiting block 1122 moves out of the limiting groove 1411 and moves away from the limiting groove 1411.

[0043] Optionally, as Figure 6As shown, a first inclined surface 11221 is provided on one side of the limit block 1122 facing the limit groove 1411, and at least one groove wall of the limit groove 1411 facing the limit block 1122 is provided with a second inclined surface 14111 that cooperates with the first inclined surface 11221. In this way, during the process of the limit block 1122 disengaging from the limit part (such as the limit groove 1411), the limit block 1122 can be slightly expanded outward to disengage from the limit groove 1411, and at the same time, it is also beneficial to reduce the resistance during the relative movement of the bearing seat 110 and the piston 140. Optionally, the first inclined surface 11221 and the second inclined surface 14111 are parallel and can both be obtained by clockwise rotation of an acute angle from the horizontal plane. Optionally, the second inclined surface 14111 can be provided on both opposite groove walls of the limit groove 1411. In this way, it is both beneficial to facilitate the clamping of the limit block 1122 into the limit groove 1411 and beneficial to the disengagement of the limit block 1122 from the limit groove 1411.

[0044] Optionally, the limit part can be composed of the upper groove wall (including the wall thickness) of the limit groove 1411, the limit groove 1411, and the lower groove wall (including the wall thickness) of the limit groove.

[0045] In some embodiments of the present application, as Figure 5 shown, the first coupling part 112 further includes a connecting member 1121 with one end connected to the main body 111 and the other end connected to the limit block 1122. The length H1 of the connecting member 1121 in the height direction of the mounting structure 100 is greater than or equal to the length H2 of the limit part in the height direction of the mounting structure 100. In this way, it is beneficial to ensure that during the relative movement of the bearing seat 110 and the piston 140, the limit part will not interfere with the lower surface of the main body 111, and further ensure that finally when the bearing seat 110 and the piston 140 are in the second coupling state, the bearing seat 110 can maintain a free rotation state.

[0046] The embodiment of the present application also provides an installation method for the installation structure 100 as described in any of the previous embodiments, including:

[0047] S100. Align the bearing seat 110 and the piston 140;

[0048] S200. Move the bearing seat 110 towards the piston 140 until the bearing seat 110 and the piston 140 are in the first coupling state;

[0049] S300. After the vehicle is assembled, inflate the air spring to move the piston 140 towards the bearing seat 110 until the bearing seat 110 and the piston 140 are in the second coupling state.

[0050] In the above installation method, when the bearing seat 110 and the piston 140 are in the first coupling state, the bearing seat 110 and the piston 140 limit each other to restrict the rotation of the bearing seat 110, so as to meet the limiting requirements of the air spring for the bearing seat 110 and the piston 140 during transportation, handling, and assembly; further, when the bearing seat 110 and the piston 140 are in the second coupling state, the bearing seat 110 can rotate relative to the piston 140, which is beneficial to releasing the large torsional angle generated by the bladder during the suspension movement through bearing rotation, without additional disassembly actions, and avoiding affecting the bladder life due to the failure to release the torsional angle caused by the omission of removing the positioning pin.

[0051] Exemplarily, the bearing seat 110 has a first coupling portion 112, and the piston has a second coupling portion 141. For the convenience of subsequent docking, the first coupling portion 112 of the bearing seat 110 and the second coupling portion 141 of the piston 140 can be aligned first and then relatively moved.

[0052] The embodiment of the present application also provides an air spring, including the installation structure described in any of the previous embodiments.

[0053] The above air spring can not only meet the limiting requirements for the bearing seat and the piston during transportation, handling, and assembly, but also release the torsional angle generated during the suspension movement through bearing rotation during subsequent use, without additional disassembly actions, and avoiding affecting the bladder life due to the failure to release the torsional angle caused by the omission of removing the positioning pin.

[0054] The embodiment of the present application also provides an automotive suspension, including the air spring described in the previous embodiment.

[0055] The above automotive suspension can release the generated torsional angle through bearing rotation during its movement, without additional disassembly actions, and avoiding affecting the bladder life due to the failure to release the torsional angle caused by the omission of removing the positioning pin.

[0056] It should be noted that the numbers representing quantity or property used to describe and claim certain embodiments of the present application should be understood to be modified by the terms "substantially", "approximately", "nearly" or "essentially" in some cases. For example, unless otherwise specified, "substantially", "approximately", "nearly" or "essentially" can indicate a ±20% variation of the value they describe. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters used in the specification and claims are all approximate values, and this approximate value can change according to the characteristics required by individual embodiments. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should consider the specified significant digits and adopt the method of retaining the general number of digits. Although the numerical ranges and parameters used to confirm the breadth of the scope in some embodiments of the present application are approximate values, in specific embodiments, such numerical settings are as precise as possible within the feasible range.

[0057] The technical features of the above-described embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity of description, not all possible combinations of the various technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, it should be considered as the scope described in this specification.

[0058] The above-described embodiments merely represent several implementation manners of the present invention. The description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present invention, several modifications and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the invention patent should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A mounting structure, applied to an air spring, comprising a bearing seat, a piston, and a bearing arranged between the bearing seat and the piston, characterized in that: The bearing seat and the piston are configured to move toward each other under the action of an external force to change the coupling state to be in a first coupling state and a second coupling state in sequence; in, The bearing seat is configured to move toward the piston under the action of a first external force until the bearing seat and the piston are in the first coupling state; the piston is configured to move toward the bearing seat under the action of a second external force until the bearing seat and the piston are in the second coupling state; and, The bearing seat comprises a main body and at least one first coupling part arranged along the circumference of the main body, the piston comprises at least one second coupling part corresponding to the first coupling part, the first coupling part comprises a limit block connected to the main body, and the second coupling part comprises a limit portion comprising a limit groove; the limit block is provided with a first inclined surface on one side facing the limit groove, and at least one groove wall of the limit groove facing the limit block is provided with a second inclined surface matching the first inclined surface; When the bearing seat and the piston are in the first coupling state, the bearing seat and the piston are mutually limited; During the process of switching the bearing seat and the piston from the first coupling state to the second coupling state, the air spring is inflated so that the piston is lifted up along the height direction of the mounting structure, thereby releasing the limit between the bearing seat and the piston; When the bearing seat and the piston are in the second coupling state, the bearing seat is rotationally connected to the piston via the bearing.

2. The mounting structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the bearing seat and the piston are in the first coupling state, the first coupling portion is coupled with the limiting portion of the second coupling portion; During the process of the bearing seat and the piston switching from the first coupling state to the second coupling state, the first coupling portion disengages from and moves away from the limiting portion.

3. The mounting structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the first coupling portion is coupled with the limiting portion, the limiting block is clamped in the limiting groove; In the process that the first coupling portion is disengaged from and moves away from the limiting portion, the limiting block moves out of the limiting groove and moves away from the limiting groove.

4. The mounting structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first coupling portion further includes a connector having one end connected to the main body and the other end connected to the limit block, wherein the length of the connector in the height direction of the mounting structure is greater than or equal to the length of the limit portion in the height direction of the mounting structure.

5. A method for installing the installation structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: include: aligning the bearing seat with the piston; Moving the bearing seat toward the piston until the bearing seat and the piston are in the first coupling state; After the whole vehicle is assembled, the air spring is inflated to move the piston toward the bearing seat until the bearing seat and the piston are in the second coupling state.

6. An air spring, characterized in that: The invention comprises the mounting structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. An automobile suspension, characterized in that: Comprising the air spring as claimed in claim 6.

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