Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Delphi Technologies, Inc.

Richard Edward Longhouse

William Charles Kruckemeyer

Michael Leslie Oliver

Gary Lee Johnston

Patrick Neil Hopkins

Mark Wayne Long

Ilya Lisenker

James William Zehnder, Ii

Jay Michael Shores

Eric Lee Jensen

Stanley E Smith

Sanjiv Gobind Tewani

Alexander Apostolos Alexandridis

John David Fehring

Michael Anthony Dimatteo

Chiung Alex Lee

Donelle Robert Mills

Daniel Edward Ferris, Ii

Wendell Collins, Jr

Chandra S Namuduri

Harry C Buchanan, Jr

Donald E Schenk

Thomas Allen Baudendistel

Brian Paul Heber

John F Hoying

Kamal N Majeed

Albert Victor Fratini, Jr

James P Hamberg

Frank M Robinson

James Louis Lopez, Jr

Nick Vona, Jr

Todd H Baldini

William B Roberts

Elias H Razinsky

James A Morgan

William D Cornwell, Jr

Steven Ray Robinson

A hydraulic mount for automotive engine and powertrain applications includes an elastomer body, a base and a partition interposed the body and the base to form a fluid-pumping chamber and a reservoir. Circumferentially spaced axial extending holes or slots or an annular orifice track are formed in the partition together with a magnetic coil operable to impose a magnetic field on the holes, slots or orifice track to control the shear properties of a magnetorheological (MR) fluid in the pumping chamber and reservoir. An elastomeric decoupler member is in communication with at least one of the pumping chamber and the reservoir to reduce the mount dynamic stiffness for isolating low-displacement relatively high-frequency vibrations. Vibrations of multiple frequencies may be isolated by tuning the mount with a controller.

Hydraulic mount with magnetorheological fluid

A hydraulic mount useful for automotive vehicle powertrain applications includes an elastomeric body, a base, a flexible diaphragm and a partition assembled to provide a pumping chamber and a reservoir. An actuator is mounted for moving a closure member between positions to allow flow of fluid between the pumping chamber and the reservoir and to restrict flow of fluid between the pumping chamber and the reservoir. The partition comprises an orifice plate assembly including a valve housing and an annular recess formed in one of two orifice plates for receiving a decoupler. The orifice plates include openings therein for communicating fluid between the decoupler and the pumping chamber and between the decoupler and the reservoir, respectively.

Bi-state hydraulic mount with annular decoupler

A monotube damper and suspension spring assembly for a motor vehicle includes a tubular housing defining a chamber filled with damping fluid. A piston and piston rod reciprocate within the chamber. In order to compensate for volumetric changes of the chamber due to extension and retraction of the piston rod within the chamber, either the upper seal cover or lower bottom ring assembly is slidable within the housing. A preload is applied either to the housing or to the seal cover to thereby bias these elements to compensate for volumetric changes in the chamber.

Suspension damper with vehicle spring preload

An improved magnetorheological fluid damper is provided which effectively provides a smooth transition, without a sharp break in the damper force/velocity curve, between very low damping forces near zero damper velocity to higher damping forces at higher piston velocities while maintaining desirable maximum force levels. The damper includes a piston assembly, including a magnet assembly and a flow gap extending through the piston assembly to permit fluid flow between the chambers. The force/velocity optimization feature includes a groove or passage open to the flow gap, positioned in series with a part of the flow gap in a magnetic circuit generated by the magnet assembly and dimnensioned/sized to permit fluid flowing through the passage to experience a magnetorheological effect less than a magnetorheological effect experienced by fluid flowing through the flow gap but not through the groove. Preferably, the passage is formed in an inner annular surface of a flux ring positioned around a piston core. The passage may be formed, for example, by a curvilinear surface, a modified rectangular surface or a triangular surface.

Magnetorheological fluid damper tunable for smooth transitions

An improved magnetorheological fluid pumping system and method are provided which effectively dispense a predetermined amount of magnetorheological fluid for delivery to a MR device such as a damper assembly, for example, during manufacture. The fluid pumping system includes a pump having inlet and outlet valves, a reciprocally mounted piston, a stroke operator device for controlling the movement of the piston and an electronic controller for operating the stroke operator device and the inlet and outlet valves. Importantly, the inlet and outlet valves include an annular flow gap and a magnetic field generating assembly operable in an energized state to generate a magnetic field across the flow gap to cause magnetorheological fluid flowing through the gap to experience a magnetorheological effect sufficient to prevent flow through the gap and in a de-energized state to permit flow through the gap. In one embodiment, the system includes inlet and outlet valves mounted at one end of a pump housing on opposite sides of a common feed chamber to control fluid flow into and out of a pump chamber. In a second embodiment, the system includes an inlet valve integrated into the piston for controlling flow between a receiving chamber on one side of the piston and the pump chamber on the opposite side of the piston. The valves are alternately energized and de-energized before retraction and dispensing strokes of the piston resulting in simple effective control of fluid dispensing.

Magnetorheological fluid pumping system

A damper for damping movement of a shaft, the damper including a housing having an inner surface defining a chamber and a rotor rotatably mounted in the chamber. The chamber is filled with magnetorheological fluid such that when the rotor is moved in the chamber the magnetorheological fluid damps the movement of the rotor. The rotor has an outer surface adjacent to and spaced apart from the inner surface. The damper further comprises shaft coupled to the rotor and an outer magnet adjacent the space between the outer surface and the inner surface for restricting the flow of the magnetorheological fluid in the space between the outer surface and the inner surface.

Rotary damper with magnetic seals

A novel and improved magnetorheological fluid damper is provided which effectively secures a flux ring to a piston core in a manner which prevents relative axial and radial movement between the flux ring and the core throughout operation while minimizing the size of the piston assembly yet providing effective damping. Several connector devices are disclosed for both axially and radially securing the flux ring relative to the piston core at one end of the piston assembly in a simple manner without increasing the length of the piston assembly. The connector device may include an outer portion brazed to the flux ring, an inner portion connected to the piston core, bridge portions extending between the outer and inner portions, flow passages formed between the bridge portions and an inlet cavity formed adjacent an annular flow gap to permit unimpeded, enhanced laminar flow through the flow gap by improving the damping effect. Other connector devices may include elongated rivets extending through the flow gap axially along the piston assembly, and elongated pin and spacer tube connectors extending radially between the piston core and the flux ring. Various embodiments of radial support devices are disclosed for possible use in combination with the connector devices to enhance radial support by, for example, the use of balls, a washer with tabs, a coil bobbin with tabs, rivets and axially extending elongated pins.

Magnetorheological fluid damper

A monotube suspension damper including a cylinder tube having a fluid chamber and a gas chamber, a piston dividing the fluid chamber into a compression chamber and a rebound chamber, a primary fluid flow path across the piston including flow control valves which throttle fluid flow, a secondary fluid flow path across the piston parallel to the primary flow path including flow control valves which throttle fluid flow, and a tubular connecting rod on the cylinder tube connected to the piston. A valve spool is supported on the piston for linear translation between closed and open positions blocking and unblocking the secondary flow path. A control rod inside of the connecting rod is disposed between the valve spool and a flexible diaphragm exposed to pneumatic pressure in an expansible load leveling chamber between sprung and unsprung masses of the motor vehicle. As the pneumatic pressure in the expansible chamber varies, the control rod transfers flexure of the diaphragm to the valve spool to close the secondary flow path and increase the stiffness of the suspension damper as pneumatic pressure increases and to open the secondary flow path and decrease the stiffness of the suspension damper as pneumatic pressure decreases.

Suspension damper for motor vehicle

A damper provides tunable variable rates in both extension and compression operation. A piston is carried in a cylinder tube separating out extension and compression chambers. The piston carries a first valving assembly that is tuned to provide a first damping level when fluid flows through the piston from the extension chamber to the compression chamber and a second valving assembly that is tuned to provide a second damping level when fluid flows through the piston from the compression chamber to the extension chamber. A control valve assembly is mounted to move with the piston. When the control valve assembly is closed, fluid flow between the compression and extension chamber flows substantially only through the first and second valving assemblies and when the control valve is open at least some fluid flows between the compression and extension chambers through a secondary valve assembly without passing through the first and second valving assemblies. The secondary valve assembly is mounted to move with the piston and includes a third valving assembly that is tuned to provide a third damping level, and includes a fourth valving assembly that is tuned to provide a fourth damping level. When the control valve is open, fluid flow from the extension chamber to the compression chamber passes through both the first valving assembly and the third valving assembly wherein performance of the damper is determined by the first and third valving assemblies in parallel, and fluid flow from the compression chamber to the extension chamber passes through both the second valving assembly and the fourth valving assembly wherein performance of the damper is determined by the second and fourth valving assemblies in parallel.

Bi-Directional Multiple State Suspension Damper

A hydraulic mount includes a mounting plate and a wall, with a working chamber defined between the mounting plate and the wall. The mounting plate and the wall are separated by a relatively thick elastomeric element so that the size of the working chamber varies as the elastomeric element is compressed and expanded by operation of the mounting plate and the wall moving closer together and farther apart. A reservoir is defined substantially by the elastomeric element in combination with a relatively flexible diaphragm that extends between the mounting plate and the wall so that the reservoir is generally annular in shape and is positioned around the working chamber. The elastomeric element serves as a separation wall between the working chamber and the reservoir. The mount includes a fluid track extending through the wall and opening between the working chamber and the reservoir, with a fluid contained in the working chamber, the reservoir and the fluid track, so that the mount is tunable by varying the size of the fluid track.

Slim profile hydraulic engine mount

In a duo-pumping hydraulic mount, two acting pistons are employed, one associated with each working chamber. The pistons are rigidly connected. During operation, internal pressures generated in each chamber are opposite in sign with one being negative and the other being positive. Therefore, to achieve a given pressure differential across the fluid track, the magnitude of the pressure in each working chamber is half what would be experienced in a conventional single pumping mount. Durability is improved by reducing internal pressures and by distributing kinetic loads to two rubber elements so that individual stresses are minimized. An individual load bearing element supports static loads on the mount.

Duo-pumping hydraulic mount

A chassis system control method comprising the steps of measuring rotational speed of a plurality of vehicle wheels; estimating, responsive to each wheel rotational velocity, a relative velocity between the wheel and a corresponding corner of a vehicle body; determining a chassis system control command responsive to the estimations; and applying the chassis system control command to control the chassis system responsive to the estimations, wherein need for body to wheel relative position and/or relative velocity sensors is eliminated.

Chassis control system for controlling a vehicle chassis system based on

A passive magnetorheological clutch includes an input member that is constantly driven at engine speed, or some selected proportion thereof. An output member is journaled on the input member so as to be supported thereon in a nonrotating state and to be concentrically rotatable in concert therewith. A space presented between the input and output members contains a quantity of magnetorheological fluid. The space also contains an engagement mechanism including a permanent magnet and a ferromagnetic ring concentrically positioned with an operative gap therebetween, wherein the operative gap's dimension is variable to effect changes in the magnetic field passing between the magnet and the ring. When an actuator effects a reduction in the distance between the magnet and ring, the amount of magnetic field increases in density adjacent the ring. The resultant torque transfer from the input member to the output member is effected across the operative gap and through the magnetorheological fluid. As the operative gap is reduced, the torque transfer increases in a gradual and progressive manner.

Passive magnetorheological clutch

A damper includes a piston that carries a relatively compact control valve for controlling fluid flow through the piston. The control valve provides a variable amount of damping by regulating damper fluid flow between the extension chamber and the compression chamber of the damper during extension and compression strokes. Pressure regulation across the piston is controlled through two alternate flow paths as determined by the control valve. Damping through the first flow path is relatively soft and is determined according to the deflective characteristics of a single bi-directional annular disc valve. Damping through the second flow path is relatively firm and is determined by the first bi-directional single annular disc and a second bi-directional single annular disc in series.

Alternating state pressure regulation valved damper

A damper includes a piston that carries a relatively compact control valve for controlling fluid flow through the piston. The control valve provides a variable amount of damping by regulating damper fluid flow between the extension chamber and the compression chamber of the damper during extension and compression strokes. Pressure regulation across the piston is controlled through two alternate flow paths as determined by the control valve. Damping through the first flow path is relatively soft and is determined according to the deflective characteristics of first and second single bi-directional annular disc valves in parallel. Damping through the second flow path is relatively firm and is determined solely by the second bi-directional single annular disc.

Growing community of inventors

Dayton, OH, United States of America

Richard Edward Longhouse