A hydraulic mechanism of an automobile hydraulic jack

Abstract

This invention belongs to the technical field of jack equipment, specifically including a hydraulic cylinder assembly, a manual lever-operated oil pump assembly, and an intelligent hydraulic unit. The hydraulic cylinder assembly includes a hydraulic cylinder, a cylinder barrel, a piston, and a top cap. The hydraulic cylinder is filled with hydraulic oil, the cylinder barrel is coaxially disposed inside the hydraulic cylinder, the piston is slidably sealed inside the cylinder barrel, and the top cap is fixedly installed on the top of the piston. It features a high degree of intelligence, achieving closed-loop sensing and monitoring. This invention integrates three types of MEMS sensors to collect core parameters such as oil pressure, stroke, and temperature in real time. A built-in microprocessor chip directly calculates three core indicators: load, leakage, and oil state, upgrading the hydraulic jack from purely mechanical to intelligent sensing, allowing users to intuitively grasp the equipment's operating status.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of jack equipment technology, specifically to a hydraulic mechanism for an automotive hydraulic jack. Background Technology

[0002] Hydraulic jacks are essential lifting and repair tools for automobiles. They rely on hydraulic transmission to lift heavy objects with minimal force and are widely used in scenarios such as tire changes and chassis repairs for small vehicles. Most existing automotive hydraulic jacks are purely mechanical hydraulic structures, mainly composed of a hydraulic cylinder, piston, and manual pump mechanism. The piston is driven to lift the object by repeatedly pressing a lever manually.

[0003] However, traditional vehicle-mounted hydraulic jacks still have some drawbacks, such as: 1. Users cannot intuitively know the actual load of the jack, which can easily lead to overload. This can result in minor issues such as jack seal damage and hydraulic oil leakage, or even serious issues such as jacking failure and vehicle falling.

[0004] 2. Internal leakage caused by wear of internal seals in hydraulic jacks cannot be observed with the naked eye. It is often only discovered when the jacking is weak or the pressure holding fails, posing a significant safety hazard and providing no early warning.

[0005] 3. The temperature and oxidation level of hydraulic oil directly affect the working performance and service life of the jack. Traditional structures do not have the ability to assess the health of the hydraulic fluid, making it difficult to carry out targeted maintenance. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a hydraulic mechanism for an automotive hydraulic jack to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a hydraulic mechanism for an automotive hydraulic jack, comprising a hydraulic cylinder assembly, a manual pry pump assembly, and an intelligent hydraulic unit; The hydraulic cylinder assembly includes a hydraulic cylinder, a cylinder barrel, a piston, and a top cap. The hydraulic cylinder is filled with hydraulic oil. The cylinder barrel is coaxially disposed inside the hydraulic cylinder. The piston is slidably sealed and assembled inside the cylinder barrel. The top cap is fixedly installed on the top of the piston. The manual pry pump assembly includes a pry plug, which has a movable cavity inside. The movable cavity has an independent oil intake port and an oil injection port. The oil intake port connects the internal oil storage cavity of the hydraulic cylinder to the movable cavity, and the oil injection port connects the movable cavity to the internal high-pressure cavity of the cylinder. The pry plug is used to draw hydraulic oil from the hydraulic cylinder into the movable cavity through the oil intake port and then press it into the cylinder through the oil injection port under the reciprocating prying action of external force, so as to provide a lifting force for the piston. The intelligent hydraulic unit is integrated into the high-pressure oil circuit area of ​​the hydraulic mechanism, forming a closed-loop sensing intelligent hydraulic node. The intelligent hydraulic unit includes a miniature pressure MEMS sensor, a miniature displacement MEMS sensor, a miniature temperature MEMS sensor, and a built-in microprocessor chip. The miniature pressure MEMS sensor is installed in the high-pressure chamber of the hydraulic cylinder to collect oil pressure data in real time. The micro displacement MEMS sensor is integrated inside the valve block and is used to collect piston stroke data in real time; The miniature temperature MEMS sensor is used to collect oil temperature data in real time. The built-in microprocessor chip is electrically connected to each MEMS sensor to calculate the actual load tonnage, seal leakage rate and oil health status based on the collected oil pressure, stroke and temperature data, and outputs active early warning signals under overload and abnormal leakage conditions.

[0008] Preferably, the high-pressure chamber of the hydraulic cylinder is the rodless chamber of the cylinder barrel, and the micro pressure MEMS sensor is embedded in the side wall of the cylinder barrel and communicates with the rodless chamber, with the sensitive end directly contacting the hydraulic oil.

[0009] Preferably, the valve block is an oil distribution valve block integrated inside the piston, and the micro displacement MEMS sensor is embedded in the oil distribution valve block with its detection end facing the movement path of the piston.

[0010] Preferably, the miniature temperature MEMS sensor is installed inside the oil reservoir of the hydraulic cylinder and is immersed in the hydraulic oil to collect temperature data.

[0011] Preferably, the built-in microprocessor chip adopts a micro-package structure and is integrated and embedded inside the valve block, and is connected to each MEMS sensor through internal wiring to form an integrated intelligent hydraulic node.

[0012] Preferably, the intelligent hydraulic unit further includes an early warning module, which is electrically connected to the built-in microprocessor chip and includes a miniature buzzer and an indicator light, used to issue an audible and visual warning when an active warning signal is received.

[0013] Preferably, a one-way valve assembly is provided in both the oil extraction port and the oil injection port; the one-way valve of the oil extraction port allows hydraulic oil to flow from the hydraulic cylinder to the moving chamber and cuts off in the reverse direction, while the one-way valve of the oil injection port allows hydraulic oil to flow from the moving chamber to the cylinder barrel and cuts off in the reverse direction.

[0014] Preferably, the built-in microprocessor chip calculates the actual load tonnage by: calculating the theoretical lifting force based on the oil pressure data and the effective working area of ​​the piston, and then correcting it by combining the hydraulic oil viscosity correction coefficient and the sealing friction resistance correction coefficient corresponding to the temperature data, and finally converting it into the actual load tonnage.

[0015] Preferably, the built-in microprocessor chip calculates the sealing leakage rate as follows: under static pressure holding conditions, the pressure drop value of the high-pressure chamber per unit time is collected by a micro pressure MEMS sensor, and the oil leakage amount per unit time, i.e., the sealing leakage rate, is calculated by combining the high-pressure chamber volume parameter and the oil compressibility coefficient.

[0016] Preferably, the built-in microprocessor chip assesses the health status of the hydraulic fluid by comprehensively judging the degree of oxidation, contamination, and viscosity changes of the hydraulic fluid based on the real-time temperature, temperature rise rate, and pressure holding performance under pressure holding conditions, and outputting the hydraulic fluid health level.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: With a high degree of intelligence, this invention achieves closed-loop sensing and monitoring. By integrating three types of MEMS sensors, it collects core parameters such as oil pressure, stroke, and temperature in real time. The built-in microprocessor chip directly calculates three core indicators: load, leakage, and oil condition. This upgrades the hydraulic jack from purely mechanical to intelligent sensing, allowing users to intuitively grasp the equipment's working status.

[0018] Proactive warnings enhance safety. This invention can proactively issue warnings when the load exceeds the rated tonnage or the seal leakage rate exceeds a threshold, preventing overload damage to the equipment or safety accidents caused by leakage leading to pressure failure, thus significantly improving the safety of vehicle-mounted jacks.

[0019] With high integration and compact size, this invention is well-suited for automotive applications. It utilizes MEMS micro-sensors, all of which are integrated and embedded within the cylinders and valve blocks of the hydraulic mechanism. This eliminates the need for external sensors and complex wiring, resulting in a compact overall structure that perfectly fits the confined internal space of automotive jacks, making it suitable for mass production and widespread adoption.

[0020] Convenient operation and maintenance, enabling condition-based maintenance. This invention can assess the health status of hydraulic fluid, prompting users to replace hydraulic oil or maintain seals in a timely manner, changing the passive maintenance mode of traditional jacks and extending the service life of equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the jack of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a logic block diagram of the intelligent hydraulic unit of the present invention.

[0022] In the diagram: 1. Hydraulic cylinder, 2. Cylinder barrel, 3. Piston, 4. Top cap, 5. Pry plug, 6. Oil extraction port, 7. Oil injection port, 8. Movable chamber. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and 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 this invention.

[0025] Example: Please see Figure 1-2 The present invention provides the following technical solution: A smart automotive hydraulic jack mechanism with built-in MEMS sensing is mainly used in automotive hydraulic jacks, featuring intelligent sensing, status calculation, and proactive warning functions. This hydraulic mechanism comprises three main components: a hydraulic cylinder assembly, a manual lever pump assembly, and an intelligent hydraulic unit.

[0026] The hydraulic cylinder assembly is the main actuator for achieving the lifting action, including hydraulic cylinder 1, cylinder barrel 2, piston 3, and top cap 4.

[0027] Hydraulic cylinder 1 has an external shell structure with an internal oil storage cavity filled with hydraulic oil, which serves as the transmission medium.

[0028] The cylinder 2 is coaxially fixed at the center of the hydraulic cylinder 1, and the inside of the cylinder 2 is a high-pressure working chamber. The piston 3 is slidably and sealed inside the cylinder 2 by a sealing ring, and the piston 3 can slide up and down along the axis of the cylinder 2.

[0029] The top cap 4 is fixedly installed on the top of the piston 3 by threads. The top cap 4 is made of wear-resistant hard material and is used to contact the chassis support point of the vehicle to be lifted, increasing the contact area to avoid slippage, while protecting the top of the piston 3 from wear.

[0030] The manual lever-operated pump assembly is a power unit that manually drives the hydraulic oil pressurization. It includes a lever plug 5, which is mounted on one side of the hydraulic cylinder 1 and used in conjunction with an external lever to provide power input through manual levering.

[0031] The pry plug 5 has a movable cavity 8 inside, which is a variable volume cavity that changes its internal volume as the pry plug 5 swings up and down. The side wall of the movable cavity 8 has two independent oil ports: an oil extraction port 6 and an oil injection port 7.

[0032] The oil extraction port 6 connects the internal oil storage chamber of the hydraulic cylinder 1 with the movable chamber 8, and the oil injection port 7 connects the movable chamber 8 with the internal rodless chamber (high pressure chamber) of the cylinder 2.

[0033] One-way valve assemblies are respectively installed in the oil extraction port 6 and the oil injection port 7. The one-way valve in the oil extraction port 6 is open from the hydraulic cylinder 1 to the movable chamber 8 and closed in the reverse direction; the one-way valve in the oil injection port 7 is open from the movable chamber 8 to the cylinder 2 and closed in the reverse direction.

[0034] During operation, prying the pry plug 5 upwards increases the volume of the movable chamber 8, creating a negative pressure inside. Hydraulic oil in the hydraulic cylinder 1 pushes open the one-way valve of the oil inlet 6 and enters the movable chamber 8, completing the oil suction process. Pressing the pry plug 5 downwards decreases the volume of the movable chamber 8, increasing the internal oil pressure. The one-way valve of the oil inlet 6 closes, and hydraulic oil pushes open the one-way valve of the oil inlet 7 and enters the high-pressure chamber of the cylinder 2, pushing the piston 3 upwards, completing one pumping and lifting cycle. Repeatedly prying the pry plug 5 achieves continuous lifting of the piston 3.

[0035] The intelligent hydraulic unit is integrated into the high-pressure oil circuit and valve block of the hydraulic mechanism, forming a closed-loop sensing intelligent hydraulic node. This enables real-time monitoring and intelligent calculation of all parameters without the need for external additional sensing devices. The intelligent hydraulic unit includes a miniature pressure MEMS sensor, a miniature displacement MEMS sensor, a miniature temperature MEMS sensor, a built-in microprocessor chip, and an early warning module.

[0036] (1) Sensor deployment and function Miniature pressure MEMS sensor: Embedded on the side wall of cylinder 2, its sensitive end extends into the rodless cavity of cylinder 2, directly contacting the high-pressure hydraulic oil, and is used to collect oil pressure data in the high-pressure cavity in real time. This sensor adopts piezoresistive MEMS technology, with a sampling frequency of not less than 10Hz and a detection accuracy of up to 0.01MPa, and can accurately capture dynamic changes in oil pressure.

[0037] Miniature displacement MEMS sensor: Integrated into the oil distribution valve block inside piston 3, with its detection end facing the lower end face of piston 3. It adopts the non-contact inductive sensing principle to collect displacement stroke data of piston 3 in real time, with a resolution of up to 0.1mm, and can accurately record the lifting height and piston movement speed.

[0038] Miniature temperature MEMS sensor: Embedded in the bottom of the oil storage chamber of hydraulic cylinder 1, directly immersed in hydraulic oil, used to collect oil temperature data in real time, with a detection range of -40℃ to 120℃, which can adapt to different environmental conditions such as northern winter and summer high temperature.

[0039] (2) Built-in microprocessor chip The built-in microprocessor chip is packaged in a miniature QFN package, making it small in size. It is integrated and embedded inside the oil distribution valve block and is electrically connected to each MEMS sensor through internal flexible circuits. No external wiring is required, resulting in high overall integration and no extra space occupation.

[0040] The built-in microprocessor chip has data acquisition, processing, logic judgment, and signal output functions, and specifically performs the following calculations: ① Calculation of actual load tonnage The built-in microprocessor chip's storage unit pre-stores the effective working area parameters of piston 3, hydraulic oil viscosity correction coefficients at different temperatures, and sealing friction resistance correction coefficients. During operation, the chip reads real-time oil pressure data from the micro pressure MEMS sensor, multiplies it by the effective working area of ​​the piston to obtain the theoretical lifting force; then, based on the oil temperature collected by the micro temperature MEMS sensor, it calls the correction coefficients at the corresponding temperature to correct the theoretical lifting force, and finally calculates the accurate actual load tonnage.

[0041] ② Calculation of seal leakage rate When the jack is in a static pressure-holding state, the built-in microprocessor chip automatically starts the leakage detection program. It continuously collects the pressure drop value of the high-pressure chamber per unit time (e.g., 1 minute) through a micro pressure MEMS sensor. Combined with the pre-stored high-pressure chamber volume parameters and hydraulic oil compressibility coefficient, it calculates the amount of oil leakage per unit time, i.e. the sealing leakage rate, which can identify minor internal leakage faults.

[0042] ③ Oil health status assessment The built-in microprocessor chip comprehensively evaluates the oxidation level, contamination level, and viscosity changes of the hydraulic oil based on the real-time temperature of the oil, the rate of temperature rise after continuous operation, and the pressure holding performance under pressure holding conditions. For example, when the oil operating temperature exceeds 80°C for an extended period, the rate of temperature rise is too rapid, or the pressure holding pressure drops abnormally, it determines that the oil health status has deteriorated, outputs a maintenance reminder level, and guides the user to replace the hydraulic oil in a timely manner.

[0043] (3) Active early warning function The built-in microprocessor chip has two preset safety thresholds: a rated load threshold and a leakage rate threshold. When the calculated actual load tonnage exceeds the rated load threshold, it is determined to be an overload condition; when the seal leakage rate exceeds the threshold, it is determined to be an abnormal leakage condition. When either of these conditions occurs, the built-in microprocessor chip immediately outputs an active warning signal to the early warning module.

[0044] The warning module is integrated into the side of the jack's casing in an easily observable location. It includes a miniature buzzer and an LED indicator. Upon receiving a warning signal, the buzzer emits an intermittent warning sound, and the LED indicator flashes red, intuitively reminding the user that there is a safety hazard and that operation must be stopped and the fault investigated.

[0045] The complete working process of the intelligent hydraulic unit is as follows: Lifting operation stage: Place the jack stably under the support point of the vehicle chassis, insert the pry lever into the mating hole of the pry plug 5, and pry it up and down repeatedly. Through the change of volume of the movable chamber 8, the hydraulic oil in the hydraulic cylinder 1 is continuously pumped into the high-pressure chamber of the cylinder 2, which pushes the piston 3 and the top cap 4 to rise, and gradually lifts the vehicle.

[0046] Real-time monitoring phase: During the lifting process, micro pressure MEMS sensors, micro displacement MEMS sensors, and micro temperature MEMS sensors synchronously collect oil pressure, stroke, and temperature data in real time, and transmit the data to the built-in microprocessor chip.

[0047] Intelligent calculation stage: The built-in microprocessor chip calculates the current actual load tonnage, cumulative lifting stroke, and oil temperature in real time, and continuously monitors the seal leakage rate and oil health status.

[0048] Active warning phase: When the load is overloaded or there is abnormal leakage of the seal, the warning module will immediately issue an audible and visual warning to prompt the user to stop operation, troubleshoot the fault, and avoid safety accidents.

[0049] Condition-based maintenance phase: Users can use the hydraulic health status information and leakage data output by the chip to regularly replace the hydraulic oil or seals, thereby achieving preventive maintenance and extending the service life of the jack.

[0050] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or basic characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-limiting in all respects. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Therefore, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within the present invention, and no reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0051] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A hydraulic mechanism for an automotive hydraulic jack, comprising a hydraulic cylinder assembly, a manual lever pump assembly, and an intelligent hydraulic unit, characterized in that: The hydraulic cylinder assembly includes a hydraulic cylinder, a cylinder barrel, a piston, and a top cap. The hydraulic cylinder is filled with hydraulic oil. The cylinder barrel is coaxially disposed inside the hydraulic cylinder. The piston is slidably sealed and assembled inside the cylinder barrel. The top cap is fixedly installed on the top of the piston. The manual pry pump assembly includes a pry plug, which has a movable cavity inside. The movable cavity has an independent oil intake port and an oil injection port. The oil intake port connects the internal oil storage cavity of the hydraulic cylinder to the movable cavity, and the oil injection port connects the movable cavity to the internal high-pressure cavity of the cylinder. The pry plug is used to draw hydraulic oil from the hydraulic cylinder into the movable cavity through the oil intake port and then press it into the cylinder through the oil injection port under the reciprocating prying action of external force, so as to provide a lifting force for the piston. The intelligent hydraulic unit is integrated into the high-pressure oil circuit area of ​​the hydraulic mechanism, forming a closed-loop sensing intelligent hydraulic node. The intelligent hydraulic unit includes a miniature pressure MEMS sensor, a miniature displacement MEMS sensor, a miniature temperature MEMS sensor, and a built-in microprocessor chip. The miniature pressure MEMS sensor is installed in the high-pressure chamber of the hydraulic cylinder to collect oil pressure data in real time. The micro displacement MEMS sensor is integrated inside the piston and is used to collect piston stroke data in real time. The miniature temperature MEMS sensor is used to collect oil temperature data in real time. The built-in microprocessor chip is electrically connected to each MEMS sensor to calculate the actual load tonnage, seal leakage rate and oil health status based on the collected oil pressure, stroke and temperature data, and outputs active early warning signals under overload and abnormal leakage conditions.

2. The hydraulic mechanism of an automotive hydraulic jack according to claim 1, characterized in that: The high-pressure chamber of the hydraulic cylinder is the rodless chamber of the cylinder barrel. The miniature pressure MEMS sensor is embedded in the side wall of the cylinder barrel and communicates with the rodless chamber. The sensitive end is in direct contact with the hydraulic oil.

3. The hydraulic mechanism of an automotive hydraulic jack according to claim 1, characterized in that: The valve block is an oil distribution valve block integrated inside the piston, and the micro displacement MEMS sensor is embedded in the oil distribution valve block with its detection end facing the movement path of the piston.

4. The hydraulic mechanism of an automotive hydraulic jack according to claim 1, characterized in that: The miniature temperature MEMS sensor is installed inside the oil reservoir of the hydraulic cylinder and is immersed in the hydraulic oil to collect temperature data.

5. The hydraulic mechanism of an automotive hydraulic jack according to claim 1, characterized in that: The built-in microprocessor chip adopts a micro-package structure and is integrated and embedded inside the valve block. It is connected to each MEMS sensor through internal wiring to form an integrated intelligent hydraulic node.

6. The hydraulic mechanism of an automotive hydraulic jack according to claim 1, characterized in that: The intelligent hydraulic unit also includes an early warning module, which is electrically connected to the built-in microprocessor chip and includes a miniature buzzer and indicator lights, used to issue an audible and visual warning when an active warning signal is received.

7. The hydraulic mechanism of an automotive hydraulic jack according to claim 1, characterized in that: One-way valve assemblies are respectively installed in the oil extraction port and the oil injection port; the one-way valve of the oil extraction port allows hydraulic oil to flow from the hydraulic cylinder to the moving chamber and cuts off in the reverse direction, and the one-way valve of the oil injection port allows hydraulic oil to flow from the moving chamber to the cylinder barrel and cuts off in the reverse direction.

8. The hydraulic mechanism of an automotive hydraulic jack according to claim 1, characterized in that: The built-in microprocessor chip calculates the actual load tonnage by: calculating the theoretical lifting force based on the oil pressure data and the effective working area of ​​the piston, and then correcting it by combining the hydraulic oil viscosity correction coefficient and the sealing friction resistance correction coefficient corresponding to the temperature data, and finally converting it into the actual load tonnage.

9. The hydraulic mechanism of an automotive hydraulic jack according to claim 1, characterized in that: The built-in microprocessor chip calculates the sealing leakage rate as follows: Under static pressure holding conditions, the pressure drop value of the high-pressure chamber per unit time is collected by a micro pressure MEMS sensor, and the oil leakage amount per unit time, i.e., the sealing leakage rate, is calculated by combining the high-pressure chamber volume parameters and the oil compressibility coefficient.

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