An adjustable shock absorber includes a base unit, a primary cylinder, a shock rod, a main piston, a biasing member, a hydraulic adjusting unit, a secondary cylinder, a floating piston, a valve module, and a micro-adjusting unit. When an impact force is exerted on the shock rod against a biasing force of the biasing member to force a working liquid to flow from a primary chamber into a liquid sub-chamber of the secondary cylinder, a working gas in a gas sub-chamber of the secondary cylinder is compressed to generate a damping force to act on the working liquid so as to permit the working liquid to flow back to the primary chamber. The damping force can be adjusted by adjusting a needle valve of the micro-adjusting unit.

A suspension controller includes a target current setting unit configured to set a target current value, a current limitation setting unit configured to set a current limitation value, a current detector configured to detect a current value of a first current supplied to a solenoid that is configured to control a damping force of a suspension, a duty ratio setting unit configured to set a duty ratio based on the target current value, based on the current limitation value, and based on the current value detected by the current detector; and a current outputting unit configured to supply the solenoid with a second current that corresponds to the duty ratio set by the duty ratio setting unit and to a power supply voltage. The current limitation setting unit is configured to change the current limitation value based on the duty ratio set by the duty ratio setting unit.

A suspension controller includes a target current setting unit, a current limitation setting unit, a current outputting unit, a current detector, and an estimated temperature calculator. The target current setting unit sets a target current value. The current limitation setting unit sets a current limitation value. The current outputting unit supplies a solenoid with a current that is based on the target current value, the current limitation value, and a power supply voltage. The solenoid controls a damping force of a suspension. The current detector detects a current value of the current supplied to the solenoid. The estimated temperature calculator calculates an estimated temperature of the solenoid based on the current value detected by the current detector so that the current limitation setting unit changes the current limitation value based on the estimated temperature.

A damper assembly includes an outer tube and an inner tube disposed in the outer tube defining a fluid space therebetween. The inner tube defines an inner volume. A piston is slidably disposed in the inner tube and divides the inner volume into a rebound working chamber and a compression working chamber. An active rebound valve is fluidly connected to the rebound working chamber and the fluid chamber, and an active compression valve is fluidly connected to the reserve chamber and the compression working chamber. An intake assembly is positioned in the fluid chamber to control the fluid flow through the active rebound valve and into the compression working chamber during a rebound stroke and to control fluid flow from the compression working chamber through the active compression valve and into the rebound working chamber during a compression stroke.

A damper includes a pressure tube extending about a longitudinal axis and defining an inner volume. The damper includes a piston attached to a piston rod and slidably disposed within the pressure tube. The piston divides the inner volume of the pressure tube into a first working chamber and a second working chamber. The damper includes a fluid connector having a first wall and a second wall, each elongated along the longitudinal axis and sealed to the pressure tube. The fluid connector has a third wall elongated along the longitudinal axis and extending from the first wall to the second wall. The pressure tube defines an opening at the first working chamber, and the third wall of the fluid connector defines an opening spaced from the opening of the pressure tube. The first wall, the second wall, and the third wall define a passage extending from the opening of the pressure tube to the opening of the third wall.

An adjustable vibration damper includes at least one adjustable damping valve, with a piston at a piston rod that divides a cylinder into a work chamber on the piston rod side and a work chamber on the side remote of the piston rod. The cylinder is at least partially enclosed by an intermediate tube that forms a fluid connection between one of the work chambers and the adjustable damping valve. A hydraulic apparatus is connected to the fluid connection of the one work chamber via a first line and to the other work chamber via a second line.

An apparatus and a method for controlling vehicle suspension, which controls a variable damper in consideration of virtual tire damping, may include a variable damper which is installed between a vehicle body and a wheel, a first acceleration sensor which is installed at each corner of the vehicle body to measure a vehicle body corner vertical acceleration, a second acceleration sensor which is installed to each wheel to measure a wheel vertical acceleration, and a controller that estimates a road surface roughness based on the vehicle body corner vertical acceleration and the wheel vertical acceleration, determines a virtual tire damping required damping force based on the estimated road surface roughness, and adjusts a damping force of the variable damper based on the determined virtual tire damping required damping force.

Methods and systems for hydraulic vehicle suspension are provided. A hydraulic suspension system, in one example, includes a first manifold including a piston-side interface and a rod-side interface fluidically coupled to a piston chamber and a rod chamber, respectively, for each of a first hydraulic cylinder and a second hydraulic cylinder. In the system, the first manifold includes a first electrically activated valve fluidically coupled to the piston-side interfaces, a first damping device, and a second damping device, the first electrically activated valve is configured to lock and unlock vertical motion of the first and second hydraulic cylinders and, while vertical motion of the first and second hydraulic cylinders is locked, the first electrically activated valve permits fluidic communication between the first and second hydraulic cylinders to permit free roll motion in the hydraulic suspension system.

A damper includes an inner tube. The damper includes a piston slidably disposed within the inner tube. The piston defines a first working chamber and a second working chamber within the inner tube. The damper also includes an outer tube disposed around the inner tube. The outer tube defines an outer chamber between the inner tube and the outer tube. The damper further includes a cover member mounted on an outer surface of the outer tube. The cover member defines a collector chamber between the outer tube and the cover member. The damper includes a first control valve mounted on the cover member. The damper also includes a second control valve mounted on the cover member and spaced apart from the first control valve.

A damper control device includes a speed conversion unit configured to convert a damper speed to a control damper speed, and if the damper is accelerating, the damper speed is converted so that signs of the control damper speed and the damper speed accord with each other and an absolute value of the control damper speed becomes an absolute value of the damper speed or more, and if the damper is decelerating, the damper speed is converted so that the signs of the control damper speed and the damper speed accord with each other and the absolute value of the control damper speed becomes the absolute value of the damper speed or less, and a damping force of the damper is controlled by using the control damper speed.