A displacement sensor module 1 for mounting on a telescopic-type damper 30, a damper/detector assembly including such a displacement sensor module and a telescopic-type damper, and a household appliance including such a damper/detector assembly is provided. The displacement sensor module 1 includes at least one coil element 4, an electronic detection unit 8 connected to the at least one coil element 4 and adapted to detect an impedance change of the at least one coil element, and a coil housing 2 for receiving and additionally or alternatively a coil support 6 for supporting the at least one coil element 4 and for supporting the electronic detection unit 8. The displacement sensor module 1 is adapted to be mounted on a telescopic-type damper 30, wherein in particular the housing 2 or support 6 is adapted to fit over a portion of a pre-assembled damper 30.

A front fork has a damping variable leg including: an outer tube at an upper end side; an inner tube at a lower end side and inserted into the outer tube; a piston rod attached to the outer tube and extending toward the lower end side; a piston at a lower end of the piston rod; and a damping force variable device at the piston so as to generate variable damping force by controlling a flow of an operating fluid. The damping variable leg further includes: a conductor member attached to the piston; and a coil conductor covered with an insulating member and attached to the inner tube. The conductor member is configured to be inserted into the coil conductor. The damping variable leg detects a stroke amount of the damping variable leg based on a change in inductance of the coil conductor.

Disclosed herein is an apparatus for variable fluid damping. The apparatus comprises a mount. The apparatus also comprises a damper coupled to the mount to apply a damping force in response to movement of the mount. The apparatus further comprises an electrical element positioned to correspond to the damper. The apparatus additionally comprises a rheological fluid disposed in the damper. The rheological fluid changes viscosity in response to a change in an output of the electrical element to change the damping force of the damper. The apparatus also comprises a controller to provide input to the electrical element in response to a normal operating condition or an emergency operating condition.

A method for monitoring a dual-stage, separated gas/fluid shock strut includes receiving, by a controller, primary chamber temperature and pressure sensor readings, secondary chamber pressure and temperature sensor readings, and a shock strut stroke sensor reading, determining, by the controller, a shock strut stroke at which a secondary chamber is activated, calculating, by the controller, a volume of oil in an oil chamber of the shock strut, a primary chamber gas volume of, a number of moles of gas in, and a volume of oil leaked into, a primary gas chamber of the shock strut, a secondary chamber gas volume in, a volume of oil leaked into, and a number of moles of gas in, the secondary chamber, based upon at least one of the secondary chamber pressure sensor reading, and the secondary chamber temperature sensor reading.

A method for monitoring a dual-stage, separated gas/fluid shock strut includes receiving, by a controller, a primary chamber temperature sensor reading, a primary chamber pressure sensor reading, and a shock strut stroke sensor reading, calculating, by the controller, a secondary chamber nominal pressure based upon the primary chamber temperature sensor reading, determining, by the controller, a shock strut stroke associated with the secondary chamber nominal pressure, calculating, by the controller, a volume of oil in an oil chamber, a volume of gas in a primary gas chamber, a number of moles of gas in the primary gas chamber, a volume of oil leaked into the primary gas chamber, a volume of gas in a secondary chamber, and a number of moles of gas in the secondary chamber.

A method for monitoring a dual-stage, stroke activated, mixed fluid gas shock strut includes receiving, by a controller, primary chamber temperature and pressure sensor readings, secondary chamber pressure and temperature sensor readings, and a shock strut stroke sensor reading, calculating, by the controller, a compression factor, determining, by the controller, a plurality of compression factors for known oil volumes based on the primary chamber temperature sensor reading and/or the shock strut stroke sensor reading, and calculating, by the controller, an oil volume in a primary chamber of the shock strut, a number of moles of gas in the primary chamber of the shock strut, a volume of gas in a secondary chamber of the shock strut, and a number of moles of gas in the secondary chamber.

The present invention relates to a damper for a rail vehicle, the damper comprising —a cylindrical housing (1) wherein a hollow piston (2) is received axially movable, —a working chamber (5) of variable volume in the housing, —a overflow chamber (4) of variable volume in the piston, the hydraulic overflow chamber (5) being connected to the hydraulic working chamber (5) via a throttle (8) that is in a flow passage between the working chamber (5) and the overflow chamber (4), —a spring chamber (3) of variable volume in the piston, the spring chamber (3) being configured to hold a gas volume for acting as a spring, and the spring chamber being separated from the hydraulic overflow chamber (4) by a separator piston (6) that is axially movable, and the damper further comprising a pressure detector (7) that is configured to detect a pressure in at least one of the spring chamber (3), the working chamber (5) and the overflow chamber (4). The invention also relates to a monitoring system and to a method for monitoring a pressure in a damper.

A device has a sensor unit for detecting measurement data about a relative movement of two components that are moved relative to one another. The sensor unit includes a scale unit connected to one of the components and extending in a movement direction of the relative movement over a measuring section. The scale unit includes a structure having magnetic bodies repeating in a defined manner along the measuring section. The magnetic bodies are axially magnetized and are arrayed having identical magnetic poles along the measuring section and/or the magnetic bodies are radially magnetized and are arrayed in alternation with respect to their magnetic poles along the measuring section. The sensor unit includes a pre-tensioning unit which fixes the arrayed magnetic bodies using a pre-tensioning force.

A shock absorber includes a hollow cylinder body extending in an up-down direction, a rod pipe located on an axis of the cylinder body, provided to be relatively movable in an axial direction of the cylinder body with respect to the cylinder body, and provided in a form of receiving a force in the axial direction, a rod-shaped support body extending inside the rod pipe with an upper end fixed, a stroke sensor including a coil and a conductor provided to be able to detect relative displacement of the rod pipe with respect to the support body, and a hollow intermediate member provided between the inner peripheral surface of the rod pipe and the support body to allow movement in the axial direction.

Technologies are generally described for stackable, configurable monitoring systems for shock absorbers or dampers. An example monitoring system may include one or more sensor boards, a processor board, a power supply board, and a communications board stacked together and fitted into a body of a shock absorber (or damper). Each sensor board may condition sensor outputs from one or more sensors. The processor board may process the conditioned sensor outputs and provide data to external computing devices. In some examples, the power supply board may recharge an on-board battery. The stacking order of the boards may be configurable. In other examples, a displacement sensor board may be disposed on the body and measure displacement using a laser module.