Patent ID: 12257989

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The first exemplary embodiment of an accumulator piston device (10) according toFIG.1comprises an accumulator piston (12), two guide rings (14a,14b) attached to the outer circumference and to opposite ends of this accumulator piston (12) and a sealing ring (16) placed between the guide rings (14a,14b).

For its part, the accumulator piston (12) is designed as a hollow piston and comprises a sleeve-shaped piston shaft (18) and a piston crown (20), which closes one end of this piston shaft (18), which is at the top inFIG.1. The outward-facing end face of the piston crown (20) can be designed as desired and is structured in a star shape in the exemplary embodiment shown.

The piston shaft (18) is divided in the direction of a longitudinal piston axis (L) into a total of two cylindrical shaft portions (18a,18b), which differ from one another in their outer dimensions. A first shaft portion (18a), on which the piston crown (20) is arranged, has a smaller outer diameter than an adjoining second shaft portion (18b), with an end of the accumulator piston (12) opposite the piston crown (20) and open at the bottom. A transition between the first and second shaft portions is, by way of example, designed as a right-angled step. The latter forms an abutment shoulder (22) for the seal (16) of the accumulator piston device (10) arranged on the circumference of the first shaft portion (18a).

This seal (16) is designed as a lip seal with two sealing lips that extend in the direction of the longitudinal axis (L) of the piston. The flank of the seal (16) facing the abutment shoulder (22) is closed, while the opposite flank is open. There, the sealing lips enclose a wedge-shaped circumferential groove between them that is open towards the first guide ring (14a).

The lip seal ring is arranged between the first guide ring (14a) and the abutment shoulder (22) on the first shaft portion (18a) of the accumulator piston device (10). The first guide ring (14a) is designed as a closed ring, the overall cross-section of which is divided into a first cross-sectional region, which determines the inner diameter region of the guide ring, and a second cross-sectional region, which determines the outer diameter of the guide ring (14a). The first cross-sectional region of the guide ring (14a) lies in an annular groove (24a) formed on the first shaft portion (18a) of the accumulator piston (12), while the second cross-sectional region projects radially from this annular groove (24a) and projects radially beyond the second shaft portion (18b) of the piston shaft (18). This second cross-sectional region of the guide ring (14a) is exposed towards the piston crown (20), i.e. its lateral flank, which projects radially beyond the piston crown (20), is not covered by the accumulator piston (12).

A second guide ring (14b) of the accumulator piston device (10) is also arranged in an annular groove (24b) on the second shaft portion (18b), i.e. on the shaft portion with the larger outer dimension of the accumulator piston (12). The outer diameters of the two guide rings (14a,14b) are approximately the same size.

FIG.2shows a mold tool (30) for injection molding of the plastic accumulator piston (12) according toFIG.1. This mold tool (30) consists of a cup-shaped casting mold (32), a forming die (34) inserted into this casting mold (32) and two lateral pairs of slides (36a,36b) which can be inserted at different heights and from opposite directions into associated horizontal gaps of the casting mold (32). The two pairs of slides (36a,36b) are used to form annular grooves (24a,24b) on the outer circumference of the first and second shaft portions (18a,18b) of the piston shaft (18), which are provided to accommodate the two guide rings (14a,14b). The inner wall of the casting mold (32) forms the outer contour of the accumulator piston (12), i.e. the different outer dimensions of the two shaft portions (18a,18b) as well as the abutment shoulder (22) at the transition between these two shaft portions (18a,18b). The base of the casting mold (32) is designed to form the star-shaped texture described above on the outward-facing end face of the piston crown (20).

The forming die (34) closes the opening of the casting mold (32) to the outside with a die plate (38). A die (40) is attached to this die plate (38) which, when closed, projects into the interior of the casting mold (32) such that a cavity is enclosed between the outer wall of the die (40) and the inner wall of the casting mold (32). This cavity accommodates the accumulator piston (12), which is produced during an injection process by filling the cavity with plastic. After the injected plastic mass has cooled down, the pairs of slides (36a,36b) have been retracted and the forming die has been lifted off, this accumulator piston (12) can be removed axially from the casting mold (32) in the direction of the longitudinal axis (L) of the piston. The axial demoldability of the accumulator piston (12) is indicated by the directional arrows R1 and R2 inFIG.2.

Due to this axial demoldability of the accumulator piston (12) from the casting mold (32), at least one region (42) of the accumulator piston (12), which is formed between the annular groove (24a) on the first shaft portion (18a) and the abutment shoulder (22) and on which the seal (16) of the accumulator piston device (10) is later arranged, can be produced with a particularly high surface quality and in particular without an interfering parting line. The lack of separation rates enables the use of a seal (16) that presses against a receptacle for the accumulator piston device (10) with relatively low radial preload and thus allows the use of a lip seal instead of a seal (16) with a solid seal cross-section.

FIG.3shows a second exemplary embodiment of an accumulator piston (12) fitted with guide rings (14a,14b) in cross-section. This accumulator piston (12) corresponds in its inner and outer shape to the accumulator piston (12) explained in connection with the description inFIG.1orFIG.2. What differs from the previously described accumulator pistons (12), however, is that the two guide rings (14a,14b) are not arranged in annular grooves, but rather are molded or injection-molded directly onto the circumferential surface of the accumulator piston (12) in a two-component injection molding process. By using molded guide rings (14a,14b) which are, i.e., attached to the accumulator piston (12) in a bonded manner, it is possible to omit pairs of slides on the tool for producing annular grooves in order to accommodate guide rings during the production of accumulator pistons. Inevitably, this also avoids separation rates that occur at the separating surface between the respective pair of slides. Furthermore, the casting mold for manufacturing the accumulator piston (12) is simplified and thereby its cost.

Of course, modifications or additions to an accumulator piston device (10) beyond those described are conceivable without these modifications leaving the scope of the disclosure.