Dampers for mountain bikes
AssigneeThe University of Sheffield
InventorsNeil David Sims, David Craig Batterbee
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Abstract
An apparatus of a damper (46) for a bicycle comprising a housing defining a chamber, and a piston, movable in the chamber along a first direction. The apparatus further comprises a controllable means to vary the resistance to movement of the piston in the chamber, a sensor (62), and a controller (58) including a timer. Said sensor measures at least one dynamic quantity and produces an output signal based thereon. Said output signal is received by the controller, and said controller controls said controllable means based on said dynamic quantity as a function of time to control the level of damping. The invention further provides means for manually adjusting the level of rebound damping.
Claims34
An apparatus of a damper for a bicycle comprising a housing defining a chamber;
- a piston, movable in the chamber along a first direction controllable means to vary the resistance to movement of the piston in the chamber;
- a sensor;
- and
- a controller including a timer, wherein said sensor measures at least one dynamic quantity and produces an output signal based thereon;
- said output signal is received by the controller;
- said controller controls said controllable means based on said dynamic quantity as a function of time to control the level of damping;
- and
- wherein said function is based on said dynamic quantity satisfying a threshold value on sufficient occasions within a specific time period;
- said specific time period is actively adjusted in response to a measured quantity;
- and
- said specific time period is a function of the pedaling frequency, f.
Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said damper acts to dampen the motion of a spring.
An apparatus of a damper comprising a piston having
- a shaft;
- a bobbin mounted at a bottom end of said shaft, wherein said bobbin is connected to and circumscribed by a bobbin ring;
- a discontinuous annular orifice intermediate said bobbin and bobbin ring;
- a shim stack comprising two or more shims, said shims extending across said annular orifice;
- wherein said shims can flex permitting substantially unrestricted fluid flow through said annular orifice during a compression stroke, but are prevented from flexing during a rebound stroke, thereby restricting fluid flow through said annular orifice;
- said shims comprise apertures that in combination form a fluid passageway, where said fluid passageway is in fluid communication with said annular orifice;
- and
- said shims are movable with respect to one another such that the size of said fluid passageway is adjustable thereby adjusting the rate of fluid flow through said annular orifice.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.