Remotely operated bypass for a suspension damper

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10697514-B2
Application number	US-201715686933-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2017
Priority date	Jan 20, 2010
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

A damper assembly with a bypass for a vehicle comprises a pressure cylinder with a piston and piston rod for limiting the flow rate of damping fluid as it passes from a first to a second side of said piston. A bypass provides a fluid pathway between the first and second sides of the piston separately from the flow rare limitation. In one aspect, the bypass is remotely controllable from a passenger compartment of the vehicle. In another aspect, the bypass is remotely controllable based upon one or more variable parameters associated with the vehicle.

First claim

What I claim is:

1. A vehicle suspension damper comprising:
a damper cylinder;
a damping fluid disposed within said damper cylinder;
a piston assembly disposed within said damper cylinder, said piston assembly comprising:
a piston having a flow path formed through said piston;
a shim disposed to meter a flow of said damping fluid through said flow path; and
a piston rod coupled to said piston; and

a bypass assembly providing a fluid pathway between a first side of said piston and a second side of said piston, wherein said fluid pathway of said bypass assembly does not pass through said piston, said bypass assembly comprising:
a remotely controllable valve for controlling the flow of said damping fluid through said bypass assembly, said remotely controllable valve controlled by an operator-actuated switch located in a passenger compartment of a vehicle to which said vehicle suspension damper is coupled, the remotely controllable valve further comprising:
a closing member, the closing member comprising:
a moveable piston;
a seating member, the seating member selectively positionable with respect to the moveable piston; and
a biasing element comprised of a spring, said spring having a compression characteristic which permits said remotely controllable valve to open at a predetermined bypass pressure interposed between said moveable piston and said seating member, said spring biasing said seating member in a direction away from said moveable piston; and

a pneumatic input providing activating pressure to adjust the remotely controllable valve between an open position, a lock-out position, and an intermediate position between the open position and the lock-out position.

2. The vehicle suspension damper of claim 1 further comprising:
a reservoir in fluid communication with said damper cylinder, said reservoir comprising:
a reservoir cylinder portion;
a rebound portion in fluid communication with said damper cylinder; and
a floating piston disposed within said reservoir cylinder portion.

3. The vehicle suspension damper of claim 1 , wherein said remotely controllable valve is configured to selectively permit said flow of said damping fluid through said bypass assembly.

4. The vehicle suspension damper of claim 1 , wherein said remotely controllable valve is configured to selectively prevent said flow of said damping fluid through said bypass assembly.

5. The vehicle suspension damper of claim 1 wherein said damper cylinder further comprises:
an entry pathway, said entry pathway located in said damper cylinder and fluidically coupling said bypass assembly and said damper cylinder, said entry pathway disposed at a location in said damper cylinder such that said damping fluid will not flow from said damper cylinder into said bypass assembly after said piston passes said entry pathway during a compression stroke.

6. The vehicle suspension damper of claim 1 wherein said remotely controllable valve is coupled to an on-board source of pressurized hydraulic fluid for a vehicle to which said vehicle suspension damper is coupled.

7. The vehicle suspension damper of claim 1 wherein said remotely controllable valve is coupled to a power steering system for a vehicle to which said vehicle suspension damper is coupled.

8. The vehicle suspension damper of claim 1 wherein said remotely controllable valve is coupled to a pneumatic pressure, said pneumatic pressure is generated by an on-board compressor and accumulator system and conducted to said remotely controllable valve via a fluid conduit, said on-board compressor and said accumulator system coupled to said vehicle to which said vehicle suspension damper is coupled.

9. The vehicle suspension damper of claim 1 wherein said remotely controllable valve is coupled to a linear electric motor, said linear electric motor coupled to said vehicle to which said vehicle suspension damper is coupled.

Assignees

• Fox Factory Inc

Inventors

• Marking John

Classifications

• F16F9/19 Primary

  with a single cylinder {and of single-tube type} · CPC title

• F16F9/468

  controlling at least one bypass to main flow path · CPC title

• F16F9/3405

  Throttling passages in or on piston body, e.g. slots (F16F9/344, F16F9/3481 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16F9/342

  Throttling passages operating with metering pins {(F16F9/486 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B60G13/08

  hydraulic · CPC title