US 12,510,128 B2Granted

Drive arrangement for a flap of a motor vehicle

AssigneesBrose Fahrzeugteile SE & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft, Bamberg, Suspa GmbH

InventorsMichael Wittelsbürger, Clemens Franke, Sebastian Ramsauer, Patricia Cruz, Roland Löscher, Waldon Zuo

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A drive arrangement for a motor vehicle flap including a gas pressure element, the gas pressure element has an outwardly sealed cylinder and a piston moveable in the cylinder interior along the cylinder axis and subdivides the cylinder interior into two sub-chambers, the gas pressure element has a first drive connection connected to the cylinder, and a second drive connection connected to the piston, the cylinder filled with a fluid and the piston has an overflow channel arrangement to create a balancing flow between the two sub-chambers to balance a pressure drop between the two sub-chambers. The piston is assigned a switchable valve arrangement which, depending on the pressure drop between the two sub-chambers, to create different through-flow states differing the cross section of the overflow channel arrangement. Upon exceeding a predetermined threshold for the pressure drop, the valve arrangement switches to change the cross section of the overflow channel arrangement.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A drive assembly for a use in hatch of a motor vehicle, the drive assembly comprising:

at least one gas pressure element including an externally sealed cylinder and a piston, the piston disposed in an interior space of the cylinder and configured to move along a cylinder axis of the cylinder and sub-dividing the cylinder interior space into two sub-spaces,
the gas pressure element including a first drive connector, connected to the cylinder, and a second drive connector connected to the piston, the cylinder filled with a gas, the piston including an overflow duct assembly, the overflow duct assembly configured to, responsive to movement of the piston, provide a balancing flow of a portion of the gas between the two sub-spaces to balance a pressure gradient between the two sub-spaces,
the piston configured to cooperate with a switchable valve assembly, the switchable valve assembly configured to switch between different through-flow states as a function of the pressure gradient, a cross section of the overflow duct assembly differs in size between the different through-flow states,
the valve assembly configured to switch, in a self-actuating manner, starting from a resting state of the gas pressure element, wherein no pressure gradient at all is present, to an overload through-flow state, in which the valve assembly enlarges the cross-section of the overflow duct assembly to a first cross section, in response to the gas acting on the valve assembly and the pressure gradient exceeding a predetermined upper limit value, and
wherein the valve assembly is further configured to switch, in a self-acting manner, starting from the resting state of the gas pressure element, wherein no pressure gradient at all then is present, to a constriction state, in which the valve assembly reduces the cross-section of the overflow duct assembly to a second cross section, in response to the gas acting the valve assembly and the pressure gradient exceeding a predetermined lower limit value.

2 more elements

A drive assembly for use in a hatch of a motor vehicle, the drive assembly comprising:

at least one gas pressure element including an externally sealed cylinder and a piston, the piston disposed in an interior space of the cylinder, configured to move along a cylinder axis defined by the cylinder, configured to sub-divide the interior space into two sub-spaces,
the gas pressure element including a first drive connector, connected to the cylinder, and a second drive connector connected to the piston, wherein the cylinder is filled with a pressurized gas,
the piston provided with an overflow duct assembly, the overflow duct assembly configured to, responsive to movement of the piston, provide a balancing flow between the two sub-spaces to balance a pressure gradient between the two sub-spaces, and
the piston configured to cooperate with a switchable valve assembly, the switchable valve assembly configured to switch between different through-flow states as a function of the pressure gradient, each of the different through-flow states corresponding to different sizes of a cross section of the overflow duct assembly,
the valve assembly configured to, responsive to the pressure gradient exceeding a predetermined lower limit value, starting from a resting state of the gas pressure element, wherein no pressure gradient at all is present, switch in a self-acting manner from an open state to a constriction state, in which the valve assembly reduces the cross section of the overflow duct assembly in relation to the open state, and
wherein the valve assembly is further configured to, responsive to the pressure gradient exceeding a predetermined upper limit value, starting from a resting state of the gas pressure element, wherein no pressure gradient at all is present, switch in a self-acting manner from the constriction state to a closed state, in which the valve assembly decreases the cross section of the overflow duct assembly in relation to the constriction state.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/017,212Filed 21 Jul 2021
Priority: DE 10 2020 119 230.421 Jul 2020
Published: US 2023/0272657 A131 Aug 2023
Granted: 30 Dec 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification20 codes

F16F 9/0227
Telescopic: characterised by the piston construction
F15B 13/042
For use with a single servomotor: operated by fluid pressure
F16F 9/0245
Telescopic: means for adjusting the length of, or for locking, the spring or dampers
F16F 9/512
Special means providing automatic damping adjustment, i.e. self-adjustment of damping by particular sliding movements of a valve element, other…:…