Vehicle suspension damper

A method for altering a damping rate of a vehicle suspension damper, said method comprising:

• flowing, through a first flow path, a first portion of a damping fluid at a first flow rate through a first damping mechanism, wherein said first damping mechanism comprises a damping adjustment spring;
• compressing a volume of compressible fluid through a portion of a stroke of a piston of said vehicle suspension damper, wherein upon said compressing, a shaft enters a damping fluid chamber causing an available fluid volume within said damping fluid chamber to be displaced and reduced, whereby a combination of an incursion of said shaft and said damping fluid remaining in said damping fluid chamber compresses a compressible chamber and thereby increases a volume of said damping fluid chamber;
• increasing a flow rate requirement beyond a threshold of said first damping mechanism, such that a flow rate of a flow of said damping fluid against said first damping mechanism is sufficient to pressure said first damping mechanism to open and allow said first portion of said damping fluid to flow there through along said first flow path;
• increasing an ambient pressure of said damping fluid in proportion to said compression;
• and
• increasing a threshold of a second damping mechanism, wherein when said threshold of said second damping mechanism is achieved, said second damping mechanism opens to allow a second portion of said damping fluid of said damping fluid chamber to flow there through along a second flow path running between a first portion of said damping fluid chamber and a second portion of said damping fluid chamber, wherein said first flow path is in parallel with said second flow path, wherein said increasing said flow rate requirements beyond said threshold of said second damping mechanism comprises:
• selectively obstructing said second flow path in response to a stage of said compression of said compressible chamber, wherein said damping fluid chamber is positioned on a first side of a piston assembly, and said selectively obstructing is performed by a variable damper enclosing a fillable chamber, wherein said variable damper comprises:
• a valve inner;
• and
• a movable valve outer, said movable valve outer engaging portions of said valve inner, said movable valve outer configured for said selectively obstructing said second flow path, wherein said fillable chamber creates a gap between said valve inner and said movable valve outer, and
• wherein as said shaft moves further into said first fluid chamber during a compression stroke of said vehicle suspension damper, a differential pressure between said damping fluid and said fillable chamber drives said movable valve outer and said valve inner more tightly together axially, thereby causing said gap to become partially closed, wherein as said gap becomes said partially closed, said movable valve outer increases a closure force against said second flow path, such that as said shaft moves further into said first fluid chamber, said increasing closure force applied against said second flow path by said movable valve outer creates an increasing difficulty for said vehicle suspension damper to compress.

A valve piston assembly for providing a variable damping rate, said valve piston assembly comprising:

• a first damping mechanism having a selectively adjustable variable first threshold pressure, wherein when said selectively adjustable variable first threshold pressure is overcome, a portion of said first damping mechanism opens and allows a first portion of a damping fluid to flow, along a first flow path, between a first fluid chamber and a second fluid chamber;
• a second damping mechanism having a second and variable threshold pressure, wherein when said second and variable threshold pressure is overcome, said second damping mechanism opens and allows a second portion of said damping fluid to flow, along a second flow path, between said first fluid chamber and said second fluid chamber, wherein said first flow path is in parallel with said second flow path;
• and
• a compressible chamber in communication with a damping fluid chamber, wherein said first fluid chamber comprises said damping fluid chamber and said second fluid chamber is separate from said first fluid chamber, wherein said second damping mechanism causes a valve damping rate to vary in response to a compression of said compressible chamber, and
• wherein said second damping mechanism comprises:
• a variable damper enclosing a fillable chamber, said variable damper comprising:
• a valve inner;
• and
• a movable valve outer, said movable valve outer engaging portions of said valve inner, said movable valve outer configured for selectively obstructing said second flow path running between a first portion of said damping fluid chamber and a second portion of said damping fluid chamber in response to a state of said compression of said compressible chamber, wherein said fillable chamber creates a gap between said valve inner and said movable valve outer;
• and
• a shaft configured for, upon compression of said vehicle suspension damper, moving toward said compressible chamber,
• wherein as said shaft moves further into said first fluid chamber during a compression stroke of said vehicle suspension damper, a differential pressure between said damping fluid and said fillable chamber drives said movable valve outer and said valve inner more tightly together axially, thereby causing said gap to become partially closed, wherein as said gap becomes said partially closed, said movable valve outer increases a closure force against said second flow path, such that as said shaft moves further into said first fluid chamber, said increasing closure force applied against said second flow path by said movable valve outer creates an increasing difficulty for said vehicle suspension damper to compress.