Fox Factory, Incorporated

Everet Owen Ericksen

David Michael Haugen

Christopher Paul Cox

Matt McLellan

Mario Galasso

Philip Tsiaras

Mark Larson

John Marking

Evan Peterson

James T Pickett

Mike Fraguglia

Robert C Fox

Andrew Diao

David Batterbee

Michael David Marquez

George O'Neal

Wesley E Allinger

Nobuhiko Negishi

Evan Power

Christian Jonathan Steven Wright

Dean Armstrong

Andrew Laird

Joshua Coaplen

Sante M Pelot

Thomas Howerton Pollock

Christopher Otterness

Andrew Peterson

Michael Fraguglia

Zachary Michaels

Jordi Cortes

Christian J S Wright

William Brown Iv

Matt Mclellan

Matt Weege

Methods and apparatus for position sensitive dampening with an active valve. In one aspect a fluid damper is provided comprising a damper chamber divided by a piston into a primary compression and a primary rebound chamber; a secondary compression chamber in fluid communication with the damper chamber; and an active valve controlling fluid flow out of the secondary compression chamber.

Position sensitive suspension damping with an active valve

A system and method for utilizing an active valve customizable tune application is disclosed. The system includes a mobile device having a memory, an active valve tune application, and at least one processor. The processor initiates the active valve tune application, receives, from a database, an active valve suspension tune having a number of performance range adjustable settings, and receives user related input information. At least one of the performance range adjustable settings is modified based on the received input information to generate a modified active valve suspension tune. The system includes an active suspension of a vehicle, wherein the modified active valve suspension tune is implemented by the active suspension.

Smart device application with customizable tunes for active valve control

An orientationally flexible bump sensor is disclosed. The system includes at least one bump sensor mounted to a vehicle, the at least one bump sensor comprising at least two axes of measurement. A computer processor is configured to evaluate the at least two axes of measurement to determine which axis of the at least two axes of measurement has a highest magnitude vector and determine a gain value to cause the highest magnitude vector to be approximately 1 g. The computer processor will assign the gain value to the axis with the highest magnitude vector, such that the gain value is applied to each measurement generated by the axis with the highest magnitude vector.

Orientationally flexible bump sensor

A system and method to select and implement a suspension tune is disclosed. The system includes a memory configured to store a plurality of suspension tunes. A suspension controller configured to implement one of the plurality of suspension tunes for at least one suspension component of a vehicle. A manually operated switch to receive a user input, the manually operated switch configured to navigate between the plurality of suspension tunes, and, based on the user input, designate a different one of the plurality of suspension tunes to be implemented by the suspension controller.

Selecting different suspension tunes via a manually operated switch

A wireless active suspension system is disclosed. The system includes at least one sensor mounted to an unsprung mass of a vehicle, the sensor having a low power wireless communication capability, the at least one sensor to send a sensor data transmission. The system also includes a controller in wireless communication with the at least one sensor, wherein the controller receives the sensor data from the at least one sensor and communicates an adjustment command to modify at least one damping characteristic of at least one damper.

Wireless active suspension system

A wireless active suspension system with at least one wireless sensor coupled with at least one unsprung mass of a vehicle is disclosed. The system also includes at least one damper comprising an active valve, the damper being part of a vehicle suspension. The system additionally includes, at least one controller, the at least one controller in wireless communication with the at least one wireless sensor and the at least one damper, wherein the at least one controller receives the sensor data from the at least one wireless sensor and communicates an adjustment command to the active valve to modify a damping characteristic of the at least one damper.

Wireless active suspension system with at least one wireless sensor coupled with at least one unsprung mass

A hot-start suspension tune system and method is disclosed. The method initiates a starting suspension tune for a vehicle. The starting suspension tune is maintained until a predefined threshold is reached. After the predefined threshold is reached, the starting suspension setting is automatically modified to a performance suspension setting.

Hot-start suspension tune

A method for controlling vehicle motion is described. The method includes accessing a set of control signals including a measured vehicle speed value associated with a movement of a vehicle. A control signal associated with user-induced input is also accessed. The method compares the measured vehicle speed value with a predetermined vehicle speed threshold value to achieve a speed value threshold approach status, and then compares the set of values to achieve a user-induced input threshold value approach status. The method monitors a state of a valve within the vehicle suspension damper, and determines a control mode for the vehicle suspension damper. The method also regulates damping forces within the vehicle suspension damper.

Method and apparatus for an adjustable damper

A vehicle suspension damper is described. The vehicle suspension damper includes: a pilot valve assembly; a primary valve; and an adjuster, wherein the pilot valve assembly meters fluid to the primary valve, and the adjuster moves the primary valve.

An active suspension system with body wearable device integration is disclosed. The system includes a prosthetic having a shock assembly with at least one active valve and a controller communicatively coupled with the at least one active valve of the shock assembly, the controller configured to communicate damping adjustment information to the at least one active valve of the shock assembly, the damping adjustment information used by said at least one active valve to modify a damping characteristic of the shock assembly.

Active suspension and body wearable device integration

A rough road detection system is disclosed. The system includes a sensor data receiver to receive sensor data from one or more sensors monitoring a vehicle. A sensor data evaluator to: identify a repeating pattern in the sensor data, the repeating pattern indicative of a terrain type being traversed by the vehicle, determine a value of the repeating pattern, obtain a present set of operational values for at least one damping characteristic of an active valve damper coupled with the vehicle, and modify the present set of operational values for the at least one damping characteristic of the active valve damper based on the value of the repeating pattern to develop a modified set of operational values for the at least one damping characteristic of the active valve damper.

Rough road detection

An adjustable shock assembly is disclosed herein. The adjustable shock assembly includes a damper body having a main chamber with a working fluid therein. An adjustable active valve assembly comprising: a first parallel flow pathway comprising an active valve; and a second parallel flow pathway comprising a firm mode blowoff stack and a firm mode adjuster to adjust a blowoff pressure of the firm mode blowoff stack. A main piston coupled with a piston shaft, and a fluid pathway fluidly coupling the main chamber with the adjustable active valve assembly which is fluidly coupled with a reservoir.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America

Everet Owen Ericksen