Back to results
US 8,616,351 B2Granted
Damper with digital valve
AssigneeTenneco Automotive Operating Company Inc.
InventorsMatthew L. Roessle, Karl C. Kazmirski, Jeroen K. Paenhuysen, Darrell G. Breese, Daniel T. Keil, Thomas P. Mallin, Jeffrey T. Gardner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A shock absorber has a compression valve assembly that provides a high damping load during a compression stroke and an extension valve assembly that provides a high damping load during an extension stroke. One or more digital valve assemblies is positioned to work in parallel with the compression valve assembly and the extension valve assembly to provide a lower damping load. The lowering of the damping load is based upon the cross sectional area of flow passages provided by the one or more digital valve assemblies.
Claims16
A shock absorber comprising:
- a pressure tube forming a working chamber;
- a piston assembly slidably disposed within said pressure tube, said piston assembly dividing said working chamber into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber, said piston assembly including a piston body defining a first fluid passage extending through said piston body and a first valve assembly controlling fluid flow through said first fluid passage;
- a second fluid passage separate from said first fluid passage, said second fluid passage extending from one of said upper and lower working chambers to a fluid chamber;
- a plurality of digital valve assemblies controlling fluid flow through said second fluid passage, the plurality of digital valves being the only valves controlling fluid flow through said second fluid passage;
- wherein
- fluid flow through said first valve assembly generates a high damping load for said shock absorber;
- fluid flow through said first valve assembly and said plurality of digital valve assemblies generates a low damping load, lower than said high damping load, for said shock absorber;
- a number of total flow areas available from said plurality of digital valve assemblies is defined by the equation TFA=2n, where TFA is the number of total flow areas and n is the number of digital valve assemblies;
- each of said plurality of digital valve assemblies includes a first member, a second member disposed within said first member to move in an axial direction within said first member and a third member configured to move said second member in the axial direction;
- said second member and said first member cooperating to control fluid flow in the axial direction through said digital valve assembly;
- each of the digital valve assemblies includes a single inlet, a first outlet and a second outlet separate from the first outlet;
- and
- fluid flow from said single inlet to said first outlet is in a first direction parallel to the axial direction and fluid flow from said single inlet to said second outlet is in a second direction parallel to the axial direction, said second direction being opposite to said first direction.
10 more elements
A shock absorber comprising:
- a pressure tube forming a working chamber;
- a piston assembly slidably disposed within said pressure tube, said piston assembly dividing said working chamber into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber, said piston assembly including a piston body defining a first fluid passage extending through said piston body and a first valve assembly controlling fluid flow through said first fluid passage;
- a second fluid passage separate from said first fluid passage, said second fluid passage extending from one of said upper and lower working chambers to a fluid chamber defined by said pressure tube;
- at least one digital valve assembly controlling fluid flow through said second fluid passage, all fluid flow from said one of said upper and lower working chambers to said fluid chamber flowing through said at least one digital valve assembly, the at least one digital valve assembly being the only valves controlling fluid flow through said second fluid passage;
- wherein
- fluid flow through said first valve assembly generates a high damping load for said shock absorber;
- fluid flow through said first valve assembly and said at least one digital valve assembly generates a low damping load, lower than said high damping load, for said shock absorber;
- and
- each of said plurality of digital valve assemblies includes a first member, a second member disposed within said first member to move in an axial direction within said first member and a third member configured to move said second member in the axial direction;
- said second member and said first member cooperating to control fluid flow in the axial direction through said digital valve assembly;
- each of the digital valve assemblies includes a single inlet, a first outlet and a second outlet separate from the first outlet;
- and
- fluid flow from said single inlet to said first outlet is in a first direction parallel to the axial direction and fluid flow from said single inlet to said second outlet is in a second direction parallel to the axial direction, said second direction being opposite to said first direction.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.