Nhk Spring Co., Ltd.

Takeyoshi Shinbori

Takeo Fukumura

Nobuya Ezure

Ichiro Takadera

Yoshio Kimura

Kohei Taguchi

Masakazu Nishiyama

Takayuki Tabe

Hideo Yamamoto

Susumu Matsuoka

A hydro-pneumatic suspension system used in a vehicle, includes a cylindrical, hollow main housing having opposite open and closed ends, with an oil chamber in the interior thereof; a rod axially slidable in the main housing through the open end and having an outer end portion located outside of the main housing, an oil passage extending axially therethrough; a damping device mounted on the rod and including an orifice which connects the oil chamber with the oil passage; a cylindrical, hollow sub housing having opposite open and closed ends; a connecting passage connecting the oil passage with the open end of the sub housing, and being connected between the outer end portion of the rod and the open end of the sub housing; a metal bellows arranged coaxially within the sub housing so as to expand and contract axially therein, and having a closed free end and an open end sealed to the open end of the sub housing; a second oil chamber defined by an inner wall of the metal bellows, and communicating with the main housing oil chamber through the connecting passage and the rod oil passage; a gas chamber defined by an outer wall of the bellows and an inner wall of the sub housing, and containing a high-pressure compressed gas which is sealed therein for providing a spring force; and a gas spring constant-adjusting liquid contained in the gas chamber.

Car suspension system

A hydro-pneumatic suspension system used in a vehicle, includes a cylindrical, hollow main housing having opposite open and closed ends, with an oil chamber in the interior thereof; a rod axially slidable in the main housing through the open end and having an outer end portion located outside of the main housing, an oil passage extending axially therethrough; a damping device mounted on the rod and including an orifice which connects the oil chamber with the oil passage; a cylindrical, hollow sub housing having opposite open and closed ends; a connecting passage directly connecting the oil passage with the open end of the sub housing, and being connected between the outer end portion of the rod and the open end of the sub housing; a metal bellows arranged coaxially within the sub housing so as to expand and contract axially therein, and having a closed free end and a open end sealed to the closed end of the sub housing; a second oil chamber defined by an outer wall of the metal bellows, and an inner well of the sub housing, and communicating with the main housing oil chamber through the connecting passage and the rod oil passage; a gas chamber defined by an inner wall of the bellows, and containing a high-pressure compressed gas which is sealed therein for providing a spring force; and a gas spring constant-adjusting liquid contained in the gas chamber.

A hydro-pneumatic suspension system used in a vehicle, includes a cylindrical, hollow main housing having opposite first and second ends, with an oil chamber in the interior thereof; a rod axially slidable in the main housing through the first end and having an outer end portion located outside of the main housing; a cylindrical, hollow sub housing having opposite open and closed ends; a connecting passage connecting the main housing oil chamber with the open end of the sub housing, and being connected between the second end of the main housing and the open end of the sub housing; a metal bellows arranged coaxially within the sub housing so as to expand and contract axially therein, and having a closed free end and an open end sealed to the open end of the sub housing; a second oil chamber defined by an inner wall of the metal bellows, and communicating with the main housing oil chamber through the connecting passage; a damping device disposed within the sub housing and including an orifice which connects the oil chambers of the main and sub housings; a gas chamber defined by an outer wall of the bellows and an inner wall of the sub housing, and containing a high-pressure compressed gas which is sealed therein for providing a spring force; and a gas spring constant-adjusting liquid contained in the gas chamber.

A vehicle suspension device which suspends a vehicle body and a wheel, comprising a coil spring body having a predetermined number of coaxial turns, and a first cylinder and a second cylinder, each including a soft synthetic resin open-cell foam which is treated to be surging-proof and waterproof and which has a wall in which is embedded at least one turn located at each end of said coil spring body.

Vehicle suspension device with a coil spring embedded in an open cell

In a gas spring apparatus according to the present invention, a cylinder assembly comprises a cylinder housing and a rod fitted therein for axial reciprocation. An oil chamber and a gas chamber are defined inside the cylinder assembly, and the capacity of the gas chamber changes as the cylinder housing and rod reciprocate relatively to each other. A damping force generating mechanism is provided in the cylinder assembly. A flexible bladder includes a body made of elastomer and a gas-barrier film. The film is formed on the surface of the elastomer body. The bladder divides the oil and gas chambers completely. Thus, when the rod reciprocates in the axial direction, relatively to the cylinder, the bladder inflates and deflates. The gas spring apparatus is used for a suspension system of an automobile.

Gas spring apparatus

In a car suspension system according to the present invention, a cylinder assembly comprises a cylinder housing and a rod fitted therein for axial reciprocation. An oil chamber and a gas chamber are defined inside the cylinder assembly, and the capacity of the gas chamber changes as the cylinder housing and rod reciprocate relative to each other. A damping force-generating mechanism is provided in the oil chamber. A metal bellows is contained in the cylinder assembly so as to be coaxial with the cylinder housing. The bellows can extend and contract in the axial direction of the cylinder housing. Having a sealed internal space, the bellows divides the oil and gas chambers completely. Thus, when the rod reciprocates in the axial direction, relative to the cylinder housing, the bellows extends and contracts axially.

A vehicle suspension apparatus comprising a body with an internal space and capable of contraction and expansion within which a gas chamber and an oil chamber are formed, an auxiliary container having therein a gas chamber, a channel with a valve connecting the gas chamber in the body and gas chamber defined in the auxiliary container, and a restriction member mounted in the oil chamber having a contrable orifice which allow passage for the working oil occupied with the orifice therebetween.

Vehicle suspension apparatus

An apparatus for controlling the friction between the leaf springs of a laminated leaf spring assembly comprises a clamping mechanism, a hydraulic cylinder mechanism, a hydraulic control mechanism and a detecting mechanism. The clamping mechanism includes a guide member and a press member. The guide member and the press member hold and clamp the laminated leaf spring assembly. The detecting mechanism detects the values of the predetermined factors of a body supported by the laminated leaf spring assembly and supplied signals representative of the values to the pressure reducing valve. According to the signals from the detecting mechanism the pressure reducing valve controls the pressure of the liquid supplied to the cylinder of the hydraulic cylinder mechanism. The detecting mechanism includes a pressure sensor for sensing the pressure of the compressed oil acting on the power steering assembly and a comparator for comparing a signal from the pressure sensor with a predetermined value and for supplying a signal corresponding to the sensed pressure to the control valve when the sensed pressure exceeds the predetermined value.

Apparatus for controlling friction between the leaf springs of a

An apparatus for controlling friction between the leaf springs of a laminated leaf spring assembly comprises a clamp. The clamp includes a spring supporting member and a pressure member which clamp the laminated leaf spring assembly therebetween. The apparatus further comprises a hydraulic cylinder for pressing the pressure member to urge the laminated leaf spring assembly against the spring supporting member. The pressure of a pressurized fluid supplied to the hydraulic cylinder is controlled by a control valve of a hydraulic control member. The operating pressure of the control valve is controlled by detecting values of predetermined factors of a body to be supported by a detector and supplying predetermined signals to the control valve in accordance with the detected values.

Apparatus for controlling friction between leaf springs of a laminated

An apparatus for controlling friction between the leaf springs of a laminated leaf spring assembly comprises a clamp mounted on the laminated leaf spring assembly for clamping the assembly in the direction of its thickness, and a hydraulic cylinder urging the laminated leaf spring assembly against a supporting member of the clamp. A return spring having a number of initially coned disc springs is disposed in a rod chamber of the hydraulic cylinder. The pressure of a pressurized fluid supplied into a head chamber of the hydraulic cylinder is controlled by a control valve. The operating pressure of the control valve is controlled by detecting the variations in predetermined factors of a body to be supported and supplying signals to the control valve in accordance with the variations.

An apparatus for controlling the spring constant of a laminated leaf spring assembly includes a clamping mechanism mounted on the laminated leaf spring assembly for clamping the laminated leaf spring assembly in the direction of thickness thereof. The clamping mechanism includes a fixed spring-supporting member on which a helper spring unit of the assembly is attached to be separated a determined distance from a main spring unit of the assembly. A movable press member positioned to face the helper spring unit and press the main spring unit against the helper spring unit is also provided. The controlling apparatus further includes a piston arrangement for pressing the press member to urge the main spring unit against the helper spring unit.

Apparatus for controlling the spring constant of a laminated leaf spring

An apparatus for controlling the friction between the leaf springs of a laminated leaf spring assembly comprises a clamping mechanism, a hydraulic cylinder mechanism, a hydraulic control mechanism and a detecting mechanism. The clamping mechanism includes a guide member and a press member. The guide member and the press member hold and clamp the laminated leaf spring assembly. The hydraulic cylinder mechanism has a cylinder and a piston movable in the cylinder and presses the press member to urge the laminated leaf spring assembly against the guide member. The hydraulic control mechanism has a pressure reducing value for controlling the pressure of a liquid supplied to the cylinder of the hydraulic cylinder mechanism. The detecting mechanism detects the values of the predetermined factors of a body supported by the laminated leaf spring assembly and supplies signals representative of the values to the pressure reducing valve. According to the signals from the detecting mechanism, the pressure reducing valve controls the pressure of the liquid supplied to the cylinder of the hydraulic cylinder mechanism.

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Yokosuka, Japan

Takeyoshi Shinbori