Air-suspension device for vehicles, in particular for commercial vehicles

• US 7,396,029 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2005
• Issued: 07/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme Fur Nutzfahrzeuge GMBH (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Original Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme Fur Nutzfahrzeuge GMBH (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Inventors: Röther, Friedbert, Geiger, Winfried, Fecht, Günther, Hecker, Falk
• Primary Examiner(s): Bottorff; Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROCCA, JOSEPH M
• Application Number:
  US11/150,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20060033299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 280/124.157, 280/124.16, 280/6.157, 280/6.159, 267/64.11
• US Class Current: 280/124.16
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0155 pneumatic unit
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0525 Height adjusting or levelling valves
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0528 Pressure regulating or air filling valves
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2202/152 Pneumatic spring
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/252 vertical
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/2012 Open systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/2021 Arrangement of valves

Abstract

An air-suspension device for vehicles, e.g., commercial vehicles, includes a valve block that is assigned to a rear axle and contains a central valve for aerating and venting air-spring bellows of the rear axle, and a valve block assigned to a front axle for aerating and venting air-spring bellows of the front axle. The central valve of the valve block assigned to the rear axle selectively connects: a) a compressed-air supply to the air-spring bellows of the rear axle and to a supply-pressure connection of the valve block assigned to the front axle; or b) the supply-pressure connection of the valve block assigned to the front axle and the air-spring bellows of the rear axle to an air vent. The valve block assigned to the front axle has a pneumatic pilot-operation connection for pneumatic-electric pilot operation. The pneumatic pilot-operation connection of the valve block assigned to the front axle is connected to a pressure outlet of a selector-valve device, of which one pressure inlet is connectable, via the central valve of the valve block assigned to the rear axle, either to the compressed-air supply or to the air vent, and the other pressure inlet is connectable to at least one of the air-spring bellows of the front axle. The selector-valve device switches through, in each instance, the higher of the pressures applied to its pressure inlets to the pressure outlet. By this arrangement, the need for pneumatic lines is eliminated.

Claims

1. An air-spring device for a vehicle, comprising:

a first valve block assigned to a rear axle, the first valve block including a central valve for aerating and venting air-spring bellows of the rear axle;

a second valve block assigned to a front axle, for aerating and venting air-spring bellows of the front axle, wherein the valve block assigned to the front axle includes a pneumatic pilot-operation connection for pneumatic-electric pilot operation; and

a selector-valve device having a pressure outlet and at least a first pressure inlet and a second pressure inlet;

wherein the central valve of the first valve block assigned to the rear axle selectively connecting one of;

a) a compressed-air supply, to both i) the air-spring bellows of the rear axle, and ii) a supply-pressure connection of the second valve block assigned to the front axle; and

b) both i) the supply-pressure connection of the second valve block assigned to the front axle, and ii) the air-spring bellows of the rear axle, to an air vent; and

wherein the pneumatic pilot-operation connection of the second valve block assigned to the front axle is connected to the pressure outlet of the selector-valve device, whereby the first pressure inlet is connectable, via the central valve of the second valve block assigned to the rear axle, to one of the compressed-air supply and the air vent, and the second pressure inlet is connectable to at least one of the air-spring bellows of the front axle, and wherein the selector-valve device switches through the higher of the pressures applied to the first and second pressure inlets to the pressure outlet.

2. The air-suspension device as recited in claim 1, wherein the central valve of the first valve block assigned to the rear axle is a 3/2-way directional control valve which has pneumatic-electric pilot operation, and wherein a pressure outlet of the 3/2-way directional control valve is connected to each pressure inlet of at least two downstream 2/2-way directional control valves which are assigned to opposite vehicle sides and selectively perform one of blocking and switching through a connection to air-spring bellows of the rear axle on the respective vehicle side.

3. The air-suspension device as recited in claim 2, wherein the pneumatic pilot-operation connection includes an electrically controlled relay-valve device.

4. The air-suspension device as recited in claim 2, wherein the second valve block assigned to the front axle is switchable in a manner such that the air-spring bellows of the front axle are one of interconnected via a throttle device and connected to the supply-pressure connection of the second valve block.

5. The air-suspension device as recited in claim 2, wherein the second valve block assigned to the front axle includes a 3/2-way directional control valve.

6. The air-suspension device as recited in claim 5, wherein the selector-valve device is combined with the 3/2-way directional control valve of the second valve block assigned to the front axle to form a unit.

7. The air-suspension device as recited in claim 1, wherein the pneumatic pilot-operation connection includes an electrically controlled relay-valve device.

8. The air-suspension device as recited in claim 7, wherein the second valve block assigned to the front axle is switchable in a manner such that the air-spring bellows of the front axle are one of interconnected via a throttle device and connected to the supply-pressure connection of the second valve block.

9. The air-suspension device as recited in claim 7, wherein the second valve block assigned to the front axle includes a 3/2-way directional control valve.

10. The air-suspension device as recited in claim 9, wherein the selector-valve device is combined with the 3/2-way directional control valve of the second valve block assigned to the front axle to form a unit.

11. The air-suspension device as recited in claim 1, wherein the second valve block assigned to the front axle is switchable in a manner such that the air-spring bellows of the front axle are one of interconnected via a throttle device and connected to the supply-pressure connection of the second valve block.

12. The air-suspension device as recited in claim 1, wherein the second valve block assigned to the front axle includes a 3/2-way directional control valve.

13. The air-suspension device as recited in claim 12, wherein the selector-valve device is combined with the 3/2-way directional control valve of the second valve block assigned to the front axle to form a unit.