Hydropneumatic, level-regulated axle suspension on vehicles, in particular for full-suspension vehicles

• US 7,055,831 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2002
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Carl Freudenberg KG (Freudenberg & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Carl Freudenberg KG (Freudenberg & Company KG)
• Inventors: Brandenburger, Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FREEDMAN, LAURA
• Application Number:
  US10/081,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20020125654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: 280 5504- 5507, 280/124.159, 280/124.16, 280/6.154, 280/6.159, 280/5.514, 280/124.106, 280/124.158
• US Class Current: 280/5.504
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 21/073 between wheels on the same axle but on different sides of the vehicle, i.e. the left and right wheel suspensions being interconnected

Abstract

A hydropneumatic, level-regulated axle suspension for the front wheel axle and rear wheel axle on vehicles, in particular vehicles whose large axle load spread is large, having two double-acting hydraulic suspension cylinders, whose cylinder spaces are each connected to a first accumulator and whose annuli on the piston side are connected to a second accumulator, the axle suspension for the front axle (39) and the rear axle (40) being designed as a reversible double-function axle suspension, so that each axle (39, 40) is switchable both as an oscillating axle (in the cylinder transverse combination) and as a stabilizing axle (in the cross combination).

Claims

1. A hydropneumatic, level-regulated axle suspension for front and rear axles on vehicles, comprising:

two double-acting hydraulic suspension cylinders, whose cylinder spaces are each connected to a first pressure accumulator and whose annuli on a piston side are connected to a second pressure accumulator, wherein the axle suspension for the front axle (39) and the rear axle (40) is designed as a reversible double-function axle suspension, so that each axle (39, 40) is switchable (i) as an oscillating axle in a cylinder transverse combination in which the cylinder spaces on a given axle communicate and the annuli on the same axle communicate, or (ii) as a stabilizing axle in a cross combination in which the cylinder space of each cylinder on a given axle communicates with the annulus of the other cylinder on the same axle;

wherein the rear axle of the vehicle is switched as the stabilizing axle and the front axle of the vehicle is switched as an oscillating axle when there is a lower axle load on the front axle of the vehicle, and the rear axle is switched as an oscillating axle and the front axle of the vehicle is switched as the stabilizing axle when there is a lower axle load on the rear axle of the vehicle.

2. The axle suspension according to claim 1, wherein the switching is alternating, so that switching one axle as an oscillating axle results in simultaneous switching of the other axle as a stabilizing axle.

3. The axle suspension according to claim 1, wherein the axle suspension of the stabilizing axle is blocked by isolating the suspension accumulator.

4. The axle suspension according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder spaces (4, 5) of the suspension cylinders (2, 3) of an axle (39, 40) are each connectable to a separate accumulator (10, 11).

5. The axle suspension according to claim 4, wherein the cylinder spaces (4, 5) of the suspension cylinders (2, 3) are connectable to an additional accumulator (21).

6. The axle suspension according to claim 5, wherein the annuli (6, 7) of the suspension cylinders (2, 3) are connectable to a common accumulator (18).

7. The axle suspension according to claim 4, wherein the annuli (6, 7) of the suspension cylinders (2, 3) are connectable to a common accumulator (18).

8. The axle suspension according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder space (4, 5) of one suspension cylinder (2, 3) and communicating accumulator (10, 11) are connectable to the annulus (7, 6) of the other suspension cylinder (3, 2).

9. The axle suspension according to claim 8, wherein the accumulator (18) of the annuli (6, 7) and the additional accumulator (21) of the cylinder spaces (4, 5) are blocked.

10. The axle suspension according to claim 1, wherein hydraulic shock absorber elements (14, 15) are inserted into connecting lines (12, 13) to the accumulators (10, 11).

11. The axle suspension according to claim 1 wherein the switching is done at approximately the same pressures in the cylinder spaces (4, 5) and in the annuli (6, 7) of the same suspension cylinders (2, 3).

12. The axle suspension according to claim 1, wherein the design of front and rear axle suspensions is identical.

13. The axle suspension according to claim 1, wherein blocked accumulators (18 and 21) are regulated and kept at a switchover pressure level by a pressure regulating valve (24).

14. A hydropneumatic, level-regulated axle suspension for front and rear axles on vehicles, comprising:

two double-acting hydraulic suspension cylinders, whose cylinder spaces are each connected to a first pressure accumulator and whose annuli on a piston side are connected to a second pressure accumulator, wherein the axle suspension for the front axle (39) and the rear axle (40) is designed as a reversible double-function axle suspension, so that each axle (39, 40) is switchable (i) as an oscillating axle in a cylinder transverse combination in which the cylinder spaces on a given axle communicate and the annuli on the same axle communicate, or (ii) as a stabilizing axle in a cross combination in which the cylinder space of each cylinder on a given axle communicates with the annulus of the other cylinder on the same axle;

wherein switching from oscillating axle suspension to stabilizing axle suspension is done as a function of the pressure in the cylinder spaces (4, 5).

15. A hydropneumatic, level-regulated axle suspension for front and rear axles on vehicles, comprising:

two double-acting hydraulic suspension cylinders, whose cylinder spaces are each connected to a first pressure accumulator and whose annuli on a piston side are connected to a second pressure accumulator, wherein the axle suspension for the front axle (39) and the rear axle (40) is designed as a reversible double-function axle suspension, so that each axle (39, 40) is switchable (i) as an oscillating axle in a cylinder transverse combination in which the cylinder spaces on a given axle communicate and the annuli on the same axle communicate, or (ii) as a stabilizing axle in a cross combination in which the cylinder space of each cylinder on a given axle communicates with the annulus of the other cylinder on the same axle;

wherein the axle (39, 40) may be at least one of secured and pressed against stops for the purpose of blocking the suspension.