Self-leveling air spring suspension system
OwnerRoy A. Turnerinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A suspension system includes a plurality of suspension members, each suspension member including a housing having an interior surface that bounds a chamber and a piston slidably disposed within the chamber. The piston seals against the interior surface of the housing so as to separate the chamber into a first compartment and a second compartment, the first compartment and second compartment being filled with a gas. A first gas lines extends in fluid communication between the first compartment of a first suspension member and the second compartment of a second suspension member. A second gas lines extends in fluid communication between the second compartment of a first suspension member and the first compartment of a second suspension member.
Claims17
A suspension system comprising:
- a first suspension member comprising:
- a first housing having an interior surface that bounds a first chamber;
- a first piston slidably disposed within the first chamber and having an interior surface that bounds a damping chamber, the first piston having a first piston head that seals against the interior surface of the first housing, the first piston head having a proximal face and an opposing distal end face, the first piston separating the first chamber into a first compartment and a second compartment such that the distal end face of the first piston head partially bounds the first compartment and the proximal face of the first piston head partially bounds the second compartment, the first compartment and the second compartment being filled with a gas;
- and
- a damping piston positioned within the damping chamber of the first piston, the damping piston sealing against the interior surface of the first piston so as to separate the damping chamber into a proximal compartment and a distal compartment that are separate from the first and second compartments of the first chamber;
- a second suspension member comprising:
- a second housing having an interior surface that bounds a second chamber;
- and
- a second piston slidably disposed within the second chamber, the second piston having a second piston head that seals against the interior surface of the second housing, the second piston head having a proximal face and an opposing distal end face, the second piston separating the second chamber into a first compartment and a second compartment such that the distal face of the second piston head partially bounds the first compartment and the proximal face of the second piston head partially bounds the second compartment, the first compartment and the second compartment being filled with a gas;
- a first gas line extending in fluid communication between the first compartment of the first housing and the second compartment of the second housing;
- and
- a second gas line extending in fluid communication between the second compartment of the first housing and the first compartment of the second housing.
A suspension system comprising:
- a first suspension member comprising:
- a first housing having an interior surface that bounds a first chamber;
- a first piston slidably disposed within the first chamber, the first piston sealing against the interior surface of the first housing so as to separate the first chamber into a first compartment and a second compartment, the first compartment and second compartment being filled with a gas, the first piston having an interior surface that bounds a first damping chamber;
- a first damping piston positioned within the first damping chamber, the first damping piston sealing against the interior surface of the first piston so as to separate the first damping chamber into a proximal compartment and a distal compartment that are separate from the first and second compartments of the first chamber;
- a second suspension member comprising:
- a second housing having an interior surface that bounds a second chamber;
- and
- a second piston slidably disposed within the second chamber, the second piston sealing against the interior surface of the second housing so as to separate the second chamber into a first compartment and a second compartment, the first compartment and second compartment being filled with a gas;
- a first gas line extending in fluid communication between the first compartment of the first housing and the second compartment of the second housing;
- and
- a second gas line extending in fluid communication between the second compartment of the first housing and the first compartment of the second housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.