Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Wayne V Fannin

James M Pees

Harry C Buchanan, Jr

William Charles Kruckemeyer

Loren R Gute

Charles White

Scott R Kloess

Gustavus Pearl Bock

John A Budinski

Stephen E Dourson

Raymond A Flora

Edward L Harrod

Byron L Watson

Frank M Fenton

William C Kruckemeier

A hydraulic suspension damper includes a fluid-filled cylinder divided into first and second fluid chambers by a reciprocating piston. A bypass valve assembly includes a first pressure responsive valve assembly in fluid connection with one of the fluid chambers and a second pressure responsive valve assembly in fluid connection with the other fluid chamber. The pressure responsive valve assemblies direct fluid to an unidirectional electromechanical valve assembly. Operation of the bypass valve assembly permits independent control of fluid during compression and rebound strokes of the damper.

Bypass valve assembly for a hydraulic damper

A hydraulic damper includes an internal accumulator for storing and dissipating energy resulting from a fluid pressure spike inside the damper. A housing is mounted on a piston rod above a reciprocable piston. A compressible medium is stored in the housing. A valve assembly controls the flow of fluid into and out of the accumulator. When a sudden fluid pressure rise occurs, the medium compresses to store the energy. When the pressure rise dissipates, fluid exits the accumulator as the medium expands.

Internal accumulator for a hydraulic damper

An oil pressurized telescoping actuator for active ride vehicle suspension having a folded dual piston design with an inner piston stroking within the rod of an outer piston to foreshorten overall length. A special universal joint provided for a larger tolerance so that three bearing surfaces encounter will not encounter binding. The upper mount accommodates the upper end of the actuator with extends therethrough to further foreshorten the unit. The entire unit is jacketed to provide a reservoir connected to a drain line so that leakage oil can be pressurized by a pump into the system for pressurized feed into the actuator for powered expansion and contraction of the actuator for level ride for all vehicle maneuvers.

Hydraulic actuator for active ride suspension

Rolling lobe air suspension strut having a specialized compliant cover plate assembly that forms the upper end of the air spring and which provides for absorption of jounce energy. This cover plate assembly provides optimization of isolation characteristics through split paths carried into the body through the isolation cushion in the mount assembly and the isolator portion of the compliant cover plate provided by the elastomer jounce bumper.

Vehicle air suspension strut with compliant cover plate assembly

Suspension damper with double drum variable valving within the confines of the piston which strokes within the damper that is rotatable to predetermined stations in one revolution to provide a wide range of jounce and rebound damping characteristics and rotatable in an opposite direction from any station for maximized valve restriction producing optimized vehicle lift and dive control.

Damper with optimized adjustable valving for vehicle ride control

A hydraulic damper for adjusting the damping force which incorporates a piston operatively for stroking movement within a cylinder and partitioning the cylinder into separate chambers with first fluid flow control valving interconnecting said chambers for determining said damping force of said unit and fluid bypass passage extending through said neck portion of said piston for controlling the effective passage area of the bypass passage and generating a family of curves for controlling and selecting the damping force of the damper.

Damper with internally powered selective ride valving

A family of two-stage rebound damping performance curves is provided by rotating a selector plate within the damper piston to a number of selected positions to control orifice selection to a centralized blow off passage to thereby control the rate of oil flow through the piston during rebound.

Hydraulic damper for vehicle suspension with wide range of two-stage

Rebound damping action of this hydraulic damper is set by rotating a selector plate within the shock absorber piston to a number of positions to control orifice selection degree of disk plate pack deflection and the rate of oil flow through the piston during rebound.

Hydraulic damper for vehicles with variable deflected disk piston valving

Rebound and compression damping action of this hydraulic damper is set by rotating a selector plate within the damper piston to a number of positions to control orifice selection in parallel to flow through the disk plate pack and thereby control the rate of oil flow through the piston during rebound.

Hydraulic damper for vehicles with variable orifice piston valving for

A rotational actuator for the interior of an adjustable vehicle suspension damper device comprises a cylindrical permanent magnet stator and a cylindrical armature. The armature includes a shaftless winding on a non-magnetic armature frame, the armature frame extending axially beyond the winding at each end with output engaging means at one end and an opening between that end and the winding projecting radially inward across the axis of the armature. A first shaft coaxial with the armature is anchored in the one axial end of the armature frame and rotatably supported in a first axial support. A second axial support in the stator projects into the opening of the armature frame across the armature axis and supports a second shaft coaxial with the armature and extending across the opening of the second axial end of the armature frame, whereby the armature is supported at each axial end close to the winding and core while the radial size of the actuator is minimized. Rotational limit stops may be formed on the bridge portion of the armature adjacent the radially inwardly projecting opening and on the second support means. An additional intermediate stop may comprise flat surfaces on the armature and a stationary U-shaped spring; or output ratchet apparatus may be provided.

Rotational actuator for vehicle suspension damper

Variable damping apparatus of the fluid pumping type includes an adjustable valve. The valve comprises a stationary plate having a bleed orifice and one or more additional orifices opening axially therethrough, each said additional orifice including a blowoff valve, and a rotatable plate having a bleed orifice and an additional orifice opening axially therethrough, the rotatable plate being disposed adjacent the stationary plate to vary orifice communication with rotation. As the rotatable plate is rotated in opposite directions with respect to the stationary plate away from a position of full communication between the bleed orifices of said plates, the communication of the additional orifices of the plates is varied in a different manner in each rotational direction for equal degrees of communication between the bleed orifices. A rotational actuator is provided to position the rotatable plate with respect to the stationary plate and thus simultaneously select a bleed orifice opening and a blowoff characteristic in response to a signal derived from sensed road characteristics in an adaptive ride control.

Vehicle damping apparatus with simultaneous bleed orifice and blowoff

A suspension unit operatively connected between sprung and unsprung portions of a vehicle includes a replacement air sleeve and special air sleeve fitting facilitating installation. The air sleeve fitting is installed over the reservoir tube of the suspension unit and cooperates with a dust tube to locate the air sleeve on the suspension unit.

Method of servicing a vehicle suspension unit with replacement air spring

Suspension strut is detached from sprung portion of the vehicle and swung on lower control arm pivot to service position in which onboard repairs can be effected including change or addition of elastomer air sleeve using special inner clamping ring which is manually installed and which provides optimized clearance with respect to the dust tube allowing unrestricted reciprocating strut movements on vehicle operation subsequent to reattachment of the strut to the sprung portion of the vehicle.

Method of servicing vehicle suspension struts

Vehicle suspension unit with replacement air spring

This energy absorbing bumper mount comprises a spring bracket assembly which includes a pair of diverging spring arms that carry pins on the outer end thereof. A preloaded yieldable energy absorbing band of oriented plastic material is stretched across the arms by attachment to the pins. On impact of a bumper attached to the spring arms, the pins are laterally displaced from one another as the spring arms are deflected. Energy is absorbed by the stretching of the band and by deflection of the spring arms. Rebound is controlled with the slow recovery rate of the band acting as a buckling column to retard recovery of the spring arms to their normal undeflected position.

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Xenia, OH, United States of America

Wayne V Fannin