Steer-sensitive variable damping strut
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorsLarry D. Miller, Harlan W. Charles
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hydraulic strut for use with a vehicle suspension system includes a reciprocating piston rod and piston in an inner cylinder. A piston valving assembly is carried by the piston and controls the flow of fluid between upper and lower chambers of the inner cylinder. A base valving assembly controls the flow of fluid from the inner cylinder to a reservoir. A bypass valving assembly, selectively dependent upon a rotation movement input when the vehicle is steered, permits fluid flow to travel between the upper and lower chambers of the inner cylinder without traveling through the piston valving assembly.
Claims12
A hydraulic damper for controlling the compression and rebound action of a vehicle suspension spring, the damper comprising:
- (a) a reservoir tube connected to a steerable wheel assembly;
- (b) an inner cylinder fixedly mounted within the reservoir tube and cooperating therewith to form a reservoir for a damper fluid connected within the reservoir tube and the inner cylinder;
- (c) base valve means operatively mounted at one end of the inner cylinder for controlling the flow between the inner cylinder and the reservoir tube;
- (d) a piston rod operatively mounted for reciprocating movement in the inner cylinder and extending through an upper end of the damper;
- (e) a piston secured to an inner end of the piston rod and dividing the interior of the inner cylinder into upper and lower chambers, the piston slidably mounted in the inner cylinder for both reciprocable and rotary motion with respect to the inner cylinder;
- (f) piston valving means in the piston establishing a restricted flow path through the piston between the upper and lower chambers during compression and rebound of the damper;
- and
- (g) bypass valving means establishing a variable flow between the upper and lower chambers through the piston, the bypass valving means including first and second elements, wherein at least one of the elements has aperture means opened and closed by the relative rotation between the elements provided by a steering motion of a vehicle and transmitted through the reservoir tube and the piston rod.
A steer-variable hydraulic damper for vehicular suspension, comprising:
- (a) a fluid-filled cylinder;
- (b) a piston slidably mounted in the cylinder for both reciprocable and rotary motions and dividing the interior of the cylinder into first and second chambers;
- (c) a piston rod fixedly connected at a first end to the piston and fixedly connected at a second end to a vehicle;
- (d) piston valving means establishing a restricted flow path through the piston between the first and second chambers during compression and rebound of the damper;
- and
- (e) bypass valving means establishing a variable flow between the first and second chambers, the bypass valving means including a first element rotatably fixed to the cylinder and a second element rotatably fixed to the piston wherein aperture means provided in one of the elements is opened and closed by the relative rotation between the elements.
A system for controlling the compression and rebound action of a vehicular suspension spring with a variable hydraulic damper, the system comprising:
- (a) a fluid-filled cylinder reciprocally mounting a piston rod;
- (b) a piston, fixedly connected to the piston rod, slidably mounted in the cylinder for both reciprocable and rotary motions and dividing the interior of the cylinder into first and second chambers;
- (c) means for rotating the cylinder along its axis in response to a steering input to the vehicle;
- (d) means for rotatably fixing the piston rod to the vehicle;
- and
- (e) valving means establishing a variable flow between the first and second chambers, the valving means including a first element rotatably fixed to the cylinder and a second element rotatably fixed to the piston wherein aperture means provided in one of the elements is opened and closed by the relative rotation between the elements in response to a steering input to the vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.