Novel cascading pilot type electromagnetic valve structure

Abstract

The invention discloses a novel cascading pilot-operated type electromagnetic valve structure for balancing loads between axles, which comprises at least two valve group units, and each valve group unit comprises at least two single valves consisting of valve bodies, pressing plates, electromagnetic coils, pilot-operated valves and valve sleeves; a piston sliding channel, a deflation channel, a public air channel and a lower connector air channel are arranged in the valve body, and a pair of pilot air cascade / air supply holes and / or deflation cascade holes and / or public air channel cascade holes and / or lower connector cascade holes are formed in the surface of the valve body. Each valve group unit at least internally comprises a pair of pilot gas cascade / gas supply holes, a pair of deflation cascade holes, a pair of public gas passage cascade holes and a pair of lower joint cascade holes; a piston, a valve rod and a piston reset spring are arranged in the valve body. The valve sleeve comprises a lower valve sleeve sealing piece and an upper valve sleeve sealing piece which enables the valve body to form a two-position three-way or two-position two-way sliding valve. The pilot gas cascade / gas supply holes and the deflation cascade holes of the adjacent single valves are correspondingly communicated, the common gas passage cascade holes are correspondingly communicated, and the lower joint cascade holes of the adjacent valve group units are communicated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automotive air suspension system technology, and in particular to a novel cascadeable pilot-operated solenoid valve structure. Background Technology

[0002] Automotive air suspension systems utilize the increasing rigidity of the sealed gas within the airbags as it is compressed. The stiffness of the airbags continuously increases during compression, and the gas inside is forced in or expelled as the airbags compress or stretch. This gives the air suspension system near-ideal dynamic elastic characteristics, thereby lowering or raising the chassis ground clearance to increase high-speed vehicle stability or passability on complex road conditions. While improving passenger comfort, it also protects the road surface. The gas flow valve is a crucial component of the automotive air suspension system. Driven by a solenoid valve, it ensures the normal inflow and outflow of gas within the airbags to adapt to changes in their shape. Therefore, the performance of the solenoid valve directly affects the shock absorption effect of the automotive air suspension system.

[0003] Currently, solenoid valves used in automotive air suspension systems include independently controlled solenoid valves and cascaded solenoid valves. Cascaded solenoid valves connect pilot air, bleed air channels, and a common channel to achieve two-position three-way spool valves and two-position two-way spool valves. By combining multiple cascaded solenoid valves and configuring the connection relationships of each channel, multiple cascaded solenoid valves can be combined to control multiple air suspension airbags without connecting pipelines. However, after combining the above-mentioned cascaded solenoid valves, the controlled objects are independently isolated, that is, the pressure in each suspension airbag is controlled independently. It is difficult to ensure that the pressure in each suspension airbag is consistent, resulting in uneven load between axles, which weakens the shock absorption effect of the automotive air suspension system. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a novel cascaded pilot-operated solenoid valve structure that can balance the load between axles to address the above-mentioned shortcomings.

[0005] A novel cascaded pilot-operated solenoid valve structure includes a cascaded valve group, wherein the cascaded valve group includes at least two valve group units, and each valve group unit includes at least two individual valves arranged side by side and connected to each other. Each individual valve includes a valve body, a pressure plate fixed to the top of the valve body, an electromagnetic coil fixed to the top of the pressure plate, a pilot valve installed in the electromagnetic coil, and a valve sleeve housed in the inner cavity of the valve body.

[0006] The valve body has an axial channel, which includes a piston sliding channel, a venting channel, a common air passage, and a lower connector air passage arranged from top to bottom with progressively decreasing widths and connected in sequence. On the outer surface of the valve body, there are a pair of pilot gas cascade / supply holes for connecting to an air source, and / or a pair of venting cascade holes connected to the venting channel, and / or a pair of common air passage cascade holes connected to the common air passage, and / or a pair of lower connector cascade holes connected to the lower connector air passage. The valve unit includes at least a pair of pilot gas cascade / supply holes, a pair of venting cascade holes, a pair of common air passage cascade holes, and a pair of lower connector cascade holes.

[0007] The piston sliding channel contains a piston that is driven to slide by the pilot valve. A valve stem is fixed on the piston, which passes through the piston sliding channel, the venting channel and the common air passage in sequence and can slide into or out of the lower connector air passage. A piston return spring is sleeved on the valve stem, which abuts against the bottom of the piston sliding channel and the piston respectively. An annular venting groove is opened on the annular side of the valve stem near the end of the valve stem.

[0008] The lower part of the common air passage has a first sealing position near the cascading hole of the common air passage, the lower part of the venting passage has a second sealing position near the cascading hole of the common air passage, and the lower part of the venting passage has a third sealing position near the cascading hole of the venting passage; the valve sleeve includes a lower valve sleeve seal fixed at the first sealing position and an upper valve sleeve seal fixed at the second or third sealing position; when the upper valve sleeve seal is fixed at the second sealing position, the valve body forms a two-position three-way slide valve, and when the upper valve sleeve seal is fixed at the third sealing position, the valve body forms a two-position two-way slide valve;

[0009] The main valve is a single valve located on one side of the valve group unit, whose lower connector cascade hole is connected to the air source and forms a two-position three-way slide valve. The slave valve is a single valve in the valve group unit that forms a two-position two-way slide valve and whose lower connector cascade hole is connected to the controlled device. The pilot air cascade / supply air cascade hole and the venting air cascade hole are respectively connected between adjacent single valves in the cascade valve group, the common air passage cascade hole is connected, and the lower connector cascade holes of adjacent valve group units are connected.

[0010] In one embodiment, each individual valve has a pair of pilot gas cascade / supply ports, a pair of vent cascade ports, a pair of common air passage cascade ports, and a pair of lower connector cascade ports on its outer surface.

[0011] In one embodiment, the novel cascadeable pilot-operated solenoid valve structure further includes a connecting plate assembly. The cascaded valve assembly includes M individual valves arranged side-by-side at intervals to form M-1 partition positions. The connecting plate assembly includes N first connecting plates inserted one-to-one into N partition positions and MN-1 second connecting plates inserted one-to-one into MN-1 partition positions. The number of first connecting plates is greater than or equal to one, and the number of second connecting plates is greater than or equal to zero. The first connecting plates are used to realize the corresponding connection of pilot air cascade / supply port, vent cascade port, and common air passage cascade port between adjacent individual valves. The second connecting plates are used to realize the corresponding connection of pilot air cascade / supply port, vent cascade port, and lower connector cascade port between adjacent individual valves.

[0012] In one embodiment, the first connecting plate has a first pilot gas connection hole corresponding to the pilot gas cascade / supply hole, a first vent connection hole corresponding to the vent cascade hole, and a common connection hole corresponding to the common air passage cascade hole; the second connecting plate has a second pilot gas connection hole corresponding to the pilot gas cascade / supply hole, a second vent connection hole corresponding to the vent cascade hole, and a lower connector connection hole corresponding to the lower connector cascade hole.

[0013] In one embodiment, cascaded sealing rings are provided at the pilot gas cascade / supply port, vent cascade port, common airway cascade port, and lower connector cascade port, respectively.

[0014] In one embodiment, the novel cascadeable pilot-operated solenoid valve structure further includes at least two cascade bolts disposed on both sides of the cascade valve group, the cascade bolts passing through the valve body, first connecting plate and second connecting plate of each individual valve to press each individual valve together.

[0015] In one embodiment, the valve assembly unit further includes a pilot gas guide plate located on the side of the main valve facing away from the slave valve. The pilot gas guide plate has a pilot gas guide channel, which is used to guide the gas source at the lower connector cascade hole connected to the main valve to the pilot valve of the main valve.

[0016] In one embodiment, the individual valves within the valve assembly unit are integrally formed.

[0017] In one embodiment, the pressure plate has a piston chamber that communicates with the top of the piston sliding channel. When the pilot valve is energized, it presses the piston chamber with air to push the piston toward the direction of the venting channel. When the pilot valve is de-energized, it releases air from the piston chamber so that the piston moves away from the venting channel under the push of the piston return spring.

[0018] The novel cascaded pilot-operated solenoid valve structure of this invention, by opening a lower connector cascade hole at the bottom of the individual valve, allows communication between the lower connector cascade hole of the valve in one valve group unit and the lower connector cascade hole of the main valve in the next valve group unit. This enables the connection of the controlled devices (suspension airbags) controlled by the two valve group units respectively. In this way, the pressure in each controlled device remains consistent, achieving load balance between axles, which can significantly improve the shock absorption effect of the automotive air suspension system and improve the driving experience for drivers and passengers. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a novel cascadeable pilot-operated solenoid valve structure in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a single valve in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the unit valve in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of a two-position two-way slide valve in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first connecting plate in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second connecting plate in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] The labels for each figure are as follows:

[0026] Valve assembly unit-10, individual valve-100, first connecting plate-200, second connecting plate-300, pilot air guide plate-400, valve body-110, pressure plate-120, solenoid coil-130, pilot valve-140, piston-150, valve stem-160, piston return spring-170, lower valve sleeve seal-180, upper valve sleeve seal-190, cascade seal ring-101, piston sliding passage-111, venting passage-112, common air passage- 113, Lower connector air passage - 114, Pilot air cascade / supply port - 115, Vent cascade port - 116, Common air passage cascade port - 117, Lower connector cascade port - 118, Piston chamber - 121, Rubber seal - 141, Annular vent groove - 161, First pilot air connection port - 210, First vent connection port - 220, Common connection port - 230, Second pilot air connection port - 310, Second vent connection port - 320, Lower connector connection port - 330. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be practiced in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0028] This embodiment features a novel cascadeable pilot-operated solenoid valve structure, specifically a high-flow-rate pilot-operated solenoid valve. It controls the flow of low-pressure (below 10 MPa) compressed air from the air source into the controlled device (suspension airbag), or releases compressed air from the controlled device (suspension airbag) into the atmosphere. This adjusts the dynamic elastic characteristics of the air suspension system, thereby improving its damping effect. It also enables communication between multiple controlled devices. Furthermore, due to the large volume of the target device (suspension airbag), a direct-acting solenoid valve would require a large coil to move the moving iron core a sufficient distance to meet the gas flow requirements for rapid inflation / deflation control. To overcome this limitation, this embodiment uses a low-flow-rate solenoid valve to drive a piston, which in turn drives a spool valve, achieving a larger flow rate control.

[0029] Commercially available solenoid valves typically have only two active positions, enabling simultaneous multi-directional communication (two-position multi-way structure). However, the universal solenoid valves used in automobiles are two-position three-way valves, inflating when energized and deflating when de-energized, lacking a pressure-holding state. For the airbags in automotive air suspension systems, to ensure reliable pressure regulation, the airbags need to switch between three states: inflation, deflation, and pressure holding. Therefore, when regulating the airbag pressure, at least two channels need to be energized and de-energized respectively to generate four possible combinations to meet the airbag pressure requirements. Thus, a two-channel combination is the minimum required for airbag pressure adjustment. When controlling a single airbag, using commercially available solenoid valves results in wasted channels. The novel cascaded pilot-operated solenoid valve structure of this invention allows for the use of only two individual valves (two channels) when controlling a single airbag, saving channel usage. In addition, when adjusting the air pressure of equipment that only requires a large flow rate for inflation / deflation, the requirements can be met by using only the single unit valve of this invention.

[0030] Please combine Figure 1-3The novel cascaded pilot-operated solenoid valve structure of this embodiment includes a cascaded valve group, which includes at least two valve group units 10. Each valve group unit 10 is connected to a controlled device, and the valve group units 10 are connected together in a cascaded manner to enable communication between the controlled devices and achieve pressure equalization within each controlled device. Each valve group unit 10 includes at least two individual valves 100 arranged side-by-side and connected. Some of the individual valves 100 in the same valve group unit 10 serve as main valves, while the remaining individual valves 100 in the same valve group unit 10 serve as slave valves. Each individual valve 100 includes a valve body 110, a pressure plate 120 fixed to the top of the valve body 110, an electromagnetic coil 130 fixed to the top of the pressure plate 120, a pilot valve 140 installed within the electromagnetic coil 130, and a valve sleeve housed within the inner cavity of the valve body 110. In this embodiment, the pressure plate 120 is fixed to the top of the valve body 110 by bolts, and the electromagnetic coil 130 is fixed to the top of the pressure plate 120 by bolts. A control space is formed inside the electromagnetic coil 130, and the pilot valve 140 is housed in the control space and fixed to the inner wall of the electromagnetic coil 130.

[0031] An axial channel is provided inside the valve body 110, which is the inner cavity of the valve body 110. In this embodiment, the axial channel extends along the height direction of the valve body 110. The axial channel includes a piston sliding channel 111, a venting channel 112, a common air passage 113, and a lower connector air passage 114, which are arranged from top to bottom and whose widths decrease sequentially and are connected in sequence. The piston sliding channel 111 is used to receive or discharge compressed gas sent by the pilot valve 140 to move the piston; the venting channel 112 is used to communicate with the atmosphere; the common air passage 113 is used to communicate with the atmosphere or a gas source / controlled device; and the lower connector air passage 114 is used to receive a gas source or communicate with a controlled device. On the outer surface of the valve body 110, there are a pair of pilot gas cascade / supply holes 115 for connecting to a gas source, and / or a pair of cascaded vent holes 116 connected to the vent channel 112, and / or a pair of cascaded common air passage holes 117 connected to the common air passage 113, and / or a pair of cascaded lower connector holes 118 connected to the lower connector air passage 114. That is to say, a single valve 100 can have four pairs of cascaded holes at the same time, namely a pair of pilot gas cascade / supply holes 115, a pair of cascaded vent holes 116, a pair of cascaded common air passage holes 117, and a pair of cascaded lower connector holes 118, or only one, two, or three pairs of cascaded holes can be opened. The specific number of single valves 100 required in the valve group unit 10 and the gas flow path can be determined according to factors such as the number of single valves 100 required in the valve group unit 10. The valve assembly unit 10 includes at least one pair of pilot gas cascade / supply ports 115, one pair of vent cascade ports 116, one pair of common air passage cascade ports 117, and one pair of lower connector cascade ports 118. In other words, the same valve assembly unit 10 should contain at least the above four pairs of cascade ports to meet the air pressure control requirements of the controlled device within the valve assembly unit 10.

[0032] The piston sliding channel 111 houses a piston 150 driven by the pilot valve 140 to slide. A valve stem 160 is fixed to the piston 150, sequentially passing through the piston sliding channel 111, the venting channel 112, and the common air passage 113, and slidably entering or leaving the lower connector air passage 114. A piston return spring 170 is sleeved on the valve stem 160, respectively abutting against the bottom of the piston sliding channel 111 and the piston 150. An annular vent groove 161 is formed on the annular side of the valve stem 160 near its end. In this embodiment, the pilot valve 140 has a rubber seal 141 inside, and the pilot valve return spring is located outside the pilot valve 140. The lower part of the common air passage 113 has a first sealing position near the common air passage cascade hole 117, the lower part of the vent passage 112 has a second sealing position near the common air passage cascade hole 117, and the lower part of the vent passage 112 has a third sealing position near the vent cascade hole 116. The valve sleeve includes a lower valve sleeve seal 180 fixed at the first sealing position and an upper valve sleeve seal 190 fixed at the second or third sealing position. It can also be understood that in this embodiment, the upper valve sleeve seal 190 and the lower valve sleeve seal 180 actually divide the axial passage of the valve body 110 into three chambers: the vent passage 112, the common air passage 113, and the lower connector air passage 114. When the upper valve sleeve seal 190 is fixed at the second sealing position, the valve body 110 forms a two-position three-way slide valve; when the upper valve sleeve seal 190 is fixed at the third sealing position, the valve body 110 forms a two-position two-way slide valve. In valve group unit 10, the main valve is a single valve 100 located on one side, whose lower connector cascade hole 118 is connected to the air source and forms a two-position three-way slide valve. The slave valve is a single valve 100 in valve group unit 10 that forms a two-position two-way slide valve and whose lower connector cascade hole 118 is connected to the controlled device. In the cascaded valve group, the pilot air cascade / supply hole 115 and the vent cascade hole 116 are respectively connected to each other, the common air passage cascade hole 117 is connected, and the lower connector cascade holes 118 of adjacent valve group units 10 are connected. Each single valve 100 and each valve group unit 10 are cascaded and combined to realize the connection of multiple controlled devices and ensure the air pressure balance in each controlled device. It should be noted that within the same cascaded valve group, only one of the individual valves 100 has its lower connector cascade hole 118 connected to the air source (air tank on the vehicle), while the remaining lower connector cascade holes 118 are all connected to the controlled device (suspension airbag) or the main valve connected to the controlled device.

[0033] The pressure plate 120 has a piston chamber 121 that communicates with the top of the piston sliding passage 111. The piston chamber 121 is a cavity composed of the pressure plate, cylinder liner and piston. When the pilot valve 140 is energized, it fills the piston chamber 121 with air to push the piston 150 to move towards the venting passage 112, that is, pushes the piston 150 to drive the valve stem 160 downward, so that the end of the valve stem 160 is close to the lower connector cascade hole 118. When the pilot valve 140 is de-energized, it releases air from the piston chamber 121 (the gas enters or leaves the piston chamber 121 through the piston sliding passage 111), so that the piston 150 moves away from the venting passage 112 under the push of the piston return spring 170, that is, the piston 150 drives the valve stem 160 upward under the push of the piston return spring 170, so that the end of the valve stem 160 is away from the lower connector cascade hole 118.

[0034] The working principle is explained below using a single unit valve as an example.

[0035] Pilot valve 140 is a two-position three-way valve. When the solenoid coil is energized, the moving iron core moves upward and blocks the exhaust passage at its tail. At the same time, it opens the pilot gas cascade / supply port 115. The pilot gas cascade / supply port 115 supplies air to the pilot valve through the pressure plate 120. The pilot valve moves upward, allowing pilot gas to flow into the piston chamber 121 and push the piston 150 downward to the lowest point. Simultaneously, the piston 150 drives the valve stem 160 to move. When the solenoid coil is de-energized, its moving iron core moves downward under the action of the spring and blocks the air source inlet (pilot gas cascade / supply port 115). The pilot valve resets, the pilot gas is cut off, and at the same time, the exhaust passage at the top of the pilot valve is opened, air flows out of the piston chamber, and the piston 150 moves upward to the highest point under the action of the piston return spring 170, driving the valve stem 160 to move.

[0036] In this embodiment, the valve stem 160 is a cylindrical long rod, and the annular vent groove 161 on the valve stem 160 is the connecting section of the valve stem 160. When the valve stem 160 moves to the point where its connecting section overlaps with the upper valve sleeve seal 190 or the lower valve sleeve seal 180, the valve stem 160 connects the two chambers separated by the upper valve sleeve seal 190 or the lower valve sleeve seal 180 through the connecting section. By configuring the setting position of the upper valve sleeve seal 190, the single valve 100 can be configured into two types of slide valves: a two-position three-way valve and a two-position two-way valve. The two-position two-way valve refers to the connection between the common air passage 113 and the lower connector air passage 114 (controlled device). The two-position three-way valve refers to the connection between the common air passage 113, the vent passage 112, and the lower connector air passage 114. Because there are three objects, it is called a three-way valve.

[0037] In this configuration, the two-position three-way valve connects the common air passage 113 to the atmosphere when not energized, and connects the common air passage 113 to the lower connector air passage 114 when energized. In the two-position two-way valve, the common air passage 113 is completely sealed when not energized, and connects the common air passage 113 to the lower connector air passage 114 when energized. The two different types of spool valves are determined by the assembly method of the individual valve 100. The lower valve sleeve seal 180 has a constant position within the valve body 110, while the upper valve sleeve seal 190 has two set positions: high and low. Please refer to... Figure 1 , Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 When the upper valve sleeve seal 190 is fixed in the third sealing position, that is, when the upper valve sleeve seal 190 is in the high position, the valve body 110 forms a two-position two-way spool valve (e.g. Figure 4 As shown), at this time, the piston 150 reaches its highest point and drives the valve stem 160 upward. The connecting section of the valve stem 160 is still below the upper valve sleeve seal 190. This connecting section cannot overlap with the upper valve sleeve seal 190, so the common air passage 113 is not connected to the atmosphere, thus forming a two-position two-way valve. When the upper valve sleeve seal 190 is fixed in the second sealing position, that is, when the upper valve sleeve seal 190 is in the low position, the valve body 110 forms a two-position three-way slide valve (as shown). Figure 3 As shown in the figure, at this time, the piston 150 reaches the highest point and drives the valve stem 160 to move upward. The connecting section of the valve stem 160 overlaps with the upper valve sleeve seal 190, and the common air passage 113 is connected to the atmosphere, thus forming a two-position three-way valve.

[0038] In this embodiment, each individual valve 100 has only one channel, including a two-position three-way small-flow direct-acting solenoid valve (i.e., the pilot valve 140 in this embodiment) and a spool valve driven by a piston 150 (i.e., the valve body 110 and its internal components in this embodiment). During the operation of a single individual valve 100, the position of the piston 150 is controlled by the on / off state of the pilot valve 140. In addition, in this embodiment, each individual valve 100 adopts a single-channel structure. By combining the single-channel individual valves 100, two-channel or even more-channel solenoid valves can be obtained. On the one hand, by configuring the channels as needed, channel waste can be reduced. On the other hand, the combination of valve group units 10 through individual valves 100 significantly reduces the variety of products and lowers the processing difficulty.

[0039] In one embodiment, each individual valve 100 has a pair of pilot gas cascade / supply ports 115, a pair of venting cascade ports 116, a pair of common air passage cascade ports 117, and a pair of lower connector cascade ports 118 arranged opposite each other on its outer surface. The pilot gas cascade / supply ports 115, venting cascade ports 116, common air passage cascade ports 117, and lower connector cascade ports 118 are arranged sequentially from top to bottom on the outer surface of the valve body 110. In this case, the structures of each individual valve 100 in the cascade valve group are completely identical, thus reducing the variety of valve bodies 110, facilitating production management, reducing the processing difficulty of the individual valves 100, and improving the versatility of the individual valves 100.

[0040] Please combine Figure 1-6 In order to achieve the connection between preset channels, in one embodiment, the novel cascadeable pilot-operated solenoid valve structure further includes a connecting plate group. The cascaded valve group includes M individual valves 100 arranged side by side at intervals to form M-1 partition positions. The connecting plate group includes N first connecting plates 200 inserted one-to-one into N partition positions and MN-1 second connecting plates 300 inserted one-to-one into MN-1 partition positions. The number of first connecting plates 200 is greater than or equal to one, and the number of second connecting plates 300 is greater than or equal to zero. When the number of second connecting plates is zero, there is no need to set up second connecting plates. At this time, the entire solenoid valve structure only has the function of charging and discharging gas and does not need to connect the controlled object. The first connecting plate 200 is used to connect the pilot gas cascade / supply port 115, the vent cascade port 116, and the common air passage cascade port 117 between adjacent individual valves 100. The second connecting plate 300 is used to connect the pilot gas cascade / supply port 115, the vent cascade port 116, and the lower connector cascade port 118 between adjacent individual valves 100. The first connecting plate 200 and the second connecting plate 300 also serve as inter-valve connecting plates, which are used to connect the preset cascade ports while blocking the cascade ports that do not need to be connected, so that the gas flows along the preset path.

[0041] Furthermore, the first connecting plate 200 is provided with a first pilot gas connection hole 210 corresponding to the pilot gas cascade / supply hole 115, a first vent connection hole 220 corresponding to the vent cascade hole 116, and a common connection hole 230 corresponding to the common air passage cascade hole 117. When the first connecting plate 200 is provided between adjacent individual valves 100, the corresponding connection of the pilot gas cascade / supply hole 115, the vent cascade hole 116, and the common air passage cascade hole 117 can be realized, while the lower connector cascade hole 118 remains disconnected. The second connecting plate 300 has a second pilot gas connection hole 310 corresponding to the pilot gas cascade / supply hole 115, a second vent connection hole 320 corresponding to the vent cascade hole 116, and a lower connector connection hole 330 corresponding to the lower connector cascade hole 118. When the second connecting plate 300 is provided between adjacent individual valves 100, the corresponding connections of the pilot gas cascade / supply hole 115, the vent cascade hole 116, and the lower connector cascade hole 118 can be achieved, while the common air passage cascade hole 117 remains disconnected. In addition, when the first connecting plate 200 is connected, it is usually used for charging and discharging; however, this structure is also used when connecting to the controlled device. In this case, the common air passage 113 is used as a channel to connect to the controlled device, and the second connecting plate 300 is used to connect to the controlled device. To reduce the processing difficulty of the solenoid valve structure, the shapes of the first connecting plate 200 and the second connecting plate 300 can be the same as the vertical cross-sectional shape of the valve body 110.

[0042] The first connecting plate 200 and the second connecting plate 300 can be obtained by laser cutting metal plates, reducing their processing difficulty. Preferably, cascade sealing rings 101 are provided at the pilot gas cascade / supply port 115, the vent cascade port 116, the common gas passage cascade port 117, and the lower connector cascade port 118, respectively. By setting the cascade sealing rings 101, on the one hand, the sealing performance of the connecting parts of adjacent individual valves 100 is ensured; on the other hand, when no hole is opened at the corresponding cascade hole on the valve body 110 on the first connecting plate 200 or the second connecting plate 300, the cascade sealing ring 101 abuts against the plate body of the first connecting plate 200 or the second connecting plate 300 to seal the cascade hole at that location, thereby preventing air leakage. In this embodiment, to realize the setting of the cascade sealing rings 101, each cascade hole on the valve body 110 is a stepped hole, and each cascade hole forms a step on the outer surface of the valve body 110 to accommodate the cascade sealing rings 101.

[0043] To improve the overall sealing performance of the cascaded valve assembly, the novel cascaded pilot-operated solenoid valve structure also includes at least two cascade bolts on both sides of the cascaded valve assembly. The valve body 110 has at least two cascade bolt holes 119 corresponding to each cascade bolt. Similarly, the first connecting plate 200 and the second connecting plate 300 also have multiple through holes 240 corresponding to each cascade bolt. The cascade bolts pass through the valve bodies 110, the first connecting plate 200, and the second connecting plate 300 of each individual valve 100 to press each individual valve 100 together. In this way, the cascade bolts press multiple individual valves 100 together into a single unit and provide the pressure required for sealing the cascade holes, thus preventing air leakage in the cascaded valve assembly. In other embodiments, the cascade bolts on both sides of the cascaded valve assembly are symmetrically arranged to improve the uniformity of force and sealing performance when connecting different parts of the cascaded valve assembly.

[0044] It should be noted that when assembling multiple individual valves 100 using the first and second connecting plates to obtain corresponding valve group units 10 and cascaded valve groups, only the cascade holes that do not need to be connected need to be blocked. Since, when using a multi-valve combination, some cascade holes on the outer side of the valve body 110 at the outermost edge of the same valve group unit 10 may need to be blocked and sealed, and since the common air passage cascade holes 117 between adjacent individual valves 100 are connected, while the lower connector cascade holes 118 are not connected, but the lower connector cascade holes 118 of adjacent valve group units 10 in the same cascaded valve group are connected, the structure of each individual valve 100 can also be different depending on the number and location of the cascade holes. In another embodiment, the first connecting plate 200 and the second connecting plate 300 can be omitted. In this case, each individual valve 100 in the valve group unit 10 is integrally formed. The connection method between adjacent individual valves 100 can be determined by machining to reduce the machining of cascade holes. In this way, while reducing the use of connecting plates, the number of cascade sealing rings 101 can also be reduced. In addition, although the integral forming of each individual valve 100 will reduce the flexibility of combination, since the cascading cost of the solenoid valve structure includes but is not limited to the machining costs of connecting plates, cascade sealing rings 101, cascade holes, etc., the integral forming structure can still save cascading costs when the production volume is large.

[0045] In this embodiment, the lower connector cascade hole 118 of the main valve is connected to an air source, and the main valve is a two-position three-way structure. This air source is also the air source for the pilot valve 140. Therefore, the air source needs to be guided to the pilot valve 140 of the main valve. At the same time, the air source also needs to be guided to the pilot valve 140 of other individual valves 100 through the pilot air cascade / supply hole on the individual valve 100. In one embodiment, the valve group unit 10 also includes a pilot air guide plate 400 located on the side of the main valve facing away from the slave valve. The pilot air guide plate 400 has a pilot air guide channel, which is used to guide the air source connected to the lower connector cascade hole 118 of the main valve to the pilot valve 140 of the main valve. In this way, the pilot air guide plate 400 guides the pilot air to the direct-acting pilot valve 140 above the individual valve 100 so that the pilot valve 140 drives the piston 150 to move. Of course, pilot gas can also be introduced into the pilot valve in other ways. For example, a separate drawing can be designed for the main valve, and a channel can be designed on the valve body 110 to lead the pilot gas to the pilot valve 140. Although this will reduce the flexibility of the combination and increase the complexity of the production organization, it can also reduce costs when mass production.

[0046] The main valve in valve group unit 10, also known as the central control valve, is usually located on one side of valve group unit 10. The individual valve 100 connected to the controlled device is the slave valve. It is combined with the main valve and connects the common air passage 113, which can realize the switching between three states of the controlled device: charging, decharging, and pressure maintenance. When the main valve and the slave valve are energized at the same time, the controlled device is in the charging state; when the main valve is de-energized and the slave valve is energized, the controlled device is in the decharging state; when the slave valve is de-energized and the main valve is energized or de-energized, the controlled device is in the pressure maintenance state.

[0047] Please refer to the following: Figure 1 It shows that the solenoid valve structure is a 5-channel combination, with each individual valve 100 (each individual valve 100 is one channel) numbered 1-5 from left to right, where:

[0048] Unit valve 100 is a two-position three-way main valve, and its right-side common air passage 113 is connected to the common air passage 113 of unit valve 200.

[0049] Unit valve 100 is a two-position two-way slave valve. Its left common air passage 113 is connected to the common air passage 113 of unit valve 100, and its right common air passage 113 is connected to the common air passage 113 of unit valve 100.

[0050] Unit valve 100 is a two-position two-way slave valve. Its left common air passage 113 is connected to the common air passage 113 of unit valve 100, and its right lower connector cascade hole 118 is connected to the lower connector cascade hole 118 of unit valve 100.

[0051] 4# individual valve 100 is a two-position three-way slave valve. Its left lower connector cascade hole 118 is connected to the lower connector cascade hole 118 of 3# individual valve 100, and its right common air passage 113 is connected to the common air passage 113 of 5# individual valve 100.

[0052] The 5# individual valve 100 is a two-position two-way slave valve. Its left common air passage 113 is connected to the common air passage 113 of the 4# individual valve 100, and its right vent passage 112 is connected to the atmosphere.

[0053] In all the aforementioned individual valves 100, the pilot gas of each individual valve 100 is always connected, the venting passage 112 of each individual valve 100 is always connected, and the common air passage 113 of adjacent individual valves 100 and the lower connector are either connected. The cascading holes on both sides of the valve group unit 10 are blocked if necessary. Among them, individual valve #2 and individual valve #3 can respectively realize the charging / venting / holding of the controlled device; when individual valves #4 and #5 are energized simultaneously, the controlled device connected to individual valve #3 and the controlled device connected to individual valve #5 can be connected. Of course, both can be charged and vented together with individual valve #3; when individual valve #5 is energized alone, the controlled device connected to individual valve #5 can be vented.

[0054] The aforementioned novel cascadeable pilot-operated solenoid valve structure, by opening a lower connector cascade hole 118 at the lower part of the individual valve 100, allows communication between the lower connector cascade hole 118 of the valve in one valve group unit 10 and the lower connector cascade hole 118 of the main valve in the next valve group unit 10. This enables the connection of the controlled devices (suspension airbags) controlled by the two valve group units 10 respectively. In this way, the pressure in each controlled device remains consistent, achieving load balance between axles, which can significantly improve the shock absorption effect of the automotive air suspension system and improve the driving experience for drivers and passengers.

[0055] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0056] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of this invention patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A novel cascadeable pilot-operated solenoid valve structure, characterized in that, The system includes a cascaded valve assembly, which includes at least two valve assembly units. Each valve assembly unit includes at least two individual valves arranged side by side and connected to each other. Each individual valve includes a valve body, a pressure plate fixed to the top of the valve body, an electromagnetic coil fixed to the top of the pressure plate, a pilot valve installed in the electromagnetic coil, and a valve sleeve housed in the inner cavity of the valve body. The valve body has an axial channel, which includes a piston sliding channel, a venting channel, a common air passage, and a lower connector air passage arranged from top to bottom with progressively decreasing widths and connected in sequence. On the outer surface of the valve body, there are a pair of pilot gas cascade / supply holes for connecting to an air source, and / or a pair of venting cascade holes connected to the venting channel, and / or a pair of common air passage cascade holes connected to the common air passage, and / or a pair of lower connector cascade holes connected to the lower connector air passage. The valve unit includes at least a pair of pilot gas cascade / supply holes, a pair of venting cascade holes, a pair of common air passage cascade holes, and a pair of lower connector cascade holes. The piston sliding channel contains a piston that is driven to slide by the pilot valve. A valve stem is fixed on the piston, which passes through the piston sliding channel, the venting channel and the common air passage in sequence and can slide into or out of the lower connector air passage. A piston return spring is sleeved on the valve stem, which abuts against the bottom of the piston sliding channel and the piston respectively. An annular venting groove is opened on the annular side of the valve stem near the end of the valve stem. The lower part of the common air passage has a first sealing position near the cascading hole of the common air passage, the lower part of the venting passage has a second sealing position near the cascading hole of the common air passage, and the lower part of the venting passage has a third sealing position near the cascading hole of the venting passage; the valve sleeve includes a lower valve sleeve seal fixed at the first sealing position and an upper valve sleeve seal fixed at the second or third sealing position; when the upper valve sleeve seal is fixed at the second sealing position, the valve body forms a two-position three-way slide valve, and when the upper valve sleeve seal is fixed at the third sealing position, the valve body forms a two-position two-way slide valve; The main valve is a single valve located on one side of the valve group unit, whose lower connector cascade hole is connected to the air source and forms a two-position three-way slide valve. The slave valve is a single valve in the valve group unit that forms a two-position two-way slide valve and whose lower connector cascade hole is connected to the controlled device. The pilot air cascade / supply air cascade hole and the venting air cascade hole are respectively connected between adjacent single valves in the cascade valve group, the common air passage cascade hole is connected, and the lower connector cascade holes of adjacent valve group units are connected.

2. The novel cascadeable pilot-operated solenoid valve structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each individual valve has a pair of pilot gas cascade / supply ports, a pair of vent cascade ports, a pair of common air passage cascade ports, and a pair of lower connector cascade ports on its outer surface.

3. The novel cascadeable pilot-operated solenoid valve structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes a connecting plate assembly. The cascaded valve assembly includes M individual valves arranged side-by-side at intervals to form M-1 partition positions. The connecting plate assembly includes N first connecting plates that are inserted into N partition positions in a one-to-one correspondence, and MN-1 second connecting plates that are inserted into MN-1 partition positions in a one-to-one correspondence. The number of first connecting plates is greater than or equal to one, and the number of second connecting plates is greater than or equal to zero. The first connecting plates are used to realize the corresponding connection of pilot air cascade / supply port, vent cascade port, and common air passage cascade port between adjacent individual valves. The second connecting plates are used to realize the corresponding connection of pilot air cascade / supply port, vent cascade port, and lower connector cascade port between adjacent individual valves.

4. The novel cascadeable pilot-operated solenoid valve structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first connecting plate has a first pilot gas connection hole corresponding to the pilot gas cascade / supply hole, a first vent connection hole corresponding to the vent cascade hole, and a common connection hole corresponding to the common air passage cascade hole; the second connecting plate has a second pilot gas connection hole corresponding to the pilot gas cascade / supply hole, a second vent connection hole corresponding to the vent cascade hole, and a lower connector connection hole corresponding to the lower connector cascade hole.

5. The novel cascadeable pilot-operated solenoid valve structure according to claim 4, characterized in that, A cascade sealing ring is provided at the pilot gas cascade / supply port, vent cascade port, common air passage cascade port, and lower connector cascade port.

6. The novel cascadeable pilot-operated solenoid valve structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes at least two cascade bolts disposed on both sides of the cascade valve group, the cascade bolts passing through the valve body, the first connecting plate and the second connecting plate of each individual valve to press each individual valve together.

7. The novel cascadeable pilot-operated solenoid valve structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The valve assembly unit also includes a pilot gas guide plate located on the side of the main valve facing away from the slave valve. The pilot gas guide plate has a pilot gas guide channel, which is used to guide the gas source at the lower connector cascade hole connected to the main valve to the pilot valve of the main valve.

8. The novel cascadeable pilot-operated solenoid valve structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each individual valve in the valve group unit is integrally molded.

9. The novel cascadeable pilot-operated solenoid valve structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pressure plate has a piston chamber that communicates with the top of the piston sliding channel. When the pilot valve is energized, it pressurizes the piston chamber to push the piston toward the direction of the venting channel. When the pilot valve is de-energized, it releases air from the piston chamber so that the piston moves away from the venting channel under the push of the piston return spring.

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