Air spring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017015334-A1
Application number	US-201515124133-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 12, 2015
Priority date	Mar 14, 2014
Publication date	Jan 19, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Included are: a first supporting member; a second supporting member arranged to be spaced away from the first supporting member in a main load direction; an elastically deformable diaphragm forming a closed space by connecting the first supporting member and the second supporting member; a detection unit detecting a change of a relative distance between the first supporting member and the second supporting member, and producing a mechanical output of the change of the relative distance; and a controlling member capable of discharging air in an inside of the closed space S to an outside of the closed space S in response to the mechanical output from the detection unit. Thereby, an air spring having a mechanism for suppressing an abnormal rise of a vehicle height without deteriorating the diaphragm can be provided.

First claim

1 : An air spring comprising:
a first supporting member; a second supporting member arranged to be spaced away from the first supporting member in a main load direction; an elastically deformable diaphragm forming a closed space by connecting the first supporting member and the second supporting member; a detection unit detecting a change of a relative distance between the first supporting member and the second supporting member, and producing a mechanical output of the change of the relative distance; and a controlling member capable of discharging air in an inside of the closed space to an outside of the closed space in response to the mechanical output from the detection unit.

2 : The air spring according to claim 1 , wherein
the detection unit includes a wire routed between the first supporting member and the second supporting member, and the mechanical output corresponds to a displacement of one end of the wire.

3 : The air spring according to claim 1 , wherein the controlling member includes a through hole allowing communication between the inside and the outside of the closed space, and an opening/closing member capable of opening and closing the through hole.

4 : The air spring according to claim 3 , wherein the opening/closing member has a plug member configured to be movable relative to the through hole by the mechanical output.

5 : The air spring according to claim 4 , wherein
the plug member has a first tapered portion formed in a tapered shape, and the through hole has an inner circumferential surface including a second tapered portion that is in surface contact with the first tapered portion of the plug member in a state where the opening/closing member closes the through hole.

6 : The air spring according to claim 1 , wherein
the second supporting member includes an elastic member, and the controlling member is provided in the elastic member.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Electric Industries
• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Haraguchi Hirokazu
• Nishimura Takehiro
• Okumura Yasufumi

Classifications

• F16F9/05

  the flexible wall being of the rolling diaphragm type · CPC title

• F16F9/50

  Special means providing automatic damping adjustment, {i.e. self-adjustment of damping by particular sliding movements of a valve element, other than flexions or displacement of valve discs}(F16F9/53 takes precedence); {Special means providing self-adjustment of spring characteristics} · CPC title

• F16F13/002

  comprising at least one fluid spring (F16F13/005, F16F13/02, F16F13/04 take precedence) · CPC title

• B61F5/10 Primary

  incorporating fluid springs · CPC title

• F16F2230/24

  Detecting or preventing malfunction, e.g. fail safe · CPC title