Multi-functional proportional control valve for hydraulic suspension system for vehicle

摘要

A hydraulic suspension system includes a suspension cylinder, a pump, and a control valve therebetween. The control valve includes a spool reciprocally movable between a pump flow position and a tank flow position in which a control port of the control valve is in communication with a pump and a tank, respectively. A piloted logic element in fluid communication with and interposed between the control valve and the suspension cylinder is selectively movable between a through-flow position in which fluid can flow in either direction between a chamber of the suspension cylinder and the control port of the control valve and a blocked position in which fluid is prevented from flowing in or out of the chamber of the suspension cylinder. The logic element is biased to the blocking position, moving to the through-flow position when subjected to a crack pressure delivered from the control port of the control valve.

主权项

1. A multifunctional proportional control valve comprising:
a control valve portion, the control valve portion including a control valve cage and a hollow spool, the control valve cage defining a longitudinal interior passageway, a tank port, and a pump port, the tank and pump ports in communication with the interior passageway, the spool defining a longitudinal spool passageway and a plurality of cross holes radially arranged about the spool, the cross holes in communication with the spool passageway and the interior passageway of the control valve cage, the spool disposed within the interior passageway of the control valve cage and reciprocally movable over a range of travel between a pump flow position in which the pump port of the control valve cage is open and the tank port of the control valve cage is closed and a tank flow position in which the tank port of the control valve cage is open and the pump port of the control valve cage is closed, the spool being biased to the pump flow position; a logic element portion in communication with the control valve portion, the logic element portion including a logic element cage and a logic element poppet, the logic element cage defining a longitudinal interior logic element passageway and a logic element port in communication with the logic element passageway, the logic element passageway in communication with the spool passageway, the logic element poppet disposed within the logic element passageway of the logic element cage and reciprocally movable over a range of travel between a blocking position in which the logic element port of the logic element cage is closed and a logic element through-flow position in which the logic element port of the logic element cage is open, the logic element poppet being biased to the blocking position such that the logic element poppet remains in the blocking position until a pressure at least equal to a crack pressure is applied to the logic element poppet against the biasing force, thereby unseating the logic element poppet from the blocking position and moving the logic element poppet toward the through-flow position; wherein the control valve portion and the logic element portion are contained within a single cartridge arrangement.