US-20260124870-A1 - SPRING SYSTEM HAVING A SPRING ARRANGEMENT

US20260124870A1US 20260124870 A1US20260124870 A1US 20260124870A1US-20260124870-A1

Abstract

A spring arrangement for suspending a wheel suspension element relative to a vehicle body includes a spring element extending along a torsion axis and having a multiplicity of torsion portions arranged one around another in radial succession. Adjacent torsion portions are predominantly separate from one another in each case, but connected in a rotationally fixed manner in certain regions by a connecting portion. An innermost torsion portion and an outermost torsion portion each have an attachment region and one attachment region is connected to the vehicle body and the other attachment region is connected to the wheel suspension element. A controllable actuator may act on different torsion portions of the spring element relative to the vehicle body and to set the characteristics of the spring arrangement.

Inventors

Thomas Gerhards
Roger Graaf
Ralf Hintzen
Paul Zandbergen
Rainer Souschek

Assignees

FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251104
Priority Date: 20241104

Claims (10)

1 . A spring system comprising: a spring arrangement for suspending a wheel suspension element relative to a vehicle body; and means for actuating the spring arrangement, wherein the spring arrangement includes a spring element extending along a torsion axis and having a multiplicity of torsion portions arranged one around another in radial succession, wherein adjacent torsion portions are predominantly separate from one another in each case, but connected in a rotationally fixed manner in certain regions by a connecting portion, wherein an innermost torsion portion and an outermost torsion portion each have an attachment region and one attachment region is connected to the vehicle body and the other attachment region is connected to the wheel suspension element, and wherein a controllable actuator acts on different torsion portions of the spring element relative to the vehicle body and sets a characteristic of the spring arrangement.
2 . The spring system of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is arranged adjacent to the spring arrangement and is designed to generate an electric or magnetic field, wherein, within the spring arrangement, at least one chamber sealed by closure plates, between torsion tubes lying one inside and another and formed by torsion portions of the spring element is filled with an electrorheological or magnetorheological fluid on which the electric or magnetic field acts.
3 . The spring system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one chamber comprises two chambers and the two chambers are formed by torsion portions of the spring element and are filled with the electrorheological or magnetorheological fluid on which the electric or magnetic field acts.
4 . The spring system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one chamber comprises two chambers and only one of the two chambers is formed by torsion portions of the spring element and filled with the electrorheological or magnetorheological fluid on which the electric or magnetic field acts.
5 . The spring system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the torsion portions of the spring element is connected to a latching element and the latching element is connected to the actuator.
6 . The spring system of claim 5 , wherein the actuator is connected to the innermost torsion portion via the latching element.
7 . The spring system of claim 5 , wherein the actuator is connected to a torsion portion surrounding the innermost torsion portion, and to at least a further torsion portion surrounding the innermost torsion portion, via the latching element.
8 . The spring system of claim 5 , wherein the actuator is connected to the innermost torsion portion, and to the torsion portion surrounding the innermost torsion portion, via the latching element.
9 . The spring system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the torsion portions of the spring element is connected to the actuator via a friction coupling.
10 . The spring system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the torsion portions of the spring element is connected to the actuator via a belt drive.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD Example embodiments generally relate to a spring system having a spring arrangement for suspending a wheel suspension element relative to a vehicle body and means for actuating the spring arrangement. BACKGROUND A spring arrangement for suspending a wheel suspension element relative to a vehicle body is known from DE 10 2020 213 644 B4. The spring arrangement has a spring element extending along a torsion axis and having a multiplicity of torsion portions arranged one around another in radial succession, wherein adjacent torsion portions are predominantly separate from one another in each case, but connected in a rotationally fixed manner in certain regions by a connecting portion, wherein an innermost torsion portion and an outermost torsion portion each have an attachment region and one attachment region is connected to the vehicle body and the other attachment region is connected to the wheel suspension element. As means for actuating the spring arrangement, a multiplicity of independently adjustable locking elements are provided, via which different torsion portions of the spring element may be optionally locked or released relative to the vehicle body. This known spring arrangement has a compact design and makes good use of the available installation space. However, it is disadvantageous in that the multiplicity of independently adjustable locking elements is linked to an increase in the component diversity and in the installation effort. Moreover, a custom characteristic curve of the spring element cannot be set via the locking elements since these only enable the different torsion portions of the spring element to be locked or released relative to the vehicle body. U.S. Pat. No. 8,827,287 B2 describes an axle control element of a motor vehicle, having a torsion spring system as an accumulator spring, which, on the one hand, is connected to a wheel guide element via a rotary arm and, on the other, is supported on the vehicle body in a fixed manner via a controllable actuator, wherein the torsion spring system has, nested one inside another, at least one torsion tube and at least one torsion bar, wherein the actuator consists of a servomotor unit, which is spaced apart from the torsion spring system and is fixed to the vehicle body, and a pivotally controllable drive lever, which is connected to said servomotor unit, and the drive lever is connected to a torsion tube and an output lever is connected to a torsion bar and is also connected to the wheel guide element, either directly or indirectly via a coupling, or, correspondingly, the drive lever is connected to a torsion bar and the output lever is connected to a torsion tube and is also connected to the wheel guide element, either directly or indirectly via a coupling. This known arrangement is disadvantageous in that a very large installation space is needed since, on the one hand, the torsion spring system is connected to the wheel guide element via the rotary arm and, on the other, the servomotor unit is spaced apart from the torsion spring system via the drive lever. In structural terms, this arrangement also has a high component diversity owing to the lever used and is likewise difficult to install. In view of this, the demonstrated prior art in the field of spring arrangements for suspending a wheel suspension element relative to a vehicle body still has room for improvements. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES The disclosure relates to demonstrating an improved spring effect acting on the vehicle body, whilst maintaining a compact design of the spring arrangement. According to an example embodiment, the object is achieved by a spring system having a spring arrangement for suspending a wheel suspension element relative to a vehicle body and means for actuating the spring arrangement. A spring system is demonstrated, which has a spring arrangement for suspending a wheel suspension element relative to a vehicle body and means for actuating the spring arrangement, wherein the spring arrangement has a spring element extending along a torsion axis and having a multiplicity of torsion portions arranged one around another in radial succession, wherein adjacent torsion portions are predominantly separate from one another in each case, but connected in a rotationally fixed manner in certain regions by a connecting portion, wherein an innermost torsion portion and an outermost torsion portion each have an attachment region and one attachment region is connected to the vehicle body and the other attachment region is connected to the wheel suspension element. According to the invention, a controllable actuator is designed to act on different torsion portions of the spring element relative to the vehicle body and to set the characteristic of the spring arrangement. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not n