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US 2018/0009283 A1Published application
Vehicle air strut with twist lock closure cover
AssigneeContinental Automotive Systems, Inc.
InventorsGarrett M. Pniewski, Sunny Makkar, Christian Schallmeier, Holger Wehaus
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pneumatic spring strut for a vehicle is provided including a hydraulic cylinder having a lower end for connection with a suspension system of the vehicle; a hydraulic piston slidably mounted within the hydraulic cylinder; a piston rod connected with the hydraulic piston; a pneumatic spring mount body connected with the hydraulic cylinder; a pneumatic spring bellows having a lower in connected with the pneumatic spring mount body; a top cap encircling the piston rod and being connected with a top end of the spring bellows, and a closing cover twist lock connected with the top cap.
Claims13
A pneumatic spring strut for a vehicle comprising:
- a hydraulic cylinder having a lower end for connection with a suspension system of the vehicle;
- a hydraulic piston slidably mounted within said hydraulic cylinder;
- a piston rod connected with said hydraulic piston;
- a pneumatic spring mount body connected with said hydraulic cylinder;
- a pneumatic spring bellows having a lower end connected with said pneumatic spring mount body;
- a top cap encircling said piston rod and being connected with a top end of said spring bellows, said top cap having an outer flange for connection with a body of said vehicle, and said top cap having a bore having a lower radially inward projecting flange and an upper opening with radially inward projecting spline teeth;
- a bushing connected with said piston rod positioned above and against said top cap lower flange;
- and
- a closing cover having a body allowing said closing cover to be inserted with said in said top cap bore upper opening and to be twist locked with said top cap bore upper opening.
6 more elements
A pneumatic spring strut for a vehicle comprising:
- a hydraulic cylinder having a lower end for connection with a suspension system of the vehicle;
- a hydraulic piston slidably mounted within said hydraulic cylinder;
- a piston rod connected with said hydraulic piston;
- a pneumatic spring mount body connected with said hydraulic cylinder;
- a pneumatic spring bellows having a lower end connected with said pneumatic spring mount body;
- a top cap encircling said piston rod and being connected with a top end of said spring bellows, said top cap having an outer flange for connection with a body of said vehicle, and said top cap having a bore having a lower radially inward projecting flange and an upper opening with radially inward projecting spline teeth;
- a bushing connected with said piston rod positioned above and against said top cap lower flange;
- and
- a polymeric closing cover having a body with an outer flange with at least four gear like teeth, said closing cover gear like teeth having an upper depression for reception of said top cap spline teeth, said closing cover being insertable with said in said top cap bore upper opening, and said closing cover can be turned and captured underneath said top cap bore upper opening spline teeth to arrest said damper bushing against said top cap lower flange, said closing cover having a central conic hollow dome with an outer flange formed by a horizontal base connecting with a generally axially extending rim, said rim being connected with said gear like teeth, and said closing cover having radial ribs connecting a top portion of said dome, said horizontal base and said rim and being aligned with said spline teeth.
6 more elements
A method of connecting a closing cover on pneumatic spring strut for a vehicle comprising:
- providing a hydraulic cylinder having a lower end for connection with a suspension system of the vehicle;
- providing a hydraulic piston slidably mounted within said hydraulic cylinder;
- providing a piston rod connected with said hydraulic piston;
- connecting with said hydraulic cylinder a pneumatic spring mount body;
- connecting with said pneumatic spring mount body a lower end of a pneumatic spring bellows;
- providing a top cap encircling said piston rod and connecting said top cap with an upper end of said spring bellows, said top cap having an outer flange for connecting with a body of said vehicle, and said top cap having a bore having a lower radially inward projecting flange and an upper opening with radially inward projecting spline teeth;
- connecting with said piston rod a bushing positioned above and against said top cap lower flange;
- providing a closing cover having a body with an outer flange with gear like teeth;
- inserting said closing cover within said top cap bore upper opening;
- compressing said bushing with said closing cover;
- and
- turning said closing cover to capture said closing cover underneath said top cap bore upper opening spline teeth and thereafter ceasing the compressing of said bushing by said closing cover to arrest said damper bushing against said top cap lower flange.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.