Guide-Ball Valve Assembly for Brake Vibration Damping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle brake system valves with ABS and ESP functionality experience vibration issues due to pressure waves, leading to noise and mechanical wear, which are not effectively addressed by current damping measures that depend on flow velocity and fluid properties, and are not sustainable over the vehicle's life.
Innovation Solution
A valve assembly with a movably mounted closing body guided axially and radially by guide balls, where the fluid passage is formed radially, generating a hydraulic force that reduces vibration and maintains functionality over the vehicle's life by compensating for tolerances and material abrasion through automatic readjustment of the guide balls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If cost-optimal ball/conical-seat valves are installed, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but valve vibrations increase leading to noise and mechanical wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces guide balls as intermediary elements between the closing body and the valve housing. These guide balls act as mediators that provide axial and radial guidance to the closing body, preventing direct contact and vibration between the closing body and the housing, thereby reducing noise and mechanical wear while maintaining the simple ball/conical-seat valve design
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical damping measures with a hydraulic damping mechanism. The radial fluid passage allows pressure waves to act on the closing body in a controlled manner, creating hydraulic damping that reduces vibrations without requiring additional mechanical damping components, thus maintaining cost-effectiveness while reducing harmful vibrations
2Object-affected harmful factors
If additional damping measures are installed to reduce valve vibrations, then vibration suppression is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide balls serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide axial guidance, radial guidance, and vibration damping for the closing body. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate damping components, maintaining simple valve construction while effectively suppressing vibrations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the hydraulic properties of the brake fluid itself for damping vibrations. The radial fluid passage allows pressure waves to interact with the closing body in a controlled manner, creating hydraulic damping without requiring additional mechanical damping components, thus avoiding increased device complexity
3Object-affected harmful factors
If elastic friction elements are used for vibration damping, then vibration suppression is improved, but reliability decreases over vehicle life due to abrasion and material degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The guide balls are designed to automatically compensate for wear and geometric changes over time. As the closing body wears or geometric changes occur, the guide balls self-adjust their position and contact points, maintaining proper axial and radial guidance throughout the vehicle's service life without requiring replacement or adjustment, thus ensuring long-term reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces elastic friction elements (which degrade over time) with hard, wear-resistant guide balls that provide guidance through rolling contact rather than friction. This substitution eliminates the reliability issues associated with elastic material degradation and abrasion, ensuring consistent vibration damping throughout the vehicle's service life
4Device complexity
If no guide mechanism is provided, then device complexity is reduced, but one-sided loading increases leading to negative effects on service life
Solution Approach 1:
The guide balls act as intermediaries that distribute and balance the loads on the closing body. By providing controlled contact points for axial and radial guidance, they prevent one-sided loading that would otherwise occur during opening and closing operations, thereby extending the service life of the closing body and other components without significantly increasing device complexity
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
The solution significantly reduces valve vibrations and maintains the valve's functionality over its operational life by minimizing one-sided loading and geometric changes, ensuring consistent performance across various fluid conditions and temperature ranges.
Implementation Method 1
the closing body is guided axially and/or radially by at least one guide ball
Implementation Method 2
one fluid passage is formed in the radial direction of the valve body... generating a hydraulic force that reduces vibration
Data Source
AI summary
A valve assembly with a valve body, which has a fluid passage designed as a fluid inlet and at least one fluid passage designed as a fluid outlet, is disclosed. A fluid chamber connecting the fluid inlet to the at least one fluid outlet is formed in the valve body. A movably mounted closing body is positioned in the fluid chamber. The closing body is guided axially and/or radially by at least one guide ball. The at least one guide ball is arranged between the closing body and a lateral delimitation of the fluid chamber. A fluid passage is formed in the radial direction of the valve body.