A suspension unit for a front fork of a vehicle includes an annular tube. The first tube defines a compression chamber and a damping chamber. A damper includes a first valve allowing gas to variably flow from the compression chamber to the damping chamber and a second valve allowing gas to flow from the damping chamber to the compression chamber. An external adjuster allows a rider to adjust the first valve to improve ride conditions.

A shock mitigator is provided for mitigating physical shock to a joined object. The shock mitigator includes a hollow body capable of being affixed to the object and having two ends defining a volume therein. A cavitating liquid is disposed in the hollow body volume. At least one end cap is slidingly disposed within the hollow body to seal at least one end thereof. When exposed to a physical shock the cavitating liquid changes phase from a liquid to a vapor, absorbing energy from the shock.

The invention relates to a method for measuring the position of a piston-cylinder arrangement, said method comprising: providing the piston-cylinder arrangement, providing an electrical circuit unit, applying a DC voltage (Vcc) to the piston-cylinder arrangement, sensing a capacitance (C) of the piston-cylinder arrangement as an input variable for the electrical circuit unit, generating a pulsed DC voltage (Vcc) by means of the electrical circuit unit on the basis of the sensed capacitance (C) of the piston-cylinder arrangement, providing a measuring unit for measuring a frequency (F.sub.0, F.sub.1) of the pulsed DC voltage (Vcc) generated, determining a frequency difference (DF) between the frequency (F.sub.0) of the pulsed DC voltage (Vcc) before displacement of the piston within the cylinder and the frequency (F.sub.1) of the pulsed DC voltage (Vcc) after displacement of the piston within the cylinder, determining a displacement distance of the piston within the cylinder on the basis of the frequency difference (DF).

This hydraulic damping device comprises a cylinder for containing oil; a reservoir chamber R which is provided in the outer part of the cylinder and in which liquid accumulates; a piston provided so as to be axially movable within the cylinder and dividing the space within the cylinder into a first oil chamber and a second oil chamber, which contain oil; a baffle member provided as a separate element from the cylinder, the baffle member having a body which is provided in the reservoir chamber R, and also having a protrusion which protrudes from the body, the baffle member preventing the waving of the surface of oil in the reservoir chamber R; and a limiting section (first section to be held) provided to the baffle member and limiting the movement of the baffle member on both one side and the other side in the axial direction.

In a rocking vehicle, a front wheel suspension device suspends a front wheel in an upwardly displaceable manner due to a reaction force from a road surface. The rocking vehicle includes a cushion support arm, on a body frame side, including a cushion support portion of the front wheel suspension device, and a rigidity adjustment device which is extended between plural portions of the cushion support arm. The rigidity adjustment device applies a pre-tension to the cushion support arm, and the pre-tension generates a pre-force component in the cushion support portion in the same direction as the upward moving direction of the front wheel due to a reaction force of the front wheel from the road surface.

A shock absorber includes a pressure tube forming a working chamber. A reserve tube is concentric with and radially outward from the pressure tube. A baffle tube is positioned radially outward from the pressure tube. A reservoir chamber is formed between the reserve tube and the baffle tube. A piston is attached to a piston rod and slidably disposed within the pressure tube. A rod guide is attached to the pressure tube and supports the piston rod. An electromechanical valve is positioned within the rod guide. A plurality of longitudinal passageways are defined by the baffle tube and at least one of the pressure tube and the reserve tube for transporting fluid between the electromechanical valve and the reservoir chamber.

In a fluid-filled cylindrical vibration damping device, an inner shaft member and an outer shaft member are elastically linked by a main rubber elastic body, and fluid chambers in which a fluid is filled are provided to be in communication with each other through an orifice path. The fluid filled in the fluid chambers is a magnetic functional fluid. The fluid-filled cylindrical vibration damping device includes a magnetic unit generating a magnetic field through power conduction. Magnetic path formation members to which the magnetic field is applied by the magnetic unit are arranged on sidewall portions on two facing sides in the orifice path. A magnetic flux concentration part 46 is provided at at least one the magnetic path formation members. A dimension of the magnetic flux concentration part in a length direction of the orifice path is reduced toward an inward side in a facing direction.

A head unit device for controlling motion of an object includes shear thickening fluid (STF), an alternative STF (ASTF), and a chamber configured to contain a portion of the STF and the ASTF. The chamber further includes a piston compartment and an alternative reservoir. The head unit device further includes a reservoir injector configured within the chamber, and a piston housed at least partially radially within the piston compartment. The chamber further includes a set of fluid flow sensors and a set of fluid manipulation emitters to control the reservoir injector to adjust flow of the ASTF from the alternative reservoir to the piston compartment to cause selection of one of a variety of shear rates for a mixture of the STF and the STF within the piston compartment.

A transducer attenuates a physiologically damaging vibration by converting vibration energy to fluidization energy. The transducer includes a canister defining a sealed enclosure, a powder contained within the enclosure, and a coupler for vibrationally coupling the canister to the physiologically damaging vibration. When undisturbed, the powder has a settled state occupying less than the entire enclosure of the canister. However, when excited by physiologically damaging vibration, the powder has a fluidized state occupying the entire enclosure of the canister. When agitated by the physiologically damaging vibration via the coupler, the canister transmits vibration energy to the powder contained therein and causes the powder to fluidize, thereby attenuating the physiologically damaging vibration.

A transducer attenuates a physiologically damaging vibration by converting vibration energy to fluidization energy. The transducer includes a canister defining a sealed enclosure, a powder contained within the enclosure, and a coupler for vibrationally coupling the canister to the physiologically damaging vibration. When undisturbed, the powder has a settled state occupying less than the entire enclosure of the canister. However, when excited by physiologically damaging vibration, the powder has a fluidized state occupying the entire enclosure of the canister. When agitated by the physiologically damaging vibration via the coupler, the canister transmits vibration energy to the powder contained therein and causes the powder to fluidize, thereby attenuating the physiologically damaging vibration.