Steering damper in and for vehicles

A vehicle having a frame, steerable wheel means mounted on said frame movable in opposite directions from center to steer said vehicle, a steer-tube mounted rotatably on said frame, handlebars mounted on said frame rotatable from center relative to said frame in opposite directions about an axis and connected to said steerable wheel means through said steer-tube for controlling the steering movement of said steerable wheel means, said handlebars, said steer-tube and said steerable wheel means being mounted on said frame so that said steerable wheel means is in center with said handlebars in center and rotation of said handlebars in either direction actuates said steerable wheel means to move in direction correspondingly to the rotation of said handlebars, said handlebars being manually rotatable from center in either direction and also being rotatable from center undesirably as on contact of said steerable wheel means with an obstruction;

• said vehicle also including a steering damper mounted in said steer-tube and connected thereto, said steering damper having a housing adapted to contain a damping medium and also having within said housing a dam, a vane and a shaft, connected to said vane, said vane having a channel therein for conducting said medium and said shaft having an opening therein in medium communication with said channel, said vane and dam dividing said housing into a first compartment defined between said vane and one surface of said dam and a second compartment defined between said vane and the opposite surface of said dam, said shaft being positioned relative to said dam with its opening closed by said dam with the handlebars substantially at center, displacement of the handlebars from center in either direction actuating the unit including the housing and dam and the unit including the vane and shaft to move in one direction, one relative to the other, through the connection to the steer-tube causing pressure to be exerted on the medium in a corresponding one of said compartments thereby damping said displacement of the handlebars and during return of the handlebars to center actuating said units to move, one relative to the other, in the opposite direction to reduce said pressure of said medium in said one of said compartments thereby to suppress said damping;
• said vehicle being characterized by that the inner surface of the dam and the outer surface bounding said opening in said shaft are matching surfaces and by that with the handlebars substantially at center, the surface of the dam overlies the surface bounding the opening in the shaft and extends at each end beyond the boundary of the opening in said shaft whereby as said handlebars return to center, the medium is not pressurized introducing damping for the rotation of the handlebars as the handlebars approach center.

A steering damper for a vehicle, said vehicle having a frame, steerable wheel means mounted movable on said frame in opposite directions from center to steer said vehicle, handlebars mounted on said frame rotatable from center relative to said frame in opposite directions about an axis and connected to said steerable wheel means for controlling and steering movement of said steerable wheel means, said handlebars being mounted on said frame so that said steerable wheel means is in center with said handlebars in center and rotation of said handlebars in either direction produces movement of said steerable wheel means in the direction corresponding to the rotation of said handlebars;

• said steering damper including:
• a container adapted to contain a damping medium therein and having a shaft and also having a vane connected to said shaft forming a vane-shaft unit and a dam, said dam being connected to said container forming a dam-container unit, said vane and said dam defining between them a first compartment and a second compartment in said container, connection adapted to be interposed cooperatively connected between said steering damper and said handlebars for moving said dam-container and said vane-shaft unit, one relative to the other, on rotation from center of said handlebars, thereby to reduce the volume of one of said compartments and to expand the volume of said other of said compartments, means included in said steering damper to restrict communication of damping medium between compartments during the aforesaid movement from center of said handlebars thereby to damp the movement of said handlebars, said connection also being adapted to be cooperatively connected between said steering damper and said handlebars also for moving said container and dam-container unit and said vane-shaft unit, one relative to the other, on return rotation of said handlebars to center thereby to expand the volume of said one of said compartments and reduce the volume of said other of said compartments, and means cooperative with said shaft to effect substantial communication of damping medium between said compartments thereby suppressing the damping on said return rotation of said handlebars to near center.

A steering damper for a vehicle, said vehicle having handlebars rotatable from a center position for controlling, and undesirably controlled by, the movement of said vehicle;

• said steering damper including a closed housing adapted to have a damping medium therein, a reservoir, a vane, a dam, a shaft within said housing, said shaft having an axial opening extending from one end thereof and a transverse opening in communication with said axial opening, connection of said vane and shaft forming a unit defined herein as a first unit, connection of said dam and housing also forming a unit defined herein as a second unit, said first unit and said second unit defining between them a first compartment and a second compartment, means adapted to connect cooperatively said steering damper to said handlebars with one of said units rotatable relative to the other in synchronism with rotation of said handlebars, displacement of the handlebars from center in one direction increasing the pressure of the medium in said first compartment, and displacement of the handlebars from center in the opposite direction increasing the pressure of the medium in said second compartment thereby damping the displacement in corresponding opposite directions of the handlebars connected as aforesaid, a substantially restricted path for conducting the medium from the one compartment in which the pressure is increasing to the other compartment, a channel including said axial opening in said shaft and said transverse opening in said shaft for conducting the medium from said reservoir into said other compartment while the pressure in said one compartment is increased, to maintain the pressure in said second compartment, and a second substantially unrestricted channel including said transverse opening in said shaft for conducting the medium from said second compartment to said first compartment on the return of said handlebars to center thereby to suppress the damping of said handlebars.

A steering damper for a vehicle, said vehicle having handlebars, said handlebars being rotatable from center in either direction controlling, and undesirably controlled by, the movement of said bicycle;

• said steering damper including an annular housing having a dam therein, said housing and dam forming a first unit, a second unit including a ring from whose periphery a vane extends radially and a collar, said ring being mounted within said housing substantially coaxial with said housing, said collar being mounted substantially coaxial within said ring and having flanges defining a circumferential groove, said collar and ring being abutted so that said ring and groove form an annular channel generally coaxial with said housing, a passage through said vane connecting said vane to said channel, said ring and vane and said dam and said housing defining between them a first arcuate compartment and a second arcuate compartment both generally coaxial with said housing, said vane having an opening in its periphery connecting either of said compartments to said channel in dependence upon the angular position of said compartments, said compartments, said channel and said vane being adapted to contain a damping medium, the effective cross-section of said channel permitting substantially unrestricted flow of medium through said channel, said vane having a passage and having one-way valves interposed between each of said compartments and said passage in said vane, said steering damper being adapted to be connected to said handlebars so that displacement of said handlebars from center in either direction rotates one of said units relative to the other and holding closed a corresponding of said valves exerting pressure on the medium in the corresponding compartment damping said displacement and return of said handlebars from said displacement in said one direction opening said valve connecting said corresponding compartment to said channel so that said medium circulates through said channel, said vane, said valve and said one compartment suppressing the damping.

A steering damper for a vehicle, said vehicle having handlebars rotatable in either direction from center for controlling, and undesirably controlled by, the movement of said bicycle;

• said steering damper including an annular housing, a dam within said housing connected to the inner periphery of said housing and forming with said housing a housing assembly, a vane assembly including annular channel means generally coaxial with said housing and a vane extending generally radially from the external periphery of said channel means and having a passage connected to said channel means, said dam, channel means, and vane defining a first compartment and a second compartment, said steering damper being adapted to be mounted in said vehicle connected cooperatively to said handlebars with one of said assemblies movable relative to the other on rotation of said handlebars from center, whereby in dependence of the direction of displacement from center of said handlebars, the volume of one of said compartments is contracted and the volume of the other of said compartments is expanded, an opening in said channel means, said opening being closed by said dam with the handlebars at center, and on displacement of said handlebars from center, opening and interconnecting said channel means and said vane and one or other of said compartments depending on the direction of said displacement from center of said handlebars, said compartments and said channel means and said vane being adapted to contain a damping medium;
• one-way valves in said vane, one valve being interposed between said first compartment and said passage in said vane and the other valve being interposed between said second compartment and said passage in said vane, one or the other of said valves, dependent on the direction of displacement from center of the handlebars and resulting contraction of the corresponding compartment and resulting increased pressure on the damping medium in said corresponding compartment, being closed, whereby the said displacement from center is damped, and on the return of said handlebars to center the volume of said corresponding compartment is expanded reducing the pressure on said medium in said corresponding compartment and opening said closed valve affording substantially free flow of damping medium through said opening from said other compartment into said corresponding compartment thereby suppressing the damping on said handlebars.

A vehicle having a frame, steerable wheel means mounted on said frame movable in opposite directions from center to steer said vehicle, a steer-tube mounted rotatably on said frame, handlebars mounted on said frame rotatable from center relative to said frame in opposite directions about an axis and connected to said steerable wheel means through said steer-tube for controlling the steering movement of said steerable wheel means, said handlebars, said steer-tube and said steerable wheel means being mounted on said frame so that said steerable wheel means is in center with said handlebars in center and rotation of said handlebars in either direction actuates said steerable wheel means to move in direction correspondingly to the rotation of said handlebars, said handlebars being manually rotatable from center in either direction and also being rotatable from center undesirably as on contact of said steerable wheel means with an obstruction;

• said vehicle also including a steering damper mounted in said steer-tube and connected thereto, said steering damper having a housing adapted to contain a damping medium and also having within said housing a dam, a vane and a shaft, connected to said vane, said vane and dam dividing said housing into a first compartment defined between said vane and one surface of said dam and a second compartment defined between said vane and the opposite surface of said dam, said shaft having an opening therein, one-way valve means interposed between said opening and said compartment, said opening being adapted to be in medium communications selectively through said valve means with one or the other of said compartments in dependence upon the direction of displacement from center of said handlebars, said shaft being positioned relative to said dam with its opening closed by said dam with the handlebars substantially at center, displacement of the handlebars from center in either direction actuating the unit including the housing and dam and the unit including the vane and shaft to move in one direction, one relative to the other, through the connection to the steer-tube causing pressure to be exerted on the medium in a corresponding one of said compartments responsive to the control of said medium by said valve means thereby damping said displacement of the handlebars and during return of the handlebars to center actuating said units to move, one relative to the other, in the opposite direction to reduce said pressure of said medium in said one of said compartments responsive to the control of said medium by said valve means thereby to suppress said damping;
• said vehicle being characterized by that the inner surface of the dam and the outer surface bounding said opening in said shaft are matching surfaces and by that with the handlebars substantially at center, the surface of the dam overlies the surface bounding the opening in the shaft and extends at each end beyond the boundary of the opening in said shaft to prevent the suppression of damping when the handlebars depart from center.

A steering damper for a vehicle, said vehicle having a frame, steerable wheel means mounted on said frame movable in opposite directions from center to steer said vehicle, a steer-tube mounted rotatably on said frame, handlebars mounted on said frame rotatable from center relative to said frame in opposite directions about an axis and connected to said steerable wheel means through said steer-tube for controlling the steering movement of said steerable wheel means, said handlebars, said steer-tube and said steerable wheel means being mounted on said frame so that said steerable wheel means is in center with said handlebars in center and rotation of the handlebars in either direction actuates said steerable wheel means to move in direction correspondingly to the rotation of said handlebars, said handlebars being manually rotatable from center in either direction and also being rotatable from center undesirably as on contact of said steerable wheel means with an obstruction;

• said steering damper being adapted to be mounted in said steer-tube and also being adapted to be connected to said handlebars cooperatively rotatable therewith on displacement of the handlebars from center, said steering damper having a housing adapted to contain a damping medium and also having within said housing, a dam connected to said housing, said dam and housing being defined herein as constituting a first unit, a shaft, a vane connected to said shaft, said vane and shaft being defined herein as constituting a second unit, one-way valve means connected to said shaft, said first unit and second unit defining between them a first compartment and a second compartment, said shaft having an opening therein adapted to be in medium communication with either of said compartments depending on the position of said handlebars connected as aforesaid and as controlled by said one-way valve means, said shaft being positioned relative to said dam with said opening closed by said dam with said handlebars substantially at center, displacement of the handlebars from center in either direction being adapted to actuate one of said units to move relative to the other of said units, through the said adapted connection to the handlebars, causing pressure to be exerted responsive to the control of said medium by said valve means in a corresponding one of said compartments thereby damping said displacement of said handlebars and during subsequent return of said handlebars to center being adapted to actuate said units responsive to the control of said medium by said valve means to move one of said units relative to the other of said units to reduce said pressure in said medium in the said one of said compartments thereby to suppress the damping;
• said steering damper being characterized by that the inner surface of said dam and the outer surface bounding said opening in said shaft are matching surface and by that with the handlebars at center, the surface of said dam is adapted to overlie the surface bounding the opening in said shaft to prevent the suppression of damping when the handlebars depart from center.