Method and apparatus for determining the displacement of a piston within a shock absorber
First Claim
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1. A shock absorber comprising:
- a pressure cylinder forming a working chamber having first and second portions operable to store damping fluid;
valve means for controlling the flow of damping fluid between said first and said second portions of said working chamber;
a Teflon sleeve disposed between said valve means and said pressure cylinder; and
means for determining the position of said valve means with respect to said pressure cylinder by determining the capacitance between said pressure cylinder and said valve means.
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Abstract
An apparatus for determining the displacement of a piston within a shock absorber. The shock absorber includes a pressure cylinder forming a working chamber having first and second portions operable to store damping fluid. A piston is provided for controlling the flow of damping fluid between the first and second portions of the working chamber. Finally, a capacitance sensor is used for determining the position of the piston with respect to the pressure cylinder so that the displacement of the piston may be determined.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A shock absorber comprising:
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a pressure cylinder forming a working chamber having first and second portions operable to store damping fluid; valve means for controlling the flow of damping fluid between said first and said second portions of said working chamber; a Teflon sleeve disposed between said valve means and said pressure cylinder; and means for determining the position of said valve means with respect to said pressure cylinder by determining the capacitance between said pressure cylinder and said valve means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A suspension system for controlling the movement between the sprung and unsprung portions of an automobile, said suspension system comprising:
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a plurality of shock absorbers disposed between the sprung and unsprung portions of said automobile, each of said shock absorbers comprising; a. a pressure cylinder forming a working chamber having first and second portions operable to store damping fluid, b. valve means for controlling the flow of damping fluid between said first and second portions of said working chamber during compression of said shock absorbers, and means for changing the damping characteristics generated by at least one of said shock absorbers in response to the change in capacitance between said pressure cylinder and said valve means of said one shock absorber. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for adjusting the damping characteristics of a shock absorber during compression and rebound, said shock absorber having a piston assembly disposed within a pressure cylinder, said method comprising the steps of:
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sensing the capacitance between said piston rod and said pressure cylinder; and adjusting the flow of damping fluid through said piston assembly in response to the change in capacitance between said piston rod and said pressure cylinder. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification