Wheel suspension

Abstract

A wheel suspension includes a working cylinder, a main spring in parallel with the working cylinder, and a piston rod extending from the working cylinder and having a longitudinal axis, the piston rod having fixed thereto a piston and a mount for fixing the piston rod against movement with respect to a vehicle body. The piston is mounted with freedom of axial movement in an adjusting cylinder, the piston dividing the cylinder into a space above the piston and a space below the piston, and an additional spring is located on the longitudinal axis for supporting the adjusting cylinder against the working cylinder. A shut-off element is located in a flow connection connecting the space above the piston to the space below the piston, whereby movement of the piston in the adjusting cylinder can be blocked when the vehicle rolls.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a shows a schematic diagram of a wheel suspension for a motor vehicle according to the prior art;

FIG. 1 b shows a schematic diagram of a wheel suspension for a motor vehicle according to the invention;

FIGS. 2-6 show detailed cross-sectional views of a piston arrangement in its various functional stages;

FIGS. 7 and 8 show cross sections of another embodiment of a piston arrangement;

FIGS. 9 and 10 also show cross sections of a piston arrangement; and

FIGS. 11 and 12 show additional embodiments with an externally installed spring.

Claims

1. A wheel suspension comprising: a working cylinder;a main spring in parallel with the working cylinder;a piston rod extending from the working cylinder and having a longitudinal axis, the piston rod having fixed thereto a piston and a mount for fixing the piston rod against movement with respect to a vehicle body;an adjusting cylinder in which the piston is mounted with freedom of axial movement, the piston dividing the cylinder into a space above the piston and a space below the piston;an additional spring located on said longitudinal axis for supporting said adjusting cylinder against said working cylinder;a flow connection connecting the space above the piston to the space below the piston; anda shut-off element provided in the flow connection.

2. The wheel suspension of claim 1 further comprising a piston spring loading said piston axially with respect to said adjusting cylinder.

3. The wheel suspension of claim 2 wherein the piston spring comprises a coil spring.

4. The wheel suspension of claim 1 wherein the piston spring comprises a gas spring located outside of said adjusting cylinder.

5. The wheel suspension of claim 1 wherein the shut-off element can be controlled externally.

6. The wheel suspension of claim 1 wherein the shut-off element can be controlled by a sensor.

7. The wheel suspension of claim 1 wherein the shutoff element is a solenoid valve.

8. The wheel suspension of claim 1 wherein the piston has a circumference which is sealed against the adjusting cylinder.

9. The wheel suspension of claim 8 wherein the piston has a circumferential groove holding a sealing ring.

10. A wheel suspension comprising: a piston rod having a longitudinal axis, the piston rod having fixed thereto a piston,an adjusting cylinder in which the piston is mounted with freedom of axial movement, the piston dividing the cylinder into a space above the piston and a space below the piston;a spring located on said longitudinal axis for supporting said piston rod against said vehicle body;a flow connection connecting the space above the piston to the space below the piston; anda shut-off element provided in the flow connection.