Adjustable Air Spring Piston Structure for Variable Stiffness Curves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pistons for air springs in motor vehicles are manufactured in fixed structures, necessitating redesign and hardware changes for different vehicle models, leading to inefficiencies in production and manufacturing management due to varying stiffness curve and design load requirements.
Innovation Solution
A piston design with an elastically deformable external frame and adjustable mechanisms, allowing for changes in stiffness curve through air pressure adjustment or mechanical means, enabling adaptation to different vehicle types without replacing the piston.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the piston is manufactured by adopting the aluminum reaming process or the injection molding process with a fixed structure, then the manufacturing precision and structural stability are improved, but the adaptability to different vehicle types and the ease of modification are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The piston structure is transformed from a fixed rigid form to a dynamically adjustable configuration. The adjustable mechanism allows the piston's effective area and stiffness characteristics to be modified after manufacturing, enabling the same piston to adapt to different vehicle types and air spring requirements without requiring complete redesign or replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention enables parameter changes in the piston's functional characteristics through mechanical adjustment. By modifying the piston's internal structure configuration (such as adjusting the area of the piston head or the configuration of support members), the stiffness curve and load characteristics can be tailored to match different vehicle requirements, while maintaining the same basic piston housing.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the piston structure is redesigned for each new model to meet different stiffness curve and design load requirements, then the adaptability to specific vehicle requirements is improved, but the device complexity and production efficiency are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The piston is designed with universal adaptability through an adjustable mechanism that allows a single piston design to serve multiple vehicle models and air spring configurations. The adjustable features enable the same piston to provide different stiffness characteristics and load capacities, replacing the need for multiple specialized piston designs and reducing hardware series complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The piston incorporates dynamic adjustment capabilities that allow its functional parameters to be changed after manufacturing. This dynamic feature enables a single piston design to replace multiple static designs, simplifying the hardware series while maintaining the ability to meet different stiffness and load requirements across various vehicle models.
3Reliability
If the piston structure is redesigned for each new model, then the air spring performance matching is improved, but the productivity and manufacturing management efficiency are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The piston allows for parameter changes in its functional characteristics through mechanical adjustment mechanisms. This enables the same manufactured piston to be configured with different effective areas, stiffness characteristics, and load capacities to match various air spring performance requirements, eliminating the need to manufacture different piston variants for different models.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable piston design provides universal performance matching capability, allowing a single piston design to be used across multiple vehicle models and air spring applications. The adjustment mechanism enables the piston to be tailored to specific performance requirements after manufacturing, improving production efficiency while maintaining reliable performance matching.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables flexible adaptation of air spring stiffness to various vehicle types, reducing the need for redesign and hardware changes, thus optimizing production efficiency and management.
Implementation Method 1
the external frame is elastically deformable, so that an outline shape of the external frame is changeable to change a stiffness curve of the air spring
Implementation Method 2
air can be supplied to or extracted from the internal cavity to change an air pressure in the internal cavity, so that the lateral skin drives the external frame to deform
Data Source
Figure 1~2(b)
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~7
AI summary
A piston for an air spring of a motor vehicle, an air spring and a motor vehicle. The piston includes a central rod; and a housing, including a top bracket, a bottom bracket and an external frame, wherein the top bracket is fixedly installed at a first end of the central rod, the bottom bracket is fixedly installed at a second end of the central rod opposite to the first end, and the external frame is connected between the top bracket and the bottom bracket around the central rod, the external frame is elastically deformable, so that an outline shape of the external frame is changeable to change a stiffness curve of the air spring.