Compressed air supply unit, compressed air supply system, and vehicle, in particular passenger car, having a compressed air supply unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9764278-B2
Application number	US-201214367303-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 28, 2012
Priority date	Dec 23, 2011
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A compressed air supply unit for operating a pneumatic unit by means of a compressed air flow, in particular of an air suspension unit of a vehicle, comprises an air dryer arrangement in a main pneumatic line that pneumatically links a compressed air feed line from an air compressor and a compressed air connection to the pneumatic unit. A valve arrangement is pneumatically connected to the main pneumatic line for controlling the compressed air flow. The air dryer arrangement has a drying container having a container outer wall. A partition along a length of the drying container divides an internal space delimited by the container outer wall into first and second chambers delimited by the partition and the container outer wall. The partition adjoins the container outer wall along the length of the drying container, and the first and second chambers are adjacent to one another along that length.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A compressed air supply unit for operating a pneumatic unit using a compressed air flow, the compressed air supply unit comprising:
an air dryer in a main pneumatic line pneumatically linking a compressed air feed from an air compressor and a compressed air connection leading to a pneumatic unit; and
a valve arrangement pneumatically connected to the main pneumatic line for controlling a compressed air flow;
wherein the air dryer includes a drying container having a container outer wall, a partition along a longitudinal extent of the drying container dividing an internal space delimited by the container outer wall into a first and a second chamber, the first chamber and the second chamber being delimited by the partition and the container outer wall, the partition adjoining the container outer wall along the longitudinal extent, and the first chamber and the second chamber being arranged adjacent to one another along the longitudinal extent, and
wherein a connection flange common to the first chamber and the second chamber is disposed on a connection side of the drying container, the connection flange having a first opening associated with the first chamber and a second opening associated with the second chamber, the first opening and the second opening being separated by a flange web associated with the partition.

2. The compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a pneumatic link linking the first chamber to the second chamber, and wherein the compressed air flow in the first chamber and the second chamber is routable (i) in opposite directions and along the longitudinal extent and (ii) transversely to the longitudinal extent in the pneumatic link.

3. The compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the partition extends along the longitudinal extent and substantially centrally on a longitudinal axis of the drying container, and wherein the first and second chambers have substantially identical chamber volumes.

4. The compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a first chamber axis of the first chamber and a second chamber axis of the second chamber extend adjacent to and substantially parallel to the partition.

5. The compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the partition divides the internal space of the drying container just the first chamber and the second chamber, and wherein a first chamber axis of the first chamber and a second chamber axis of the second chamber are substantially equidistant from the partition.

6. The compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first chamber has a first clear cross section and the second chamber has a second clear cross section of a flow path for the compressed air flow, the first clear cross section and the second clear cross section being of substantially equal size along the longitudinal extent.

7. The compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first chamber has a first clear cross section and the second chamber has a second clear cross section of a flow path for the compressed air flow, at least one of the first clear cross section and the second clear cross section varying in at least one of shape and size along the longitudinal extent.

8. The compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the drying container has a wall thickness of less than about 4 mm, for an operating pressure of up to about 40 bar.

9. The compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a first and a second connection of the main pneumatic line from a connection plane of the valve arrangement to a connection side of the drying container, the first connection leading to the first chamber and adjacent to the second connection leading to the second chamber, and, at the drying container, the connection side being disposed opposite a link plane having a pneumatic link between the first and second chambers.

10. The compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a connection side of the drying container is spaced apart from a connection plane of the valve arrangement by a connection spacing, and a first connection of the main pneumatic line to a side of the connection side is routed to the first chamber, and the first chamber is connected to at least one of the compressed air feed and a vent connection.

11. The compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a connection side of the drying container is spaced apart from a connection plane of the valve arrangement by a connection spacing, and a second connection of the main pneumatic line is switchable to the compressed air connection leading to the pneumatic unit by the valve arrangement on a side of the connection plane and is switchable to the second chamber via the connection spacing.

12. The compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a connection side of the drying container is spaced apart from a connection plane of the valve arrangement by a connection spacing, and the air compressor is arranged at least partially in the connection spacing between the valve arrangement and the drying container, and wherein at least a part of the main pneumatic line extends in the connection plane between the drying container and the valve arrangement.

13. The compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a modularly assemblable constructional unit, the constructional unit including the air dryer and the valve arrangement, a motor and the air compressor, the motor and the air compressor being formed in the constructional unit by at least a part of the main pneumatic line, and wherein (i) the motor and the air dryer and (ii) the valve arrangement of the air compressor are modularly assemblable to form at least one part of the main pneumatic line in a connection plane between the drying container and the valve arrangement.

14. The compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the constructional unit has a housing configured to house the valve arrangement, the air compressor, the motor and the drying container, the drying container having a first chamber having a first chamber axis, a second chamber having a second chamber axis, and a connection side spaced apart from the connection plane by a connection spacing, and wherein the air compressor is arranged in the connection spacing between the connection side and the connection plane, and the motor extends substantially parallel to the first and second chamber axes and opposite the valve arrangement.

15. A compressed air supply system, comprising a pneumatic unit and the compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 1 .

16. A vehicle, comprising a pneumatic unit and the compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 1 .

17. The compressed air supply system as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the pneumatic unit is a vehicle air suspension unit.

18. The compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first chamber and the second chamber are formed in one piece with the container outer wall and the partition of the drying container, and wherein drying granules are accommodated in the first chamber and in the second chamber and in a passage between the first and second chambers.

19. The compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the drying container has a wall thickness of less than about 3.5 mm for an operating pressure of up to about 30 bar.

20. The compressed air supply unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the drying container has a wall thickness of less than about 4 mm

Assignees

• Wabco Gmbh

Inventors

• Bergemann Klaus-Dieter
• Bredbeck Klaus
• Frank Dieter
• Gehrke Morten
• Meissner Frank
• Stabenow Uwe

Classifications

• B60G17/0408

  details, e.g. antifreeze for suspension fluid, pumps, retarding means per se · CPC title

• B01D53/0407

  Constructional details of adsorbing systems · CPC title

• B60G2500/204

  Pressure regulating valves for air-springs · CPC title

• B60G2600/66

  Humidifying or drying means · CPC title

• B01D53/261 Primary

  by adsorption · CPC title