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US 2014/0151169 A1Published application
Inertial terrain transit event manager apparatus
OwnerRobert H. Wehr, Donald N. Riggsinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is a networkable, peripherally valved hydraulic shock absorber and damper apparatus which is a substantial improvement and major advance over the shock absorber and damping systems conventionally known to date. The apparatus employs an elevated viscosity hydraulic fluid as a damping medium; and presents a unique structural arrangement that utilizes peripheral valving to shunt a high viscosity hydraulic fluid between the peripheral edges of the piston mechanism and the cylinder wall.
Claims40
An inertial terrain transit event manager apparatus comprising:
- an elongated hollow cylinder having an end wall with a pre-sized opening, a closed end wall, at least two discrete solid sidewalls, and an extended internal bore volume;
- a pressure-resistant compartment barrier positioned between said sidewalls of said cylinder which divides said extended internal bore volume of said cylinder into two adjacently located separated compartments constituting a discrete gas-containing spatial region and a discrete hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region;
- a reciprocating piston mechanism disposed and moveable within said extended internal bore volume of said cylinder, said piston mechanism being comprised of
- (α) a displaceable piston head located within said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region, and
- (β) a piston rod which passes through said open end wall of said cylinder, is capable of up-strokes and down-strokes repeatedly within said internal bore volume of said cylinder, and will initiate movement and displacement of said piston head on-demand within said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region;
- a viscous hydraulic fluid capable of motion disposed within the compartment volume of said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region of said cylinder, wherein compression force and kinetic energy is imparted to said viscous fluid via the displacement of said piston head within said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region;
- a compressible gas held at a predetermined pressure within the compartment volume said gas-containing spatial region of said cylinder;
- intrinsic damping-force control means joined to that portion of said piston mechanism located within the compartment volume of said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region of said cylinder, wherein said intrinsic damping-force control means is comprised of
- a preformed article which
- (i) has known dimensions and configuration,
- (ii) is fashioned of a deformable material having a known coefficient of thermal expansion,
- (iii) is able to absorb the resistance of said viscous hydraulic fluid when compressed within said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region,
- (iv) is able to impart changes to the flow angle and flow rate of said viscous hydraulic fluid within said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region,
- (v) is sufficient to convert at least a portion of the kinetic energy then present in said flowing viscous hydraulic fluid into heat, and
- an annular gap of temperature variable size located between said preformed article and each cylinder sidewall of said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region, said annular gap serving as a higher-temperature size expanding and lower-temperature size narrowing peripheral valve which allows temperature-differing quantities of flowing viscous hydraulic fluid to pass through during the up-stroke and down-stroke movement of said piston mechanism.
12 more elements
An inertial terrain transit event manager apparatus comprising:
- an elongated hollow cylinder having an end wall with a pre-sized opening, a closed end wall, at least two discrete solid sidewalls, and an extended internal bore volume;
- a pressure-resistant compartment barrier positioned between said sidewalls of said cylinder which divides said extended internal bore volume of said cylinder into two adjacently located separated compartments constituting a discrete gas-containing spatial region and a discrete hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region;
- a reciprocating piston mechanism disposed and moveable within said extended internal bore volume of said cylinder, said piston mechanism being comprised of
- (α) a displaceable piston head located within said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region, and
- (β) a piston rod which passes through said open end wall of said cylinder, is capable of up-strokes and down-strokes repeatedly within said internal bore volume of said cylinder, and will initiate movement and displacement of said piston head on-demand within said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region;
- a viscous hydraulic fluid capable of motion disposed within the compartment volume of said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region of said cylinder, wherein compression force and kinetic energy is imparted to said viscous hydraulic fluid via the displacement of said piston head within said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region;
- a compressible gas held at a predetermined pressure within the compartment volume said gas-containing spatial region of said cylinder;
- intrinsic damping-force control means joined to that portion of said piston mechanism located within the compartment volume of said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region of said cylinder, wherein said intrinsic damping-force control means is comprised of
- a preformed article which
- (i) has known dimensions and configuration,
- (ii) is fashioned of a deformable material having a known coefficient of thermal expansion,
- (iii) is able to absorb the resistance of said viscous hydraulic fluid when compressed within said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region,
- (iv) is able to impart changes to the flow angle and flow rate of said viscous hydraulic fluid within said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region,
- (v) is sufficient to convert at least a portion of the kinetic energy then
- present in said flowing viscous hydraulic fluid into heat, and an annular gap of temperature variable size located between said preformed article and each cylinder sidewall of said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region, said annular gap serving as a higher-temperature size expanding and lower-temperature size narrowing peripheral valve which allows temperature-differing quantities of flowing viscous hydraulic fluid to pass through during the up-stroke and down-stroke movement of said piston mechanism;
- and
- extrinsically activated damping-force control means positioned in-part externally to said cylinder and disposed in-part internally within the compartment volume of said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region of said cylinder, said extrinsically applied damping-force control means being in controlling communication with that portion of said piston mechanism, and being able to independently direct and control the quantum of damping force then being applied to the kinetic energy of said flowing viscous hydraulic fluid.
14 more elements
An inertial terrain transit event manager apparatus comprising:
- a flexible cylinder assembly including
- (i) a flexible first elongated hollow cylinder chamber having an end wall with a pre-sized opening and an associated base-plate, a closed end wall, at least two discrete flexible sidewalls, and an extended internal bore volume;
- (ii) a flexible second elongated hollow cylinder shell enclosing the sidewalls of said first cylinder chamber, said second cylinder shell presenting a second extended bore volume and providing at least two nested separated hydraulic fluid-containing spatial regions connected by passageways through said associated base plate at the end wall of said first cylinder chamber;
- (iii) a flexible third hollow cylinder framework enclosing said sidewalls of said first and first cylinder chamber and said second cylinder shell, said third cylinder framework constituting a discrete gas-containing spatial region positioned for on-demand application of pressurized gas to compress said nested separated hydraulic fluid-containing spatial regions of said enclosed second cylinder shell;
- a fixed piston mechanism disposed and affixed to said base-plate of the extended internal bore volume of said cylinder assembly, said piston mechanism being comprised of
- (α) a piston head located within said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial regions, and
- (β) a base plate supporting said piston mechanism and containing an aperture gap valve with fluid flow passages connecting said first and second hydraulic fluid-containing spatial regions via said aperture gap valve;
- a viscous hydraulic fluid capable of motion disposed within the compartment volumes of said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial regions of said cylinder assembly, wherein compression force and kinetic energy is imparted to said viscous hydraulic fluid via the displacement of said piston head within said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region;
- a compressible gas held at a predetermined pressure within the compartment volume said gas-containing spatial region of said cylinder assembly;
- intrinsic damping-force control means joined to that portion of said piston located within the compartment volume of said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region of said cylinder assembly, wherein said intrinsic damping-force control means is comprised of
- a preformed article which
- (i) has known dimensions and configuration,
- (ii) is fashioned of a deformable material having a known coefficient of thermal expansion,
- (iii) is able to absorb the resistance of said viscous hydraulic fluid when compressed within said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region,
- (iv) is able to impart changes to the flow angle and flow rate of said viscous hydraulic fluid within said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region,
- (v) is sufficient to convert at least a portion of the kinetic energy then present in said flowing viscous hydraulic fluid into heat, and
- an annular gap of temperature variable size located between said preformed article and each cylinder sidewall of said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region, said annular gap serving as a higher-temperature size expanding and lower-temperature size narrowing peripheral valve which allows temperature-differing quantities of flowing viscous hydraulic fluid to pass through during the up-stroke and down-stroke movement of said piston mechanism;
- and
- extrinsically activated damping-force control means positioned in-part externally to said cylinder assembly and disposed in-part internally within the compartment volume of said hydraulic fluid-containing spatial region of said cylinder assembly, said extrinsically applied damping-force control means being in controlling communication with that portion of said piston, and being able to independently direct and control the quantum of damping force then being applied to the kinetic energy of said flowing viscous hydraulic fluid.
16 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.