Damper assembly and a method of forming the damper assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9969231-B2
Application number	US-201514800292-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2015
Priority date	Jul 15, 2015
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

A damper assembly includes a housing. A method of forming a damper assembly includes extruding the housing formed of aluminum. The housing defines a first chamber and a first passage spaced from each other, with a first inlet fluidly connecting the first chamber and the first passage. A piston is disposed in the first chamber and is movable in a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction. A first restrictor valve is disposed in the first passage. The first restrictor valve is configured to restrict a flow of liquid into the first passage from the first chamber and the first inlet as the piston moves in one of the first and second directions which causes the liquid in the first chamber to increase a pressure applied to a first side of the piston to dampen movement of the piston.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A damper assembly comprising:
a housing defining a first chamber and a first passage spaced from each other, wherein the housing defines a first inlet that fluidly connects the first chamber and the first passage, with the first chamber, the first passage and the first inlet each configured to contain a liquid;
a piston disposed in the first chamber and movable in a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction, with the piston configured to displace the liquid during movement in the first and second directions; and
a first restrictor valve disposed in the first passage and configured to restrict a flow of the liquid into the first passage from the first chamber and the first inlet as the piston moves in one of the first and second directions which causes the liquid in the first chamber to increase a pressure applied to a first side of the piston to dampen movement of the piston;
a first one-way valve disposed in the first passage;
wherein the first passage is elongated along a first axis, with the first one-way valve and the first restrictor valve spaced apart axially relative to each other along the first axis.

2. The assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the first chamber and the first passage are substantially parallel to each other in a non-concentric orientation.

3. The assembly as set forth in claim 1 :
wherein the housing defines a first outlet that fluidly connects the first chamber and the first passage, with the first outlet configured to contain the liquid;
wherein the first one-way valve is disposed in the first passage to prevent the flow of the liquid into the first passage from the first outlet; and
wherein the first restrictor valve is disposed proximal to the first inlet and the first one-way valve is disposed proximal to the first outlet.

4. The assembly as set forth in claim 3 further including a first electrorheological valve disposed in the first passage axially between the first restrictor valve and the first one-way valve along the first axis, with the first electrorheological valve selectively energized to selectively restrict the flow of the liquid through the first passage which causes the liquid in the first chamber to increase the pressure applied to the first side of the piston to dampen movement of the piston.

5. The assembly as set forth in claim 3 :
wherein the housing includes a first cap that closes a first end of the first chamber and defines a portion of the first inlet; and
wherein the housing includes a second cap that closes a second end of the first chamber and defines a portion of the first outlet.

6. The assembly as set forth in claim 1 :
wherein the housing defines a second chamber and a second passage spaced from each other, and the housing defines a second inlet that fluidly connects the first chamber and the second passage; and
wherein the second chamber, the second passage and the second inlet are each configured to contain the liquid.

7. The assembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein the first and second chambers and the first and second passages are substantially parallel to each other in a non-concentric orientation.

8. The assembly as set forth in claim 6 :
wherein the housing defines a first pathway disposed between the first restrictor valve and the first one-way valve to fluidly connect the first passage and the second chamber, with the first pathway configured to contain the liquid; and
wherein the housing defines an entrance of the first pathway between the first restrictor valve and the first one-way valve, with the first restrictor valve completely contained upstream of the entrance of the first pathway.

9. The assembly as set forth in claim 6 further including a second restrictor valve disposed in the second passage and configured to restrict the flow of the liquid into the second passage as the piston moves in the other one of the first and second directions which causes the liquid in the first chamber to increase a pressure applied to a second side of the piston to dampen movement of the piston.

10. The assembly as set forth in claim 9 :
wherein the housing defines a second outlet that fluidly connects the first chamber and the second passage, with the second outlet configured to contain the liquid;
further including a second one-way valve disposed in the second passage to prevent the flow of the liquid into the second passage from the second outlet; and
wherein the second passage is elongated along a second axis, with the second one-way valve and the second restrictor valve spaced apart axially relative to each other along the second axis, and wherein the second restrictor valve is disposed proximal to the second inlet and the second one-way valve is disposed proximal to the second outlet.

11. The assembly as set forth in claim 10 further including a second electrorheological valve disposed in the second passage axially between the second restrictor valve and the second one-way valve along the second axis, with the second electrorheological valve selectively energized to selectively restrict the flow of the liquid through the second passage which causes the liquid in the first chamber to increase the pressure applied to the second side of the piston to dampen movement of the piston.

12. The assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein the housing defines a second pathway disposed between the second restrictor valve and the second one-way valve to fluidly connect the second passage and the second chamber, with the second pathway configured to contain the liquid; and
wherein the housing defines an entrance of the second pathway between the second restrictor valve and the second one-way valve, with the second restrictor valve completely contained upstream of the entrance of the second pathway.

13. The assembly as set forth in claim 10 :
wherein the housing includes a first cap that closes a first end of the first chamber and a first end of the second chamber, and the first cap defines a portion of the first inlet and a portion of the second outlet;
wherein the housing includes a second cap that closes a second end of the first chamber and defines a portion of the second inlet; and
wherein the housing includes a third cap that closes a second end of the second chamber.

14. The assembly as set forth in claim 6 further including a member disposed in the second chamber and at least partially movable in the second chamber as the piston moves in the first and second directions, with the member splitting the second chamber into a first cavity and a second cavity, and with the first cavity configured to contain the liquid and the second cavity configured to contain a gaseous fluid.

15. The assembly as set forth in claim 14 further including an actuator coupled to the second chamber and including a plunger selectively movable in the second chamber to selectively change a pressure applied to the member which changes a spring rate of the piston.

16. The assembly as set forth in claim 1 further including an actuator coupled to the first chamber and selectively actuated to change an amount of the liquid in the first chamber which changes a spring rate of the piston.

17. A damper assembly comprising:
a housing defining a first chamber and a first passage spaced from each other and substantially parallel to each other in a non-concentric orientation, wherein the housing defines a first inlet that fluidly connects the first chamber and the first passage, with the first chamber, the first passage and the first inlet each configured to contain a liquid;
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Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Marble Robert P
• Izak Robert G

Classifications

• B60G3/20

  all arms being rigid · CPC title

• F16F9/537

  specially adapted valves therefor · CPC title

• B60G2206/41

  Dampers · CPC title

• B60G2206/8111

  by machining · CPC title

• F16F9/06

  using both gas and liquid {(F16F9/486 take precedence; self-pumping fluid springs B60G17/044)} · CPC title