Hydraulic Fail-Safe Valve Slide for Bidirectional Damper Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing chassis damper valves with fail-safe functions are limited to either the rebound or compression direction, lacking bidirectional damping control and stability in the event of electromagnet failure or power loss.
Innovation Solution
A control valve device with a hydraulic fail-safe unit that provides bidirectional damping characteristics by incorporating a valve slide with multiple hydraulic effective surfaces and a mechanical fail-safe mechanism, ensuring damping hardness falls within a safe middle range even in de-energized states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fail-safe function is implemented in chassis damper valves, then safety in de-energized states is improved, but the fail-safe function is limited to only rebound direction or only compression direction
Solution Approach 1:
The valve slide is divided into multiple functional surfaces: a first hydraulic effective surface for rebound direction control and a second hydraulic effective surface for compression direction control. This segmentation allows independent fail-safe mechanisms for each direction, enabling bidirectional damping control while maintaining safety in de-energized states.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve slide serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides fail-safe damping in rebound direction through the first hydraulic effective surface, fail-safe damping in compression direction through the second hydraulic effective surface, and variable damping control when energized. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by making the single component adaptable to both directions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If damping hardness is adjusted for variable damping characteristics, then adaptability is improved, but stability in de-energized states deteriorates due to soft or hard de-energized operation states
Solution Approach 1:
The valve slide is pre-configured with specific hydraulic effective surfaces and flow passages that automatically engage in de-energized states to provide predetermined fail-safe damping characteristics. This preliminary configuration ensures stability is maintained without requiring active control, while still allowing variable damping when energized.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydraulic fail-safe unit is designed to automatically maintain stable damping characteristics in de-energized states through its inherent mechanical configuration of the valve slide and flow passages, without requiring external energy input or active control systems. The system serves itself to ensure safety.
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
Ensures stable damping properties in both rebound and compression directions, preventing unfavorable operation states like soft or hard de-energized conditions, and maintaining safety in electromagnet failures or power outages.
Implementation Method 1
the valve slide comprises at least one hydraulic effective surface and at least one further hydraulic effective surface, preferably at least a first further hydraulic effective surface and a second further hydraulic effective surface, wherein the hydraulic effective surface and the further hydraulic effective surface(s) are arranged on the valve slide relative to one another such that they hydraulically counteract one another
Data Source
AI summary
A control valve device for a regulation of damping characteristics, in particular of shock absorbers, includes a valve slide and a hydraulic fail-safe unit which is configured, in a de-energized operation state, to provide a fail-safe damping characteristic of the valve slide, the damping hardness of which in a rebound direction lies between a minimally possible rebound damping hardness and a maximally possible rebound damping hardness, and the damping hardness of which in a compression direction lies between a minimally possible compression damping hardness and a maximally possible compression damping hardness.