Dynamic shock absorber evaluator
AssigneeProducts and Patents Ltd.
InventorsBernard Stevens, Gregg W. Squires
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A shock absorber testing device wherein the vehicle body is raised relative to the vehicle wheels, and is then released. The vehicle wheels are not raised. Upon releasing of the raised spring-suspended body of the vehicle, the resulting oscillations of the movement of the body is sensed, and various quality factors (h.sub.1, h.sub.2, h.sub.3) are determined and displayed to display the dampening proficiency of the shock absorber. The damping proficiency of a pair of shock absorbers located opposite each other on the vehicle (the pair of front shock absorbers, for example) may have their damping proficiencies displayed simultaneously and compared, and the difference therebetween also displayed to indicate uneven wear or imbalance of the shock absorbers of the vehicle.
Claims19
Apparatus for evaluating the dampening proficiency of a shock absorber on a spring suspended body mass of a wheeled vehicle relative to a non-suspended wheel supported mass of the vehicle without necessitating removal of the shock absorber from its operating environment, comprising:
- means for initially substantially vertically displacing only the suspended body mass of the vehicle a predetermined distance from its rest position relative to the non-suspended wheel supported mass without displacing the wheels or the wheel supported mass of the vehicle;
- means for quickly releasing the displaced suspended body mass from its displaced position relative to the non-suspended wheel supported mass;
- sensing means for sensing the resulting oscillating movement of the released suspended body mass relative to the non-suspended wheel supported mass and for generating a signal which is a function of the sensed resulting oscillating movement;
- means coupled to said sensing means for processing and evaluating said signal corresponding to the movement of the released suspended body mass sensed by said sensing means;
- said processing and evaluating means comprising means for determiming the timing of, and suspended mass displacements at, the maxima and minima of the oscillation of the released suspended body mass;
- and evaluating means coupled to said determing means for evaluating the difference between adjacent maxima and/or minima, said evaluating means including means responsive to the determined timing and displacements at said maxima and minima of oscillations of the released suspended body mass for generating at least three quality factors (h.sub.1 :
- amount of expansion;
- h.sub.2 :
- amount of compression;
- and h.sub.3 :
- total damping) which correspond to the damping proficiency of the shock absorber under test;
- and
- display means coupled to said processing and evaluating means for displaying said at least three quality factors (h.sub.1, h.sub.2, h.sub.3), thereby displaying the evaluation of the dampening proficiency of the shock absorber.
A method for evaluating the dampening proficiency of a shock absorber on a spring suspended mass relative to a non-suspended mass of a wheeled vehicle without necessitating the removal of the shock absorber from its operating environment between the suspended and non-suspended masses, comprising:
- (a) raising the suspended mass relative to the non-suspended mass, without displacing the non-suspended mass or the wheels of the vehicle,
- (b) releasing quickly and safely the raised suspended mass to permit it to drop relative to the non-suspended mass,
- (c) sensing the resulting oscillating movement of the suspended mass relative to the non-suspended mass over a period of time following release of the suspended mass from its raised position, and generating a signal which is a function of the sensed resulting oscillating movement of the suspended mass,
- (d) processing and evaluating the signal corresponding to the oscillating movement of the released suspended mass relative to the non-suspended mass sensed,
- (e) said processing and evaluating step comprising determining the magnitudes of the maxima and minima of the oscillation of the released suspended mass, determining the timings of said maxima and minima, and evaluating the difference between adjacent maxima and/or minima and generating at least three quality factors (h.sub.1 :
- amount of expansion;
- h.sub.2 :
- amount of compression;
- and h.sub.3 :
- total damping) which correspond to the damping proficiency of the shock absorber under test;
- and
- (f) displaying the evaluation of the dampening proficiency of the shock absorber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.