Vibration control system
AssigneeLiquidspring Technologies, Inc.
InventorsDamon Delorenzis, Richard J. Meyer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vibration control system utilizes a liquid spring filled with a compressible liquid. In its most general embodiment, the vibration control system minimizes the transmission of vibration between a first mass and a second mass, i.e. vehicle frame/vehicle cabin, structure/ground, machinery/platform. The liquid spring can be either a passive or an active system. An active system utilizes a second volume of compressible fluid. A passive system only uses a single volume of fluid. Further, the liquid spring can provide either spring force or both spring and damping forces. Alternatively, a single volume liquid spring can be utilized in conjunction with a conventional damper.
Claims20
A suspension system for use on a vehicle having a frame and a wheel structure, said suspension system comprising:
- a liquid spring operably interposed between the frame and the wheel structure and using a set quantity of compressible liquid able to interact to generate both spring and damping forces in the suspension system in response to relative displacement between the frame and the wheel structure, the liquid spring including a housing having a first chamber in which a first volume of the compressible liquid is disposed, a piston reciprocally disposed within the chamber and dividing it into bounce and rebound subchambers, and at least one bypass passage relative to the piston able to place the bounce and rebound subchambers in fluid communication with one another for flow of the compressible liquid therebetween;
- a second volume of the compressible liquid in a second chamber located outside of the first chamber, the second volume removably connected to the first volume by a fluid passage;
- and
- a valve coupled to the fluid passage, the valve selectively operable to place the second volume in communication with the first volume to vary at least spring rate duinng relative displacement between the frame and the wheel structure.
A suspension system for use on a vehicle having a frame and a wheel structure, said suspension system comprising:
- a liquid spring operably interposed between the frame and the wheel structure and using a set quantity of compressible liquid able to interact to generate both spring and damping forces in the suspension system in response to relative displacement between the frame and the wheel structure, the liquid spring including a housing having a first chamber in which a first volume of the compressible liquid is disposed, a piston reciprocally disposed within the chamber and dividing it into bounce and rebound subchambers, and at least one bypass passage relative to the piston able to place the bounce and rebound subchambers in fluid communication with one another for flow of the compressible liquid therebetween;
- a second volume of the compressible liquid in a second chamber, the second volume removably connected to the first volume by a fluid passage that communicates directly to the first volume via a port to at least one of the subchambers;
- and
- a valve coupled to the fluid passage, the valve selectively operable to place the second volume in communication with the first volume to vary at least spring rate during relative displacement between the frame and the wheel structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.