Air Spring Control Valve with Seesaw Actuator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air spring arrangements with integrated control valve systems in commercial vehicle suspensions suffer from undefined switching points due to manufacturing tolerances and fatigue, leading to unreliable aeration or venting of the spring pressure chamber across the entire stroke path.
Innovation Solution
A control valve arrangement featuring a ventilation valve and a vent valve actuated by a springless mechanical actuating means, including a switching rocker lever with guide tracks on the roll-off or outer tube, ensuring defined switching positions and preventing overflow losses, with the actuating tappets arranged coaxially for a compact and space-saving design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If spring-loaded mechanical actuating means are used to actuate control valves, then the valve switching can be influenced by spring strength and fatigue, but this leads to undefined switching points and unreliable valve actuation over service life
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the spring element from the mechanical actuating means. By eliminating the spring-loaded mechanism that caused undefined switching points due to fatigue and manufacturing tolerances, the patent achieves reliable and precise valve actuation throughout the service life of the air spring arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the spring-loaded mechanical actuating system with a guide track-based mechanical guidance system. This substitution eliminates the influence of spring characteristics on switching points while maintaining the mechanical actuation function through geometric constraints and form-fit connections.
2Adaptability or versatility
If different length actuating tappets are used for multiple valves, then the valve actuation can be differentiated, but this causes undesired superimposition of switching states
Solution Approach 1:
The guide track is segmented into distinct upper and lower track sections, with each section controlling a specific valve. This segmentation ensures that only one valve is actuated at a time, preventing superimposition of switching states while maintaining the ability to control multiple valves differently.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the guide track (upper vs. lower sections) have different functional qualities - the upper section controls the ventilation valve while the lower section controls the vent valve. This local differentiation achieves valve-specific control without the problems of superimposition.
3Ease of manufacture
If the mechanical actuating means is detached from the air spring assembly, then assembly flexibility is improved, but this prevents reliable actuation over the entire stroke path
Solution Approach 1:
The guide track is pre-integrated into the air spring assembly during manufacturing, establishing fixed geometric relationships before the assembly is put into service. This preliminary integration ensures that the actuating mechanism maintains reliable contact and guidance throughout the entire stroke path while still allowing for modular assembly approaches.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an air spring assembly, comprising an integrated control valve assembly for admitting compressed air into a spring pressure chamber (6) formed between an outer tube (1), a rolling tube (3), and an air spring bellows (5) that connects these components, wherein the control valve assembly consists of an individual air inlet valve (8) and an individual air outlet valve (9), which can be actuated by likewise integrated mechanical actuating elements in accordance with the air spring stroke position in order to admit air into or let air out of the spring pressure chamber (6), wherein the air inlet valve (8) is arranged opposite the air outlet valve (9) with actuating tappets (8a; 9a) facing each other on the part of the outer tube (1) or the rolling tube (3), wherein the mechanical actuating elements that act on the actuating tappets while lying therebetween comprise a switching rocking lever (10), which engages by means of the one end with at least one guiding path (12) of an actuating element (11) attached to the rolling tube (3) or outer tube (1) in order to act on the actuating tappets (8a, 8b) by means of the other end in order to switch the control valve assembly.