Patent ID: 7963377
Filing Date: 2011-06-21
Classification: B60G,F16F

Abstract:
1. A damper for damping responses by a spring and damper forming a parallel configuration supporting a sprung vehicle body member on a wheel axle member; the damper comprising: a housing arrangement connected to one of the sprung vehicle body member and the wheel axle member; a piston connected to the other of the sprung vehicle body member and the wheel axle member, the piston dividing the housing arrangement into first and second fluid chambers; a main fluid passage piston valving extending through said piston; and a bypass passageway for transferring fluid between the first and second fluid chambers to provide quasi-ideal damping at low force excitation, wherein when the piston is in a neutral position the bypass passageway has at least one first opening on a first side of the piston communicating with one of said first and second fluid chambers and at least one second opening on a second side of the piston communicating with the other of said first and second fluid chambers, wherein the at least one first opening and the at least one second opening are displaced by a distance selected to accommodate piston travel occasioned by minimal movements of the wheel axle member, and wherein said bypass passageway has a total length which is less than substantially one-half that of said housing arrangement; wherein the housing arrangement comprises at least one axially extending tube connected to said one of the sprung vehicle body member and the wheel axle member with the piston mounted to axially reciprocate within the at least one axially extending tube to move a piston rod connected to said other of the sprung vehicle body member and the wheel axle member in response to movements of the wheel axle member; wherein the damper includes a reservoir in fluid communication with one of the chambers of the at least one axially extending tube through a passage; wherein said bypass passageway is structured such that the transferring of fluid through the bypass passageway between the first and second fluid chambers occurs free of intermixing of fluid of the bypass passageway with fluid of said reservoir; wherein the reservoir is tubular and is coaxial with the at least one axially extending tube; and wherein the bypass passageway is configured as a sleeve disposed around the at least one axially extending tube, wherein said sleeve is coterminous with said bypass passageway such that said sleeve extends a total length which is less than substantially one-half that of said housing arrangement.