A suspension is provided which can not only generate a damping force between sprung mass and unsprung mass but also steer a wheel. A suspension includes: a shaft coupled to sprung mass of a vehicle, the shaft having a screw groove and a spline groove formed thereon; a ball screw nut assembled to the shaft via a ball; a ball spline nut assembled to the shaft via a ball; a ball screw-specific motor connected to the ball screw nut; a ball spline-specific motor connected to the ball spline nut; and a case coupled to unsprung mass of the vehicle, the case being configured to hold the ball screw-specific motor and the ball spline-specific motor. The ball spline-specific motor rotates the ball spline nut and the shaft relative to the case.

The valve includes a valve case; an annular valve body, an outer peripheral end of which is a free end movable to both sides in an axial direction with respect to the valve case; a facing portion provided in the valve case, the facing portion including an annular facing surface which is located on an outer peripheral side of the valve body and is configured to face the free end with a gap; and first and second valve stoppers which are located on both sides respectively in the axial direction of the valve body. The first and second valve stoppers, respectively, have a plurality of support portions that are configured to support different positions of the valve body in a radial direction at different heights when the valve body deflects.

Shock absorber comprising a tubular base, a piston, a stem connected to the piston, and a plurality of fluid paths for connecting a working chamber and an accumulation chamber on opposite sides of the piston, one of which provides for a ring-shaped obstructing member arranged about the piston and able to slide along an axial length of the piston. The obstructing member comprises a bush of plastic material, which has a flexible lip portion extending from a rear end of the bush and having a radially outer surface tapered towards the rear end of the bush, the lip portion being adapted to seal against a radially inner surface of the base when the obstructing member is in a closed configuration. A support ring member is adapted to radially engage the lip portion of the bush from within, and to push it against the radially inner surface of the base.

A dual-stage, stroke activated, mixed fluid gas shock strut arrangement includes a dual-stage, stroke activated, mixed fluid gas shock strut (shock strut) and a monitoring system. The shock strut includes a strut cylinder, a strut piston, a primary chamber comprising an oil chamber and a primary gas chamber, and a secondary gas chamber. The monitoring system includes a first pressure/temperature sensor, a second pressure/temperature sensor, a stroke sensor, a recorder configured to receive a plurality of sensor readings from the first pressure/temperature sensor, the second pressure/temperature sensor, and/or the stroke sensor, a landing detector configured to detect a landing event based upon a stroke sensor reading received from the stroke sensor, and a health monitor configured to determine an oil volume in the primary chamber, wherein the health monitor calculates a compression factor to determine the oil volume.

Hydraulic fluid in a cylinder's lower chamber is introduced into a back pressure chamber through the outer periphery of an extension-side main valve during a compression stroke of a piston rod. This eliminates the necessity of forming paths by arranging a plurality of discs and a check valve, the paths for introducing into the back pressure chamber the hydraulic fluid in the cylinder's lower chamber that becomes an upstream chamber during the compression stroke. This makes it possible to decrease the axial length of a shaft portion of the piston rod and therefore the entire length of a cylinder, and also downsize a shock absorber.

A method for controlling vehicle motion is described. The method includes accessing a set of control signals including a measured vehicle speed value associated with a movement of a vehicle. A control signal associated with user-induced input is also accessed. The method compares the measured vehicle speed value with a predetermined vehicle speed threshold value to achieve a speed value threshold approach status, and then compares the set of values to achieve a user-induced input threshold value approach status. The method monitors a state of a valve within the vehicle suspension damper, and determines a control mode for the vehicle suspension damper. The method also regulates damping forces within the vehicle suspension damper.

A mechanical bypass for a shock assembly is disclosed herein. The assembly has a damper chamber having a compression portion and a rebound portion. There is further an external reservoir in fluid communication with the rebound portion of the damper chamber via a flow path. A valve is coupled with the flow path, the valve to meter a flow of the working fluid through the flow path. A bypass port to the external reservoir is provided in the flow path and bypasses the valve. A mechanical relief valve is provided in the bypass port to block a fluid flow though the bypass port until a blow-off pressure that is higher than a normal operating pressure and less than a burst pressure of the damping chamber is provided thereon.

A suspension element includes a main body having an end cap defining an internal volume and a tubular element slidably engaged with the main body. The suspension element further includes a first piston and a flow control element. The flow control element is configured to prevent movement of the tubular element relative the main body in a direction. The suspension element may further include a locking member and a piston. The locking member may be configured to engage a barrier of the main body when the first piston traverses at least a predetermined distance towards the end cap. The locking member may be affixed to the tubular element and may fully surround the tubular element. Together the flow control element and the locking member are configured to prevent movement of the suspension element.

The first piston body includes a first passage which has a first opening that opens to the first chamber on the coupling surface with the second piston body and extends in the axial direction, and a second passage which has a second opening on the coupling surface, extends in the axial direction and has a third opening that opens to the second chamber, the second piston body is coupled to the first piston body to prevent direct communication with the first chamber of the second opening, the second opening has an inner opening portion that opens further inward in the radial direction than the first opening, and the inner opening portion communicates with a third passage formed in the second piston body.

The invention is a damper that includes a hollow cylindrical housing, a hollow cylindrical piston, an annular electromagnetic orifice, a bulkhead, a chemically inert charging gas, a cylindrical metering pin, and a controller. The damper is an oleo-pneumatic damper using magnetorheological fluid that allows active damper control.