Vehicle Air Spring Venting Using Overpressure Compensation Volume
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pneumatic systems for vehicles face challenges in reducing venting noise while maintaining functionality, particularly at high pressures above 12 bar, which can affect driving characteristics and safety.
Innovation Solution
The method involves discharging compressed air from the overpressure volume into a compensation volume, including air springs and an intermediate storage means, to lower the pressure gradually, allowing the pneumatic system to vent at a lower noise level without significantly impacting driving characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If compressed air is vented at high pressure to maintain rapid response time, then productivity is improved, but noise level increases creating harmful factors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-filling a compensation volume with compressed air before venting occurs. This preparation allows the system to maintain lower pressure during venting operations, reducing noise while ensuring rapid response capability is preserved through the pre-positioned compressed air reserve
Solution Approach 2:
The compensation volume acts as an intermediary element between the compressed air supply and the venting system. By introducing this intermediate storage chamber, the system can decouple the high-pressure supply from the low-noise venting requirement, allowing compressed air to be transferred to the compensation volume at high pressure while venting from this volume at lower pressure
2Object-generated harmful factors
If additional components like silencers are installed to reduce noise, then harmful factors are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The compensation volume serves multiple functions: it acts as a noise reduction mechanism during venting, provides a rapid response air reserve, and can serve as a buffer for pressure stabilization. By making this component multi-functional, the patent reduces the need for separate dedicated noise control devices like silencers
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own compressed air supply to fill the compensation volume, and the compensation volume itself serves as the noise reduction mechanism during venting. The system essentially solves its own noise problem using its existing resources rather than requiring external noise control components
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
This approach effectively reduces venting noise while maintaining system functionality, ensuring safety and comfort by minimizing the impact on driving characteristics and preventing excessive vehicle height changes during air spring filling or venting.
Implementation Method 1
air can be drawn in from the surroundings by a compressing means, in particular a compressor
Implementation Method 2
the drawn-in air can be dried by an air dryer
Implementation Method 3
compressed air is discharged from the overpressure volume into a compensation volume, including air springs and an intermediate storage means, to lower the pressure gradually
Data Source
AI summary
A pneumatic system has a compressed air supply and an air spring arrangement which is pneumatically connected to the compressed air supply. The pneumatic system is for a vehicle and further has a controller for controlling the compressed air supply and the air spring arrangement. In the method for operating the pneumatic system, the air dryer and/or the air distributor module represents an overpressure volume. The overpressure volume initially has a pressure greater than a pressure in a remaining portion of the compressed air supply having at least one first air spring and an intermediate store. Compressed air is discharged from the overpressure volume into the compensation volume, accompanied by a reduction in pressure in the overpressure volume, namely, a reduction in the pressure in the air dryer. Compressed air is discharged into the first air spring of the air spring arrangement and into the intermediate store.