Delphi Technologies, Inc.

Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Jamshid Kargar Moradmand

Robert Alan Neal

E Wayne Lloyd

David F Reuter

Marcin Knapczyk

Edward Charles Ekert

Darin Duane Dellinger

Mark F Lamps

Hamed Khalkhali

Darrell M Bybee

William R Nunke

A pump used in vehicle controlled braking systems provides a reverse direction of flow through a cylinder bore of the pump and utilizes an inlet check valve located outside of the piston at the end of the cylinder bore opposite the piston, in conjunction with an outlet check valve located in an outlet extending through a sidewall of the cylinder bore of the pump. The inlet check valve is assembled and tested as a module prior to being installed in the pump. A fluid reservoir, having a movable wall, is connected to the inlet to facilitate priming the pump module. The piston is driven by a self-supporting drive apparatus with an eccentric element affixed to a stub shaft, or by other forms of a drive apparatus having an eccentric element fixed to a motor drive shaft.

Reverse-ported pump

First and second pumps are integral in that the pumps are driven by a common motor. The first pump is driven in pumping motion by an eccentric disposed on the motor shaft and the second pump is driven in pumping motion by an end of the motor shaft. The first pump can be an ABS pump and the second pump can be a pre-charge pump. The first and second pumps can be disposed in a common block housing and the common block housing can define a fluid path extending from the outlet of the second pump to the inlet of the first pump. A third pump can be susbtantially similar to the first pump and be disposed on an opposite side of the shaft as the first pump. The third pump can be driven in pumping motion by the eccentric. A separate feed line can be directed from the reservoir of the brake system to the second pump to improve performance.

Integrated pre-charge for controlled brake systems

A vehicular damper includes a cylinder, a piston rod in the cylinder having a hollow end defining an axial rod passage and a cylindrical piston affixed to the end of the rod dividing the cylinder into a compression chamber and a rebound chamber. A valve plate on the rod adjacent the piston has a plurality of soft channels extending from an outer end at the rebound chamber to an inner end at the axial rod passage and a solenoid actuated cylinder in the rod passage is movable to open and close the inner ends of the soft channels. A bi-directional working disc contacts with the soft channels' outer ends to provide damping in rebound and compression when the solenoid valve is open. In contrast, the piston has a plurality of firm rebound channels and a like plurality of firm compression channels extending therethrough with a uni-directional rebound working disc in valve contact with the outlet of the rebound chambers and a uni-directional compression working disc in valve contact with the outlet of the compression chambers. The damper provides valved parallel flow between compression and rebound chambers through the soft channels and through the firm channels with independent spring rate control through the firm rebound and compression channels.

Active hydraulic fluid vehicular suspension damper

A vehicle damper includes a valve having of an imperforate, deflectable variable orifice disk with an outer periphery that is only partially clamped against a valve seat, during low velocity operation of the damper, by a variable orifice support disk having an outer periphery that is not coextensive with the outer periphery of the variable orifice disk. The portion of the outer periphery of the variable orifice disk that is not clamped against the valve seat deflects away from the valve seat during low velocity operation of the damper, in response to force on the variable orifice plate generated by pressure of fluid in flow apertures closed off by the variable orifice plate, to provide a variable orifice for fluid flow through the valve and digressive performance of the damper. The valve may take the form of a compression or rebound valve on the piston of the vehicle damper, or a base valve in a dual tube damper. The valve may take the form of a blow-off valve, a deflecting disk valve, a combination blow-off deflecting disk valve, or as part of other types of valves suited for use in vehicle dampers. A vehicle damper may include one or more variable orifice area low velocity valves in combination with other valves of conventional construction.

Variable area low speed orifice in a vehicle damper

A modular blow-off base valve is provided for a vehicle twin tube damper in which a valve body is inserted into the end of an inner damper tube. The valve body has a central opening into which is inserted a valve cage assembly. The valve cage assembly includes a valve cage tubular member having a blow-off valve opening which is pressed into the central opening. A valve stem forming a valve seat with the blow-off valve opening is biased into a closed position by a helical spring seated against the underside of the valve stem at one end and a spring retainer fastened to the bottom of the valve cage at its other end. An annular bleed disc, intake disc and washer disc fit over the tubular member and cover rebound openings in the valve body. When the valve cage assembly is placed into the valve body's central opening, the washer disc biases the intake disc into sealing engagement with the rebound openings in the valve body.

Modular blow-off valve for automotive damper

A piston valve assembly for regulating the flow of fluid through a mono-tube fluid vehicle damper is provided. The assembly includes a piston rod and a piston end having opposing first and second surfaces secured to the piston rod by a connector. A first outer annular seat is spaced radially from the piston rod and extends from the first surface. At least one first fluid passageway connects a first opening between the piston rod and the first outer annular seat and the second surface for providing fluid communication therebetween. A first blow-off valve has a hollow cylindrical portion with a first flange extending transversely from an end thereof with the first flange adjacent to the first outer annular seat when the first blow-off valve is in a closed position. The piston rod and connector secure the blow-off valve to the piston end. The first blow-off valve is movable to an open position away from the first surface. A first low speed bypass valve is interposed between the at least one first passageway and the second surface for permitting fluid to exit the at least one first fluid passageway past the first blow-off valve when the first blow-off valve is in the closed position. A first helical spring engages the first blow-off valve for biasing the first blow-off valve to the closed position. The blow-off valve provides digressive performance during operation of the damper. The blow-off valve provides increased digressive performance during operation of the damper.

Flexible monotube valve with digressive performance and independent low speed orifice

A base valve assembly fore regulating the flow of fluid through a twin tube fluid vehicle damper is provided. The base valve assembly has opposing compression and rebound surfaces. Inner and outer annular seats extend from the compression surface and define an annular channel therebetween. At least one fluid passageway connects the annular channel and the rebound surface for providing fluid communication therebetween. A connector secures a blow-off valve to the cylinder end. The blow-off valve has a hollow cylindrical portion with a flange extending transversely from an end thereof. The flange is adjacent the annular seats when the blow-off valve is in a closed position. The blow-off valve is movable from the closed position to an open position away from the compression surface. A helical spring is interposed between the connector and the blow-off valve for biasing the blow-off valve to the closed position. A low speed compression bypass valve is interposed between the annular channel and the blow-off valve for permitting fluid to exit the annular channel past the blow-off valve when the blow-off valve is in the closed position. The blow-off valve provides performance during compression of the damper.

Digressive base valve for automotive damper

A valve assembly for a fluid vehicle damper having a cylinder with a valve body is provided. The valve body has an outer surface adjacent to an interior wall of the cylinder and includes first and second opposing surfaces. The valve body defines first and second fluid chambers within the damper, which are adjacent to the first and second surfaces, respectively. Inner and outer annular seats extend from the first surface and define an annular channel therebetween. At least one fluid passageway is connects the annular channel and second surface for providing fluid communication therebetween. A high speed bypass valve assembly is attached to the valve body and is movable between an open position and a closed position adjacent to the annular seats. An orifice disc is interposed between the annular seats and the high speed bypass valve assembly for providing low speed bypass of fluid from the second chamber to the first chamber when the high speed bypass valve assembly is in the closed position. The orifice disc has at least one opening therethrough defined by a contiguous perimeter. The outer annular seat segments the at least one opening into inner and outer passageways. When the damper undergoes low speed movement, fluid flows from the second chamber through the at least one fluid passageway into the annular channel, through the inner passageway around the outer annular seat, and out the outer passageway to the first chamber.

Internally slotted orifice disc for low speed control in automotive dampers

A digressive valve for a vehicle damper provides rebound performance with a relatively high damping rate for low velocity inputs and a relatively low flow restriction operation for high velocity inputs so that a relatively firm ride with reduced impact harshness is achieved. A piston has a set of compression openings and a set of rebound openings extending through the piston from one surface, to another surface having a cavity, with an annular seat formed in the cavity. A compression valve is positioned adjacent the piston and normally substantially closes the set of compression orifices. During compression, fluid flow out from the set of compression orifices is restricted by the compression valve. Positioned in the cavity is a rebound valve with a blow-off valve having an annular surface that tightly seals against the annular seat. A spring is biased against the blow-off valve, forcing the annular surface against the annular seat under a preload. During rebound, fluid flow out from the set of rebound openings is restricted by the blow-off valve, wherein the annular surface and annular seat permit substantially no leakage therebetween so that the spring must be compressed to move the blow-off valve off the annular seat to allow fluid flow through the set of rebound openings, providing a firm ride under low velocity input conditions wherein the preload must be surpassed to move the blow-off valve and wherein high velocity inputs move the blow-off valve to compress the spring resulting in substantially no flow restriction so that the effects of large, high velocity inducing impacts are minimized.

Digressive damper valve

A valve for a hydraulic damper comprising a flat circular disc(s) with a central axial opening wherein the disc(s) has a spring characteristic tending to maintain the disc in a flat shape and tending to return the disc(s) to the flat shape when forces deflect the disc(s) from the flat shape, and a disc retainer having a predetermined axial length, a circular cylindrical shape, a central axial opening, axially coextensive with said axial length, a perimeter wall around an outer perimeter of the retainer, an axial wall around a perimeter of the axial opening wherein the perimeter wall has a first diameter, an annular portion inside of the perimeter wall characterized by a shape having a continuously varying curvature arcuately rotated completely around the retainer axis, wherein during a high velocity event, the disc(s) deflects against the retainer and a load between the disc(s) and the disc retainer is spread along the disc(s) surface wherein excessive localized straining of the disc(s) is prevented and wherein maximum magnitude loads are transferred to the retainer.

Growing community of inventors

Dayton, OH, United States of America

Jamshid Kargar Moradmand