Hydraulic Ground Clearance Adjustment Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydraulic ground clearance adjustment devices for motor vehicles are cumbersome and cannot be easily integrated into pre-existing suspension and damping systems, limiting their application to aftermarket installations and increasing design and production costs.
Innovation Solution
A compact hydraulic ground clearance adjustment device featuring an outer cylinder, a return with an annular groove, and a piston that slides axially, allowing for minimal space occupation on the piston rod, enabling easy integration into suspension and damping systems without significant modifications, with autonomous operation stops and sliding guides for self-sufficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the hydraulic device is located as close as possible to the axis of the piston rod to reduce seal circumference and friction, then the device becomes cumbersome in the direction of its axis and increases in length
Solution Approach 1:
The return component is given a conical shape with its generator forming an angle with the piston rod axis, causing the return to be inclined relative to the axis. This angular arrangement allows the hydraulic device to achieve its sealing function while reducing its axial projection length, effectively trading radial dimension for axial dimension to resolve the contradiction between minimizing friction and minimizing length.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the hydraulic device is designed to be compact along the piston rod axis, then it can be easily integrated into pre-existing suspension systems, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The piston is received within the return component, and the outer cylinder contains both the return and piston assembly. This nested arrangement allows multiple functional components to be compacted into a space-efficient configuration that fits within the constraints of existing suspension systems while maintaining the necessary functional complexity through hierarchical integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The return component is designed to be movable relative to the outer cylinder, with the piston sliding within the return. This dynamic arrangement allows the device to adapt its internal configuration during operation, enabling compact integration into fixed suspension systems while maintaining functional versatility through relative motion between components.
3Reliability
If the hydraulic device is made autonomous with integrated stops and sliding guides, then it becomes self-sufficient, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stop means and sliding guide means are integrated directly into the return component rather than being separate external components. The return simultaneously provides hydraulic containment, piston guidance, movement limitation, and structural support functions, merging multiple functions into a single component to achieve autonomy without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The return component serves multiple functions: it contains the hydraulic fluid, guides the piston movement, provides stop means to limit piston travel, and acts as a structural element of the hydraulic device. This multi-functionality allows the device to be autonomous and self-sufficient while avoiding the need for separate dedicated components for each function.
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 allows for the integration of the hydraulic device into vehicles without initial ground clearance adjustment systems, reducing design and production costs while maintaining minimal impact on the vehicle's geometry and dynamics, enabling both base and sophisticated models to share common components with added options.
Implementation Method 1
reduces the circumference of the seals used for the seal, which reduces the friction they induce
Implementation Method 2
a suspension and damping system to be mounted on a chassis of a motor vehicle, comprising a piston rod adapted to be fixed to the chassis of the motor vehicle, a spring engaged on the piston rod, and a hydraulic device as aforementioned
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention concerns a hydraulic device (1) for adjusting ground clearance for a motor vehicle, suitable for being interposed between the chassis (50) of a motor vehicle and a spring (60) of a suspension and damping system (2) of the motor vehicle, comprising a piston (21) inserted through a first end (32) of an outer cylinder (10). According to the invention, the outer cylinder (10) carries, at a second end (34) opposite the first end (32) of same, a return (11) that delimits, with the outer cylinder (10), an annular groove (14) inside which the piston (21) is capable of sliding axially. A suspension and damping system (2) comprising such a device is also described.