Land vehicles – Wheeled – Running gear
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-23
2004-07-20
Dickson, Paul N. (Department: 3616)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Running gear
C280S124152, C180S089100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06764086
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of co-pending German Patent Application No. 101 02 910.1-42 entitled “Kraftfahrzeug, insbesondere Cabrio, mit aktiv angesteuerten Torsionsstabilisatoren”, filed on Jan. 23, 2001.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a motor vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a convertible including at least one torsion stabilizer unit being actively controlled to change its length to counteract vibration of the body of the convertible.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known in the art that a variety of motor vehicles, especially convertibles, have a body which is not stiff against torsion. Consequently, torsion vibrations of the body of the motor vehicle quickly occur due to an excitation caused by rough, bumpy, or uneven pavements or roads. In case of convertibles, reduced torsion strength is caused by the fact that the stiffness of the body of the convertible is reduced due to the missing fixed top compared to sedans and the like. In convertibles, there also are significant bending vibrations about a transverse axis of the motor vehicle being located in the region of the openings of the doors. The torsion vibrations occur about the longitudinal axis of the motor vehicle corresponding to the direction of motion of the vehicle.
A motor vehicle is known from European Patent Application No. 0 955 228 A2. The known motor vehicle, especially a convertible, includes a body to which struts extending in a longitudinal direction are associated as torsion stabilizers. In another embodiment, two of the struts are designed to be variable in length. Watching units for determining a longitudinal load, control elements for effecting an opposing counterforce, and a control unit for controlling the control elements are associated with the struts. The control elements in the only constructive embodiment are designed as piezo elements which may also be described as potential/pressure converters. In each case, the torsion stabilizers being variable in length as known from European Patent Application No. 0 955 228 A2 are designed and arranged to absorb compressive stresses. In practical operation, it has been found that piezo elements are only capable of effecting the necessary variation in length of the struts to substantially stabilize the body of a motor vehicle at great expense. For this purpose, very high electrical potential has to be used at the piezo elements. In this way, torsion in a dynamic region—meaning torsion vibrations—of the respective motor vehicle may be substantially suppressed. However, static torsion of the motor vehicle—for example due to a rough surface on which the motor vehicle is supported—cannot be prevented. Such static torsion results in deformation of the openings of the doors, for example. Consequently, there are problems during opening and closing the doors of the convertible.
A hose actuator is known from British Patent No. 1 331 756. The hose actuator expands its diameter when hydraulic medium flows into its interior. Consequently, the length of the hose actuator between its connecting locations or supporting locations is shortened. The increase in diameter mainly occurs in the middle region between the connecting locations of the hose actuator. The pressure prevailing in the interior of the actuator is transformed into an increase in diameter and into a simultaneous decrease of length being achieved by expansion-prove supports in combination with an elastic wall of the hose actuator.
Further developments concerning the hose actuator known from British Patent No. 1 331 756 are disclosed in the following patent documents: EP 0 146 261 B1, EP 0 161 750 B1, WO 00/61951, WO 00/61952, DE 195 31 097 C2, and DE 199 17 483 A1. The known applications of known hose actuators are in the quasi-static region, meaning the low frequency region.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a motor vehicle including at least one torsion stabilizer unit having a length and including at least one hydraulic actuator unit. The motor vehicle further includes at least one control unit being designed and arranged to actively control the length of the at least one torsion stabilizer unit. More particularly, the present invention relates to a convertible.
The present invention also relates to a motor vehicle the body of which includes a plurality of doors, a plurality of openings for the doors, at least one sill plate being located in the region of one of said openings of the doors and supporting sheet metal. At least one hydraulic medium supply circuit serves to circulate a hydraulic medium. At least one sensor is designed and arranged to at least sense dynamic torsion of the body. At least one torsion stabilizer unit has a first end and a second end, the first end being operatively connected to the sill plate to form a first connection location and the second end being operatively connected to the supporting sheet metal to form a second connection location. The torsion stabilizer unit includes a flexible hose actuator unit having a diameter, an interior, and a length and being operatively located between the first and second connection locations. At least one control unit is designed and arranged to actively control the hose actuator unit in response to a signal of the sensor to counteract sensed torsion by controlling the volume of the hydraulic medium in the interior of the hose actuator unit. During increase of hydraulic medium in the interior of the hose actuator unit, the diameter of the hose actuator unit expands and the length of the hose actuator unit is shortened. During decrease of hydraulic medium in the interior of the hose actuator unit, the diameter of the hose actuator unit contracts and the length of said hose actuator unit is lengthened.
The novel motor vehicle includes torsion stabilizer units being designed and arranged to suppress dynamic torsion as well as static torsion of the body of the motor vehicle.
The torsion stabilizer units include hydraulic actuator units. Hydraulic actuator units are capable of attaining greater variations in length of the torsion stabilizer units compared to known piezo elements. In this way, it is possible to actively suppress the range of static torsion in the novel motor vehicle. At the same time, the typical frequency range of dynamic torsion vibrations of between approximately 10 to 20 Hz may be well handled with hydraulic actuators.
Not all hydraulic actuators have the same results when being used in the novel motor vehicle. Conventional hydraulic cylinders only effect comparatively low forces between their connection locations compared to the pressure of the used hydraulic medium and to their effective diameter. These conditions are significantly improved in the case of hydraulic hose actuator units or flexible tube actuator units. The hydraulic hose actuator units, in the case of their interior being loaded or filled, respectively, with hydraulic medium, expand with respect to their diameter and—at the same time—their length between the connecting locations is shortened. The force occurring between the connection locations multiplies by approximately five when such hose actuators are used instead of conventional hydraulic cylinders. Consequently, it is especially preferred to use hose actuators in the novel motor vehicle. Surprisingly, it has been found that the lack of compression stability and also the lack of bending stability of hydraulic hose actuators does not have a negative effect when being used in the novel motor vehicle according to the present invention. It is possible without problem to load the host actuators with hydraulic medium in the base condition of the motor vehicle such that pulling tension between the connecting locations of the hose actuator is realized. The pulling tension may then be reduced or increased to actively suppress torsion in the static region and in the dynamic region without leaving the pretension region in its first direction or in its other direction.
The hydraul
Fehren Heinrich
Gnauert Uwe
Kohlrautz Daniel
Siebald Hubertus
Wimmel Roger
Dickson Paul N.
ERAS Entwicklung and Realisation adaptiver Systeme GmbH
Thomas Kayden Horstemeyer & Risley LLP
To Toan C
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