INTEGRATED AND SELF-CONTAINED SUSPENSION ASSEMBLY HAVING AN ON-THE-FLY ADJUSTABLE AIR SPRING
First Claim
1. A suspension unit operable between a compressed position and an extended position, comprising:
- a first chamber filled with gas;
a second chamber filled with gas, the second chamber gas biasing the suspension unit toward the extended position; and
a valve assembly, comprising;
a valve member operable between;
an open position where the valve assembly provides open fluid communication between the gas chambers such that volumes of the chambers are effectively combined during compression of the suspension unit, anda closed position where the valve assembly prevents gas flow from the second chamber to the first chamber;
a compression chamber at least substantially filled with damping fluid;
a rebound chamber at least substantially filled with the damping fluid; and
a damping piston operable to dampen flow of the damping fluid between the compression chamber and the rebound chamber in response to movement of the suspension unit between the positions.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An integrated and self-contained suspension assembly having a gas spring integrated with a shock absorber (damper) is described. The rigid gas cylinder of the air spring is divided into a first gas chamber and a second gas chamber. A flow port connects the first and second gas chambers, and can be manually opened or closed by valve and a simple one-quarter turn rotation of an external knob to instantly switch the gas spring between two different spring rates. The different spring rates are functions of the separate or combined volumes of the two. gas chambers. The integrated suspension assembly is compactly packaged and self-contained, i.e., does not require any externalities, such as gas sources or electricity, to operate.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. A suspension unit operable between a compressed position and an extended position, comprising:
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a first chamber filled with gas; a second chamber filled with gas, the second chamber gas biasing the suspension unit toward the extended position; and a valve assembly, comprising; a valve member operable between; an open position where the valve assembly provides open fluid communication between the gas chambers such that volumes of the chambers are effectively combined during compression of the suspension unit, and a closed position where the valve assembly prevents gas flow from the second chamber to the first chamber; a compression chamber at least substantially filled with damping fluid; a rebound chamber at least substantially filled with the damping fluid; and a damping piston operable to dampen flow of the damping fluid between the compression chamber and the rebound chamber in response to movement of the suspension unit between the positions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification