Suspension system with comfort valves between cross-over hydraulic circuits

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11865889-B2
Application number	US-202117499717-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2021
Priority date	Oct 12, 2021
Publication date	Jan 9, 2024
Grant date	Jan 9, 2024

Abstract

A suspension system including four dampers where each damper includes compression and rebound chambers. The suspension system has four hydraulic circuits, each including a cross-over hydraulic line that extends between dampers located at opposite corners of the vehicle (i.e., between the front left and back right dampers or between the front right and back left dampers). The suspension system further includes four electromechanical comfort valves that open and close four bridge hydraulic lines that extend between the cross-over hydraulic lines at each corner of the vehicle. Each cross-over hydraulic line is connected to a manifold assembly by a corresponding manifold hydraulic line. The manifold assembly includes four manifold valves that are connected to a pump assembly and two manifold comfort valves. All six comfort valves are electromechanical valves that can be actuated to control the roll and pitch of the vehicle during cornering, braking, and acceleration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A suspension system, comprising:
a front left damper including a first compression chamber and a first rebound chamber;
a front right damper including a second compression chamber and a second rebound chamber;
a back left damper including a third compression chamber and a third rebound chamber;
a back right damper including a fourth compression chamber and a fourth rebound chamber;
a first hydraulic circuit including a first cross-over hydraulic line that extends between and fluidly connects said first compression chamber of said front left damper and said fourth rebound chamber of said back right damper;
a second hydraulic circuit including a second cross-over hydraulic line that extends between and fluidly connects said second compression chamber of said front right damper and said third rebound chamber of said back left damper;
a third hydraulic circuit including a third cross-over hydraulic line that extends between and fluidly connects said first rebound chamber of said front left damper and said fourth compression chamber of said back right damper;
a fourth hydraulic circuit including a fourth cross-over hydraulic line that extends between and fluidly connects said second rebound chamber of said front right damper and said third compression chamber of said back left damper;
a first comfort valve positioned to open and close a front left bridge hydraulic line that extends between and is connected to said first cross-over hydraulic line and said third cross-over hydraulic line;
a second comfort valve positioned to open and close a front right bridge hydraulic line that extends between and is connected to said second cross-over hydraulic line and said fourth cross-over hydraulic line;
a third comfort valve positioned to open and close a back left bridge hydraulic line that extends between and is connected to said second cross-over hydraulic line and said fourth cross-over hydraulic line;
a fourth comfort valve positioned to open and close a back right bridge hydraulic line that extends between and is connected to said first cross-over hydraulic line and said third cross-over hydraulic line,
each of said comfort valves being electromechanical valves that control fluid flow between said first and third hydraulic circuits and between said second and fourth hydraulic circuits; and
a manifold assembly with first and second manifold valves that are arranged in fluid communication with a pump assembly and first and second manifold comfort valves that are arranged in fluid communication with said first and second manifold valves by first and second manifold conduits,
wherein said first hydraulic circuit includes a first manifold hydraulic line that extends between and fluidly connects said first cross-over hydraulic line and said first manifold conduit and said second hydraulic circuit includes a second manifold hydraulic line that extends between and fluidly connects said second cross-over hydraulic line and said second manifold conduit,
wherein said suspension system further includes a first fluid passageway that extends between and fluidly connects said first manifold comfort valve and said fourth cross-over hydraulic line and a second fluid passageway that extends between and fluidly connects said second manifold comfort valve and said third cross-over hydraulic line.

2. The suspension system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said manifold assembly further includes first and second piston bores that slidingly receive first and second floating pistons that divide said first and second piston bores into multiple piston chambers.

3. A suspension system, comprising:
a front left damper including a first compression chamber and a first rebound chamber;
a front right damper including a second compression chamber and a second rebound chamber;
a back left damper including a third compression chamber and a third rebound chamber;
a back right damper including a fourth compression chamber and a fourth rebound chamber;
a first hydraulic circuit including a first cross-over hydraulic line that extends between and fluidly connects said first compression chamber of said front left damper and said fourth rebound chamber of said back right damper;
a second hydraulic circuit including a second cross-over hydraulic line that extends between and fluidly connects said second compression chamber of said front right damper and said third rebound chamber of said back left damper;
a third hydraulic circuit including a third cross-over hydraulic line that extends between and fluidly connects said first rebound chamber of said front left damper and said fourth compression chamber of said back right damper;
a fourth hydraulic circuit including a fourth cross-over hydraulic line that extends between and fluidly connects said second rebound chamber of said front right damper and said third compression chamber of said back left damper;
a first comfort valve positioned to open and close a front left bridge hydraulic line that extends between and is connected to said first cross-over hydraulic line and said third cross-over hydraulic line;
a second comfort valve positioned to open and close a front right bridge hydraulic line that extends between and is connected to said second cross-over hydraulic line and said fourth cross-over hydraulic line;
a third comfort valve positioned to open and close a back left bridge hydraulic line that extends between and is connected to said second cross-over hydraulic line and said fourth cross-over hydraulic line;
a fourth comfort valve positioned to open and close a back right bridge hydraulic line that extends between and is connected to said first cross-over hydraulic line and said third cross-over hydraulic line; and
each of said comfort valves being electromechanical valves that control fluid flow between said first and third hydraulic circuits and between said second and fourth hydraulic circuits,
the suspension system, further comprising a manifold assembly with first and second manifold valves that are arranged in fluid communication with a pump assembly and first and second manifold comfort valves that are arranged in fluid communication with said first and second manifold valves by first and second manifold conduits,
wherein said first and second manifold valves and said first and second manifold comfort valves are electromechanical valves,
wherein said first hydraulic circuit includes a first manifold hydraulic line that extends between and fluidly connects said first cross-over hydraulic line and said first manifold conduit and said second hydraulic circuit includes a second manifold hydraulic line that extends between and fluidly connects said second cross-over hydraulic line and said second manifold conduit,
wherein said manifold assembly further includes first and second piston bores that slidingly receive first and second floating pistons that divide said first and second piston bores into multiple piston chambers,
wherein said manifold assembly further includes third and fourth manifold valves that are arranged in fluid communication with said pump assembly, a third manifold conduit that extends between and fluidly connects said third manifold valve and said first and second piston bores of said manifold assembly, and a fourth manifold conduit that extends between and fluidly connects said fourth manifold valve and said first and second piston bores of said manifold assembly, said third and fourth manifold valves being electromechanical valves.

4. The suspension system as set forth in claim 3 , wherein said manifold assembly further includes a fifth manifold conduit that extends between and fluidly connects said first manifold comfort valve and said first piston bore and a sixth manifold conduit that extends between and fluidly connects said second manifold comfort

Assignees

• Driv Automotive Inc

Inventors

• VANDERSMISSEN Bert
• Boon Peter

Classifications

• B60G21/073

  between wheels on the same axle but on different sides of the vehicle, i.e. the left and right wheel suspensions being interconnected · CPC title

• B60G21/067

  between wheels on different axles on the same side of the vehicle, i.e. the left or the right side · CPC title

• B60G11/265

  hydraulic springs · CPC title

• B60G21/06 Primary

  fluid · CPC title

• B60G17/08 Primary

  Characteristics of fluid dampers (adjusting fluid dampers in general F16F9/44 - F16F9/53) · CPC title