Vehicle height adjustment suspension device

• US 8,262,100 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2010
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 9092854 Canada Inc.
• Original Assignee: Georges Thomas
• Inventors: Thomas, Georges
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Freedman, Laura
• Application Number:
  US12/923,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20120074660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 180/218, 188/315, 188/322.19, 188/321.11, 267/221, 267/175, 267/177, 280/5.514, 280/6.157, 280/63, 280124157-124162, 280/124.164, 280/124.166, 280/124.167, 280/124.179
• US Class Current: 280/5.514
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0157 non-fluid unit, e.g. electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0161 mainly during straight-line motion B60G17/0164 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/021 the mechanical spring being a coil spring B60G17/0272 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2202/24 Fluid damper
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2202/312 The spring being a wound spring
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2202/42 Electric actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/41 Elastic mounts, e.g. bushings
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/419 Gears
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/4502 using resilient buffer
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/62 Adjustable continuously, e.g. during driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/12 Cycles; Motorcycles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/204 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/30 Height or ground clearance
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 2025/045 Suspensions with ride-height adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 2232/04 Rotary-to-translation conversion
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/062 Bi-tubular units
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/063 comprising a hollow piston rod
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/067 Partitions of the piston type, e.g. sliding pistons
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/3405 Throttling passages in or on piston body, e.g. slots F16F9/344, F16F9/3481 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/3481 characterised by shape or construction of throttling passages in piston F16F9/344 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/56 : Means for adjusting the length of, or for locking, the spring or damper, e.g. at the end of the stroke F16F9/50 takes precedence; for telescopic gas springs or dampers F16F9/0245; vehicle suspension locking arrangements B60G17/005
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/58 : Stroke limiting stops, e.g. arranged on the piston rod outside the cylinder F16F9/49 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/585 : within the cylinder, in contact with working fluid

Abstract

A vehicle height adjustment suspension device provides for both automatic and selective raising and lowering of a supported portion of a vehicle frame relative a ground surface, while also providing shock absorption. The device includes a suspension assembly for absorbing shocks mounted on a rotatable threaded screw connected to a motor and extending into the suspension assembly. The assembly may be extended and retracted on the screw by rotating the screw in first and second directions to raise and lower the supported portion while the shock absorber assembly simultaneously provides shock absorption capability.

Claims

1. A vehicle height adjustment suspension device for raising and lowering a supported portion of a frame of a vehicle relative a ground surface upon which a wheel of the vehicle connected to a wheel section frame below the supported portion is disposed and dampening force shocks received at the wheel, the device comprising:

a suspension assembly having a shock absorber including a cylinder containing fluid for connection on a bottom cylinder end of the cylinder to the wheel section frame, and a piston rod defining an axis and extending into the cylinder with a piston housed therein, and a spring mounted proximal a top rod end of the rod and proximal the bottom cylinder end and coiled around the cylinder and rod;

a threaded screw rotatably mounted in a housing top of a housing, the housing top being connected to the supported portion, the screw extending along said axis into a threaded portion, adjacent said top rod end, of a screw channel extending into said rod along said axis; and

a motor connected to the threaded screw for rotating the screw in opposing first and second directions to move the assembly and wheel connected thereto and the housing top and frame connected thereto, respectively away from and towards one another between a raised configuration distal one another, the supported portion being thereby higher relative the ground surface, and a lowered configuration proximal one another, the supported portion being thereby lower relative the ground surface, the assembly dampening said shocks when said device is in said raised configuration, said lowered configuration and between said raised configuration and said lowered configuration.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the cylinder is slidable on the piston rod along said axis, to dampen said shocks, towards a retracted configuration for the assembly in which the cylinder is adjacently proximal the top rod end and the spring is compressed, and towards an extended configuration for the assembly in which the cylinder is distal the top rod end and the spring is extended.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the fluid slows sliding of the piston in the cylinder during sliding of the assembly towards a retracted configuration to dampen the shocks, the spring biasing the assembly back towards an extended configuration once the shock is dampened.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the threaded portion is made of bronze to reduce friction between said screw and said threaded portion as said screw is rotated in said first and second directions.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a bottom connector extending axially along said axis from the bottom cylinder end, said bottom connector having a respective bottom connector channel extending therethrough for receiving a wheel attachment member for attaching the bottom cylinder end to the wheel section frame.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the fluid is an oil.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said housing is a suspension housing for a notional suspension assembly for the vehicle.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising a controller connected to the motor, the controller being connectable to a vehicle speed sensor of the vehicle for communicating of a vehicle speed of the vehicle sensed by the sensor to the controller, the controller actuating the motor to turn the screw in the first direction or the second direction based on the vehicle speed.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured for, when a decreasing vehicle speed reaches a first predetermined threshold value, actuating the motor to turn the screw in said second direction to move the assembly towards the lowered configuration and lower the supported portion, said controller actuating the motor to turn the screw in said second direction, thereby moving the assembly towards the raised configuration and raising the supported portion, when an increasing vehicle speed reaches a second predetermined threshold value.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein said controller provides selectable actuation by a user of the vehicle to actuate the motor to turn the screw in the first direction and in the second direction, as selected by the user, regardless of the vehicle speed.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising an upper connector extending axially along said axis from the housing top, said upper connector for connecting the device to the supported portion.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein said cylinder comprises a cylindrical inner piston chamber extending axially relative said axis from an inner chamber bottom disposed proximal said bottom cylinder end to an inner chamber top proximal a top cylinder end, longitudinally opposite said cylinder bottom end, of said cylinder and said piston rod extends from said top rod end to a longitudinally opposite bottom rod end, said piston being disposed at said bottom rod end, said piston and said fluid moving axially within said inner chamber, said piston being adjacently proximal said inner chamber bottom when said assembly is in a retracted configuration and adjacently proximal said inner chamber top when said assembly is in an extended configuration.

13. The device of claim 12, further comprising a circular top rod flange extending radially from the rod at said top rod end and outside the cylinder towards said cylinder, said top rod flange having a stopper flange made of a hard rubber mounted thereon and extending axially towards said bottom for abutting against said top cylinder end when said assembly is in said retracted configuration to prevent further extension of the rod bottom end towards said bottom cylinder end and abutment of said piston against said inner chamber bottom.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein said cylinder further comprises an annular outer chamber extending around said inner chamber, said inner chamber having an inner chamber aperture extending therearound proximal the inner chamber top for passing of the fluid therethrough between the inner chamber and the outer chamber, the fluid being forced through the aperture from the inner chamber into the outer chamber as said piston and piston rod move towards the inner chamber bottom end towards said retracted configuration, the fluid being drawn back into the inner chamber when the piston and piston rod move axially towards the inner chamber top for extended configuration.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein said piston extends sealingly against an inner chamber side wall of said chamber, said aperture extending through said inner chamber side wall, said piston having a plurality of spaced apart outer channels extending threrethrough, said fluid flowing through said outer channels as said piston moves within said inner chamber for dampening of said shocks.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein said piston has a plurality of spaced apart inner channels extending threrethrough from a piston bottom to a piston top of said piston, the outer channels being positioned at said piston bottom relatively inwardly to said outer channels, said fluid flowing through said inner channels and said outer channels as said piston moves away from said inner chamber bottom as said assembly is moved towards said extended configuration and flowing through only said outer channels from said piston bottom, and thereby at a slower rate for facilitating dampening of said shocks, towards said aperture and said outer chamber by moving of said piston towards said inner chamber bottom as said assembly moves towards said refracted position.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein said inner channels extend threrethrough said piston and are slanted outwardly from the piston bottom to the piston top, each said outer channel extending from said piston bottom inwardly to one of said inner channels.

18. The device of claim 16, further comprising a flexible valve of flexible and impermeable material, said valve being mounted on said piston bottom and extending thereacross between inner channel bottom ends of said inner channels and said outer channels at said piston bottom, said flexible valve being pushed against said piston bottom and covering said inner channel bottom ends, thereby preventing said fluid from flowing through from said inner channel ends as said piston moves towards said inner chamber bottom and said assembly moves towards said retracted configuration, said flexible valve being pushed away from said piston bottom and said inner channel openings, thereby allowing said fluid to flow from said piston bottom through said inner channels and outer channels, by said fluid as said piston moves away from said inner chamber bottom and said assembly moves towards said extended configuration.

19. The device of claim 14, further comprising an annular piston extending sealingly across said outer chamber, from an inner side wall of said outer chamber, opposite said inner chamber side wall and through which said aperture extends, to an outer side wall of said outer chamber, said annular piston being axially movable within said outer chamber relative said axis, said outer chamber containing a quantity of compressed air at low pressure between said annular piston and an outer chamber bottom proximal said cylinder bottom end and said outer chamber being filled by said fluid between said annular piston and an upper chamber top opposite said upper chamber bottom, said fluid being forced through said piston towards said aperture into said outer chamber by the piston moving towards said inner chamber bottom for said retracted configuration and forcing the annular cylinder to move towards said cylinder bottom end and compressing the air to a higher pressure, said air at said higher pressure creating resistance to, and thereby slowing, movement towards said retracted configuration to facilitate dampening of said shocks, said air at said higher pressure pushing said annular piston back towards said inner chamber bottom as said piston is moved back towards said extended configuration, thereby facilitating moving of assembly back towards said extended configuration, said air being decompressed towards said low pressure by said movement of said annular cylinder towards said outer cylinder top as said assembly moves towards said extended configuration.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein said housing, said threaded rod, said cylinder, and said piston rod are sized and shaped for containing of said cylinder within said housing with a bottom connector extending out of said housing when said device is in the lowered configuration with said assembly in the retracted configuration and for containing said threaded screw and said cylinder top end in said housing when said device is in said raised configuration and said assembly is in said extended configuration.