Air Spring Piston With Deformable Frame for Tunable Stiffness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing piston designs for air springs in motor vehicles are inflexible, requiring redesign and hardware changes for different vehicle models due to varying stiffness curve and design load requirements, leading to inefficiencies in production and manufacturing management.
Innovation Solution
A piston design with an elastically deformable external frame and adjustable mechanisms, allowing for changes in stiffness curve through air pressure or mechanical adjustment, enabling adaptation to different vehicle types without replacing the piston.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the piston structure is redesigned for different vehicle models, then the air spring can meet different stiffness curve and design load requirements, but the hardware series increases and production efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The external frame is designed to be elastically deformable rather than rigid, allowing it to dynamically change its outline shape according to different air pressure conditions. This enables a single piston structure to adapt to multiple vehicle models with different stiffness requirements without physical redesign
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state of the external frame from rigid to elastically deformable, and uses air pressure as a controllable parameter to adjust the frame's outline shape. This allows continuous adjustment of the piston's effective area and stiffness characteristics to meet different vehicle requirements
2Adaptability or versatility
If the piston structure is redesigned for different vehicle models, then the air spring can meet different stiffness curve and design load requirements, but the redesign cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The elastically deformable external frame serves multiple functions: it maintains structural support, adapts to different stiffness requirements, and changes outline shape based on air pressure. This universal design eliminates the need for multiple specialized piston designs for different vehicle models
3Adaptability or versatility
If the external frame is made elastically deformable, then the outline shape can be changed to adjust stiffness curve, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The external frame is designed as an elastic shell structure that can deform under air pressure. This flexible design allows the frame to change its outline shape smoothly without requiring complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms, achieving adaptability with relatively simple structure
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 meet varying vehicle requirements, reducing the need for redesign and improving production efficiency by maintaining a single piston design across multiple vehicle models.
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
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, where 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.