Shock absorber

Abstract

The utility model provides a shock absorber. The shock absorber comprises a shell, a piston rod, an end cover and a fluid receiving piece. The shell is provided with a first end part and a second end part which are axially opposite; a piston rod extending through the first end; the end cover covers the outer side of the first end part; the fluid receiving piece is arranged on the shell in a sealed and sleeved mode and located between the end cover and the second end portion. According to the technical scheme, fluid outside the shock absorber shell can be received in time, and user experience is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of vehicle, concretely relates to a shock absorber. BACKGROUND

[0002] A shock absorber is used in a vehicle suspension system to absorb vibrations. The shock absorber is connected between a vehicle body and a wheel to dampen jounce and rebound forces that can occur between the vehicle body and the wheel. The shock absorber generally includes a housing and a piston rod located within the housing, and the housing contains hydraulic oil, for example. The shock absorber also includes an end cover that is covered on the outside of the end portion of the housing. During normal use of the shock absorber, wetting phenomenon can occur on the outer surface of the housing, which reduces the user experience.

[0003] Therefore, there is still room for further improvement in the prior art. SUMMARY

[0004] The utility model provides a shock absorber. Through the technical scheme of the utility model, fluid outside the housing can be received in time, and the user experience is improved.

[0005] According to an aspect of the utility model, a shock absorber is provided, which includes a housing, a piston rod, an end cover, and a fluid receiving member. The housing has axially opposite first and second end portions. The piston rod extends through the first end portion. The end cover is covered on the outside of the first end portion. The fluid receiving member is sealingly sleeved on the housing and located between the end cover and the second end portion.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the utility model, the maximum axial distance between the fluid receiving member and the opposite surface of the end cover is not more than a predetermined value.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the utility model, the predetermined value is in the range of 0mm to 5mm.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the utility model, the fluid receiving member includes a sleeve portion sealingly sleeved on the housing and a receiving portion connected to the sleeve portion, and the receiving portion has a receiving cavity with a receiving opening formed therein.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the utility model, the material of the fluid receiving member is a flexible material, and the shock absorber further includes a clamp for fixing the fluid receiving member to the housing.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the utility model, the fluid receiving member is separate from the end cover.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the utility model, the fluid receiving member is integrally formed with the end cover.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the utility model, the fluid receiving member includes two radially opposite and interconnected ring portions.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present application, the shock absorber further includes a fluid absorbing member disposed within the fluid receiving member.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present application, the end cap includes a base and a sidewall extending from the base, the sidewall defining a vent. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0015] For a better understanding of the present application, reference can be made to the embodiments illustrated in the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, and related elements can be omitted, or in some cases the scale can have been exaggerated, in order to emphasize and clearly illustrate the novel features described herein. Additionally, as known in the art, system components can be arranged differently. Furthermore, in the drawings, like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views.

[0016] Figure 1 a schematic view of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0017] Figure 2 a schematic view of a shock absorber according to an embodiment of the present application is shown in an installed condition;

[0018] Figure 3 a cross-sectional view of a shock absorber according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0019] Figure 4 a schematic view of a shock absorber according to one embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0020] Figure 5 a partial schematic view of a shock absorber according to the present application is shown; Figure 4

[0021] Figure 6 a partial schematic view of a shock absorber according to another embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0022] Figure 7 a partial schematic view of a shock absorber according to another embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0023] Figure 8 a partial schematic view of a shock absorber according to another embodiment of the present application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] While the present application can be embodied in various forms, there are described in the drawings and specification, some exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, it being understood, however, that these will be considered as examples of the present application and are not intended to limit the application to the specific embodiments illustrated.

[0025] ​The vehicle involved in the following embodiments can be a standard gasoline-powered vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, a two- or three-wheeled vehicle, a ship, an aircraft, and / or any other type of vehicle. The vehicle includes components related to mobility, such as an engine, an electric motor, a transmission, a suspension, a drive shaft, and / or a wheel, etc. The vehicle also includes components related to vehicle control, such as a vehicle controller, a vehicle bus, etc., through which the vehicle controller can be connected with the vehicle components to achieve control over these components. The vehicle can be non-autonomous, semi-autonomous (e.g., some routine motion functions are controlled by the vehicle), or autonomous (e.g., motion functions are controlled by the vehicle without the need for direct input from a driver).

[0026] The inventor of the present application realizes that, during normal use of the shock absorber, due to evaporation, volatilization, condensation, etc. of the fluid, it will adhere to the outer surface of the shell and will produce a wet appearance, reducing the user experience. Based on the problems in the prior art, the inventor of the present application provides a shock absorber and a vehicle having the same in one or more embodiments to solve the problems in the prior art.

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic view of a vehicle 10 according to one or more embodiments of the present application is shown, Figure 2 A schematic view of a shock absorber in an installed state according to one or more embodiments of the present application is shown. As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the vehicle 10 includes a vehicle body 12, a wheel 14, and a shock absorber 100 connectable between the vehicle body 12 and the wheel 14. The shock absorber 100 can be configured to provide damping for oscillation in a pitch direction, reducing vibrations transmitted to the vehicle body 12 when the vehicle travels over uneven road surfaces. The shock absorber 100 includes a shell 110 having axially opposite first and second end portions 111 (e.g., a top end) and 113 (e.g., a bottom end), and a piston rod 120 extending through the first end portion 111 of the shell 110. In one embodiment, the piston rod 120 is located within the shell 110 at one end and outside the shell 110 at the other end, and the piston rod 120 is reciprocable axially relative to the shell 110 along its length. In particular, reference is made to Figure 3The housing 110 can include an outer tube 112 and an inner tube 114 disposed within the outer tube 112, and the piston rod 120 is partially disposed within the inner tube 114. The first end 111 of the housing 110 forms a through hole via which the piston rod 120 extends out of the housing 110. The shock absorber 100 further includes a seal 130 disposed between the housing 110 and the piston rod 120 for sealing the through hole. The housing 110 can contain a fluid (e.g. oil) for resisting the movement of the piston rod 120 and its associated components, thereby producing a damping effect. The housing 110 can be connected to the wheel 14 by the first connection structure 101, and the piston rod 120 can be connected to the vehicle body 12 by the second connection structure 103.

[0028] Additionally, the shock absorber 100 can further include a dust cover 150 covering the piston rod 120 and the end cap 140. The dust cover 150 can move with the piston rod 120. The dust cover 150 can be connected to the end of the piston rod 120 away from the housing 110 and extend at least to the first end 111 of the housing 110. The dust cover 150 can cover all exposed portions of the piston rod 120. By providing the dust cover 150, the piston rod 120 and the inner cavity of the housing 110 can be protected from dust or debris.

[0029] With reference to Figure 3 The shock absorber 100 further includes an end cap 140 covering the first end 111 of the housing 110. The end cap 140 can have a through hole via which the piston rod 120 can pass through the end cap 140. The end cap 140 can serve to protect the seal 130 and the first end 111. When the piston rod 120 moves close to the housing 110 (e.g. downward movement) to the closest position, the bumper or other components on the piston rod 120 can contact the first end 111 of the housing 110. Therefore, the end cap 140 is provided to provide support and protection against impact. The end cap 140 can be made of a hard material (e.g. hard plastic) with a certain strength to provide the required protection effect. Of course, the end cap 140 covering the outside of the housing 110 can also to some extent serve to reduce the dust pollution of the housing 110 and the piston rod 120.

[0030] With reference to Figure 3 and Figure 5 In one or more embodiments, the end cap 140 can be generally cup-shaped and include a base 142 and a sidewall 144 extending from the base 142. The base 142 can be opposite to the end surface of the housing 110, and the sidewall 144 can be opposite to the side surface of the housing 110. The sidewall 144 can circumferentially surround the housing 110 and have a shape matching the housing 110, for example, the cross-sectional shape of the sidewall 144 can be circular.

[0031] The end cover 140 can be designed to be thin, for example, the thickness thereof can be in the range of 3mm to 5mm, so as not to interfere with the external dust cover 150. The side wall 144 of the end cover 140 can be provided with a vent 141 penetrating the inner and outer surfaces thereof, air can enter the gap between the housing 110 and the end cover 140 via the vent 141 and flow out from the through hole of the end cover 140 for the piston rod 120 to pass through. By providing the vent 141, the air flow area can be increased, preventing the dust cover 150 from moving upward to generate excessive suction to suck dust, gravel and the like into the shock absorber 100. The number of vents 141 can be multiple, and the multiple vents 141 can be uniformly distributed along the circumference of the end cover 140.

[0032] With reference to Figure 2 and Figure 4 The shock absorber 100 further comprises a fluid receiving member 160, which is sealingly sleeved on the housing 110 and located between the end cover 140 and the second end 113. The fluid receiving member 160 can be an annular member. As described in other parts of the specification, the fluid receiving member 160 can be formed with a receiving cavity having a receiving opening 161, which can be arranged towards the end cover 140 for receiving the fluid adhering to the outer surface of the housing 110 and collecting it in the receiving cavity. In this way, during normal use of the shock absorber 100, when a small amount of fluid adheres to the surface of the housing 110, the fluid is collected in the fluid receiving member 160 in time after flowing downward, avoiding reducing the user's experience of the appearance.

[0033] In one or more embodiments according to the present application, the maximum axial distance L between the opposing surfaces of the fluid receiver 160 and the end cap 140 is less than a predetermined value. For example, the maximum axial distance L between the lower surface of the end cap 140 and the upper surface of the fluid receiver 160 is less than a predetermined value. In this way, fluid is collected by the fluid receiver 160 after flowing downward only a limited distance, enhancing the user's experience in terms of appearance. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the surfaces of the fluid receiver 160 and the end cap 140 that are opposite each other can not be flat surfaces or parallel, and there can be multiple different axial distances between the fluid receiver 160 and the end cap 140. The maximum axial distance can be the maximum value of the axial distances between the opposing surfaces of the fluid receiver 160 and the end cap 140. The predetermined value can be determined according to actual conditions, for example, the predetermined value can be in the range of 0 mm to 5 mm, for example, 0 mm, 2 mm, 5 mm; according to needs, the predetermined value can be set to be larger, for example, in the range of 0 mm to 10 mm. As described above, the shock absorber 100 can also include the dust cover 150. The predetermined value of the maximum axial distance can have a size such that the fluid receiver 160 can be contained inside the dust cover 150 during at least a portion of the reciprocating movement of the piston rod 120 relative to the housing 110. In one embodiment, the fluid receiver 160 can be contained inside the dust cover 150 during the entire reciprocating movement of the piston rod 120 relative to the housing 110. For example, when the piston rod 120 moves away from the housing 110 (e.g., upward) to the farthest position, the fluid receiver 160 can be contained inside the dust cover 150. In this way, the fluid receiver 160 can be avoided from being observed by a user during the operation of the shock absorber 100. In another embodiment, the fluid receiver 160 can also be contained inside the dust cover 150 only during a portion of the reciprocating movement of the piston rod 120 relative to the housing 110, according to needs. For example, when the piston rod 120 moves toward the housing 110 (e.g., downward) to the closest position, the fluid receiver 160 can be contained inside the dust cover 150; while when the piston rod 120 moves away from the housing 110 (e.g., upward) to the farthest position, the fluid receiver 160 is exposed outside the dust cover 150.

[0034] Reference Figure 5In one embodiment, the fluid receiving member 160 and the end cap 140 can be two separate components that are formed separately and are relatively independent of each other. This allows the receiving of the adhered fluid to be achieved simply without the need to modify the structure of the end cap 140. The fluid receiving member 160 includes a sleeve portion 162 that is sleeved on the housing 110 and a receiving portion 164 that is connected to the sleeve portion 162, the receiving portion 164 defining a receiving cavity with a receiving opening 161. The sleeve portion 162 is sealingly connected to the housing 110 to prevent the wetted portion of the housing 110 from continuing to extend or expand. The sleeve portion 162 is shaped to match the shape of the housing 110 so as to be sealingly sleeved on the housing 110. For example, the sleeve portion 162 can be straight cylindrical in shape. The receiving portion 164 can gradually increase in radial dimension in a direction (e.g., upward direction) closer to the end cap 140 so as to provide a larger receiving opening 161 for the smooth receiving of the fluid and to provide a certain volume. The receiving portion 164 can be generally bowl-shaped in shape.

[0035] As described above, the end cap 140 can include a hard plastic. The fluid receiving member 160 can be made of a flexible material (e.g., rubber). The shock absorber further includes a clamp 170 that secures the fluid receiving member 160 to the housing 110, the clamp 170 can secure the sleeve portion 162 of the fluid receiving member 160 to the housing 110. The use of a flexible material facilitates the provision of a connection seal, the clamp 170 causes the fluid receiving member 160 to be tightly engaged to the outer surface of the housing 110, thereby ensuring that the fluid receiving member 160 is sealingly connected to the housing 110. If necessary, an annular clamping groove can be formed on the outer surface of the housing 110, the fluid receiving member 160 can be partially fitted into the annular clamping groove, further improving the connection stability and sealing. As shown, the sleeve portion 162 and the receiving portion 164 of the fluid receiving member 160 can be a one-piece component. Alternatively, the sleeve portion 162 and the receiving portion 164 can be formed separately and connected to each other.

[0036] The shock absorber 100 can further include a fluid absorbing member 180 disposed in the fluid receiving member 160. The fluid absorbing member 180 can be disposed in the receiving portion 264 in particular. The fluid absorbing member 180 can include, for example, a felt, a foam, or other oil-absorbing material. The fluid absorbing member 180 can be filled between the fluid receiving member 160 and the housing 110, or can be attached to the inner surface of the fluid receiving member 160.

[0037] Figure 6 A partial schematic view of a shock absorber 200 according to another embodiment of the present application is shown. For the purpose of simplicity, components in the shock absorber 200 that are the same as or similar to those of the shock absorber 100 are designated with the same or similar reference numerals and can be referred to the above description of the shock absorber 100. Referring to Figure 6In the shock absorber 200, the fluid receiver 260 can be integrally formed with the end cap 140, thus integrated together, which is advantageous to simplify the installation process. In the forming process, the hard material and the flexible material can be formed into the end cap 140 and the fluid receiver 260 respectively to provide the strength required by the end cap 140 and the sealing facilitating characteristics of the fluid receiver 260. The fluid receiver 260 can be tightly fixed to the housing 110 by the clamp 170 to ensure the sealing effect. In this embodiment, it can be understood that the maximum axial distance between the fluid receiver 260 and the opposite surface of the end cap 140 can be 0 mm.

[0038] Figure 7 A partial schematic view of a shock absorber 300 according to another embodiment of the present application is shown. For the purpose of simplicity, the components in the shock absorber 300 that are the same as or similar to those of the shock absorber 100 are numbered the same or similarly, and can be referred to the above description of the shock absorber 100. Referring to Figure 7 In the shock absorber 300, the fluid receiver 360 can include the embracing portion 362 and the embracing portion 364 that are radially opposite and connected to each other. The embracing portion 362 and the embracing portion 364 can be butted along the radial direction to form the ring-shaped fluid receiver 360. The embracing portion 362 and the embracing portion 364 can each extend 180 degrees along the circumferential direction, for example, the cross section of the embracing portion 362 and the embracing portion 364 can be semicircular. The protrusion 361 can be formed on the connecting end surface of the embracing portion 362, and the groove 363 that cooperates with the protrusion 361 can be formed on the connecting end surface of the embracing portion 364. The embracing portion 362 and the embracing portion 364 are fixedly connected through the cooperation of the protrusion 361 and the groove 363. The inner surface of the embracing portion 362 is provided with the sealing member 365, and the inner surface of the embracing portion 364 is provided with the sealing member 367, and the fluid receiver 360 is sealingly connected with the housing 110 through the sealing member 365 and the sealing member 367.

[0039] Figure 8 A partial schematic view of a shock absorber 400 according to another embodiment of the present application is shown. For the purpose of simplicity, the components in the shock absorber 400 that are the same as or similar to those of the shock absorber 100 are numbered the same or similarly, and can be referred to the above description of the shock absorber 100. Referring to Figure 8In shock absorber 400, fluid receptacle 460 can be coupled to end cap 140 by a connector 462 to provide secure mounting of fluid receptacle 460. Connector 462 can extend from fluid receptacle 460 and engage end cap 140. For example, connector 462 can be a hook that hooks into vent 141 of end cap 140. Although connector 462 is shown as a separate component from fluid receptacle 460, the two can be integrally formed if desired. Additionally, shock absorber 400 can also include a clamp 170 as described above to further enhance the seal between fluid receptacle 460 and housing 110.

[0040] It is to be understood that the features mentioned above in connection with different embodiments can be per- mitted to be combined with each other, if technically possible, to form further embodiments within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the specific examples and embodiments described herein are not intended to be limiting, and any suitable modifications which do not depart from the scope of the invention are considered to be within the scope of the invention.

[0041] In this application, the use of “or” is intended to encompass both an inclusive and exclusive OR. That is, “A or B” means “A or B, or both.” In addition, use of the “a” and “an” are intended to be inclusive and not exclusive, unless otherwise indicated herein. Also, use of the negative “not” is intended to be inclusive and not exclusive, unless otherwise indicated herein. Further, use of the term “based on” is intended to be given its ordinary sense, that is, based at least in part on.

[0042] The above embodiments, particularly any “preferred” embodiments, are possible examples of implementations and merely set forth the present principles of the present invention. Many changes and modifications can be made to the embodiments described above, with substantially similar results. All modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A shock absorber, characterized in that, include: A housing having a first end and a second end that are axially opposed to each other; Piston rod, the piston rod extending through the first end; An end cap, which is disposed on the outside of the first end; A fluid receiver, which is hermetically fitted onto the housing and located between the end cap and the second end.

2. The shock absorber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The maximum axial distance between the fluid receiver and the opposite surface of the end cap does not exceed a predetermined value.

3. The shock absorber according to claim 2, characterized in that, The predetermined value is in the range of 0 mm to 5 mm.

4. The shock absorber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fluid receiving device includes a sleeve portion that is sealed within the housing and a receiving portion connected to the sleeve portion, the receiving portion having a receiving cavity with a formed receiving port.

5. The shock absorber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fluid receiving element is made of a flexible material, and the shock absorber also includes a clamp for fixing the fluid receiving element to the housing.

6. The shock absorber according to claim 5, characterized in that, The fluid receiver is separated from the end cap.

7. The shock absorber according to claim 5, characterized in that, The fluid receiver is integrally formed with the end cap.

8. The shock absorber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fluid receiving element includes two radially opposite and interconnected annular portions.

9. The shock absorber according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a fluid absorption component disposed within the fluid receiving component.

10. The shock absorber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The end cap includes a base and a sidewall extending from the base, on which a vent is formed.

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