CN113492889A

CN113492889A - Hydropneumatic elastic support device for a vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN113492889A
Application number: CN202110370960.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: R·施耐德
Original assignee: Liebherr Transportation Systems GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Liebherr Transportation Systems GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 2020-04-07
Filing date: 2021-04-07
Publication date: 2021-10-12
Also published as: EP3892515B1; EP3892515A1; DE102020109599A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a hydropneumatic elastic support device for a vehicle, in particular a rail vehicle, comprising a hydraulic cylinder assembly having a hydraulic cylinder and a cylinder piston which is reciprocally movable in the hydraulic cylinder, a first spring section arranged at one of the two longitudinal ends of the hydraulic cylinder assembly and a second spring section arranged at the other of the two longitudinal ends of the hydraulic cylinder assembly, wherein the respective longitudinal ends of the hydraulic cylinder assembly and the pertaining spring section are each designed such that they form an arc shape which arches inwardly towards the hydraulic cylinder assembly.

Description

Hydropneumatic elastic support device for a vehicle

Technical Field

The invention relates to a hydropneumatic elastic support device for a vehicle, in particular a rail vehicle, and to a (rail) vehicle provided with such an elastic support device.

Background

Virtually all modern rail vehicles are equipped with air springs, since for comfort reasons a small vertical stiffness is required, which in turn leads to a level regulation. In addition, pneumatic brakes are usually also installed, whereas wipers and doors are currently mostly purely electric. For decades, automobile manufacturers have attempted to forego expensive compressed air supply devices, but to date a reasonable solution to replace air suspensions has not been successful.

Each attempt to replace the air spring with a hydropneumatic elastic support device results in a very expensive and complex mechanical solution, since in addition to a purely vertical elastic support, a transverse elastic support, a longitudinal movement and a rotation around all axes must be achieved.

Thus, a simple method of replacing the air spring has proven unsuccessful.

From the prior art, a device is known which is provided with a hydropneumatic elastic support device in series with a rolling support (WO 2013/189999 a 1). The advantage that can be derived from this prior art is that virtually any transverse characteristic can be produced by selecting the form of the rolling support, not only linearly, for example incrementally, but also incrementally.

However, this solution known from the prior art also has drawbacks. In particular, the required rolling elements are mounted on the hydraulic cylinder by means of rolling bearings, which requires expensive and difficult implementations and additionally increases the risk of the bearing jamming in the event of contamination.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a hydropneumatic elastic supporting device for vehicles, which partially or completely overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks, thus achieving an improved elastic supporting device for vehicles, in particular rail vehicles. This is achieved by means of a resilient supporting means having all the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are specified in the dependent claims.

The provision of the hydropneumatic elastic support means only offers its advantages, in particular when providing an integrated solution together with the chassis solution of the vehicle, since the overall advantages and advantageous properties of the hydropneumatic elastic support means thereby additionally reduce the chassis complexity and overcome the disadvantages known in the prior art.

The invention relates to a hydropneumatic spring system which replaces two air springs of a chassis by means of spring struts. In an advantageous embodiment, furthermore, an emergency spring support and a longitudinal driver are integrated, the transverse rigidity of which can be designed virtually linearly and which is suitable for all vehicle types, including tilting technical vehicles (neignechnik-Fahrzeuge). The invention thus opens up a way to develop "airless" trains which no longer require compressed air supply devices and therefore have smaller, lighter and more favourable chassis.

The hydropneumatic elastic support device according to the invention for a vehicle, in particular a rail vehicle, comprises a hydraulic cylinder assembly having a hydraulic cylinder and a cylinder piston which is reciprocable in the hydraulic cylinder, a first spring section arranged at one of the two longitudinal ends of the hydraulic cylinder assembly and a second spring section arranged at the other of the two longitudinal ends of the hydraulic cylinder assembly, wherein the respective longitudinal ends of the hydraulic cylinder assembly and the associated spring sections are each designed such that they form an arc shape which is arched inwards towards the hydraulic cylinder assembly.

In this case, the distal end regions of the first and second spring sections are arched toward the hydraulic cylinder assembly. In order to achieve the desired spring support effect, the hydropneumatic spring support device is preferably placed with its arched end regions on correspondingly arched contact pieces of the components to be spring supported. If the elements to be elastically supported against one another are offset transversely to the longitudinal direction of the hydraulic assembly, the arcuate shape ensures a certain movement play without the vertical damping behavior being significantly impaired thereby.

According to an advantageous variant of the invention, the arc shape may be a circular arc shape having its base or high point preferably towards the longitudinal axis of the hydraulic cylinder assembly. Typically, the arcuate shape extends in the cross-section of the resilient support means, thereby enabling a lateral staggering of the resilient support means.

Furthermore, it can be provided that the hydraulic cylinder and the cylinder piston are each rigidly connected to a mounting plate on which the respective spring section is arranged, wherein preferably each mounting plate has, in cross section, an arcuate shape (e.g., a circular arc shape) that descends inward toward the longitudinal axis of the hydraulic cylinder assembly, such that the arcuate shape has a position of minimum spacing in the vicinity of or on the longitudinal axis of the hydraulic cylinder assembly.

Furthermore, according to the invention, the spring section can be a laminated spring section (e.g. a rubber leaf spring) which preferably has a plurality of layers arranged side by side, so that the plurality of layers is arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hydraulic assembly in order to achieve a large vertical compression stiffness. In this case, a plurality of layered spring sections are arranged next to one another in the transverse direction on the fastening disk. In this case, the individual layered spring sections arranged next to one another adjoin one another.

Furthermore, according to an advantageous embodiment, a pressure accumulator, for example in the form of a gas bag accumulator, a membrane accumulator or a spring accumulator, can be provided, which is connected to a chamber of the hydraulic cylinder assembly that can be compressed by the cylinder piston via a connecting channel, wherein the connecting channel preferably has a large channel cross section, as a result of which no or only a minimal damping effect occurs.

The pressure accumulator can be connected to the hydraulic cylinder and to a chamber which can be compressed by the cylinder piston and which influences the vertical damping behavior of the elastic support device as a function of the pressure introduced into the chamber. The passage cross section of the passage leading to the pressure accumulator is dimensioned to be sufficiently large to make the resulting damping effect negligibly small.

Furthermore, a diaphragm or a valve may be arranged in the connecting channel to passively or actively influence the vertical damping properties.

If, for example, stiffer vertical damping properties are desired, this can be achieved by reducing the passage cross section of the connecting passage, since only a very small amount of fluid can leave the piston chamber here when a force acts on the hydraulic cylinder.

According to an alternative development of the invention, it can be provided that the elastic support device further comprises an inner cylinder piston in the hydraulic cylinder, which inner cylinder piston can be controlled by a separate fluid passage and is designed to change the size of a chamber of the hydraulic cylinder assembly that can be compressed by the cylinder piston, wherein the inner cylinder piston is preferably arranged between the bottom of the hydraulic cylinder and the end of the cylinder piston inserted into the hydraulic cylinder, and the separate fluid passage extends through the bottom of the hydraulic cylinder.

By providing the inner cylinder piston, the cylinder piston projecting from the hydraulic cylinder can be removed in a simple manner without having to dispense with the damping feature for this purpose. The inner cylinder piston, which is usually arranged near the bottom of the hydraulic cylinder, can be moved away from the bottom of the hydraulic cylinder through a separate fluid passage, which leads to the pushing out of the cylinder piston due to the existing, constant pressure level of the compressible piston chamber of the cylinder piston. Therefore, the height levels of the respective components to be elastically supported by each other by the elastic supporting means can be changed.

The above solution is advantageous in particular in rail vehicles when the wheels have been subjected to a certain wear resulting in a reduced height. The height compensation can then be effected relatively simply by lifting the inner cylinder piston, so that a constant height of the vehicle body, which is supported elastically on the chassis, can be achieved.

According to an alternative development of the invention, it can be provided that the elastic support device is further provided with a hydraulic power unit for supplying hydraulic fluid under a certain pressure to the hydraulic cylinder assembly, wherein the hydraulic power unit is preferably arranged on the hydraulic cylinder assembly.

Such a hydraulic power unit can be used in particular for changing the position of the inner cylinder, i.e. for the level adjustment of the damping by means of the elastic support device.

The invention also relates to a vehicle, in particular a rail vehicle, comprising a wagon body and a chassis unit, wherein the wagon body is supported on the chassis unit via an elastic support system. The vehicle is characterized in that the elastic support system has a hydropneumatic elastic support device according to any one of the preceding claims, which brings the upper compartment into contact with one of the two spring sections and brings the chassis unit arranged below the elastic support device into contact with the other spring section.

In this case, it can be provided that the hydropneumatic elastic support device in the vehicle is oriented in such a way that the layered spring sections are arranged next to one another in the transverse direction of the vehicle.

Furthermore, provision can be made for an arc shape to occur in a transverse cross-sectional view of the vehicle.

According to a development of the invention, it can be provided that the spring section directed toward the passenger compartment (i.e. the upper spring section) comprises a plurality of spring section units spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and the spring section directed toward the chassis unit (i.e. the lower spring section) preferably comprises a plurality of spring section units spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

Thus, not only a single upper and/or lower spring section, but also a plurality of upper and/or lower spring sections, which are arranged offset to one another in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, can be provided.

Furthermore, provision may be made according to the invention for the elastic support device to be arranged along the height of the vehicle such that the lower spring section, which is assigned to the chassis unit, is located in the center of pitch of the chassis.

This is advantageous for achieving a stabilization of the vehicle, since thereby only the upper part of the elastic support device, which is not yet arranged in the pitch center of the vehicle, has to be provided with a corresponding damping measure for counteracting the pitch, thereby achieving an overall less complex structure of the elastic support device.

Furthermore, according to a preferred variant of the invention, it can be provided that the upper spring section, which is assigned to the car, is supported directly on the car, the cross member or a yoke for integrating the emergency spring support.

It can also be provided that a conical spring, preferably made of rubber, is arranged between the hydraulic cylinder and the lower spring section in order to realize an emergency elastic support device.

In addition, according to the invention, it can be provided that at least two, preferably four conical springs are arranged above the upper spring section, in series with the elastic support system, between the cross member or the car and the yoke interacting with the spring system, in order to realize an emergency elastic support device, wherein the at least two conical springs are preferably arranged offset from one another in the longitudinal or transverse direction of the vehicle.

Furthermore, according to the invention, it can be provided that a conical spring is provided as an emergency spring support at the outer edge between the cross member and the vehicle compartment, and/or that a spring cross member connected in series with a hydropneumatic spring support is used as an emergency spring support.

According to a further development of the invention, it can be provided that the spring section arranged at the top is in contact with the yoke, for which purpose the hydropneumatic elastic support device has a certain play in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and that the upper component of the elastic support device, the so-called bell, has at least one longitudinal damper, in particular in the form of a rubber spring, with an internal stop between the bell and the yoke connected to the vehicle compartment, in order to produce a progressive longitudinal damping characteristic, wherein the yoke preferably surrounds the bell in a hood-like manner in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

Furthermore, the chassis unit may have stops for limiting the longitudinal movement of the hydraulic cylinder and the bell to transmit large impact forces in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

Furthermore, the hydraulic power unit can here be arranged separately in the chassis unit or in the cabin. The arrangement in the cabin is advantageous in that the hydraulic power unit can thus provide energy to each chassis unit connected to the cabin. In the case of rail vehicles, therefore, at least two chassis units are usually connected to the carriage.

In addition, the vehicle may be provided with an electric generator which generates electric energy from pressure variations in the hydraulic cylinder assembly, wherein this energy is preferably used for supplying the hydraulic power unit. This makes it possible, for example, to make the hydraulic drive unit self-sufficient with respect to the energy supply of the vehicle, since the entire energy requirement thereof is covered by the generator.

Drawings

Other features, details and advantages of the invention may be obtained from the following description of the drawings. In the drawings:

figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a hydropneumatic elastic supporting device in a laterally deflected state,

figure 2 shows a transverse cross-section of a rail vehicle with a hydropneumatic elastic supporting device according to the present invention,

figure 3 shows a total of six different variants of the emergency resilient supporting means for implementing the hydropneumatic resilient supporting means according to the present invention,

fig. 4 shows a longitudinal section through a variant of the hydropneumatic elastic support device in a vehicle according to the invention, an

Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view through a hydraulic cylinder assembly including an inner cylinder for level adjustment disposed between a cylinder piston and a hydraulic cylinder bottom.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the hydropneumatic elastic supporting device 1 in a laterally deflected state, such that the longitudinal direction of the elastic supporting device 1 protrudes from the plane of the drawing. The elastic support device 1 comprises a hydraulic cylinder assembly 2 having a hydraulic cylinder 3 and a cylinder piston 4 reciprocable therein. The piston chamber 10 (i.e. the chamber in the hydraulic cylinder 3 that can be compressed by the cylinder piston) is connected to a pressure accumulator 9 (not shown in fig. 1) such that the desired damping characteristic is produced in the presence of a vertical force that leads to a thrust-in of the hydraulic cylinder 4.

Both the hydraulic cylinder 3 and the cylinder piston 4 have, on their respective distal sections, a retaining disk 7 on which the

spring sections

5, 6 are arranged.

In the transverse cross-sectional view shown, the stationary plate 7 has an arc shape rising outward from the longitudinal center axis of the hydraulic cylinder assembly 2. In this case, on the side facing away from the hydraulic cylinder assembly 2, a

respective spring section

5, 6 is arranged on the retaining plate 7, which spring section has a plurality of layers 8 offset from one another in the transverse direction. The layers arranged adjacent to one another in the transverse direction are displaceable with a transverse offset, but at the same time are rigid in the vertical direction.

In fig. 1, the elastic supporting means 1 is laterally deflected by a length a. Here, the non-laterally deflected resilient supporting means 1 is still partially depicted in fig. 1 to better show the non-deflected resilient supporting means. The arc-shaped end of each

spring section

5, 6 facing away from the hydraulic cylinder assembly 2 interacts with a correspondingly shaped spring section counterpart 32 which, viewed in cross section, has a convex shape extending towards the resilient support and is connected to a respective distal region of the

spring section

5, 6. The spring section counterpart 32 is here rigid and does not have elastic properties, but the main task is to provide a connection between the spring and the element to be elastically supported.

In addition, the resulting deformation of the individual layers of the

spring sections

5, 6 can be seen with the illustrated lateral deflection of the elastic support device 1. This can be clearly seen, for example, in the lower spring section 6, since there the layer 8 arranged on the left is shown stretched and the layer 8 arranged on the right is shown compressed. Nevertheless, a vertical damping can in principle be achieved by the elastic support means even if there is a lateral deflection.

Fig. 2 shows a transverse section through a rail vehicle 15 with a hydropneumatic elastic support device according to the present invention. It can be seen that the chassis 17 is resiliently supported relative to the cabin 16 by the resilient support means 1. The spring strut 1 is arranged in the middle of the chassis 17. The actual hydraulic cylinder assembly 2 is arranged between the two

layered spring sections

5, 6. In this case, more than one upper layer spring section 5 can be provided, which are thus arranged offset in the longitudinal direction. The upper section 5 and the lower section 6 are each embodied as an arc, wherein the outer surfaces of the

sections

5, 6 protruding from the hydraulic cylinder assembly 2 are formed so as to be concave with respect to the hydraulic cylinder assembly 2. Any transverse rigidity can be achieved by selecting the radii and shear rigidity of the

segments

5, 6 accordingly. The vertical stiffness is determined by the diameter of the piston 4 and the volume of the spring accumulator 9.

The other functions for elastically supporting the car 16 are largely the same as for a classic chassis 17 known in the art. This provides a roll stabilizer 27, a progressive transverse elastic support device 26 or transverse elastic rolling elements (queraderoller) in the form of rubber dampers, a transverse damper 25 and a vertical damper 24. The lateral buffer 25 can be generally implemented as a semi-active buffer, as an active lateral elastic support means, as an actuator for a delay means (Hold-off-Device, a system for limiting the lateral displacement during driving through a bend, thus preventing an uncomfortable contact with the stop) or as a tilt actuator.

The vertical buffer 24 is advantageously embodied as a ganged or semi-active. In order to reduce or eliminate the negative effect of the friction of the piston, the two vertical dampers are controlled in a coordinated or semi-active manner such that they only damp the roll movement, since the vertical damping is already achieved by friction. In addition, the vertical rigidity of the elastic supporting device 1 can be reduced to additionally reduce the frictional influence. By means of the elastic support device 1 according to the invention, a roll compensation or a fully active tilting can be achieved by means of a corresponding design of the kinematics of the roll stabilizer 27 (the tilting state of the rod results in a virtual pivot point in the region of the center of gravity of the vehicle cabin), a corresponding selection of the radii of the upper and lower

lamellar spring sections

5, 6 and optionally the use of an actuator instead of the transverse damper 25.

By selecting the passage cross section of the connection 11 from the hydraulic cylinder 3 to the spring store 9 and/or the additional valve or the throttle in the connection passage 11, the damping of the vertical movement can be additionally adjusted. The active adjustment of the cushion valve is likewise variable.

In addition to the chassis unit 17 and the cabin 16 arranged above it, in fig. 2 it is possible to see the elastic support device 1 arranged between them, which together with other stabilizing structures (e.g. roll stabilizer 27, lateral bumper 25, vertical bumper 24, etc.) realizes the entire spring system for the vehicle 15. The wheel sets 31 rolling on the guide rails 33 are here connected to the chassis unit 17 by means of the wheel set guides 30 and the main buffers 29 and the main elastic support means 28, which buffer or elastically support only the wheels 31 rolling on the guide rails 33.

The elastic support device 1 according to the invention is provided for vertical damping of a chassis unit 17 and a vehicle cabin 16 arranged above it, the elastic support device 1 being directed with its upper spring section 5 towards the vehicle cabin 16 and with its lower spring section 6 towards the chassis unit 17. In a simple embodiment, as shown for example in fig. 2, the upper spring section 5 is in direct contact with the car 16 or the cross member 18 of the car 16, while the lower spring section 6 is in direct contact with the chassis unit 17. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that one or more elements may also be interposed between the carriage 16 or chassis unit 17 and the

respective spring section

5, 6 without losing the essential advantages of the invention.

In the event of failure of the hydropneumatic elastic support device 1, a so-called emergency elastic support device is required, which allows safe operation of the vehicle even if the hydropneumatic elastic support device 1 fails. The emergency elastic supporting device can be installed in series or in parallel with the elastic supporting device 1 according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 shows different variants of a possible design of the emergency spring support device, wherein variants "c" and "f" in combination with the spring support device 1 according to the invention are considered particularly advantageous.

Variant "a" does not have an emergency spring, but merely shows the elastic support device 1 directly connected to the cross member 18 for fixing to the car 16.

In a possible embodiment of the emergency spring shown in the variant "b", the conical spring 20 is integrated in the cylinder piston 4. If the hydropneumatic elastic support device 1 fails because it has a leak, for example, the cylinder piston 4 descends onto the cylinder bottom 14, but also has a vertical damping characteristic because of the cone spring 20 integrated in the piston 4. The conical spring 20 is arranged between the side of the retaining disk 7 facing the hydraulic cylinder 3 and the section of the piston inserted into the cylinder 3.

In the modification "c", the two conical springs 20 are arranged to be offset in the lateral direction around the width center. The interaction with the upper spring section 5 of the elastic support device 1 is realized here by a so-called yoke 19, which is connected to the transverse beam 18 by two conical springs 20. These conical springs are arranged here on both end sections in the transverse direction of the yoke 19 and an arrangement of the conical springs 20 in series with the hydropneumatic elastic support device 1 is achieved. If the hydropneumatic elastic support device 1 fails now, the emergency elastic support device is realized by two conical springs 20.

The yoke 19 with its two conical springs 20 can also be arranged here rotated by 90 °, so that the two conical springs 20 are spaced apart not in the transverse direction of the vehicle 15 but in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

In the embodiment of the emergency spring shown in variant "d", two conical springs 20 are mounted in the transverse member 18, wherein the conical springs 20 are integrated directly in the fastening to the vehicle body 16.

In variant "e", a spring cross-member 18' is used, which can assume the function of an emergency spring in the event of failure of the hydropneumatic spring bearing 1. By placing the car 16 on the spring beam 18 ', vertical cushioning is provided directly by the resilience of the beam 18'.

In variant "f", the hydraulic cylinder 3 is inserted directly into the conical spring which assumes the function of an emergency spring. The conical spring 20 is also connected to the lower, lamellar spring section 6 by means of a so-called bell 21.

The elastic support element of the emergency elastic support device is realized in the aforementioned variants "b" to "f" as a conical spring 20, which is preferably a rubber conical spring. However, other forms are also conceivable, such as pure rubber leaf springs or the like.

Fig. 4 shows a more detailed illustration of an embodiment based on the variant "c" of fig. 3, in which two conical springs 20 are arranged offset from one another in the longitudinal direction.

In the central region of the chassis 17, so-called longitudinal entrainment members are usually arranged. Which is usually constituted by a rotating pin, a sliding element or a so-called doublet (Lemniskate). The longitudinal force is transmitted by this structure, so that the longitudinal force can be transmitted independently of the rotational movement and the transverse stroke. The longitudinal entrainment members, which are independent of the elastic support device 1 according to the invention, result in expensive and complex mechanical structures. It is therefore advantageous to integrate the longitudinal catch into the elastic support device 1. Fig. 4 therefore shows a section through the entire elastic support device 1 with the emergency elastic support device and the longitudinal driver in the longitudinal direction.

The lower, laminar spring section 6 is designed as a single spring and is arranged in the pitch center of the chassis 17. The two upper spring sections 5 are arranged offset in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 15, so that the hydraulic cylinder assembly 2 (which may also be referred to as a spring strut) is stabilized in the vertical direction. Between the transverse beam 18 and the upper laminated spring section 5, a so-called yoke 19 is arranged, which has an integrated emergency spring in the form of two conical springs 20 spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The inner conical pin is seated directly on the cross member 18, and the conical part of the conical spring 20 surrounding the pin is fixed to the yoke 19. For the actual longitudinal entrainment, two longitudinal dampers 22 and four longitudinal stops 23 are additionally provided.

In the present invention, the characteristics of the longitudinal driver are divided into the following three parts:

a) at low movements, there is little rigidity, so that an optimum decoupling of the chassis 17 from the car 16 can be achieved thereby. This stiffness is formed by the shear stiffness of the upper and lower

layered spring sections

5, 6. Further, this characteristic is effective mainly in a state where there is no driving force and braking force.

b) The progressive nature of the elasticity is defined here by the longitudinal damper 22. A stop 23 belonging to the longitudinal damper 22 between the cylinder assembly 2 and the chassis frame 17 is contacted here. This characteristic is effective mainly in a state with driving force and braking force.

c) A stop with a very high rigidity occurs, for example, if a longitudinal impact of up to 5g of the chassis mass results in a high force, which cannot be guided any longer by the elastic support device 1 or by the rubber damper 22. At such high forces, all stops 23 are active. The force then passes from the cross beam 18 via the conical spring 20, the yoke 19 into the damper 22 with the internal stop 23, then on to the bell 21 and again via the stop 23 directly on to the frame 17.

Fig. 5 shows a sectional view of the hydraulic assembly 2 in which the function of level regulation is performed by the internal cylinder 12.

In addition to the embodiment of the level control shown in fig. 5, this can also be achieved by a mechanical level control valve. Thus, for example, the distance between the chassis 17 and the carriage 16 can be measured and the pressure prevailing in the spring store can be varied as a function of this distance, so that the piston 4 is moved into or out of the cylinder 3. The distance measuring devices of the chassis 17 and the cabin 16 can be integrated in the vertical buffer 24, wherein, however, it is also possible to provide a separate distance measuring device in the region of the vertical buffer, which distance measuring is preferably carried out in the middle of the vehicle 15.

Furthermore, the distance measuring device can also be integrated in the hydraulic cylinder assembly 2.

For operable height adjustment (so-called leveling), height-or distance measurement from the car 16 to the platform (e.g. by radar, laser, etc.) is performed and the spring is raised or lowered accordingly by an electric valve.

In order to perform leveling or to compensate for wheel wear, the spacing between the chassis unit 17 and the car 16 must be adjustable.

As can be seen in the sectional view of fig. 5, a second piston 12 (i.e. a so-called inner piston 12) can be installed in the hydraulic assembly 2 for this purpose, which can be controlled by means of a separate oil supply system and a control/regulating device. The inner cylinder piston 12 is arranged between the cylinder bottom 14 and the cylinder piston 4 extending from the cylinder 3. Via a separate fluid passage 13, the inner cylinder piston 12 in the hydraulic cylinder 3 can be moved, so that the inner cylinder piston can reduce the piston chamber 10 available for the cylinder piston 4. Thereby, the pressure in the pressure accumulator 9 and the piston chamber 10 will rise and lift the cylinder piston 4 from the hydraulic cylinder 3.

For the compensation of wheel wear and for the leveling to be carried out, only a quick interface is provided, so that a corresponding device can be used in the workshop for quick height compensation by introducing the fluid quantity required for correct leveling below the inner cylinder bottom.

Alternatively or additionally, the fluid supply via the separate fluid channel 13 can also be set automatically as a function of the measured distance from the car 16 to the platform or chassis unit 17. For this reason, only a corresponding amount of fluid is introduced or discharged through the individual fluid passages 13, thereby achieving a desired height of the cabin 16.

A hydraulic power unit may be provided to generate hydraulic pressure which may be used, for example, for level regulation and for compensating for leakage. It can be arranged directly on the hydraulic cylinder assembly 2 in a compact form or can be arranged separately in the chassis unit 17. It is also conceivable to arrange on the carriage 16 in order to thereby connect usually two chassis units 17 in connection with the carriage 16 and thus provide a consumer of hydraulic fluid arranged there. Advantageously, an electrical and/or electronic control device is likewise advantageously integrated into such a hydraulic power unit.

Since the energy required for a pure level regulation and for compensating for leaks is very small, the system can also be equipped with an autonomous energy supply.

Thus, a constant pressure change in the hydraulic cylinder assembly 2 may be used as an energy source, for example. This energy is used to charge the battery by a small generator, which ensures the power supply of the electronics, sensors, valves and pumps. The principle of the generator is preferably based on the use of pressure variations in the hydraulic cylinder assembly 2, which are converted into electrical energy via the respective generator by small movements. The equipment is mainly characterized in that:

the invention also relates to a system operating in the power grid (einem elektronischen Netzwerk).

List of reference numerals

1 hydropneumatic elastic support device

2 Hydraulic cylinder assembly

3 Hydraulic cylinder

4 cylinder piston

5 upper spring section

6 lower spring section

7 fixed disk

Layers of 8 spring segments

9 pressure accumulator

10 compressible chamber of hydraulic cylinder assembly

11 connecting path

12 inner cylinder piston

13 individual fluid passages

14 hydraulic cylinder bottom

15 vehicle

16 carriage

17 Chassis unit/chassis frame

18 crossbeam

18' elastic beam

19 yoke

20 conical spring

21 Bell

22 longitudinal damper

23 stops for limiting longitudinal movement

24 vertical buffer

25 transverse buffer

26 transverse damper

27 roll stabilizer

28 main elastic supporting device wheel set

29 main buffer wheel group

30 wheel set guiding piece

31 wheel set

32 spring segment mating member

33 guide rail

A is laterally skewed.

Claims

1. A hydropneumatic elastic support device (1) for a vehicle (15), in particular a railway vehicle, comprising:

a hydraulic cylinder assembly (2) having a hydraulic cylinder (3) and a cylinder piston (4) that is reciprocally movable in the hydraulic cylinder (3),

a first spring section (5) arranged at one of the two longitudinal ends of the hydraulic cylinder assembly (2), and

a second spring section (6) arranged at the other of the two longitudinal ends of the hydraulic cylinder assembly (2), wherein

The respective longitudinal ends of the hydraulic cylinder assembly (2) and the associated spring sections (5, 6) are each designed such that they form an arc shape that is arched inwards towards the hydraulic cylinder assembly (2).

2. The resilient support means (1) of claim 1, wherein the arc shape is a circular arc shape having preferably a base point or a high point of the circular arc shape towards a longitudinal axis of the hydraulic cylinder assembly (2).

3. Elastic support device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hydraulic cylinder (3) and the cylinder piston (4) are each rigidly connected with a stationary plate (7) on which the respective spring section (5, 6) is arranged, wherein preferably the stationary plate (7) has an arc shape, e.g. a circular arc shape, in cross section, descending inwards towards the longitudinal axis of the hydraulic cylinder assembly (2), such that the arc shape has a position of minimum spacing near or on the longitudinal axis of the hydraulic cylinder assembly (2).

4. The elastic support device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the spring sections (5, 6) are layered spring sections, such as rubber leaf springs, preferably having a plurality of layers (8) arranged side by side, such that a plurality of layers (8) is provided perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hydraulic cylinder assembly (2) to achieve a large vertical compression stiffness.

5. Elastic support device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the elastic support device is further provided with a pressure accumulator (9), for example in the form of a gas bag accumulator, a membrane accumulator or a spring accumulator, which is connected with a chamber (10) of the hydraulic cylinder assembly (2) that can be compressed by the cylinder piston (4) via a connecting passage (11), wherein the connecting passage (11) preferably has a large passage cross section, whereby no or only minimal damping action is produced.

6. Elastic support device (1) according to claim 5, wherein there is also a diaphragm or a valve in the connection passage (11) to passively or actively influence the vertical damping characteristics.

7. Elastic support device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein in the hydraulic cylinder (3) there is also an inner cylinder piston (12) which can be controlled by a separate fluid passage (13) and which is designed for varying the size of a chamber (10) of the hydraulic cylinder assembly (2) which can be compressed by the cylinder piston (4), wherein the inner cylinder piston (12) is preferably arranged between a cylinder bottom (14) and the end of the cylinder piston (4) which is inserted into the hydraulic cylinder (3), and the separate fluid passage (13) extends through the cylinder bottom (14).

8. The resilient support means (1) of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a hydraulic power unit for providing the hydraulic cylinder assembly (2) with hydraulic fluid under a certain pressure, wherein the hydraulic power unit is preferably arranged on the hydraulic cylinder assembly (2).

9. Vehicle (15), in particular rail vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle cabin (16), and

a chassis unit (17) in which,

the carriage (16) is supported on the chassis unit (17) by means of an elastic support system,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the elastic support system has a hydropneumatic elastic support device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the elastic support device (1) preferably brings the upper car (16) into contact with one of the two spring sections (5, 6) and a chassis unit (17) arranged below the elastic support device into contact with the other of the two spring sections (5, 6).

10. Vehicle (15) according to claim 9, wherein the spring section (5) directed towards the cabin (16) comprises a plurality of individual spring section units spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (15), and the spring section (6) directed towards the chassis unit (17) preferably comprises a plurality of individual spring section units spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (15).

11. Vehicle (15) according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the elastic support means (1) are arranged along the height of the vehicle (15) such that the lower, i.e. the spring section (6) assigned to the chassis unit (17) is located in the centre of pitch of the chassis unit (17).

12. Vehicle (15) according to any of claims 9 to 11, wherein an upper spring section (5), i.e. assigned to the carriage (16), bears directly on the carriage (16), a cross beam (18) or a yoke (19) for integrating an emergency resilient support means.

13. Vehicle (15) according to any of claims 9 to 12, wherein a conical spring (20), preferably made of rubber, is arranged between the hydraulic cylinder (3) and the lower spring section (6) to achieve an emergency resilient support means.

14. Vehicle (15) according to one of claims 9 to 13, wherein at least two, preferably four conical springs (20) are provided above the upper spring section (5), in series with the elastic support device (1), between a cross beam (18) or the car (16) and a yoke (19) co-acting with the elastic support device (1) to achieve an emergency elastic support device, wherein the at least two conical springs (20) are preferably arranged offset from one another in the longitudinal or transverse direction of the vehicle (15).

15. Vehicle (15) according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein a conical spring (20) is provided at the outer edge between the cross beam (18) and the cabin (16) as emergency elastic support means and/or an elastic cross beam (18) in series with the hydropneumatic elastic support means (1) is used as emergency elastic support means.

16. Vehicle (15) according to one of claims 9 to 15, wherein the spring section (5) arranged in the upper part is in contact with a yoke (19), for which purpose the hydropneumatic elastic support device (1) has a certain clearance in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (15), and the upper component part of the elastic support device (1), the so-called bell (21), has at least one longitudinal damper (22), in particular in the form of a rubber spring, with an internal stop between the bell (21) and the yoke (19) connected to the wagon (16) to produce a progressive longitudinal damping characteristic, wherein the yoke (19) preferably surrounds the bell (21) in a hood-like manner in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (15).

17. Vehicle (15) according to claim 16, wherein the chassis unit (17) further has a stop (23) for limiting the longitudinal movement of the hydraulic cylinder (3) and the bell (21) to transfer large impact forces in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (15).

18. Vehicle (15) according to any of claims 9-16, improved by the features of claim 8, wherein the hydraulic power unit is arranged solely in the chassis unit (17) or in the cabin (16).

19. Vehicle (15) according to any of claims 9-17, further comprising an electric generator, which generates electric energy from the pressure variations of the hydraulic cylinder assembly (2), wherein the energy is preferably used for supplying the hydraulic power unit of claim 8.