Hydraulic device comprising a sealing element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10975699-B2
Application number	US-201715837473-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2017
Priority date	Dec 12, 2016
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

A hydraulic device for an internal combustion engine or a gearing system, the hydraulic device including a housing featuring a chamber wall structure which delineates a pressure chamber for a pressurised hydraulic fluid; an actuating member which can be adjusted in the housing relative to the chamber wall structure in an actuating direction and in an actuating counter direction opposite to the actuating direction in order to adjust the delivery volume or phase position; and a sealing element including a sealing structure and a spring structure which is supported or moulded on one of the chamber wall structure and the actuating member, preferably the actuating member, and presses the sealing structure into sealing contact with the other of the chamber wall structure and the actuating member with a spring force in order to seal off the pressure chamber. The sealing structure and the spring structure are moulded in one piece.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sealing element comprising:
(1) a sealing structure which exhibits a maximum extension in a longitudinal direction and comprises: a front side which extends in the longitudinal direction and comprises a sealing surface which forms a seal; and a rear side which extends in the longitudinal direction and faces oppositely away from the front side; and
(2) a spring structure on the rear side of the sealing structure;
(3) wherein the spring structure is spring-deflectable in a direction of the rear side of the sealing structure, and
(4) wherein the sealing structure and the spring structure are moulded in one piece;
(5) wherein the spring structure comprises a spring portion which extends at a distance from the rear side of the sealing structure and overlaps with the sealing structure in the longitudinal direction from a first end of the spring structure to a second end of the spring structure and protrudes from the sealing structure at the first and second end;
(6) wherein the spring structure alone or together with the sealing structure encompasses a free space into which the spring structure is spring-deflectable; and
(7) wherein the spring structure is shaped as a flat bracket and in a central region between root regions, the spring structure comprises a local supporting region which is curved outwards away from the sealing structure in a form of a bulge, the spring structure having a radius of curvature which in the central region changes with respect to the sealing structure from negative to positive and back to negative thereby forming the bulge.

2. The sealing element according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing structure and the spring structure are moulded generatively or in a casting method from plastic.

3. The sealing element according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing structure and the spring structure consist of plastic, wherein the plastic contains one or more additives configured to improve a sliding characteristic of the plastic.

4. The sealing element according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing structure is a beam-shaped or rod- shaped sealing strip and/or a sealing strip which is resistant to bending in a spring plane of the spring structure.

5. The sealing element according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing structure has a solid profile which extends in the longitudinal direction or a hollow profile which is circumferentially closed.

6. The sealing element according to claim 1 , wherein the spring structure is bent elastically, in the direction of the rear side of the sealing structure in a spring surface which extends in the longitudinal direction and follows a profile of the sealing structure.

7. The sealing element according to claim 1 ,
(i) wherein the spring structure has a spring constant of at least 2 N/mm; and
(ii) wherein the spring structure has a spring constant of at most 6 N/mm.

8. The sealing element according to claim 1 , wherein the spring structure is configured to elastically deform in a spring plane by shifting a straight line in the longitudinal direction of the sealing structure in parallel, and wherein the spring portion extends at a distance from the rear side of the sealing structure and overlaps with the sealing structure in a spring surface.

9. The sealing element according to claim 1 , wherein in a region of the spring structure the sealing element comprises a cavity and/or passage and/or is narrower than the sealing structure in an actuating direction throughout the sealing element.

10. The sealing element according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing structure and the spring structure consist of a thermoplastic and/or thermosetting material, wherein the material contains reinforcing particles and/or a sliding additive configured to improve a sliding characteristic of the material.

11. A hydraulic device for an internal combustion engine or a gearing system, namely a hydraulic pump exhibiting an adjustable delivery volume, or a hydraulic cam shaft phase setter for adjusting a phase position of a cam shaft relative to a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine, the hydraulic device comprising:
(a) a housing including a chamber wall structure which delineates a pressure chamber for a pressurised hydraulic fluid;
(b) an actuating member which is configured to adjust in the housing relative to the chamber wall structure in an actuating direction and in an actuating counter direction which is opposite to the actuating direction so as to adjust the delivery volume or phase position;
(c) and a sealing element according to claim 1 , wherein the spring structure is supported or moulded on one of the chamber wall structure and the actuating member and presses the sealing structure into a sealing contact with a remaining one of the chamber wall structure and the actuating member with a spring force so as to seal off the pressure chamber.

12. The hydraulic device according to claim 11 , wherein the front side of the sealing structure is situated in the sealing contact, and the sealing structure and the spring structure extend from the front side of the sealing structure to the rear side of the sealing structure in a spring plane in which the spring structure is configured to elastically deform and which extends through the sealing contact and the rear side of the sealing structure.

13. The hydraulic device according to claim 11 , wherein the spring structure is configured to elastically deform in a spring plane extending transverse to the actuating direction so as to generate the spring force.

14. The hydraulic device according to claim 11 , wherein the spring structure is configured to elastically deform so as to be subjected to a spring biasing force which presses the sealing structure into the sealing contact in all positions which the actuating member assumes relative to the chamber wall structure when the hydraulic device is in operation.

15. The hydraulic device according to claim 11 , wherein the rear side of the sealing structure is in fluid communication with the pressure chamber, such that the hydraulic fluid is applied to the rear side of the sealing structure in a direction of the sealing contact.

16. The hydraulic device according to claim 11 , wherein the sealing element is arranged in a cavity of one of the chamber wall structure and the actuating member, and the cavity comprises side walls which face each other in the actuating direction and guide the sealing structure such that the sealing structure is moved in a direction of the sealing contact.

17. The hydraulic device according claim 11 , wherein the sealing element is arranged in a cavity of one of the chamber wall structure and the actuating member, and the front side of the sealing structure comprises a sealing surface which is in the sealing contact with the chamber wall structure, and the rear side of the sealing structure locally comprises a supporting region via which the sealing element is supported in the cavity by a pressure contact.

18. The hydraulic device according to claim 11 , wherein: the hydraulic device further comprises a rotor which rotates about a rotational axis; the actuating member surrounds the rotor or forms the rotor and comprises a circumference which extends around the rotational axis and lies opposite the chamber wall structure in a region of a sealing gap; and the sealing gap and the sealing element extend in a direction which comprises an axial directional component which is parallel to the rotational axis.

19. A sealing element comprising:
(1) a sealing structure which exhibits a

Assignees

• Shw Automotive Gmbh

Inventors

• Meinig Uwe
• Baur Dominik

Classifications

• F01L1/3442 Primary

  using hydraulic chambers with variable volume to transmit the rotating force · CPC title

• F04C15/0015

  of resilient material · CPC title

• F04C15/0003

  Sealing arrangements in rotary-piston machines or pumps (sealing in general F16J) · CPC title

• F01C19/12 Primary

  for other than working fluid · CPC title

• F01L2001/34433

  Location oil control valves · CPC title