A hydraulic shock absorber includes a control valve. The control valve includes a valve seat formed with a closing face, a valve body configured to come into contact with the closing face, and a valve shaft configured to transmit an operation force applied from a driving unit to the valve body. The control valve is defined with an upstream side flow channel extending from an inlet coupled to the upper end opening, via a space in which the valve body moves, to the closing face, and a downstream side flow channel extending from the closing face to an outlet. The control valve is disposed above the cylinder so that a central axis of the valve shaft is inclined relative to a central axis of the vehicle body side tube and the wheel side tube.

A valve assembly for a damper is provided. The valve assembly includes a housing defining a fluid cavity. The valve assembly includes a spool valve movably disposed within the housing. Further, the valve assembly includes a bumper disposed between the housing and the spool valve. At least the bumper, the spool valve and the housing together define an enclosed volume. The valve assembly further includes one or more bleed paths defined on at least one of the bumper, the spool valve and the housing, the one or more bleed paths fluidly communicating the fluid cavity with the enclosed volume.

An energy absorbing strut having, a first end coupled with an inner cylinder, and a second end connected with a hollow rod extending within the inner cylinder. A piston is carried by the rod having an outer surface sealing against an inside diameter of the inner cylinder and forming a compression chamber and a rebound chamber bounded by the piston, the rod having an internal passageway communicating between the compression chamber and the rebound chamber. An inertial mass carried by the rod movable axially on the rod between a closed position against and annular rod passageway and an open position opening the rod passageway and allowing the flow of a hydraulic fluid between the compression chamber and the rebound chamber. A spring acts on the inertial mass biasing the inertial mass toward the closed position. The energy absorbing strut may be used in a blast mitigation system for a military vehicle or other applications for providing shock isolation between two structures.

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 damper assembly comprises a main tube extending along a center axis defining a fluid chamber. A main piston is located in the main tube dividing the fluid chamber into a compression chamber and a rebound chamber. A piston rod extends into the main tube and coupled to the main piston. The piston rod defines an annular chamber extending along the center axis. A slidable partition is located in the annular chamber dividing the annular chamber into a magnetorheological chamber and a compensation chamber. A secondary piston is slidably disposed in the magnetorheological chamber dividing the magnetorheological chamber into a magnetorheological compression chamber and a magnetorheological rebound chamber. A secondary piston rod sealingly and slidably guided through the main piston and couples to the main tube for moving the secondary piston axially in the magnetorheological chamber.

A main orifice plate assembly may be configured to transition a multi-actor damping system from a first damping actor configuration to a second damping actor configuration. The multi-actor damping system may be used in a shock strut assembly to alter a damping curve of the shuck strut assembly. The main orifice plate assembly may be a part of a main orifice assembly including an orbital cam. The main orifice plate may include a flow restrictor. The flow restrictor may be configured to retract or deploy in response to main orifice plate rotating about the orbital cam. The first damping actor configuration may correspond to a first damping curve. The second damping actor configuration may correspond to a second damping curve. The first damping curve being different than the second damping curve.

A hydraulic damper comprises an outer cylinder, and an inner cylinder slidably mounted within the outer cylinder for movement relative to the outer cylinder along a longitudinal axis. The inner cylinder has a circumferential wall circumscribing a bellows assembly. The bellows assembly comprises a first bellows section, a second bellows section, a damping plate attached to and separating the first and second bellows sections, a first closure element closing an end of the first bellows section opposite the damping plate to define a first chamber, and a second closure element closing an end of the second bellows section opposite the damping plate to define a second chamber. The first closure element is attached to the inner cylinder for movement therewith relative to the outer cylinder. The second closure element is also attached to the inner cylinder for movement therewith relative to the outer cylinder.

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.

Generally described, aspects of the disclosed subject matter are directed to electronically controlled dampers having shimmed pistons. In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, the dampers generally include a shaft having a piston with compression and rebound valves extending therethrough. For further damper tuning and adjustment, a fluid bypass assembly permits damping fluid to bypass the piston during operation. The fluid bypass assembly may include a metering pin for manual adjustment of the fluid bypass, and a control valve for electronic adjustment of the fluid bypass. In this regard, the control valve may be controlled automatically, manually, or a combination thereof.

A damper assembly includes a main tube disposed on a center axis and extending between a first and a second end defining a fluid chamber for containing a working fluid. A main piston is slidably disposed in the fluid chamber dividing the fluid chamber into a rebound chamber and a compression chamber. A piston rod is attached to the main piston for moving the main piston between a compression and a rebound stroke. The piston rod includes a rod extender attached to the main piston defining a compartment. A compression stop including an additional piston is slidably disposed in the compartment and movable between a first position in response to the compression stroke and a second position in response to the rebound stroke. The first position is the additional piston being disposed adjacent the main piston. The second position is the additional piston being axially spaced from the main piston.