Apparatus for damping courses of movement

An apparatus for damping courses of motion of two bodies or masses moving relative to one another and in their absolute positions with variable velocities, in particular for damping resilient wheel suspension systems in vehicles, road vehicles, buses, rail systems and the like, comprising a piston-cylinder unit, said piston-cylinder unit including a piston cylinder, a piston in said piston cylinder, a rod connected to said piston extending to the outside of said piston cylinder, said piston dividing said piston cylinder into an upper work chamber and a lower work chamber, said piston-cylinder unit being connected on one end to a first mass, said piston rod extending from said piston cylinder being connected to a second means, a valve means, said valve means including first and second independently operated control valves, a first pressure line connected to said upper work chamber and to said valve means, a second pressure line connected to said lower work chamber and to said valve means, first and second one-way check valves connected with said first and second pressure lines and to said valve means, said first one-way check valve opening in a direction of fluid flow toward said upper work chamber, said second one-way valve opening in a direction of fluid flow toward said lower work chamber, a valve control unit generating active and passive damping signals for triggering said valve means to control fluid flow from said upper work chamber to said lower work chamber and from said lower work chamber to said upper work chamber, sensors for sending different parameters related to said first and second mass and directing sensor control signals into said valve control unit for controlling said valves in accordance with the sensed signals, said sensor signals being obtained from the relative velocity of said first and second masses to each other, the absolute velocities of the masses independently of one another, the load status, load distribution of the axles, vehicle speed, acceleration in the longitudinal and transverse directions, roadway unevenness, and steering deflection are supplied to the control unit, said valve means being triggered by said valve control unit for active and passive damping, whereupon the active damping signals are referred to the absolute velocity of the bodies or masses to trigger said valve means and the passive damping signals are referred to the relative velocity of the two bodies or masses to effect damping.