Vehicle Height Adjustment with Single-Handle Hydraulic Balancing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle height adjusting apparatuses face challenges in ensuring uniform oil flow into and out of damper devices, leading to inconsistent vehicle height adjustments due to varying oil inflow and outflow amounts, which requires separate operating portions for each damper device, increasing the time required for height adjustments.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle height adjusting apparatus with a cylindrical body internally partitioned into multiple oil chambers, where pistons are positioned within these chambers and coupled to a single operating portion, allowing for equal movement and thus uniform oil flow into and out of the damper devices, using a load transmitting portion to enhance operability and prevent oil leakage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If separate operating portions are provided for each damper device to ensure uniform oil flow, then the uniformity of height adjustment is improved, but the device complexity and operation time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuniformity of height adjustmentVSAvoidnumber of operating portions
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple operating portions into a single operating portion that controls multiple pistons simultaneously. The operating portion is configured to move along the cylindrical body's axis, and through mechanical coupling (such as a rod connecting both pistons), it ensures that both pistons move by the same amount, thereby achieving uniform oil flow to both damper devices with a single operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The single operating portion serves multiple functions: it controls both pistons, ensures equal movement of both pistons, and thereby regulates oil flow to both damper devices uniformly. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate operating portions for each damper device while maintaining adjustment uniformity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Manufacturing precision

If separate operating portions are provided for each damper device to ensure uniform oil flow, then the consistency of height adjustment is improved, but the time required for adjustment increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconsistency of height adjustmentVSAvoidadjustment time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

By combining the control of multiple pistons into a single operating portion, the patent enables simultaneous adjustment of both damper devices. When the operating portion moves along the cylindrical body, it drives both pistons at the same time, ensuring consistent oil flow and height adjustment across both sides, thereby reducing the total adjustment time while maintaining consistency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The single operating portion enables continuous and simultaneous action on both pistons during the adjustment process. As the operator moves the operating portion along the cylindrical body, both pistons are driven continuously and uniformly, ensuring that oil flows uniformly to both damper devices in a single continuous operation, thus reducing adjustment time while maintaining consistency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Productivity

If a single operating portion controls multiple pistons to reduce operation time, then the productivity is improved, but it becomes difficult to ensure uniform movement of pistons

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadjustment speedVSAvoiduniformity of piston movement
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs asymmetric mechanical coupling between the operating portion and the pistons. The operating portion is positioned asymmetrically relative to the pistons, and the coupling mechanism (such as a connecting rod) is designed to transmit motion asymmetrically, ensuring that both pistons receive equal movement forces simultaneously. This asymmetric design allows the single operating portion to maintain precise control over both pistons, ensuring uniform movement while improving productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary mechanical coupling mechanism (such as a rod or connecting structure) between the single operating portion and the multiple pistons. This intermediary ensures that the motion from the single operating portion is evenly distributed to both pistons, maintaining uniform piston movement while enabling simultaneous control, thus achieving both high productivity and precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Manufacturing precision

If the cylindrical body is partitioned into multiple oil chambers with pistons to enable uniform oil flow, then the uniformity of oil distribution is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuniformity of oil distributionVSAvoidstructural complexity of cylindrical body
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the cylindrical body into multiple oil chambers, with each chamber housing a piston. This segmentation allows independent control of oil flow to each damper device while maintaining uniform distribution. The partitioning creates distinct spaces for oil circulation, enabling precise control over oil flow to each side of the vehicle, thereby improving uniformity of oil distribution despite the increased structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs a nested structure where pistons are positioned inside the partitioned oil chambers within the cylindrical body. Each piston is nested within its respective oil chamber, and the entire assembly is integrated into the cylindrical body. This nested design allows for compact arrangement of multiple components, managing structural complexity while enabling uniform oil distribution through the partitioned chambers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

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 ensures uniform oil flow into and out of the damper devices using a single operating portion, reducing the time needed for vehicle height adjustments and improving the consistency of height adjustments across both damper devices.

Implementation Method 1

a piston that moves along an axis of the cylindrical body by the operating portion; oil flowing out of the cylindrical body when the piston moves flows into the damper device

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHydraulic pressure: Hydraulic Press

Data Source

PatentEP3659835B1Vehicle height adjustment device
Publication Date: 2024.06.12 ASTEMO LTD
  • EP3659835B1 patent drawing
  • EP3659835B1 patent drawing
  • EP3659835B1 patent drawing

AI summary

A vehicle height adjusting apparatus (20) has a cylindrical body (40), one operating portion (50), pistons (60), and a plurality of damper devices (22). The cylindrical body (40) is internally partitioned into a plurality of oil chambers (Oi) by a partition wall (42). The cylindrical body (40) includes cylindrical body oil holes (43) provided in the oil chambers (Oi) respectively to be connected to the outside. The operating portion (50) is provided rotatably on the cylindrical body (40). The operating portion (50) can be rotated to be moved along an axis (CL1). The pistons (60) are received in the oil chambers (Oi) respectively. The damper devices (22) are respectively provided with damper oil holes (22b) into which oil flowing out of the cylindrical body oil holes (43) flows so that the damper devices (22) can adjust a vehicle height by amounts of the oil filled into the damper devices (22) through the damper oil holes (22b).