Blow-molded air spring and support pad
By manufacturing air springs using blow molding, the problems of insufficient air tightness and anti-rollover performance of traditional cylindrical air springs have been solved, achieving efficient and low-energy production and superior support performance.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202520446921.4
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-14
- Publication Date
- 2025-12-12
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-03-14
AI Technical Summary
Existing cylindrical air springs suffer from poor air tightness, complex manufacturing processes, and insufficient anti-rollover performance due to the lack of supporting structures.
Air springs are manufactured using a blow molding process, forming an integrated structure of corrugated and straight wall sections. Air tightness and stiffness are adjusted through the blow molding nozzle and overflow nozzle. TPU or polyester fiber materials are used to improve structural strength and antibacterial properties.
It reduces production energy consumption, improves airtightness and anti-rollover performance, simplifies production processes, extends service life, and enhances structural strength and fatigue life.
Smart Images
Figure CN223662446U_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The utility model relates to air spring manufacturing technical field, concretely relates to a blow molding's air spring and support pad. BACKGROUND
[0002] Cylindrical air spring as a kind of flexible supporting element, in recent years gradually be applied to mattress design to provide adjustable support and comfort. Its basic principle is to realize elastic support by compressed air in cylindrical air bag, usually by multiple independent air bag unit is formed, these units are arranged into matrix form and are connected to external air pump or control device by gas path system, to realize the centralized or zoned adjustment of air pressure to change the hardness of mattress.
[0003] But the existing cylindrical air spring has significant defects in structure and process, mainly embodied in the following aspects:
[0004] 1. Poor air tightness caused by split structure: traditional air spring adopts split design, and the spring body is generally welded after injection molding. Welding process (such as hot gas welding) is easy to form micro cracks or bubbles at the connection, resulting in insufficient air tightness, and easy to leak after long-term use. In addition, the split structure needs additional sealing treatment, which increases the process complexity and cost.
[0005] 2. Complex processing technology: injection molding and welding process requires high precision of mold and material fluidity. Split parts need to be injection molded and welded twice, which is easy to produce shrinkage defects such as uneven mold temperature and poor exhaust during the process, resulting in low yield. Especially the welding process needs to control temperature and pressure accurately, otherwise the connection may be deformed or broken due to the difference in material shrinkage.
[0006] 3. Lack of support structure leads to insufficient anti-rollover performance: the lower end of the existing cylindrical air spring is designed as an open type, lacking an integrated support component. Such structure is easy to deviate when bearing lateral load, resulting in decreased stability.
[0007] Therefore, in view of the above problems, it is urgent to design an air spring which is convenient to produce and has good air tightness and anti-rollover performance. UTILITY MODEL CONTENT
[0008] The present application provides a blow molding air spring to solve the problems of complex production and processing of traditional cylindrical spring, poor support performance and anti-rollover performance of the product.
[0009] To achieve the above purpose, the utility model adopts the following technical scheme: a blow molding air spring, a blow molding air spring, comprising a spring body surrounding along an axis, the spring body has a cavity, the spring body has:
[0010] a corrugated segment configured to create undulating fluctuations along the axis; and
[0011] a straight wall segment configured as a straight cylindrical structure extending along the axis and forming a closed integral structure with the corrugated segment through a blow molding process;
[0012] a blow port configured to allow adjustment of the wall thickness of the spring body by changing the amount of gas introduced into the spring body;
[0013] a glue overflow port formed from the radially outer surface of the straight wall segment through the blow molding process; the glue overflow port is used to accommodate excess material when the spring body is blow molded.
[0014] Further, the blow port is blocked after the spring body is blow molded.
[0015] Further, the blow port is provided at the bottom of the spring body.
[0016] Further, the glue overflow port is symmetrically provided with two.
[0017] Further, the glue overflow port is cylindrical.
[0018] Further, a gas pipe is configured at the glue overflow port to form a gas path.
[0019] Further, the height of the straight wall segment is configured as 1 / 2 of the initial height of the spring body.
[0020] The application also adopts the following technical solution: a support pad made of the air spring blow molded above.
[0021] The beneficial effects of the utility model are: the air spring of the application is made by a blow molding process, which reduces the production energy consumption compared with the traditional injection molding and welding method. The blow molding process makes the corrugated segment, the straight wall segment and the glue overflow port one-time molding, which eliminates the problem of air leakage and spring air tightness failure caused by the traditional injection molding and welding method. The straight cylindrical structure of the straight wall segment improves the stiffness of the spring and provides superior lateral support. The glue overflow port and the spring body are blow molded at the same time, so there is no need to re-weld the gas pipe to lead the gas path channel, which greatly saves the production time and shortens the production cycle. The symmetrically designed glue overflow port facilitates the integration of the gas path between multiple air springs, reduces the complexity of the pipeline and facilitates multiple spring parallel connection. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0022] Fig. 1 is the appearance schematic view of the utility model;
[0023] Fig. 2 is the internal structure schematic view of the utility model;
[0024] Fig. 3 is another direction schematic view of the utility model.
[0025] Reference numerals in the drawings:
[0026] 100, spring body; 101, chamber; 110, corrugated section; 120, straight wall section;
[0027] 200, glue overflow port;
[0028] 300, blow molding port. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the following will further describe the present application with reference to the drawings. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings can be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.
[0030] It should be noted that: similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent drawings.
[0031] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the present patent document should be understood as the general meaning understood by those skilled in the art. The words "first", "second" and similar words used in the patent specification and claims of the present application do not represent any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similarly, the words "one", "an" or "the" and similar words do not represent a quantity limitation, but represent the existence of at least one. The words "including" or "containing" and similar words mean that the elements or objects appearing before "including" or "containing" cover the elements or objects listed after "including" or "containing" and their equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or objects. The words "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer" and the like are only used to represent relative positional relationships, which may change accordingly when the absolute position of the described object changes, and are only used to facilitate the description of the present application and simplify the description, and therefore cannot be understood as indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application.
[0032] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connecting" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, can be fixed connection, can also be detachable connection, or integrally connected; can be mechanical connection, can also be electrical connection; can be directly connected, can also be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, can be the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.
[0033] Some embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The features in the following examples can be combined with each other without conflict.
[0034] Example 1:
[0035] Please refer to Figs. 1-3 As shown in Figs. 1-3 As shown in the embodiment, an air spring formed by blow molding is provided, which includes a spring body 100 extending along an axis, the spring body 100 having a cavity 101, the spring body 100 comprising:
[0036] A corrugated section 110 configured to produce undulating fluctuations along the axis;
[0037] A straight wall section 120 connected to an axial end of the corrugated section 110 and formed by a blow molding process with the corrugated section 110 to form a closed integral structure;
[0038] A glue overflow port 200 formed by a blow molding process from the radial outer surface of the straight wall section 120, the glue overflow port 200 used to accommodate excess material during blow molding of the spring body 100 to change the wall thickness of the spring body 100.
[0039] A blow molding port 300 configured to allow adjustment of the wall thickness of the spring body 100 by changing the amount of gas introduced into the spring body 100. The blow molding port 300 is provided at the bottom of the spring body 100, and the blow molding port 300 is blocked after blow molding of the spring body 100.
[0040] The spring body of the conventional cylindrical spring is made by injection molding and welding. After the spring body part of the spring is injection molded, the base is connected thereto by welding, and the air pipe is also welded at the same time. In the entire spring manufacturing process, including injection molding-welding-welding air pipe-finished product air tightness detection steps, the operation process is complex, and the quality needs to be strictly guaranteed at each step, and multiple operation steps also increase the labor cost. At the same time, on the basis of multiple processing steps, it is also difficult to effectively ensure the quality and complete consistency of the product specifications, and also increases the risk of loss of spring air tightness.
[0041] During the blowing process of the spring 100, the blowing port 300 is inserted into the air pipe to blow the spring body 100. When the amount of air introduced is large, the wall thickness of the spring body 100 is thin, and at this time, the excess material is extruded into the overflow port 200. Conversely, when the amount of air introduced into the spring body 100 is small, the wall thickness of the spring body 100 is thick, and at this time, the overflow material in the overflow port 200 is less. The thickness of the spring body 100 is determined by changing the amount of gas passing through the blowing port 300.
[0042] The processing method of injection molding welding has low customization ability, and the production process needs high temperature vulcanization and base welding. The vulcanization and welding need to be at a high temperature for a long time, and the energy consumption accounts for 30%-40% of the production cost. The processing product of injection molding welding has material limitations, and the product is only suitable for thermoplastic or vulcanizable rubber, and it is difficult to be compatible with high-performance composite materials. The finished product has a welding strength hidden danger, and the welding part is easy to become a fatigue failure point, which may crack after long-term use. We abandon the traditional injection molding processing method of cylindrical springs, and adopt the blow molding process of one-piece molding. The traditional injection molding and welding production method of cylindrical air springs completely depends on mold shaping, which leads to the structure of the spring being too single. The blow molding process makes the product not limited to mold shaping, and can produce more complex spring body structures.
[0043] Compared with the blow molding process, the parameters are easy to adjust, the production and processing have strong customization performance, and the curing energy consumption of the processing process can be completed at room temperature or medium temperature conditions. The blow molding process product is integrally formed, and there is no welding gap, so there is no risk of air tightness.
[0044] Further, the air spring body 100 in the embodiment has a ring-shaped corrugated section 110 and a straight wall section 120. The corrugated section 110 can fluctuate along the axial direction of the spring, thereby responding to the inflation operation of the spring body 100 to adapt to the user's adjustment of the softness and hardness of the spring.
[0045] As a preferred embodiment, the straight wall section 120 is arranged at the lower end of the corrugated section 110, and the side wall of the straight wall section 120 is a cylindrical straight wall, and the bottom is a molding bottom surface during blow molding. The straight wall section 120 is arranged at the lower end of the corrugated section 110, and the cylindrical straight wall has stronger supportability, which can effectively bear the pressure from the upper end of the spring. In order to ensure the appearance of the spring, the blowing port 300 is arranged at the bottom of the straight wall section 120, and the blowing port 300 is sealed after blow molding to ensure the air tightness of the spring.
[0046] The original height of the corrugated section 110 is set to 1 / 2 of the height of the spring body 100, and in this embodiment, the corrugated section 110 is set to 10 cm, and the straight wall section 120 is set to 5 cm. The corrugated section 110 is blow molded to have 6 wave sections, each with an elongation of 50%, i.e. when the spring body 100 is fully inflated, the maximum elongation distance of the corrugated section 110 is 1.5 times its original height (15 cm). The upper end of the corrugated section 110 is blow molded into a circular plane that receives the pressure transmitted by the use end after the spring is inflated.
[0047] The prior art cylindrical air spring is made of a single rubber material, which has poor tear resistance and poor antibacterial performance, and is prone to material aging, surface contamination and hygiene hazards after long-term use. In addition, in this embodiment, the raw material of the spring is TPU or polyester fiber material. The anti-creep performance of this high molecular material under high temperature is improved by 30% compared with traditional rubber, and an antibacterial silicone coating is sprayed on the outer surface, so that the product can still maintain stability in humid or ultraviolet environments, while the traditional single-layer rubber air bag is prone to hardening or cracking under the same conditions.
[0048] The integrated blow molding process is used to manufacture the corrugated section 110 and the straight wall section 120. Compared with the split bonding or welding process of the prior art, the structural strength and fatigue life are significantly improved. The specific steps are as follows: first, the TPU / polyester fiber is preheated to 180°C to ensure good fluidity and formability of the material; then, the preheated material is placed in the mold, and compressed air (pressure 0.8 MPa) is introduced for blow molding, and the mold temperature is controlled at 60°C to ensure uniform distribution of the material and form the required cylindrical structure; finally, after molding, the mold is cooled to room temperature, demolded and the excess edge material is cut off to form a complete spring body 100.
[0049] This integrated molding process eliminates the traditional bonding interface and avoids the problem of local stress concentration caused by poor bonding, so that the fatigue cycle number of the spring body 100 is increased from 100,000 times of the traditional structure to 200,000 times. In contrast, the prior art cylindrical air spring is mostly made in a split manner and then bonded, and the bonding part is prone to cracking due to repeated deformation, resulting in air tightness failure and an average service life of less than 3 years.
[0050] The traditional cylindrical air spring is prone to response delay or motion trajectory deviation under dynamic load, especially prone to collapse or rollover when subjected to lateral force (such as partial compression of the mattress leading to imbalance of support).
[0051] As a preferred embodiment, the air spring needs to weld the air pipe to the spring body 100 when arranging the air path. In the embodiment, two overflow glue ports 200 are blow molded on the annular outer surface of the straight wall section 120, the overflow glue ports 200 are blow molded into cylindrical overflow glue ports, and the two overflow glue ports 200 are symmetrically arranged. The glue port 200 is an outwardly convex cylindrical structure, which is cut along the radial direction after blow molding to form a pipeline communicating with the outside, and then the air pipe is inserted into the pipeline for welding, and finally the whole spring is completed. The symmetrical design of the overflow glue port 200 can take into account the air path of the spring. When a plurality of air springs are arranged, a plurality of springs can share one air path, which can effectively optimize the internal structure of the air mattress.
[0052] As an optional embodiment, in the embodiment, the height of the straight wall section 120 is configured as 1 / 3 of the initial height of the whole spring. The height of the corrugated section 110 is maintained at 2 / 3 of the height of the whole spring, and the straight wall section 120 increases the stiffness of the spring in the vertical direction, and also reduces the material consumption of the spring. In the actual production process, we reasonably arrange the height of the corrugated section 110 and the straight wall section 120 to ensure that it has good structural rigidity while also taking into account the softness and hardness after inflation. The blow molding process is adopted, and the finished product does not have welding and joints. In the process of using the spring body 100 multiple times, the problem of welding of injection molded parts is eliminated, and the good air tightness of the spring is ensured.
[0053] The application also adopts the following technical scheme: a support pad made of the blow molded air spring described above.
[0054] The above is only a specific embodiment of the application, but the protection scope of the application is not limited thereto. Any changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed in the application can be easily thought of by those skilled in the art, which should be covered within the protection scope of the application. Therefore, the protection scope of the application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A blow molded air spring comprising a body encircling an axis, said body having a chamber, characterized by, The spring body comprises: a corrugated section configured to produce undulating fluctuations along the axis; and a straight wall section configured as a straight cylindrical structure extending along the axis and forming a closed integral structure with the corrugated section by a blow molding process; a blow molding port configured to allow adjustment of the wall thickness of the spring body by changing the amount of gas introduced into the spring body; a glue overflow port formed by the blow molding process from the radial outer surface of the straight wall section, the glue overflow port being used to accommodate excess material during blow molding of the spring body.
2. The blow molded air spring of claim 1, wherein, The blow molding port is blocked after the blow molding of the spring body is completed.
3. The blow molded air spring of claim 2, wherein, The blow molding port is arranged at the bottom of the spring body.
4. The blow molded air spring of claim 1, wherein, The glue overflow port is arranged in two, and the two glue overflow ports are symmetrically distributed.
5. The blow molded air spring of claim 4, wherein, The glue overflow port is in a cylindrical shape.
6. The blow molded air spring of claim 5, wherein, An air pipe is arranged at the glue overflow port to form an air path.
7. The blow molded air spring of claim 1, wherein, The height of the straight wall section is configured as 1 / 2 of the initial height of the spring body.
8. A support cushion characterized by, The support pad has the blow molded air spring of any one of claims 1-7.