Suspension damper having inertia valve and user adjustable pressure-relief

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10359092-B2
Application number	US-201715685811-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2017
Priority date	Apr 2, 2006
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

A modern suspension damper, for example, a shock absorber or a suspension fork, including an inertia valve and a pressure-relief feature is disclosed. The pressure-relief feature includes a rotatable adjustment knob that allows the pressure-relief threshold to be externally adjusted by the rider “on-the-fly” and without the use of tools.

First claim

What we claim is:

1. A system comprising:
a compression chamber having a volume reducing in response to operation of a suspension damper from an extended position to a compressed position;
an inertia valve to allow fluid flow into a first fluid path in response to an acceleration of at least a portion of the suspension damper, said inertia valve comprising:
an inertia mass moveable to an open position, in response to the acceleration of the at least a portion of the suspension damper, said inertia mass having an annular recess wherein said an annular recess provides fluid communication between an inertia inflow passage and an inertia outflow passage;

a blowoff valve to allow fluid flow into a second fluid path when a pressure in the compression chamber equals or exceeds a first pressure threshold; and
a pressure relief valve to allow fluid flow into a third fluid path when a pressure in the compression chamber equals or exceeds an adjustable second pressure threshold.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the inertial mass is a solid block of high-density material.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the inertial mass is a solid block of high-density material with no flow passages therethrough.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the pressure relief valve further comprises:
a fluid bleed passage to allow a limited fluid flow between the compression chamber and a reservoir chamber,
the limited fluid flow occurring regardless of whether the pressure relief valve is in an open position or a closed position.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein a rate of the limited fluid flow through the fluid bleed passage is manually adjustable.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the fluid bleed passage comprises:
a bleed inlet; and
a tapered bleed needle,
the rate of the limited fluid flow being manually adjustable by changing a distance between the tapered bleed needle and the bleed inlet.

Assignees

• Fox Factory Inc

Inventors

• Becker William M
• Fox Robert C
• Wootten Dennis K

Classifications

• F16F9/446

  Adjustment of valve bias or pre-stress (F16F9/443 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16F9/34

  Special valve constructions ({F16F9/44, F16F9/50 take precedence; filtering details F16F9/3285} ; valves in general F16K); Shape or construction of throttling passages · CPC title

• F16F9/06

  using both gas and liquid {(F16F9/486 take precedence; self-pumping fluid springs B60G17/044)} · CPC title

• B62K25/08

  for front wheel · CPC title

• F16F9/18

  with a closed cylinder and a piston separating two or more working spaces therein · CPC title