Electro-magnetic damper with air spring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11338637-B2
Application number	US-201916258909-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 28, 2019
Priority date	Jan 28, 2019
Publication date	May 24, 2022
Grant date	May 24, 2022

Abstract

A damper system for a vehicle is provided that includes a pressurized gas damper, electromagnetic actuator, and pressurized gas spring. The pressurized gas damper includes first and second working chambers that are fluidly connected by a flow control orifice. The electromagnetic actuator includes a stator assembly with a stator cavity and a magnetic rotor that is slidingly received in the stator cavity. The magnetic rotor is fixed to a damper tube that houses the second working chamber. The stator cavity and an end of the damper tube cooperate to define the first working chamber. The pressurized gas spring includes a bellows chamber that extends annularly about the damper tube. The damper tube includes an opening between the second working chamber and the bellows chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A damper system for a vehicle, comprising:
a pressurized gas damper including a first working chamber and a second working chamber, each filed with a pressurized gas, that are fluidly connected by a flow control orifice, the pressurized gas damper including a damper tube that houses the second working chamber and extends between first and second damper tube ends;
an electromagnetic actuator including a magnetic rotor fixed to and extending annularly about the damper tube and a stator assembly extending annularly about a stator cavity that slidingly receives at least a portion of the magnetic rotor and the first damper tube end such that the stator assembly is translatable relative to the damper tube and the magnetic rotor in a compression direction and an extension direction, the first working chamber positioned within the stator cavity; and
a pressurized gas spring including a bellows element that defines a bellows chamber extending annularly about at least a portion of the damper tube, the damper tube including an opening between the second working chamber and the bellows chamber such that the second working chamber inside the damper tube is arranged in fluid communication with the first working chamber via the flow control orifice and is arranged in fluid communication with the bellows chamber via the opening in the damper tube, wherein the flow control orifice generates a pressure differential between the first working chamber and the second working chamber when the stator assembly moves relative to the damper tube.

2. The damper system of claim 1 , wherein the stator assembly includes a stator body and a plurality of coils that extend annularly about the stator cavity.

3. The damper system of claim 2 , wherein the stator body includes a stator carrier having a tubular shape that extends annularly about the plurality of coils.

4. The damper system of claim 3 , wherein each coil in the plurality of coils is supported on a modular ring that has an L-shaped cross-section, each modular ring being received in and supported by the stator carrier.

5. The damper system of claim 2 , further comprising:
at least one glide bearing that is disposed radially between the plurality of coils and the magnetic rotor, wherein the at least one glide bearing moves longitudinally with the stator assembly, is arranged in a sliding fit with the magnetic rotor, and cooperates with the stator body to define the first working chamber.

6. The damper system of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic rotor includes an array of permanent magnets that are fixed to the damper tube.

7. The damper system of claim 6 , wherein the damper tube is made of a ferromagnetic material and the array of permanent magnets are arranged on the damper tube in a longitudinally stacked arrangement.

8. The damper system of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic rotor includes an array of permanent magnets that have a permanent magnetic field that generates an electrical current in the plurality of coils when the stator assembly moves longitudinally relative to the damper tube in an energy harvesting mode of operation and the plurality of coils generate an electro-magnetic field in response to the application of an electrical current to the plurality of coils that interacts with the permanent magnetic field of the permanent magnets to apply a magnetic damping force to the damper system in an active damping mode of operation.

9. The damper system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of coils include at least one set of three phase windings.

10. The damper system of claim 1 , wherein the stator assembly includes a wiper ring that extends annularly about and contacts the magnetic rotor in a sliding fit to create a seal between the stator assembly and the magnetic rotor.

11. The damper system of claim 1 , wherein the flow control orifice has a first cross-sectional area and the opening in the damper tube has a second cross-sectional area that is larger than the first cross-sectional area of the flow control orifice such that gas pressure in the first working chamber exceeds gas pressure in the second working chamber when the stator assembly moves in the compression direction relative to the damper tube and the gas pressure in the second working chamber exceeds the gas pressure in the first working chamber when the stator assembly moves in the extension direction relative to the damper tube.

12. The damper system of claim 1 , wherein the stator body includes an end wall having a first attachment fitting, the second damper tube end includes a second attachment fitting, and the first and second attachment fittings are spaced apart by a longitudinal distance that decreases in length when the stator assembly moves in the compression direction relative to the damper tube and that increases in length when the stator assembly moves in the extension direction relative to the damper tube.

13. The damper system of claim 1 , wherein the flow control orifice is one or more orifice holes extending through the first damper tube end.

14. The damper system of claim 1 , wherein the flow control orifice is a two-way valve mounted to the first damper tube end.

15. The damper system of claim 1 , wherein the opening in the damper tube is one or more vent holes extending through the damper tube between the magnetic rotor and the second damper tube end.

16. A damper system for a vehicle, comprising:
a pressurized gas damper including a first working chamber and a second working chamber, each filed with a pressurized gas, that are fluidly connected by a flow control orifice, the pressurized gas damper including a damper tube that houses the second working chamber and extends between first and second damper tube ends;
an electromagnetic actuator including a magnetic rotor fixed to and extending annularly about the damper tube and a stator assembly extending annularly about a stator cavity that slidingly receives at least a portion of the magnetic rotor and the first damper tube end such that the stator assembly is translatable relative to the damper tube and the magnetic rotor in a compression direction and an extension direction, the first working chamber positioned within the stator cavity; and
a pressurized gas spring including a bellows element extending between a first bellows end that is sealingly engaged with the stator assembly and a second bellows end that is sealingly engaged with the damper tube to define a bellows chamber that extends annularly about at least a portion of the damper tube,
wherein the damper system is devoid of a piston and piston rod that is longitudinally translatable relative to the damper tube, where the flow control orifice generates a pressure differential between the first working chamber and the second working chamber when the stator assembly moves relative to the damper tube.

17. The damper system of claim 16 , wherein the damper tube includes an opening between the second working chamber and the bellows chamber such that the second working chamber inside the damper tube is arranged in fluid communication with the first working chamber via the flow control orifice and is arranged in fluid communication with the bellows chamber via the opening in the damper tube.

18. The damper system of claim 17 , wherein the flow control orifice has a first cross-sectional area and the opening in the damper tube has a second cross-sectional area that is larger than the first cross-sectional area of the flow control orifice such that gas pressure in the first working chamber exceeds gas pressure in the second working cham

Assignees

• Tenneco Automotive Operating Co Inc

Inventors

• Dhaens Miguel
• Sakka Monzer Al
• Lauwerys Christophe

Classifications

• F16F15/027

  comprising control arrangements {(F16F15/0237 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B60G17/08

  Characteristics of fluid dampers (adjusting fluid dampers in general F16F9/44 - F16F9/53) · CPC title

• B60G17/0155

  pneumatic unit · CPC title

• B60G17/0565

  Height adjusting valves · CPC title

• B60G2500/10

  Damping action or damper · CPC title