Valve device for a pneumatic suspension unit of a vehicle

• US 20070170679A1
• Filed: 10/09/2004
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Wabco GmbH (Wabco Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Wabco GmbH (Wabco Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Witte, Norbert, Lucas, Johann, Risse, Rainer, Stender, Axel
• Application Number:
  US10/579,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20070170679A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/124.160
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0523 Regulating distributors or valves for pneumatic springs
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/203 Distributor valve units comprising several elements, e.g. valves, pump or accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87064 Oppositely movable cam surfaces

Abstract

The invention relates to a valve device (1) for an air-suspension device for a vehicle, containing a manually actuatable air-admission valve (10, 34, 46) for admission of air to the air-suspension bellows (3) of the air-suspension device, a manually actuatable vent valve (11, 35, 47) for venting the air-suspension bellows (3) and a first electrically actuatable valve (7, 32, 44), the air-admission valve (10, 34, 46), the vent valve (11, 35, 47) and the first electrically actuatable valve (7, 32, 44) being disposed in a common housing (55). On this basis there is specified, for an air-suspension device for a vehicle, a valve device that can be used simply and inexpensively both in a level-regulating device containing an air-suspension valve and in an electronically controlled level-regulating device. This is achieved by the fact that a second electrically actuatable valve (6, 33, 45) is disposed in the housing (55).

Claims

1. A valve device (1) for an air-suspension device for a vehicle, containing a manually actuatable air-admission valve (10, 34, 46) for admission of air to the air-suspension bellows (3) of the air-suspension device, a manually actuatable vent valve (11, 35, 47) for venting the air-suspension bellows (3) and a first electrically actuatable valve (7, 32, 44), the air-admission valve (10, 34, 46), the vent valve (11, 35, 47) and the first electrically actuatable valve (7, 32, 44) being disposed in a common housing (55), characterized in that a second electrically actuatable valve (6, 33, 45) is disposed in the housing (55).

2. A valve device according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (55) is provided with separate compressed-air ports (52, 54) for supplying compressed air from a pressurized-fluid source (2) to the electrically actuatable valves (6, 7, 32, 44) on the one hand and to the manually actuatable valves (10, 11, 34, 35, 46, 47) on the other hand.

3. A valve device according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that there is provided a relay valve (40).

4. A valve device according to claim 3, characterized in that the relay valve (40) is disposed in the housing (55).

5. A valve device according to at least one of claims 3 or 4, characterized in that the relay valve (40) is provided with a compressed-air inlet (41), a compressed-air outlet (42) and a control port (43) that can be actuated by compressed air, wherein the compressed-air outlet (42) can be placed in communication with the control port (43) via a compressed-air connecting line.

6. A valve device according to claim 5, characterized in that at least one valve among the air-admission valve (46), vent valve (47), first electrically actuatable valve (44) or second electrically actuatable valve (45) is disposed in the compressed-air connecting line from the compressed-air outlet (42) to the control port (43).

7. A valve device according to claim 5, characterized in that at least the air-admission valve (46), the vent valve (47), the first electrically actuatable valve (44) and the second electrically actuatable valve (45) are disposed in the compressed-air connecting line from the compressed-air outlet (42) to the control port (43).

8. A valve device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a contactlessly operating displacement sensor (22) for sensing the distance of the valve device (1) from the roadway is provided in the housing (55).

9. The use of a valve device according to at least one of the preceding claims in an air-suspension device containing an air-suspension valve (53), wherein the compressed-air inlet of the first electrically actuatable valve (7, 32, 44) is in communication with the air-suspension valve (53) via the compressed-air port (52) of the housing (55).

10. The use of a valve device according to at least one of claims 1 to 8 in an air-suspension device with electronically controlled level regulation and an electronic control device (5), wherein the first and the second electrically actuatable valves (6, 7, 32, 33, 44, 45) can be actuated by the electronic control device (5) for admission of air to and venting of the air-suspension bellows (3).

11. The use of a valve device according to claim 10, characterized in that the compressed-air inlet of the first electrically actuatable valve (7, 32, 44) is in communication with a pressurized-fluid source (2) via the compressed-air port (52) of the housing (55).