Air spring and vehicle

Abstract

The utility model discloses an air spring and a vehicle, the air spring comprises a bag skin body, along a first direction, the bag skin body is provided with a first part and a second part, and the thickness of the first part is greater than that of the second part; the dustproof cover is connected to the outer side of the second part, and the dustproof cover is not arranged on the first part. According to the utility model, the size of the required dust cover can be effectively shortened, and mounting parts of the air spring are simplified.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of air springs, in particular to an air spring and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Air springs are elastic elements that use compressed air as the elastic medium and are mainly used in vehicle suspension systems.

[0003] Taking the air spring as an example (i.e., the air spring installed in the rear suspension system of the vehicle), usually, the wall thickness of its bladder is relatively small, which cannot withstand the impact of gravel during vehicle driving, and requires a dust cover to provide protection. That is, along the length of the air spring, the dust cover needs to cover a large part of the bladder, increasing weight and cost. Moreover, since the dust cover has folds, it will take up a large space, causing interference with components such as control arms and drive shafts, affecting vehicle design and layout.

[0004] During assembly, the rear air spring's bladder skin must be secured by at least an end cap, a crimping ring, a bottom cap, and a support ring molded into the bottom cap. For example, the bottom end of the bladder skin is wrapped around the outer edge of the bottom cap, and then a crimping ring is used to apply pressure against the bottom cap, pressing the bottom end tightly against the outer edge. Finally, the end cap is used to further secure the bottom end, for example, by snapping it in place to prevent it from falling out. However, this assembly method involves a large number of parts and a relatively complex production process, which poses challenges to production efficiency and cost control. Utility Model Content

[0005] The utility model aims to solve the technical problem that the dust cover required by the existing air spring has a large longitudinal dimension. The utility model provides an air spring and a vehicle, which can effectively reduce the size of the required dust cover and simplify the installation components of the air spring.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the embodiment of the present utility model discloses an air spring, comprising:

[0007] The capsule body has a first portion and a second portion along a first direction, wherein the thickness of the first portion is greater than that of the second portion;

[0008] A dust cover is connected to the outer side of the second part, and the dust cover is not provided on the first part.

[0009] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the first portion is, for example, a portion away from the piston, and the second portion is, for example, another portion closer to the piston. When processing the bladder body, the length of the first portion can be selected based on the actual application, for example, half of the bladder body can be selected as the first portion, and this embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0010] By adopting the above technical solution, the thickness of the first portion of the air spring body is increased. This increases the first portion's resistance to the impact of gravel, eliminating the need for a dust cover. In other words, the dust cover of the air spring in this embodiment only needs to protect the second portion, effectively shortening the dust cover's length along the first direction and saving material. Furthermore, the dust cover's multiple layers of pleats occupy lateral space. In this embodiment, this effectively conserves lateral space in the first portion, providing more clearance for other components (such as control arms and drive shafts).

[0011] According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, the first part has a plug-in portion, and the air spring further includes:

[0012] A mounting assembly is used to fix the plug-in portion, and the mounting assembly includes a first mounting member, a second mounting member and a crimping ring, wherein:

[0013] The crimping ring is arranged around the first mounting member and defines a crimping cavity with the outer surface of the first mounting member, and the plug-in portion is crimped into the crimping cavity;

[0014] Along the first direction, the second mounting member is spaced apart from the dust cover, and the second mounting member is a closed structure.

[0015] The air spring also includes a mounting assembly for securing the bladder body. Due to their relatively low thickness, conventional air springs require a dust cover to protect the entire bladder body. Specifically, the dust cover wraps around the outside of the entire bladder body. In this case, one end of the dust cover connects to a mounting end cap (e.g., the second mounting member in the embodiment of the present application) in the mounting assembly. Furthermore, during inflation and deflation of the air spring, the cavity between the dust cover and the bladder body experiences pressure changes due to the expansion and contraction of the air spring. This pressure typically needs to be balanced, and therefore, an air vent is often provided on the mounting end cap. This results in a more complex structure for the mounting end cap, and the air vent can become clogged with dust.

[0016] By adopting the above technical solution, since the dust cover of the embodiment of the present application only needs to cover the second part, the second mounting part and the dust cover in the mounting assembly are spaced apart from each other. At this time, one end of the dust cover does not need to be installed on the second mounting part (the embodiment of the present application does not impose specific restrictions on the specific installation process of this end of the dust cover), so there is no need to open an air outlet on the second mounting part, which effectively simplifies the mold structure of the second mounting part.

[0017] According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, the first mounting member is annular, and the inner surface of the first mounting member defines a first air cavity, which is a part of the inner cavity of the bag skin body. The first air cavity is not provided with a support member for supporting the first part.

[0018] Typically, after the bladder body is compressed by a conventional bottom cover, a support member is provided within the inner cavity of the bladder body on one side near the bottom cover (in this article, this inner cavity is referred to as the "cavity," which corresponds to the first air cavity described later and is part of the inner cavity of the bladder body). This support member occupies a large portion of the cavity to support the bladder body. Alternatively, it can be understood that the support member is part of the first mounting member, meaning that in addition to cooperating with the crimping ring to compress the plug-in end of the bladder body, the conventional bottom cover is also located within the cavity to further support the bladder body.

[0019] Using the above technical solution, in this embodiment of the present application, the first mounting member is simply an annular structure. Its inner surface directly defines the first air cavity, and no support member for the first portion is provided within this first air cavity. In other words, there is no need to install a traditional bottom cover within the first portion, effectively increasing the internal volume of the bladder body and contributing to improved spring stiffness. Furthermore, this solution simplifies the structure and installation process of the traditional bottom cover, significantly reducing costs.

[0020] According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, the first portion further has a protrusion connected to the plug-in portion, and along the second direction, the protrusion protrudes relative to the plug-in portion.

[0021] By adopting the above technical solution, in the embodiment of the present application, the portion of the first part connected to the plug-in portion is designed to be a protruding structure, which can effectively balance the movement of the air spring.

[0022] According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, it also includes: a guide tube, the inner surface of the guide tube is arranged around the second part and a part of the first part, the outer surface of the guide tube is provided with a first connecting part, the inner side of the dust cover is provided with a second connecting part, the dust cover is arranged around a part of the guide tube, and the second connecting part is connected to the first connecting part, and along the first direction, the guide tube is spaced apart from the protrusion.

[0023] By adopting the above technical solution, in the embodiment of the present application, since a part of the bladder body is designed as a protruding structure, the guide tube can be adaptively shortened, effectively saving materials.

[0024] According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, the first mounting member includes a support ring, and the second mounting member includes a mounting end cover, wherein a side of the mounting end cover facing the first part is provided with a protrusion, and the support ring is arranged around the protrusion and connected to the side of the first part.

[0025] According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, the first mounting member and the second mounting member are integrally formed.

[0026] By adopting the above technical solution, the first mounting member and the second mounting member are integrally formed, which can effectively simplify the production process and reduce mold costs.

[0027] An embodiment of the present utility model further discloses a vehicle, comprising a vehicle body and an air spring as described in any one of the above embodiments, wherein the second mounting member of the air spring is connected to the vehicle body.

[0028] By adopting the above technical solution, the installation components in the air spring of the embodiment of the present application are effectively simplified, and there is no need to use a traditional bottom cover. Therefore, the air spring can be directly installed to the vehicle body through the second mounting member. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 A partial cross-sectional view of a rear air spring in some embodiments is shown.

[0030] Figure 2 A side view of an air spring according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0031] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of an air spring according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 1 .

[0032] Figure 4 A three-dimensional view of an air spring according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0033] Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of an air spring according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 2 .

[0034] Figure 6 A partial cross-sectional view of the air spring according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 1 .

[0035] Figure 7 A three-dimensional diagram showing the installation components in the air spring according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 8 A partial cross-sectional view of the air spring according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 2 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The following is an explanation of the implementation of the present invention by means of specific specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention will be introduced in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, this does not mean that the features of this utility model are limited to this implementation. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the utility model in conjunction with the implementation is to cover other options or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present invention. In order to provide an in-depth understanding of the present invention, the following description will contain many specific details. The present invention can also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion or blurring the focus of the present invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0038] It should be noted that in this specification, similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined or explained in subsequent drawings.

[0039] In the description of this embodiment, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "bottom", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, or are the orientations or positional relationships in which the utility model product is usually placed when in use. They are only for the convenience of describing the utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they cannot be understood as a limitation on the utility model.

[0040] The terms “first”, “second”, etc. are only used for distinguishing descriptions and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0041] In the description of this embodiment, it should be noted that, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "disposed," "connected," and "connected" should be understood broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal connections between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this embodiment based on specific circumstances.

[0042] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, the embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0043] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A partial cross-sectional view of a rear air spring 1000 in some embodiments is exemplarily shown.

[0044] like Figure 1 As shown, the rear air spring 1000 includes at least a bladder skin 1100 and a second dust cover 1200. In this embodiment, the bladder skin 1100 has a uniform thickness, for example, 2 mm.

[0045] On the one hand, it can be seen that since the thickness of the bag skin 1100 is relatively thin, it cannot resist the impact of gravel during the vehicle's driving. Therefore, along the length direction of the rear air spring 1000 (such as Figure 1 A direction shown in FIG), one end of the second dust cover 1200 (ie Figure 1 The end indicated by the direction A2 in the figure) is connected to the mounting component 1300, and the other end (i.e. Figure 1 The end indicated by direction A1 in the figure is sleeved on the piston rod (not shown in the figure), that is, the second dust cover 1200 covers a larger part of the bladder skin 1100.

[0046] Therefore, the second dust cover 1200 in this embodiment has a larger longitudinal dimension (i.e., a larger dimension along the length direction of the rear air spring 1000), thereby increasing weight and cost. In addition, since the dust cover has folds 1201, it also occupies a larger lateral dimension (i.e., along the width direction of the rear air spring 1000, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 The B direction) space shown in FIG causes interference with components such as control arms and drive shafts, affecting vehicle design and layout.

[0047] On the other hand, continue to refer to Figure 1 The rear air spring 1000 further includes a mounting component 1300. The mounting component 1300 includes a second mounting end cap 1310, a second support ring 1320, a second crimping ring 1330, and a bottom cap 1340. The second support ring 1320 is integrated with the bottom cap 1340, and both are located inside the rear air spring 1000.

[0048] During assembly, wrap the end 1101 of the capsule 1100 around the outer edge of the bottom cover 1340, and then use the second crimping ring 1330 and press it toward the bottom cover 1340 (for example, along the Figure 1 The end 1101 is pressed tightly against the outer edge of the bottom cover 1340 by applying pressure to the end 1101 in the direction B1 shown in the figure, and the second mounting end cover 1310 is used to further limit the bottom cover 1340 by, for example, snapping, to prevent the end 1101 from falling off.

[0049] However, it can be seen that the entire installation component 1300 contains more components, which makes the installation process more complicated. In addition, the bottom cover 1340 integrated with the second support ring 1320 occupies more internal space of the bladder skin 1100. For components such as air springs that use internal compressed air as the medium, the internal space is more important and directly affects the shock absorption effect.

[0050] In order to solve the above existing problems, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 An embodiment of the present application provides an air spring 100 , which includes a bladder body 110 and a first dust cover 130 .

[0051] refer to Figures 4 to 6 , along the first direction (such as Figure 4 The capsule body 110 has a first portion 111 and a second portion 112 connected thereto. Figure 5 As shown, the first portion 111 has an inserting portion 1111 , which is one end of the capsule body 110 .

[0052] like Figure 6 As shown, the first portion 111 has a first thickness L1, and the second portion 112 has a second thickness L2. In the embodiment of the present application, the first thickness L1 is greater than the second thickness L2.

[0053] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 It can be seen that the first dust cover 130 of the embodiment of the present application is arranged on the outside of the second part 112, not on the first part 111.

[0054] Based on this, the thickness of the first portion 111 in the bladder body 110 (the first thickness L1) is increased so that the first portion 111 can resist the impact of gravel, and the first dust cover 130 does not need to provide protection. In other words, the first dust cover 130 of the air spring 100 of the embodiment of the present application only needs to provide protection for the second portion 112, which can effectively shorten the first dust cover 130 along the first direction (such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 On the other hand, the first dust cover 130 has multiple layers of folds, which will occupy the lateral space. In the embodiment of the present application, the lateral space of the first part 111 can be effectively saved (for example, Figure 2 The lateral space D shown provides more clearance for other components (e.g. control arms, drive shafts).

[0055] refer to Figure 7 Combined with Figure 3 and Figure 5The air spring 100 of the embodiment of the present application further includes: a mounting assembly 120. The mounting assembly 120 is used to fix the above-mentioned plug-in portion 1111.

[0056] Specifically, the mounting assembly 120 includes: a first mounting member 121, a second mounting member 122 and a first crimping ring 123. The first crimping ring 123 is arranged around the first mounting member 121 and defines a crimping cavity 124 (such as Figure 7 As shown in FIG), the plug-in portion 1111 is crimped into the crimping cavity 124 (as shown in FIG). Figure 5 As shown), and the second mounting member 122 is a closed structure. That is, the second mounting member 122 of the embodiment of the present application is not connected to the bladder body 110. In other words, the second mounting member 122 does not have an inlet / outlet structure for the dust cover to enter / exit air (for example, Figure 1 Inlet / outlet holes 1311 are shown).

[0057] Further integration Figure 1 , Figure 1 In the illustrated rear air spring 1000, due to the relatively thin bladder skin 1100, a second dust cover 1200 is required to protect the entire bladder skin 1100. Specifically, the second dust cover 1200 covers the entire outer surface of the bladder skin 1100. One end of the second dust cover 1200 is connected to a second mounting end cap 1310 (corresponding to the second mounting member 122 in the embodiment of the present application) in the mounting component 1300. Furthermore, during inflation and deflation of the rear air spring 1000, the cavity between the second dust cover 1200 and the bladder skin 1100 experiences pressure fluctuations due to the expansion and contraction of the rear air spring 1000. This pressure typically needs to be balanced, necessitating the inclusion of inlet and outlet holes 1311 in the second mounting end cap 1310. This results in a complex structure and the possibility of dust clogging the inlet and outlet holes 1311.

[0058] refer to Figure 3 Combined with Figures 5 to 7 , thereby, the first part 111 is thickened, and on this basis, the plug-in portion 1111 of the first part 111 is inserted into the crimping cavity 124 defined by the first mounting piece 121 and the first crimping ring 123, thereby achieving the fixation of the bladder body 110 and the mounting assembly 120. On this basis, since the first dust cover 130 of the embodiment of the present application only needs to cover the second part 112, the second mounting piece 122 in the mounting assembly 120 is spaced from the first dust cover 130. At this time, one end of the first dust cover 130 does not need to be installed on the second mounting piece 122 (the embodiment of the present application does not impose specific restrictions on the specific installation process of this end of the first dust cover 130), so there is no need to open an inlet / outlet air hole on the second mounting piece 122, which effectively simplifies the mold structure of the second mounting piece 122.

[0059] An embodiment of the present application further provides a vehicle, which includes a vehicle body (not shown in the figure) and the above-mentioned air spring 100, wherein the second mounting member 122 of the mounting assembly 120 in the air spring 100 can be directly connected to the vehicle body.

[0060] refer to Figure 6 In some possible implementations, the difference between the first thickness L1 of the first portion 111 and the second thickness L2 of the second portion 112 is not less than 0.9 mm.

[0061] For example, the first thickness L1 of the embodiment of the present application ranges from 2.4 mm to 3.4 mm. For example, the first thickness L1 of the first portion 111 can be processed to 2.4 mm, 2.5 mm, 2.61 mm, 2.78 mm, 3.15 mm, 3.23 mm, 3.4 mm, etc.

[0062] For example, the second thickness L2 of the embodiment of the present application ranges from 1.5 mm to 2.5 mm. For example, the second thickness L2 of the second portion 112 can be processed to 1.5 mm, 1.59 mm, 1.85 mm, 2.03 mm, 2.37 mm, 2.49 mm, 2.5 mm, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the values ​​of the first thickness L1 and the second thickness L2.

[0063] refer to Figure 5 、 Figure 7 and Figure 8 In some possible embodiments, the first mounting member 121 is annular, and the inner surface of the first mounting member 121 defines a first air cavity 1010. The first air cavity 1010 is a portion of the inner cavity of the bladder body 110. The first air cavity 1010 is not provided with a support member for supporting the first portion 111 (the support member is, for example, Figure 1 In other words, the first air cavity 1010 is a hollow cavity.

[0064] Further integration Figure 1 In general, after the capsule skin 1100 is pressed by the conventional bottom cover 1340, there will be a cavity (such as Figure 1 The cavity 1400 shown in the figure is a part of the entire inner cavity of the capsule skin 1100. A support member is provided in the cavity 1400, which occupies a large part of the cavity to support the capsule skin 1100. Alternatively, it can be understood that the support member is a part of the bottom cover 1340. As can be seen, Figure 1The bottom cover 1340 shown is not only used to cooperate with the second crimping ring 1330 to compress the end 1101 of the bladder shell 1100 , but is also located inside the cavity 1400 to further support the bladder shell 1100 .

[0065] Refer again Figure 5 、 Figure 7 and Figure 8 In the embodiment of the present application, the first mounting member 121 is only an annular structure, and the inner surface of the first mounting member 121 can directly define the first air cavity 1010, and no support member for supporting the first part 111 is provided in the first air cavity 1010. In other words, it is equivalent to not needing to install a traditional bottom cover (such as Figure 1 The bottom cover 1340 shown in the figure can effectively increase the internal volume of the bladder body 110, helping to improve the stiffness of the spring. On the other hand, in this solution, the traditional bottom cover is replaced with the first mounting member 121, which simplifies the structure and installation process of the traditional bottom cover and effectively saves costs.

[0066] In some possible embodiments, the first mounting member 121 includes a first support ring 1211, and the second mounting member 122 includes a first mounting end cap 1221. A surface of the first mounting end cap 1221 facing the first portion 111 is provided with a protrusion 12211. The first support ring 1211 is disposed around the protrusion 12211 and is connected to a surface of the first portion 111. Exemplarily, the first support ring 1211 and the first mounting end cap 1221 are integrally formed.

[0067] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 8 In some possible implementations, the first portion 111 further includes a protrusion 1112 connected to the plug-in portion 1111. It can be seen that along the second direction (eg Figure 8 In the X direction shown in FIG), the protrusion 1112 protrudes relative to the plug-in portion 1111 (for example, Figure 8 The D-shaped structure shown in the figure may also be a B-shaped structure (not shown in the figure), where the B-shaped structure means that the first portion 111 has two D-shaped protrusions arranged in parallel along the first direction. In the embodiment of the present application, the portion of the first portion 111 connected to the plug-in portion 1111 is designed as a protruding structure, which can effectively balance the movement of the air spring 100.

[0068] Exemplarily, the first portion 111 further includes a transition portion 1113 , one end of the transition portion 1113 is connected to the convex portion 1112 , and the other end of the transition portion 1113 is connected to the second portion 112 .

[0069] refer to Figure 3In some possible implementations, the air spring 100 of the embodiment of the present application further includes a guide tube 140. As can be seen, the inner surface of the guide tube 140 is disposed around the second portion 112 and a portion of the first portion 111. A first connecting portion 141 is provided on the outer surface of the guide tube 140. A second connecting portion 131 is provided on the inner side of the first dust cover 130. The first dust cover 130 is disposed around a portion of the guide tube 140, and the second connecting portion 131 is connected to the first connecting portion 141. In the embodiment of the present application, since a portion of the air spring body 110 is designed as a protruding structure, the guide tube 140 can be adaptively shortened, effectively saving material.

[0070] Although the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above description is provided to further illustrate the present invention in conjunction with specific embodiments, and that the present invention should not be construed as being limited to these descriptions. Those skilled in the art may make various changes in form and detail, including simple deductions or substitutions, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An air spring, characterized in that: include: The capsule body has a first portion and a second portion along a first direction, wherein the thickness of the first portion is greater than that of the second portion; A dust cover is connected to the outer side of the second part, and the dust cover is not provided on the first part.

2. The air spring according to claim 1, wherein: The first part has a plug-in portion, and the air spring further includes: A mounting assembly is used to fix the plug-in portion, and the mounting assembly includes a first mounting member, a second mounting member and a crimping ring, wherein: The crimping ring is arranged around the first mounting member and defines a crimping cavity with the outer surface of the first mounting member, and the plug-in portion is crimped into the crimping cavity; Along the first direction, the second mounting member is spaced apart from the dust cover, and the second mounting member is a closed structure.

3. The air spring according to claim 2, wherein: The first mounting member is annular, and the inner surface of the first mounting member defines a first air cavity, which is a part of the inner cavity of the bladder skin body. The first air cavity is not provided with a support member for supporting the first part.

4. The air spring according to claim 3, characterized in that The first portion further comprises a protrusion connected to the plug-in portion, and along the second direction, the protrusion protrudes relative to the plug-in portion.

5. The air spring according to claim 4, characterized in that Also includes: A guide tube, the inner surface of the guide tube is arranged around the second part and a part of the first part, the outer surface of the guide tube is provided with a first connecting portion, the inner side of the dust cover is provided with a second connecting portion, the dust cover is arranged around a part of the guide tube, and the second connecting portion is connected to the first connecting portion, and along the first direction, the guide tube is spaced apart from the protrusion.

6. The air spring according to claim 2, wherein: The first mounting member includes a support ring, and the second mounting member includes a mounting end cover, wherein a side of the mounting end cover facing the first part is provided with a protrusion, and the support ring is arranged around the protrusion and connected to the side of the first part.

7. The air spring according to claim 2, wherein: The first mounting member and the second mounting member are integrally formed.

8. A vehicle comprising a vehicle body and the air spring according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The second mount of the air spring is connected to the vehicle body.

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