Integrated Jounce Damper Top Mount for Suspension Load Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automotive suspension systems face challenges in optimizing the placement of jounce dampers due to packaging constraints, leading to suboptimal motion ratios and higher loads, as they are often positioned in non-ideal locations, affecting the vehicle's comfort and control.
Innovation Solution
Integrating a jounce damper into the vehicle's top mount, which includes a flange coupled to a cylindrical body with a damping member and a damper rod, along with a jounce shock assembly featuring a cylindrical body with parallel chambers and a floating piston, allowing for efficient energy dissipation and reduced structural requirements for attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a jounce damper is separately mounted to the vehicle frame or body structure, then it can provide energy mitigation to reduce peak suspension loads, but packaging constraints force it into a suboptimal location resulting in poor motion ratio and higher loads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the jounce damper with the top mount assembly into an integrated unit. The jounce damper assembly includes a body mounted to the vehicle body and a rod connected to the suspension component, allowing the previously separate elements to function together as a unified structure. This merging eliminates the need for separate mounting structures and enables optimal positioning for motion ratio while maintaining energy mitigation capabilities.
2Reliability
If a jounce damper is separately mounted to the vehicle frame or body structure, then it can provide energy mitigation to reduce peak suspension loads, but additional structure is required for attachment which increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The jounce damper is integrated with the top mount assembly, combining what were previously separate components into a single unified structure. The body of the jounce damper assembly serves as both the mounting structure and the functional damping element, eliminating the need for additional attachment structures and reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The top mount assembly serves multiple functions: it provides structural mounting for the suspension component and simultaneously houses the jounce damper mechanism. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated jounce damper mounting structures, reducing complexity while maintaining energy mitigation capabilities.
3Volume of moving object
If packaging constraints are accommodated by mounting the jounce damper in available space, then the system fits within vehicle architecture, but the position results in poor motion ratio and higher loads
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the jounce damper with the top mount assembly, the system utilizes the space already allocated for the top mount without requiring additional packaging volume. This integration allows the jounce damper to be positioned at the optimal location for motion ratio while maintaining packaging efficiency within the vehicle's suspension architecture.
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 configuration enables better load management and improved motion ratios by directing loads through an existing load path, reducing peak suspension loads and enhancing the vehicle's comfort and control during road anomalies.
Implementation Method 1
the check valve closes as the piston moves between the compressed position and the extended position to control a rate of fluid transfer within the first chamber to slow a rate of movement of the piston
Implementation Method 2
the floating piston separates the oil from the compressed air
Implementation Method 3
the second chamber of the jounce shock body is generally filled with a compression member coupled to the floating piston. In some aspects, the compression member is a compression spring
Implementation Method 4
The vehicle suspension system includes a damper coupled to the top mount. The damper includes a damping member and a damper rod coupled to the damping member
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle suspension system includes a damper top mount including a top mount body defining an interior cavity, a damper coupled to the top mount and including a damping member and a damper rod coupled to the damping member, and a jounce shock assembly including a jounce shock body coupled with the damper top mount and encircling the top mount body. The jounce shock body includes an exterior wall and a dividing wall generally parallel to and interior of the exterior wall, a first chamber defined by the top mount body and the dividing wall, a second chamber fluidly coupled with and parallel to the first chamber and defined by the dividing wall and the exterior wall, a floating piston movably disposed within the second chamber, and a piston configured to translate within the first chamber between an extended position and a compressed position.