Ohlins Racing Ab

Johan Jarl

Nils Göran Nygren

Torkel Sintorn

Magnus Danek

Leif Gustafsson Vallander

Erik Ladufjäll

The present invention relates to a flow adjusting device () for a shock absorber for a vehicle, the shock absorber comprising a cylinder () and a piston () dividing the cylinder into at least a first and a second working chamber (). The flow adjusting device is adapted to control at least a first damping medium flow (F) and a second damping medium flow (F) adapted to flow from at least one of the working chambers and comprises at least a first valve (), adapted to control the first flow, and a second valve (), adapted to control the second flow. The first valve and said second valve are jointly adjusted. The present invention further relates to a shock absorber comprising such a device and a front fork comprising such a shock absorber.

Flow adjusting device

A vehicle shock absorber generates an additional counter-force acting counter to the direction of movement near the limit position of movement. The shock absorber substantially comprises a damping medium-filled damping cylinder that is divided into two damping chambers by a main piston. The main piston is axially moveable relative to the damping cylinder and is attached to a piston rod. A second piston/damping piston that contains one or more first and second through-ducts is mounted to the piston rod. The ducts are defined by first and second flow-limiting devices such as multiple thin washers. The damping piston slides in a restricting space located in the damping cylinder. The restricting space has an inside diameter smaller than the inside diameter of the damping cylinder. The additional counter-force is substantially constant throughout the entire stroke in order to create gentle braking of the damping movement.

Shock absorber with increasing damping force

A shock absorber comprising a damping cylinder is divided into a first damping chamber and a second damping chamber by a main piston device. The main piston device comprises a first main piston and a second main piston. The main pistons comprise continuous ducts that are delimited in a direction of flow by first and second flow limiters. The main pistons are mounted on a piston rod. The piston rod has an axially extending and continuous cavity through which damping medium can flow between a pressurized chamber and a respective damping chamber. The damping medium flows via an interspace delimited by the first main piston and the second main piston out into the damping chambers via pressurization ducts delimited by the first flow limiters. The first flow limiters lift axially from the main piston with substantially maintained external form in the opening process so that a flow path is created both between the main piston and the whole or parts of the inner periphery of the first flow limiter as well as between the main piston and the outer periphery of the first flow limiter.

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Stockholm, Sweden

Johan Jarl