Wheel Suspension Spring Adjustment for Length Tolerance Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The varying lengths of spring elements in vehicles due to manufacturing tolerances lead to vehicle inclination and pose a cost-effective solution challenge, as precise adjustment assemblies are either costly or require additional parts.
Innovation Solution
An adjustment assembly comprising two interlocking elements with sloping abutment surfaces and protrusions, allowing incremental and precise adjustment of the distance between support surfaces, enabling stable and reliable compensation of length variations without additional parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If spring elements are produced with narrow tolerances to minimize length variation, then manufacturing precision is improved, but production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment assembly is divided into two separate adjustment elements that can be independently manufactured and then assembled together. This segmentation allows each element to be produced with standard tolerances, avoiding the high costs associated with manufacturing single-component adjustments with narrow tolerances while achieving the same functional precision through the combined action of both elements
Solution Approach 2:
Two adjustment elements with sloping abutment surfaces are combined to form a complete adjustment mechanism. The complementary sloping surfaces of both elements work together to provide precise adjustment capability, merging two standard-precision components to achieve the function that would otherwise require a single high-precision component
2Stability of the object's composition
If an adjustment assembly is added to compensate for spring length variations, then vehicle stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment elements incorporate sloping abutment surfaces that enable dynamic adjustment through relative rotation. This dynamic mechanism allows the distance between support surfaces to be continuously adapted by rotating one element relative to the other, providing a simple yet effective means to compensate for spring length variations and maintain vehicle stability
Solution Approach 2:
The distance between the support surfaces of the two adjustment elements is varied by changing the rotational parameter of the elements relative to each other. This parameter change approach allows continuous adjustment of the effective length to compensate for spring variations without requiring complex mechanical structures
3Measurement precision
If adjustment elements with sloping abutment surfaces are used to enable precise adjustment, then adjustment precision is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sloping abutment surfaces are designed with complementary angles on both adjustment elements, creating a symmetric geometry that simplifies manufacturing. Both elements can be produced using identical or mirror-image machining processes, ensuring precision while maintaining ease of manufacture through geometric symmetry and standard machining practices
Data Source
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AI summary
The disclosure relates to an adjustment assembly (16) for compensating a length variation of a spring element for a vehicle. The adjustment assembly (16) comprises a first adjustment element (24) having a primary abutment surface (32a, 32b, 32c) and a primary support surface (28). Moreover, the adjustment assembly (16) comprises a second adjustment element (26) having a secondary abutment surface (38a, 38b, 38c) and a secondary support surface (36). The first adjustment element (24) and the second adjustment element (26) are arranged adjacent to one another along an axis (A) such that the primary abutment surface (32a, 32b, 32c) and the secondary abutment surface (38a, 38b, 38c) contact each other. The primary abutment surface (32a, 32b, 32c) and the secondary abutment surface (38a, 38b, 38c) extend circumferentially around the axis (A) respectively and are sloping, such that a distance (D) between the primary support surface (28) and the secondary support surface (36) is adaptable by rotating the first adjustment element (24) and the second adjustment element (26) relative to one another. Additionally, a wheel suspension assembly for a vehicle comprising a spring element and such an adjustment assembly (16) is presented.