Axle assembly with purge reservoir for air dryer
First Claim
1. A vehicle air supply system comprising:
- an air dryer including a purge valve; and
an axle component including a purge reservoir wherein air from said purge reservoir is communicated to said air dryer via said purge valve in response to a purge command.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An axle assembly includes an axle beam with an inner cavity that forms a purge reservoir. The purge reservoir is fluidly connected to an air dryer with a purge valve. The air dryer is part of a vehicle air supply system that supplies air from a compressor to storage reservoirs for vehicle systems such as suspension and braking systems. The air dryer includes a desiccant material that removes moisture from compressed air. During a compression cycle, air flows through the air dryer to the storage reservoirs and to the purge reservoir. Once a desired pressure level in the storage reservoirs is achieved, the compressor is unloaded and a purge command is generated to open the purge valve. When the purge valve is opened, air stored within the purge reservoir flows back through the air dryer to regenerate the desiccant material. The purge reservoir in the axle beam is filled during each compression cycle and is exhausted during each purge cycle.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A vehicle air supply system comprising:
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an air dryer including a purge valve; and
an axle component including a purge reservoir wherein air from said purge reservoir is communicated to said air dryer via said purge valve in response to a purge command. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An axle assembly comprising:
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an axle beam extending between laterally spaced wheel components; and
a purge reservoir formed within said axle beam wherein air is stored in said purge reservoir for fluid communication with an air dryer during a purge cycle. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for purging air from an air dryer comprising:
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(a) generating a purge command; and
(b) exhausting air from a purge reservoir formed within an axle beam through the air dryer in response to the purge command. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification