Vehicle height adjustment apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017282995-A1
Application number	US-201715464897-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 21, 2017
Priority date	Mar 31, 2016
Publication date	Oct 5, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle height adjustment apparatus according to one embodiment include a spring, a spring-length changing unit, a first valve, a control valve and a second valve. The spring-length changing unit changes a length of the spring in accordance with an amount of oil in a jack chamber that accommodates the oil. The first valve opens and closes a first communication path in which the oil supplied from a pump is oriented toward a reservoir chamber that stores the oil. The control valve opens and closes a discharge flow path oriented toward the reservoir chamber from a chamber that accommodates the oil to close the first valve. The second valve opens and closes a second communication path in which the oil supplied from the pump is oriented toward the jack chamber when the first valve is closed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle height adjustment apparatus comprising:
a spring which has one end supported on a vehicle body side and the other end supported on a wheel side; a changing device which changes a length of the spring in accordance with an amount of fluid in an accommodation chamber that accommodates the fluid; a first valve which opens and closes a first flow path in which the fluid supplied from a pump is oriented toward a storage chamber that stores the fluid; a back pressure adjustment valve which opens and closes a discharge flow path oriented toward the storage chamber from a back pressure chamber that accommodates the fluid that applies a force in a direction in which the first valve is closed to the first valve; and a second valve which opens and closes a second flow path in which the fluid supplied from the pump is oriented toward the accommodation chamber in a case where the first valve is in a closed state.

2 . The vehicle height adjustment apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a flow path forming member which forms the discharge flow path oriented toward the storage chamber from the back pressure chamber via a recess portion which is recessed from the back pressure chamber, wherein the back pressure adjustment valve is fitted to the recess portion of the flow path forming member to be movable between a position at which the discharge flow path is open and a position at which the discharge flow path is closed.

3 . The vehicle height adjustment apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a third valve which opens and closes a third flow path oriented toward the storage chamber from the accommodation chamber by moving in accordance with the position of the back pressure adjustment valve.

4 . The vehicle height adjustment apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a fourth valve which opens and closes a fourth flow path which is a flow path oriented toward the storage chamber from the accommodation chamber by moving in accordance with the position of the third valve, wherein a flow path area of the fourth flow path is greater than that of the third flow path.

5 . The vehicle height adjustment apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the third valve is provided on the third flow path and in a fourth back pressure chamber which accommodates the fluid that applies a force in the direction in which the fourth valve is closed to the fourth valve, and wherein the third valve moves between (i) a position at which an inflow path that reaches the fourth back pressure chamber from the accommodation chamber is open and (ii) a position at which the inflow path is closed.

Assignees

• Showa Corp

Inventors

• Murakami Yosuke
• Miyata Hiroyuki

Classifications

• B62K25/04 Primary

  for mounting axles resiliently on cycle frame or fork (for sidecars, forecars or the like B62K27/06) · CPC title

• B62K25/283

  for cycles without a pedal crank, e.g. motorcycles · CPC title

• B60G2800/914

  Height Control System · CPC title

• B60G11/56

  having helical, spiral or coil springs, and also fluid springs · CPC title

• B60G3/01

  the wheel being mounted for sliding movement, e.g. in or on a vertical guide (camber maintaining means B60G3/26) · CPC title