Integral Piston Chamber for Gas Spring Volume
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gas spring assemblies in vehicle suspension systems face limitations in reducing spring rate due to constraints in adding additional volume, leading to potential leak points and limited space for mounting, which affects ride comfort and performance.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates an integral piston chamber with a mounting arrangement that allows the piston chamber to surround the structural member on multiple sides, utilizing adjacent space to increase the volume and enhance the gas spring assembly's performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an additional chamber filled with pressurized gas is provided to increase volume, then ride comfort is improved by reducing spring rate, but device complexity increases and potential leak points are introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the additional gas chamber with the piston assembly by forming the piston chamber as an integral part of the piston structure. The piston chamber is formed within the piston body itself, eliminating the need for separate reservoirs and connecting hoses, thus reducing device complexity while maintaining the volume increase needed for improved ride comfort
Solution Approach 2:
The piston chamber is nested within the piston assembly structure. The piston chamber is formed inside the piston body, utilizing the existing piston structure to house the additional gas volume. This nesting approach allows the additional chamber to be integrated without adding external components, reducing potential leak points and simplifying the overall device
2Reliability
If piston chamber volume is increased to reduce spring rate, then ride comfort is improved, but mounting space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The piston chamber is nested within the piston assembly, utilizing the internal structure of the piston to house the additional gas volume. This allows the increased volume to be achieved without proportionally increasing the external dimensions or mounting space requirements, as the additional chamber is contained within the existing piston footprint
Solution Approach 2:
The piston chamber utilizes the vertical dimension by extending below the mounting surface of the piston. This allows additional volume to be added in the depth direction rather than requiring increased lateral mounting space, enabling volume increase while maintaining compact mounting dimensions
Data Source
AI summary
A piston assembly including an integral piston chamber with an increased volume that is maximized by providing a mounting arrangement whereby the piston can be mounted to a structural member such that the piston chamber surrounds at least two sides of the structural member. A gas damping passage is disposed in fluid communication with the piston chamber and is dimensioned such that pressurized gas transferred through the gas damping passage can dissipate kinetic energy acting on the piston assembly. The piston chamber can therefore utilize space adjacent the structural member to which it is mounted thereby resulting in a piston chamber of a greater volume than prior art designs. A gas spring and gas damper assembly utilizing such a piston assembly is also included.