Patent · US Expired

Suspension damper for motor vehicle

US6161662A · kind A · utility

38Cited by
9References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 16, 1999
Grant dateDec 19, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 16, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
  • CPC primaryF16F9/5123
  • WIPO fieldMechanical elements
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A monotube suspension damper including a cylinder tube having a fluid chamber and a gas chamber, a piston dividing the fluid chamber into a compression chamber and a rebound chamber, a primary fluid flow path across the piston including flow control valves which throttle fluid flow, a secondary fluid flow path across the piston parallel to the primary flow path including flow control valves which throttle fluid flow, and a tubular connecting rod on the cylinder tube connected to the piston. A valve spool is supported on the piston for linear translation between closed and open positions blocking and unblocking the secondary flow path. A control rod inside of the connecting rod is disposed between the valve spool and a flexible diaphragm exposed to pneumatic pressure in an expansible load leveling chamber between sprung and unsprung masses of the motor vehicle. As the pneumatic pressure in the expansible chamber varies, the control rod transfers flexure of the diaphragm to the valve spool to close the secondary flow path and increase the stiffness of the suspension damper as pneumatic pressure increases and to open the secondary flow path and decrease the stiffness of the suspension…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.