Spring devices – Resilient shock or vibration absorber – Including energy absorbing means or feature
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-16
2001-03-13
Schwartz, Christopher P. (Department: 3613)
Spring devices
Resilient shock or vibration absorber
Including energy absorbing means or feature
C267S219000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199842
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the pneumatically controlled, hydraulic anti-vibration supports, specifically designed to support the engines of motor vehicles.
Various pneumatically controlled, hydraulic anti-vibration supports are known and are either controllable supports (i.e. of variable stiffness) such as those disclosed in document EP-A-0 262 544, or active supports (i.e. producing counter-vibrations intended to cancel out the effects of the engine vibrations) such as those disclosed in document JP-A-9 317 815.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Of these known supports, the invention relates more specifically to a pneumatically controlled, active hydraulic anti-vibration support designed to be inserted between two rigid elements and comprising:
first and second rigid frames designed to be joined respectively to the two rigid elements to be connected,
an elastomer body linking the two frames to one another and partially delimiting a working chamber filled with liquid,
a flexible wall, partially delimiting a compensation chamber filled with liquid, which is in turn connected to the working chamber by a throttled passage, also filled with liquid,
a rigid partition which is joined to the second frame and which partially delimits the working chamber, this rigid partition having a mouthpiece closed off by means of a flexible membrane, said membrane having a first face communicating with the working chamber and a second face isolated from said working chamber,
a pneumatic chamber partially delimited by the second face of the membrane,
and at least one solenoid to provide communication between the pneumatic chamber and the atmosphere and/or with a coupling providing a connection to a pneumatic source, said solenoid being connected to an electrical connector in turn designed to be connected to an electronic control system.
An anti-vibration support of this type is fitted in particular on the HARRIER vehicle sold by TOYOTA. In this known support, counter-vibrations are emitted in the working chamber at the idling frequencies of the engine by activating the solenoid so as to connect the pneumatic chamber alternately with the atmosphere and with the pneumatic source (in practice, a vacuum source formed by the air admission circuit of the engine).
This known anti-vibration support has the disadvantage of being relatively complex and expensive.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objective of the present invention is to overcome this disadvantage.
To this end, the invention proposes a hydraulic anti-vibration support of the type in question, essentially characterised in that it has a single-block, pneumatic actuating unit which incorporates:
a rigid support block joined to the second frame,
the solenoid,
the pneumatic coupling,
and the electrical connector,
the support block having an annular flange which partially delimits the pneumatic chamber and this support block being applied against the rigid partition clamping the flexible membrane between said annular flange and said rigid partition, this annular flange being disposed around the mouthpiece of the rigid partition.
As a result of these features, the electrical and pneumatic elements of the anti-vibration support are integrated in the single-block pneumatic unit, which helps to facilitate assembly of these elements in the anti-vibration support and reduce the cost and complexity of this support.
The complexity of the anti-vibration support is reduced still further due to the fact that the actual mounting of the single-block pneumatic unit makes it possible to produce:
the sealed contact between the flexible membrane and the partition of the working chamber,
and/or the sealed closure of the pneumatic chamber.
Furthermore, the anti-vibration support itself forms a single-block unit, which takes up less room and is easy to mount in the vehicle since it merely has to be fitted in the same manner as a conventional anti-vibration support and linked up to the pneumatic coupling and the electrical connector.
Finally, because the pneumatic actuating unit is so compact, the pneumatic pipes are shorter than in the TOYOTA support and the anti-vibration support can be controlled, as required, at higher frequencies than the idling frequencies, which means that counter-vibrations can also be emitted when the vehicle is travelling.
In the preferred embodiments of the invention, it may also be possible to use one and/or the other of the following designs:
the elastomer body is of a bell shape extending between a top integral with the first frame on the one hand and an annular base integral with the second frame on the other, the pneumatic actuating unit being contained in a rigid casing which is arranged opposing the elastomer body relative to the rigid partition, this casing being permanently joined to the second frame and to said rigid partition by applying the base of the elastomer body to the rigid partition, whilst the support block of the pneumatic actuating unit is retained between the casing and the rigid partition so that the annular flange of said support block is applied against the flexible membrane and the rigid partition;
the compensating chamber is also arranged inside the casing;
the membrane consists of a central part belonging to the flexible wall of the compensating chamber, said compensating chamber being annular in shape and being disposed around the pneumatic actuating unit;
the flexible wall of the compensating chamber has a peripheral, metal reinforcing frame which is crimped onto the rigid partition and onto the second frame, pressing said second frame and the base of the elastomer body against the rigid partition;
the casing is metal and is crimped on top of the peripheral reinforcing frame of the flexible wall;
the flexible wall of the compensating chamber has, around its central part forming the flexible membrane, a rigid central frame which is embedded in said flexible wall and which has:
an annular bearing face which is parallel with the rigid partition and which is retained between said rigid partition and the annular flange of the support block of the pneumatic actuating unit,
and an annular flange which extends perpendicularly to the rigid partition around said annular flange of the support block,
the second frame forms a hollow crown which is open towards the rigid partition, delimiting the throttled passage in conjunction with said rigid partition;
the support block of the pneumatic actuating unit also has a buffer reservoir inserted between the pneumatic coupling and the pneumatic chamber;
the dimensions of the mouthpiece are such as to produce a natural resonance frequency of between 20 and 80 Hz;
the single-block pneumatic actuating unit has an air passage which connects the solenoid to the pneumatic chamber and which is so dimensioned as to have a natural resonance frequency ranging between 20 and 80 Hz.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4638983 (1987-01-01), Idigkeit et al.
patent: 4693455 (1987-09-01), Andrä
patent: 5209462 (1993-05-01), Le Fol et al.
patent: 5215293 (1993-06-01), Muramatsu et al.
patent: 5620168 (1997-04-01), Ohtake et al.
patent: 38 01 108 (1989-07-01), None
patent: 0 262 544 A2 (1988-06-01), None
patent: 9-317815 (1997-12-01), None
Durand Sylvain
Gastineau Jean-Luc
Gennesseaux Andre
Hutchinson
Marshall O'Toole Gerstein Murray & Borun
Rodriguez Pamela J.
Schwartz Christopher P.
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