Kyb Corporation

Kayaba Industry Company, Ltd.

Takahisa Mochizuki

Naoki Ito

Yuuki Amano

Keiji Saito

Koichiro Awano

Sodai Shimauchi

Takuhiro Kondo

Yuki Amano

Masashi Uemura

Takumi Hayashiguchi

Provided is a configuration capable of supplying compressed air to a pneumatic apparatus while supplying electric power to an electric vehicle. A connector is connected to a vehicle provided with an air suspension device to which compressed air is supplied, and supplies electric power supplied from an electric power supply unit to the vehicle. The connector includes a charging connection portion that supplies electric power to the vehicle, and an air supply connection portion that supplies compressed air to the air suspension device.

Connector and power supply device

A shock absorber includes a hard-side damping element for applying resistance to a flow of liquid from a compression side chamber to an extension side chamber, a solenoid valve capable of changing an opening area of a compression side bypass passage for communicating the compression side chamber and the extension side chamber by bypassing the hard-side damping element, and a soft-side damping element provided in the compression side bypass passage in series with the solenoid valve. The hard-side damping element has an orifice and a leaf valve provided in parallel with the orifice. The soft-side damping element has an orifice having an opening area larger than that of the orifice.

Shock absorber

A shock absorber with a vehicle height adjustment function according to the present invention includes a shock absorber main body that includes a cylinder filled with liquid, a piston that partitions inside of the cylinder into an extension side chamber and a compression side chamber, a piston rod coupled to the piston, a suspension spring that biases the shock absorber main body in an extending direction, a reservoir that accumulates liquid, a damper circuit that is connected to the extension side chamber, the compression side chamber, and the reservoir and generates a damping force in the shock absorber main body at the time when the shock absorber main body expands/contracts, a pump that is able to suck liquid from the reservoir and discharge the liquid, and a switching valve that is installed between the shock absorber main body and the damper circuit and the pump and switches a damper mode in which the shock absorber main body is connected to the damper circuit so as to generate a damping force in the shock absorber main body and a vehicle height adjustment mode in which the shock absorber main body is connected to the pump.

Shock absorber with vehicle height adjustment function

A shock absorber is provided with a cylinder, a piston inserted into the cylinder and demarcating an interior of the cylinder into an extension side chamber and a compression side chamber, a piston rod joined to the piston, a damping passage, provided in the piston rod, that communicates with the extension side chamber and the compression side chamber, and a damping force adjustment valve provided in the damping passage. The damping force adjustment valve includes a damping force adjustment unit and a solenoid that drives the damping force adjustment unit to adjust a flow channel resistance. The piston rod includes a yoke into which the damping force adjustment valve is inserted, and a piston holding member mounted on the yoke. The yoke includes a through-hole opening from a side of the yoke and leading to the interior, and a groove provided on a perimeter of the yoke, extending from an anti-piston end, and leading to the through-hole.

A shock absorber includes a hard-side damping element that gives resistance to a flow of liquid from an extension side chamber toward a compression side chamber, an electromagnetic valve capable of changing an opening area of an extension side bypass passage that bypasses the hard-side damping element and communicates the extension side chamber and the compression side chamber, and a soft-side damping element provided in the extension side bypass passage in series with the electromagnetic valve, in which the hard-side damping element includes an orifice and a leaf valve provided in parallel with the orifice, and in which the soft-side damping element includes an orifice having an opening area larger than an opening area of the orifice.

In a joint structure for joining an insertion shaft that is driven to rotate to a reception side shaft having an insertion groove into which the insertion shaft is inserted so that a rotation of the insertion shaft is transmitted to the reception side shaft, a plurality of pairs of opposing side face portions are formed on an outer periphery of the insertion shaft, the insertion groove includes an axial hole that is formed to open onto an end surface of the reception side shaft and coincides with a pair of first side face portions of the side face portions, and a radial hole that is formed to penetrate the reception side shaft in a radial direction and coincides with a pair of second side face portions of the side face portions, and the axial hole and the radial hole are formed such that respective parts thereof intersect.

Joint structure and hydraulic shock absorber

A shock absorber includes a vessel externally mounted to the outer tube, a reservoir provided inside the vessel to communicate with the bottom chamber, a discharge passage that allows the rod-side chamber to communicate with the reservoir, and a damping valve provided in the middle of the discharge passage, wherein the discharge passage has a connecting member that connects the vessel and the outer tube, a cylindrical gap provided between the outer tube and the cylinder, an installation hole provided in the outer tube and opened to the cylindrical gap, a first bottom passage that has one end communicating with the bottom chamber and the other end connected to one end of the connecting member, and a second bottom passage that has one end communicating with the installation hole and the other end communicating with the middle of the first bottom passage, and the damping valve is installed in the installation hole.

A suspension device interposed between a vehicle body and a wheel, including a magnetic viscous fluid shock absorber in which a magnetic viscous fluid is sealed, a tube member composed of an outer tube connected to the vehicle body side and an inner tube connected to the wheel side and going into/out of the outer tube and accommodating the magnetic viscous fluid shock absorber, a lubricant liquid stored in the tube member, and a seal member closing a space between the inner tube and the magnetic viscous fluid shock absorber and preventing intrusion of the lubricant liquid to the wheel side.

Suspension device

A front fork includes a pair of dampers standing on both sides of a wheel. One of the pair of dampers is a magnetic viscous fluid damper configured to use a magnetic viscous fluid whose viscosity is changed by an action of a magnetic field as a working fluid, while the other of the pair of dampers is a liquid-pressure damper configured to use a liquid such as oil, water, an aqueous solution and the like as the working fluid.

Front fork

A vehicle height adjusting apparatus includes: an annular movable spring receiver in sliding contact with a guide surface formed on an outer periphery of an outer tube of a damper, the movable spring receiver being configured to support one side end of a suspension spring, the suspension spring biasing the damper in an expansion direction; a driving mechanism configured to drive the movable spring receiver in an axial direction of the damper; an auxiliary spring configured to bias the movable spring receiver to the suspension spring side; and a dust cover configured to cover a portion on the guide surface, the movable spring receiver being in sliding contact with the guide surface in the portion. The dust cover is held on the outer tube by means of a spring force of the auxiliary spring.

Vehicle height adjusting apparatus

A vehicle height adjusting device includes an annular movable spring bearing mounted on the outer periphery of an outer tube of a shock absorber, the movable spring bearing being configured to support one side end of a suspension spring for biasing the shock absorber in an extending direction, a driving mechanism configured to drive the movable spring bearing in an axial direction of the shock absorber, an auxiliary spring configured to bias the movable spring bearing toward the suspension spring, and a stopper member mounted on the outer periphery of the outer tube of the shock absorber, the stopper member being configured to restrict a movement of the movable spring bearing toward the suspension spring.

Vehicle height adjusting device and assembling method for vehicle height adjusting device

A suspension device interposed between a vehicle body and a wheel includes a shock absorber, a suspension spring, a tube member accommodating the shock absorber and the suspension spring, a sealing member closing a one-side opening of the tube member and holding a piston rod of the shock absorber, a damping force adjustment portion, which includes a coil generating a magnetic field in a passage and a wiring penetrating the piston rod and the sealing member and conducting the coil, electrically adjusting resistance caused when an operating fluid, which is a magnetic viscous fluid whose viscosity changes by a magnetic field's action, passes through the passage allowing two chambers defined and formed by a piston in a cylinder to communicate with each other in the shock absorber, and a reaction force adjustment portion, which is mounted on the sealing member, for adjusting a reaction force of the suspension spring.

A vehicle height adjustment device includes a jack chamber for supporting a spring receiver supporting a suspension spring's one-side end portion and a fluid-pressure driving unit for supplying/discharging an operating fluid into/out of the jack chamber and elevating up/down the spring receiver. The fluid-pressure driving unit includes a pump for selectively supplying the operating fluid to a first or second channel and a tank connected to the first or second channel not receiving an operating fluid's supply from the pump. The vehicle height adjustment device further includes a jack channel allowing the first channel and the jack chamber to communicate with each other, a valve body closing the jack channel, capable of opening/closing, a spring for urging the valve body in a direction for shutting off the jack channel, and a pilot line for having a second channel's pressure act on the valve body so the jack channel is opened.

Vehicle height adjustment device

Damper is provided with damper main body including cylinder, piston being slidably inserted into cylinder to partition interior of cylinder into extension and compression chambers, and piston rod being inserted into cylinder to be coupled to piston, and damping force adjustment mechanism including flow path permitting passage of fluid only during either extension or contraction, valve seat being provided at intermediate position of flow path, valve body being movable back and forth relative to valve seat, and motor driving and moving valve body back and forth relative to valve seat to adjust flow path area of flow path. Damper energizes motor to move valve body distance, which is two-fold or more of distance from separated position where valve body is separated from valve seat to seated position where valve body is seated on valve seat, when flow path is blocked by moving valve body from separated position to seated position.

Damper

A shock absorber includes a damping force adjustment mechanism having a flow passage that allows the fluid from a cylinder, a valve seat, a valve body, and a stepper motor that adjusts a flow passage area by driving the valve body. A valve body position in which step-out may occur in the stepper motor if the valve body is moved further toward the valve seat therefrom is set as a step-out boundary position, a zone between a seated position in which the valve body is seated on the valve seat and the step-out boundary position is set as a step-out zone, and when the valve body is to be moved to the seated position through the step-out zone, the stepper motor is energized to move the valve body by a distance that is at least twice a distance to the seated position.

Growing community of inventors

Gifu, Japan

Takahisa Mochizuki