Damper with digital valve
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A shock absorber comprising:
- an intermediate tube;
a pressure tube disposed within the intermediate tube and forming a working chamber within the pressure tube;
a piston rod disposed within the pressure tube for axial movement within the working chamber;
a piston assembly secured to the piston rod and moveable slidably within the pressure tube, the piston assembly dividing the working chamber into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber;
an intermediate chamber formed between the intermediate tube and the pressure tube, the intermediate chamber being in communication with the working chamber;
a reserve tube disposed about at least a portion of the intermediate tube to form a reservoir chamber between the reserve tube and the intermediate tube;
a base valve assembly disposed adjacent to the lower working chamber and controlling a flow of working fluid between the lower working chamber and the reservoir chamber; and
the base valve assembly including a digital valve assembly in communication with the intermediate chamber and including a valve element moveable between a first position and a second position to control a flow of the working fluid from the intermediate chamber into the reservoir chamber, to help control damping provided by the shock absorber, wherein the base valve assembly includes a plurality of digital valve assemblies each in communication with the intermediate chamber and the reservoir chamber.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A shock absorber is disclosed which has a base valve assembly for controlling a flow of a working fluid between a reservoir chamber and a working chamber of the shock absorber. The base valve makes use of at least one digital valve assembly. The digital valve assembly communicates with an intermediate chamber formed between an intermediate tube and a pressure tube of the shock absorber. The digital valve assembly controls flow of the working fluid between the intermediate chamber and the reservoir chamber, to help control a damping action provided by the shock absorber.
288 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A shock absorber comprising:
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an intermediate tube; a pressure tube disposed within the intermediate tube and forming a working chamber within the pressure tube; a piston rod disposed within the pressure tube for axial movement within the working chamber; a piston assembly secured to the piston rod and moveable slidably within the pressure tube, the piston assembly dividing the working chamber into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber; an intermediate chamber formed between the intermediate tube and the pressure tube, the intermediate chamber being in communication with the working chamber; a reserve tube disposed about at least a portion of the intermediate tube to form a reservoir chamber between the reserve tube and the intermediate tube; a base valve assembly disposed adjacent to the lower working chamber and controlling a flow of working fluid between the lower working chamber and the reservoir chamber; and the base valve assembly including a digital valve assembly in communication with the intermediate chamber and including a valve element moveable between a first position and a second position to control a flow of the working fluid from the intermediate chamber into the reservoir chamber, to help control damping provided by the shock absorber, wherein the base valve assembly includes a plurality of digital valve assemblies each in communication with the intermediate chamber and the reservoir chamber. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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2. The shock absorber of 1, wherein the digital valve assemblies are arranged radially about an axial centerline extending through the shock absorber.
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9. A shock absorber comprising:
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an intermediate tube; a pressure tube disposed within the intermediate tube and forming a working chamber within the pressure tube; a piston rod disposed within the pressure tube for axial movement within the working chamber; a piston assembly secured to the piston rod and moveable slidably within the pressure tube, the piston assembly dividing the working chamber into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber; an intermediate chamber formed between the intermediate tube and the pressure tube, the intermediate chamber being in communication with the working chamber; a reserve tube disposed about at least a portion of the intermediate tube to form a reservoir chamber between the reserve tube and the intermediate tube; a base valve assembly disposed adjacent to the lower working chamber and controlling a flow of working fluid between the lower working chamber and the reservoir chamber; and the base valve assembly including a digital valve assembly in communication with the intermediate chamber and including a valve element moveable between a first position and a second position to control a flow of the working fluid from the intermediate chamber into the reservoir chamber, to help control damping provided by the shock absorber, wherein the base valve assembly includes a valve body having a cylinder end port, and wherein the digital valve is disposed within the cylinder end port, the base valve assembly including a plurality of cylinder end ports arranged radially about an axial centerline extending through the shock absorber, and wherein each one of the cylinder end ports includes a digital valve assembly disposed therein, each said digital valve assembly controlling a flow of the working fluid from the intermediate chamber into the reservoir chamber.
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10. A shock absorber comprising:
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an intermediate tube; a pressure tube disposed within the intermediate tube and forming a working chamber within the pressure tube; a piston rod disposed within the pressure tube for axial movement within the working chamber; a piston assembly secured to the piston rod and moveable slidably within the pressure tube, the piston assembly dividing the working chamber into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber; an intermediate chamber formed between said intermediate tube and the pressure tube, the intermediate chamber being in communication with the upper working chamber; a reserve tube disposed about at least a portion of the intermediate tube to form a reservoir chamber between the reserve tube and the intermediate tube; a base valve assembly disposed adjacent to the lower working chamber and controlling a flow of working fluid between the lower working chamber and the reservoir chamber; and the base valve assembly including a plurality of independently electrically energizable valves arranged radially about an axial center of the base valve assembly, for controlling a flow of a portion of the working fluid from the intermediate chamber into the reservoir chamber, to help control damping provided by the shock absorber. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification