Damper with digital valve
AssigneeTenneco Automotive Operating Company Inc.
InventorsMatthew L. Roessle, Karl C. Kazmirski, Jeroen K. Paenhuysen, Darrell G. Breese, Daniel T. Keil, Thomas P. Mallin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A shock absorber has a compression valve assembly that provides a high damping load during a compression stroke and an extension valve assembly that provides a high damping load during an extension stroke. One or more digital valve assemblies is positioned to work in parallel with the compression valve assembly and the extension valve assembly to provide a lower damping load. The lowering of the damping load is based upon the cross sectional area of flow passages provided by the one or more digital valve assemblies.
Claims19
A shock absorber comprising:
- a pressure tube forming a working chamber;
- a piston assembly slidably disposed within said pressure tube, said piston assembly dividing said working chamber into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber, said piston assembly including a piston body defining a first fluid passage extending through said piston body and a first valve assembly controlling fluid flow through said first fluid passage;
- a second fluid passage separate from said first fluid passage, said second fluid passage extending from one of said upper and lower working chambers to a fluid chamber;
- a digital valve assembly controlling fluid flow through said second fluid passage;
- wherein
- fluid flow through said first valve assembly generates a high damping load for said shock absorber;
- and
- fluid flow through said first and second valve assemblies generates a low damping load, lower than said high damping load, for said shock absorber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.