Gas spring with travel control
First Claim
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1. A valve mechanism for a gas spring suspension system having a positive spring gas chamber and a negative spring gas chamber, the valve mechanism comprising:
- a gas passageway extending between the positive spring gas chamber and the negative spring gas chamber, wherein the gas passageway comprises an axially extending tube having no more than three orifices through a wall thereof;
a valve seat;
a valve, in a closed position, displaced toward the valve seat to prevent gas flow through the gas passageway when pressure in the positive spring gas chamber exceeds the pressure in the negative spring gas chamber;
the valve, in an open position, displaced away from the valve seat to permit gas flow through the gas passageway when the pressure in the negative spring gas chamber exceeds the pressure in the positive spring gas chamber;
the valve is operable between the open position and the closed position; and
a first externally accessible controller operably coupled to the valve,wherein the valve is operable from the closed position to the open position in response to operation of the controller.
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Abstract
In one embodiment, a gas spring having a travel control includes positive and negative chambers and a valve mechanism that controls the fluid communication between the chambers. The valve mechanism includes a valve bore that while only moving a small amount, allows for large changes in gas spring travel length.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A valve mechanism for a gas spring suspension system having a positive spring gas chamber and a negative spring gas chamber, the valve mechanism comprising:
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a gas passageway extending between the positive spring gas chamber and the negative spring gas chamber, wherein the gas passageway comprises an axially extending tube having no more than three orifices through a wall thereof; a valve seat; a valve, in a closed position, displaced toward the valve seat to prevent gas flow through the gas passageway when pressure in the positive spring gas chamber exceeds the pressure in the negative spring gas chamber; the valve, in an open position, displaced away from the valve seat to permit gas flow through the gas passageway when the pressure in the negative spring gas chamber exceeds the pressure in the positive spring gas chamber; the valve is operable between the open position and the closed position; and a first externally accessible controller operably coupled to the valve, wherein the valve is operable from the closed position to the open position in response to operation of the controller. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A valve assembly for a suspension system comprising:
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a housing having no more than three housing fluid flow paths through a housing wall thereof; a fluid conduit disposed adjacent the housing and having at least one conduit fluid flow path through a conduit wall thereof; a seal, located between two of the housing fluid flow paths and isolating a surface of the conduit wall from a surface of the housing wall; a first position wherein the conduit fluid flow path is in fluid communication with a first of the housing fluid flow paths and isolated form a second of the housing fluid flow paths; and a second position wherein the conduit fluid flow path is in fluid communication with the second of the housing fluid flow paths and isolated from the first of the housing fluid flow paths. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A multi-position valve assembly, wherein the multi-position valve assembly comprises:
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exactly three apertures including a first aperture and two second apertures; a first tube having an axial fluid flow path through an interior thereof and said first aperture through a first tube wall and in communication with the flow path; a second tube substantially coaxially disposed relative to the first tube and having a plurality of second apertures through a second tube wall, said two second apertures being spaced at a first distance apart, the first and the second tubes forming an annulus there between; a plurality of seals disposed in the annulus, at least one each of the seals being located on each side of each of the second apertures thereby forming a discreet annular chamber for each of the second apertures; and a first position that is in fluid communication with a first of the chambers and a second position wherein the first aperture is in fluid communication with a second of the chambers and wherein a distance between the first and second positions is less than half of the first distance. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification