Shock absorber

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11788598-B2
Application number	US-201916683811-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2019
Priority date	Nov 16, 2018
Publication date	Oct 17, 2023
Grant date	Oct 17, 2023

Abstract

A shock absorber includes: a cylinder accommodating a fluid; a piston that reciprocates with respect to the cylinder while partitioning an inside of the cylinder into a first fluid chamber and a second fluid chamber; a pump having a first port that communicates with either one of the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber and a second port that communicates with the other one of the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber, and including a flow rate change portion that changes a circulation amount of the fluid circulating between the first port and the second port; an electric rotor rotating in conjunction with the pump; and a stator forming a magnetic field between the electric rotor and the stator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A shock absorber comprising:
a cylinder accommodating a fluid;
a piston that reciprocates with respect to the cylinder while partitioning an inside of the cylinder into a first fluid chamber and a second fluid chamber;
a pump having a first port that communicates with one of the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber and a second port that communicates with the other one of the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber, and including a flow rate change portion that changes a circulation amount of the fluid circulating between the first port and the second port;
an electric rotor rotating in conjunction with the pump;
a stator forming a magnetic field between the electric rotor and the stator;
a first valve connected to the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber and having a high pressure port and a low pressure port, in which one of the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber having a higher fluid pressure than the other one of the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber is switched to communicate with the high pressure port and the other one of the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber is switched to communicate with the low pressure port by a valve body provided in the first valve, wherein
the pump has a fluid rotor holding a plurality of vanes, and a ring member with which the vanes come into contact,
the flow rate change portion has a first pressure chamber that applies the fluid pressure of the low pressure port to the ring member so as to increase the circulation amount, and a second pressure chamber that applies the fluid pressure of the high pressure port to the ring member so as to reduce the circulation amount, by flow paths different from flow paths by which the first and second fluid chambers communicate with the first and second ports, and
the ring member is reciprocatable in a direction perpendicular to a rotation axis of the fluid rotor by a biasing portion that biases the ring member along a direction of application of the fluid pressure by the first pressure chamber.

2. The shock absorber according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second valve that changes and controls a cross-sectional area and a communication destination of the flow paths through which the high pressure port and the low pressure port communicate with the second pressure chamber and the first pressure chamber.

3. The shock absorber according to claim 1 , wherein
the pump has
a rotational direction setting portion that makes a rotational direction of the fluid rotor constant regardless of the pressure difference.

4. The shock absorber according to claim 3 , wherein
the biasing portion is configured to bring a center of the ring member close to the rotation axis of the fluid rotor,
the first pressure chamber and the second pressure chamber are formed on an outer peripheral surface of the ring member at positions opposite to each other,
the flow rate change portion is formed by changing an amount of offset between the fluid rotor and the ring member, and
the rotational direction setting portion is formed by changing an offset direction of the ring member with respect to the fluid rotor.

5. The shock absorber according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a third valve that changes and controls a cross-sectional area and a communication destination of the flow paths through which the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber communicate with the first pressure chamber and the second pressure chamber.

6. The shock absorber according to claim 4 , wherein
the ring member has a first guide protrusion that reciprocates inside the first pressure chamber, and a second guide protrusion that reciprocates inside the second pressure chamber,
the first pressure chamber is provided with a first stopper portion that moves relative to the first guide protrusion to restrict a movement amount of the reciprocation of the first guide protrusion inside the first pressure chamber, and
the second pressure chamber is provided with a second stopper portion that moves relative to the second guide protrusion to restrict a movement amount of the reciprocation of the second guide protrusion inside the second pressure chamber.

7. The shock absorber according to claim 6 , wherein
the first stopper portion includes a stopper portion that is slidable with respect to a portion of an inner wall of the first pressure chamber and the first guide protrusion and prevents a movement of the first guide protrusion, and changes a position thereof with a fluid from the first fluid chamber or the second fluid chamber so that a movement range of the first guide protrusion is regulatable, and
the second stopper portion includes a stopper portion that is slidable with respect to a portion of an inner wall of the second pressure chamber and the second guide protrusion and prevents a movement of the second guide protrusion, and changes a position thereof with a fluid from the first fluid chamber or the second fluid chamber so that a movement range of the second guide protrusion is regulatable.

8. A shock absorber according to claim 5 , wherein
the third valve
has a tubular shape,
includes a plunger that reciprocates inside the third valve and has a plurality of flange portions whose surfaces perpendicular to a direction of the reciprocation have different areas,
a plurality of circulation bores that are provided in a wall portion of the third valve and form two flow paths through which the fluid from the first fluid chamber or the second fluid chamber circulates inside the third valve,
a solenoid portion that causes the plunger to reciprocate, and
a plunger biasing portion that biases the plunger toward one side in the reciprocation, and

is configured to cause the plunger to reciprocate based on a pressure difference between the fluids flowing into the two flow paths, and to synchronously increase and decrease circulation amounts of the fluids in the two flow paths in response to a movement of the plunger in a partial region of a reciprocation region of the plunger.

9. The shock absorber according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a pressure regulating portion that regulates a pressure of the fluid.

Assignees

• Aisin Corp

Inventors

• Ono Hisashi
• Takasu Katsuhiko
• Komatsu Satoshi

Classifications

• F16F9/19 Primary

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

• F01C13/00

  Adaptations of machines or engines for special use; Combinations of engines with devices driven thereby · CPC title

• F16F9/53

  Means for adjusting damping characteristics by varying fluid viscosity, e.g. electromagnetically {(F16F13/30 takes precedence; brakes comprising a medium with electrically or magnetically controlled friction F16D57/002; electrorheological fluids per se C10M171/001; magnetorheological fluids per se H01F1/447)} · CPC title

• B60G13/08 Primary

  hydraulic · CPC title

• F03C2/304 Primary

  having both the movements defined in sub-group F03C2/08 or F03C2/22 and relative reciprocation between members · CPC title