Patent Grant
11479072
The present disclosure relates generally to automotive suspension systems including a jounce damper integrated with a top mount.
Vehicles are typically equipped with suspension systems that include components that contract and expand to provide flexible relative movement between the body and chassis. During normal driving conditions, these components gradually dissipate the forces generated by bumps, potholes, and other road surface anomalies in a controlled manner that helps the driver to maintain control over the vehicle and provides passengers a comfortable driving environment.
It is desirable to provide an energy mitigation device, such as a jounce damper or shock, to reduce the peak suspension loads transmitted to a vehicle body structure. Furthermore, packaging constraints within the suspension system have typically resulted in additional structure to attach a jounce damper to the vehicle frame or body structure. The packaging constraints result in position of the jounce damper in a suboptimal location resulting in poor motion ratio and higher loads.
Embodiments according to the present disclosure provide a number of advantages. For example, embodiments according to the present disclosure enable inclusion of the jounce damper into the vehicle top mount. The top mount with integrated jounce damper drives loads in an existing dedicated load path and needs less structure for attachment to the vehicle frame or body structure. Throughout this application, the terms “jounce damper” and “jounce shock” are used interchangeably.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle suspension system includes a damper top mount including a flange coupled to a cylindrical top mount body defining an interior cavity and a top mount bushing disposed in the interior cavity. The vehicle suspension system also includes a damper coupled to the top mount. The damper includes a damping member and a damper rod coupled to the damping member, the damper rod extending through the interior cavity of the damper top mount and defining a first axis. The vehicle suspension system also includes a jounce shock assembly including a cylindrical jounce shock body coupled with the damper top mount and encircling the cylindrical top mount body. The cylindrical jounce shock body includes an exterior wall and a dividing wall generally parallel to and interior of the exterior wall, a first chamber defined by the cylindrical top mount body and the dividing wall, a second chamber fluidly coupled with and parallel to the first chamber and defined by the dividing wall and the exterior wall, a floating piston movably disposed within the second chamber, and a piston including a working surface configured to translate within the first chamber. The piston is coupled with the damping member such that the piston moves between an extended position and a compressed position along the first axis defined by the damper rod.
In some aspects, in the extended position, the first chamber of the jounce shock body is generally filled with oil, the second chamber of the jounce shock body is generally filled with compressed air, and the floating piston separates the oil from the compressed air.
In some aspects, the vehicle suspension system further includes a check valve coupled with the piston and configured to translate within the first chamber, wherein the check valve extends through an opening in the piston.
In some aspects, the check valve closes as the piston moves between the compressed position and the extended position to control a rate of fluid transfer within the first chamber to slow a rate of movement of the piston.
In some aspects, the jounce shock assembly includes a plurality of check valves arranged around the circumference of the piston and disposed within the first chamber.
In some aspects, the working surface of the piston translates within the first chamber such that a volume of the first chamber when the piston is in the extended position is greater than a volume of the first chamber when the piston is in the compressed position.
In some aspects, in the extended position, the first chamber of the jounce shock body is generally filled with oil and the second chamber of the jounce shock body is generally filled with a compression member coupled to the floating piston.
In some aspects, the compression member is a compression spring.
In some aspects, the vehicle suspension system further includes a deflection member disposed in the first chamber and configured to control a rate of fluid transfer within the first chamber to slow a rate of movement of the piston.
In some aspects, the dividing wall includes a first opening connecting the first chamber and the second chamber and configured to allow a flow of fluid between the first and second chambers.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, an automotive vehicle includes a vehicle frame and a vehicle suspension system coupled to the vehicle frame. The vehicle suspension system includes a damper top mount coupled to the vehicle frame, the damper top mount including a flange coupled to a cylindrical top mount body defining an interior cavity and a top mount bushing disposed in the interior cavity. The vehicle suspension system also includes a damper coupled to the top mount, the damper including a damping member and a damper rod coupled to the damping member, the damper rod extending through the interior cavity of the damper top mount and defining a first axis and a jounce shock assembly. The jounce shock assembly includes a cylindrical jounce shock body coupled with the damper top mount and encircling the cylindrical top mount body, the cylindrical jounce shock body including an exterior wall and a dividing wall generally parallel to and interior of the exterior wall. A first chamber is defined by the cylindrical top mount body and the dividing wall and a second chamber is fluidly coupled with and parallel to the first chamber and defined by the dividing wall and the exterior wall. A floating piston is movably disposed within the second chamber. The vehicle suspension system also includes a piston including a working surface configured to translate within the first chamber. The piston is coupled with the damping member such that the piston moves between an extended position and a compressed position along the first axis defined by the damper rod.
In some aspects, when the piston is in the extended position, the first chamber of the jounce shock body is generally filled with oil, the second chamber of the jounce shock body is generally filled with compressed air, and the floating piston separates the oil from the compressed air.
In some aspects, the vehicle suspension system further includes a check valve coupled with the piston and configured to translate within the first chamber.
In some aspects, the check valve closes as the piston moves between the compressed position and the extended position to control a rate of fluid transfer within the first chamber to slow a rate of movement of the piston.
In some aspects, the jounce shock assembly includes a plurality of check valves arranged around the circumference of the piston and disposed within the first chamber.
In some aspects, the working surface of the piston translates within the first chamber such that a volume of the first chamber when the piston is in the extended position is greater than a volume of the first chamber when the piston is in the compressed position.
In some aspects, when the piston is in the extended position, the first chamber of the jounce shock body is generally filled with oil, the second chamber of the jounce shock body is generally filled with a compression member coupled to the floating piston.
In some aspects, the vehicle suspension system further includes a deflection member disposed in the first chamber and configured to control a rate of fluid transfer within the first chamber to slow a rate of movement of the piston.
In some aspects, the dividing wall includes a first opening connecting the first chamber and the second chamber and configured to allow a flow of fluid between the first and second chambers.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, a damper module includes a damper top mount including a flange coupled to a cylindrical top mount body defining an interior cavity and a damper coupled to the top mount. The damper includes a damping member and a damper rod coupled to the damping member, the damper rod extending through the interior cavity of the damper top mount and defining a first axis. The damper module also includes a jounce shock assembly. The jounce shock assembly includes a cylindrical jounce shock body coupled with the damper top mount and encircling the cylindrical top mount body, the cylindrical jounce shock body including an exterior wall and a dividing wall generally parallel to and interior of the exterior wall. A first chamber is defined by the cylindrical top mount body and the dividing wall and a second chamber is fluidly coupled with and parallel to the first chamber and defined by the dividing wall and the exterior wall. A floating piston is movably disposed within the second chamber. The damper module also includes a piston including a working surface configured to translate within the first chamber, and a check valve coupled with the piston and configured to translate within the first chamber. The piston is coupled with the damping member such that the piston moves between an extended position and a compressed position along the first axis defined by the damper rod.
The present disclosure will be described in conjunction with the following figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements.
The foregoing and other features of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only several embodiments in accordance with the disclosure and are not to be considered limiting of its scope, the disclosure will be described with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings. Any dimensions disclosed in the drawings or elsewhere herein are for the purpose of illustration only.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. It is to be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples and other embodiments can take various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features could be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure. As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, various features illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures can be combined with features illustrated in one or more other figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described. The combinations of features illustrated provide representative embodiments for typical applications. Various combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the teachings of this disclosure, however, could be desired for particular applications or implementations.
Certain terminology may be used in the following description for the purpose of reference only, and thus are not intended to be limiting. For example, terms such as “above” and “below” refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. Terms such as “front,” “back,” “left,” “right,” “rear,” and “side” describe the orientation and/or location of portions of the components or elements within a consistent but arbitrary frame of reference which is made clear by reference to the text and the associated drawings describing the components or elements under discussion. Moreover, terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” and so on may be used to describe separate components. Such terminology may include the words specifically mentioned above, derivatives thereof and words of similar import.
With reference to
The vehicle 10 is shown to include wheels 14, each fitted with a tire 16. The wheels 14 are supported by a vehicle frame 18 via a suspension system shown generally at 20. The suspension system 20 generally includes damper modules 22. Although the suspension system 20 is shown to be associated with only two wheels 14 for ease of description (e.g., either front wheels or rear wheels), it is appreciated that the suspension system 20 of the present disclosure is also applicable to a single wheel 14, any pair of wheels 14 or all of the wheels 14 (plus others not shown) of the vehicle 10. As will be discussed in greater detail herein, the damper modules 22 can include a jounce shock assembly 150, which can provide energy dissipation and reduction in peak forces experienced by the vehicle frame 18 during an impact event. In various embodiments, the vehicle frame 18 includes any type of frame used to support the other components of the vehicle 10 including a traditional vehicle frame as well as a unibody cradle construction, for example and without limitation.
In one example, the vehicle 10 can also include a control module 28, which can be in communication with a portion of the suspension system 20 to control the activation of a portion of the suspension system 20. For example, the control module 28 can be in communication with one or more of the damper modules 22 to activate the damper modules 22 in response to one or more sensed conditions associated with the vehicle 10. Thus, the vehicle 10 can include one or more sensors that can detect and measure observable conditions of the suspension system 20 and/or vehicle 10 and generate sensor signals based on the observable conditions. Accordingly, the damper modules 22 can actively respond to road surface conditions in real time based on signals received from the control module 28. In alternative embodiments, the damper modules 22 can also respond passively to road conditions.
With reference to
A damper 120 is coupled to the damper top mount 102. The damper 120 includes a damping member 122 and a damper rod 124 coupled to the damping member 122. The damper rod 124 extends through the interior cavity 108 and is coupled with the damper top mount 102 with a damper rod nut 126. The damper rod 124 defines a first axis A.
With continued reference to
The jounce shock assembly 150 further includes a movable piston 170. As shown in
In various embodiments, as shown in
The jounce shock assembly 150 also includes a floating piston 174 movably disposed within the second chamber 162. In various embodiments, the floating piston 174 separates a first working fluid (disposed primarily in the first chamber 160) from a second working fluid (disposed in the second chamber 162). As the piston 170 moves from the extended position to the compressed position, the first working fluid acts on the floating piston 174 to move the floating piston 174 downward within the second chamber 162. The combination of movement of the piston 170 and the floating piston 174 with the working fluids of the first and second chambers 160, 162 are well-known shock absorption technologies. However, the parallel arrangement of the first and second chambers 160, 162 and the inclusion of the jounce shock assembly 150 within the damper top mount 102 enables efficient packaging of the suspension components within the damper module 22. The embodiment shown in
Another embodiment of a jounce shock assembly 250 incorporated into the damper module 22 is shown in
The jounce shock assembly 250 further includes the movable piston 170, as discussed herein with reference to
The jounce shock assembly 250 also includes the floating piston 174 movably disposed within the second chamber 162. In various embodiments, the floating piston 174 separates the first working fluid (disposed primarily in the first chamber 160) from a compression member 208 (disposed in the second chamber 162). In various embodiments, the compression member 208 is a compression spring. In various embodiments, the compression member 208 is coupled with the floating piston 174 and with a terminal end 262 of the second chamber 162. As the piston 170 moves from the extended position to the compressed position, the first working fluid acts on the floating piston 174 to move the floating piston 174 downward within the second chamber 162, against the compression force of the compression member 208.
Another embodiment of a jounce shock assembly 350 is shown in
It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may be made to the herein-described embodiments, the elements of which are to be understood as being among other acceptable examples. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims. Moreover, any of the steps described herein can be performed simultaneously or in an order different from the steps as ordered herein. Moreover, as should be apparent, the features and attributes of the specific embodiments disclosed herein may be combined in different ways to form addition& embodiments, all of which fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
Moreover, the following terminology may have been used herein. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context dearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to an item includes reference to one or more items. The term “ones” refers to one, two, or more, and generally applies to the selection of some or all of a quantity. The term “plurality” refers to two or more of an item. The term “about” or “approximately” means that quantities, dimensions, sizes, formulations, parameters, shapes and other characteristics need not be exact, but may be approximated and/or larger or smaller, as desired, reflecting acceptable tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and the like and other factors known to those of skill in the art. The term “substantially” means that the recited characteristic, parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly, but that deviations or variations, including for example, tolerances, measurement error, measurement accuracy limitations and other factors known to those of skill in the art, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effect the characteristic was intended to provide.
A plurality of items may be presented in a common list for convenience. However, these lists should be construed as though each member of the list is individually identified as a separate and unique member. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as a de facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based on their presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary. Furthermore, where the terms “and” and “or” are used in conjunction with a list of items, they are to be interpreted broadly, in that any one or more of the listed items may be used alone or in combination with other listed items. The term “alternatively” refers to selection of one of two or more alternatives and is not intended to limit the selection to only those listed alternatives or to only one of the listed alternatives at a time unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms encompassed by the claims. The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. As previously described, the features of various embodiments can be combined to form further exemplary aspects of the present disclosure that may not be explicitly described or illustrated. While various embodiments could have been described as providing advantages or being preferred over other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that one or more features or characteristics can be compromised to achieve desired overall system attributes, which depend on the specific application and implementation. These attributes can include, but are not limited to cost, strength, durability, life cycle cost, marketability, appearance, packaging, size, serviceability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. As such, embodiments described as less desirable than other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more characteristics are not outside the scope of the disclosure and can be desirable for particular applications.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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| 9186948 | Patil | Nov 2015 | B2 |
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| 10434835 | Six | Oct 2019 | B2 |
| 11009096 | Lamoureux | May 2021 | B2 |
| 20150321533 | Laird | Nov 2015 | A1 |
| 20180194186 | Anderson | Jul 2018 | A1 |
| 20210140508 | Sintorn | May 2021 | A1 |
| 20220169088 | Hwang | Jun 2022 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| WO-2015012946 | Jan 2015 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20220097470 A1 | Mar 2022 | US |
