Vehicle Spring Base Adjustment Using a Seal-Free Hydraulic Chamber
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for adjusting the foot point of a spring element in vehicles are complex, expensive, and have high power requirements due to sliding seals, which also require additional height for linear guide functions.
Innovation Solution
A device with a chamber that uses an incompressible fluid to change the volume, allowing the distance between the vehicle and the spring element to be adjusted without the need for sliding seals, maintaining a constant mass of the chamber wall elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If hydraulic cylinders with sliding seals are used to adjust the foot point of a spring element, then the adjustment function is achieved, but the device becomes complex, expensive, and vulnerable with high power requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the sliding seal component from the hydraulic adjustment system. Instead of using a traditional hydraulic cylinder with sliding seals, the invention uses a bellows-enclosed hydraulic chamber where the piston rod is contained within the bellows structure. This removal of the sliding seal eliminates the associated complexity, cost, and vulnerability while maintaining the adjustment function through the bellows-protected hydraulic mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nesting by placing the piston rod inside the bellows structure. The bellows acts as a protective enclosure that contains the hydraulic piston and rod assembly. This nested configuration integrates the linear guide function and hydraulic actuation within a single compact structure, eliminating the need for separate sliding seals and external linear guides, thereby reducing device complexity.
2Ease of operation
If sliding seals are used in hydraulic cylinders for foot point adjustment, then the adjustment mechanism is complete, but manufacturing cost increases and reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the sliding seal from the system entirely by using a bellows-enclosed hydraulic chamber design. The bellows provides a flexible, seal-less containment structure that eliminates the vulnerable sliding seal component while maintaining the hydraulic adjustment mechanism's functionality. This extraction of the problematic seal component directly improves reliability.
3Ease of operation
If sliding seals are used for hydraulic foot point adjustment, then the adjustment capability is provided, but friction increases power requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the sliding seal that generates friction by using a bellows-enclosed hydraulic chamber. The bellows structure allows for smooth expansion and contraction without the sliding contact friction inherent in traditional seal designs. This removal of the friction-generating component reduces the power required to operate the adjustment mechanism.
4Ease of operation
If free-standing springs without integrated shock absorbers are used, then the spring function is provided, but a linear guide function must be implemented in the hydraulic cylinder requiring additional overall height
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the linear guide function with the hydraulic chamber structure by using the bellows as both the hydraulic containment and the linear guidance mechanism. The bellows naturally guides the piston rod in a linear path while containing the hydraulic fluid, combining two functions into a single integrated component. This eliminates the need for separate external linear guides and reduces the overall height of the assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent nests the linear guide function within the bellows structure itself. The piston rod is contained within the bellows, and the bellows' expansion and contraction provides both hydraulic actuation and linear guidance. This nested configuration integrates multiple functions within a compact volume, eliminating the need for additional external linear guide components and reducing overall height.
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 provides a simple, cost-effective, and high-speed control mechanism for vehicle dynamics, eliminating the need for sliding seals and allowing for quick adjustments to maintain vehicle level and optimize ground clearance.
Implementation Method 1
A chamber (18) is disposed between the first wall element (14) and the second wall element (16) for changing the distance between the first wall element (14) and the second wall element (16) by changing a volume of the chamber, wherein the chamber (18) has an incompressible fluid (27)
Data Source
AI summary
A device for adjusting a foot point of a vehicle spring element includes a first wall element for connecting to a vehicle, a second wall element spaced from the first wall element and connecting to the spring element, and a chamber disposed between the first wall element and the second wall element for changing the distance between the first wall element and the second wall element by changing a volume of the chamber, the chamber having an incompressible fluid and the first and/or second wall element including a passage opening for the incompressible fluid to the chamber. In embodiments, the passage opening is fluidly connectable to a supply/discharge device for the incompressible fluid, and the chamber has a chamber wall with a third wall element extending from the first wall element to the second wall element, the mass of which is constant when the volume of the chamber is changed.