Damper

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9284014-B2
Application number	US-201113813546-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2011
Priority date	Nov 17, 2010
Publication date	Mar 15, 2016
Grant date	Mar 15, 2016

Abstract

Damper is provided with damper main body including cylinder, piston being slidably inserted into cylinder to partition interior of cylinder into extension and compression chambers, and piston rod being inserted into cylinder to be coupled to piston, and damping force adjustment mechanism including flow path permitting passage of fluid only during either extension or contraction, valve seat being provided at intermediate position of flow path, valve body being movable back and forth relative to valve seat, and motor driving and moving valve body back and forth relative to valve seat to adjust flow path area of flow path. Damper energizes motor to move valve body distance, which is two-fold or more of distance from separated position where valve body is separated from valve seat to seated position where valve body is seated on valve seat, when flow path is blocked by moving valve body from separated position to seated position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A damper, comprising:
a damper main body including
a cylinder,
a piston which is slidably inserted into the cylinder to partition an interior of the cylinder into an extension side chamber and a compression side chamber, and
a piston rod which is inserted into the cylinder to be coupled to the piston; and

a damping force adjustment mechanism including
a flow path which permits a passage of a fluid during only one of
extension of the damper main body, and
contraction of the damper main body,

a valve seat which is provided at an intermediate position of the flow path,
a valve body which is movable back and forth relative to the valve seat, the valve body being movable between
a maximally retracted position where the valve body is separated farthest from the valve seat, and
a seated position where the valve body is seated on the valve seat, and

a motor which drives and moves the valve body back and forth relative to the valve seat to adjust a flow path area of the flow path and blocks the flow path by moving the valve body from a present position, where the valve body is separated from the valve seat, to the seated position,
wherein the motor is configured to drive the valve body for a period that corresponds to the valve body being moved by a distance which is two-fold or more of a distance from the present position to the seated position to ensure that the valve body is disposed on the valve seat.

2. The damper according to claim 1 , wherein:
the motor is further configured to drive the valve body to the seated position and then retract the valve body from the valve seat to a desired distance, in a case of shortening a distance between the valve body and the valve seat to the desired distance.

3. The damper according to claim 1 , wherein:
the motor is constituted by a stepping motor configured to retract the valve body to the maximally retracted position, drive the valve body to the seated position, and then retract the valve body from the seated position to a desired distance, in a case of shortening a distance between the valve body and the valve seat to the desired distance.

4. The damper according to claim 1 , wherein:
the motor is constituted by a stepping motor configured to be energized for at least a period required to move the valve body a distance, which is two-fold of the distance from the present position to the seated position, in a case of blocking the flow path by moving the valve body from the present position to the seated position.

5. The damper according to claim 1 , comprising:
a valve housing, including the valve seat, at a leading end of the piston rod and housing the valve body;
a vehicle body side tube to be coupled to a body of a saddled vehicle; and
an axle side tube to be coupled to a wheel of the saddled vehicle;
wherein:
the flow path penetrates through the piston rod and allows communication between
the extension side chamber or the compression side chamber in the damper main body, and
a reservoir provided outside the cylinder;

the piston rod is coupled to the vehicle body side tube via the valve housing and the cylinder is coupled to the axle side tube; and
the motor is fixed to the valve housing and arranged to project from an upper end opening of the vehicle body side tube.

6. A method comprising
providing a damper having
a damper main body including
a cylinder,
a piston which is slidably inserted into the cylinder to partition an interior of the cylinder into an extension side chamber and a compression side chamber, and
a piston rod which is inserted into the cylinder to be coupled to the piston; and

a damping force adjustment mechanism including
a flow path which permits a passage of a fluid during only one of
extension of the damper main body, and
contraction of the damper main body,

a valve seat which is provided at an intermediate position of the flow path,
a valve body which is movable back and forth relative to the valve seat, the valve body being moveable between
a maximally retracted position where the valve body is separated farthest from the valve seat, and
a seated position where the valve body is seated on the valve seat, and

a motor which drives and moves the valve body back and forth relative to the valve seat to adjust a flow path area of the flow path; and

blocking the flow path by moving the valve body from a present position, where the valve body is separated from the valve seat, to the seated position by energizing the motor to drive the valve body for a period that corresponds to moving the valve body by a distance which is two-fold or more of a distance from the present position to the seated position to ensure the valve body is disposed on the valve seat.

Assignees

• Mochizuki Takahisa
• Amano Yuuki
• Kyb Corp

Inventors

• Mochizuki Takahisa
• Amano Yuuki

Classifications

• F16F2230/18

  Control arrangements · CPC title

• B62K2025/048

  with suspension manual adjustment details · 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

• F16F9/464

  Control of valve bias or pre-stress, e.g. electromagnetically (F16F9/465 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62K25/08 Primary

  for front wheel · CPC title